£18.00
Collapse AllCardiff Singles - Round 15 | Thursday 11 April 2019 to Wednesday 5 June 2019 (Midpoint: Wednesday 8 May 2019)
There was a lovely influx of fresh faces to this round of our wonderful Cardiff league, and this time the rarest of things happened - every single group was won by a newcomer! That should make for a very exciting summer of tennis as established players regroup to meet the challenge of the next round and our new champs work out what they need to do to keep on top! Please do keep on spreading the word. It would be great to get even more people playing.
Group Summary:
Newcomer Owen took Group One by the scruff of the neck and after surrendering a first set to Tom B, didn't look back. With Shane withdrawn, Owen like everyone else in the group played every available match. And like everyone else he earned his bonus points (brilliant scheduling all!) but unlike anyone else he emerged undefeated! This really was a fantastic performance in an excellent group which personified the spirit of friendly, competitive tennis that the league is famous for. A shame really that there had to be losers, but that said, well done to James for his silver and Tom W for his bronze. Should be an exciting Group One next time!
Final Rankings:
| Pos. | Name | Played | P | Won | W | Lost | L | Bonus | BNS | Total | PTS | Form | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Owen Morris | 6 | 6 | 0 | 2 | 14 | WWWW | ||||||
| 2 | James Robertson | 6 | 5 | 1 | 2 | 12 | LWWW | ||||||
| 3 | Tom White | 6 | 4 | 2 | 2 | 10 | WWWL | ||||||
| 4 | Paul Tyack | 6 | 3 | 3 | 2 | 9 | LWLL | ||||||
| 5 | Tom Buckle | 6 | 2 | 4 | 2 | 7 | WLLL | ||||||
| 6 | Stuart McLeod | 6 | 1 | 5 | 2 | 5 | LLLW | ||||||
| 7 | Mark Howell-Jones | 6 | 0 | 6 | 2 | 4 | LLLL | ||||||
| 8 | Shane Rumbel | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
Match Results:
Match of the Group:
Reveal CommentTom Buckle bt Stuart McLeod (Jun 4) 6-3, 4-6, 7-6 (7-3)
Tom White bt Paul Tyack (May 31) 6-2, 4-6, 6-4
Reveal CommentTom White bt Tom Buckle (May 26) 6-3, 7-5
Player Comments:
- "Enjoyable watch, both had some good rallies and some mistakes, it was a tight 2 set but im managed pull it through in the end. " -- Tom
Reveal CommentOwen Morris bt James Robertson (May 21) 6-2, 6-3
Player Comments:
- "This was the match I was least looking forward to, against my biggest rival at our tennis club. I knew I had to play excellent to stand a chance of winning. We both started tentatively due to the importance of this match. I won the 1st set 6-2 after MANY CLOSE GAMES AND REALLY LONG RALLIES! I increased my intensity as the match progressed and I was hitting the ball harder and more accurately, but James displayed his superb defence skills and was getting virtually all my shots back, so incredible! James broke me in the opening game of the 2nd set, then I broke back. At 5-3, James saved 3 match points, but I managed to grab the victory on my 4th match point. Thanks for a great match and for improving my tennis with our weekly singles games!" -- Owen
Reveal CommentPaul Tyack bt Stuart McLeod (May 20) 6-4, 7-6 (8-6)
Player Comments:
- "We were both pretty pleased this didn't go to a third set! A really close match in perfect conditions at Heath Park. I got off to a good start but Stuart fought back really well in the first set. He saved set point after set point, on both my serve and his before serving a double fault at another set point. In the second set, Stuart had the upper hand and was poised at 5-3 up but I managed to get back to 5-5. Stuart held out to get to the tie break. I thought I had it won at 5-1 but again Stu fought back to get to set point at 5-6 thanks to a handy net chord at 5-5. I responded with my own net to get to 6-6 and unfortunately Stu double faulted again at match point. Thanks for the game Stu. " -- Paul
Reveal CommentTom White bt Stuart McLeod (May 19) 6-3, 6-3
Player Comments:
- "Really fun match to play some good rallies! Both served well, I managed to to win the second set after being 3-0 down which made a difference," -- Tom
Reveal CommentJames Robertson bt Paul Tyack (May 16) 6-4, 6-1
Player Comments:
- "Paul started incredibly strong. He held his first service to love and steamed ahead hitting the ball with military precision from line to line. At 4-2 down I was sure he was going to take the first set, but he seemed to let his guard down slightly and I held on to narrowly take each game one by one." -- James
Reveal CommentStuart McLeod bt Mark Howell-Jones (May 8) 6-3, 5-7, 6-2
Player Comments:
- "A tight match in tough conditions. Showers were forecast and the forecast didn't disappoint, the rain was torrential on and off. Mark was in the ascendancy when sun decided to pop out, and I when the rain fell. Thanks for the game, hopefully the next match we'll catch a sun tan." -- Stuart
Reveal CommentJames Robertson bt Stuart McLeod (May 7) 6-1, 6-0
Player Comments:
- "Stuart started strong moving around the court well and hitting some great shots but he struggled with my spin which gave me the upper hand." -- James
Reveal CommentJames Robertson bt Tom Buckle (May 6) 6-2, 6-3
Player Comments:
- "Today we played in Pentyrch. The weather was uncharacteristically calm for the hilly village although it did begin to pick up in the second set. Tom struggled a bit with his serve, which I know can be a strong weapon of his. There were a number of close line calls but Tom was very generous always giving them in my favour." -- James
Reveal CommentOwen Morris bt Mark Howell-Jones (May 5) 6-1, 6-1
Player Comments:
- "I won the toss of the racket and without hesitation I elected to serve first after experiencing his spins on his serves during our warm up! I was impressed with Mark's ability to return some of my hard shots like it was nothing and a great mover around the court, which resulted in some long rallies. I could see, however, that Mark was not feeling 100% and this resulted in the score. Yet he was still able to move around the court the way he did! The match was played in good spirit and we had some good laughs. After our match, we played a friendly set. I managed to win the set 6-4, but it sure wasn't without its difficulties. If he played the way he did in that set, then the score definitely would have been tighter. True gentleman!" -- Owen
