The St Ives Mixed I team once again celebrated victory in the Bill Pink competition on Sunday 19th April 2009.

Having dispatched Ely in the semi-final, a mixed team comprising Rob Couch, Daniel Bates, John Pickering, Sara Mason, Natalie Taylor and Amanda Godfrey met Hurst in the final.

As has been the case for a number of years now, it was always going to be a game with the mens matches hanging in the balance, and the result of the match likely to come down to the mixed. Rob did nothing to dispell this notion, with a display in the singles lacking his usual thunder and adrenaline. Sara on the other hand was a comfortable winner.

Going into the level games, the ladies again won comfortably, while Rob and Daniel, and then Daniel and John, struggled to apply themselves against a strong Hurst side. While the scores were close, both games were lost in two.

This left the match at 3-3 and to be decided in the mixed. Rob and Sara worked hard to make their opposition look good, but eventually came out winners in the third end, while Daniel and Natalie swiftly overtook them with a rapid straight sets victory. The match being won at this point drew the sting from the third mixed, as the rest of the combatants took a bench to watch, and St Ives sealed their victory with one last game to make the score 6-3.

This prestigious trophy has now been won by the following teams, along with the total number of wins:

• St Ives - 14
• Ramblers - 12
• Hurst - 11
• University of Cambridge - 9
• Emmanuel - 2
• Cromwell - 1
• St Columba's - 1

A St Ives team had also won their way through to the Handicap Trophy final again, with the Mixed IV team having enjoyed a long and valiant string of successes on their way to the final. There was however a concern that they had enjoyed a strong game to beat their opponents Impington 6-3 in the week running up to the game, and this concern proved to be well founded. Although the team of Marc Bax, Nel Soetekeow, Tony Brzosko, Rachel Walden, Scott Hudson and Celia Pickering won the game with an 11 point margin overall, a heavy handicap of +70 resulted in the trophy going to the opposition.

In true St Ives tradition, most of the winners and any fellow members needing consolation retired to a nearby curry emporium to enjoy a tasty (if somewhat glacial) end of season meal...

Dan Bates, April 2009