PSOBLTA v British Police

Day 1- travel day

One of the highlights of the tour occurred on day one, where on arrival at Gatwick airport we found Gary Thomson in talks with the EasyJet staff regarding his eligibility to enter the EU. Gary was of the opinion that you can travel to the EU without a passport and that a UK driving licence is suitable photographic identification. Unfortunately the savvy EasyJet staff did not fall for this trick and sent him home to get his passport and a later flight to Alicante (instead of Murcia). It was a long and expensive day for Gary, but his commitment to the cause does not go unnoticed.

On arrival at La Manga (circa 6 hours before Gary) we were greeted by gale force winds, but at least the sun was shining. Due to the difficult playing conditions, we decided to head to the pub to meet some of our opposition from the Police. The good news for Gary was that two of the Police team members had similar passport stories. The only difference was that they still managed to get back to the airport in time to catch their flight. Sorry Gary, it’s the last time I mention it.

After some fine Spanish cuisine for dinner, drinks followed at the infamous “Piano Bar”. The Piano Bar is a strange and mysterious place, which must have altered our body clocks as the time just disappeared. “Jose”, behind the bar, was most grateful for our custom, but would not keep the bar open any longer when he shut up shop in the early hours of Thursday morning. The journey back to the apartment took longer than expected due to Johnny Barr’s compass malfunction, but we got there in the end. A big thank you goes to Chris Jenkins for helping him to navigate.

Day 2- practice day

The practice day was a washout due to torrential rain flooding the courts. It is noted, however, that certain members of the team were heard doing a rain dance in the early hours of the morning to avoid getting out of bed. It certainly worked.

Fortunately we had access to the spa facilities at the club, however only Gary Thomson and I managed to make the journey. The treadmills in Spain must be different to the ones in London, as I was not able to complete my usual routine. I am sure it was nothing to do with the previous nights activities.

Around 6pm the artificial grass courts began to drain and we managed to hit some tennis balls. It was an intense practice session, with the Scottish team members dominating on their favourite surface of soaking wet artificial grass.

Day 3- the big match

The sun was shining on Friday morning, but not quite strong enough to dry out the clay courts, meaning the match would be played out on hard courts.

The first round matches resulted in a 2-1 advantage for the Pubs. It could, however, have been 3-0 had the Police not staged a remarkable comeback against Chris Jenkins and Ben Gordon-Smith. I will save them the embarrassment of explaining what happened in this forum due to my own transgressions in the second round matches.

On paper we should have been looking at a 4-2 lead after the second round, following convincing wins for Austin Coventry and Jonny Barr and myself and Gary Thomson in round one. Gary and I were expected to comfortably beat their third couple but it was not to be. The opposition were obviously inspired by their first round win over Ben and Chris and carried on this remarkable run of form against Gary and I, beating us 10-8 in the champions tie break.

Ben and Chris put in a good performance against the Police first couple but came up just short, putting the Police into a 3-2 lead with Austin and Johnny still battling it out in the last match.

Suddenly, with Austin and Johnny up a set and 4-2, the heavens opened and play was suspended. With no centre court roof available, we returned to the clubhouse to wait it out. The Police tried to call it a 3-2 result in their favour, but Pubs Captain Mr. Barr was having none of it and led the troops out to dry the courts.

After half an hour of hard work (none of it from Johnny), the courts were playable. Austin and Johnny held their nerve and tied the match at 3-3, with all to play for in the third round.

The third round was somewhat of a formality with Gary and I returning to form to beat their first couple, and Austin and Johnny doing the business against the Police third couple. Ben and Chris put in a great performance against the Police second couple but were edged out 10-7 in the champions tie break.

Their performance level was no doubt boosted by being told that Gary and I had lost, meaning they had to do the business and get the “W”. Only after sinking his second pint of San Miguel (post mach) did Ben realise that Gary and I did actually win our third rubber and therefore the overall match. Sorry Ben, but it had to be done.

The match was followed by a gala dinner, with the Police at La Finca restaurant. The gastronomic experience was followed by a trip to Mulligans pub, where we were treated to some truly spectacular live rock music. Please see picture below of an idea what we are talking about.

Day 4- travel day

Tired bodies and sore heads, enough said.

Appendices

Appendix A- team sheet

Pubs team	Police team
Austin Coventry and Johnny Barr	David Reed and Alastair Tiddy
Gary Thomson and Chris Hart	Kevin Duffy and Steve Bates
Ben Gordon-Smith and Chris Jenkins	Richard Staff and Jason Dawson