Reveal CommentJames Robertson bt Tom White (May 5) 6-1, 6-2
Player Comments:
- "Another sunny evening in Hailey Park. It seems to be a popular location at the moment. The courts were full when we arrived but fortunately one group soon finished. Tom made a few errors at crucial points allowing me to take the first set. His consistency greatly improved towards the end of the second set but luck was on my side. I had numerous net-cords winners and some cracking frame shots but Tom remained a good sport throughout. " -- James
Reveal CommentOwen Morris bt Stuart McLeod (May 4) 6-4, 6-2
Player Comments:
- "A lot of close games that could have gone either way. I was 4-0 in the first set, but then all of a sudden Stuart started playing better and I could not do anything to stop as he quickly won the next 4 games to make it 4-4. He had not played for 6 months and I could see he was starting to find his rhythm and I knew I had to win the set or it was game over for me. I managed to win the next two games to grab the set 6-4. The score in the second set deserved to be a lot tighter. For two consecutive games he was 40-0 up, but somehow I managed to win those games. A win I had to work incredibly hard for. I know our next match against each other is going to be tougher and I am dreading it! Thanks for the game Stuart. It was nice meeting you." -- Owen
Reveal CommentOwen Morris bt Paul Tyack (May 1) 6-1, 6-2
Player Comments:
- "Forget the score, Paul made me work incredibly hard for my win. A very tricky player indeed! He had played Tom Buckle the day before, which must have been a factor in the match. A fresher Paul would have been a nightmare match to play (Thanks Tom!). I have to mention fantastic sportsmanship from Paul - There was a bit of uncertainty in the score in the second set, I think Paul thought the score was 2-2 and I thought the score was 3-2 in my favour. But Paul was happy to accept the score as 3-2. I do apologise if I got the score wrong. Thank you Paul for playing our match and for your generous comments during and after the match. I hope to play you again when you are fresher. Such a nice guy." -- Owen
Reveal CommentPaul Tyack bt Tom Buckle (Apr 30) 6-0, 6-1
Player Comments:
- "Cracking morning for tennis with the historic walls providing protection from any wind. Tom was up in the first game and threatening to break my serve. Several deuces and break points later, I managed to hold the first game. Tom generally struggled to find his rhythm on serve and was a bit inconsistent with his booming ground-strokes, leading to a fair few free points for me. Thanks for the game, Tom." -- Paul
Reveal CommentOwen Morris bt Tom White (Apr 28) 6-0, 6-3
Player Comments:
- "We were originally meant to play at Hailey Park. However, as there were no courts free Tom agreed to play at my local tennis club. Tom started strongly in the first game, having 3 break points on my serve, but luckily I was able to win that game and win the set 6-0. Tom and I were talking about how cruel the scoring system can be before our match, and unfortunately he had to experience that in that set. I was 4-1 up in the 2nd set, but Tom was hitting blistering winners which made me feel envious, and he won the next 2 games to make it 4-3. I felt I had to win the 8th game or I was going to lose the set and the match. Fortunately, I was able to win the game and eventually win the set 6-3. Thank you Tom for the game and great company." -- Owen
Reveal CommentTom Buckle bt Mark Howell-Jones (Apr 24) 6-2, 6-3
Player Comments:
- "Good competitive first set, but the rain arrived during the second, and the court was half-submerged by the time we finished. Thanks for the game " -- Tom
Reveal CommentTom White bt Mark Howell-Jones (Apr 20) 6-4, 6-1
Player Comments:
- "Very hot day to play, Mark hit some good lobs today but I managed to stay consistent to win, thanks mark" -- Tom
Reveal CommentOwen Morris bt Tom Buckle (Apr 14) 3-6, 6-1, 6-3
Player Comments:
- "It was an interesting match where we both had our ups and downs. I started strongly taking the early break to be up 2-0 and had one or two game points on my serve to make it 3-0. But Tom turned it up a gear, broke me and ended up dominating the rest of the first set to make it 6-3. There was nothing I could have done to stop him. In the second set, I took advantage of the increase in unforced errors and managed to win the second set 6-1. In the decider, Tom took the early break to lead 1-0, but I was lucky enough to break back and eventually win the third set 6-3. It was a tough battle! Tom unfortunately was unable to quite maintain the level he displayed in the first set and I think that resulted in the outcome. Thanks for a great game." -- Owen
Reveal CommentJames Robertson bt Mark Howell-Jones (Apr 14) 6-3, 6-4
Player Comments:
- "A great match. Lots of close games and Mark hit some brilliant drop shots. " -- James
Reveal CommentPaul Tyack bt Mark Howell-Jones (Apr 11) 1-6, 6-1, 6-4
Player Comments:
- "Mark was literally chomping at the bit to get the new league underway on a fine morning in Penarth. He raced away into a healthy lead due to some splendid serving and oddly consistent ground strokes. My game was littered with errors principally, I believe, as I was using Mark's spare racket which I am sure he had tampered with! In the second set I found a bit more consistency and Mark's serve died off a little so I managed to get ahead, despite him getting me running around a fair bit. The third set was tight as both of us fought the advancing years (and waistlines). It was on serve all the way to 4-4 and, with a tie break looming, I managed to break to get to 5-4 then served out. The post match beer tasted all the better after that! Cheers" -- Paul
Group Summary:
Like Group One, Group Two also proved to be the place to showcase the skills of a league newbie and Siriphan played a near perfect round. With six of the possible seven matches under his belt, only runner-up Darren was able to take a set off him - but what a match that was! In the end Siriphan won the group by a single point but he can be very proud of his performance - as can the group as a whole who bagged plenty of bonus points and judging by the commentaries played some really nice and sporting matches.
