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Two good wins for Crows against Maidenhead \n"); document.write("
\n"); document.write(" 08-15-2010 - JH/PG
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Crowthorne had two good wins against Maidenhead last week, the first coming on Wednesday evening as Crowthorne hosted Maidenhead B at St.Sebastians in Division 1 of the Berkshire Men's Over-45 Veterans League. Jim Hawes and Mike Smith led the way with a 6-1 6-4 win over the experienced Bob Reynolds and Dick Trevor while Vince Brooks and Richard McCully showed great spirit in coming back from a 2-6 loss against the visitors' second pair, Alan Frampton and Mike New, to take the second 6-0. Although the visitors took the deciding tie-break, the Crows were ahead on sets at the halfway stage and a rare win for the team was on the cards. Hawes and Smith continued their great form with a crushing 6-1 6-1 defeat of Frampton and New to secure at least two points and with Brooks and McCully going down 3-6 6-7 against Reynolds and Trevor, it was very nearly 3 points. However, the team was happy to have secured their only win of the season and a good evening's tennis was rounded off in traditional fashion with drinks in the local pub.

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On Saturday, Crows' third Mixed team visited Maidenhead to play their 3rd team in Division 4B of the Berkshire League. On a wet, showery day with thunder and lightning at times, everyone got wet but the outcome was a 3-1 win for the visitors and some close, exciting matches. Husband and wife pair Henriette and Robbie Robinson had a real battle in the first round against Dave Johnson and Sue Carter, eventually winning a the tie-break in the 3rd set after winning the first 6-4 and losing the second 3-6. Paul Gardner and Jenny Sheppard fell behind 2-4 against Chris Downs and Celia Gibson and, although they pulled back to 5-5, it was the home pair who took the first set 7-5. Gardner and Sheppard quickly took the second set 6-0 and, after a close fight to 3-3 in the third, drew away to take the set 6-3 and win the rubber. Gardner and Sheppard then quickly got the measure of Johnson and Carter, winning 6-3 6-3 to clinch the 3 points. Meanwhile Robinson and Robinson were in a close encounter with Downs and Gibson, who eventually won 7-5 7-6 to salvage some pride for the home side.

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Ladies 2 clinch title \n"); document.write("
\n"); document.write(" 08-08-2010 - AN
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Crowthorne's 2nd Ladies Doubles team clinched the Division 6A title with a point against Royal Ascot 3. The point ensured that their opponents, who have games in hand could not catch the Crowthorne ladies. Jenny Sheppard & Melissa Pearce had a good start, beating the Ascot number one pair 7-6 6-3. Meanwhile, Jenny Partridge & Pauline Snell, playing in her first match for two years, had a torrid time against the Ascot 2nd pair, losing 1-6 0-6, but they bounced back to beat the number ones in three sets 6-1 1-6 6-3, to secure at least a point. With Sheppard & Pearce also losing to the Ascot number two pair, 4-6 0-6, the result was a win to Ascot on sets, but Crowthorne had achieved what they needed to do and will be in Division 5 next Summer after a year in Division 6.\n"); document.write("

Mixed results on opening day of Mixed Doubles League \n"); document.write("
\n"); document.write(" 07-25-2010 - AF/AN/MS
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Crowthorne's three mixed doubles teams had a tough opening day in the Berkshire Head Mixed Doubles league on Saturday. The first team travelled to Windsor where Andy Fryatt & Rachel Speight won both of their rubbers comfortably in straight sets but Chris Torkington & Ravinder Norman found it hard playing in Division 2 and, despite narrowly missing out on a set 5-7, lost in straight sets against both pairs making the result a win to Windsor 2 by 4 games. The seconds were at home against Esporta in division 3B and lost 4-0. Jim Hawes & Henriette Robinson were unlucky not to win a rubber, losing three tie-break sets, but Mike Smith & Lorraine Fowler were blown away by a very good Esporta side. Crowthorne's third team had a better day, playing Wokingham & Woodley at home in division 4B. Mark Callaghan & Alison Nicholson lost a marathon 3 setter against the visitors number ones and then went on to beat the number two pair in straight sets. That set won in the first rubber was to prove decisive as Paul Gardner & Jenny Sheppard also won one and lost one to make it a win for Crowthorne by 5 sets to 4.

Finals Day Report 2010 \n"); document.write("
\n"); document.write(" 07-18-2010 - MS
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On a cloudy but dry start to finals day, first event on was the Ladies Singles with two previous winners taking part. Lauren Minshull-Beech, the 2008 winner faced Lorraine Fowler, who had won in 2004 and 2005. Fowler started strongly, breaking Minshull-Beech to 15 in the first game and winning her service game to love in the second, but, from that point, Minshull-Beech started to gain ascendancy, forcing mistakes from Fowler and serving for the set at 5-2. Fowler took the game to deuce but Minshull-Beech prevailed to win the set 6-2. In the second set, Minshull-Beech held serve to lead 1-0, but the pivotal game was the second in which Fowler fought back to deuce from 0-30 only to lose the game on the second ad point. Fowler was now unable to stem the tide, and Minshull-Beech ran away with the set 6-0 to secure her second title.

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In the second event, the Mens Singles, the holder Dominic Evan-Hart was facing his doubles partner Andy Fryatt. Fryatt had beaten the 2009 runner up, James Brennan, in the semi final and was full of confidence but he lost a tough opening service game from deuce and was soon to discover just why Evan-Hart has been champion for the past three years. Evan-Hart held serve to 30 to lead 2-0 but Fryatt then opened his account after an energy sapping game of three deuces to reduce the deficit. The next game went to five deuces with the players amazing the spectators with the intensity and quality of the rallies. It could have been 2-2 but instead Evan-Hart again held on and led 3-1. Fryatt's next service game went to four deuces and again it was the holder who prevailed, leading 4-1 when he could have trailed 2-3. That game effectively broke Fryatt and Evan-Hart took the set 6-1, following up by taking the second by the same score, with Fryatt unable to find a shot that could beat this worthy champion who had now won the title for the fourth time.

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Play resumed after lunch and the first event of the afternoon was the Ladies Doubles, featuring the Minshull-Beech sisters, Helen and Lauren, against Henriette Robinson and Rachel Speight. Robinson and Speight started well, breaking Lauren to love and holding Robinson's service to 30 with the help of some crunching first serves and volleys. Trailing 0-2, Helen narrowly lost her service after a deuce and, with Speight holding her service and Lauren again losing hers, it looked as though the first set was over. But Helen and Lauren fought back well to break Robinson's service to avoid the whitewash only to lose the set 1-6 after another service break. The second set seemed to be going the same way as the first, but at 0-2 the Minshull-Beech sisters dug deep to break Robinson's service after four deuces and recover from 0-30 to hold Lauren's service after a deuce. With the score now 2-2, the next game was vital and this was where, Robinson with Speight, the most experienced player on court, dug deep to hold the game after five deuces. Another break of service made it 4-2 but Robinson was now clearly feeling the pressure on her service and the game was to conceded love with Lauren serving for 4-4. At 30-0 the signs were positive for a comeback but Robinson and Speight were in now no mood to relinquish their lead and they stormed back to lead 5-3, with Speight serving out to love for the title.

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Before the next event, Club President Moira Macbeth presented two annual awards. Most Improved Player was Stephen Minshull-Beech, Lauren's father, and the award for Services to the Club went to Paul Gardner.

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The Men's Doubles final was a repeat of the final from the previous three years. The two contestants from the earlier singles final, Dominic Evan-Hart and Andy Fryatt were up against James Brennan and Rupert Sanderson. Whichever pair won this match would be taking a record 4th title, so there was a lot at stake, but early on it looked as though the result would go the way of the previous three finals with Sanderson losing his serve in the opening game and the holders leading 3-1 as he started to serve again. But, this time, he held to 30 and, with Fryatt dropping his serve after three deuces, it was 3-3 and game on! Brennan held to 15 and the pressure was now on Evan-Hart and Fryatt with the challengers playing at the peak of their form. Evan-Hart held his serve to make it 4-4 and the balance swung back to the holders with Sanderson dropping his after three deuces. Fryatt now served for the set but good play from Brennan and Sanderson levelled the score at 5-5. After three more deuces Brennan held serve, 6-5, but Evan-Hart again served strongly to make it 6-6. With the set going to a tie-break, Brennan and Sanderson had a dream start, reaching 6-0 and wining 7-1 to lead the match by a set to love. As the match went into the second set, Brennan and Sanderson could not quite maintain their level of play and, with the holders able to exert more pressure, the score was 4-1 as Brennan served, trying to stem the tide. It took three deuces before the holders prevailed and Fryatt served for the set at 5-1. Although his serve was broken, the respite was just temporary as the holders again broke Sanderson's serve to win the set 6-2. A similar pattern followed in the third set and Fryatt again had the job of serving for the set at 5-1, only this time it was for the title as well. It took another three deuces with the challengers never giving up the fight but he held this time and the holders won their record fourth title.

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After a break for tea, the final event, the Mixed Doubles, began. Even at Wimbledon the Mixed Doubles is often the most relaxed and entertaining of finals and this was to be no exception. Cath Sillitoe and Jim Hawes were up against Dominic Evan-Hart, going for a full set of titles and Lauren Minshull-Beech, the new ladies single champion. They were runners up last year and were clear favourites but it was nip and tuck to 3-2 when the first service break saw the Dominic and Lauren lead 4-2. Lauren held service and Cath now served to save the set, which she did well only to see Dominic hold serve to take the set 6-3. The second set started disastrously for Cath and Jim and they trailed 0-5 as Dominic stepped up to serve for the title. But, against the odds, the singles champion dropped his serve to 30, Cath held hers to 15 and Lauren dropped her service to make the score 5-3. It looked like 5-4 as Jim served at 40-15 but Dom and Lauren eventually prevailed and they won the set 6-3 to become the new champions.

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A barbecue rounded off the evening as another successful finals day came to an end.

