As of Monday, January 23, 2023
#THE Bahamas International Tennis Club’s 2023 Doubles Championships came to a close on Friday at the Nassau Lawn Tennis Club with the United States of America’s Robins team beating the USA Bluebirds 3-2 to take the top spot.
#The Robins ended the week-long tournament with a perfect 4-0 win-loss record. The loss was the first for the Bluebirds, who ended up 3-1.
#While Barbados finished third at 2-2, the International Team stunned the Bahamas 3-2 to clinch the fourth spot. The International team, comprising of players from different countries in the Bahamas, was 1-3 and the Bahamas was winless at 0-4.
#“This has been a fantastic week of tennis played to a high standard with great camaraderie and sportsmanship,” said USA IC president Robb Bunnen. “The Bahamas have been wonderful hosts and I know all our team will want to return to The Bahamas again for any future events. We go back to the USA as proud winners with fond memories including many renewed friendships and also with new ones created in the tennis world.”
#This was the fifth bi-annual event that is designed around top senior players from forty International Tennis Clubs (IC) around the world.
#Each inter-country match had two men’s doubles, two mixed doubles and ladies doubles in various age combinations. The event was sponsored by Winterbotham Trust.
#The Bahamas, captained by Neil Mactaggart, had on its team John Antonas, former Davis Cup and top Caribbean player plus Susan Kimball the ITF World number one ranked lady in the 75+ age category last year. Kimball had been a maths teacher for many years in The Bahamas and has kept up contact with The Bahamas tennis world since leaving and returns often.
#Despite these strong players The Bahamas, while winning several individual matches, unfortunately, did not quite get an overall team victory.
#“Although losing our overall matches the team enjoyed some great competition. It was good to once again be competing with strong players, many we have known through years of tennis,” Mactaggart said.
#“With most of the competitors in the 40 to 70 age groups it confirmed tennis is a game for life.”
#Bahamas IC president, Kit Spencer, who as a former British tennis player, played on the International team that beat the Bahamas.
#“With a wonderful week of weather there has not only been some great competitive tennis but I think we have been able to showcase The Bahamas to our visiting teams,” Spencer said. “The matches were played at the historic Nassau Lawn Tennis Club, first established in 1880. It is one of the very oldest tennis clubs in the whole Americas region and the same age as Wimbledon.”
#At the final night presentation dinner, the players were treated to a Bahamian menu with the Curb side Rockers “Rake and Scrape” duo playing the steel drum and saw.
#“This gave a taste of some Bahamian culture which delighted our USA teams and had our fellow Caribbean team from Barbados joining in,” Spencer said.
#He also thanked was local sponsor Winterbotham Trust for their continued support of this and other tennis events such as the recent IC Rod Laver Junior Challenge that The Bahamas also hosted.
#USA Robins 3,
#USA Bluebirds 2:
#Men’s 105+ doubles – Jeff Clark/Jeff Snow (Robins) def. Shirish Deshpande/ Steve Moehn (Bluebirds) 7-6(5), 6-2.
#Women’s 105+ doubles – USA Robins def. USA Bluebirds w/o.
#Men’s 125+ Bob Beverley/John Chatlak (Bluebirds) def. Robb Bunnen/Rob Castorri (Robins) 6-2, 6-4.
#Mixed 105+ doubles – Steve Moehn/Shana Magruder (Bluebirds) def. Jeff Clark/Ann Clark (Robins) 3-6, 6-2, 10-7.
#Mixed 120+ doubles – Rob Castorri/Margaret Lumia (Robins). def. Bob Beverley/Kay Beverley (Bluebirds) 6-0, 6-1.
#International Team 3,
#Bahamas 2:
#Men’s 105+ doubles – Cory Francis/Alex Murbach (INT) def. Neil Mactaggart/Livio Bisterzo (BAH) 6-1, 6-4.
#Women’s 105+ doubles – Sarah Beukes/Sue Kimball (BAH) def. Adelgisa Hillhouse-Banks/Dale Kozicz (INT) 6-1, 6-2.
#Men’s 125+ doubles – Kit Spencer/Gerry Kanuka (INT) def. John Antonas/ Alejandro Mesples (BAH) 7-5, 6-7(5), 10-7.
#Mixed 105+ doubles – Alex Murbach/Dale Kozicz (INT) def. Neil Mactaggart/Sarah Beukes (BAH) 6-4, 6-4.
#Mixed 120+ doubles – Ivan Hooper/Sue Kimball (BAH) def. Cory Francis/ Adelgisa Hillhouse-Banks (INT) 6-2, 6-4.
http://www.tribune242.com/news/2023/jan/23/ic-tennis-doubles-usas-robins-team-takes-top-spot/?news