October League Results

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Saturday 30 October

Ladies’ 1 visited Sandhurst in Division 3 and came away with a point from a 2-2 losing draw.  Tina Stern/Jenny Sheppard started badly, losing their first set 0-6 to Christine Godfrey/Jane Martin, but they recovered well to take the second set 6-4 only to lose the deciding tiebreak.  Alison Nicholson/Penny Hemingway won a close opening set 7-5 against Juliet Darnton/Estelle Cash, lost the second 3-6 but won the deciding tiebreak.  Nicholson/Hemingway found Godfrey/Martin too strong and lost 1 & 2 but Stern/Sheppard won a close rubber 7-6 6-4 against Darnton/Cash to get a point from a close match.

Ladies’ 2 also had a close match away against Windsor 5 in Division 7, and they too got a point from a losing 2-2 draw.  Maggie Ingham/Jenny Partridge started well with a 7-5 6-1 win against Vrinder Atwal/Helen Shields and they followed it up with a 6-3 7-6 win against Becky Newby/Samantha Carloni.  Maddy Dunkley/Wendy Miles lost both rubbers in straight sets but nearly did enough to get a second point, the final result being a 35-39 loss on games.

Sunday 24 October

Round 2 in the Men’s League was not as successful as Round 1 with two teams losing 1-3 and one with a winning 2-2 draw.

Men’s 1 were away to Maidenhead 3 in Division 2 and did well to win a rubber against a very good side.  James Brennan/Russell Finch lost 2-6 1-6 and Chris Torkington/Jake Griffiths lost 1-6 3-6 in the first round, the scores indicating just how strong the opposition were.  However, in the second round, Brennan/Finch, after winning the first set 7-5 and losing the second 0-6, recovered to take the deciding tie-break to make the score a more repectable 3-1 to Maidenhead.

Men’s 2 entertained Wokingham 2 at St.Sebs in Division 4 and they started well with Matt Paxton/Dave Stone winning 4-6 7-6 1-0 against the visitors’ first pair Robin Davies/Paul Hancock, although Simon Usher/Ollie Walker lost 1 & 0 to Adam Hurst/Harvey Loyal.  However, the visitors first pair seemed to wake up after the first round and the team hardly lost a game in the second round to make it a 3-1 win for Wokingham.

The one success of the morning was for Men’s 3 who came out of a tough tie with Peppard 2 in Division 6W with 2 points from a winning 2-2 draw.  Steve Stow/Peter Lindholm had a long battle with Robert & Max Woodthorpe Brown before eventually succumbing 4-6 6-4 0-1 but Andy Stone/Andy Valner had success against Vic Fry/Fred Thorp, winning 6-1 6-4.  Stow/Lindholm were less successful, losing 4 & 4 to Fry/Thorp, but Stone Valner won the second long rubber against the Woodthorpe Browns 3-6 6-4 1-0 to make the result a 40-38 win on games in a 2-2 draw.

 

Sunday 17 October

Mixed 1‘s first match of the season was a tough home fixture against Wargrave 2 in Division 3.  Jenny Sheppard/Richard McCully and Wendy Miles/Simon Usher fought hard but were beaten 4-0 by a very strong side.

Sunday 10 October

Our Boys 18U 1 team were due to play DL Royal Berks in Division 1B.  However, the opposition were unable to field a team so the match was cancelled.  It will be played later in the season if an acceptable date can be agreed.

Our Boys 14U 1 team lost 0-3 away against Latika B in Division 2.  Ben Walker lost his singles 0-6 3-6 but Henry Evan-Hart had a closer match losing 4-6 5-7.  In the doubles they lost 2-6 3-6.

Saturday 9 October

It was another good day for the Crows, this week for the Ladies, with both teams scoring points.

Ladies’ 1 v Peppard 1 – Divn 3 – winning 2-2 draw

Report by Alison Nicholson

The weather was amazing on Saturday 9 October for the start of the winter season, better than most of August… In brilliant sunshine on court 1 the experienced pair Jenny Sheppard and Ravinder Norman fought hard against Peppard’s first pair.  However the strong serving proved too much in the end and they lost 2 and 2.  On court 2, Penny Hemingway and Alison Nicholson, playing together for perhaps the third time, played well against Peppard’s second pair, and managed to win 3 and 0.  Peppard’s second pair started fairly strongly with their young player showing some lovely topspin returns, but their inconsistency proved their downfall and in the end they seemed increasingly nervous and lacking in confidence.

And so it continued in the second round of matches, with Jenny and Ravinder beating Peppard’s No 2 pair for the loss of only one game.  Back on court 1, Alison and Penny were fighting hard and had a reasonable start.  However, Ellie Fry (Peppard’s captain) went up a gear, and played well, consistently avoiding Crowthorne’s net player and waiting her time until she could move in to put the volley away.  When Alison and Penny realised close to the end of the match that every game really would count, they managed to break Peppard’s serve against the run of play.  They still lost 2 and 1, but it was enough for the overall result to be in Crowthorne’s favour, by just 3 games.  A useful 2 points for the start of the season.

Ladies’ 2 v Sonning 1 – Divn 7 – losing 2-2 draw

Report by Jenny Partridge

Jenny Partridge & Natalie Duncan-Brown played together for the first time and were pleased to beat both Sonning pairs. As they got to know each other’s game their score line got better – beating the first pair 6-4, 6-1 and the second pair 6-0, 6-0.  It was great to field a new 2nd team with Natalie playing her first match for the club and showing her competitive spirit in recording a double bagel in her second ever rubber!
 
Sarah Mayhew & Helen Hodgkinson combined well to play together in a match for the first time and played endless rallies in very good spirits ( Helen laughed a lot!).   They lost to the second pair 2-6, 1-6 and to the first pair 0-6, 1-6. 
 
It was wonderful to use the club house for the first time to provide teas for the opposition, and to enjoy the toilet facilities!

Sunday 3 October

It was a successful first match day for new Men’s Captain John Phillips with all 3 Men’s teams winning. 

Men’s 1 were at home against Windsor 3 in Division 2 and they won 3-1 to place them top of the division, all other teams having drawn.   John Phillips/Luke Tearall won both of their rubbers in straight sets but Russell Finch/Dave Smith had to go to a tie-break in both of theirs, losing the first but winning the second.

Men’s 2 were away against Windsor 4 in Division 4 and they did even better, winning 4-0.  Chris Torkington/Julian Blackshaw won two close rubbers in straight sets, 6-4 6-3 and 6-4 7-6.  Jonathan Snyman/Jake Griffiths, aged 13 and 14 resepectively, had a tough introduction to senior league tennis but won 3-6 6-3 1-0 and 6-4 6-3.

In Division 6W, Men’s 3 were at home against Wokingham 3 and they won a close match 2-2.  Ollie Walker (14) was the third junior member playing for the Crows that morning and he and his father Peter, playing at no.1, had a great start, winning 1 & 3.  Jim Hawes/Matt Paxton lost a close match 4-6 6-7 before winning their next rubber 7-6 6-4 while the Walkers lost in a deciding tie-break to make it a winning draw to the Crows.

After the matches, our previous men’s captain, Russell Finch, reckoned it must have been the strongest squad of 12 we had ever put out with experienced match players Hawes and Paxton playing at no.2 in the 3rds!

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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