£18.00

Collapse AllCardiff Singles - Round 18 | Thursday 28 November 2019 to Wednesday 5 February 2020 (Midpoint: Wednesday 1 January 2020)

A good and very friendly round in Cardiff. One or two players didn't get underway which brings the stats down for matches played but overall this was full of spirited competition played despite some unpredictable weather. Well done Cardiff!

Group Summary:

A tie at the top between Stuart and Darren who finished with 8 points each. Fortunately they played each other on a day of freezing air and blinding sun. To add to the drama, Stuart strained a muscle but ironically, his game improved! Not sure how that works but he - just - got the win! Well played to both.

Final Rankings:

Pos. Name Played P Won W Lost L Bonus BNS Total PTS Form
1 Stuart McLeod 4 3 1 2 8 WWWL
2 Darren Bellamy 4 2 2 2 8 WLLW
3 Tom Buckle 2 2 0 0 4 WW
4 Ben Lewis 2 0 2 0 1 LL
5 Owen Morris 2 0 2 0 0 LL
6 Myles Wellington 0 0 0 0 0 0

Match Results:

Reveal CommentStuart McLeod bt Owen Morris (Jan 18) 6-4, 6-4

Player Comments:

  • "After all the recent rain, we were lucky to have a cloudless crisp midday to play our match. However the glare of the sun at one end was quite blinding and ended up being the difference, as i managed to pinch a game in each set at that end. Owen was also suffering from a hamstring issue which hindered his blistering pace, resulting in me hitting winners when in previous matches against him he would have returned the ball. It was still a tough match and was great to stretch the legs. Good luck in your remaining games Owen. I now have a vested interest ?"  -- Stuart
Reveal CommentDarren Bellamy bt Owen Morris (Jan 10) 6-2, 6-1

Player Comments:

  • "Nice sunny morning at Pentyrch Tennis Club. It's a measure of the respect we have for Owen that we discuss tactics on how to beat him beforehand, however I'm not quite sure what tactic worked for me today. I served deploreably, but managed to move Owen around the four corners of the court, and restricted my unforced errors so that they could be counted on one hand. Plenty of luck was involved I think, but after a lacklustre performance against Tom and failing to take advantage of a match point against Stu I'll take the result! Thanks for the game Owen, and good luck in your remaining matches. Seriously - make sure you win them. I have a vested interest! "  -- Darren
Reveal CommentTom Buckle bt Darren Bellamy (Dec 30) 6-3, 2-6, 6-1

Player Comments:

  • "Good competitive game at house of sport, albeit to a backdrop of very loud roller hockey in the same hall. The game ebbed and flowed, but I was able to improve the consistency of my ground strokes to take the third set. Thanks for the game Darren "  -- Tom

Match of the Group:

Reveal CommentStuart McLeod bt Ben Lewis (Dec 27) 3-6, 6-2, 6-2

Player Comments:

  • "The light drizzle didn't stop us burning off the excess turkey. A close game with my numerous netcords overcoming Ben's superior technique. Thanks for the game Ben, really enjoyed it," -- Stuart
Reveal CommentStuart McLeod bt Darren Bellamy (Dec 4) 3-6, 6-3, 7-6 (7-4)

Player Comments:

  • "I've never played tennis before where my breath meeting the freezing air actually impeded my visibility. Add to that a blinding low sun, I knew it was going to be a difficult match. We were both feeling a few niggles and Darren was moving a bit gingerly at first but did enough to win the first set and go up 3-1 in the second. I then strained my calf muscle and limped around court for rest of the match, this however seemed to improve my game and I reeled off five games on the trot to take the second set. The third set was a tippy tappy affair with two weary players just trying to survive. Darren had match point at 5-4 and so nearly won with an ace. In the tie break, I found myself 5-4 up and in the lead for the first time. Unlucky Darren ?
  • "Gutted!" -- Darren
Reveal CommentDarren Bellamy bt Ben Lewis (Dec 3) 6-3, 6-1

Player Comments:

  • "Thanks for the game Ben and good luck in your remaining matches! (Just a footnote: Court 1 at the Heath was quite slippery in the morning at the south end. Maybe book courts 2 or 3 at this time of year...) -- Darren
Reveal CommentTom Buckle bt Stuart McLeod (Dec 1) 6-4, 6-2

Player Comments:

  • "Nice weather but cold at the castle club. Stuart was serving very well all game but I managed to hold on to take the match in two sets. Good luck in your remaining games Stuart "  -- Tom

Group Summary:

Julia moves from second place last time to top the group this time and does it in some style, winning four matches without dropping a set. Promotion for her next time! In a strong group in which everyone who played got their bonus points, Matthew tied on points with Kevin for second place but as Matthew won the head to head (despite terrible glare at Heath Park) so he takes silver this time!