Final Rankings:
| Pos. | Name | Played | P | Won | W | Lost | L | Bonus | BNS | Total | PTS | Form | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Siriphan Chatchawalanon | 6 | 6 | 0 | 2 | 14 | WWWW | ||||||
| 2 | Darren Bellamy | 6 | 5 | 1 | 2 | 13 | WWLW | ||||||
| 3 | Mark Evans | 7 | 5 | 2 | 2 | 12 | WWWW | ||||||
| 4 | Geoffrey Davies | 5 | 1 | 4 | 2 | 6 | WLLL | ||||||
| 5 | Dave Gobbett | 5 | 2 | 3 | 0 | 4 | LLWL | ||||||
| 6 | Martin Riley | 6 | 1 | 5 | 2 | 4 | LLLL | ||||||
| 7 | Rhys Fidler | 5 | 1 | 4 | 0 | 3 | WLLL | ||||||
| 8 | John Miller | 2 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 1 | LL |
Match Results:
Reveal CommentRhys Fidler bt Martin Riley (Jun 6) 6-4, 6-1
Player Comments:
- "A very enjoyable match. Martin was on fire in the opening set. His serve was great and all round game was formidable. I hung in there and gradually built up some confidence to come back and nip it. Lots of deuce games and very competitive." -- Rhys
Reveal CommentDarren Bellamy bt John Miller (Jun 4) 6-3, 4-6, [10-4]
Player Comments:
- "Morning match on the artificial grass courts at alt yr yn Newport. My previous match against John had gone all the way to a 3rd set match tiebreak, and today was no different. John is an experienced club player and tough to beat. We both share the same habit of strenuously reprimanding ourselves when we play a bad shot, so this match was not short on vocals. Well done Jay on winning the league - watch out league 1, there's a new kid on the block!" -- Darren
Reveal CommentDarren Bellamy bt Dave Gobbett (Jun 3) 6-1, 6-0
Player Comments:
- "Great to get this game completed and to meet Dave, after rain scuppered our plans for an ambitious 8 am match last week. Dave lost the toss and I chose to receive. Big mistake. He won the first three points with a booming serve that John Isner would have been proud of. Gradually I managed to find my range and won a game that was a lot closer than the score suggests. I still wish I could serve like Dave though. Just remember future opponents - if you win the toss against Dave, DONT receive! Thanks Dave and all the best. " -- Darren
Reveal CommentSiriphan Chatchawalanon bt Martin Riley (Jun 3) 6-1, 6-0
Player Comments:
- "A bit of cold and windy today at Heath court, Martin has some injury on his leg since last week till now, but he still able to run and hit me back. Martin has a good stroke and he hit many good shot especially Forehand passing shot. The score in game were close, but due to his injury give him inconsistency that make me get the game point. Hi likes to rally and I really enjoy to rally with him, his speed so good. When his body better I'm sure he will shine again. Wish you good luck and better leg for next game. Cheer." -- Siriphan
Reveal CommentMark Evans bt John Miller (Jun 1) 6-2, 6-2
Player Comments:
- "The games were closer than the score suggested, Johns serve wasn’t at his best today but we had plenty of good rallies and some great shots between us. Good luck John in your future games" -- Mark
Reveal CommentGeoffrey Davies bt Rhys Fidler (Jun 1) 0-6, 6-1, 6-4
Player Comments:
- "As last time we played it was a crazy match with big momentum swings: Rhys won the first 6 games, then me the next 5, 1 to Rhys, then 3 to me followed by 4 to him and finally 4 to me! Rhys has lovely stroke technique on both backhand and forehand making it very hard to win points against him. It’s fun and a pleasure to lay him making our contests the essence of local tennis leagues: a titanic tennis tussle between two tennis enthusiasts with sportsmanship and friendship the final winners! Great match Rhys - as usual- and can’t wait to play again- you’re a great guy and a fine tennis player.- Geoff" -- Geoffrey
Reveal CommentMark Evans bt Dave Gobbett (May 28) 6-2, 6-3
Player Comments:
- "A bright and sunny afternoon and an enjoyable game of Tennis. A match that nearly never happened with Dave breaking a string on his racquet and with none of us having a spare (where was Jay with his bag of spare racquets lol) luckily a stranger on the other court kindly lent Dave his racquet. Plenty of good rallies in the match, thanks Dave" -- Mark
Reveal CommentMark Evans bt Geoffrey Davies (May 26) 6-1, 1-6, 6-1
Player Comments:
- "On a drizzly morning in Taffs Well and once we were able to open the gates we played our match and it certainly swung back and forth. I took the 1st set then Geoff found his range and won the 2nd set. All to play for in the 3rd and I went a bit more aggressive in the 3rd set and managed to win a couple of early points to boost my confidence. A real good battle despite the scoreline. Thanks for the game Geoff" -- Mark
Match of the Group:
Reveal CommentSiriphan Chatchawalanon bt Darren Bellamy (May 23) 6-7 (1-7), 6-3, 6-2Player Comments:
- "Today is sunny day, good at not much windy as last time I've played before. Darren is superb tennis guy, his stroke really good, running shot is so good, and cover the whole court. I've to take risk by hit really hard to the corner but make me so much unforced error, high pressure to me and I've lost in First set on Tie Break. 2nd and 3rd set, I had tried to hit ball more safely and I just lucky to break his serve and make me won. These match took 2 and a half hours, all the game so closed. I think I just lucky that his 1st serve not come today, otherwise I gonna loose to him for sure. Hope to play with him again in League 1." -- Siriphan
Reveal CommentSiriphan Chatchawalanon bt Rhys Fidler (May 22) 6-2, 6-1
Player Comments:
- "It's sunny day and we so enjoy for the weather, and this match is really good for us, Rhys forehand is superb, he able to return easily make me keep hit harder lead me many errors. Many lucky point for me today. If he has more practise for game I surely he will go very high. After match, we still practise for a while. Love to play with him. " -- Siriphan
Reveal CommentDave Gobbett bt Martin Riley (May 14) 6-4, 6-4
Player Comments:
- "It was good fun playing Martin this evening. Neither of us really hit our stride, though occasionally we managed to pull off a decent rally. The sets could easily have gone the other way, and with Martin’s slicey backhand and strong serves he’s definitely a tough competitor. " -- Dave
Reveal CommentSiriphan Chatchawalanon bt Geoffrey Davies (May 8) 6-1, 6-4
Player Comments:
- "Today we decide to play in Indoor court, Cardiff Met has a good surface, I and Geoff happy with it. I can't believe when he told me his age, his stroke quite good and his running shot also did very well. I got first set 6:1 but in 2nd set, Geoff lead me 3:0, I just lucky to able to come back. Great game and we are really enjoy for today. " -- Siriphan
Reveal CommentMark Evans bt Rhys Fidler (May 7) 6-0, 6-4
Player Comments:
- "An enjoyable match with Rhys was well contested with plenty of good rallies. It took Rhys the 1st set to get into the game but I still had to work hard in the 1st set. Rhys started the 2nd set better and took a 4-2 lead. Somehow I managed to claw it back and nick the 2nd set. Thanks for the game Rhys thoroughly enjoyed it, good luck in your remaining matches." -- Mark
Reveal CommentSiriphan Chatchawalanon bt Dave Gobbett (May 2) 7-5, 6-2
Player Comments:
- "Dave kindness to arrange court and also Ball. First time for me at Heath court. Today is windy day and it quite cold for me. Dave has good in Big Serve and backhand, especially backhand slice. He led me 5-2 at the first set. Lucky me able to comeback. Windy make our ball float around, sometime it obviously saw them fly out of the court. By the way, This game is so fun and we enjoy so much. " -- Siriphan
Reveal CommentDarren Bellamy bt Rhys Fidler (May 1) 6-3, 6-2
Player Comments:
- "Rhys kindly arranged this game on a pleasant evening at the Heath. All the games were hard-fought and very close. The deciding factor may have been that this was the first match back for Rhys, whereas I'd benefitted from some match practise. Next time the score will be a lot closer. Thanks for the game!" -- Darren
Reveal CommentDave Gobbett bt Geoffrey Davies (Apr 30) 6-3, 6-4
Player Comments:
- "Great game Geoff, sorry about all those unforced errors! Let’s do it again!" -- Dave
Reveal CommentMark Evans bt Martin Riley (Apr 30) 6-3, 6-4
Player Comments:
- "A great game of Tennis on a pleasant evening. Both sets were filled with long rallies. At 3-3 in the 1st set I was just about able to break serve and hold to nick the 1st set. Martin started the 2nd set well to take the 1st couple of games, I had to work hard to come back and got on a run to make it 5-3, Martin saved 2 match points and was able to break my serve to make it 5-4, I then made it 0-30 to which Martin back 30-30. I was then able to go 30-40 up another match point and unfortunately won the match in the most cruelest of fashions with the help of the net cord. If Martin had held his serve it would have been anyones set. Thanks for the Game Martin, best of luck in your upcoming games " -- Mark
Reveal CommentDarren Bellamy bt Mark Evans (Apr 28) 6-3, 6-0
Player Comments:
- "Mark started off very well on an overcast morning at Sofia Gardens. At 3-3 one spectator was so impressed by the standard of play that he actually came over and asked for an autograph. I managed to attack Mark's serve better in the remaining games to take the first set 6-3. In the second set, the wind seemed to pick up, and this led to a number of unforced errors on both sides. By now the spectator had left. Thanks Mark for a very enjoyable game and good luck with your busy schedule of tennis ahead!" -- Darren
Reveal CommentSiriphan Chatchawalanon bt Mark Evans (Apr 25) 6-4, 6-2
Player Comments:
- "This is first time of my competition in Local tennis league. Thank you Mark for advise me. We started playing during the rain for the first set, it became more sunny in the early of second set but raining again at the end. Mark is gentleman player and good stroke, Internal game is quite close score, I just lucky for today. Really enjoy the match." -- Siriphan
Reveal CommentDarren Bellamy bt Martin Riley (Apr 19) 7-6 (7-3), 6-0
Player Comments:
- "The omens were bad for Martin from the start. Not only had I comfortably won our previous match last year, but Martin arrived wearing a Fulham top (aren't they due to be relegated?). I hoped this would be the first, easy step to my inexorable rise back to the premier league, where you get to play those tennis greats known as Tyack, Buckley, and the cloud... Not to be. This was a leaner, fitter, stronger Martin Riley than the one I met last year. At 4-2 up Martin confessed to having received coaching during the winter (clearly forgot to mention this at the start). Against run of play I forced a tie-break and scraped through. The 2nd set may look like a Fulham v Man U result, but it was genuinely close and a really hard game. Thanks Martin!" -- Darren
Reveal CommentMartin Riley bt Geoffrey Davies (Apr 14) 5-7, 6-4, 6-2
Player Comments:
- "What looked like a beautiful April morning at the Heath turned out to be quite gusty. There was either no wind or a strong wind which affected us both equally. Geoff is a gentleman and an excellent competitor. It was a long gruelling match with plenty of momentum swings. Geoff came back from 5-2 down to clinch the first and I narrowly won a tight second. The third was intense too. Thanks for the game Geoff and good luck in the rest of your matches." -- Martin
Group Summary:
Andrea didn't get his bonus points and didn't quite manage to get all the available matches played, so we had an intriguing chase to the finish line in Group Three. John who has played in the league before, not only played one more match but scooped up his bonus points and that allowed him to tie the group on points. So it all came down to their head to head and in an "amazing match" where the standard of play was much better than the weather, Andrea secured the win and in so doing - on his debut - the group! With a few unplayed matches among the rest of the pack it looks like a fun line up for next time.
