The 2023 LTA National League Men’s Over 45 Champions are Giffnock.
SEMI-FINAL
After having to give up home advantage due to last months storm causing a postponement our senior team travelled down south to take on Oxshott Sports Club in the semi-final on Saturday facing a team that included Jeremy Bates and Andrew Castle.
In what turned out to be an extremely competitive match the Giffnock team of Owen Hadden, Anthony Hardman, Mark Openshaw and Sean Wood came through in the slightest of margins.
- Match 1 saw Hadden and Wood came back from losing the first set to win the second 6-1 only to lose out in a deciding tie-breaker 10-3 – this 6-1 second set would become very important as the tie progressed.
- Match 2 went Giffocks way with Hardman and Openshaw overcome Oxshotss other pair of Adrian Blackman and Stephen Morris in stright sets 6-4, 7-6.
- Match 3 saw Hadden and Wood keep the momentum going Giffnock’s way coming out on top in an extremely close deciding tie break 14-12 to put Giffnock up in the tie
- Match 4 – the final match would see Hardman and Openshaw take on Bates and Castle. The ex-Davis Cup players took the first set 6-2 but the second set was much closer although the Giffnock pair went down 7-5 but importantly kept the set close. This led to a 4-4 tie in the match.
- The winner now came down to who had won the most sets – this was also tied on 5-5 so on to who won the most games and counting back Giffnock took the tie by the narrowest of margins 43 games to 41.
FINAL
There was no rest for our boys after that great effort as they were straight on to face Gerrards Cross LTC in the final.
- Match 1 saw Hadden and Wood lose out narrowly to GC’s Philip Fowler and Richard Mayers 4-6, 4-6.
- Match 2 was dominated by Hardman and Openshaw as they blew away Chris Clarke and Steve Thompson 6-0, 6-0 to even up the final.
- Match 3 saw Hardman and Openshaw continue their great form with a 6-1, 6-4 victory over Fowler and Mayers putting Giffnock within touching distance of the title.
- Match 4 – Hadden and Wood blizted the first set 6-1 but were pegged back when Clarke and Thompson took the second set on a tie-break. But the Giffnock boys were not to be undone winning the deciding tie-break convincingly 10-5 to take the title 6-2.
An amazing perfromance in bringing the pennant home Owen Hadden, Anthony Hardman, Mark Openshaw and Sean Wood. #TeamGiffnock