£18.00

Collapse AllHighbury Fields Doubles - Round 34 | Thursday 14 February 2019 to Wednesday 24 April 2019 (Midpoint: Wednesday 20 March 2019)

More than two thirds of matches were played in an excellent round in the Highbury Doubles league - thanks everyone. There were many competitive contests throughout the four groups so well done to the new group champs for finishing top and we hope you all enjoyed it. Here's to more of the same next time!

Group Summary:

There were some terrific contests in group one with Ollie & Harry v Daniel & Tim and Sean & James v Nick & Dirceu, in particular, keeping us on the edge of our seats right until the end - great stuff. Sean & James played every match and earned their bonus points and this proved to be a recipe for success as they secured five fantastic wins to boost their total into the lead. Daniel & Tim defeated runner up rivals John & Alex to edge into second place.

Final Rankings:

Pos. Name Played P Won W Lost L Bonus BNS Total PTS Form
1 Sean Girty & James Kirk 6 5 1 2 13 WLWW
2 Daniel Petersen & Tim Edwards 4 3 1 0 7 LWWW
3 John Durant & Alex Hicks 6 2 4 2 7 LWLL
4 Stephen Einhorn & Tim Benson 4 3 1 0 6 WWLW
5 Nick Shave & Dirceu Pozzebon 6 3 3 0 6 LLLW
6 Ollie Chambers & Harry Hulme 5 1 4 0 2 WLLL
7 Melissa Hardinge & Alex Stitt 3 0 3 0 0 LLL

Match Results:

Ollie Chambers & Harry Hulme bt Daniel Petersen & Tim Edwards (Apr 24) 2-6, 7-6 (7-0), [11-9]

Match of the Group:

Reveal CommentSean Girty & James Kirk bt Nick Shave & Dirceu Pozzebon (Apr 18) 6-2, 6-7 (3-7), 7-6 (7-3)

Player Comments:

  • Good doubles match with aggressive net play from both teams. Match could have gone either way.
Daniel Petersen & Tim Edwards bt Nick Shave & Dirceu Pozzebon (Apr 17) 6-3, 6-1
Daniel Petersen & Tim Edwards bt Sean Girty & James Kirk (Apr 16) 2-6, 6-3, 6-4
Reveal CommentSean Girty & James Kirk bt Ollie Chambers & Harry Hulme (Apr 8) 6-2, 6-4

Player Comments:

  • "Good match, inspite the wet / slippery conditions. Look forward to playing Ollie & Harry again"  -- Sean
Reveal CommentStephen Einhorn & Tim Benson bt Nick Shave & Dirceu Pozzebon (Apr 1) 6-3, 1-6, 6-1

Player Comments:

  • "Great to play against Nick and Dirceu again..... better weather this time!"  -- Stephen
John Durant & Alex Hicks bt Ollie Chambers & Harry Hulme (Mar 31) 6-4, 6-2
Reveal CommentStephen Einhorn & Tim Benson bt John Durant & Alex Hicks (Mar 31) 6-2, 6-4

Player Comments:

  • "Good match and finally the sun came out too!"  -- Stephen
Nick Shave & Dirceu Pozzebon bt Ollie Chambers & Harry Hulme (Mar 27) 7-5, 6-3
Reveal CommentNick Shave & Dirceu Pozzebon bt John Durant & Alex Hicks (Mar 24) 6-3, 2-6, 6-2

Player Comments:

  • "Good close match until rain stopped play. Alex to serve. "  -- Alex
Nick Shave & Dirceu Pozzebon bt Melissa Hardinge & Alex Stitt (Mar 23) 6-1, 6-3
Daniel Petersen & Tim Edwards bt John Durant & Alex Hicks (Mar 20) 6-2, 6-3
Reveal CommentSean Girty & James Kirk bt Stephen Einhorn & Tim Benson (Mar 18) 6-1, 6-3

Player Comments:

  • "Good solid doubles rallies, our serving and consistency made the difference today. Look forward to playing again"  -- Sean
Reveal CommentSean Girty & James Kirk bt John Durant & Alex Hicks (Mar 14) 6-3, 6-2

Player Comments:

  • "Good rallies. Thanks for the match"  -- Sean
Reveal CommentSean Girty & James Kirk bt Melissa Hardinge & Alex Stitt (Mar 10) 6-0, 6-0