Final Rankings:
| Pos. | Name | Played | P | Won | W | Lost | L | Bonus | BNS | Total | PTS | Form | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Andrea Rossi | 5 | 5 | 0 | 0 | 10 | WWWW | ||||||
| 2 | John Karseras | 6 | 4 | 2 | 2 | 10 | WLWW | ||||||
| 3 | Simon Botley | 3 | 2 | 1 | 0 | 4 | LWW | ||||||
| 4 | Michael Coombes | 4 | 2 | 2 | 0 | 4 | WLWL | ||||||
| 5 | Robert Anderson | 6 | 1 | 5 | 2 | 4 | LLLL | ||||||
| 6 | Nial Henderson | 3 | 1 | 2 | 0 | 2 | LLW | ||||||
| 7 | David Tumulty | 3 | 0 | 3 | 0 | 1 | LL | ||||||
| 8 | Carwyn Harvard | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
Match Results:
Reveal CommentRobert Anderson bt David Tumulty (Jun 4) 3-6, 1-0 David Tumulty Retired
Player Comments:
- "Dave unfortunately had to retire at the beginning of the second set with a recurrence of his calf muscle strain. This was a pity, as we had played a keenly fought match until then. Hard luck Dave. Hopefully with a good rest before the next league starts you will be able to return to the court fully fit and raring to go! Good luck with that, and many thanks for the game." -- Robert
Andrea Rossi bt Simon Botley (Jun 3) 6-1, 7-6
Reveal CommentAndrea Rossi bt Robert Anderson (Jun 1) 6-1, 6-1
Player Comments:
- "Great match with Robert! The result is actually lying, he would have deserved more games. Lot of deuces and point won for luck for me! :)" -- Andrea
Reveal CommentMichael Coombes bt David Tumulty (May 27) 6-4, 6-3
Player Comments:
- "The walking wounded that are me and Dave finally managed to recover long enough to get a game in. And what a game it was! It had everything - sun, gusting winds, pitch invasion, moderate quality tennis :-) Very close match, I think we've both improved and are improving. Good luck for the rest of the season Dave. And good luck Saturday with the football." -- Michael
Reveal CommentJohn Karseras bt David Tumulty (May 25) 6-3, 6-1
Player Comments:
- "Nice day for tennis at heath park. It was David’s first game after an injury. Good to see you back fighting fit. Good luck with the rest of the games. " -- John
Match of the Group:
Reveal CommentSimon Botley bt John Karseras (May 15) 7-6 (7-5), 7-5Player Comments:
- "What. A. Game. We had a proper battle in the evening sun at Heath Park. After going 5-2 up in the first the tables soon turned and John reeled off 5 games in a row leaving me to just about force a very tight tie-break in the first set. In the second John took an early lead, but then it was neck and neck until 5-4 in the second. From there I managed to put 3 games together and saved the prospect of going again in set 3, but I don't know how. John is hard to get past and consistent in his play and can feel very hard done to to not come out on top in either of the sets we played. All the best with the rest of the league John, hopefully we will get a rematch at some point. I won't be arranging two matches on the same day again any time soon!" -- Simon
Reveal CommentSimon Botley bt Robert Anderson (May 15) 6-0, 6-2
Player Comments:
- "A beautiful morning down at Heath Park for my first game back since late summer last year. Robert and I had a very competitive game, particularly across the middle portion of the match. The final game of the first set in particular hit double figures for the number of deuces, with the opening exchanges in the second set following a familiar pattern before I was eventually able to gratefully pull away. All the best with the rest of your games Robert." -- Simon
Reveal CommentJohn Karseras bt Michael Coombes (May 11) 6-3, 7-5
Player Comments:
- "Great to meet and play Michael in near perfect tennis conditions. The first set had some solid tennis with games going with serve and many duce points. I finally managed to break serve toward the end to take the set. By contrast the second set all went against serve and so the battle was about just holding serve once to win, which I finally managed to do after Michael successfully defended 3 match points. Cheers Michael and good luck with the rest of the round. " -- John
Andrea Rossi bt Nial Henderson (May 10) 6-2, 6-2
Reveal CommentJohn Karseras bt Robert Anderson (May 7) 6-2, 6-1
Player Comments:
- "Nice to meet Robert and get this match played. Cheers Robert, good luck with the rest of the round. " -- John
Reveal CommentJohn Karseras bt Nial Henderson (May 5) 6-2, 6-3
Player Comments:
- "It was a great to play Nial again at Heath. Nial is as good, positive and competitive as ever. And once again we found ourselves with deuce point after deuce point. Nial took three games in a row in the second set making me dig deep. And he kept it up right to the end successfully defending 3 match points. Thanks for the game Nial. Enjoy the bank holiday beer!" -- John
Reveal CommentMichael Coombes bt Robert Anderson (May 5) 7-5, 7-5
Player Comments:
- "Excellent match, even closer than the close scores. Loads of games went to deuce and it could have gone either way. Good luck with the rest of your matches Robert." -- Michael
Reveal CommentAndrea Rossi bt John Karseras (May 4) 6-4, 6-4
Player Comments:
- "Amazing match! The weather wasn't good but the match has been really enjoyable, really equilibrated! Thanks John, looking forward to playing you again soon!" -- Andrea
Reveal CommentAndrea Rossi bt Michael Coombes (Apr 26) 6-2, 6-1
Player Comments:
- "I really enjoyed the match! Michael has been a really nice and honest opponent" -- Andrea
Reveal CommentNial Henderson bt Robert Anderson (Apr 24) 6-4, 6-4
Player Comments:
- "Though it was raining pretty heavily in the day, we decided to gamble that it would stop and dry out by the evening - the right call. The first set started with neither of us wanting to hold serve, then a complete change where we both got our eye in and I was glad to get a break to win the first. Another tight set followed and I definitley had the rub of the green on a few net cord shots. Good to meet and play Robert and best of luck in your other matches! " -- Nial
Group Summary:
Some great matches played in this group, what an epic between Steve and Sam! Congratulations to Cerith for topping the group and surviving the very closely fought battle with Chris who took second place and thank you for all the match commentaries, they make for great reading!