Final Rankings:

Pos. Name Played P Won W Lost L Bonus BNS Total PTS Form
1 Julia Constantinou 4 4 0 2 10 WWWW
2 Matthew Blake 4 2 2 2 7 LWLW
3 Kevin Birt 4 2 2 2 7 WLWL
4 Michael Coombes 3 1 2 2 4 LWL
5 Jeff Owen 3 0 3 2 3 LLL
6 Dan Wilcock 0 0 0 0 0 0

Match Results:

Reveal CommentKevin Birt bt Michael Coombes (Dec 22) 6-3, 6-3

Player Comments:

  • "Really enjoyable match with Mike apart from when he nearly concussed himself with his own racket! Lots of those really enjoyable manic net rallies and some great shots. After failing to win about 10match points at 5-2 I thought the momentum was going to shift to Michaels favour but luckily on this occasion I managed to hold onto the lead and finally snatch a match point."  -- Kevin
Reveal CommentJulia Constantinou bt Kevin Birt (Dec 17) 6-3, 6-2

Player Comments:

  • "This was the 2nd time I played Kevin after we met first in group 4. Kevin started the game in much much stronger form than the last time we played. He played offensive tennis from the start with strong serving directed at my backhand and some great forehand shots. It was 45mins in and it was only 3:3 in the first set with both of us holding our serves. we had a grueling 'vital 7th' game that went to deuces a dozen times but with me winning it in the end with a break. that was a bit of a turning point and I won the set 6:3 shortly after. I gained confidence in the second set winning it with 6:2. Great game with plenty of good winners from Kevin but just a few more errors than me. we, will probably meet again Kevin, good luck with your games
  • "Julia was the deserving winner with her powerful serve and forehand, just a great all round player. Good luck," -- Kevin
Reveal CommentMichael Coombes bt Matthew Blake (Dec 15) 6-0, 3-6, 6-4

Player Comments:

  • "What an enjoyable match, and so close! Next time we play we should just start every game from deuce since they all seemed to go to deuce anyway. I look forward to our next match Matthew, it was a pleasure. Best of luck with your final match"  -- Michael
Reveal CommentKevin Birt bt Jeff Owen (Dec 14) 6-0, 4-6, 6-1

Player Comments:

  • "Despite the cold, glarey & windy conditions me & Jeff had a good laugh. Set 1 was comfortable enough whilst Jeff struggled to get his ‘eye-in’ & as long as I kept it away from Jeff’s big forehand! 2nd set the wind took over & we both found it hard, we both notched up aces which came courtesy of the wind dropshotting us,! numerous funny shots as the ball shifted in the wind even hitting me & almost circling me at one point. The 3rd set the wind died down & it became slightly easier for us but neither of us in any set was really playing our best game with fewer net points & winning shots instead more errors than usual. Jeff played some amazing shots and on a different day the result could have been very different. Top bloke, fun game "  -- Kevin

Match of the Group:

Reveal CommentJulia Constantinou bt Jeff Owen (Dec 13) 6-1, 6-3

Player Comments:

  • "This match was played at House of Sports. This was my most challenging match so far this round and I had to fight hard and focus to win the second set. Cant believe Jeff has only been playing for 18 months. He played good offensive tennis but just did not have the consistency and too many unforced errors to win some of the close games we had that went to deuces a couple of times. Go for your serves Jeff and keep going. Good luck for the rest of the round. "  -- Julia
Reveal CommentJulia Constantinou bt Michael Coombes (Dec 10) 6-1, 6-1

Player Comments:

  • "Match was played at a fast Cardiff Met Indoor Court. I had a very strong start but Michael improved his game throughout the match and made me fight and focus. Excellent running and defence on court from Michael. Good luck for the rest of your games. "  -- Julia
Reveal CommentMatthew Blake bt Jeff Owen (Dec 5) 6-3, 6-4

Player Comments:

  • "Lovely day at heath park, sun glare wasn’t to bad today. First set was close , plenty of rallies and drop shots , but I just edged it 6-3. Second set Jeff turned the notch and went 2-0 up, then It was 3-2 to Jeff and we had long game then , deuce back and for but just clinched it 3-3 then I went on to win 6-4. Could’ve easily went either way , enjoyed that game Jeff , and good luck in your future games & and see you in January for indoor game. "  -- Matthew
Reveal CommentJulia Constantinou bt Matthew Blake (Dec 3) 6-0, 6-3

Player Comments:

  • "We played on at a very fast Cardiff Met Indoor Tennis Court. Next to us training were the youngsters from the Cardiff Met performance squat hitting the ball so hard I could hardly see. I had a great start, I played offensive tennis and somehow all my balls went in, which I was super chuffed about, as this is not always the case. Matt played really well with good running but somehow I could not do anything wrong in the first set. In set 2 however I had some wobbles and Matthew played very well with a crushing forehand. I served strong, but the harder I served the harder he returned the ball which was not easy to deal with. It was 4:3 in the second set but somehow I pulled through with 6:3 in the end. Great game. Enjoyed it alot!"  -- Julia
Reveal CommentMatthew Blake bt Kevin Birt (Dec 1) 7-6 (7-3), 4-6, 6-0

Player Comments:

  • "Today at the heath park it was dry , very cold but there was a terrible glare of the sun. It seemed that me & Kevin were playing against the sun not each other, I clinched the first set based on tie breaker , nothing much in it tbh, but at the same time I don’t think we could get the full potential of our game when we could barely see the ball coming back .. 2nd set Kevin clinched it 6-4 .. few good rallies. Final set I tried attacking ball bit more but with pleasing 6-0 finish , all I can say is I defeated the sun!! Lol Good luck Kevin in your future games. "  -- Matthew
  • "The battle of the glare took place at Heath Park. It was fair to say it was pretty even over the first two sets with the glare being a huge factor on every single game. Matt often surprised me with a big serve, forehand whip or digging out a shot I thought was a winner. The third set Matt took full advantge of the glare and went 3-0 up, I took a tumble and then lost the next two games which I was expected to win as Matt fought the glare and then it was as good as done. A friendly match with a really nice bloke who got to almost all shots and was a deserved winner in the end making very few mistakes and unleashing regular punishing shots. Good luck Matt," -- Kevin

Group Summary:

A quieter group than some but at least everyone got on court and had one match! Despite this, Tim and the new champ Jose managed to get four matches played, and Jose even got his bonus points. He was beaten but runner up Elis and had Elis playea few more matches, who knows what might have happened. But this time, Jose takes gold. Well done!

Final Rankings:

Pos. Name Played P Won W Lost L Bonus BNS Total PTS Form
1 José Postigo Cotta 4 3 1 2 9 WWLW
2 Elis Nash 3 3 0 0 6 WWW
3 Sinead Murphy 3 1 2 0 2 WLL
4 Tim Webb 4 1 3 0 2 WLLL
5 Philip Sealey 1 0 1 0 0 L
6 Geraint Thomas 1 0 1 0 0 L

Match Results:

Tim Webb bt Philip Sealey (Jan 28) Walkover
Reveal CommentSinead Murphy bt Tim Webb (Jan 18) 7-5, 6-2

Player Comments:

  • "A very evenly matched game. I really enjoyed playing Tim, some of the longest rallies I've ever played! Thanks Tim. "  -- Sinead
Elis Nash bt Sinead Murphy (Jan 10) 6-0, 6-3
José Postigo Cotta bt Tim Webb (Dec 10) 6-2, 6-0
José Postigo Cotta bt Geraint Thomas (Dec 5) 6-1, 6-1
Elis Nash bt Tim Webb (Dec 3) 6-0, 6-1

Match of the Group:

Elis Nash bt José Postigo Cotta (Dec 2) 5-7, 6-2, 6-2
Reveal CommentJosé Postigo Cotta bt Sinead Murphy (Nov 30) 6-3, 6-3

Player Comments:

  • "It was a cold morning in Haley Park as I started my path in the match. It was translated into two slips in the first match's game witch did to Sinead ask for the continuity of him, It wasn't necessary as she could carry on with her play that did me crazy, short ball followed by a lob. Anyway my play was more regular with long spin balls that won the match. To highlight the touch without bounce in many occasion by Sinead. Finally like thermometer of the match I have to say that I finished warmed and she was with frozen fingers!! joke ! I enjoyed with her all time, nice meet you and nice see you today!, Good luck with the league and until next time," -- Jose

Group Summary:

New comer Divesh tops the group in his debut round - very well done to him. We also welcomed Luke and Paul to the league though sorry to see Paul didn't get underway. Hope you are ok and please let us know if we can help another time. Everyone else played every possible match available so many thanks for all the commitment and congratulations too to runner up Anne who finished just one point behind the champ.