Player Comments:

  • "Tough weather conditions. Score line didn’t reflect the good rallies and some close games"  -- Sean
Reveal CommentStephen Einhorn & Tim Benson bt Ollie Chambers & Harry Hulme (Feb 19) 6-1, 6-2

Player Comments:

  • "Good match played in good spirits!"  -- Stephen
Reveal CommentJohn Durant & Alex Hicks bt Melissa Hardinge & Alex Stitt (Feb 16) 6-2, 7-6

Player Comments:

  • "A really tight second set. Melissa can really hit the ball, her returns are a real challenge to deal with when at the net. Well played and thank you."  -- Alex

Group Summary:

Lois & Simon got on court for every match and all this practice paid off as they finished unbeaten with six wins and a draw to their names to become the undisputed new champs. Rory & Samir matched Lois & Simon all the way in their head to head which ended one set apiece, and they showed this fine form throughout the round to claim the runner up spot. Hats off to third placed Caroline and Simon too for playing all but one match and earning a bonus prize.

Final Rankings:

Pos. Name Played P Won W Lost L Bonus BNS Total PTS Form
1 Lois Anderson & Simon Moore 6 6 0 2 15 WWWW
2 Rory Brown & Samir Rashed 5 5 0 0 11 WWWW
3 Caroline Gargaro & Simon Dormon 6 2 4 2 7 WLLL
4 Gerard Van Tonder & Alan Revel 6 2 4 0 6 LWLL
5 Stephen Hornsby & Richard Beswick 3 2 1 0 5 WWL
6 Andrew Sims & Marco Mandolini 4 1 3 0 3 LLWL
7 Nikolaus Endstrasser & Sam Howard 4 0 4 0 1 LLLL
8 Tom Evans & Paul Marshall 2 0 2 0 0 LL

Match Results:

Reveal CommentCaroline Gargaro & Simon Dormon bt Gerard Van Tonder & Alan Revel (Apr 24) 5-7, 6-3, 6-2

Player Comments:

  • "Well another unfinished match for Gerard and I. Some long points and games with lots of break of serve! Enjoyable fun, hopefully we will get to complete the match. Thanks Caroline and Simon."  -- Alan
Rory Brown & Samir Rashed bt Tom Evans & Paul Marshall (Apr 23) Walkover
Reveal CommentLois Anderson & Simon Moore v Rory Brown & Samir Rashed (Apr 22) 7-5, 5-7 TBC

Player Comments:

  • "Ran out of time. Great last of the round. Thanks Samir and Rory. Look forward to celebrations with my fine partner Lois. "  -- Simon
Reveal CommentRory Brown & Samir Rashed bt Nikolaus Endstrasser & Sam Howard (Apr 16) 6-2, 6-0

Player Comments:

  • "Really fun match with some strong serving from both sides. Played in great spirits, looking forward to playing again! Rory"  -- Rory
Lois Anderson & Simon Moore bt Tom Evans & Paul Marshall (Apr 15) 7-5, 6-4
Reveal CommentGerard Van Tonder & Alan Revel bt Nikolaus Endstrasser & Sam Howard (Apr 14) 6-1, 6-3

Player Comments:

  • "An enjoyable 90 mins of tennis with Nikolaus and Sam. After an opening exchange of broken service games Gerard and I got on a bit of a roll and took the first set. Things were a lot closer in the second set with Nikolaus serving some fantastically quick and well placed serves and quite a few long games which could have gone either way. Gerard and I managed to get over the line. Thanks Nikolaus and Sam, good luck with your remaining matches."  -- Alan
Rory Brown & Samir Rashed bt Gerard Van Tonder & Alan Revel (Apr 9) Walkover
Reveal CommentRory Brown & Samir Rashed bt Andrew Sims & Marco Mandolini (Apr 3) 6-2, 7-5

Player Comments:

  • "A very enjoyable game with Marco & Andrew despite the wet conditions, some very long tactical rallies in the second set - thanks guys"  -- Samir
Reveal CommentStephen Hornsby & Richard Beswick bt Gerard Van Tonder & Alan Revel (Mar 30) 2-6, 6-2, 6-2

Player Comments:

  • "A fun and well matched 2 hours of tennis. The first game lasted around 10 mins which rather set the pattern for the evening. Hopefully will get to complete the match."  -- Alan
Reveal CommentStephen Hornsby & Richard Beswick v Andrew Sims & Marco Mandolini (Mar 27) 6-7 (3-7), 6-4, 2-2 TBC

Player Comments:

  • "Another classic tussle in the making ..."  -- Richard
Reveal CommentStephen Hornsby & Richard Beswick bt Caroline Gargaro & Simon Dormon (Mar 26) 6-3, 6-0

Player Comments:

  • "Good match, with lots of tough rallies and close games"  -- Richard
Reveal CommentRory Brown & Samir Rashed bt Caroline Gargaro & Simon Dormon (Mar 24) 6-4, 6-1

Player Comments:

  • "An enjoyable game with some good doubles play, thanks Caroline & Simon"  -- Samir
Reveal CommentLois Anderson & Simon Moore bt Andrew Sims & Marco Mandolini (Mar 24) 6-4, 6-4

Player Comments:

  • " "  -- Lois
Lois Anderson & Simon Moore bt Nikolaus Endstrasser & Sam Howard (Mar 23) 6-1, 6-1
Reveal CommentLois Anderson & Simon Moore bt Caroline Gargaro & Simon Dormon (Mar 17) 6-4, 6-1

Player Comments:

  • "Great fun tennis with lots of good rallies. Simin and Caroline are always a pleasure to play against. "  -- Simon

Match of the Group:

Reveal CommentCaroline Gargaro & Simon Dormon bt Nikolaus Endstrasser & Sam Howard (Mar 14) 6-7 (5-7), 7-6 (7-5), 6-2

Player Comments:

  • "...a closely fought final set where Simon and I managed to be slightly more consistent ...always a pleasure to play Sam and Nikolaus...until next time ... " Caroline
Reveal CommentAndrew Sims & Marco Mandolini bt Caroline Gargaro & Simon Dormon (Mar 12) 5-7, 6-3, 6-1

Player Comments:

  • "Really fun game in windy conditions. Could have easily gone either way. Thanks Simon and Caroline"  -- Andrew
Reveal CommentGerard Van Tonder & Alan Revel bt Andrew Sims & Marco Mandolini (Feb 27) 7-5, 7-5

Player Comments:

  • "A closely fought match which saw Gerard and I having to dig deep to get over the line in both sets. Andrew in particular played so well, getting to everything. Thanks chaps, great fun."  -- Alan
Reveal CommentLois Anderson & Simon Moore bt Gerard Van Tonder & Alan Revel (Feb 21) 6-2, 6-2

Player Comments:

  • "Enjoyable match but Simon and Lois were in a different league, with Simon hitting some forceful and accurate ground strokes and Lois demonstrating cat like reflexes at the net. Well played!"  -- Alan
Reveal CommentLois Anderson & Simon Moore bt Stephen Hornsby & Richard Beswick (Feb 15) 6-2, 6-0

Player Comments:

  • "great game of some very nice shot making all round."  -- Simon

Group Summary:

Brett & Tom "sneaked over the line" against Adam and Isabelle and braved "the wild windy weather" in their match with Claudia & Dylan, and ultimately these efforts paid off as they finished with a 100% winning record from their five matches and scored bonus points to top the podium. Claudia & Dylan weren't far behind the new champs, playing every match, scheduling well and picking up four wins and a point from a TBC encounter to come home only one point behind in second. Well played everyone!

Final Rankings:

Pos. Name Played P Won W Lost L Bonus BNS Total PTS Form
1 Brett Galloway & Tom Gatzen 5 5 0 2 12 WWWW
2 Claudia Delpero & Dylan Balbirnie 6 4 2 2 11 WWWL
3 Alex Hicks & Andrew Latto 4 4 0 2 10 WWWW
4 Adam Wood & Isabelle Hugh-Jones 5 2 3 0 5 WWLL
5 Gerard Van Tonder & Jan Atkinson 5 1 4 0 4 LLWL
6 Jens Hills & John Granshaw 5 1 4 0 3 WLLL
7 David Beales & Jenny Preston 3 1 2 0 2 LLW
8 Ireo Ostacchini & Helen Citron 3 0 3 0 2 LLL

Match Results:

Claudia Delpero & Dylan Balbirnie v Jens Hills & John Granshaw (Apr 28) 7-6 (16-14), 4-4 TBC
Adam Wood & Isabelle Hugh-Jones bt Ireo Ostacchini & Helen Citron (Apr 24) 4-6, 6-4, 6-2
Reveal CommentJens Hills & John Granshaw bt Gerard Van Tonder & Jan Atkinson (Apr 16) 1-6, 7-5, [10-6]

Player Comments:

  • "An enjoyable match played in played in good spirit. Looked like it was going to be a crushing defeat as Gerard and Jan could not do anything wrong in the first set. We just managed to hold them off in the second set and win the tie-break. Could have gone either way."  -- John
Reveal CommentGerard Van Tonder & Jan Atkinson v Ireo Ostacchini & Helen Citron (Apr 15) 1-6, 6-4, 5-5 TBC

Player Comments:

  • "A most enjoyable and closely contested match against Helen and Ireo. They ran away with the first set and an early finish seemed certain. Jan and I somehow managed to dig in and win the second. We ended at 5 all in the decider when time ran out. "  -- Gerard
Reveal CommentBrett Galloway & Tom Gatzen bt Jens Hills & John Granshaw (Apr 12) 6-3, 6-3

Player Comments:

  • "Great fun till the heavens opened up. Tbc"  -- Brett
Adam Wood & Isabelle Hugh-Jones bt Jens Hills & John Granshaw (Apr 9) 5-7, 6-1, 6-1

Match of the Group:

Reveal CommentBrett Galloway & Tom Gatzen bt Adam Wood & Isabelle Hugh-Jones (Apr 8) 6-4, 6-7 (0-7), 6-2

Player Comments:

  • "What a match, it had everything - including a delay for floodlights to be switched on as the man in the hut was injured and had to go home! Adam is very imposing at the net and Isabelle so effective in placing the ball into vacant spaces. It was a race against time at the end, as the bell had been rung (the man in hut had returned)! In the end Tom and I sneaked over the line. Thanks for such a good spirited match and I hooe you pick up plenty more poins before the round ends."  -- Brett
Gerard Van Tonder & Jan Atkinson bt David Beales & Jenny Preston (Apr 8) Walkover
Alex Hicks & Andrew Latto bt Gerard Van Tonder & Jan Atkinson (Apr 8) 6-1, 6-0
Claudia Delpero & Dylan Balbirnie bt Gerard Van Tonder & Jan Atkinson (Apr 7) 7-5, 6-1
Claudia Delpero & Dylan Balbirnie bt David Beales & Jenny Preston (Apr 6) 6-3, 7-6 (7-3)
Claudia Delpero & Dylan Balbirnie bt Adam Wood & Isabelle Hugh-Jones (Mar 31) 6-3, 6-0
Brett Galloway & Tom Gatzen bt Gerard Van Tonder & Jan Atkinson (Mar 17) 6-1, 6-1
Reveal CommentBrett Galloway & Tom Gatzen bt Ireo Ostacchini & Helen Citron (Mar 12) 6-3, 6-3

Player Comments:

  • "Always enjoyable to play Ireo and Helen. Good serving from Ireo and some huge returns from Helen. Thanks"  -- Brett
Reveal CommentBrett Galloway & Tom Gatzen bt Claudia Delpero & Dylan Balbirnie (Mar 10) 7-6 (7-4), 6-3

Player Comments:

  • "Well done all for braving the wild windy weather - some great rallies considering the adverse conditions."  -- Brett
Claudia Delpero & Dylan Balbirnie bt Ireo Ostacchini & Helen Citron (Mar 9) 6-1, 6-4
Reveal CommentDavid Beales & Jenny Preston bt Jens Hills & John Granshaw (Mar 2) 6-4, 7-5

Player Comments:

  • "Lovely match with John and Jens. Nip'n'tuck all the way. Thanks to Jenny's consistency we managed to get over the line. Jenny and David"  -- David
Reveal CommentAlex Hicks & Andrew Latto bt Adam Wood & Isabelle Hugh-Jones (Feb 27) 6-0, 6-2

Player Comments:

  • "A nice friendly match, thank you."  -- Alex
Alex Hicks & Andrew Latto bt Claudia Delpero & Dylan Balbirnie (Feb 23) 6-2, 6-1
Reveal CommentAlex Hicks & Andrew Latto bt Jens Hills & John Granshaw (Feb 21) 6-1, 7-5

Player Comments:

  • "A nice friendly match and a tight second set. Good to play you again Jens and good to meet you John. Thank you."  -- Alex

Group Summary:

There was a strong show of commitment in group four with matches played in both the "torrential rain" and "high-velocity winds"- great effort everyone. At the top of the table Sally & Nigel pipped fellow front runners Jeff & Harry to the post in a match that "could not have been much closer", and in the end this victory proves decisive as they edge into first place by a single point.