Crowthorne Ladies home in on titles \n"); document.write("
\n"); document.write(" 07-11-2010 - CS/AN
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Crowthorne's Ladies 1st team lost their final match of the season by three games to a strong Windsor 2 side but should still clinch the Division 3A title. The point gained means that, even if second placed Twyford 1 get 3 points in their final match against Windsor 3 and both teams finish on 12 points, Crowthorne have the edge on rubbers, sets and games won throughout the season.

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Rachel Speight & Cath Sillitoe won the first rubber for Crowthorne with a 7-5 6-1 victory over Juliet Ball & Marti Begot. But with Lorraine Fowler & Ravinder Norman losing 3-6 0-6 to Lynn Heckford & Lucy O'Dea, honours were even at the halfway stage with the visitors having the edge on games. Speight & Sillitoe kept Crowthorne in the match with a 6-3 6-3 win against Heckford & O'Dea and ensured that the home side would finish with at least a point. Meanwhile Fowler & Norman were in a battle for the vital set that would have secured at least 2 points and outright 1st place in the division, but Ball & Begot edged it 7-5 and took the second set 6-1 to leave the home side 3 games adrift.

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So, unless Twyford get a remarkable result against Windsor 3, Crowthorne's Ladies 1 team will be sampling the heady heights of Division 2 next summer.

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Crows' 2nd team, meanwhile, were playing a friendly amongst themselves after their opponents, Shinfield, cried off due to the hot weather, giving the division 6A leaders a walkover. The team are on maximum points at the top of their division and will definitely be back in Division 5 next season as Division 6A champions, whatever the result of their final match against Ascot next month.

Mixed results for Men's Vets & a fine win for Ladies 1 \n"); document.write("
\n"); document.write(" 06-27-2010 - MS/PG/CS
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Crowthorne's Men's Over-45 Veterans A team continued their quest for points in Division 1 with a visit to Berkshire County Sports on Wednesday evening. Despite a fighting performance by Vince Brooks & Richard McCully and Jim Hawes & Mike Smith, on one of the warmest evenings of the year to date, they went down 0-4 to one of the strongest sides in the division. With a match to play against Maidenhead B, the Crows will surely be playing in Division 2 next year.

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The previous Monday, Mens Veterans B visited Peppard in Division 2 and came away with a 3-1 win. Paul Gardner & Andy Stone won a tight match against Andy Harlans & Tony Price but won easily against Vic Fry & Eamonn Mahler. Stephen Minshull-Beech & Andy Becher, however, lost against Fry & Mahler but won convincingly against Harland & Price to give the team a good chance of promotion.

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Crowthorne's Ladies 1 team lost their 100% record on Saturday at Maidenhead but they still won on games and remain clear at the top of Division 3A of the Berkshire Head Ladies Doubles League. Rachel Speight & Amanda Titmas had a 6-2 6-2 win against Mary Coleman & Sue Topchik and followed it with a 6-4 6-2 victory against Sam Crowfoot & Liz George. Meanwhile Cath Sillitoe & Lauren Minshull-Beech were losing 3-6 2-6 against Crowfoot & George, but they nearly grabbed all 3 points as they were narrowly defeated 6-7 6-7 by Coleman & Topchik.

Two wins and a rubber for Crowthorne! \n"); document.write("
\n"); document.write(" 06-13-2010 - MS
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On Wednesday evening Crowthorne's Men's Over-45 Men's Veterans team headed to Caversham to play another of the county's leading vets sides, Caversham A in Division 1. With the number of divisions increased back to three following some new teams entering the league, Crowthorne A are once again finding it tough against the top 5 veterans sides, Maidenhead A, B and C, Berkshire County Sports A and, on Wednesday, Caversham A. Mike Smith & Jim Hawes have had improved results in their matches so far, having won a rubber against Maidenhead C in their first outing of the season and pushing Maidenhead A's second pair without getting the success they deserved in their next match. They made a good start against Caversham's Harold Holmgren & Carey Sawyer, getting to 4-4 before Smith's service was broken and the home pair took the set 6-4. It was a similar pattern in the second set which went 6-3 to the Caversham pair. On the other court, however, Vince Brooks & Andy Johns could make no impact against Barry Kochanek & Mike Brookes, losing 2-6 1-6 and they could do no better in the second round, losing 3-6 0-6 to Holmgren & Sawyer. Smith & Hawes were meanwhile faring a lot better on the other court, leading 5-2 against Kochanek & Brookes, but they were unable to sustain their pressure on the home pair who escaped with the set 7-5. With Hawes losing his opening service game in the second set, it looked to be all over for the visitors but they broke Kochanek's service immediately and, after breaking again to lead 4-1, hung on to take the second set 6-3. A solid tie-break from the visitors won the rubber for the Crows but the 1-3 defeat means they have yet to gain a point.

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Crowthorne's 1st Ladies team had a good 4-0 win against Windsor 3 in Division 3A on Saturday afternoon. With top pair Cath Sillitoe & Emma Pattinson missing, Rachel Speight & Amanda Titmas won a tight match 6-7 6-4 6-3 against Windsor's first pair while Ravinder Norman & Lorraine Fowler were winning against the visitors' second pair 7-5 6-1. In the second round, there were straight sets wins for both pairs, Speight & Titmas winning 6-1 6-3 and Norman & Fowler winning 7-6 6-4. The third 4-0 win in succession keeps Crowthorne at the top of their division with maximum points and having yet to lose a rubber.

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On Sunday morning, Crowthorne's 1st team had a convincing 5-1 win away at Yattendon in division 2 of the Men's Aegon Team Tennis competition. Andy Fryatt, Russell Finch, Chris Torkington and Andy Becher all won their singles matches before Fryatt & Finch paired up to win their doubles and Torkington & Becher only narrowly lost their doubles in a champions tie-break decider. Hopefully their 5th place will keep them in division 2 for next season. The second team narrowly lost their Division 4 encounter with Reading 1 3-3 and so remain without any points.

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Please go to www.crowthornetennisclub.co.uk for details of how to join the Crows.

Berkshire Men's Doubles League 2nd round \n"); document.write("
\n"); document.write(" 05-08-2010 - AF/MS/PG
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Crowthorne's 1st Men's Doubles team travelled to Maidenhead on Saturday to take on their 2nd team, the favourites for the Division 3A title, but the visitors spoiled the party and claimed a winning draw on games won.

Crows top pairing of Andy Fryatt & Dominic Evan-Hart settled into their rhythm quickly against the home side's Paul Brill & Rob Castignetti, winning their opening rubber 6-3 6-2 in impressive fashion within 50 minutes. With Fryatt losing only 2 points on his serve along with Evan-Hart's power game, the result was never in doubt. Crows second pairing of Chris Torkington & Rupert Sanderson, playing his first summer match of 2010, took longer getting into their stride and lost the first set 3-6. A resurgent fight back from Torkington & Sanderson as they raced to a 5-2 lead in the second set was thwarted by Maidenhead's dogged pairing of Niall Collins & Paul Seargent who stole the set 6-7 to tie the match at 1 rubber each at the half way stage.

Fryatt & Evan-Hart knew they had to lose as few games as possible in the hope that Torkington & Sanderson could salvage something in their rubber against Brill & Castignetti and they obliged by thumping Collins & Seargent 6-1 6-1, while the Crows other pair lost 3-6 5-7. This meant Crowthorne won on games 42-33 and took 2 of the 3 points on offer, leaving them top of Division 3A with 8 points from 9 and in a commanding position to push for promotion to Division 2.

Meanwhile Crows 2 headed for Woodley in Division 3B hoping to improve on their single point from the previous round. On Woodley's notorious shale courts, it was bound to be difficult and with the home team's good results since combining with Wokingham, the Crows knew they had a tough match ahead of them; and so it proved with the result being a 4-0 win for the home side.

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Mike Smith & Jim Hawes matched Darren Dunmow & Rod Sellick up to 2-2 in their first set, but the home pair started to gain control and at 5-2 they seemed certain to take the set easily. But the away pair broke back to make the score 5-5 before the home pair clinched the set 7-5. The next set was 6-3 but the away pair felt they were just a few shots away from a much better result. Richard McCully with Robbie Robinson, playing his first match on shale, were also playing well in their first rubber but the alien court conditions were always against them and a 6-3 6-3 loss to Paul Hancock & Martin Ball, once of Crowthorne Tennis Club, was a fair result. In the second round Dunmow & Sellick really showed their class with a 6-0 6-1 result against McCully & Robinson but, meanwhile, after losing their first set 3-6 to Hancock & Ball, Smith & Hawes nearly restored some pride to the Crows by missing out 6-7 in the second.

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In division 5A, Crowthorne's 3rds were at home to Caversham 5 and the 3-1 win took them to the top of the division with the result of the Greenacre v Bracknell match still to come. Paul Gardner & Andy Stone had the best of a close fought rubber against Howard Willis & Mike Barker, winnning the important deuce points to win 6-3 6-2. Stephen Minshull-Beech & Stuart Fowler, meanwhile, were fighting back against Dudley Jones & Vivek Prabhakar after losing the first set 3-6 to win the second 6-3 and take the deciding set tie-break 11-9. With Minshull-Beech & Stuart Fowler having drained their resources in the first round losing 2-6 0-6 against Willis & Barker, Gardner & Stone cruised through 6-1 6-1 against Jones & Prabhakar to clinch all 3 points.

Vets share honours in first matches of 2010 \n"); document.write("
\n"); document.write(" 05-03-2010 - MS/PG
\n"); document.write(" Last Wednesday saw the start of the Berkshire Over-45 Men's Veterans League with both Crowthorne teams playing away, the A team against Maidenhead C in Division 1 and the B team against Wargrave in Division 2. The A team of Mike Smith & Jim Hawes with Andy Johns & Vince Brooks put up a good fight but were hampered by a leg injury sustained by Johns in the first set. Despite this Johns & Brooks pushed John Adcock & Graham Sears hard but lost 4-6 3-6 while Smith & Hawes were doing even better against Mike Bottomley & Graham Sears, only just losing 6-7 in the first set but falling away in the second as Bottomley stepped up his game. Smith & Hawes continued their good form in the second round to beat Adcock & Jones 6-4 6-2 but Johns & Brooks were unable to make any impression against the home first pair, losing 1-6 1-6 to make the result a 3-1 win for Maidenhead. At Wargrave, the B team came away with a 4-0 victory. Paul Gardner & Rob Hughes had to work hard in winning both rubbers by deciding tie-breaks, but Andy Becher & Stephen Minshull-Beech were in excellent form, winning both rubbers in straight sets.

