£18.00

Collapse AllCardiff Singles - Round 17 | Thursday 12 September 2019 to Wednesday 6 November 2019 (Midpoint: Wednesday 9 October 2019)

So many great matches and lovely commentaries which were a pleasure to read! Many thanks to all. And well done on completing so many matches. 96 in all or 76% of the total possible! A great accomplishment - and well done one and all!

Group Summary:

Owen moves from runner up last round to the new group champ with five wins + bonus points! Congratulations! The spirit of both Nadal and Djokovic were invoked in this well fought group, which was full of friendly old rivalries, great come backs and very nice commentaries. Well played all - and hope Enrique's knee is on the mend.

Final Rankings:

Pos. Name Played P Won W Lost L Bonus BNS Total PTS Form
1 Owen Morris 5 5 0 2 12 WWWW
2 Enrique Dominguez 4 2 2 2 7 LWW
3 Llyr Wilson-Price 3 1 2 2 5 LLW
4 Ashley Davis 2 2 0 0 4 WW
5 Stuart McLeod 4 1 3 0 3 LLL
6 Paul Tyack 2 1 1 0 2 WL
7 Matthew Blake 4 0 4 2 2 LLLL

Match Results:

Reveal CommentStuart McLeod v Llyr Wilson-Price (Oct 28) 6-6 TBC

Player Comments:

  • "Good competitive game with Llyr at vic park. Was just getting interesting when a council man shouted 'Leave park is closing'. To be continued....."  -- Stuart
Reveal CommentStuart McLeod bt Enrique Dominguez (Oct 27) 6-7 (4-7), 2-3 Enrique Dominguez Retired

Player Comments:

  • "On a crisp sunny morning at the heath, with a low sun causing visibility problems for the both of us, we were just both relieved it wasn't chucking it down for once. Enrique had the upperhand throughout the match with his perfectly placed ground strokes whistling past me on a regular basis. I hung in till a tie-break in the 1st, then went 5-0 down and duly lost the set. The 2nd set was of much better quality with good rallies and many deuces until Enrique injured his knee quite badly while 3-2 up. Sensibly after a few stretches he retired to minimise the damage. Hopefully it is not too serious and you get to complete your games. Cheers."  -- Stuart
Reveal CommentPaul Tyack bt Stuart McLeod (Oct 14) 4-6, 6-1, 6-4

Player Comments:

  • "Always a pleasure to play Stu. We had a rare windless morning at Heath Park, with only a few spots of rain - which is pretty good given the weather we've had recently. Stu thought his luck was in when I told him I was still suffering from a bit of a hangover from a Uni reunion at the weekend. This basically led to me pretty much going for a winner off every ball as I struggled with any sort of rallying. It was a close match that could have gone either way and helped me blow away the cobwebs a bit. Thanks for the game, Stu."  -- Paul
Reveal CommentOwen Morris bt Stuart McLeod (Oct 7) 6-4, 6-1

Player Comments:

  • "Another tricky and frustrating encounter with Stuart. I was 5 mins late (not purposely!) and I was hoping that he would be nervous having to wait a bit longer, but he seemed calm when I arrived. Naturally, I then tried to put doubts into his head just before we started, but he was as cool as a cucumber. In the 1st set I had a 5-1 lead, but then all of a sudden there was a different person on the other side of the net (not literally!). Stuart played magical tennis and quickly won the next 3 games to make it 5-4. I was panicking right at that moment and I knew I had to break his heart by winning the next game, which thankfully I did. In the 2nd set his form dropped slightly and I took advantage of that to win the set 6-1 and the match. Phew!"  -- Owen
Reveal CommentAshley Davis bt Matthew Blake (Oct 6) 7-6 (10-8), 6-2

Player Comments:

  • "First set was a nail-biter all the way til the end, with the set staying on serve until 4-4 when I broke but was immediately pegged back. Matthew had 3 Set points in the 12th game and then in the tie break took a 6-0 lead before I fought back to take it 10-8. The 2nd set started with me breaking serve and consolidating it and then making it 2 breaks late in the set to win 6-2. A thoroughly enjoyable game in very sunny and damp conditions meaning spotting the line calls from one end of the court was impossible. but the game was played in great atmosphere with both players happy to call their own shots out fairly when needed. Thanks for the game Matthew and good luck going forward."  -- Ashley
Reveal CommentOwen Morris bt Llyr Wilson-Price (Oct 6) 6-0, 6-0

Player Comments:

  • "Forget the Cardiff Half Marathon, we had our own little marathon going on in the 3rd game of the 1st set. The game lasted 15-20 mins, but it felt like an eternity! Neither of us wanted to lose the game and we had some half marathon rallies (if that makes any sense!....). I eventually managed to win the game to lead 3-0. The next drama happened in the last point of the 5th game of the set when Llyr broke a string, which is so unlucky for him as he said this is so rare for this to happen. I lent Llyr one of my spare rackets and I went on to win the next game to win the set 6-0. Only a couple of games did not go to deuce so you can imagine how close the set really was. Again, in the 2nd set, Llyr had some missed opportunities, hence the score."  -- Owen
Reveal CommentOwen Morris bt Enrique Dominguez (Oct 5) 6-3, 7-5

Player Comments:

  • "A very tight match between Enrique and I! I reluctantly chose to serve first despite my serving being rubbish during the warm-up! I was down 15-40 in the opening game, but managed to fight back and win the game, followed by breaking Enrique in the next game to make it 2-0. However, Enrique broke back and got it to 2-2. In the last game of the 1st set Enrique crashed into the net, like a footballer slide tacking into the goal net, when chasing a short ball. I won the set 6-3 and we had a bit of a break to allow Enrique to clean the nasty cut he got. There was nothing in it in the 2nd set and I was serving at 4-5 to stay in the set. A few deuces and brutal rallies later I won the game and then also the next 2 exhausting games for the win."  -- Owen
Reveal CommentOwen Morris bt Paul Tyack (Oct 3) 6-0, 6-3