Final Rankings:
| Pos. | Name | Played | P | Won | W | Lost | L | Bonus | BNS | Total | PTS | Form | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Cerith Williams | 6 | 6 | 0 | 2 | 14 | WWWW | ||||||
| 2 | Chris Hunt | 6 | 5 | 1 | 2 | 13 | WWLW | ||||||
| 3 | Steve Blandford | 5 | 3 | 2 | 2 | 8 | WLLW | ||||||
| 4 | Sam Parsons | 5 | 2 | 3 | 0 | 6 | WLLL | ||||||
| 5 | Bruno Troisi | 4 | 1 | 3 | 2 | 5 | WLLL | ||||||
| 6 | Geraint Thomas | 4 | 0 | 4 | 0 | 3 | LLLL | ||||||
| 7 | Neha Thakerar | 6 | 1 | 5 | 0 | 2 | LLWL | ||||||
| 8 | David Sullivan | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | ||||||
| 9 | Mark Jepras | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
Match Results:
Sam Parsons v Geraint Thomas (Jun 3) 6-1, 6-7 (6-8) TBC
Reveal CommentSam Parsons bt Neha Thakerar (May 31) 6-2, 6-1
Player Comments:
- "Really enjoyable match and lovely weather for it, shame about the low sun. Some really exciting points were played and some lucky winners on my part. Look forward to playing Neha again in a future league!" -- Sam
Reveal CommentCerith Williams bt Neha Thakerar (May 30) 6-3, 6-1
Player Comments:
- "Thank you for a very enjoyable game Neha. Your sweeping forehand could have done more damage today with an extra inch or two of height to beat the net tape! Got me moving from side to side a lot and I was very grateful to see some potentuial winners hit the net!" -- Cerith
Match of the Group:
Reveal CommentSteve Blandford bt Sam Parsons (May 29) 7-6 (7-4), 2-6, 7-6 (7-2)Player Comments:
- "A really close long match in lovely evening sunshine. Steve had to come back from the dead in the final set, with Sam pushing all the way. Very enjoyable though I ache all over today! Thanks for the game Sam," -- Steve
Reveal CommentNeha Thakerar bt Geraint Thomas (May 28) 6-0, 3-6, 6-3
Player Comments:
- "A really enjoyable match with plenty of long rallies and games.. think both of us were knackered after a solid 2 hours!" -- Neha
Reveal CommentCerith Williams bt Geraint Thomas (May 26) 6-1, 6-1
Player Comments:
- "thanks for the game Geraint - glad we waited a while for the weather to improve, good shout from you. A match play under extraordinary circumstances...don't think I have ever played tennis before and become a part of police cordon whilst playing! only hope that whoever was injured in the accident near the bridge isn't too seriously hurt.... " -- Cerith
Reveal CommentCerith Williams bt Sam Parsons (May 18) 6-3, 6-1
Player Comments:
- "lovely to meet you Sam, and many thanks for a very enjoyable match. Could have been a differnt story had that smooth topspin backhand of yours been a tad more consistent!" -- Cerith
Reveal CommentChris Hunt bt Sam Parsons (May 17) 6-1, 6-2
Player Comments:
- "Great to meet Sam today and we had an enjoyable match in good conditions. Each game was close with not much between us. We had a lot of good rallies and a variety of cracking shots. The first set was a tough contest and the score doesn't reflect how we played. Sam found his form as the set continued. We were closer on the second set as Sam's serve improved, but Chris's steady play helped see him through. A great battle between the two of us and a very enjoyable game. Many thanks Sam. Cheers! " -- Chris
Reveal CommentBruno Troisi bt Neha Thakerar (May 14) 6-1, 6-1
Player Comments:
- "Great game today....Neha is definetly one to watch in the future. She has a natural ability and has an effortless forehand & backhand to be admired, hitting the ball back to you from anywhere in the court with balance and accuracy...so big respect! Her serve is also a weapon! Best serve iv had to face so far in this competition. Honestly i can't big her up enough...keep it up! Hope to play you again soon. Thks" -- Bruno
Reveal CommentChris Hunt bt Neha Thakerar (May 13) 6-3, 6-1
Player Comments:
- "Great to meet Neha today and we enjoyed a very good game. Lovely evening for the game and we had some really good rallies. Our games are quite similar and there wasn't much between us. This wasn't really reflected in the score as Neha played very well and pushed strongly throughout the match. Lots of baseline rallies meant numerous close calls and I was certainly fortunate on a number of occasions. Many thanks to Neha for the game today. Cheers! " -- Chris
Reveal CommentCerith Williams bt Chris Hunt (May 6) 6-2, 3-6, 6-1
Player Comments:
- "Great to meet you Chris - thank you for a very enjoyable and evenly matched game. I thought I'd blown it after you dominated the second set but I was a little lucky that things went my way in the thrid. " -- Cerith
- "Great to meet you today too Cerith and many thanks for a most enjoyable game. Some really good rallies and lots of games going to deuce. Your all round game was spot on and you finished the match very strongly. It was a really good battle. Cheers!," -- Chris
