Cambridge Women win Varsity match with 4th string Enslin's heroic comeback
Oxford men defend title with 5-1 victory
Cambridge Women have won their Varsity match against Oxford Women on the back of a massive third-set comeback by their fourth-string singles player, Theodora Enslin. Meanwhile, Oxford’s men secured a Dark Blue victory featuring the debut of World Number 21, Bertie Vallat, with action at Lord’s Cricket Ground over Friday and Saturday.
Play began on Friday with the men’s third singles, where George Gardiner (Lincoln, Oxford) looked to get the Dark Blue title defense off to a good start against Leo Sanitt (Clare, Cambridge). Gardiner pinned the left-handed Sanitt to the receiving end, who was unable to decide whether to turn on the serve or play it as a backhand. Even when Sanitt did recover the serve, Gardiner was too strong in playing it to his backhand side, quicky conceding chases. Gardiner gave away just one game in the first set. In the second, Gardiner was in control, with Sanitt desperately trying to hold on and keep the ball in play, waiting for an overreach from Gardiner. A few unforced errors gave Sanitt a couple of late games but it would not be enough to prevent Oxford from notching up their first win.
The women’s match kicked off with the women’s first singles, with Ellie White (Queens’, Cambridge) looking to defend the Light Blue title against Mary Strevens (Magdalen, Oxford). Strevens earned an early 2/1 lead as White took some time to bed down her serve. But once settled, White pushed on, playing with complete control and freedom. The sequence of a tight bobble from White, a loopy return from Strevens and then a kill into the tambour was played on repeat, with White securing an easy victory for the Light Blues.
Next followed the men’s second doubles, with Gardiner partnering with Oxford’s captain, Leon Kashdan-Brown (Magdalen, Oxford), while Cambridge’s captain Benjamin Craig (St John’s, Cambridge) joined up with James Wilson (Magdalene, Cambridge). Both pairs played server-up, with Wilson in particular setting up very close to the net. But it was Cambridge’s hazard-end play which defined the match, hitting piercing shots at the Oxford volley. The Dark Blues only won their first game in the third game of the second set. From then on, Oxford’s volleying game improved, finally able to provide counterplay to Cambridge’s forces. Oxford took three games in a row. A tight finish to the set beckoned, with the Dark Blues going ahead 5/4 with a match point. But Wilson’s short underarm twists generated enough errors on the return of serve to save the set, followed up by some great defensive play at the service end from Craig to steal the set. In the third set of the best-of-five, Craig was now playing at the back full-time. Cambridge hardly let a chase go by as they built a four-game buffer. It was enough to render Oxford’s late match resistance futile, even if it did take Craig and Wilson a while to find their final point.
Back to the women’s match, and Oxford’s captain Hannah Wilson Kemsley (Exeter, Oxford) was seeking a win in the third singles against Martha Jameson (Magdalene, Cambridge). Though Jameson initially built a 3/1 lead, Wilson Kemsley’s slow bobbles were proving deceptively difficult for Jameson to deal with, especially with a strong follow-up onto the tambour. Wilson Kemsley was on a roll, coming from behind to take the first set before extending a big lead in the second. Jameson always stayed in the hunt, completing a decent run at the service end to even up the score in the second set. But Wilson Kemsley’s switch to a side wall serve proved enough to win the match and even up the overall scoreline.
The men’s first doubles saw the much-anticipated debut of Bertie Vallat (St Hugh’s, Oxford), the first player with a handicap better than zero to play in a Varsity Match since Ed Kay (Emmanuel, Cambridge) in 2017. He partnered with Christopher Sneddon (Merton, Oxford) against Sanitt and Jin Soek Lee (Robinson, Cambridge). Cambridge didn’t stand much of a chance in the match, and they knew it. Gone was the usual fiesty competitive atmosphere of most Varsity matches and in its place was a relaxed, jovial mood. Vallat sent Sneddon forward to the galleries and played the match almost as a two-on-one, with his partner often jumping into the galleries mid-point to get out of the way. Cambridge’s only option was to target Sneddon — or to let Vallat get stuck in first gear — winning a couple of games in the second and third sets. But the expected result came to pass, with Oxford’s men finishing the day with a 2-1 lead.
