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MEN'S FINAL WINTER LEAGUE TABLES
MEN's DIVISION 5W
Matches
Rubbers
Sets
Games
Points
Won
Lost
Won
Lost
Won
Lost
Won
Lost
Greenacre 2
6
1
24
4
50
10
323
180
18
Crowthorne 1
6
1
20
8
45
19
302
188
17
Woodley
5
2
21
7
45
19
305
201
16
Caversham Park 2
4
3
26
12
34
28
254
231
12
Berkshire CS 3
3
4
14
14
30
36
236
276
10
Cholsey 3
2
5
10
18
24
40
224
282
6
University of Reading 3
2
5
5
23
13
46
178
300
5
Wargrave 4
0
7
2
26
9
52
156
320
0

Our 1st team are now confirmed as 2nd in division 5W following Woodley's defeat by Berkshire CS 3 but will stay in division 5W because only one team is promoted from 5E and 5W to division 4.

MEN's DIVISION 6W
Matches
Rubbers
Sets
Games
Points
Won
Lost
Won
Lost
Won
Lost
Won
Lost
Bradfield 1
7
0
25
3
51
6
322
131
21
Crowthorne 2
6
1
23
5
46
16
294
168
18
Caversham 4
4
3
15
13
33
31
266
236
12
Ibis
4
3
15
13
33
27
247
205
12
Woodlands
4
3
15
13
33
28
240
227
11
Purley
1
5
9
15
20
31
178
217
4
Portcullis 2
1
5
5
19
13
39
126
238
3
University of Reading 4
0
7
1
27
4
55
79
330
0

Our 2nd team are also second in their division with Bradfield, not unexpectedly, coming top. 3rd place was closely fought with 3 clubs in contention having all won the same number of matches , rubbers and sets.

MEN's DIVISION 8
Matches
Rubbers
Sets
Games
Points
Won
Lost
Won
Lost
Won
Lost
Won
Lost
Bradfield 2
6
1
21
7
44
17
272
183
18
Crowthorne 3
6
1
22
6
47
15
301
143
17
TRL
6
1
18
10
40
24
276
200
16
Caversham 5
4
3
18
10
37
24
273
232
14
Crescent 2
3
4
14
14
30
29
233
204
9
Twyford 3
1
6
10
18
22
40
177
273
5
Sandhurst 2
2
5
6
22
16
46
195
305
4
University of Reading 5
0
7
3
25
9
50
132
219
1

Our 3rd team are also in 2nd place with Bradfield top and will gain promotion to division 7.


MEN'S WINTER LEAGUE 27/2/2005
27-2-2005 -- MS/RH

1st Team - Division 5W
Crowthorne's 1st Men's Team's final match of the season was away to Wargrave. Fortunately, their artificial grass courts were covered in frost so we had the unexpected luxury of playing on their new tarmac courts. So we just had the cold and the biting wind to contend with, the surface was perfect. James Brennan & Rupert Sanderson were quickly into their stride against Andy Stokes & Rees Upton, winning 6-2 6-0 shortly after Mike Smith & Jim Hawes had finished their first set. This was a scrappy affair against Peter Jordan & Les Hagreen, but at least the Crowthorne pair won it 6-3. Mike and Jim played more fluently in the second set having got used to the wind and were able to win it by a more convincing 6-1. Mike & Jim didn't drop a game until halfway through the 2nd set against the Wargrave 1st pair and by the end they well deserved their 6-0 6-1 win having played with a great deal of flair and power to leave their opponents grateful to have claimed their single game. As in the first round, the opponents' 2nd pair caused more problems in the swirling wind but James & Rupert were still able to win comfortably 6-2 6-1.

So the result was a 4-0 win, 8-0 in sets and 48-10 in games, our two pairs each conceding 5 games. A good result to finish with but the team's fate still depends on Greenacre or Woodley dropping points in their remaining games.

2nd Team - Division 6W
Crowthorne's 2nd team had a walkover against Portcullis after the opponents rang up on Saturday unable to get a team out. In the unlikely event that Bradfield 1 lose their final match badly, Crowthorne could win the division, but they will definitely finish in 2nd place and be promoted to division 5 next Winter.

