Flynn retains Seacourt Silver Racquet
Williams falls short of recovering title from 10 years ago
Will Flynn has become the first player since Conor Medlow in 2009/10 to successfully defend the Seacourt Silver Racquet, winning through the semi finals and final on Sunday at his home club on Hayling Island.
The first semi final was played between defending champion Will Flynn and Prested professional Vaughan Hamilton, with a handicap of Owe ¼ 15 in the favour of Flynn. The match was a puzzle for Hamilton to solve, varying up his serve to find a way to prevent Flynn’s force and cut-volley. He found some success with a side-wall railroad, but not before Flynn had built a small lead in the match. Midway through the set, Hamilton deceived Flynn into going the wrong way from a high ball in the middle of the court. Flynn ran towards the winning gallery and stepped awkwardly against the corner of the wall. He took an injury time out at the next change of ends, but the break ruined his momentum as Hamilton found himself back in the set. The crucial moment of the set came in the 4-all game at 40-all game point. Hamilton had an opening in the rally after Flynn spooned back an awkward ball of the dedans penthouse, but failed to put Flynn under any pressure, who easily struck it cross court for the winner.
Flynn immediately took the momentum going into the second set, rattling through the first couple of games as Hamilton struggled to recoup from the intensity of the previous set. Flynn successfully countered Hamilton’s serving, playing the ball with pinpoint accuracy into the corners, patiently waiting for any loose return before striking. He led the set from start to finish, booking his spot in the final for the second consecutive year.
The second semi final was between 2015 champion Lewis Williams and Benedict Yorston. The first six games were a finely poised balance of styles. Yorston was chasing every ball down and putting Williams under pressure into the corners. Williams responded by playing further up the court, not letting the ball to reach the back wall. As the set progressed, Williams found a good mix between patiently absorbing the play from Yorston and attacking when the time was right. Williams prevented Yorston from serving through the back end of the set, as Yorston kept trying and failing to lay short chases on the floor. Williams moved quickly from 3-all to winning the set 6/3.
Yorston focussed on varying his serve into the second set as he started to get the better of Williams through the long rallies. Williams responded by looking to finish the points quicker, aiming for more dedans and grilles. However, Yorston had a knack of finding grilles of his own on the 40-all points to press home his advantage in the set.
Williams was keen not to let another set slip, and put his name on the third from the start. Instead of feeding Yorston balls to chase down into the corners, Williams took a direct approach, firing bullets down the middle and off the main wall. Yorston was growing visibly frustrated, while Williams kept his cool and locked in his spot in the final.
In the final, Williams gave Flynn a handicap of Owe ½ 15. Williams was not afraid to bring the pace to the ball through the first few games, while Flynn was tentative, framing shots and putting balls into the net. Williams grew a small 3-1 lead and had Flynn looking nervous. Then Flynn struck a couple of dedans down the middle of the court, bringing the Seacort faithfull to a round of applause for the first time. That bouyed his confidence, and his strokeplay from then on became more assured. He won 5 of the next 6 games to take the set.
Flynn dropped off briefly at the start of the second set, but it would only be a blip. He went on an incredible run, hitting perfectly weighted volleys and devastating forehands. Williams tried scraping the bottom of the barrel for strategies, testing out caterpillars and piques but could not find a reliable execution. Flynn took out the set and a deserved victory, having dominated throughout the tournament.
Match results:
10:00 am (Semi Final 2): Will Flynn (Love) def Vaughan Hamilton (Owe ¼ 15) 6/4 6/2
12:00 noon (Semi Final 1): Lewis Williams (Owe ½ 15) vs Benedict Yorston (Love) 6/3 3/6 6/1
3:00 pm (Final): Lewis Williams (Owe ½ 15) lost to Will Flynn (Love) 4/6 2/6
Another great match report Ben! Really enjoyed watching the streaming, very high standard of Tennis from all the competitors. Congratulations to Will and Lewis for a great final.