NEIL: REPRESENTING COUNTRY WOULD BE PINNACLE OF CAREER
TENNIS player Neil Mcpherson said ‘age is but a number’ – after collecting his second straight national doubles title at the age of 72.
Neil, from Blythe Bridge, successfully defended his British Open Seniors Indoor over-70s title alongside Wilf Jessop from Sheffield.
The pair won the final 6-3, 6-3 – just 60 minutes after
Neil had been on court for more than three hours in his singles semi-final.
Neil, from Florence Tennis and Bowling Club, said: “I was very pleased to win the doubles title again because it had been 18 months since the last due to the pandemic.
“Since then a lot of younger players have come through into the category.
“The final was very tough physically as it took place just an hour after my singles semi-final which took three hours and 20 minutes.”
A fatigued Neil lost his singles final to Niall Sweeney from Kent but had a really good run in knocking out the number two and four seeds in the quarter-finals and semi-finals.
He now hopes his performances might help him to represent his country at the World Championships in 2022.
His display in the British Open will go a long way towards the selection decision for the tournament in Croatia. Two other events next year will also count.
Neil, who was head of PE at Longton High for 30 years, said: “I’ve never represented my country. It’d certainly be the pinnacle of my career after starting out at Bucknall Park as a 12-year-old!
“Tennis is definitely a game for life. As someone who’s 72 now, it is perhaps a clear indication of the fact that age is but a number and while the body is willing, keep trying for success.”
Florence Tennis and Bowling Club has a thriving senior section and reached the semi-finals of several national competitions this season, including men’s over-55s and over-65s and mixed over-45s.
The club has also reported an increase in the number of children attending the junior coaching sessions on Saturday and Sunday mornings after Emma Raducanu’s victory in the US Open.