3rd Team - Division 8
Crowthorne's 3rd team had a match against Sandhurst relocated on our own courts rather than playing at 12.30 on Sandhurst's. Sandhurst had a 14 year old in their second pair playing instead of his brother who had to clear up after a party before his parents got home! Their 1st pair were quite tricky throughout but the extra quality from Vince Brooks & Simon Pestell saw them win their first rubber quite smoothly 6-4 6-2. Rob Hughes & Colin Ellis had a straightforward 6-1 6-1 win against the Sandhurst 2nd pair but lost their way at first against the opponents' first pair, finding themselves 2-5 down but then recovering to win the first set 7-5. The same thing happened in the second set but this time they were unable to recover and so it went to a deciding tie-break. Despite being 6-5 up at one point the tie-break went to the opponents. Vince & Simon, however, saw the team safely through with a 6-1 6-0 win in their second rubber, so the result was a 3-1 win for Crowthorne and promotion next season.

MEN'S WINTER LEAGUE 13/2/2005
13-2-2005 -- MS

1st Team - Division 5W
Crowthorne's 1st Men's Team visited Berkshire County Sports Club on what had to be the windiest morning of the winter so far. Crowthorne were at full strength with club champions Rupert Sanderson & James Brennan and former champions Mike Smith & Jim Hawes. Rupert was playing for the first time for a month due to family commitments and he and James were soon into their stride battling against opponents Nigel Jones & Terry Tann and the weather conditions to take the first set 6-4. With their opponents' resolve broken, the 6-1 second set was a formality. Mike & Jim, however, were struggling against Derek Harman & Abdul Minhas, Mike in particular failing to find any kind of form in the gusty wind, resulting in our pair losing the first set 3-6. However, a gritty performance took the Crowthorne pair into a tie-break on the second set which they won only to lose the deciding tie-break.

With the score a rubber each but up a set, Crowthorne now had to win the remaining rubbers in order to gain a maximum 3 points. Mike & Jim by now were coming to terms with the conditions, Mike settling into a groove with some consistent serving and sliced backhand returns and Jim continuing to play well in the conditions and dominating the net. The first set was settled 6-4 to Crowthorne by which time Rupert & James had again demonstrated how their superior power was overcoming both the weather and the opposition's speed and determination by winning their second rubber 6-1 6-2. The final set of the match continued to be a display of mind over matter rather than attractive, flowing tennis, but, nevertheless, Mike & Jim achieved their objective by winning it 6-3 and completing a 3-1 victory.

2nd Team - Division 6W
Crowthorne's 2nd team had a home match against 3rd placed Woodlands and notched up a 3-1 victory. Andy Stone & Russell Finch won one and lost one while Vince Brooks & Simon Pestell won both of their rubbers. With just one match remaining, a home fixture against bottom club Portcullis, our 2nd team look assured of promotion.

3rd Team - Division 8
Our 3rd team were due to play Twyford 3 in an away match which was rearranged to be played at Crowthorne because our opponents didn't have enough courts. At the last moment however, Twyford announced that they were unable to raise a team so, for the second time in this season's campaign, Crowthorne 3 were handed a walkover.


MEN'S WINTER LEAGUE 30/1/2005

30-1-2005 -- MS

1st Team - Division 5W
Crowthorne's 1st Men's Team resumed after the mid-winter break with a home match against 3rd placed Woodley who had won all 3 of their matches so far (they have a postponed match to play against Cholsey). Woodley had also beaten Greenacre on their notorious wet carpet, so this was always going to be a tough one for Crowthorne. With James Brennan teaming up with Russell Finch for this match and Mike Smith and Jim Hawes resuming their partnership, both pairs found it hard going in the first round. James & Russell were unlucky to lose by as much as 2-6 in their first set against Duncan Coles & Mike Cocke and Mike & Jim were not looking at all confident as their first set slipped away 3-6 to Paul Hancock & Ricky Taylor. In the second set, James & Russell pushed their opponents harder but still lost 5-7, while Mike & Jim turned the tables, winning their 2nd set 6-3 and the subsequent tie-break 7-5.