McCully & Robinson nearly make their point \n"); document.write("
\n"); document.write(" 04-25-2010 - MS
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Crowthorne's final postponed winter league match was held on Saturday, ironically under a blue sky and in bright sunshine. The visitors, Twyford 2, were playing Crowthorne's 3rd team in divsion 5W with the promotion and relegation places already decided, so it was played in good spirit with everyone enjoying playing in summer conditions. Mike Smith & Jim Hawes started off against Twyford's 1st pair Johnny Worral & Mark Leigh-Smith and found them to be quite a handfull. The home pair never really clicked and lost 3-6 4-6, while Crows Richard McCully & Robbie Robinson, a newcomer to the teams, had no answer against the experienced Nigel Bailey & Jamie Henderson, going down 1-6 3-6. In the second round, McCully & Robinson battled against the odds to a 7-5 win in the first set and, although losing the second 3-6, won the deciding tie-break to give the home side the chance of a point. Smith & Hawes held off set points against Bailey & Henderson to steal the first set 7-6 and, although never really playing as well as they can, pushed hard but lost the second 4-6. The visitors were now full of confidence and took the deciding tie-break easily to give the visitors all 3 points, but for Crowthorne, the emergence of Robbie Robinson's raw talent ably assisted by the experienced McCully was at least something to savour.

Tough going again for AEGON Men \n"); document.write("
\n"); document.write(" 04-25-2010 - AF
\n"); document.write(" Crowthorne's A-Team once again found it tough going in Berkshire's Division 2 of the AEGON Team Tennis competition. The previous week saw a 1-5 loss to Bisham Abbey A and this weekend the score was mirrored by a strong Bracknell B team who took the honours 1-5 with the Crows' Andy Fryatt being the only notable success out of the two weekends by winning both his singles matches against higher rated players.

Crows A vs Bisham Abby A - AEGON League \n"); document.write("
\n"); document.write(" 04-18-2010 - AF
\n"); document.write(" The Crows A-team kicked off their AEGON league season against a strong Bisham Abbey team who have over the months recruited some good match players and this showed as they beat a injury and illness hit home side 5-1. The Crows' Marc Ashworth (7.1) & late replacement for James Brennan, Andy Johns (9.1) were both no match for Bisham's Kevin Livingstone (7.1) & Marc Cooke (7.2) and both lost 2/6 2/6 & 1/6 0/6 respectively. Chris Torkington (9.1) put up a fight against Bisham captain Stormin' Norman Bhargava (7.1) but went down in a deciding tie-break 0/4 6/4 0/1 and the only highlight for the hoem team was Andy Fryatt (7.1) beating Adam Kemp (6.2) in convincing fashion 6/4 6/4. With the Crows needing a miracle to take the match into a deciding shoot-out, unfortunately it was not to be and both rubbers went the way of the visitors with Ashworth/Johns losing to Livingstone/Bhargava 4/6 5/7 and Fryatt/Torkington were runners up to Kemp/Cooke 6/7 3/6. \n"); document.write("A tough first day at the office for the Crows AEGON team and it's not going to get any easier too as they travel to Bracknell next and it seems that at tis early stage the team just doesn't need to be heroes, they need to be super-heroes in their fight to stay in division 2.

Good start for Crows' Ladies! \n"); document.write("
\n"); document.write(" 04-18-2010 - CS/AN
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Crowthorne's Ladies teams had a good start in the Berkshire Head Summer Ladies League on Saturday with both team winning 4-0. At St.Sebastians, Crowthorne's 1st team played Ascot 1 in Division 3A. Crows number one pair Cath Sillitoe & Emma Pattinson started slowly, losing the first set 4-6 against Lauren Taylor & Rosemary Anderson, but they pulled the match around in the second, which they won 7-5, and eventually cruised to victory 6-0 in the 3rd. Rachel Speight & Ravinder Norman won in convincing fashion, 6-1 6-2, against visitors Sue Knight & Chris Thomas to give the home team a 2-0 lead after round 1. The second round was altogether easier for Sillitoe & Pattinson who beat Knight & Thomas 6-0 6-2 while Speight & Norman continued their dominat form to win 6-3 6-1 against Taylor & Anderson.

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In Division 6A, Crowthorne's 2nd team achieved an almost identical result away against Purley. Alison Nicholson & Lauren Minshull-Beech lost their first set against Elaine Manshall & Mary Brooksbank 5-7 before finding their form and taking the next two 6-1 6-2. Crows' second pair Maggie Ingham & Jenny Sheppard were in devastating form winning 6-0 6-0 against Debbey Newman & Virginia Rogers and the home pair did only slightly better in the second round losing 6-1 6-1 to Nicholson & Minshull-Beech. Ingham & Sheppard completed a good day for Crowthorne's ladies with a 7-5 6-3 win over top home pair Manshall & Brooksbank.

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Back at St.Sebastians, Crowthorne's Men's 3rd team had a postponed Winter match to play against Caversham 4 in Division 5W. With one of the visiting players having faced Crows' 1sts last week in the Summer League, the home team could tell they faced a strong team and it proved to be the case as the team went down 0-4. Andy Johns & Robbie Robinson, playing in only his second match for the club, squared up against Carey Sayer & Charles Durham and, after a one sided first set, they grew as a partnership to lose 2-6 4-6. The other home pair Andy Stone & Paul Gardner lost by the same score to Sean Sweet & Joachim Manouz. In the second round, Johns & Robinson won the first set 6-1 against Sweet & Manouz then lost their way and the second set 2-6 before losing the rubber on the deciding tie-break. On the adjacent court, Stone & Gardner found Sayer & Durham were just too strong, going down 2-6 0-6. Still, the team mused, as they relaxed with a drink while watching the ladies finish their match under a cloudless blue sky, it wasn't such a bad day after all!

Men's 1 winnners but fighting losses for 2nds and 3rds \n"); document.write("
\n"); document.write(" 04-11-2010 - AF/MS/PG
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Crowthorne's Men's Doubles teams started their summer campaign in the Berkshire Head Leagues with a win and two losses.

The first team were at home against Caversham 3 in division 3A and it was the home top pairing of Andy Fryatt & Dominic Evan-Hart who set up the win with two straight sets victories, the first 6-2 6-0 over Carey Sayer & Paul Gudge and the second 6-3 6-0 against Harold Holgren & Andy Smith. Heroes of the day were Crows second pairing of Harry Potter look alike Chris Torkington & James Brennan who, in their first match together, won a close rubber 7-6 6-4 against the experienced Holmgren & Smith to effectively clinch the 3 points. With the result assured, the home pair still wanted to finish with a bang and, despite losing the first set 4-6, they took the second 6-4. At 4-1 in the final set, Sayer & Gudge found their form to claw back to 4-4, but it was then that the inspired Torkington, who had been playing like a magician all afternoon, waved his wand once more to produce some blistering volleys and backhands to make the final score 6-4 to the home pair and complete a 4-0 victory.

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Crows 2nd team were also at home, playing in division 3B for the first time, against Twyford's first team. Expecting to find it tough in this division, veteran pairing Jim Hawes & Mike Smith were not surprised to lose their first game against John Anderson & Henry Munroe with Anderson's pounding service and forehand seemingly setting the tone for the match. But their experience and coolness under fire paid off as they absorbed the pressure from the younger pair, winning the next 6 games to take the set maintaining their level to take the second set 6-2 and square the rubber with Crows second pair Richard McCully & Andy Johns losing out 4-6 1-6 to a very strong Twyford second pairing of Steve Billington & Andy Cooper. With Anderson reacting to his first round loss like an angry bear being poked with a stick, McCully & Johns stood no chance as their opponents recovered their composure to win 6-0 6-0, but, at 5-2 ahead against Hawes & Smith, the visiting second pair hit a purple patch, taking the set to a tie-break and effectively clinching the match win, whatever the result of the final rubber. Hawes & Smith, however, held on despite a poor start to win the tie-break 9-7 and a 6-3 win in the second set meant that, with rubbers and sets all square, the result came down to games with Twyford winning by 36-30.

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Away in division 5A, Crows third team faced a strong Bracknell 6th team, and the home side started well with Peter Smith & Jan de Beuss winning 6-0 6-1 against Crowthorne's Andy Becher & Andy Stone who were struggling to find any form. Paul Gardner & Vince Brooks were also finding it tough, losing a close first set 4-6 against Stephen Wakefield & Peter Blyth, but they battled to a 7-6 win in the second set took the third easily 6-1 to square the match. Becher & Stone recovered their form in the second round to beat Wakefield & Blyth 7-6 6-2 but, despite a battling peformance against the home first pair, Gardner & Brooks lost their second rubber 4-6 2-6 to make it a 5-4 win on sets to the home side.

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With a point each to Crows 2nd and 3rd teams and a full 3 points to the 1sts, it was a reasonable start for Crowthorne's men. Next weekend they turn their sights to the AEGON Team Tennis competition with Crows A team facing Bisham Abbey in division 2 at St.Sebastians and the B team away to Bracknell E in division 4.

Ladies 2 finish with a win \n"); document.write("
\n"); document.write(" 04-04-2010 - AN
\n"); document.write(" Crowthorne's 2nd ladies team finished their winter campaign with a 3 point win over Caversham 4 away in division 6 on Saturday. Ravinder Norman and Jennie Sheppard scored two convincing straight sets victories 6-2 6-4 and 6-4 6-1 over their opponents. Alison Nicholson and Maggie Ingham won their first rubber 6-1 7-5 and were 6-1 up and 5-5 in the second set when rain started to make the courts too slippery to play and the match was abandoned. The team's first clear win of the season, after having gained their other points in hard earned 2-2 draws which they won on sets, leaves them safely in mid-table and augers well for the summer season whcih starts in two weeks time.

