The Aiken Tennis Club was pleased to host the Tenth Annual Calhoun Witham Cup beginning on Wednesday November 11 and concluding on Sunday November 15, 2009. The Tournament was previously known as the Aiken 30+ Handicap and was renamed the Calhoun Witham Cup following the death of A. Calhoun Witham, MD a devotee of high handicap court tennis and a beloved member of the Aiken Tennis Club.
This year the Witham Cup had a sold out field of twenty teams from Boston, New York, Washington, Newport and England as well as many Aiken players. The field consisted of four Divisions of five teams with each participating team being guaranteed four matches. The four divisional winners played in the semifinals Sunday morning and the finals were held at noon on Sunday.
The tournament was replete with upsets throughout which makes for most entertaining viewing as higher handicappers prevailed over their more accomplished opponents. Divisional winners and semifinalists consisted of Vernon Cassin, Jr. and his son Vernon Cassin III who were defeated by David Sterrett and Ken Forton in a closely contested two set match 6-5 and 6-2. In the other semifinal match John Mears and Alan Rutherfurd were defeated in a tough 6-3 and 6-4 match by Gary Multer and Jen Winthrop.
In the final match of the 2009 Witham Cup, the large crowd was entertained by high quality play from both teams as David Sterrett and Ken Forton won a tight three set contest over Jen Winthrop and Gary Multer 6-2, 3-6 and 6-2. Winthrop and Multer played flawlessly at times but in the end the steady and consistent play of Sterrett and Forton along with their excellent serving proved to be unbeatable.
Thanks are offered to Gabe Kinzler and Jacques Faulise for their expert marking during the tournament.
Bill Blalock, Tournament Chairman
