Milne and Miles hit back to help Henley triumph

HENLEY Tennis Club’s mixed team ran out 3-1 winners in their Berkshire Winter League Division 7 clash with Sonning on Sunday.

David Hunte and Fiona Huggard made a flying start for Henley, cruising past their first pair 6-0, 6-1, with Hunte proving unbeatable at the net.

Julian Milne and Lizzie Miles faced a tougher challenge against Sonning’s strong second pair — a contest full of deuces, tight rallies, wet leaves and relentless drizzle — eventually falling 5-7, 4-6.

By the second round, the rain had set in, but Henley seemed to thrive in the soggy conditions. Hunte and Huggard maintained their winning form with a 6-3, 6-1 triumph, while Milne and Miles hit back impressively to claim a 6-3, 6-3 victory.

The previous weekend in men’s Oxfordshire Winter League Division 1, Henley A claimed a 5-3 victory against Bicester B.

Bicester began strongly as their first pair produced a composed performance to defeat Jeremy Wright and Michael Whorrell 6-2, 6-4. The pair combined solid baseline consistency with sharp net play to give the home side an early edge.

Henley responded with Max Miles-Thomas and Jim Neale finding their rhythm to overcome Bicester’s second pair 6-4, 6-1. Their powerful serving and aggressive returns set the tone for Henley’s comeback.

In the mixed reverse rubbers, Bicester’s second pair fought hard to earn a share of the points against Wright and Whorrell, recovering well from a slow start to draw 2-6, 6-2. The decisive encounter came as Miles-Thomas and Neale maintained their unbeaten form, defeating Bicester’s first pair 6-4, 6-1 to seal the overall win for Henley A.

Henley juniors made their team debut in the Oxfordshire Youth Winter League. The Henley U10 duo of Sammy Andrews — who stepped into play at the last minute as an U8 player — and Alejandra Forcada Dominguez performed well in their first outing together despite losing out to Appleton with Eaton. There was success for the Henley U12 duo of Max Mortimer and Owen Ashton against Witney Lawn Tennis Club.

Both delivered commanding performances and dominated at the net. Mortimer won his singles 6-0, 6-0, while Ashton followed with a 6-1, 6-0 victory. The pair then combined in the doubles to complete a clean sweep with an emphatic 6-0, 6-0 result. Henley U14s Joshua Drummond and Henry McLean, competing in their first ever team matches, demonstrated good spirit and resilience despite losing out to an experienced Peppard Tennis Club side.

Drummond lost 4-0, 4-1, while McLean was just edged out 4-3, 4-2 in a close singles contest. The duo battled hard in the doubles before going down to a 4-0, 4-1 defeat.