Please go to www.crowthornetennisclub.co.uk to find out how you could become a member of your local, friendly tennis club.

Crows 3 challenge for promotion \n"); document.write("
\n"); document.write(" 03-27-2010 - MS/AF
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Crowthorne 3's postponed match away to Wokingham & Woodley 2 in Division 5W of the Berkshire Head Men's Doubles League on Saturday was a potentially tricky encounter on red shale, but the Crowthorne team came away 3-1 victors following some gritty play from Paul Gardner & Chris Torkington on one court and some flashes of excellence from veteran pair Mike Smith & Jim Hawes on the other as they rolled back the years to show why they were once 3 times winners of the Crowthorne Men's Doubles Shield. From 2-4 down in the first set against Ricky Taylor & Anthony Crampton, they won the next 6 games to take the set and lead 2-0 in the second. The home pair played well to get back to 2-all but Smith & Hawes soon got back into their stride to take the next 4 games and clinch the rubber. Gardner & Torkington were having an altogether more torrid time against super vets Hamish Macbeth & Dave Tyrrill who used all of their vast experience to win the first set 7-6 in a tie break before the younger pair were able to break away winning the next set 6-2 and taking the deciding tie-break. In the second round Smith & Hawes quickly cruised to 6-0 in the first set against Macbeth & Tyrrill and followed it up with a 6-1 second set to clinch the match. Gardner & Torkington, meanwhile, rapidly found themselves down against Taylor & Crampton as the home pair took the first set 6-1 but they won the second set on a tie-break before playing their 4th tie-break of the morning which they lost to make the score a bit more respectable for the home team. The Crows are now 2 points behind Twyford 2 in 2nd place who also have two postponed matches left to play; but with the two teams playing each other on the last weekend on April, the result of that showdown could decide the second promotion place.

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On Sunday morning, Crowthorne 1completed their winter league campaign with a close 3-1 away victory over a strong Caversham 3 team which leave them finishing a disappointing 3rd place in Division 3 missing out on the top two promotion places. Crows' Andy Fryatt & Dominic Evan-Hart were not at their best throughout the encounter but secured wins over Caversham's doubles specialist Andy Smith & Carey Sayer 6-4 6-3 followed by a 6-4 7-5 win against David Cameron & Charles Winterbottom in which the Crows pairing were 1-4 & 2-5 down in the second set but kept their nerve and composure to get both wins under their belt. The Crows' potent second pairing of Marc Ashworth & Russell Finch took their first rubber 6-2 7-6 against Cameron & Winterbottom but having claimed the first set 6-3 against Smith & Sayer they went down in the second set 3-6 and subsequently lost the deciding tie-break to give Caversham their one rubber of the day.

Crows beat local rivals \n"); document.write("
\n"); document.write(" 03-21-2010 - AF
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Crowthorne's 1st Men' Doubles Team continued their fine form, since the start of the new year, with a convincing 4-0 away victory over close rivals Bracknell 4 in Division 3 of the Berkshire Head Winter Mens Doubles League. Crow's Andy Fryatt & Dominic Evan-Hart, as always, started strongly and from then on the match was never in doubt. With Fryatt dominating the play from the back of the court and at the net, they swiftly despatched John Richman & Phil Rees 6-1 6-2 with the Crows looking as strong as ever. Crows' other pairing, James Brennan & Marc Ashworth, who were playing together for the first time in a competitve match, also proved how much of a threat they can be as they overcame the experienced John Dixon & big hitter Mark Couch 6-2 6-4 in a match in which Ashworth was struggling to win his serve until it mattered to give the Crows a 2-0 lead at halfway.

In the reverse rubbers Fryatt & Evan-Hart raced to a 6-0 4-1 lead against Dixon & Couch but somehow lost the edge and, after some sloppy play by both Crow players, the Bracknell pairing were back in the match at 4/3 until Fryatt & Evan-Hart calmed their nerves and took the second set 7-5 giving the away team the full 3 points. Brennan & Ashworth finished the 4-0 rout 7-5 6-0 in which a tough first set took its toll on Ashworth who un-characteristicly unleashed a verbal assault on himself along with his racket being violently smashed into the netting and fence.

This result now leaves the Crows 1st Men's team third in Division 3 with Caversham to play next week. Three points will see them in second place but their closest promotion rivals Maidenhead have games in hand and will more than likely pip the Crows into second place.

A weakened and makeshift Crowthorne 2nd team were beaten 0-4 at St Sebastians by already crowned Division 4 winners Bisham Abbey in a match which held no significance to the home team who look forward to their first season in the Summer league Division 3.

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Crowthorne Tennis Club welcomes new members of any standard - for more information go to www.crowthornetennsiclub.co.uk.

Mixed 2 win Division 6 \n"); document.write("
\n"); document.write(" 03-14-2010 - EP/MC/MS
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Crowthorne's 2nd Winter Mixed Team won division 6 of the Berkshire Head Mixed Doubles League on Sunday with a 3-1 win away against RSF 2. Winning the title with maximum points means they match the achievement of Crowthorne's 1st team who won Division 4 last week. Marc Ashworth & Lorraine Fowler followed a fine 6-1 7-5 win over RSF's 1st pair with a 6-0 6-4 win against their seconds, while Vince Brooks & Jenny Sheppard were beating the home 2nd pair 6-3 6-2 before narrowly losing out in their second rubber in the deciding tie-break.

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Crows 3rd Mixed team, meanwhile, were at home against 2nd in the table Bisham Abbey in Division 8. Mark Callaghan & Alison Nicholson won against the visitors' 1st pair in a match of 3 tie-breaks and they battled back from 1-5 down in their second deciding tie-break to win their 2nd rubber as well. Father and daughter pairing Stephen & Helen Minshull-Beech were battling just as hard in their matches and it was only after three and a half hours play that the home team conceded defeat at 2 rubbers all, losing on sets. With both teams having a match still to play, the Crowthorne team will probably remain in 3rd place.

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Crowthorne's men also had a match on Sunday with the 2nd team having a long trip to play Yattendon away in Division 4. Mike Smith & Jim Hawes had a good start against Alan Hall & Pete Adams, winning the first set 6-2 and matching their opponents to 4-4 in the second set. At that point, the home pair broke through and the momentum swung firmly in their direction as they won the set 6-4 and went on to take the deciding tie-break. On the other court, Chris Torkington & Andy Johns fought back well in the second set against Paul Lafford & Mark Pain to win 6-4 after losing the first set 3-6, but they too were disappointed to lose the deciding tie-break, leaving the home side 2-0 up at the halfway stage. With Lafford having to withdraw from the match at that point, having injured his calf in the first rubber, Yattendon were still favourites to win the match, but Torkington & Johns turned the form book upside down to beat Hall & Adams in straight sets 6-2 7-6, grabbing a 6 sets to 4 victory for Crowthorne from the jaws of defeat. The win lifts Crowthorne into 2nd place but, with their final match against runaway division leaders Bisham Abbey and teams queuing up behind them with matches in hand, it is unlikely that they will stay there and get promoted.

Crows 1 win Mixed Division \n"); document.write("
\n"); document.write(" 03-07-2010 - MS/MP
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Crowthorne's 1st Team finished off their season away against Twyford 1 with a 4-0 win that leaves them winners of Division 4 in the Berkshire Head Mixed Doubles Winter League with maximum points. Club champions Emma Pattinson & Andy Fryatt won both of their matches in straight sets, losing just 6 games, while Rachel Speight & Jim Hawes had to work a bit harder, winning both matches in deciding tiebreaks.

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Back at St.Sebastians, Crowthorne 3 were playing Twyford 3 in Division 8. Alison Nicholson & Mark Callaghan overcame tough resistance in their first set against the visitors Siobhan Wilkinson & Steven Stewart, winning it 7-6 on a tie break and going on to take the second 6-1 as the opposition crumbled. Meanwhile, Jenny Sheppard & Mike Smith were playing Bob & Margaret Croft, a pair of great experience whose game is designed to frustrate and annoy the calmest of players! After a long first game, which Smith & Sheppard won on Smith's serve, the home pair took a 4-0 lead only to be pegged back to 4-2 before finally taking the set 6-2. In the second, the visiting pair clinched the set 6-4 but the home pair came back well in the tie-break to take it decisively 7-3. In the second round, Smith & Sheppard found it difficult to adapt after the scrappy first rubber and soon found themselves 0-4 down against Stewart & Wilkinson. They recovered well to trail 4-5 but the visitors took the set 6-4. The second set was similar with the home pair trailing 0-4 yet again before pulling back to 3-4 but still losing 3-6. Callaghan & Nicholson, meanwhile were doing magnificently against the Crofts, winning some titanic rallies and taking the first set 6-2 before winning the second by the same score to secure a 3 point win.

Crows in winning form \n"); document.write("
\n"); document.write(" 02-21-2010 - CS/AN/AJ/MS
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Crowthorne Tennis Club had four teams out at the weekend and they all won, indicating the strength in depth that exists at the club. The 1st Ladies team started the ball rolling away at Sandhurst on Saturday with another convincing 4-0 win. Emma Pattinson & Cath Sillitoe won their first set 6-2 against Estelle Cash & Janice De Souza but it was tighter in the second which the visitors took 7-6 on the tie-break. On the other court Lorraine Fowler was partnering Rachel Speight and they had a convincing 6-4 6-3 win against Sangita Condon & Heather Shekyls. In the second round Pattinson & Sillitoe continued their winning way with a 6-2 6-4 win over Condon & Shekyls while Fowler & Speight were beating Cash & De Souza 7-5 6-1 to maintain the team's 100% record. They head division 4 with 18 points from 6 matches with a match to play. Back at St.Sebastians, the 2nd team were at home to Windsor 4 and they had a close 2-2 win, winning 6-4 on sets and by 45 games to 34. New pairing Melissa Pearce and Maggie Ingham had a great match, winning their rubbers 6-3 6-3 and 6-3 6-0. Meanwhile Alison Nicholson & Nicky Hyde did their bit by winning a set in each rubber, but losing both deciding tie-breaks. The 2 point win keeps them at 4th in Division 6 with a match to play.