Final Rankings:

Pos. Name Played P Won W Lost L Bonus BNS Total PTS Form
1 Divesh Kamal 4 4 0 2 10 WWWW
2 Anne Hamilton 4 3 1 2 9 WWWL
3 Christina Macaulay 4 2 2 0 4 WWLL
4 Amritpal Philora 4 1 3 2 4 LWLL
5 Luke McNee 4 0 4 0 0 LLLL
6 Paul Langham 0 0 0 0 0 0

Match Results:

Reveal CommentChristina Macaulay bt Luke McNee (Jan 5) 6-0, 6-0

Player Comments:

  • "Thanks for the match, Luke. It was good to get out playing. Hope you stick in at tennis."  -- Christina
Reveal CommentChristina Macaulay bt Amritpal Philora (Jan 4) 6-1, 6-4

Player Comments:

  • "This was a good fun game with lots of challenging rallies and it was much closer than the score (particularly in the first set) suggests. Thanks Amritpal."  -- Christina
Reveal CommentAnne Hamilton bt Luke McNee (Jan 3) 6-0, 6-0

Player Comments:

  • "It was lovely to meet and play Anne. We even managed to play at just the right time for the sun to come out. She was patient with me as I'm still very much a beginner! Her serve was strong and it was difficult to get any points against her, but I still enjoyed the game regardless. All the best with the rest of your games Anne!"  -- Luke
Reveal CommentAmritpal Philora bt Luke McNee (Dec 30) 6-1, 7-5

Player Comments:

  • "It was a friendly and enjoyable match in beautiful winter sunshine today. I won the first set quite quickly but Luke gained confidence in the second set, which was very close and really could have gone either way. We had a few good rallies and some games went to deuce. Luke was able to whip some great forehand shots over the net which I was unable to return. All in all, a fun game played in good spirits. It was a pleasure to meet you Luke and good luck with the rest of your matches!"  -- Amritpal
Reveal CommentAnne Hamilton bt Amritpal Philora (Dec 23) 6-1, 6-0

Player Comments:

  • "Amritpal and I managed to find a gap in the rain and actually played outside in sunshine. We had a very pleasant game with some good conversations. Amritpal has a very consistent serve but this wasn't enough on this occasion. Thanks for the match Amritpal and th best of luck for your remaining games."  -- Anne

Match of the Group:

Reveal CommentAnne Hamilton bt Christina Macaulay (Dec 20) 7-5, 6-2

Player Comments:

  • "Christina and I met on a sunny day in December. It was actually warm enough that I regretted not wearing a short sleeve top ( Christina made me run around quite a bit!) Christina had a firm and solid serve which, together with a nasty slice backhand, caused me a few problems. The scored switched back and forth in the first set and the second was much closer that the score suggests with many games going to deuce. Thanks for a good game Christina and best of luck with your remaining matches and with keeping Victoria park courts open."  -- Anne
Reveal CommentDivesh Kamal bt Luke McNee (Dec 19) 6-1, 6-1

Player Comments:

  • "Fun indoor game in House of Sport, Luke is a top guy. Luke is learning how to play tennis and moves well around the court, often putting in some surprisingly good returns on difficult balls. I hope that Luke keeps at it and will be one to look out for in the future!"  -- Divesh
Reveal CommentDivesh Kamal bt Anne Hamilton (Dec 15) 7-5, 6-7 (3-7), 7-5

Player Comments:

  • "Anne is a very consistent hitter and can pull off some well placed shots as well as a few deep and powerful ones too. She had me running around the court throughout the game, so I'll have to thank her for the cardio! The first two sets saw great comebacks from both of us, I won the first one recovering from 5 - 2 down, and she won the second from 4 - 1 in my favor. I think we played the third with a bit more caution, and it could have gone either way. All in all, Anne is a formidable opponent and a pleasure to play against. Nice to meet you!"  -- Divesh
Reveal CommentDivesh Kamal bt Christina Macaulay (Dec 7) 6-1, 6-3

Player Comments:

  • "A good game on a cold Saturday morning. Christina had me moving around the court quite a bit but I managed to reach many of her balls and focused on ball placement to win points. For the second set, Christina had adapted her play getting more balls into my backhand and some well placed shots too. It was a pleasure to meet you Christina and I hope to see you around the courts again. Thanks for the good game!"  -- Divesh
Reveal CommentDivesh Kamal bt Amritpal Philora (Dec 1) 6-0, 6-1

Player Comments:

  • "My first ever tennis game in a league and a good start for me. Amritpal was very nice and friendly and good chats were had. On this occasion consistency is what won the game for me, but we had many fun exchanges and rallies. Thanks for the game and I hope to meet you on the courts again, Amritpal!"  -- Divesh
  • "It was a pleasure to meet Divesh on a cold sunny Sunday afternoon in Heath Park. He moved swiftly around the court, played consistently well placed shots and made very few errors, making it very difficult for me to get into the match. Overall a friendly and fun game. I wish you well in your future matches Divesh," -- Amritpal