Great Britain wins George Limb Trophy in final rubber
Pridmore scores three wins for Australia in equal best result, but fails to win trophy
Great Britain won the George Limb Trophy against Australia at Seacourt on Tuesday, with the fixture going down to the final rubber following two epic doubles matches featuring first seeds Bertie Vallat and Oliver Pridmore.
Play began with the 1 and 2 doubles, with Australia’s Oliver Pridmore and Nick Stenning needing a win against Britain’s Bertie Vallat and Benedict Yorston to keep the Australian hopes alive. Yorston opted to receive Pridmore’s serve, with the intention of serving full piques to pull Pridmore out of position or extract a return from Stenning. But Pridmore’s speed around the court meant that he had the pique covered and could get back into position in time. His court coverage also meant that the Australians gave away very few chases, with Stenning’s net volleying strong enough to keep the play on Pridmore’s forehand. Britain’s best counterplay was their forcing, slipping several shots past Pridmore into the corners of the dedans. A successful back wall boast from Pridmore set up set point, which was converted by some great volleying from Stenning despite running through Pridmore’s line of fire.
Britain switched receivers for the second set, finding better success at holding the end with Yorston covering the back well and asking questions of the Australian pair. Errors were seeping into the Australian’s games as well, not putting away winning opportunities and reacting late after assuming their partner had the shot covered. The Brits pulled away a 3-1, then a 5-3 lead but Pridmore cycled up through the gears to pull it back to 5-all. However, in the deciding game, Yorston picked up four excellent shots on or around the tambour — including one from behind the back — to take the set.
For the third set, the Australians chose to return to the serving setup from the first set. The match became a volleying brawl, with all four players’ quick reactions and fast movement on full display. The first few games were decided by the barest of margins, falling the way of the Australians. Once established, the Australians were able to grow their lead as Pridmore was playing with complete freedom at the back of the court. Britain were not aided by an increasingly irate Vallat, tagged several times from balls ricocheting from the bandeau and troubled by disturbances in the side galleries. The Australians won the match, bringing the deficit back to a single rubber.
The 2 and 4 doubles followed, with Britain’s Will Flynn and Ned Batstone taking on Australia’s Darcy Webster-Jones and Alex Rackham. The Brits were the stronger pairing, and made it known straight away by peppering the Australians with a series of hard and fast balls. More often than not, they were able to draw the error from their opponents. The Australians were able to make some progress when at the service end with Webster-Jones covering the back of the court well, but the onslaught from Flynn and Batstone was unrelenting. They raced to a comfortable victory, putting one hand on the trophy.
The 1 and 3 doubles was a must-win match for the Australians Pridmore and Webster-Jones, as a victory for Britain’s Vallat and Flynn would secure the fixture. As an experienced doubles player, Flynn proved a useful foil for Vallat, able to apply pressure beyond chipping the ball into the corners. Pridmore, meanwhile, set a high workload for himself, having to protect Webster-Jones from the fieriest of Flynn’s forces. The Australians needed to be at the service end but they found it difficult to earn and difficult to hold. Britain led from the front to take the first set.
By the second set, Webster-Jones relaxed more into his task, enabling a better dynamic to form between him and Pridmore. Pridmore was able to cycle up the gears once again, taking the play to brand new levels with his slides, kill shots and back wall boasts. Chases proved easier to find in the second set for the Australians as they proved to have the stronger finish. Going into the third, the Australians were ascendant. Webster-Jones was playing out of his skin and Pridmore was outstanding in dominating the rallies. The venom had all but vanished from Vallat’s and Flynn’s strokes with the Australians keeping the fixture live.
The final regular match of the trophy was the 2 and 4 doubles. A victory to the British pair of Yorston and Batstone would win the trophy, whereas a win for the Australian pair of Stenning and Rackham would force the match into a deciding doubles. Yorston and Batstone were a natural partnership, having played together regularly at Radley. Yorston’s court coverage was so complete that Stenning and Rackham had to look for winning shots at every opportunity, which they didn’t always have the skill to execute. Yorston and Batstone completed an easy victory, securing the trophy for Great Britain.
Great Britain retained the George Limb Trophy, which they had not lost since the competition’s inception in 2009, though the result marked Australia’s best performance since 2011. The Australian team will now face off against the USA team in the Clothier Cup on Wednesday and Thursday, still searching for their first victory in an U26 team event. The Great Britain team will have two days rest before themselves facing the USA in the Van Alen Cup on Friday and Saturday.
Match results:
Limb Trophy — Great Britain defeated Australia 5-3
10:00 AM (1 & 2 doubles): Bertie Vallat & Benedict Yorston (GB) lost to Oliver Pridmore & Nick Stenning (AUS) 2/6 6/5 2/6
11:30 AM (3 & 4 doubles): Will Flynn & Ned Batstone (GB) def Darcy Webster-Jones & Alex Rackham (AUS) 6/2 6/1
1:00 PM (1 & 3 doubles): Bertie Vallat & Will Flynn (GB) vs Oliver Pridmore & Darcy Webster-Jones (AUS) 6/3 4/6 3/6
2:30 PM (2 & 4 doubles): Benedict Yorston & Ned Batstone (GB) def Nick Stenning & Alex Rackham (AUS) 6/1 6/0
Order of play for Wednesday (all times BST):
Clothier Cup (USA vs Australia):
10:00 AM (4th singles): Dawson Chisholm (USA) vs Alex Rackham (AUS)
11:30 AM (3rd singles): Tarquin Sotir (USA) vs Darcy Webster-Jones (AUS)
1:00 PM (2nd singles): Spencer Yager (USA) vs Nick Stenning (AUS)
2:30 PM (1st singles): Ben Dickinson (USA) vs Oliver Pridmore (AUS)
All matches:
7-8 July: Limb Trophy (GB defeated Australia 5-3)
9-10 July: Clothier Cup (USA vs Australia)
11-12 July: Van Alen Cup (GB vs USA)