February League Roundup

Storms Ciara and Dennis affected several matches so there were a number of postponements this month.

However, on the 1st February, both Ladies’ matches were played, with both ending in 2-2 losing draws.

Ladies’ 1 were away playing Wokingham 2 in Division 3 and Emma Knowles/Tina Stern lost their second set against Hele Judd/Juliet Wragg before taking the deciding tie-break to win 6-4 2-6 1-0.  Alison Nicholson/Ravinder Norman had a close first set against Paula Morley/Lynn Taylor but lost it 5-7 and then lost the second 2-6.  They put up a decent performance against the strong Judd/Wragg pairing, losing 3-6 2-6 before Knowles/Stern were able to salvage a point with their 6-3 6-1 win against Morley/Taylor.

Meanwhile, Ladies’ 2 were entertaining Wellington 2 at home in Division 7.  Jenny Partridge/Maggie Ingham won a long match against Stephanie Diplock/Linden Wilkinson 6-3 6-7 1-0 while Penny Hemingway/Wendy Miles were going down 6-1 6-3 against Wendy Dacey/Christine Hayter.  With Hemingway/Miles losing 1-6 2-6 to Diplock/Wilkinson, Partridge/Ingham squared the match with a 6-1 6-3 win against Dacey/Hayter to gain a point for a match lost by a set.

Report by Elaine Rippon

It wasn’t until Friday 21st February that the next match took place, a rearranged Boys 18U match with our A team playing Latika B in Division 2.  The pressure was on as Thomas Opalka and Dan Rippon needed a win for the A team to win the league.  The strong blustery wind proved challenging for both teams, but the Crows seemed to cope better. Dan, playing his final match as a junior, against a tricky opponent, Matthew Starkey, started the match 4-0 down but went on to win 6-4, 6-2. Thomas’ match was closer than the score suggests, losing 6-2, 6-1 to a hard hitter, Ollie Binner.  So it was down to the wire in the Doubles!  Luckily, Dan and Thomas make a fantastic team and worked their magic to win 6-3, 6-2.

Although we are waiting for LTA verification, according to Caroline’s calculations this means the team has just squeaked the top spot in the Division with a draw on points (8 each) a draw on rubbers (24 each) but we have one extra set overall ( 25:24).  It couldn’t have been closer!  If so, it will be a fantastic way for Dan to end his time in the junior team. Well played to all the Team – Dan, Thomas and James.

The following afternoon Ladies 1 had a rescheduled match in Division 3 away at Peppard and came away with a winning draw.  Emma Knowles/Tina Stern started strongly with a 6-2 6-2 win over Ellie Fry/Helen Lee and Cath Sillitoe/Lorraine Fowler very nearly made it 2-0 against Louisa Bisson/Wendy Franklin, narrowly missing out 5-7 7-6 0-1 after an epic rubber, but winning the set that would eventually make the difference between 1 and 2 points.  Unsurprisingly Sillitoe & Fowler had to take a breather against Fry/Lee, losing the first set 0-6 but coming back strongly in the second only to lose it 4-6.  Knowles/Stern wrapped up the match with a 6-1 6-0 win against Bisson/Franklin to take the team into 3rd place in the division, ahead of Peppard and within shouting distance of promotion if they win their remaining two matches.

Cath & Lorraine at Peppard TC

On the final scheduled weekend of the Men’s Doubles, bad weather was forecast and two matches were postponed but Men’s 1 managed to play despite the wind and drizzle and recorded a 3-1 win over David Lloyd Berkshire in Division 2.   Russell Finch/Al Galloway, playing first pair, started with a close rubber against the visiting number ones, Philip Blincow/Charlie Garrett, losing 4-6 6-7 but Jon Blatchford/John Phillips evened the score by beating Antony Foster/Stuart Felton 6-2 6-3.  In the second round, Finch/Galloway won a close first set 7-5 against Foster/Felton and clinched the rubber by winning the second 6-2.  Blatchford/Philips’ second win of the morning, 6-3 6-2 against Blincow/Garrett, ensured all three points went to the Crows and the win means the team survive in Division 2 for another season unless bottom team Caversham beat runaway leaders Ascot in their final match.

 

 

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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