Friday closed with the women’s second doubles, with Wilson Kemsley partnering Cordelia Lamming (Exeter, Oxford) to play the Cambridge captain Venetia D’Arcy (Emmanuel, Cambridge) and her partner Theodora Enslin (St Edmund’s, Cambridge). D’Arcy provided the anchor for the Light Blues, playing a solid defensive game at the back of the court while Enslin was given free rein at the front. The Light Blues pulled out a three game lead before letting it slip as they went through a patch of being unable to return serve. Oxford battled back all the way to 4/5 before Cambridge could find a way to secure the set. Cambridge picked up in the second set, with Enslin’s volleying a particular highlight as they didn’t drop another game, heading into Saturday also with a 2-1 lead.
The second day began with the women’s fourth singles, with Daniela Braw-Smith (University, Oxford) trying to keep the Dark Blues in the hunt against Enslin. Enslin benefitted from some loose serves from Braw-Smith through the first set, punishing the easy balls off the back penthouse to great effect while keeping Braw-Smith under pressure on her own serve. Enslin won the first set without dropping a game, but Braw-Smith found some resistance into the second set, playing her whippy squash-style backhand to great effect to lay and win short chases. Neither player won more than a game’s lead throughout the second set, with the play more often than not being controlled by the receiving player. The set went to a decider, at which point Braw-Smith strung together her best serving sequence of the match to win the game to love and set up a decider.
An extended break followed between the second and third sets as both players got a briefing from their coaches and captains for the final set. The pressure of the situation was clearly being felt by both players, with plenty of nervy shots and desperate finishes. Braw-Smith’s serving improved, and she was hitting shot after shot an inch over the net cord as she built a decisive advantage. Braw-Smith led 5/1 and saw match points in the following two games, but Enslin dug in to fend them off. Enslin brought the score all the way back to 5-all, bouyed by enthusiastic Cambridge supporters. As in the second set, Braw-Smith started the deciding game at the service end, but Enslin’s play was now confident and purposeful. She was denied her first match point by the lower lip of the dedans, and the second by an awkward bounce in front of the tambour to see the game to deuce. After setting a long chase, Enslin won the match with an ace, completing an escape for the ages.
The men’s fourth singles followed, with Wilson battling against Sneddon to keep Cambridge in the match. The two players were evenly matched, sharing the points between them throughout the first set. Both were tidy but couldn’t find any big finishes, with the rallies getting increasingly nervy as the set wore on. The first set was decided by a couple of ill-timed errors and unfortunate bounces that went against Wilson. Wilson threw caution to the wind in the second set, seizing control of the play and pushing Sneddon well and truly onto the defensive. The whirlwind left Sneddon searching for answers to the many questions Wilson was asking, as the Light Blue took a 5-game lead. Sneddon recovered a couple of late games, but Wilson was still able to send the match into a third set. Sneddon carried the momentum from the second into the third, as Wilson’s out-and-out attack waned. Wilson couldn’t seem to catch a break, whereas Sneddon was playing quickly and calmly. His measured play was enough for Oxford to put one hand on the title.
The Cambridge women’s captain and four-time Varsity veteran D’Arcy had a chance to seal the win for the Light Blues in her second singles match against Lamming. Lamming pulled out a 3/0 lead as D’Arcy’s loopy returns were feeding Lamming’s hitting zones. Even though D’Arcy’s play was compact and tidy, Lamming’s attacking play paid off more often than not; she won the first set comfortably. D’Arcy fought back in the second set, exhibiting greater control of her serve and keeping the height and pace of her shots down. With Lamming now no longer getting any easy balls, she couldn’t make any further progress on the scoreboard. D’Arcy won the second set without dropping a game, even if Lamming did muster some resistance in the final game. The third set was close, with the first six games exchanged evenly between the two players. Lamming then hit a good run of form, harldy missing a ball and getting the better of D’Arcy’s patient play, pushing out from 3-all to 5/3. The final game was nervy, but when Lamming put the final ball into the backhand corner to beat a chase she let out a big sigh of relief, with the Dark Blues still staying alive in the match.
The penultimate match of the men’s was the second singles between Kashdan-Brown and Craig, with Craig clinging onto the hope of a miracle Cambridge fightback. Kashdan-Brown was determined not to give the Light Blues any hope, pushing out a 4/1 lead and had points to make it 5/1. Instead, a strong run at the service end brought Craig back into contention, with Kashdan-Brown falling a little flat. Craig brought it back to 4/5, but a cut shot to worse than 1 was enough for Kashdan-Brown to make it over the line. Craig didn’t slow down for the second set, winning the first three games. Kashdan-Brown fought back the next to set up yet another close finish. Once again, the side galleries had to get vocal to push Craig on, as he lent into a series of powerful return-of-serves to bring up a couple of set points. Kashdan-Brown saved the first with a ball that hit the top ledge of the second gallery and spun back into play to beat a short chase. He couldn’t hold onto the second, sending the match into a third set for the fourth consecutive match.
The match turned again, this time with Kashdan-Brown stringing a couple of games together as he got the better of the backhand exchanges. The Oxford second string was pushing his Cambridge opponent to his limit, playing positively and keeping the pressure on as much as possible. Craig saved championship points in the 1/5 game, eventually fighting back to 3/5, playing like he had nothing to lose, while the pressure of the situation was weighing down on Kashdan-Brown. All of the galleries were getting a workout, culminating in a flukey down-the-line winning gallery from Kashdan-Brown. A long deuce game followed that was eventually won by Craig, with both players having and missing plenty of chances. Craig had a 40-15 lead in the following game but was stuck at the hazard end, with Kashdan-Brown going up another championship point before succumbing to a double fault. A change of ends later and a loose railroad from Craig gave Kashdan-Brown the put-away he was searching for, finally securing an Oxford victory in the fixture.
The women’s match was still on the line for the first doubles, with Oxford’s Strevens and Braw-Smith needing a victory over White and Jameson to send the fixture into a deciding doubles match. White and Jameson were not giving anything to Strevens and Braw-Smith, as they set up with White patrolling the back of the court and hardly making an error. There wasn’t much the Oxford pair could do to break through the Cambridge defenses, securing their third consecutive title, dropping just one game in the match, including winning the second set and conceding just one point.
The match concluded with the dead rubber men’s first singles between Soek Lee and Vallat. Vallat was relaxed and composed, easily pushing the ball around into the corners and making Seok Lee scramble for everything. Soek Lee held his own well, but Vallat was several classes above his standard. Vallat middled everything, always looking to let the mistake come from Soek Lee rather than smashing winners himself. Vallat’s victory was the final icing on the cake for the Oxford men’s team, completing their ninth straight win over the Light Blues.
Match results (Oxford players first):
Friday 27 February:
10:00 AM (Men’s 3rd singles): George Gardiner (Lincoln) def Leo Sanitt (Clare) 6/1 6/3
11:15 AM (Women’s 1st singles): Mary Strevens (Magdalene) lost to Ellie White (Queens’) 2/6 0/6
12:30 PM (Men’s 2nd doubles): Leon Kashdan-Brown (c) (Magdalen) & George Gardiner (Lincoln) lost to Benjamin Craig (St John’s) & James Wilson (Magdalene) 0/6 5/6 4/6
2:15 PM (Women’s 3rd singles): Hannah Wilson Kemsley (c) (Exeter) def Martha Jameson (Magdalene) 6/4 6/4
3:30 PM (Men’s 1st doubles): Bertie Vallat (St Hugh’s) & Christopher Sneddon (Merton) def Jin Seok Lee (Robinson) & Leo Sanitt (Clare) 6/0 6/3 6/2
5:15 PM (Women’s 2nd doubles): Hannah Wilson Kemsley (c) (Exeter) & Cordelia Lamming (Exeter) lost to Venetia D’Arcy (Emmanuel) & Theodora Enslin (St Edmund’s) 4/6 0/6
Saturday 28 February:
10:00 AM (Women’s 4th singles): Daniela Braw-Smith (University) lost to Theodora Enslin (St Edmund’s) 0/6 6/5 5/6
11:15 PM (Men’s 4th singles): Christopher Sneddon (Merton) def James Wilson (Magdalene) 6/4 2/6 6/1
12:30 PM (Women’s 2nd singles): Cordelia Lamming (Exeter) def Venetia D’Arcy (c) (Emmanuel) 6/1 0/6 6/3
1:45 PM (Men’s 2nd singles): Leon Kashdan-Brown (c) (Magdalen) def Benjamin Craig (c) (St John’s) 6/4 3/6 6/4
3:00 PM (Women’s 1st doubles): Mary Strevens (Magdalen) & Daniela Braw-Smith (University) lost to Ellie White (Queens’) & Martha Jameson (Magdalene) 1/6 0/6
5:00 PM (Men’s 1st singles): Bertie Vallat (St Hugh’s) def Jin Seok Lee (Robinson) 6/1 6/1