At a rubber all but down 2-3 on sets, Mike & Jim knew they had at least to get a set against Coles & Cocke to give the home team a chance of winning the match and they did well coming from a break down to square the set at 5-5 only to lose it 5-7. James & Russell were also being made to work hard on the other court in winning their first set 7-5 against Hancock & Taylor. Mike & Jim had, however, been playing well in the first set and they kept up the pressure on the opposition's first pair hitting returns to the feet of the incoming server to get a break and a 4-1 lead. At 5-2 with Mike Cocke serving, the home pair's pressure paid off again as they broke serve for the second time to take the set 6-2. Although the tie-break was lost quickly, James & Russell had followed their first set win with a 6-3 win in the second to make the match score 2-2.

With rubbers and sets all square, the result came down to a games count and that proved to be 41-40 in favour of the home team. So a really good morning's tennis was decided in the end by a single game, giving Crowthorne 2 points to Woodley's 1.

2nd Team - Division 6W
Crowthorne's 2nd team of Andy Johns & David Walter and Vince Brooks & Andy Becher beat Ibis 4-0.

3rd Team - Division 8
Our 3rd team were also at home with a match against Caversham 5. Rob Hughes & Colin Ellis shared the sets against the opposition's first pair, winning the first on a tie-break 7-6 but losing the second 4-6. They also lost the deciding tie-break so they were pleased to find that Ron Ellison & Rowan Barrow had won their first rubber 6-4 6-3, giving Crowthorne a lead by a set at the halfway stage.

In the second round, Ron & Rowan found it tough against Caversham's first pair, losing it 3-6 2-6, but Rob & Colin won 6-4 6-3 against the 2nd pair to square the rubbers at 2-all and win the match by 5 sets to 4, that 7-6 set in the first round loss being the vital difference.

WINTER MIXED LEAGUE TABLES - AT 16 JANUARY 2005

Following the success of our two summer mixed teams, all 3 winter mixed teams are confirmed as champions of their respective divisions. Congratulations to everyone who played in the teams!

MIXED DIVISION 7
Matches
Rubbers
Sets
Games
Points
Won
Lost
Won
Lost
Won
Lost
Won
Lost
Crowthorne 1 3 1 10 6 23 15 154 146 9
Bracknell 3 3 1 9 7 21 16 158 137 8
RSF 2 1 2 8 4 16 12 111 100 5
Yattendon & Frilsham 2 1 2 3 9 9 19 95 122 2
Twyford 2 0 2 2 6 5 12 72 85 0

Crowthorne 1 had a nervous week waiting to hear the result of the match between Bracknell and RSF. The result, a 2-2 win for Bracknell could not have been better for Crowthorne, ensuring that RSF could not catch up even with their game in hand.

MIXED DIVISION 8
Matches
Rubbers
Sets
Games
Points
Won
Lost
Won
Lost
Won
Lost
Won
Lost
Crowthorne 2 3 1 11 5 24 12 167 122 8
Bisham Abbey 3 1 9 7 20 14 137 120 8
Royal Ascot 3 2 2 9 7 19 17 140 124 7
Slough 2 2 6 10 15 22 140 164 5
Twyford 3 0 4 5 11 12 25 121 175 2

Crowthorne 2 had to wait for the result between Slough and Ascot as a 3-pointer for Ascot would have given them the title. The resulting 2-2 win for Slough meant that Ascot stayed in 3rd spot in what turned out to be a close fought division.

MIXED DIVISION 10
Matches
Rubbers
Sets
Games
Points
Won
Lost
Won
Lost
Won
Lost
Won
Lost
Crowthorne 3
5
0
17
3
37
8
234
113
15
TRL 3 1 11 5 24 15 161 128 9
Sonning 2 2 2 10 6 22 13 163 137 6
University of Reading 3 1 3 3 13 7 26 102 173 3
Westmorland Park 0 3 2 10 7 22 85 139 0
Sandhurst 2 0 2 1 7 2 15 39 94 0

No such problems for Crowthorne 3 who lost just 3 rubbers out of 20 and collected a maximum 15 points having looked dominant throughout their campaign.

MIXED WINTER LEAGUE 16/1/2005

1st Team - Division 7
Crowthorne 1 took on Twyford 2 for the last match of the 04/05 winter season at home. In the first round Vince (Brooks) and Jenny took on a lively pair John Warrell and Jo Warburton while Jim Hawesand Ravinder Norman took on the stolid husband and wife pair of Bob and Margaret Croft. Vince and Jenny made a slow start and found themselves trailing 1-3 but engineered a good comeback to win 7-5. The second set was a bit more straightforward and the rubber ended 7-5 6-4 to the good guys. First blood to the home side!