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The Men also had a team out on Saturday at St.Sebastians as the club attempted to get its backlog of postponed fixtures played. The visitors Twyford 4 were playing Crowthorne's 4ths in Division 6W and the home team clinched a 2-2 win by 5 sets to 4 as the team maintained their position at the top of the division with a match still to play. Vince Brooks and Andy Stone had a tricky start, losing the deciding tie-break to the visitors' 1st pair after sharing the sets 4-6 6-2. Meanhwile Andy Johns & Stuart Fowler kept on terms by winning in straight sets, 6-4 6-3, against the visitors' 2nds. With Brooks and Stone winning their second rubber and the visitors beating Johns & Fowler in theirs, the result was 2-2 with the win going to Crowthorne on sets 5-4.

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On Sunday Crowthorne's 3rd Men's team went to Swallowfield to play RSF 1 in Division 5W and the team of Mike Smith, Martin Jay, Richard McCully and Stephen Minshull-Beech came away having inflicted a 4-0 thrashing for the loss of just 13 games. Smith and Jay lost a single game against Lax Mayani & Alan Goddard but father and son pairing Graham & James Layzell put up a bit more resistance against McCully & Minshull-Beech although they lost 4-6 1-6. The second round was also a bit of a cruise, with the Layzell pairing pinching 3 games against Smith & Jay while McCully & Minshull-Beech conceded 4 against Mayani & Goddard.

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If you want to be part of successful and friendly tennis club, go to www.crowthornetennisclub.co.uk for more information.

Max points for Men's 1 & 2 \n"); document.write("
\n"); document.write(" 02-14-2010 - AF/MS
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Crowthorne 1 continued their fine start to 2010 with their second 4-0 win in Division 3 of the Berkshire Head Winter Men's Doubles League, this time away at Wargrave for the loss of just 9 games. The team welcomed back Dominic Evan-Hart after a three month lay off through injury, and it was like he had never been away as Crows formidable pairing of Andy Fryatt & Evan-Hart dismissed Wargrave's Tim Price & Paul Wheeler 6-0 6-0, with the visitors losing only 3 points in the first set. Crows other pairing of Russell Finch & Marc Ashworth were impressive enough in beating Charles Freeman & Brian Such 6-2 6-4 to give the visitors a 2-0 lead at after two rubbers. In the second round, Finch & Ashworth duly despatched Price & Wheeler 6-1 6-0, with Fryatt & Evan-Hart disappointed to lose 2 games while beating Freeman & Such 6-0 6-2 to complete the rout.

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Crowthorne 2 were also in need of points having lost their last two matches, but the presence of James Brennan & Rupert Sanderson in the team along with veterans Jim Hawes & Mike Smith meant that it was a strong team that met the challenge of visitors Basildon 1 in Division 4. Somewhat out of practice, Brennan & Sanderson were not at their most fluent in despatching John Burrow & Simon Barter 6-3 6-1, but they had to wait a long time as Hawes & Smith battled back from 3-5 against Phil Hall & John Dilley, breaking Hall's serve for the first time with some aggressive returning and maintaining pressure into the inevitable tie-break. The visitors did well to win the tie-break and then went on to win the second set 6-4, so honours were even at the halfway stage with the home team well ahead on games. Expecting stronger resistance from the visitors first pair, Hawes & Smith were surprised to take the first set against Burrows and Barter 6-3 with some ease. With Hall & Dilley running out of steam in the other rubber and Brennan & Sanderson playing at their impressive best to win it 6-2 6-0, two of the three points at stake were secure. In the final set of the match, the lead fluctuated but Burrows crucially held his service at 5-6 to take the set to a tie-break which Hawes & Smith duly won to clinch the third point.

Ladies' 1 shows the way! \n"); document.write("
\n"); document.write(" 02-07-2010 - CA/MS
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Crowthorne's 1st Ladies Doubles team were just too strong for the opposition when Wellington Sports Club visited them for their Berkshire Head Winter League Division 4 match on Saturday. Crows first pair Emma Pattinson & Cath Sillitoe allowed the visitors, Sue Marshall & Mitzi Heather just one game as they crushed them 6-0 6-1 and second pair Rachel Speight & Amanda Titmas looked to be heading for a similar score against Ingrid White & Ati Collard when they took their first set 6-0. But the visitors dug deep to make it just 6-4 to the home pair in the second set. In the second round, Pattinson & Sillitoe continued their dominating form with a 6-0 6-2 win over White & Collard while Speight & Titmas inflicted another heavy defeat, 6-1 6-0 over Marshall & Heather. The 48-8 win on games keeps Crowthorne at the top of the division with a maximum 15 points, 6 points ahead of Bradfield who have a match in hand.

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Meanwhile, in division 6, Crows second team suffered a battling defeat away at Greenacre. Despite winning 36 games to Greenacre's 34, the set score was 6-4 to the home team and 3 rubbers to 1.

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Back at St.Sebastians, Crowthorne's men's 2nd team had a rearranged Division 4 match against Windsor 4. With two teams in Division 1 and their 3rds in Division 2, Windsor 4 were obviously not going to be a pushover, but Crows 2nd pair, Marc Ashworth & Richard McCully, nearly caused an upset as they took their first set 6-1 against Charles Winterton & Mark Crawley. It was different in the 2nd set, however, as the visitors came back to take it 6-2 and the Windsor pair were also able to win the deciding tie-break and the rubber. On the other court, it was a case of hanging on for Mike Smith & Jim Hawes as they faced the visitors' first pair Alberto Simon & Dominic Clifford. But with Clifford serving for the set at 5-1, the home pair applied pressure and broke serve for the first time. Smith then held serve for 5-3 but the away pair took the set 6-3 on Simon's serve. The second set saw the home pair playing their best tennis and, at 5-6 down, Clifford, who hadn't won his service during the entire match, had to hold serve to prevent the rubber going to a deciding tie-break. This he did, and, at 6-6, the set went to a tie-break which the visitors won. So at the halfway stage, the Crows didn't have a rubber on the board but had been playing well enough to believe they could still get something out of the match. The second round went to a similar pattern to the first with Smith & Hawes winning the first set against Winterton & Crawley 6-4 and Ashworth & McCully losing their first set 2-6 to Simon & Clifford. Smith & Hawes held on to 6-6 in their second set only to lose the tie-break against Winterton & Crawley and with Ashworth & McCully losing their second set 3-6. it was up to their teammates to salvage some pride for the club by winning their deciding tie-break. This they did by the skin of their teeth by 8 points to 6, but the final score was a well deserved 3 rubbers to 1 win for Windsor.

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If you want to play tennis at Crowthorne Tennis Club, now is a good time to join, with zero joining fee and pro-rata subscr"+"iptions making it £25 for seniors and just £9 for juniors to play until the end of March. Your subscr"+"iption for the new season would then be reduced by 5% as an existing member making it the best tennis value around. Go to www.crowthornetennisclub.co.uk for more details.

Good day for Crowthorne Mixed teams \n"); document.write("
\n"); document.write(" 01-31-2010 - MS
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With the first Mixed Doubles matches of the year wiped out because of snow, it was good to have almost perfect weather for tennis on Sunday morning. There were delayed starts for some teams because overnight frost had made the courts slippery but none of the rain and snow that had decimated the fixture list for the past two months.

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At St.Sebastians, Crowthorne 1 were far too strong for Caversham 3 in Division 4 and the team of Andy Fryatt, Emma Pattinson, Cath Sillitoe and Jim Hawes won 4-0 for the loss of just 12 games. Crowthorne 2 had a potentially tricky visit to Sonning to play Berkshire County Sports 3 in Division 6. With late changes to the team because of injuries, Mike Smith stepped in to play with Rachel Speight with Ravinder Norman joining Vince Brooks despite a heavy cold. However, the result was an excellent 3-1 win and it could have been 4-0 were it not for the fighting display from the home second pair Christine Cooke and John Macdonald who, despite losing the first set 5-7 against Crows' second pair Norman and Brooks, came back to win the second 7-6 in the tiebreak and take the deciding tiebreak as well. Meanwhile, Speight and Smith were winning the first set 6-1 against Sue Jones and Abdul Minhas after losing the first game but winning the next 6. The second set was tighter but the result was never in doubt as the away pair dominated play with some fine forehands, particularly from Speight, to take it 6-3. It was tight at the start of the second round with Speight and Smith getting to 2-all against Cooke and Macdonald before they pulled away to win it 6-2, the second following in a similar pattern, also 6-2. A moment later the match was over as Norman and Brooks completed a fine 6-2 6-4 win over Jones and Minhas to make the result 3-1 to Crowthorne. Back at St.Sebastians, Crowthorne 3 completed the trio of victories with a 3-1 win over Sonning 1. Mark Callaghan, Alison Nicholson, Paul Gardner and Jenny Sheppard ensured the team moved off the bottom of Division 8 with their first 3 points.

