Tennis: IoM Men's Over-45 side rounds off 2024 season

Manx team takes on Gloucestershire and Northamptonshire

The Isle of Man Men's Over-45's tennis team put in a spirited display against fellow counties as it recently concluded its 2024 season.

The local squad of captain Neil Ronan; Rob Mason; Nerijus Gricevicius and Jos Woolford travelled to Gloucestershire to face the host county and Northamptonshire in their final fixtures of the 2024 campaign.

There they'd fall o a 5-0 defeat against a ruthless Gloucestershire before a 4-1 defeat at the hands of Northamptonshire.

In the opening tie against Gloucestershire at Oxstalls Sports Park in Gloucester, Gricevicius suffered a straight sets defeat to James Aburrow (6-7, 3-6) with Woolford beaten by Guy Woodisse (2-6, 0-6).

Into the doubles and both Mason and Ronan were unable to stem the tide as they too fell to defeat, this time by a 4-6, 6-7 scoreline to Thomas Gower and Richard Morley.

Ronan and Mason returned to the court shortly after to take on Woodisse and Aburrow - again it was Gloucestershire taking victory as the Manx duo went down 4-6, 2-6.

The whitewash by the hosts was then completed as Gower and Morley struck again, this time to dispatch Gricevicius and Woolford 2-6, 3-6.

The following day saw the Isle of Man side travel to Corby Tennis Centre to take on Northamptonshire.

Deja vu at the start saw Gricevicius and Woolford both fall in the singles to Northamptonshire's Spencer Coates and Paul White respectively.

The frustration also continued for Ronan and Mason in the opening doubles games as they lost out to Giuliano Labban and Christian Rostlund (1-6, 2-6), however they would follow that by getting the Isle of Man's only point of the weekend on the board with a three-set win over the same pairing (6-4, 3-6, 10-8).

Gricevicius and Woolford then stepped up once more in the doubles for the Isle of Man's final match of the weekend and a dogged performances saw them push their opposition all the way before eventually losing out in three sets (6-3, 4-6, 6-10).