The second pair’s rubber was always going to be a trial of patience, as Bob and Margaret are well known for unsettling their opponents. Bob has always been slow between points and gets slower still if losing. Our pair made a good start and by the middle of the first set you could have timed Bob with a calendar rather than a stopwatch! In contrast, Margaret’s speed around the court was like lightning, which produced an interesting drop-shot v drop-get dual between her and Jim. The only drop shots Margaret failed to retrieve were those that were nearer her partner, who usually didn’t make an attempt resulting in an animated discussion! Most points consisted of long rallies, which were at times more akin to chess rather than tennis. The result was a good 6-4 6-4 win for the home side. 2-0 to the good at half-time.

When the pairings were reversed it was expected that Vince and Jenny’s match with their second’s would prove to be a similarly long drawn out affair but the match lasted less time than it took Ravinder and Jim to win their first set 6-3. The second set started perfectly with Crowthorne 4-0 up and serving. At which point the Crowthorne pair went walkabout! What seemed moments later, the score was at 4-4 despite Crowthorne having had numerous chances to win the match! Ho-hum! The eventual score was 6-3 6-4 to Crowthorne, which was just as well as it was only then that it was discovered that the first pair had lost 1-6 2-6 to the canny Crofts!

This last round was always going to be critical to the final league placings with the top three teams (mathematically) in a position to take the title. I suspect however that Crowthorne is likely to have just missed out! So it is likely that Crowthorne 1 and 2 will be in the same division next year which will make for an interesting encounter!

STOP PRESS! The latest league tables show that the result of Sunday's match between Bracknell 3 & RSF could determine Crowthorne's fate. RSF also have a match in hand against Twyford making a potential 6 points to add to their 4. Hopefully Bracknell win win 2-2 making our total out of reach to RSF.

MIXED DIVISION 7
Matches
Rubbers
Sets
Games
Points
Won
Lost
Won
Lost
Won
Lost
Won
Lost
Crowthorne 1 3 1 10 6 23 15 154 146 9
Bracknell 3 2 1 7 5 16 12 119 102 6
RSF 2 1 1 6 2 12 7 76 61 4
Yattendon & Frilsham 2 1 2 3 9 9 19 95 122 2
Twyford 2 0 2 2 6 5 12 72 85 0

2nd Team - Division 8
Crowthorne's 2nd mixed team travelled to Bisham Abbey for their final match of the winter season with a 3 point lead over their opponents in 2nd place. Despite the weather being fine, the outdoor courts were quite frankly totally unsuitable for playing in a British climate and were still awash from the previous evening's rain. So our team had no option but to play the match indoors, a brand new experience for Lorraine Fowler. Mike Smith & Lorraine started well against Cara Graham & Norman Bhargava, breaking Cara's serve to lead 3-1. Mike served for the set at 5-3 still with just the single break advantage and the opposing pair did well to break serve and win the next game to square the set at 5-5. Lorraine had a good service game to take the lead again but the Bisham pair held on for the tie-break which they won. In the second set, with the Crowthorne pair still wondering how they had managed to lose the first set, Cara & Norman broke Lorraine's serve for the only time in the entire rubber to take a 2-0 lead. Lorraine & Mike broke back to 2-2 and it was neck and neck until another tie-break which again went to the home pair. Meanwhile Sue Hester & Andy Becher found themselves playing against a really strong 2nd pair, Nicky Whittle & Mark Richardson. They were unable to make any impact on the opposition's game and quickly found themselves losing 0-6 0-6.

In the second round, instead of finding themselves up against a weaker second pair, Lorraine & Mike found that their new opponents were a lot stronger than their first round opposition. Both Crowthorne players had difficulty getting a racket on Mark's left-handed swerving thunderbolt of a serve and had to work really hard to win points on their own services as well. Despite their best efforts, Lorraine & Mike lost the rubber 3-6 1-6.

However, the best was saved for last! After losing the first set 1-6 against Cara & Norman and having won just one of their first 19 games, Sue & Andy made a dramatic comeback to win the second set 6-3. With their opposition still reeling, they carried on their new found improved form into the deciding tie-break, winning it to take Crowthorne's only rubber of the match. With Sue hobbling from the court after pulling a calf muscle on the last point, Mike & Lorraine applauded long and loudly from the gallery after a gallant performance from the whole team.

So with a 1-3 loss, Crowthorne gained no points from the match and the top two teams are now tied on 8 points. Having added the results from last week and this week to the league table, our team's performance was enough to give Crowthorne a clear lead on rubbers, thereby winning the division!. If the final rubber had gone the other way, rubbers would be tied on 10-6 each and sets would have been 22-13 for Crowthorne and 21-12 for Bisham - a difference of 9 sets for both teams. Hopefully the games difference would still have given Crowthorne the advantage, but fortunately it didn't come down to that!

STOP PRESS! The latest league tables received today show Ascot lying 3rd with 6 points. Ascot beat Twyford 3-1 and had a 4-0 walkover against Bisham (due to Bisham getting their fixtures wrong), meaning that they can clinch the title if they beat Slough by at least 3-1. Bisham look to be the strongest team, at least on their indoor courts, although Crowthorne came close to a 2-2 result. But it now looks possible that the team that we beat the most easily of all for the loss of 11 games could scrape home instead.

MIXED DIVISION8
Matches
Rubbers
Sets
Games
Points
Won
Lost
Won
Lost
Won
Lost
Won
Lost
Crowthorne 2 3 1 11 5 24 12 167 122 8
Bisham Abbey 3 1 9 7 20 14 137 120 8
Royal Ascot 3 2 1 7 5 14 12 101 83 6
Slough 1 2 4 8 10 17 99 125 3
Twyford 3 0 4 5 11 12 25 121 175 2

3rd Team - Division 10
After taking a while to warm-up and for Rob to adjust to playing with his spare racket Caroline & Rob came back from 1-4 to win the first set against Sandhurst's first pair 7-5. The second set saw Caroline serving for the match at 5-1 when Sandhurst's man (Alan) slipped trying to reach the serve and fell flat on the court. Crowthorne declared a let & replayed the point to show sportsmanship and proceeded to win the set after a few more balls at 6-1. Meanwhile Colin & Alison had make quick work of the 2nd pair and were leaving the court having won 6-0, 6-0 just as Caroline & Rob were starting their 2nd set.

The second rubbers were played in bright sunshine contrasting with the dull conditions earlier that nearly meant the floodlights were needed at 11am! Caroline & Rob again took a few games to work out the tactics for the second pair but won the rubber 6-3, 6-0 with some good net interceptions by Rob who was by now playing his usual game and playing with more power & precision. Alison & Colin hardly broke into a sweat playing the first pair and the overall result was 4 rubbers to 0 to Crowthorne.

They have now taken the Division 10 title with maximum points and look set to do well in Division 9 next season.

MIXED WINTER LEAGUE 9/1/2005
9-1-2005 -- JH/MS/MM

1st Team - Division 7
Crowthorne's Mixed 1 team faced an intriguing match away against RSF playing a team that included an erstwhile four times winner of Crowthorne's Men's Singles title, Chris Wise. He and his partner won both their rubbers in deciding tie-breaks but Ravinder Norman & Jim Hawes dropped only 3 games to RSF's second pair and Lorraine Fowler & Vince Brooks also had a good straight sets win gainst them. So it was a 2-2 win on rubbers and very nearly 4-0. A very good match and a fine win despite the strong wind.

2nd Team - Division 8
Crowthorne's 2nd mixed team went into a home match against Slough hoping to maintain their winning form into 2005. Pauline Snell & Mike Smith had an excellent start against the Slough first pair Margaret Newman & James Davies. Their opponents hardly got a look-in as the home pair powered their way to a 6-2 6-0 victory. As they walked off court our 2nd pair Sue Hester & Andy Becher were just winning their first set in a tie-break against Sue Carter & Nick Whitton and they went on to win the second set 6-4 to set up a 2-0 lead at the halfway stage. In the second round, with the wind gusting more strongly, Pauline & Mike continued their form winning their first set 6-1 against Sue & Nick but the wheels began to drop off in the second set as the Slough pair came back strongly to take it 6-2. However, order was restored with the home pair winning the deciding tie-break decisively. Sue and Andy needed to play well in the second round against Margaret & James who seemed determined to get something out of this match, but the home pair's dogged determination is legendary and they once again won a close first set, this time 7-5. The second was also close but now the winning post was in sight and another 6-4 win gave the home team a 4-0 victory.

3rd Team - Division 10
It was a local derby for the 3rd team who were at home against TRL. Alison Nicholson & Richard McCully started with a comfortable 6-3 6-1 win against Sandra Gomes & Martin Woodbridge but the new pairing of Moira Macbeth & Colin Ellis were having an altogether more interesting time against Jenny & Keith Sheppard! Having lost the first set 0-6 and from 1-4 down in the second, they won 6 games out of the following 7 to win the set 7-5 and, rubbing salt into the wounds of the opposition, they then took the deciding tie-break to win the rubber! In the second round, Alison & Richard had another relatively comfortable win, this time 6-2 6-3 against Jenny & Keith. Moira & Colin were a set-all against Sandra & Martin going into the tie-break but this time they were unable to win the decider. So the result was a 3-1 win for the team making it 4 wins out of 4.

MIXED WINTER LEAGUE 19/12/2004
20-12-2004 -- MS

1st Team - Division 7
Crowthorne's 1st mixed team had a local derby match against Bracknell 3 at home last Sunday. Three of Bracknell's players were all from a single Danish family, which proved interesting on occasion as some of the calls, and scores became a little confused, due to translation? Despite this, the result finished up with a 3-1 win to Crowthorne. Jim Hawes & Ravinder Norman won both their rubbers, all be it less than convincingly, while Vince & Jenny Brooks won only one of theirs. This was despite Jenny's best efforts as Vince had a 'bad day at the office'. He was later quoted as saying “I played like a donkey!” which may or may not be tough on donkeys? Safe to say that under normal conditions our team would have expected a comfortable 4-0 win. The next 1st team Match is against RSF who should prove tougher opposition as they have Chris Wise, one of our former singles champions, playing for them .

2nd Team - Division 8
Our 2nd team were at home to Twyford 3 and this was to turn out to be a marathon of a match. It started well with Lorraine Fowler & Andy Becher winning 6-2 6-2 against Svetlana Jouraleva & Keith Hawkins, while Pauline Snell & Mike Smith were winning a tough first set against Yvonne Summers & Nick Webb 6-3. They quickly found themselves behind in the 2nd set but recovered to 6-6 only to lose the tie-break. Behind also in the deciding tie-break, Pauline & Mike recovered again to 6-6 but were disappointed to lose it 6-8. In the 2nd round, Pauline & Mike had a poor start against Svetlana & Keith and were 1-4 down at one point but recovered well to get to their third tie-break and this time they won it. They continued their improved form long enough to keep ahead in the 2nd set, winning it 6-4 just as Lorraine & Andy finished their match. They had also won the first set against Yvonne & Nick but had lost the 2nd 5-7 and lost the deciding tie-break. So the result in a match of 4 tie-breaks was 2-2 in rubbers and a 6-4 win in sets but so nearly a 4-0 rubber win.

3rd Team - Division 10
Our 3rd team's 3rd match was away to Sonning 2. Richard McCully & Alison Nicholson won the first set 7-5 but Sonning's Kate & Gary came back to take the 2nd, Richard & Alison winning the deciding tie-break. Rob Hughes & Moira Macbeth, meanwhile, were completing a straight sets 6-4 6-4 win against Sue & Dave for Sonning. In the second round, Richard & Alison beat Sue & Dave 6-3 7-6 but Rob & Moira, having shared the sets 5-7 7-6 were unable to clinch the deciding tie-break. So the result was a convincing 3-1 win.

MIXED WINTER LEAGUE 12/12/2004
17-12-2004 -- MS

1st Team - Division 7
Our 1st mixed team had their first match of the winter last Sunday - and it was not a promising start! Playing away against Yattendon 2, the opponents were experts at slicing and lobbing and our team could not quite find the answer on the day. Our 1st pair, Vince & Jenny Brooks, got off to a bad start against the Yattendon first pair, losing 6-0, 6-3. Jim Hawes & Ravinder Norman had an opportunity in a deciding tie-break to win the match 3-1, but lost it. At 2-2 in rubbers, sets were all square but the deficit in games meant that the match was lost.