Player Comments:

  • "This was Paul's first game since being out injured for a few months and unfortunately this showed during our match. Courtesy of a high number of uncharacteristic unforced errors from Paul I won the 1st set 6-0. The momentum continued into the start of the 2nd set and I was a break up at 2-0, but then Paul was starting to find his rhythm and he was playing a lot better. Consequently, Paul easily won the next two games to make it 2-2. At this moment, alarm bells were ringing and I said to myself that I need to finish the match before Paul fully found his rhythm because I know how dangerous he can be. After a lot of running I won the next 3 games to make it 5-2. Paul then broke me to make it 5-3, but I broke back to clinch the match."  -- Owen

Match of the Group:

Reveal CommentEnrique Dominguez bt Llyr Wilson-Price (Sep 28) 3-6, 7-6 (7-5), 6-3

Player Comments:

  • "Very tight game at rainy Heath Park on Saturday morning! First, the weather, we played with intermittent rain and strong wind, but managed to carry on playing anyway. First set LLyr started very well and got to 3-0. I came back but finally lost the set. Second set started the other way around, with me starting very strong and putting myself forward 3-0 but since then a lot of ups and downs from both of us with a lot of breaks. We finally got to the tie break which was very even and could have fallen on any side. I won the key couple of points and we went to the third where I think I felt more confident. Great game against Nadal as he returns every ball! Thanks LLyr."  -- Enrique
Enrique Dominguez bt Matthew Blake (Sep 21) 7-5, 6-2
Reveal CommentOwen Morris bt Matthew Blake (Sep 21) 6-2, 6-2

Player Comments:

  • "What a tough match! Matthew's crushing forehand definitely caused me a lot of problems during our battle forcing me to do a lot of running! Some of his powerful forehands were simply too good, which not even Djokovic could chase down! Matthew was up an early break in both sets and in the 2nd set he was up a break at 2-1 and had a couple of game points to make it 3-1, but on one of the game points he miraculously missed an easy shot at the net. I wanted to jump in joy, but I didn't have the energy! I was lucky to win that game to make it 2-2. I then won the last 4 games to grab the win, courtesy of unforced errors from Matthew. Many games were close and the score definitely deserved to be tighter. Thanks for the thousands of calories burnt!"  -- Owen
Reveal CommentAshley Davis bt Stuart McLeod (Sep 17) 6-1, 6-3

Player Comments:

  • "On a hot sunny afternoon Stuart and I played our first match of the season. The Match started with 2 holds of serves with quick points and short rallies. this trend continued with i think the longest rally in the first set being less than 7 shots but with Stuarts forehand not quite being accurate as usual I won the first set 6-1 after some tight games which could have easily gone either way. the 2nd set Stuart was delighted to say afterwards he won the first game of every set. I took a 3-1 lead which soon became a far more even match with the return of his trusty forehand and the remaining next few games all played out to serve to end 6-3. Pleasure to meet Stu, friendly guy and good luck in the future rounds."  -- Ashley
Reveal CommentLlyr Wilson-Price bt Matthew Blake (Sep 15) 6-2, 6-2

Player Comments:

  • "Good game in surprisingly warm weather! Both sets started off very close but after getting a break the momentum swung towards me. I had a lot of running to do after Matt's big forehand! "  -- Llyr

Group Summary:

"A cold early morning at Hailey Park," said Darren of his match v Joel. "So cold, I chose to keep my coat on for the start of the match. Joel breezed into an early lead with some impressive serves and forehand drives. The coat came off,". Nice commentary Darren, and very well played to emerge as champ in this friendly but competitive group where every single match came with a lovely comment! Many thanks all and well done Darren and runner up Joel! Thanks too for all those who braved the rain!

Final Rankings:

Pos. Name Played P Won W Lost L Bonus BNS Total PTS Form
1 Darren Bellamy 6 6 0 2 14 WWWW
2 Joel Walters 5 4 1 2 11 WLWW
3 Tom Buckle 6 5 1 0 10 LWWW
4 Amelia Dickinson 6 3 3 2 9 LWWW
5 John Karseras 6 1 5 2 6 LWLL
6 Martin Riley 6 1 5 0 4 LWLL
7 Robert Pallas 6 1 5 2 4 LLLW
8 Cerith Williams 1 0 1 0 0 L

Match Results:

Reveal CommentDarren Bellamy bt Tom Buckle (Nov 6) 6-3, 6-1

Player Comments:

  • "A bittersweet victory for this league decider at Cardiff Met Indoor. Tom aggravated a wrist injury which was clearly affecting his game and seemed to get worse as the match progressed. It was really difficult for Tom to compete without the killer serve that he is so well known for, even though to his credit he gave it a good go with some nice winners. Hope the injury heals well Tom!"  -- Darren
Reveal CommentJoel Walters bt Martin Riley (Nov 6) 6-1, 6-4

Player Comments:

  • "Lots of good winners on a rainy evening. Very enjoyable, especially considering the conditions. Thanks Martin"  -- Joel
Reveal CommentMartin Riley bt Robert Pallas (Nov 5) 6-4, 6-4

Player Comments:

  • "Robby entered the court to fireworks (literally) - and fireworks flew off his racket for most of the match. It was competitive and close. Could have gone either way - thanks for the game Robby. This has been a really competitive league with all my matches really close (except the first set v Tom!!). Thanks all!"  -- Martin
Reveal CommentTom Buckle bt Martin Riley (Nov 4) 6-2, 6-4

Player Comments:

  • "A competitive game at heath park. I started very well in the first set, but Martin increasingly had me on the back foot in the second, and could easily have taken it to a third set. Thanks Martin and good luck in your remaining matches "  -- Tom
Reveal CommentDarren Bellamy bt Martin Riley (Nov 3) 4-6, 6-3, [10-6]

Player Comments:

  • "A morning match at Sophia Gardens. The court was wet and the low sun shone brightly, which led to the glare being a big issue. Nonetheless, it's always a good game against Martin and every time we play he improves and gets closer to the win. On this occasion, Martin served incredibly well the first set, even with the glare, and I completely failed to adjust to the sideways spin he was putting on the ball. (didn't do that last time - must be the lessons!). Before I knew it I was 5-1 down and unable to recover, losing the first set. I had to dig deep to hold the second, and then we decided to play a match tiebreak, which could have gone either way. Thanks for the game Martin, all the best, and good luck in your last couple of matches!"  -- Darren
Reveal CommentDarren Bellamy bt Joel Walters (Oct 29) 3-6, 6-0, 6-3

Player Comments:

  • "A cold early morning at Hailey Park. So cold, I chose to keep my coat on for the start of the match. Joel breezed into an early lead with some impressive serves and forehand drives. The coat came off. After losing the first set, I reverted to a more defensive game targeting the backhand in the second. The third set was nip and tuck and the match really could have gone either way. Thanks for an enjoyable game Joel, and good luck in your remaining matches."  -- Darren
Reveal CommentTom Buckle bt Amelia Dickinson (Oct 29) 6-4, 6-3

Player Comments:

  • "Very competitive game at Heath Park - close to two hours for the two sets. We both struggled to hold serve through much of the match, but there were many long rallies and multiple-deuce games. Thanks a lot Amelia. "  -- Tom
Reveal CommentAmelia Dickinson bt Robert Pallas (Oct 23) 6-0, 6-2

Player Comments:

  • "Great game of tennis! Every game went to deuce it was very close! Luckily the conditions were great and some good shots were hit! There was lots of long points and running around the court! Thanks "  -- Amelia
Reveal CommentTom Buckle bt Robert Pallas (Oct 20) 6-1, 6-3

Player Comments:

  • "Good competitive game at heath park. Robert hit well and kept most games close, but we both suffered regarding consistency. Good luck in your remaining games "  -- Tom
Reveal CommentAmelia Dickinson bt John Karseras (Oct 19) 6-3, 6-4

Player Comments:

  • "A great game of tennis thanks John! It was a brill autumn day for tennis, lots of winners were hit and we both definitely progressed throughout the game! Thanks "  -- Amelia

Match of the Group:

Reveal CommentJohn Karseras bt Martin Riley (Oct 15) 6-4, 5-7, [10-4]

Player Comments:

  • "Great to play my friend and rival again. True to form it was very close with the damp making us both a bit rusty to start and early games going against serve. Martin made a terrific comeback in the second set to clinch it. but then we had 10 minutes before lights out so we went for the tiebreaker with the final point scored literally the second before blackout. Thanks for the match Martin. Good luck with the rest of the round. "  -- John
Reveal CommentTom Buckle bt Cerith Williams (Oct 14) 6-0, 6-2

Player Comments:

  • "A good game indoors at Cardiff Met. Cerith took a while to get used to the indoor conditions, but started serving and returning well as the game progressed. Thanks for the match and good luck in your remaining games."  -- Tom
Reveal CommentRobert Pallas bt John Karseras (Oct 8) 3-6, 6-3, 6-2

Player Comments:

  • "Epic 3 setter in the wind and rain!"  -- Robert
Reveal CommentAmelia Dickinson bt Martin Riley (Oct 8) 7-6 (7-3), 6-3

Player Comments:

  • "It was a very close game and there was some great play despite the wind and rain! Thanks"  -- Amelia
Reveal CommentDarren Bellamy bt Amelia Dickinson (Oct 5) 6-2, 6-2

Player Comments:

  • "An overcast morning at Heath Park. It was great to meet Amelia who has recently started playing tennis again having played when she was younger. After losing the first set 6-2, Amelia really raised her game in the second with some excellent ground strokes. The serve was impressive, and I soon found that whenever I hit a rare good serve of my own, the ball came back twice as hard! (so watch out Tom). It's clear that Amelias game is improving fast with every set, so I don't fancy the chances of whoever plays her next (no offence Martin). Thanks for the game Amelia and all the best for your remaining matches."  -- Darren
Reveal CommentJoel Walters bt Robert Pallas (Oct 2) 7-6 (7-1), 6-4

Player Comments:

  • "Really close game. Rob definitely hit more winners but being defensive paid off in the end. Thanks and good luck in your next match."  -- Joel
Reveal CommentDarren Bellamy bt John Karseras (Sep 21) 6-3, 6-4

Player Comments:

  • "A fine sunny day at Sofia Gardens (this cannot last). Maybe too sunny in fact, as we were both struggling with the glare especially on serve. Was great to meet up with John again, and he made it clear he intended to imrove on the three games he took of me in our previous meeting. As the score suggests, this 2 hour match was a much more even affair and John raised his game significantly. Lots of good rallies, many games going to Deuce and it could have gone either way. A real tough match but good fun. Thanks John and all the best."  -- Darren
Reveal CommentJoel Walters bt John Karseras (Sep 20) 4-6, 6-0, 6-2

Player Comments:

  • "Good game, lots of rallies and winners. Thanks John"  -- Joel
Reveal CommentDarren Bellamy bt Robert Pallas (Sep 19) 6-2, 6-3

Player Comments:

  • "Glorious weather at Sofia Gardens. It was my pleasure to welcome Rob to Cardiff Tennis Leagues, and he put up a really good fight. There was very little between us in the rallies, with maybe just the high double fault count making the difference, especially in the first set. The second set really could have gone either way but I scraped through despite my fitness ebbing away towards the end. In truth, I found it somewhat reassuring to have a Doctor on the court opposite. Had Rob managed to force a decider I may well have been requiring his services. Cheers Rob and all the best with your remaining matches!"  -- Darren
Reveal CommentJoel Walters bt Amelia Dickinson (Sep 17) 6-3, 4-6, 6-0

Player Comments:

  • "Really enjoyable game. Lots of rallies. Lots of deuces. Amelia hadn't played properly in a while so started off a little bit rusty. Her serves started to cause me a lot of trouble as time went on. The glare of the sun was also an advantage to me as I was the only one with a cap. Good luck in the rest of your games. "  -- Joel
Reveal CommentTom Buckle bt John Karseras (Sep 14) 6-1, 6-2

Player Comments:

  • "Good game in the sunshine at the club by Cardiff Castle. The match was closer than reflected in the score, with lots of long games with many deuces. Thanks John and good luck in your remaining matches."  -- Tom

Group Summary:

Never mind the tennis in this group, look how you coped with the weather: "The rain was so bad, and the balls so wet and heavy, it wasn't really possible to play very skillful shots, said Michael of his match v Naomi. "Not actually having any skillful shots, my game was largely unaffected!" Or what about Greg who played Michael in the pouring rain. Were they miserable? They were not! "Brilliant game" said Greg. "Michael had me running and laughing the whole time." Many thanks for being so cheerful and really well done on getting almost every single match played! This was a fantastic group. Many congratulations to Greg, the new champ and Shaneel, the runner up.

Final Rankings:

Pos. Name Played P Won W Lost L Bonus BNS Total PTS Form
1 Greg Jabbit 7 7 0 2 16 WWWW
2 Shaneel Shah 6 5 1 2 13 WWLW
3 Jeff Owen 7 4 3 2 10 WLWW
4 Michael Coombes 7 3 4 0 7 WLLW
5 Simon Botley 4 3 1 0 6 WWWL
6 Chris Hunt 6 2 4 2 6 LLWL
7 Naomi Williams 6 1 5 2 4 LLLL
8 Philip Sealey 7 0 7 2 3 LLLL

Match Results:

Reveal CommentMichael Coombes bt Chris Hunt (Nov 4) 6-2, 6-2

Player Comments:

  • "Don't be misled by the final score - after the match we played a friendly set, and without the intense pressure of the Cardiff Tennis Leagues group 3, Chris stormed off to a huge lead. Ah, the pressure cauldron that is the Cardiff league group 3 :-) Thanks for the game Chris, I thoroughly enjoyed it. Can't wait for us to play again."  -- Michael
  • "Great to meet you Mike. Many thanks for a very enjoyable and entertaining game. Very well played. Looking forward to playing you again soon. All the best. Cheers!" - Chris
Shaneel Shah bt Naomi Williams (Nov 3) 6-4, 6-4
Reveal CommentJeff Owen bt Michael Coombes (Oct 23) 7-5, 3-6, 6-2

Player Comments:

  • "What a thoroughly enjoyable, competitive game, I reckon if you totalled it up, there wasnt more than a 10 point difference over the whole match! Michael's top spin forehands and drop shop back hands were superb and the whole match could have gone either way. Thanks Michael"  -- Jeff
Shaneel Shah bt Philip Sealey (Oct 21) 6-0, 6-0
Reveal CommentSimon Botley bt Michael Coombes (Oct 16) 6-4, 6-3

Player Comments:

  • "As always seems to be the way with games between Michael and I, this game took two attempts to get played, with bad light and torrential rain stopping proceedings a week ago. We picked it up again today and I was able to see out the first set with a hold of serve. The games with Michael are always competitive and good fun and the second set continued in this vein as he won two quick-fire games to close the 4-1 lead that I had built. Luckily I was able to find a break of serve in the next and see out the match before he clicked into top gear. All the best with the rest of your games Michael, see you next time!"  -- Simon
Reveal CommentSimon Botley bt Jeff Owen (Oct 16) 6-0, 6-2

Player Comments:

  • "This was a scoreline that I didn't feel told the full story. I benefited from two huge slices of luck with ridiculous net cords in the opening exchanges and managed to claw my way back from 0-40 down in one game to help me towards a 3-0 lead. In the second set Jeff found his range with some excellent deep passing shots and we had some really good rallies that had us both covering a lot of ground. I wasn't sure that scheduling back to back games was going to prove to be a very wise move, but as it happened I think it gave me a pretty big advantage over Jeff as I was warmed up and adjusted to the light after my game with Michael ended. Enjoy the rest of your games Jeff and all the best!"  -- Simon
Reveal CommentJeff Owen bt Naomi Williams (Oct 15) 6-2, 6-1

Player Comments:

  • "Very much enjoyed the game, Naomi played some great cross court shots and the last 3 games we played in almost darkness but we persevered. Thanks for the game "  -- Jeff
Reveal CommentMichael Coombes bt Philip Sealey (Oct 12) 6-1, 6-1

Player Comments:

  • "A lot of the games went to deuce and could have gone either way. A very enjoyable game, especially since it was the first time I didn't get rained on. Good luck with the rest of your matches Phil"  -- Michael
Reveal CommentJeff Owen bt Chris Hunt (Oct 12) 6-4, 6-2

Player Comments:

  • "At 4-4 in the first set we knew it was going to be a competitive one and it was! A thoroughly enjoyable game of close margins, thanks Chris"  -- Jeff
  • "Great to meet you Jeff. Many thanks for a very enjoyable game. Good luck in the rest of your matches. Cheers!" -- Chris
Reveal CommentGreg Jabbit bt Michael Coombes (Oct 10) 6-0, 6-1

Player Comments:

  • "Brilliant game played in the pouring rain. Michael had me running and laughing the entire time. Thanks for an enjoyable match Michael. Hope to play again soon and all the best for your future games. "  -- Greg
Reveal CommentChris Hunt bt Philip Sealey (Oct 6) 6-3, 6-2

Player Comments:

  • "Great to meet Phil today in Tredegar and we had an enjoyable competitive match. The match was close throughout and we had lots of good rallies that were hard fought. Phil's serve caused me problems all the way through the match and his backhand had me racing around the court. Lots of our games went to deuce and I was able to edge past Phil in two sets following a variety of tough games. Many thanks for the match Phil and good luck in your remaining games. Cheers!"  -- Chris

Match of the Group:

Reveal CommentGreg Jabbit bt Shaneel Shah (Oct 6) 2-6, 6-3, [10-8]

Player Comments:

  • "What. A. Match!! - Three set thriller at Heath Park. Thanks for an amazing match Shaneel! Best of luck with your future games. All the best "  -- Greg
Reveal CommentSimon Botley bt Philip Sealey (Oct 6) 6-2, 6-1

Player Comments:

  • "After not having any luck with getting a court at Hailey Park Phil was good enough to drive us over to Victoria Park where we were able to get our game in. The conditions were tricky on a slippy court and there wasn't a lot of quality on show in the opening exchanges as we both struggled to hold our serves. The odd hold in among the breaks helped me on the way to the first set, with the second being more competitive, with some long rallies and plenty of deuce games. All the best for your remaining games Phil and I hope you're not filled with regret over your two-match day when you wake up in the morning!"  -- Simon
Shaneel Shah bt Jeff Owen (Oct 5) 6-1, 6-3
Reveal CommentMichael Coombes bt Naomi Williams (Oct 3) 6-1, 6-1

Player Comments:

  • "The match was a lot closer than the score would suggest, I think maybe I coped better with the conditions - the rain was so bad, and the balls so wet and heavy, it wasn't really possible to play very skilful shots; not actually having any skilful shots, my game was largely unaffected. Good luck with the rest of your matches Naomi, I hope the rest of your matches are played in glorious sunshine."  -- Michael
Reveal CommentGreg Jabbit bt Simon Botley (Oct 2) 6-1, 6-2

Player Comments:

  • "Great game played under the flood lights of heath Park. Simon was a great competitor who had me running all over. Well played Simon and all the best with your future games. "  -- Greg
Shaneel Shah bt Chris Hunt (Sep 29) 6-4, 6-2
Reveal CommentGreg Jabbit bt Philip Sealey (Sep 27) 6-0, 6-2

Player Comments:

  • "Thanks for an enjoyable match Phil and best of luck in your future games! "  -- Greg
Shaneel Shah bt Michael Coombes (Sep 26) 6-2, 7-5
Reveal CommentGreg Jabbit bt Chris Hunt (Sep 25) 6-1, 6-0

Player Comments:

  • "Competitive match with Chris who had me running all over. Rainy conditions were far from ideal but still a very enjoyable match with a great competitor. Nice to meet you Chris. All the best in your future matches. "  -- Greg
  • "Great to meet you too Greg. Many thanks for a very enjoyable competitive match. Well played and you thoroughly deserved the win. Good luck in your future matches. Cheers!" -- Chris
Reveal CommentGreg Jabbit bt Naomi Williams (Sep 22) 6-0, 6-1

Player Comments:

  • "Through very rainy conditions Naomi & myself played through two sets. Naomi was a great competitor throughout and hit some lovely passing shots. Great to meet you Naomi. All the best with your future matches! "  -- Greg
Reveal CommentNaomi Williams bt Philip Sealey (Sep 20) 6-3, 3-6, [10-8]

Player Comments:

  • "Excellent match, some great points made and close games. Good rallies today! Thank you for a great game ???"  -- Naomi
Reveal CommentGreg Jabbit bt Jeff Owen (Sep 20) 6-1, 6-2

Player Comments:

  • "Really enjoyable game with Jeff. Competitive from start to finish. Best of luck in all your future matches Jeff and hope to play again soon. All the best. Greg"  -- Greg
Reveal CommentJeff Owen bt Philip Sealey (Sep 17) 6-1, 6-0

Player Comments:

  • "After a very picturesque trip through the valleys on my travel from Cardiff, the sun broke out as I hit Blackwood. Phil was a great host to his home turf and we had an enjoyable, competitive match. Thanks Phil!"  -- Jeff
Reveal CommentChris Hunt bt Naomi Williams (Sep 16) 6-1, 6-2

Player Comments:

  • "Great to meet Naomi and many thanks for a very enjoyable match. Many of the games were close and we went to deuce on numerous occasions. It was a tough match and the games got longer as we progressed. Naomi's serves and angled shots had me running all over the court. Our last game was fantastic and reflected an enjoyable match. Good luck in your future games Naomi. Cheers!"  -- Chris

Group Summary:

Is the score in tennis 'love' because saying 'zero' can seem offensive? We don't know but it's a nice suggestion from Jose, one of many great comments in another friendly and well fought group. Vincent, who topped group 7 last time, wins again, so congratulations and we will have to find some tougher competition for him. And special mention to runner up Julia whose style of play won many plaudits including this from Vincent: "I can't believe that Julia was only playing her second match in 30 years as her tennis is top level. Great strikes, great techniques, powerful serve and very few mistakes." Well done all!

Final Rankings:

Pos. Name Played P Won W Lost L Bonus BNS Total PTS Form
1 Vincent Gegaden 6 6 0 2 14 WWWW
2 Julia Constantinou 7 5 2 2 12 WLWW
3 Kevin Birt 6 4 2 2 11 WLWW
4 José Postigo Cotta 4 3 1 0 6 WWLW
5 Declan Skinner 6 0 6 2 4 LLLL
6 Bruno Troisi 3 1 2 0 2 LWL
7 Anne Hamilton 4 1 3 0 2 WLLL
8 Robert Anderson 4 0 4 2 2 LLLL

Match Results:

Reveal CommentKevin Birt bt Bruno Troisi (Nov 3) 6-3, 6-3

Player Comments:

  • "Bruno hasn’t played for about a month and just recovered from being ill and in the first set I could tell he was out of practice but yet he still put up a hell of a fight. 2nd set was far harder with every game a deuce and it took twice as long with Bruno back on form hit big serves and powerful shots this set could have gone either way as Bruno would not give in and we fought every point. Enjoyable 2nd set and good game. "  -- Kevin
  • "Kev came up trumps yet again unfortunately for me. As pointed out iv not played any tennis in a while and it showed. I started to find some form in the 2nd set but still went down 4-0 before putting a mark on the scoreboard. Kev doesn't make many unforced errors and patiently waits for his opportunity to attack off any short balls. Welldone Big man,...see you out on the court again soon.2 -- Bruno
Reveal CommentAnne Hamilton bt Declan Skinner (Oct 28) 6-2, 6-7 (7-9), 6-1

Player Comments:

  • "We played at Llandaff field on a bright but cold day. The courts are fairly flat but did provide the odd 'interesting' bounce. Declan played some good tennis using lots of spin on his shots. His backhand slice was hard to predict and coupled well with the aforesaid interesting bounces to produce some challenging returns. Declan definitely doesn't lack for determination - I think our final game went in excess of 12 deuces as he fought to stay in the match. It was not to be however and i managed to persevere to win the match. Thanks for the match Declan. Keep that determination. "  -- Anne
Reveal CommentJulia Constantinou bt Anne Hamilton (Oct 23) 6-1, 6-2

Player Comments:

  • "Very enjoyable match in quite foggy cold weather in Hailey Park. Anne played strong, aggressive tennis with good technique but just made more errors than myself. Good luck for the rest of the round. "  -- Julia
José Postigo Cotta bt Declan Skinner (Oct 15) 6-1, 6-1
Reveal CommentVincent Gegaden bt Kevin Birt (Oct 13) 6-2, 4-6, 6-1

Player Comments:

  • "Kevin and I decided to play indoors since the weather has been really bad recently. After a comfortable first set where I played rather well, Kevin completely changed his tactic and completely took me by surprise. His new strategy proved very effective and he carried it out extremely well. He was ahead all second set and it was only fair that he claimed that set. I did well to keep my calm and carry on playing my tennis, and the third set was made easier by Kevin’s growing fatigue. Well done Kevin and thank you for a very entertaining and challenge match!"  -- Vincent
  • "A very enjoyable match and an absolute pleasure to meet Vincent. The 2nd and 3rd set were filled with long rallies and great points following a quick first set. It all came down to the third set and I should have done better, but the better (and more to the point the fitter) player won after a long nearly 2.5hr game. Good luck in your next group but I expect that inVincible Vincent won’t need it!," -- Kevin
Reveal CommentJosé Postigo Cotta bt Julia Constantinou (Oct 12) 6-4, 6-2

Player Comments:

  • "I think I played my best match until now, Julia did I needed give it at all. I played with calm and trying don't have mistake, as there was long rallies. Such as It was a physical first set which I had of luck to win. In the second set she was a little more tired than my and I could give a step to front. Just note there was an anecdote with the lecture of the score. I didn't know why zero was something like "love", I asked her and she didn't know how it was writed, indeed it is "love", It seems be because to say zero to the opponent can be offensive, as is loving way to say it. Nice meet Julia, I enjoyed playing with you. I wish you enjoy at the rest of the league and carry on with your great tennis. Good luck" -- Jose
Reveal CommentKevin Birt bt Robert Anderson (Oct 12) 6-2, 6-2

Player Comments:

  • "We found a break in the weather and went with it! Thanks to Rob for being flexible in when we played, as it is tough to find time to play. Good match with some fast fun rallies and rob hit some lovely winners. Good to meet Rob and good luck in the rest of your games."  -- Kevin
Reveal CommentJulia Constantinou bt Declan Skinner (Oct 10) 6-0, 6-1

Player Comments:

  • "Declan started of the first game strongly with 2 great aces but somehow never had the consistency and the confidence to finish of a game for himself in the first set. We had an incredible long fought out game in the second set which went to 'deuce' at least 8 times which he managed to claim in the end. We had some great rallies and the score does not reflect the good level of tennis Declan played. Good luck for the rest of the season. "  -- Julia
  • "It was a pleasure to play Julia. I can see why she's at the top of the table. Her style of play is second to none. Her serves are powerful and her level of pace was superb. I couldn't keep up with it most of the time. However we did have some great rallies and strokes from both wings. Good luck for the rest of your matches," -- Declan
Reveal CommentVincent Gegaden bt Declan Skinner (Oct 6) 6-1, 6-3

Player Comments:

  • "We played on a rather bumpy court in Rumney Gardens but still managed to have a good match and loads of fun despite the trees getting on the way of the ball and a drone buzzing over our heads! Declan played a lot of great shots and it was no surprise he went 3-1 up in the second set. I really had to tighten up my game to come on top in two sets against a very solid opponent. Good luck in your next matches Declan!"  -- Vincent
Reveal CommentVincent Gegaden bt Robert Anderson (Oct 6) 6-2, 6-3

Player Comments:

  • "Robert and I played our match on a rather windy but sunny Sunday morning in Heath. We had a good competitive match and it was a pleasure to play with Robert. Best of luck in your next matches!"  -- Vincent
Reveal CommentKevin Birt bt Declan Skinner (Oct 5) 6-1, 6-0

Player Comments:

  • "Really nice to meet Declan in a competitive match in Hailey Park, some great rallies and points. Good luck in the rest of your matches Declan."  -- Kevin
  • "It was nice to meet Kevin. It was a good match overall with some long rallies and games going to deuce. Kevin played very well by keeping the ball in the court, something I was unable to grasp upon today. Good luck for the rest of your matches" -- Declan
Reveal CommentVincent Gegaden bt Anne Hamilton (Oct 3) 6-1, 6-1

Player Comments:

  • "Anne and I played our match on her own turf, in Penarth, on a crisp Wednesday night, under the floodlights. Tennis in the cold and with the floodlights is such a different sport! We were both tired after a long day at work and I felt that it wouldn't go well for me if I played a defensive, patient game, so I chose to hit every ball and it worked well for me. Anne is a strong player who will hit very deep and strong shots if she is given the chance, so I had to take and keep control of the points. Best of luck to you Anne in your next matches!"  -- Vincent
Reveal CommentJulia Constantinou bt Kevin Birt (Oct 2) 6-1, 6-0

Player Comments:

  • "Very late scheduled match at 9pm start in House of Sports, so we both needed a good stretch and warm up after a long day. We both struggled with a very noisy environment (male inline hockey team playing next to us) and changed courts once to be able to concentrate better. It was a very enjoyable match with long fought out rallies. The score does not reflect the long rallies and effort it took me to beat Kevin in 90 mins. Kevin was just unlucky to play me on a night where I was playing well. "  -- Julia
  • "No excuses. I wasn’t good enough. Julia is a far better player, improving week on week and was really on form last night with a very good all round game. My worst defeat ever but I deserved to be well beaten. Good luck in the rest of your games Julia!" -- Kevin
Reveal CommentKevin Birt bt Anne Hamilton (Sep 28) 7-6 (7-3), 6-1

Player Comments:

  • "Good to play Anne. Incredibly tight first set, loads of deuces and long rallies. Anne gets to almost everything, consistent serving from Anne and we had some great rallies and games. Good luck in the rest of your matches."  -- Kevin
Reveal CommentJulia Constantinou bt Robert Anderson (Sep 25) 6-3, 6-2

Player Comments:

  • "Very enjoyable game at Heath park in windy conditions. Robert started confidently and took a 3:1 lead in the first set. Julia started to reduce her errors though and came back to win the first set 6:3. She continued her winning streak until a 2:0 lead in the second set but Robert, who got a bit angry at himself sometimes equalized to 2:2. Julia then took the lead again though and won the second set 6:2. Thank you Robert for some excellent rallies and good luck for the rest of the round. "  -- Julia

Match of the Group:

Reveal CommentBruno Troisi bt Declan Skinner (Sep 21) 5-7, 7-5, 7-6 (8-6)

Player Comments:

  • "It was a great match and an epic battle from start to end. There were ups and downs, highs and lows and twists and turns which is reflected in the score. Neither Declan or myself gave an inch and we gave everything mentally and physically. i take my hat off to him for never being involved in a league or tournament before and for being such a brilliant competitor ( Welldone!) There was literally only 2 points that separated us (We are both winners today ) This match made me realise that Its not just about the winning it's alot more than that. Its about the taking part and facing the new challenges you come up against and taking yourself out of your comfort zone and ultimately enjoying the experience. There are no losers here just winners."  -- Bruno
Reveal CommentVincent Gegaden bt José Postigo Cotta (Sep 21) 6-1, 6-4

Player Comments:

  • "José and I had a great game this afternoon. It was brillant to find an opponent that plays high lifted balls like me and we had a lot of amazing rallies. I played the tennis of my life, hitting winner on the line after winner on the line, until 6-1 5-1 when I realised that if I dropped my level just a bit he would come back. And it happened. I then had to save a 5-5 point on my serve to eventually wrap up this match on MP#4. I really enjoyed playing this match, thank you José and good luck in your coming matches!"  -- Vincent
Reveal CommentVincent Gegaden bt Julia Constantinou (Sep 20) 6-2, 6-3

Player Comments:

  • "Julia and I had a very good game on a very sunny Friday afternoon. It was very had to believe that Julia was only playing her second match in thirty years as her tennis is top level. Great strikes, great technique, powerful serve and very few mistakes. It took me a great deal of concentration and patience to overcome Julia (and the wind!) and I had to fight on every single ball. Thank you very much for the game Julia and best of luck (to your opponents too!) for the next games!"  -- Vincent
Reveal CommentJosé Postigo Cotta bt Robert Anderson (Sep 17) 6-1, 6-4

Player Comments:

  • "First official tennis match here in Cardiff. It was a very nice day to play tennis (sunny and not wind). My opponent putted easier outside the court than inside jaja, very good person and He spoke spanish! It could not exist better opponent for a first touch with tennis in Cardiff, thanks you. I like court of heath park. For the match, the first set was comfortable to me, I was calmed and Robert didn't take advantages of importants points. The second set started such as first but at the end I was nervous maybe and Robert didn't mistake so score got near. Finally I got close the match on time."  -- José
Reveal CommentJulia Constantinou bt Bruno Troisi (Sep 14) 6-1, 6-3

Player Comments:

  • "Very enjoyable and competitive match with long ralleys. Despite the seemingly clear result in the first set each game in the first set was long fought out. Both players were running and sweating in the intense autumn sun of Hailey park. Julia won all her sevice games though in the first set and managed 2 breaks. Bruno tried to keep Julia, a volleyball player, off the net with very well placed faultless lobs. The score in the second set started more equal, with a 1:1 and then a 3:2 but in the end Julia won the match against a very fit Bruno by just showing a little bit more aggression in her hits. "  -- Julia

Group Summary:

It's back up the group for Simon who finished the round undefeated in every match, ie all 6 of them! With bonus points as well, that made him unassailable. Congratulations. But Sinead was hot on his heels, finishing second, just pushing Geraint into third place. A close and well fought group!

Final Rankings:

Pos. Name Played P Won W Lost L Bonus BNS Total PTS Form
1 Simon Fisher 6 6 0 2 14 WWWW
2 Sinead Murphy 5 4 1 2 10 WWWL
3 Geraint Thomas 5 3 2 2 8 LWLW
4 Tim Ferguson 6 2 4 0 5 LLWL
5 Christina Macaulay 5 2 3 0 4 LWWL
6 Antonio Melro 2 0 2 0 0 LL
7 Amritpal Philora 5 0 5 0 0 LLLL

Match Results:

Sinead Murphy bt Geraint Thomas (Nov 3) 6-3, 6-2

Match of the Group:

Reveal CommentGeraint Thomas bt Tim Ferguson (Oct 29) 4-6, 6-2, 6-2

Player Comments:

  • "What a tight match! Tim and I spent 2 hours of a windy Tuesday afternoon trading advantages! Tim consistently played fantastic shots and switched up the play like it was going out of fashion! I was very lucky to scrape a win through the last two sets, fantastic player and sportsman. I look forward to meeting you again on the court soon! "  -- Geraint
Simon Fisher bt Christina Macaulay (Oct 27) 6-2, 6-3
Tim Ferguson bt Antonio Melro (Oct 27) Walkover
Simon Fisher bt Tim Ferguson (Oct 27) 6-1, 6-1
Reveal CommentChristina Macaulay bt Amritpal Philora (Oct 20) 6-2, 6-3

Player Comments:

  • "Thanks to Amritpal for playing at short notice. Lovely weather and not too cold. Enjoyed the match."  -- Christina
Reveal CommentChristina Macaulay bt Tim Ferguson (Oct 19) 6-2, 6-2

Player Comments:

  • "Great match. Much tighter than the scoreline. We had lots of games with many deuces....!"  -- Christina
Reveal CommentSinead Murphy bt Amritpal Philora (Oct 19) 6-2, 6-1

Player Comments:

  • "Always good fun playing Sinead. She played accurately and consistently and rarely missed any shots. Had some good rallies, but I made too many errors and just couldn't break the 'mighty' Sinead. All the best for your future matches."  -- Amritpal
Reveal CommentTim Ferguson bt Amritpal Philora (Oct 15) 6-3, 7-5

Player Comments:

  • "It was the second attempt to play this match, having not been able to find a satisfactory venue last week. It was really good to get it completed. We were quite well matched and both of us had chances and breaks of service. At 5–5 it was looking as though we were going into a third set, but I just managed to squeak home. Thank you for a great match, Amritpal, and good luck with the rest of your matches," -- Tim
Reveal CommentSinead Murphy bt Tim Ferguson (Oct 9) 6-2, 6-3

Player Comments:

  • "Much closer than the score suggests. Tim was unlucky with some double faults at crucial times. A pleasure to play Tim. "  -- Sinead
Simon Fisher bt Sinead Murphy (Oct 6) 6-0, 6-4
Reveal CommentSinead Murphy bt Christina Macaulay (Oct 5) 6-3, 6-3

Player Comments:

  • "A competitive match as always. Some long rallies. Enjoyed playing Christina. "  -- Sinead
Simon Fisher bt Geraint Thomas (Sep 29) 6-2, 6-2
Simon Fisher bt Amritpal Philora (Sep 21) 6-0, 6-2
Reveal CommentGeraint Thomas bt Christina Macaulay (Sep 21) 6-3, 6-4

Player Comments:

  • "Fantastic game in the sun on a very warm Saturday! Plenty of close games and points won by the thinnest of margins. Christina really kept me on my toes until the end. The advantage during the final game changed hands more often than a hot potato! Christina was a fantastic player and sports-person throughout the match. Good luck in the rest of the league!"  -- Geraint
Reveal CommentGeraint Thomas bt Amritpal Philora (Sep 15) 6-3, 6-0

Player Comments:

  • "Very enjoyable game on a sunny Sunday morning! Every match was very close and Amritpal was unlucky to not win a game during the second set. Fantastically sporting and a great player! "  -- Geraint
  • "I really enjoyed my first match against Geraint this morning. The first set was pretty close and I had opportunities to win games in the second, hitting the ball cross court and trying to force him to make errors, but wasn't able to get past the mighty Geraint! To quote Kevin in a previous round, "He was half my age and twice as fit!" His athleticism showed as the match progressed and as I wilted, he became stronger. We had some great rallies and the match was played in good spirits. Good luck with the rest of your games Geraint and hope to play again some time!" - Amritpal
Simon Fisher bt Antonio Melro (Sep 15) 6-3, 6-0