Busy weekend for the Crows \n"); document.write("
\n"); document.write(" 01-24-2010 - MS/AF/PG/AJ/CS
\n"); document.write(" Crowthorne's team players were busy at the weekend with 5 matches in the Berkshire Head Winter Leagues, 3 against Maidenhead, one against Reading and one against Shinfield. Ladies 1 continued their good form on Saturday beating Maidenhead 5 4-0 to go clear at the top of Division 4 with maximum points. Cath Sillitoe & Emma Pattinson dropped just 6 games in their two rubbers while Ravinder Norman and Rachel Speight dropped a set in the process of winnning their two. On Sunday, Men's 1, missing club champion Dom Evan-Hart, also had a 4-0 win at home against Maidenhead 3, Andy Fryatt, Marc Ashworth, James Brennan and Rupert Sanderson delivering the goods for the loss of one set to remain in touch with the leaders in Division 3. Men's 2 found it tough away against Maidenhed 4 in Dvision 4, however, with second pair Mike Smith & Martin Jay coming up against youngster Ben Ratcliffe in stunning form playing with Pete Tarvin and losing their first set 0-6. They recovered to win the second 6-2, however, but then lost the deciding tie-break. Crows first pair, Jim Hawes and Russell Finch had a better start against John Perera and Warren Roscoe, winning their first set 6-3, but after losing the second 5-7 they were unable to take the tie-break. Hawes and Finch got the match back on an even keel with a fine 6-0 6-2 win against Tarvin & Ratcliffe in the second round and, with Smith & Jay taking the first set 6-4 in their second rubber, it looked as though a win might be possible. But the home pair upped their game to take the second set 6-1 and win yet another close deciding tie-break to clinch the match 3-1 despite winning fewer games than Crowthorne. In Division 5W, Men's 3 came up against a very strong Reading 1 team in their away match and the pairings of Richard McCully & Andy Stone and Paul Gardner & Vince Brooks were unable to make much impression, going down 0-4. Things were better back at Crowthorne where Men's 4 were playing second placed Shinfield in Division 6W. Crowthorne's 1st pair David Stone & Robbie Robinson had a slow start, playing in their first match together, but still won their first set 7-5 and then went on to win 3 more sets in the match for the loss of two more games. Second pair, Andy Johns & Andy Becher were a totally different proposition for the opposition as Becher's serve had everything, no pace, no spin, no direction and next to no depth and the pair won their two rubbers for the loss of just 6 games. The team thereby consolidated their position at the top of the division and look good for promotion after 5 matches.

MEN'S 4 START THE YEAR WITH A WIN \n"); document.write("
\n"); document.write(" 01-17-2010 - PG
\n"); document.write(" A fortnight into the new year, and with no tennis played due to a thick covering of snow on most clubs' courts, it was a relief for Crowthorne's 4th Men's Team to be able to visit Sonning and play their postponed match, coming away with a convincing 4-0 win. The team are now 5 points clear of Shinfield in division 6W after 4 matches with another 4 to play. Paul Gardner & Vince Brooks took a while to get into their stride after their lengthy layoffs, but they held on against Brian Scott & Steve Edwards to win their opening set 7-5, and followed it up with a convincing 6-1 second set to take the first rubber. Andy Johns & Stephen Minshull-Beech barely broke sweat during their 6-1 6-2 thrashing of Simon Kellaway & Peter Woolley and the home pair had no respite as Gardner & Brooks won their second rubber 6-3 6-0. Johns & Minshull-Beech took a breather at the start of their second rubber against the home first pair and lost the set 4-6, but they refocused and took the second 6-2 and won the deciding tiebreak to make the match score 4-0 to the visitors.

STOP PRESS!!! NO RAIN - NO MATCHES POSTPONED \n"); document.write("
\n"); document.write(" 12-13-2009 - MS/RM/AJ
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At last a weekend without rain and 4 wins from 5 matches for the Crowthorne teams. Crowthorne Ladies 1st team started things off on Saturday with a rearranged match away against Slough 1. Emma Pattinson & Cath Sillitoe had a long first rubber against the home 1st pair, Mekaya Gittens & Lorraine Bent, losing the first set 6-7, winning the next 6-1 but then frustratingly losing the deciding tie-break 8-10. Meanwhile Amanda Titmas & Rachel Speight won in straightforward fashion 6-1 6-2 against Claire Smith & Chris Hayter to square the match. With Pattinson & Sillitoe also winning 6-1 6-2 in their second rubber, the match result was secured but the final rubber would decide whether all 3 points went to the visitors. With some superb hard hitting from the home pair, Titmas & Speight dropped the first set 3-6 but a fighting 7-6 win in the second took them to a tie-break which they won convincingly to clinch the extra point for a 3-1 win.

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On Sunday morning it was the turn of the men with all four of Crowthorne's teams playing. The first team lost disapointingly 1-3 to Ascot 2 but the other 3 teams all won in convincing fashion despite key players being absent from the lineup.

Crowthorne 2 had a potentially tricky away fixture against Greenacre 2 who play on a carpet surface normally only seen indoors. When wet this presents somewhat of a challenge to the players but the Crowthorne team coped with the conditions better than the home pairs. Rupert Sanderson & Chris Torkington were dominant in a 6-2 6-2 win over Mick Fiddler & Simon Middleton while Mike Smith & Jim Hawes had most of the answers in a 6-2 6-4 win against Greenacres 2nd pair Ken Horn & Mike Garrett. Sanderson & Torkington quickly secured all three points by beating Horn & Garrett 6-1 6-1 while Smith & Hawes were taking the first set against Fiddler & Middleton. The home pair's first loss of service game occured at 3-4 in the second leading to the home side winning their first set 6-3 before the visitors clinched the fourth rubber in the deciding tie-break to complete a 4-0 win.

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Back at St.Sebastians, Crowthorne's 3rd team were cruising to a 4-0 win against Berkshire County Sports 3. Richard McCully & Martin Jay outplayed John McDonald & Andy Southcase to take the first set 6-3 but slipped up a bit to lose the second 2-6 only to come back and win the deciding tie-break 8-6 for Crowthorne. Meanwhile David Stone & Andy Becher, playing together for the first time, took three games to find their bearings but from 0-3 down they lost just one more game in winning 6-3 6-1 against Nigel Jones & Derek Norman. With McCully & Jay demolishing Jones & Norman 6-3 6-1 it was left to Stone & Becher to complete the job. This they did with aplomb, overcoming McDonald & Southcase 7-5 in the tie-break after sharing the sets 4-6 6-2.

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Finally, the 4th team had an away match against Caversham Park 3 and they came away 3-1 winners. Mark Nicholson & George Jealouse proved to be a strong pairing, winning both rubbers 6-1 6-3, while Andy Johns & Stuart Fowler were unlucky not to win both of their rubbers. Having won 6-1 6-4 against the home first pair, their 2nd pair upped their game to win their first set 6-4, lose the second by the same score and clinch the rubber in the tie-break 8-6.

Crows 1 vs Bracknell 3 - Berks Mens Div 3 \n"); document.write("
\n"); document.write(" 11-15-2009 - MS
\n"); document.write(" Crowthorne’s 1st Men’s Team faced Bracknell 3 in Division 3 on Sunday morning in a match rearranged from a previous wet weekend. The home team was depleted, with only one first team regular playing, but despite that, it was a fighting performance from the Crows who were narrowly defeated at two rubbers apiece by 4 games. Andy Fryatt and Jim Hawes started slowly against Bracknell’s Couch and Dixon, losing the first set 3-6, but they rallied in the second to clinch it 7-5 only to lose the deciding tie-break. Chris Torkington, playing his first match after returning from injury, and Marc Ashworth were never really in touch in their first rubber, losing 3-6 2-6 to O’Donnell and Draffen, and Crowthorne looked down and out at the halfway stage and ruing their missed opportunities. But the second round saw a magnificent fight back from both pairs, Fryatt and Hawes cruising through their first set 6-1 against O’Donnell and Dixon while Torkington and Ashworth clinched their first set 7-6 against Couch and Dixon. The home pair slipped up in their second set, losing it 3-6, but this time they won the deciding tie-break to give the team a glimmer of a chance of victory. With Torkington and Ashworth hanging on to score another 7-6 win in their second set, rubbers were 2-2 and sets were 5-5 but the game score of 39-43 meant the 2 points went to Bracknell leaving the home team with the consolation of a single point. The 2 points gained from two close fought matches so far could be important at the end of the season, but it’s now vital to get a clear win and 3 points in next weekend’s match at Caversham.\n"); document.write(" \n"); document.write("

Mixed fortunes for Crows in Winter League \n"); document.write("
\n"); document.write(" 11-08-2009 - AF/MS
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The first full programme of matches in the Berkshire Head Winter Mixed Doubles League took place on a drizzly Sunday morning with Crowthorne's 1st team playing at local rivals Wellington College Sports Club in Division 4. In contrast to the excitement of the fireworks parties the night before, this match was a bit of a damp squib, with the home team never coming close to matching the visitors. Andy Fryatt, Emma Pattinson, Dom Evan-Hart and Cath Sillitoe, powered past their opposition in record time, winning by 4 rubbers to 0 for the loss of just 8 games.

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In contrast, Crowthorne's 2nd team had a close top of the table home tie against Royal Ascot 2 in division 6, both teams having won their opening matches 4-0 against Reading and RSF respectively. The visiting 1st pair Jo Stoddart and Carl Howard looked to have plenty of firepower in the knock-up and Lauren Minshull-Beech and Jim Hawes did brilliantly to take their opening set 6-1 and follow it up with a much closer 6-4 win in the second. Meanwhile Ravinder Norman and Mike Smith were engaged in a close tussle against Ruth Graham and Chris Stoddart, full of long, exciting rallies with the pendulum of advantage swinging back and forth. The outcome was a 6-4 6-4 win in a rubber which left all 4 players breathless at times. Norman and Smith now had to face the power of Stoddart and Howard and they stuck to their task well up to 4-4 only to lose the first set 4-6. In the second, the visitors gained an early break, eventually taking the set 6-3 despite a battling rearguard action by the home pair. By now Minshull-Beech and Hawes were ahead against Graham and Stoddart, after taking the first set 6-4, but the visiting pair scented the chance of a point at 4-1 ahead in the second and the home pair did well to win the set 7-5 to secure all 3 points in a 3-1 victory.

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Crowthorne's 3rd team were not so successful, however, losing 0-4 away against Maidenhead 2 in division 8. How on earth this club's second team is in division 8 is a mystery and they obviously decided to put out a strong team from their vast membership to avenge their 1-3 defeat in the corresponding fixture last season.