Reveal CommentChris Hunt bt Steve Blandford (May 3) 7-5, 6-2
Player Comments:
- "Great to meet Steve today and really enjoyed our game. It was tough going and we were closely matched throughout. The first set was long with lots of games going to deuce and some very good rallies. Chris just edged, but there was hardly anything between the players. Steve started the second set strongly but Chris fought back to take the set. Again, there was very little between the players and the games were very good quality. Many thanks to Steve for the game. Cheers! " -- Chris
Reveal CommentCerith Williams bt Steve Blandford (Apr 29) 7-5, 6-1
Player Comments:
- "Great to meet up and play tennis with you again Steve, and I thoroughly enjoyed being back at Heath Park. Some wonderful rallies in a tight fought first set which went to a tie break after a fantastic comeback from Steve (not sure if i have entered scores correctly- remains to be seen..forgive me if i haven't...). it was 6-6 (tie break 6-3), 6-1 I'm beginning to think we ought not to have taken a tie break in the first set....oops." -- Cerith
Reveal CommentChris Hunt bt Bruno Troisi (Apr 29) 3-6, 6-4, 6-3
Player Comments:
- "Very good game against Bruno and really enjoyed it. Bruno was a tough opponent throughout and had a strong game. Bruno took the first set with not too much difficulty. Bit of a closer second set with Chris levelling the scores up. Each game was very close in the last set including one of 20 minutes. Chris clinched the final set following a strong battle from Bruno. It was great to meet Bruno and it was cool to have a very close game against him. Cheers! " -- Chris
- "Good contest. We both had to battle for a majority of points with neither of us relinquishing. Chris is very consistent and poised with his game and has pace around the court and I applaud him on his victory. "Well Done mate and may your success continue" - hopefully play again soon," -- Bruno
Reveal CommentSteve Blandford bt Neha Thakerar (Apr 28) 6-3, 7-5
Player Comments:
- "Really enjoyable game, thanks Nehar. Long rallies, with a lot of deuces and, finally the sun came out. The match was much closer even than the score suggests with Nehar's strong ground strokes keeping me running all over the place!" -- Steve
Reveal CommentChris Hunt bt Geraint Thomas (Apr 28) 6-2, 7-5
Player Comments:
- "Great to meet Geraint today and he played very well. Windy conditions for the two of us, but that didn't hamper a very good match. Geraint got more confident as the game went on and proved a very difficult opponent. We had some really good rallies and the second set was really close all the way through. Many thanks to Geraint for the game today. Cheers! " -- Chris
Reveal CommentSteve Blandford bt Geraint Thomas (Apr 26) 7-5, 6-7 (5-7), 6-3
Player Comments:
- "A terrific if somewhat exhausting match! Played mainly in rain, sometimes heavy. The contest swung both ways with Geraint coming back from 2-5 in the second set to take us into a third. At this point I thought it was all over but managed to hang in there somehow. A very sporting and good natured match in every way." -- Steve
Reveal CommentSam Parsons bt Bruno Troisi (Apr 20) 7-5, 6-3
Player Comments:
- "Great first match in great weather. First set was a 2 hour long fight well fought, and the second set was played at the mercy of the low sun! Taught me to always put sunscreen on before a match!" -- Sam
Reveal CommentCerith Williams bt Bruno Troisi (Apr 13) 6-0, 6-0
Player Comments:
- "Thank you for a very enjoyable game Bruno, despite the wind! The score does not reflect the balance of play and once that topspin forehand gets going in match play, things will be very different!" -- Cerith
- "Thanks Cerith for your comments and positive feedback. It was a great day for tennis, the sun was shining but unfortunately my game wasn't! But with a few more knock abouts I'm sure I'll blow away the cobwebs and find my form. You found yours pretty much from the get go and showed flair and finesse with great positional shots and slice play. If we play again I'll hopefully bring my A game. It was a pleasure meeting you," -- Bruno
Group Summary:
Well done the hundred percenters! Every single match was played in he group (and almost all of you earned your bonus points). Even without bonus points, Sinead mounted a convincing challenge for top spot, but in the end couldn't knock Kevin off course. Undefeated, and without even the loss of a set, Keven put down his marker for future rounds and higher groups! Third place goes to Christina who was narrowly beaten by Sinead in their head to head. Thank you all for your fair play and generous commentaries.
