Tennis: Castletown win Todmorden Shield

Southern team beat northern hosts after competitive series

Castletown have been crowned the winners of this year's annual Todmorden Shield after a closely-fought tournament on Sunday (3 September).

The three-club doubles competition usually sees competitors from Castletown, Ramsey and Albany face off in a day of fixtures, however this year Albany were unable to field a team for the first time.

For 2023, the format saw pairs compete in supersets - one set and first to eight games.

In the ladies tournament, Ramsey's Anna Kirk and Helen Brooks took an 8-0 win against Castletown's Amanda Munro and Jenny Foy - meanwhile, Kirree Ronan and Hannah Snidal from the southern club bagged a 8-3 win over Ramsey's Caitlin Henery and Alison Hart.

In the next string of fixtures, Ronan & Snidal took a hard-fought narrow 8-6 win over Kirk & Brooks whilst Henery & Hart claimed victory at the second time of asking beating Munro & Foy 8-2.

The results meant that after the ladies event, Ramsey had earned a 25-18 lead.

It was then the turn of the men's doubles and Castletown's Richard Cregeen and Simon Martin were 8-1 winners over Jon Gower-Jackson and Leon Henery of Ramsey - elsewhere, Castletown were victorious in the other opening men's pairs game as Herman Oberholzer and PJ Vermeulen took an 8-1 win over Richard Simpson and Sam Harris.

The second round of men's games saw Castletown dominate again - this time Cregeen & Martin earning an 8-1 win over Simpson & Harris whilst it was a closer affair in the other showdown as Oberholzer & Vermeulen just about emerged as 8-6 victors over Gower-Jackson & Henery.

At the end of play Castletown secured the silverware with 50 points to Ramsey's 39.