Familiar Face Returns to Compete for New Trophy
Pictured: Maia Lumsden on her way to winning the Shrewsbury World Tour singles title in 2018. Photography: Richard Dawson
Maia Lumsden, who has proved popular with the Shrewsbury crowds ever since her ranking defying victory at the Club in 2018, has confirmed she will be returning to Shropshire for the ITF Lexus W100 Shrewsbury next week.
Since that victory Lumsden has had to rebuild her career following a debilitating time suffering from long COVID which started at the end of lockdown. Now specialising in doubles, the 26 year-old from Glasgow, achieved a career high ranking of 74 in the world this July. She won a WTA Challenger event in Rouen last October and then in April 2024 reached a WTA 250 final at the same venue. For the first time in her career, Lumsden also competed in all four grand slams this year so she should arrive in Shropshire, a venue she has always enjoyed playing, in confident mood.
She will be playing for a brand new trophy as the Doubles winners will pick up the Bennett Briegal Trophy, thanks to the partners of a specialist firm of solicitors.
Paul Bennett and Mark Briegal launched their business in 2019 offering bespoke legal advice to other law firms, accountants, financial service businesses and other professionals across the country. As keen sports fans, they enjoyed watching last October's doubles final at The Shrewsbury Club when British star Harriet Dart partnered Olivia Gadecki from Australia to victory.
Drawing parallels with thier own roles and the importance of partnerships, it acted as a catalyst for them to sponsor the impressive new trophy that the winners of this week's W100 Shrewsbury doubles event will receive.
Paul said "We first became involved with the tournament by sponsoring the scoreboard.
"It was when we sat watching last October's doubles final, which we really enjoyed, that we picked up on the partnership angle with that. They were a great partnership, we are a great partnership and we advise partnerships. It was an obvious decision.
“Doubles is another partnership. It’s built around communication, team work, tactics and trust. We understand, when we’re advising other law firms, financial services businesses, architects, doctors or accountancy firms, that it’s about how they deliver their best performance through their people.
“We are very focused on partnership performance, and so we’re extending our involvement this year to cover a partnership trophy and to really focus on the partnership link with doubles.”
Delighted to again be supporting the W100 tournament, Paul said: “I’m from Shrewsbury and the view I’ve always taken is that we support the local economy. It’s bringing people into the visitor economy, which is really important for Shropshire.”
The new trophy, with smaller replicas for the first ever winner of the Bennett Briegal trophy to keep, will be competed for by 16 pairs including Maia Lumsden and her Portugese partner, Francisca Jorge.
Maia said "I have been out in Asia on the WTA circuit but when I didn't make the cut I was determined to come back for the Lexus W100 Shrewsbury. I really love to play at the Club and am looking forward to being back there again"