Final Rankings:
| Pos. | Name | Played | P | Won | W | Lost | L | Bonus | BNS | Total | PTS | Form | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Kevin Birt | 5 | 5 | 0 | 2 | 12 | WWWW | ||||||
| 2 | Sinead Murphy | 5 | 4 | 1 | 0 | 8 | WLWW | ||||||
| 3 | Christina Macaulay | 5 | 3 | 2 | 2 | 8 | WLWW | ||||||
| 4 | Tim Ferguson | 5 | 2 | 3 | 2 | 6 | LLWW | ||||||
| 5 | Amritpal Philora | 5 | 1 | 4 | 2 | 4 | LLLW | ||||||
| 6 | Susan Gibbs | 5 | 0 | 5 | 2 | 2 | LLLL |
Match Results:
Reveal CommentChristina Macaulay bt Amritpal Philora (May 19) 6-3, 6-3
Player Comments:
- "We had a great match in warm conditions. Lots of deuce games. A close battle. Thanks Amritpal." -- Christina
Sinead Murphy bt Tim Ferguson (May 18) 6-3, 6-3
Reveal CommentKevin Birt bt Sinead Murphy (May 13) 6-1, 6-2
Player Comments:
- "Perfect evening for tennis and enjoyable match. Sinead is actually probably suited to a better opponent than me as she played her best when I hit strong shots. Returned practically all my first serves and if I hit a difficult shot sinead was more likely to return it. Some great passing shots and consistent ground shots low across the net." -- Kevin
Reveal CommentSinead Murphy bt Amritpal Philora (May 12) 6-1, 6-1
Player Comments:
- "A friendly match on a sunny morning in Hailey Park. All credit to Sinead for playing consistently well throughout the game. Hope to play again soon." -- Amritpal
Reveal CommentKevin Birt bt Tim Ferguson (May 6) 6-3, 6-1
Player Comments:
- "The best game so far. Every point was hard, Tim chases down everything and got to most with some lovely winning shots. Good day to play tennis but hard work against Tim. Tim’s a really nice bloke and a tough opponent for anyone. " -- Kevin
Match of the Group:
Reveal CommentSinead Murphy bt Christina Macaulay (May 6) 7-5, 6-2Player Comments:
- "Great game, very close, lots of games went to deuce. " -- Sinead
Reveal CommentSinead Murphy bt Susan Gibbs (May 5) 6-0, 6-1
Player Comments:
- "Lovely to meet Sinead. It was perfect weather for tennis. Sinead was fantastic at returning all my shots and very consistent. I really enjoyed the game and good luck with your remaining games. " -- Susan
Reveal CommentTim Ferguson bt Susan Gibbs (May 4) 6-0, 6-2
Player Comments:
- "A fine day but blustery and gusty at times: the wind calmed a bit toward the end and then we had some longer rallies. A very enjoyable match and thank you Susan. " -- Tim
- "Lovely to meet Tim. I really enjoyed the match despite the wind and Tim made a lot of terrific returns which were really hard to reach. Thanks Tim for the game," -- Susan
Reveal CommentTim Ferguson bt Amritpal Philora (Apr 30) 6-2, 6-2
Player Comments:
- "On a really fine morning with scuddy high clouds and the gentlest of breezes, the conditions were just right. The tennis was a great pleasure too. We had several long and energetic rallies, and Amritpal produced some scorching passing shots. Thank you for a good and happy match. " -- Tim
- "It was a pleasure to play Tim again on a perfect morning. We both enjoyed the match with some fun rallies and Tim was in fine form with his clever little drop shots at the net. Good luck with the rest of your matches Tim and hope to play again soon," -- Tim
Reveal CommentKevin Birt bt Susan Gibbs (Apr 25) 6-0, 6-0
Player Comments:
- "Lovely to meet Susan on a wet Court in April. Susan played some lovely shots today and is one to watch. It was really nice to meet Susan today." -- Kevin
- "It was lovely to meet Kevin. We were lucky to have a break in the weather for the match as it had been raining for most of the day. Kevin's tennis was at a much higher level than mine and I struggled to return his serves. Thank you for the tips and the encouragement.," -- Susan
Reveal CommentAmritpal Philora bt Susan Gibbs (Apr 23) 6-3, 6-0
Player Comments:
- "It was lovely to play Sue on a warm afternoon in Victoria Park. We had some great rallies and Sue played well, particularly in the first set with some fantastic returns of serve. Both players enjoyed the match, despite a bit of distraction by noisy children playing nearby! Good luck in the rest of the league and hope to play again soon." -- Amritpal
- "I really enjoyed playing Amritpal. It was a good match and as it progressed Amritpal's shots got harder and harder for me to return. It would be lovely to play again soon." Susan
Reveal CommentKevin Birt bt Amritpal Philora (Apr 22) 6-1, 6-0
Player Comments:
- "Good match on a beautiful day. Amrit deserved a better score line than this as a good consistent player. Nice to play tennis with and nice to meet." -- Kevin
- "An enjoyable, friendly match on a warm sunny afternoon. The heat made it difficult for both of us but Kevin played a formidable game and I was really out of my depth with that fast, powerful serve which was very difficult to return. Despite not having played for a while Kevin's confidence grew the more he played and I'm sure he'll do very well in his future matches. It was a pleasure to meet you Kevin." Amritpal
Reveal CommentChristina Macaulay bt Tim Ferguson (Apr 21) 6-2, 6-2
Player Comments:
- "This was a much tighter game than the score line. Played in scorching conditions we were both glad it didn’t go to a 3rd set" -- Christina
Reveal CommentChristina Macaulay bt Susan Gibbs (Apr 20) 6-0, 6-0
Player Comments:
- "I enjoyed the match, lovely to meet Christina. She played very well. " -- Susan
Kevin Birt bt Christina Macaulay (Apr 13) 6-3, 6-3
Player Comments: