|
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 |