Final Rankings:

Pos. Name Played P Won W Lost L Bonus BNS Total PTS Form
1 Sally Kinnes & Nigel Billen 5 3 2 0 6 LLWW
2 Jeff Zroback & Harry Flower 3 2 1 0 5 WWL
3 James Rampton & Christopher Higgins 2 2 0 0 4 WW
4 Ashley Marshall & Edd Snoxell 1 1 0 0 2 W
5 Adam Donnan & Clare Ryal 2 1 1 0 2 WL
6 Rodney Schwartz & Jan Eales 3 1 2 0 2 LWL
7 Olivia Hugh-Jones & Alexander Trew 4 0 4 0 0 LLLL

Match Results:

Reveal CommentAshley Marshall & Edd Snoxell bt Sally Kinnes & Nigel Billen (Apr 23) 6-0, 6-1

Player Comments:

  • "A fun encounter against lovely opponents but we were completely outplayed! Some unreturnable serves from Ash and brilliantly volleying from Edd. Well played guys!"  -- Sally
Jeff Zroback & Harry Flower bt Rodney Schwartz & Jan Eales (Apr 16) 6-0, 6-1
Jeff Zroback & Harry Flower bt Olivia Hugh-Jones & Alexander Trew (Apr 14) 6-1, 6-3
Reveal CommentAdam Donnan & Clare Ryal bt Sally Kinnes & Nigel Billen (Apr 11) 6-2, 6-3

Player Comments:

  • "A very enjoyable game with some good rallies. Sally and Nigel introduced us to some new courts in Bounds Green. Highly recommended if you can't get the usual courts at Highbury/Clissold."  -- Adam
Reveal CommentSally Kinnes & Nigel Billen bt Olivia Hugh-Jones & Alexander Trew (Apr 1) 6-3, 6-0

Player Comments:

  • "We made a strong comeback after going three games down at the start of the match but count ourselves lucky that the final score wasn't a lot closer. Great fun against charming opponents and lovely way to spend a Sunday afternoon!"  -- Nigel

Match of the Group:

Reveal CommentSally Kinnes & Nigel Billen bt Jeff Zroback & Harry Flower (Mar 27) 3-6, 7-6 (7-5), [10-8]

Player Comments:

  • "Nip and tuck all the way in a very enjoyable match which we did not expect to win when Jeff and Harry were playing so well. Could not have been much closer. Many thanks for the game and good luck with the rest."  -- Sally
Reveal CommentJames Rampton & Christopher Higgins bt Adam Donnan & Clare Ryal (Mar 8) 6-2, 6-4

Player Comments:

  • "Despite torrential rain - which was particularly challenging for the three of us wearing glasses! - it was a good, tight match ‎played in the right spirit. "  -- James
Reveal CommentRodney Schwartz & Jan Eales bt Olivia Hugh-Jones & Alexander Trew (Mar 8) 6-3, 6-2

Player Comments:

  • "An enjoyable match played in very high-velocity winds. The ball would move up to 15 feet in the air, which led to some bizarre and hysterically funny points. The match could have gone either way."  -- Rodney
Reveal CommentSally Kinnes & Nigel Billen bt Rodney Schwartz & Jan Eales (Mar 2) 6-2, 6-3

Player Comments:

  • "Another fun and friendly match and revenge for us after our defeat to Jan and Rodney last time. Not even the man stealing the daffodils could spoil the fun! "  -- Nigel
Reveal CommentJames Rampton & Christopher Higgins bt Olivia Hugh-Jones & Alexander Trew (Mar 2) 6-1, 6-1

Player Comments:

  • "Great fun match, thanks for getting us back into the swing of it! "  -- Olivia