Men's 4 on top \n"); document.write("
\n"); document.write(" 10-26-2009 - PG
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Crowthorne's 4th Mens Doubles team followed up their close win of a fortnight ago with a 3-1 home win against Nirvana Spa in division 6W of the Berkshire Head Winter League.

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Paul Gardner & Andy Stone got the home team off to a great start by winning their first set 6-1 against Nirvana's Jonathan Harris & Roger Playfair, but they were pushed to the limit in the second set, finally clinching it in the tiebreak to take the rubber. With George Jealouse & Stephen Minshull-Beech giving Eric Gray & Alan Stewart a 6-0 6-1 thrashing in their first rubber, Crowthorne were comfortably placed after the first round. Jealouse & Minshull-Beech slipped to a 4-6 defeat in their first set against Harris & Playfair, who were now playing good tennis, but they came back to win the second set 6-3 only to lose the deciding tiebreak. By this time, however, Gardner & Stone had sewn up the match and all 3 points by inflicting a second 6-0 6-1 thrashing on Gray & Stewart. The team are now top of the division with 5 points and their eyes on a second successive promotion.

Crows 2 looking good! \n"); document.write("
\n"); document.write(" 10-18-2009 - MS
\n"); document.write(" The Berkshire Head Winter Mixed Doubles League started on Sunday with just one match for Crowthorne as their 2nd team took on Reading 1 in Division 6 at St.Sebastians. It was perfect weather for tennis and the Crows took full advantage of the conditions by sweeping their opponents aside for the loss of just 13 games. Jim Hawes & Cath Sillitoe were playing together for the first time for a while and they showed what a potent pair they were by cruising through 6-1 6-1 against Bryan Tran & Natasha Laslett. The visitors showed good form sporadically but the vital points were won by the home pair despite being taken to deuce on several games. Crowthorne's 2nd pair, Mike Smith & Ravinder Norman, found it slightly harder against Ed Chappell & Debbie Potts, but they managed to withstand some heavy hitting from Chappell to come through 6-2 6-3. The second round was similar to the first with Reading's first pair looking good in spells but failing to convert their advantage points, so much so that they had lost the first set 6-0 to Smith & Norman before they broke Norman's serve to lead 1-0 in the second. The home pair broke back immediately and then held a long game of multiple deuces to lead 2-1 and eventually win the set 6-1. With Hawes & Sillitoe also beating Chappell & Potts 6-2 6-3, it was a good day at the office for Crowthorne's 2nd Mixed team.

Crows battle in the rain \n"); document.write("
\n"); document.write(" 10-11-2009 - MS/AJ
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The first round of the Mens Doubles competition in the Berkshire Head Winter Leagues started on a gloomy October morning with rain in the air.

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Crowthorne's 1st team, Andy Fryatt, Dom Evan-Hart, Russell Finch and Rupert Sanderson had a disappointing start, losing 4-5 on sets and getting just the one point away against Twyford 1 in division 3. However, the 2nd team, James Brennan, Marc Ashworth, Jim Hawes & Chris Torkington, had a fine 4-0 win against a strong Caversham Park 1 side in division 4.

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Crowthorne's 3rd team had an early setback as one of their team rang in from hospital an hour before the start but Vince Brooks dragged himself in from Frimley Park to help the team to an unexpected 3-1 victory away against Wargrave 2 in division 5W. Mike Smith & Richard McCully were quickly 0-2 down against Wargrave's young 1st pairing of Cameron Scott &Kieran Martin-Davis but the veteran pair broke back and went into a lead which they held to take the first set 6-4. The away pair took a 3-0 lead in the 2nd set but the home pair stuck gamely to their task, drawing level and saving several match points at 4-5 down, taking the set to a tiebreak which they won with ease. Smith and McCully had to use all of their guile and craft to keep the youngsters at bay in the deciding tiebreak but this they did, keeping their noses in front to clinch the breaker 7-5 and win the rubber. With Vince Brooks & Paul Gardner winning a close first set 7-5 against Wargrave's 2nd pair, Dave Smith & Alan Williamson, and completing the job with a 6-2 win in the second, Crowthorne had a 2-0 lead at the halfway point. Smith & McCully took the first set 6-3 against Smith & Williamson with relative ease but, with the balls getting heavier as the rain increased in intensity, the mistakes crept in and it was nip and tuck to 3-3 at which point the away pair pulled away to take the set 6-3 and win the match. Brooks & Gardner nearly had the last word, however, rallying from a disappointing 2-6 first set against Scott & Martin-Davis to take the second set 6-4 only to lose the deciding tiebreak.

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The 4th team of Andy Johns, Stuart Fowler, George Jealouse and Stephen Minshull-Beech completed a pretty good morning for Crowthorne by sharing the rubbers 2-2 against Phyllis Court in division 6W but winning 37-35 on games. Johns & Fowler lost 4-6 2-6 to a strong visiting 1st pair while Jealouse & Minshull-Beech were beating their 2nd pair 6-4 6-3 to leave the Crows a game down at halfway. With Jealouse & Minshull-Beech losing their second rubber 4-6 3-6, it was down to Johns & Fowler to win by at least 7 games to win the match. After taking the first set 6-2, they reached 2-1 in the second and didn't lose another game, clinching the match by a 2 game margin.

Mixed start for Crows Ladies! \n"); document.write("
\n"); document.write(" 10-04-2009 - CS/AN
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Having won their final summer match away against Wargrave 2 a fortnight ago in taking the division 4A title, Crowthorne's 1st Ladies team started their winter campaign with a convincing 4-0 win at home to the same team in division 4. Emma Pattinson & Cath Sillitoe took a while to get going against the home side's Giorgia Cordani & Sue Jones, winning their first set 7-6 in a tie-break, but then taking the second 6-1. Ravinder Norman & Amanda Titmas also had a solid start, winning 6-4 6-2 against Wargrave's Eilish MacBean & Val Doyle. In the second round, Crowthorne's ladies were well on top with Pattinson & Sillitoe cruising through 6-1 6-1 against MacBean & Doyle, while the performance of the match was the 6-2 6-0 win by the home second pair, Norman & Titmas against Wargrave's first pair Cordani & Jones.

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It was a different story in division 6 where Crowthorne 2, having been promoted from division 7, visited Peppard. They simply found the home side too strong, losing the match 0-4. Melissa Pearce & Nicky hide lost 0-6 1-6 to Peppard's 1st pair but redeemed themselves in the second round, losing 3-6 6-7. Alison Nicholson & Jenny Partridge lost 1-6 4-6 and 2-6 4-6 having won one more game than their team-mates.

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Final Summer League matches \n"); document.write("
\n"); document.write(" 09-27-2009 - EP/AF/AN
\n"); document.write(" On Saturday 19th September, Crowthorne's 1st Ladies team completed a successful summer season by beating Wargrave 4-0 away from home and winning division 4A with 14 out of 15 points. With one of their top players missing, Ravinder Norman stepped up to partner Emma Pattinson and they hammered the home first pair, Janice Dobbin & Clare Belton 6-1 6-1. Lorraine Fowler and Amanda Titmas had a slow start against Sheena Darke & Eilish Macbean, losing their first set 4-6, but they powered to a 6-0 win in the second and tied up the rubber 7-5 in the third. In the second round, Norman & Pattinson cruised through 6-2 6-3 against Darke & MacBean while Fowler & Titmas completd the job by beating Dobbin & Belton 6-4 6-3.

Meanwhile, Crowthorne's 1st Men's team came up against a very strong Caversham 3 team and just missed out on a point as home pair Dom Evan-Hart & Andy Fryatt lost 7-6 3-6 6-7 to make the score 3-1 to Caversham with the visitors beating the Crows to 2nd place in division 3A by a point. The 2nd team are certain of promotion in division 4B so the club will have two teams in the 3rd division for the first time ever. Promotion is also certain for Crowthorne's 3rd team who could still come top in division 6A and the 4ths have won division 7B with 18 points from 18 in their first season.

The final Mixed match of the Summer season was the following Saturday when Crowthorne’s 3rds took on Sandhurst in division 5B. With both teams on 9 points it was a battle for the top of the division, although Sandhurst have a match in hand. Rachel Speight & Chris Torkington played steadily to gain a 6-3, 6-3 victory over Sandhurst’s No 1s, Estelle Cash & Brian James, but Alison Nicholson Mark Callaghan started very slowly against the pace of Sandhurst's second pair, and before long were 5-0 down in the first set. However, they gradually clawed their way back to 3-5, only for Justin Cash to hold his serve and take the first set. The second set went the other way with Crowthorne’s second pair taking it 6-2 and this would turn out to be vital for Crowthorne as Sandhust took the third 6-4. In the second round, Speight & Torkington took a while to adjust to the speed of the game , but still came out 6-4, 6-1 victors while Nicholson & Callaghan lost their second rubber 6-3, 6-4. So rubbers were 2 all but the crucial winning set had been taken by Crowthorne, making them the top of the division for the moment and certain of promotion

The Winter Season gets under way next Saturday with the first round of the Ladies Doubles League - no rest for the tennis players of Berkshire! If you want to be part of a successful tennis club, details of how to join can be found at www.crowthornetennisclub.co.uk

MIXED FORTUNES FOR CROWS \n"); document.write("
\n"); document.write(" 09-13-2009 - MS
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In the Berkshire Head Mixed Doubles League, Crowthorne's 1st Mixed Doubles team lost their final match, on Saturday, against Division 2 leaders Windsor 1 by 1 rubber to 3 on Saturday and now have to wait for results from other teams to see if they will be relegated.

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Crows' 2nd team were disappointed to find their opposition, Maidenhead, unable to raise a team in Division 3B, so the walkover means they are now safe from relegation with Bisham and Maidenhead finishing below them and only Esporta able to finish above.

