By Nick Howell
This year’s Calhoun Witham Cup featured the largest field in recent memory, with 20 teams competing across two divisions for doubles handicaps of 35 and higher.
The 12 lowest-handicap teams played for the Calhoun Witham Cup, while the eight highest-handicap teams battled for the Witham B title.
We were thrilled to welcome players from several clubs—seven players came from Newport alone—and to see fantastic participation from the women of our sport, with 14 ladies competing, a strong sign of the continued growth of the women’s game.
Thursday – Opening Matches
With a large number of best-of-three matches to get through, play began early Thursday afternoon.
Aiken members Marc Blumberg & Jeff Kern opened the tournament against newcomers Gordon Lawson & Chris Laughlin. After a tight match that went to a third set, Gordon and Chris prevailed 6-4 in the third.
That set the tone for the day—all but two matches went the full distance.
A large crowd attended the evening session, helped by our oyster roast social, and the tennis more than lived up to the atmosphere.
Friday – Close Matches and Big Crowds
The trend of close, hard-fought contests continued throughout Friday. The evening cocktail party and Southern BBQ brought another big crowd to the gallery, especially for the highly anticipated mother-daughter matchup, Ginny vs. Dana.
Dana and her partner produced outstanding tennis, marking themselves early as tournament favorites.
Next up, the father-son duo Chad & Colt Ingram faced Jess Meyer & Ellie Hempt in a thrilling match. The quality of play showed that none of them will be in the Witham B division much longer. Chad and Colt edged it 6-4 in the third.
Saturday – Group Deciders
Saturday determined which teams progressed to Sunday’s semifinals.
In the top division, the Boston pair Brad Ursprung & PJ Jean looked poised to win their group after two decisive victories, but were stopped by excellent play from Newport’s Kelsey Dolan & Jeremy Booth.
Missing out on even a single set in that match cost Brad and PJ a spot in the semifinals—a tough break for one of the weekend’s strongest teams.
The lucky loser place instead went to Chip Marvin & John Iole, joining Dolan & Booth, Claire Voegele & defending champion Kadi Meldrum, and Dana Kopald & Zack Pallis in Sunday’s semis.
In the Witham B, the semifinalists were:
- Gordon Lawson & Chris Laughlin
- Marc Blumberg & Jeff Kern
- Chad & Colt Ingram
- Jess Meyer & Ellie Hempt
Saturday evening concluded with a fantastic on-court dinner, where Club President Michael Sullivan welcomed and thanked all visiting players for making the trip to Aiken.
Sunday – Semifinals
Calhoun Witham Cup Semifinals
John Iole & Chip Marvin def. Kelsey Dolan & Jeremy Booth 5-6, 6-0, 6-4
Claire Voegele & Kadi Meldrum def. Zack Pallis & Dana Kopald 6-4, 6-4
Witham B Semifinals
Chad & Colt Ingram def. Marc Blumberg & Jeff Kern 6-5, 6-3
Gordon Lawson & Chris Laughlin continued their strong run, defeating Jess Meyer & Ellie Hempt with impressive consistency and control.
Finals
Calhoun Witham Cup Final
Claire Voegele & Kadi Meldrum vs. Chip Marvin & John Iole
A packed gallery enjoyed the match and the Sunday brunch, generously provided by the Witham Family.
The opening set went back and forth before Claire and Kadi pulled ahead, only for Chip and John to claw back to 5–all. The ladies held their nerve to take it 6-5.
The second set featured some remarkable 20-shot rallies, with Claire’s retrieving and Kadi’s explosive attacking proving decisive. They closed out the match 6-5, 6-4.
The win marks Kadi’s second consecutive title, and a first-ever Witham Cup victory for the Voegele family—a special moment after Claire’s father, Dieter, famously fell just one point short in the inaugural event over 25 years ago.
Witham B Final
Chad & Colt Ingram vs. Gordon Lawson & Chris Laughlin
Despite some close early games, the Ingrams were too strong. Colt, new to the sport and improving rapidly, shone throughout, helping the pair secure a 6-1, 6-3 victory.
Thank Yous
A huge thank you to everyone who helped make this event such a success:
- Michael Sullivan, Club President
- Lou Papouchado, for streaming all matches
- Robert & Cheryl Glance, for providing the food
- Tom Sargent, for supplying the drinks
- Morgan Purvis, for marking matches
And of course, thank you to all the players—local and visiting—who made this year’s Calhoun Witham Cup one of the best yet.
