Lumley and Howell into Champions Trophy final
Two most recent champions to contest end-of-season championship
John Lumley and Nick Howell will play off in the Champions Trophy final, having both recorded wins in their semi finals at the Royal Tennis Court at Hampton Court Palace on Saturday.
The first semi final pitted John Lumley against Ben Taylor-Matthews. Taylor-Matthews was playing in his seventh consecutive Champions Trophy semi final, having never missed an edition. He had also defeated Lumley at their previous outing at the US Professional Singles in Newport a month prior. The rallies were some of the highest quality seen so far in the tournament, with both players under a lot of pressure on their backhands, and both were excellent in targeting the dedans when the shot was on. But it was on the forehand where Lumley had an edge, as Taylor-Matthews was missing a few key shots at the grille high. Lumley had an early lead which was key to winning the set, but the remainder of the play was fairly even.
Taylor-Matthews had the better start to the second set, earning a small 2-1 lead. But from then on, Lumley was flawless in his play, hardly missing a ball and turning in the screws on Taylor-Matthews. His forcing was selective but executed perfectly and his read of the tambour was spot on. Taylor-Matthews battled hard but was outclassed as Lumley won the last five straight games of the match.
The other semi final saw battle between Bryn Sayers and Nick Howell, both of whom had had relatively light match-play to date having benefited from a bye and a retirement. Sayers was initially on the front foot pressing at Howell and playing a hard, heavy ball. But too often it sprayed onto the penthouses, giving the advantage over to Howell. After dropping the first game, Howell’s brute force helped him dominate the match, with Sayers not able to mount an effective defence. Either the shot was too quick for Sayers or he didn’t have the confidence to chase it into the corners.
Howell won ten games in a row before Sayers could muster his second. From there, Howell took his foot off the accelerator and started to coast, allowing Sayers to regain a foothold, fighting back for three games and having several opportunities to level at 4-all but couldn’t convert. Howell resorted to switching rackets each time he changed ends to manage his railroad with the old strings and the cut-volley with the new. Doing so helped him get back on top of the match. Once Howell won the eighth game to go 5-3 up, a chance to defend his title in the final was assured.
After the match, Jess Garside and Nicola Doble took the court in the first ever Ladies Exhibition for the Champions Trophy, playing a set to six games before being joined for the second set by Katherine Carney and Darcie Blaber respectively for doubles. The majority of the crowd stayed on to support, liberally enjoying the accompanying drinks reception. Garside won the singles set that lasted exactly an hour, while the local pair of Doble and Blaber took the doubles.
The Champions Trophy concludes on Sunday with the final between Lumley and Howell, to be attended by the newly appointed patron of the Royal Tennis Club, HRH The Duke of Edinburgh who will make his first visit to the tournament.
Match results:
12:30 PM: John Lumley (1) def Ben Taylor-Matthews (3) 6/4 6/2
2:00 PM: Bryn Sayers (6) lost to Nick Howell (2) 1/6 3/6
Order of play for Sunday (all times BST):
11:30 AM: John Lumley (1) vs Nick Howell (2)