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Meanwhile, Crows 3 travelled to Yattendon to play their 2nd team in Division 5B. The 4-0 win was their most convincing yet and puts them top of the division with a match to play against previous leaders Sandhurst, who have results yet to be posted. In brilliant sunshine, Lorraine Fowler & Mike Smith barely broke sweat in beating Derek Brook & Judith Neal 6-0 6-1. Meanwhile, Alison Nicholson & Mark Callaghan took a little longer getting used to the new, unpainted and very slow, grippy courts, but still took the first set 7-5 against Paul Lafford & Helen Bewsey before cruising through the second 6-1. Fowler & Smith had to work slightly harder against Lafford & Bewsey but they raised their game when necessary to win comfortably, 6-2 6-2 in a match that was notable for Fowler's trademark cross court forehand returns and some great retrieving from Smith. Nicholson & Callaghan were also by now in confident mood and they completed the rout with a 6-3 6-2 win against Brook & Neal, all 3 points on offer going to Crowthorne for the loss of just 16 games.

Wins for all in Mixed Leagues \n"); document.write("
\n"); document.write(" 09-06-2009 - MS
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There were three wins out of three for Crowthorne's Mixed Doubles teams at the weekend. In Division 2, the 1st team had club champions Andy Fryatt & Emma Pattinson with Dom Evan-Hart & Cath Sillitoe playing at home to Greenacre. The result was never in doubt as the home team won 4-0 for the loss of 12 games putting them on top of the division, although the chasing teams have games in hand.

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In Division 3B, the 2nd team had a good win by a set against division leaders Yattendon. Chris Torkington & Rachel Speight had an excellent debut for the Crows, winning the vital set against their opponents strong first pair while Vince Brooks & Ravinder Norman were beating their second pair in straight sets. There were no shocks in the second round as Torkington & Speight went on to clinch the match with a straight sets win over the visitors' second pair while their first pair grabbed a point with their second rubber.

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Meanwhile, Crowthorne's 3rd team headed for neighbours Wellington Sports Club where a clear win was vital to keep the Crows in contention for promotion from division 5B. First pair Lorraine Fowler & Mike Smith started well against a nervous Ati Collard & Andy Holley, winnning the first set 6-1, but the home pair stayed well in contention in the 2nd set, despite losing it 6-2, with the visitors just clinching some close games. Crowthorne's 2nd pair, Alison Nicholson & Mark Callaghan also claimed their opening set 6-1 against Pep Brinkworth & Mike Rosen, but the home pair reponded well to take the second 6-4. At 4-3 in the third set, Brinkworth served for a 5-3 lead but, for once, the visitors were able to master her low, hard, spinning serve to level the score at 4-4 and go on to take the set 6-4, giving the Crows a 2-0 lead at the halfway stage. Fowler & Smith found it tougher against Brinkworth & Rosen who stuck at their task gamely, but the visitors always had the edge, coming through 6-3 6-3 though not as comfortably as the score might suggest. Nicholson & Callaghan finished the job with a fine 6-4 6-1 win against Collard & Holley to make it 4-0 to Crowthorne who are now level on points at the top of the division with Sandhurst and Yattendon but 2nd in the division on sets won. Next week's match at Yattendon will therefore be vital in the promotion race with a final showdown against Sandhurst on the horizon.

Busy weekend for the Crows! \n"); document.write("
\n"); document.write(" 08-23-2009 - MS/PG/AF/JH
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It was a busy weekend for the Crowthorne teams with four rearranged matches scheduled to be played, three on Saturday and one on Sunday. In Berkshire Head Mixed League Division 2, Crowthorne's 1st team were playing the leaders Maidenhead 1. Crows top team of Andy Fryatt & Emma Pattinson and Dom Evan-Hart & Cath Sillitoe had a tough battle on their hands and at the end of 4 rubbers the scores were level, even down to the game count of 37-37. In the deciding champions tie-break the visitors' very strong 1st pair prevailed but the point gained by Crowthorne could be vital in terms of staying in division 2. On the adjacent courts, Crowthorne's 2nd team of Lee Williams & Ravinder Norman and Jim Hawes & Amanda Titmas got their first win of the season with a 4-0 victory over Esporta in division 3B, easing fears of relegation.

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In Mens League Division 7B, Crowthorne's 4th team were away to Slough 3 and their 3-1 win virtually secures the title for them. Paul Gardner & Vince Brooks and George Jealouse & Martin Jay both had straight sets wins against Slough's Hari Uppal & Jonathan Teng, but the home team's other pair, Ryan Vittles & Andreas Miscneko provided sterner opposition, winning a close 3-setter against Gardner & Brooks and losing an even tighter one against Jealouse & Jay.

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On Sunday morning, Crowthorne's 3rd team visited Ascot to play Royal Ascot 4 in Men's League Division 6A. A 3 point win would secure the title for the Crows but 2 points would ensure Caversham had to get all 3 points in their final match, also against Ascot, to clinch the top spot. Mike Smith & Chris Torkington set the ball rolling for the Crows with a 6-3 6-3 win against Ascot's Mike McKee & Chris Stoddart with Smith remarkably not conceding a point on his service in the first set! Andy Becher & Andy Stone won a set against Raj Chima & Sam Glanville to put the visitors ahead on sets at the halfway point and Smith & Torkington then eased past Chima & Glanville 6-1 6-1 to ensure at least 2 points. They then sat back and watched Becher & Stone battle bravely in the heat against McKee & Stoddart, winning the first set 6-4 but conceeding the next two. So for Crowthorne, the division title depends on the result of Caversham v Ascot, but 2nd place and promotion to division 5 is certain.

Emma & Andy retain mixed title \n"); document.write("
\n"); document.write(" 08-22-2009 - MS
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The rain delayed Mixed Doubles final took place on Tuesday 18th August at 7pm. Thankfully, the weather was perfect with dry conditions underfoot. With the score standing at 1-0, an opening game service break, to Dominic Evan-Hart & Lauren Minshull-Beech, when the match was abandoned over a month ago, Evan-Hart held serve to make it 2-0. But the holders, Andy Fryatt & Emma Pattinson, won the next 6 games to take the opening set 6-2 in twenty minutes. In the second set, the opening games went with serve, 1-1, but the third game was the longest of the match and included some of the best rallies of the match. Pattinson was serving and she and Fryatt held on until the 9th deuce when Minshull-Beech & Evan-Hart won the two points needed to break serve and lead 2-1. This could have been a crucial break, but the holders broke back immediately only for Fryatt to lose his serve and Evan-Hart to hold his, making the score 4-2 to the challengers. Pattinson held her service to make it 4-3 but Minshull-Beech lost hers and the score was all square at 4-4. With the men holding service, it was 5-5 and Pattinson then held her service again to gain a 6-5 lead. This meant Minshull-Beech had to hold her service to stay in the match but, despite reaching deuce, the holders were just too strong and they took the set 7-5 to retain the title. The win means that Emma Pattinson now holds all three titles, having won the Ladies Singles and the Ladies Doubles (with Cath Sillitoe) on Finals Day.

Crowthorne 3 stay on top \n"); document.write("
\n"); document.write(" 08-15-2009 - MS
\n"); document.write(" Crowthorne 3, currently top of division 6A in the Berkshire Head Mens Doubles Leagues, entertained Caversham 5 in a top of the table clash at St.Sebastians on Saturday. Despite losing the match by 3 games, the single point kept them ahead of Caversham by 10 points to 9. Both sides have bottom placed Ascot to play. With Caversham fielding a very strong first pair, Ceri Sayer & Howard Mansfield, who would have been at home in a much higher division, Crowthorne's Mike Smith & Chris Torkington did well despite losing 3-6 4-6 while Crows second pair, Andy Stone & Richard McCully saw off Dudley Jones & Paul Luper 6-2 6-4. With Smith having a relatively poor afternoon, it was Torkington who kept the home side in the match against the visitors' first pair and the Crowthorne players were very happy to find themselves ahead by a game at the end of the first round. Smith & Torkington had a relatively easy time winning 6-1 6-3 against Jones & Luper and were surprised to find that, despite all appearances of a strong performance by the home pair, the vital points in the other rubber all went to the away pair, Sayer & Mansfield, who won 6-0 6-0 against Stone & McCully. So it was a first loss for Crowthorne 3, but the point gained means that the outcome of the division is still in their hands; 3 points against Ascot next Sunday will give them the title.

Crows run Bracknell ragged \n"); document.write("
\n"); document.write(" 07-25-2009 - MS/CS
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Crowthorne Tennis Club's three Mixed Doubles teams had two wins plus a loss on Saturday in the Berkshire Head Summer Leagues. The 1st and 3rd teams were both playing Bracknell teams, away in division 2 and at home in division 5B. The 2nd team were away at Twyford where they lost 1-3 but the other two teams had wins with Bracknell getting just one rubber out of the 8 played.

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At Bracknell, Crows' first pair, Dom Evan-Hart & Lauren Minshull-Beech, had a slow start against the home team's Tom Gordon & Val Ratcliffe, losing the opening set 3-6. But they got going in the second set winning it 6-2 and taking the final set 6-0 to win the rubber. Cath Sillitoe & Chris Torkington started well in their first rubber, winning the first set 6-1 against Paul Thirkell & Noreen Bedford, but they fell behind 3-5 in the second before taking a string of games to win it 7-5. Evan-Hart & Minshull-Beech secured all 3 points with an emphatic 6-0 6-1 win against Thirkell & Bedford while Torkington & Sillitoe found Gordon & Ratcliffe too strong, going down 2-6 0-6 with the match already won.

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At Crowthorne, Mike Smith & Lorraine Fowler were 3-4 down against Stephen Wakefield & Eva Nevrala before they managed to adjust to the slow pace of the game and reel off 9 games in a row to win the first rubber 6-4 6-0. Meanwhile Paul Gardner & Alison Nicholson found themselves 6-2 down against Peter Middleton & Sylvie Naurais but fought back well to clinch the 2nd set tie-break and take the 3rd set 6-2. With Smith & Fowler cruising though 6-2 6-2 against Middleton & Naurais, Gardner & Nicholson again found themselves clawing their way back from the brink of defeat with a 3-6 7-6 6-4 win against Wakefield & Nevrala to make it 4-0 to Crowthorne.

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