3rd Team - Division 10
Our 3rd team's second match of the season was against URTC 3 at home. Both pairs got excellent results, Richard McCully & Pauline Snell winning their rubbers 6-1 6-2 and 6-3 6-3, while Andy Becher & Lorraine Fowler did even better, winning 6-3 6-2 and 6-1 6-1. So it was 4-0 clean sweep, for the loss of just 16 games.

MIXED WINTER LEAGUE 5/12/2004
5-12-2004 -- MS

2nd Team - Division 8
Crowthorne's 2nd team started their 2004/5 winter campaign with an away match against Royal Ascot 3. Pauline Snell & Mike Smith resumed their successful partnership of the summer with a quick 6-1 6-1 victory over the opposition's 1st pair of Gilly Clark & James Watts while Caroline Atkinson & Jim Hawes, playing together for the first time, beat the 2nd pair, Chris Thomas & Simon Timms by the same score. The second round took a little longer, Pauline & Mike having some tight games in a 6-0 6-2 win over Thomas & Timms and Caroline & Jim relaxing a bit against Clark & Watts but still winning 6-3 6-2. The result was quick and efficient 4-0 win to get the season off to a good start.

3rd Team - Division 10
Our 3rd team's first match of the season was away to Westmorland Park 3 and the strength of our team was underlined by the fact that our first pair of Sue Hester & Andy Becher lost just 3 games, beating the opposition's first pair 6-1 6-1 and their 2nd pair 6-1 6-0. Crowthorne's 2nd pair was Alison Nicholson & Colin Ellis and they started well, beating Westmorland's second pair 6-4 6-2. In their second rubber, they lost the first set 4-6 but came back strongly to take the 2nd 6-2 only to be disappointed by losing a close fought deciding tie-break. So a good 3-1 and very nearly 4-0 win to start the season off.

MEN'S WINTER LEAGUE 28/11/04
28-11-2004 -- MS

1st Team - Division 5W
Crowthorne's first team were without the talents of James Brennan & Rupert Sanderson for the potentially tricky fixture against Caversham Park 2. Teams from this club are always tough to play against and it was going to need a really good performance from Mike Smith & Jim Hawes and Richard McCully & Andy Stone to take the full 3 points. Mike & Jim had a good start against Bill Ferguson & Panos Kontogiannis taking the first set 6-2 but the opponents came back well, with the bullet serve of Kontogiannis now finding its mark, to take the second 6-3. In the tie-break the home pair made some good returns off hard serves to bring up set point at 7-6 at which point a good serve from Mike settled the issue. Meanwhile, Richard & Andy had a straight sets victory against the number 2 pair, Zaeem Bajwa & Kevin Gibbings, winning 6-3 6-2. They then had a slow start against Ferguson & Kontogiannis, losing the first set 6-1 but came back with a typically gutsy performance to take the second 6-2. The tie-break went to the visitors but by then Mike & Jim had already beaten Bajwa & Gibbings by a slightly flattering score of 6-3 6-2 to win the match 3-1.

2nd Team - Division 6W
The 2nds were away at Bradfield against their 1st team who have been steadily rising up the divisions since entering a few years ago. Andy Johns & David Walter have won all of their rubbers so far this winter so it is a sign of the strength of the opposition that they suffered a whitewash against Bradfield's 1st pair and a 6-2 6-0 defeat against their 2nds. Rupert Sanderson & Russell Finch did better, losing 6-3 6-4 to the first pair and they pulled off a great win against the second pair winning the deciding tie-break after sharing the sets 6-1 1-6. So the first defeat this year for the team but 1-3 against opposition of this quality was a good effort.

3rd Team - Division 8
Our 3rd team's visitors were Bradfield 2, the first season for this club's 2nd team but having won all their matches so far. The opponents' first pair were just too good for Vince Brooks & Andy Becher who lost 6-1 6-1. However, in the other rubber, Simon Pestell & Ron Ellison battled well after losing their first set 6-4 to take the second 6-3 and take the rubber into a deciding tie-break. Although they lost this, it gave the Bradfield team something to think about for the 2nd round. Simon & Ron picked up a couple more games than our other pair against the Bradfield 1st pair, losing 6-2 6-2. But there was a real battle, with jus