The European Senior Club Championships recently returned to La Manga Club in Spain, where all of the competition’s age categories competed together at the same venue for a fourth successive year.
The two-week tournament took place from 13-18 and 20-26 September and saw a total of 248 players in action, representing 64 teams. Week 1 saw the more senior men’s and women’s age categories in action at the award-winning resort, while the younger age groups took to the courts the following week.
New champions were crowned in all but one of the ten competitions, with the dominant Women’s 65 team from Lagardère Paris Racing continuing their hot streak at the event, winning both their singles matches to secure a final win over Britain’s 45 Club. The team, which boasts two Top 10 players in the form of Nicole Hesse Cazaux and Gail Benedetti, has now won European titles for each of the last eight years.
St. George’s Hill of Great Britain scored a notable double victory, with wins in the Men’s 55 and Women’s 50 categories. Both teams were made to work for their triumphs, with the men coming from behind to beat Augusta of Italy 3-2 in the deciding doubles rubber, while the women’s team secured their title in a champions’ tie-break win over RCT-Barcelona 1899 of Spain.
The second edition of the Men’s 35 category saw a first ever European title for a Turkish club, as Yesilyurt Spor Kulubu (TUR) beat out ‘home’ team Murcia Club Tenis (ESP) to take the round-robin competition. The Men’s 45 saw Vichy of France shut out Villa D’Adda (ITA) 3-0 to claim the gold medals.
In their third consecutive appearance in the Top 2, TC Fürstenzell of Germany reclaimed the Men’s 50 title by outperforming closest rivals Leusderpark (NED) in the round-robin event. SP TC Sergiev Posad claimed a first European Senior Club Championship title for Russia by winning the Men’s 60 event, while Wolfsberg Pforzheim won a second title of the year for Germany in the Men’s 65.
There was a surprise winner of the most senior category; the Men’s 70, as Austria’s TC Pasching ended the three-year reign (plus five years previously in the 65s category) of TC Palermo (ITA). The opening rubber saw a match between two of the world’s Top 10 players, as Hans-Dietrich Heissl beat Peter Pokorny for the loss of just one game to give the Austrian club and early lead, with victory eventually secured when Heissl & Klaus Kreuzhuber beat Pokorny & Giancarlo Milesi 7-6(5) 2-6 12-10 in a champions’ tie-break.
The Women’s 40 event saw a Spanish team take home the silverware for a third consecutive year, as Barcelona’s RC Polo followed in the footsteps of neighbours RCT Barcelona-1899 and Madrid’s Chamartin. West Hants TC beat the RCT Barcelona-1899 3-0 in the final of the Women’s 60 event to secure a second title of the event for British women.
Full draws and results from the competition can be found below:
Winners
Men’s 35 Yesilyurt Spor Kulubu (TUR) d. Murcia Club Tenis (ESP) (RR)
Men’s 45 Vichy (FRA) d. Villa D’Adda (ITA) 3-0
Men’s 50 Furstenzell (GER) d. Leusderpark (NED) (RR)
Men’s 55 St. Georges Hill (GBR) d. ASD NCT Augusta (ITA) 3-2
Men’s 60 SP TC Sergiev Posad (RUS) d. TC GW Idstein (GER) (RR)
Men’s 65 TC Wolfsberg Pforzheim (GER) d. Leicestershire (GBR) (RR)
Men’s 70 TP Pasching (AUT) d. CT Palermo (ITA) 3-2
Women’s 40 RC Polo Barcelona (ESP) d. Chamartin (ESP) (RR)
Women’s 50 St, Georges Hill (GBR) d. RCT Barcelona-1899 (ESP) 2-1
Women’s 60 West Hants TC (GBR) d. RCT Barcelona-1899 (ESP) 3-0
Women’s 65 Lagardere Paris Racing (FRA) d. The 45 Club (GBR) 2-0
Draws and Results - Week One
Men's 55 | Men's 60 | Men's 65 | Men's 70 | Women's 60 | Women's 65
Day 1 Results | Day 2 Results | Day 3 Results | Day 4 Results | Day 5 Results | Day 6 Results
Draws and Results - Week Two
Men's 35 | Men's 45 | Men's 50 | Women's 40 | Women's 50
Day 1 Results | Day 2 Results | Day 3 Results | Day 4 Results | Day 5 Results | Day 6 Results
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