August League Update

Saturday 21 August

It was a day to forget with rain about and it was surprising, since Mixed 1’s match away against Windsor 2 on hard courts was postponed, for the Mixed 2 match round the corner on grass at Home Park to go ahead.   We can speculate whether the weather and courts were a factor in the 0-4 defeat for our side, but Ravinder Norman/Andrew Morrison and Penny Hemingway/Mark Callaghan were never really in contention as they lost 4 their rubbers in straight sets.  Home Park sit top of Division 4B having lost 1 set out of 13, their first match having been abandoned after the first round.

Sunday 15 August

Ladies O40 Vets picked up valuable points in a 2-2 winning draw against Bracknell B in Division 2 to ensure their survival in Division 2.  Jenny Partridge/Tina Stern lost a close encounter against Lesley Walton/Vanessa Wait 6-2 3-6 0-1 while Cath Sillitoe/Jenny Sheppard were winning an equally close match 6-1 5-7 1-0 against Laura Lloyd-Jenkins/Lias Vassello.  In the second round, Partridge Stern won 6-3 6-1 against Lloyd-Jenkins/Vassello while Sillitoe/Sheppard did enough in losing 3-6 3-6 to ensure the match went to Crowthorne by 39 games to 33. 

Saturday 14 August

Mixed 2 continued theirt good start to the season with another 3-1 win in DIvision 4B, this time at home against Caversham Park 3.   Jenny Partridge/Andrew Morrison had a convincing 6-2 6-2 win against Phillipa Oram/Jerome Combes while Ravinder Norman/Simon Usher had a somewhat tougher time beating Natalia Trossero/Ezequiel Cupido 4-6 6-3 6-4.  In a reverse of their previous score, Norman/Usher lost 6-4 3-6 4-6 to Oram/Combes but Partidge/Morrison were able to wrap up the 3-1 win with a straightforward 6-2 6-0 win against Trossero/Cupido.

Saturday 31 July

It was another tough tie for Mixed 1 in Division 2, meeting Maidenhead 1 at home a week after losing 0-4 to Wargrave 1.  However, this was a closer match than the 0-4 score suggests with two tie-breaks and a 7-5 all going the way of the visitors.  Matt Paxton/Tina Stern recovered well after a slow start eventually losing 1-6 6-4 0-1 Paul Brill/Susan Topchik.  Richard McCully/Jenny Partridge were far from outplayed despite losing 2-6 4-6 to Robert Castignetti/Ann Chance and it was a similar story in the second round.  Paxton/Stern lost 6-3 3-6 0-1 to Castignetti/Chance while McCully/Partridge lost 5-7 1-6 to Brill Topchik.

It was better news for Mixed 2 who visited Bracknell in Division 4B to play their 3rds.  Joe Forrester/Penny Hemingway ensured a good start for the Crows with a fine 6-4 6-0 win against Simon Putner/Jane Mulligan but Peter Lindholm/Jenny Partridge were unable to maintain their good start, losing 6-4 1-6 0-1 to Simon & Laura Lloyd-Jenkins.  Forrester/Hemingway also found the Lloyd-Jenkins pairing tough but managed to battle through to win 6-4 6-7 1-0 before Lindholm/Partridge completed the 3-1 win with a 6-4 6-1 victory over Putner/Mulligan.

Wednesday 28 July

After 3 successive 0-4 defeats for Ladies O40 Vets, it was good to get some points for this winning 2-2 draw at home against Royal Ascot in Division 2.  Tina Stern/Jenny Partridge narrowly missed out losing 5-7 6-4 0-1 to Helen Sommerville/Emma Burton but the set they won was to tip the match in their favour in the final reckoning.  Jenny Sheppard/Ravinder Norman swept aside Ruth Graham/Amy Hammond 6-1 6-1 and in the second round, the win was in sight when Partidge/Stern beat the same pair 6-3 6-3.  However, with Sheppard/Norman losing 1-6 3-6 to Sommerville/Burton the games count was in 39-32 Ascot’s favour only for the 5-4 sets score to hand the victory toCrowthorne.

Saturday 24 July

Crows’  Mixed 1 team had a tough start to the season with a trip to play Wargrave 1 in Division 2.  Our team of Cath Sillitoe/Matt Paxton and Joe Forrester/Penny Hemingway could make little impact against the strong pairings of Mem Aldridge/Jeremy Morgan and Kerry Griffiths/Tim Janisch, losing 0-4.

Places must be booked in advance via the Members’ Area and selections will then be confirmed on the morning or evening before the event.  Please do not turn up if you have not been selected as you will be turned away. Players are selected on a first come first serve basis usually in multiples of 4 players.  Note that none of these sessions is suitable for beginners.

  • Note that the Committee tries to accommodate the wishes of members, within the constraints of time and 4 courts, but a session for each ability level is the guiding principle.
    • The Friday session is for recreational and higher players and runs from 6pm to 8pm
    • The Thursday 5:30 session is for intermediate players and runs from 5:30pm to 7:30pm.
    • The Thursday 7:30 session is for intermediate and advanced players including potential team players and runs from 7:30 to 9:30pm.
    • The Tuesday session is for advanced players and runs from 7pm to 9pm. 
    • In all cases you must commit to the full two hours.
  • Before the session you will have been told by the organiser your starting court, your partner and your opponents.
    • These will take into account each player’s normal playing standard with the best players starting on court 1 and, with 16 players, the least able players on court 4.  However, the organiser may occasionally decide to organise it differently such as a “lucky dip” for starting court & partner.
    • In addition, for the Thursday 7:30 session, the organiser will take into account any pairings for matches at the coming weekend.
  • Play is split into 3 rounds lasting 40 minutes each.  Play 1 set with normal deuce scoring.  If you finish early either carry on or mix in your 4.
    • If you haven’t finished the set after 40 minutes and the scores are level, play a sudden death point
  • At the end of the 40 minutes the winners of the first set played move up a court, the losers move down a court (court 1 is the top court). Winners on the top court stay, as do the losers on the bottom court. If you didn’t finish your set then the pair winning at the time moves up.
  • Pairs then split partners with the pair joining them and you play a second round.
    • Partners are selected by spinning rackets or using common sense to try to get a balanced 4.
  • Exactly the same happens for the third round.

Drop-In club nights are, as the name implies, more informal sessions than the bookable ones and you can arrive and leave when you like.  Those attending organise themselves, changing who plays with whom after most present have completed a set, although there’s often a more senior member present who  will take charge if needed.

We are currently running 2 Drop-In  sessions for all levels from Starter upwards…

  • The Tuesday session has recently been rebranded for All Levels and runs from 5:00pm to 7:00pm.  If you want to sit out and watch, maybe with a drink, you can do that too.  If you’ve arrived early for the 7 o’clock session, you’re also welcome to join in.
  • The Wednesday session is for all levels of player including beginner and usually runs from 7:30pm to 9:30pm.
    • You can expect members attending adult coaching to join in.
  • The Sunday session is for All levels and runs from 3:00 – 5:00pm.

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