BEVERLY, MA- USTA New England’s summer League Championship season concluded on clay as five 65 & Over teams were crowned Sectional Champions. The final League Sectional event of the summer took place from September 6-8 at Beverly Golf & Tennis in Beverly, MA with the second day (Saturday) being played indoors at Bass River Tennis Club due to rain.

 

Teams from five different local leagues made up the five champions in the 8.0 men’s and women’s, 7.0 men’s and women’s, and 6.0 women’s NTRP divisions.

 

The winners are:

 

8.0 Men- Team WB, Tennis Rhode Island, Warwick RI

8.0 Women- Baseline Boomers, The Edge, South Burlington, VT

7.0 Men- Stripers, Willy’s Gym, Eastham, MA

7.0 Women- Super Savvy, Bay Road Tennis Club, Amherst, MA

6.0 Women- Manchester Athletic Club, Manchester, MA

 

All five champions have advanced to the USTA League 65 & Over Invitational in Orlando, FL. ADVERTISEMENT The 8.0 and 6.0 divisions will compete from January 31 to February 2, while the 7.0s will play from February 7-9.

 

8.0 Men

Captained by Joshua Bell, Team WB from Tennis Rhode Island, captured the 8.0 Men’s title. The men got the weekend rolling by defeating eventual runner-up, Southern Connecticut, 2-1 in their first match. Both squads closed out their flight with an identical 6-3 position record, but Rhode Island’s head-to-head win proved to be the difference. Rhode Island then went on to defeat teams from Ludlow Tennis Club and the Edge at South Burlington to finish 3-0 and take home the title.

 

8.0 Women

Lynda Vankleeck captained her Vermont women to the 8.0 championship. In a two-team flight, the Baseline Boomers, from the Edge in South Burlington, defeated the Northeast Tennis Center in Middleton, MA in consecutive team matches. In the opening match, the teams of Christine Campbell/Phyllis Marcell and Allyson Bolduc/Kathi Roesler picked up victories for Vermont. The Boomers then swept the second match, 3-0, to clinch the championship.

 

7.0 Men

Jim Bisceglia’s Stripers came out of the five-team 7.0 Men’s flight on top. Finishing a cool 4-0, the Stripers took down teams from Cedardale Health and Fitness, Maine Pines, Agawam Hunt and Bloomfield Tennis Club to clinch the title. Stripers closed out the weekend with an 11-1 position score, dropping just three sets.

 

7.0 Women

Carol Cahillane’s Super Savvy squad, from Bay Road Tennis Club, defeated Our Court, from White River Junction, VT 2-1 in the 7.0 championship match. Before they got there, however, the ladies from Western Massachusetts had to power their way to a narrow victory through a five-team flight. Heading into their final match, Super savvy sat in second place, needing a victory to jump atop the leaderboard. Fortunately, their final match was against leaders at the time, Chelsea Piers, so a head-to-head win would put Bay Road in first. The pairings of Linda Rainville/Marianne Vinal and Lucy Hartry/Linda Batchelor came up clutch and picked up victories at the Nos. 1 and 2 doubles positions, enough to win the match and the flight. Bay Road and Chelsea Piers each finished with a 3-1 team record.

 

6.0 Women

Connie Varoudakis and her 6.0 Women’s team took care of business in their three-team flight. The ladies from Manchester Athletic Club defeated teams from Mid-Cape Athletic Club and Western Massachusetts by 2-1 margins. Manchester finished with a 4-2 position record and went 9-4 in total sets.

 

For complete 65 & Over Sectional results, click here.