Phillips & Blatchford retain title

> Finals Day gallery

John Phillips and Jon Blatchford retained their Men’s Doubles title after an hour of scintillating tennis on a damp Sunday morning at Crowthorne Tennis Club.  Mike Smith was in the umpire’s chair and got the score wrong at the end of the first game, but he improved as the match went on.  The play started in front of two spectators but, by the end of the match it had grown to 8 people and a dog.

Joking apart, this was a match that anyone who was there will have been glad to have witnessed.  With the bar raised high after a week of watching Wimbledon, some of the rallies had to be seen to be believed, mixing power with guile and fine technique.

The first three games went to deuce and all went against the serve before Phillips held to 15 to make the score 3-1 to the holders.  With Brennan next to be broken, the current champions looked to be heading for a straightforward victory before Blatchford lost his serve after being ahead and Finch held his to make the score 4-3 to Phillips/Blatchford.   The next game proved pivotal as Phillips again held serve after a deuce to draw the lead out to 5-3 before another two deuces in the Brennan service game finished with him being broken and the first set going to Phillips/Blatchford.

The second set was again characterised by a number of service breaks and deuces and, with just two service games being held, those from Jon Blatchford, the set went 6-2 to the holders and the title was retained.

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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