Collapse AllHove Singles - Round 52 | Thursday 13 August 2020 to Wednesday 7 October 2020 (Midpoint: Wednesday 9 September 2020)
Great to have 6 groups again in this round of Hove Tennis League and a good blend of new and familiar faces! Lots of exciting scorelines and over two thirds of all possible matches played which is a great effort. A few matches were suspended for bad light and resumed on a different day showing that Autumn is arriving... so don't forget to take this into account when booking your matches in the next round!
Group Summary:
Congratulations to group champ Guy for employing a mix of on court and scheduling skills to finish one point clear of Paul at the top of Group 1. Guy's 3 wins included a close opening set tiebreak against Ed who played "some cracking passing shots" while Paul notched up the most wins (5) but was also pushed hard in the opening set by Ed. Meanwhile Alex dug deep to come back from being "dead and buried" at 1-5 in the first set to win in 3 against the group champ... a strange match indeed!
Final Rankings:
- Guy Voce 8.2 [W3, L3, UF1] 11 includes 2 bonus points WINNER
- Paul Ramsden 8.2 [W5] 10 RUNNER UP
- Steven Denman [W4] 10 includes 2 bonus points
- Alex Beaumont 8.2 [W1, L2, UF1] 3
- Steve Bradley 9.2 [W1, L1, UF2] 2
- Ed Newlands [L3] 2 includes 2 bonus points
- Emmanuel Ide [L3] 1
- Tim Brickell [L2] withdrawn
Match Results:
Match of the Group:
Reveal CommentSteven Denman bt Guy Voce (Sep 3) 6-4, 4-6, 7-5Player Comments:
- "Fantastic game, it was a brutal final set. Thanks Guy." -- Steven
Player Comments:
- "TBC - rain interrupted play!" -- Alex
Player Comments:
- "I feel the scoreline represents Emmanuel’s water intake, which was 0. Might of been a different game otherwise! Thanks for the match, really enjoyed it" -- Steven
Player Comments:
- "Really close game" -- Steven
Player Comments:
- "At 1-5 down in the first set I was dead and buried... Very strange match! I got myself back into 1st set before Guy served out an excellent game to take it. But then something weird happened in 2nd set! I seemed to get into my rhythm at the same Guy lost his. 6-0 was extremely harsh though - it was much closer than this suggests. A nervy tie break decider. Guy came back from 4-9 down to nearly take it but I just hung on. Great game - look forward to the re match!" -- Alex
Player Comments:
- "Well played Tim, some cracking rallies and a thoroughly enjoyable match. " -- Guy
Player Comments:
- "Well played Tim. Tight game in difficult conditions." -- Steve
Group Summary:
Carlos made a flying start to his Leagues career winning 6 matches without defeat including a straight sets win over Daniel which proved the title decider as both players finished on 14 points. This was Daniel's only defeat and his 6 wins included a "very entertaining and hard fought" match against David who himself won an "intense ding-dong from start to finish" against James. This was a very competitive group across the board... well played!
Final Rankings:
- Carlos Enrech [W6] 14 includes 2 bonus points WINNER
- Daniel Hodgson [W6, L1] 14 includes 2 bonus points RUNNER UP
- Dominic Jackson 9.1 [W5, L1] 12 includes 2 bonus points
- David Winter [W3, L3] 9 includes 2 bonus points
- Frankie Ingham [W1, L3] 5 includes 2 bonus points
- James Caulfield [W1, L5] 4
- Olivia Stafford [L5] 3 includes 2 bonus points
- Patrick Corrigan [L4] 2 includes 2 bonus points
Match Results:
Player Comments:
- "An epic battle, Liv just wont give up on a point or a set and she came back strong every time. Phew! The temperamental little tennis gods were in my favour, this time!" -- James
Player Comments:
- "was a great match and some good tennis throughout, looking forward to playing again. " -- Frankie
Player Comments:
- "Lovely game Jim and good to meet you today. Very close game and I still feel quite lucky the momentum shifted my way after being 5-2 down in the first set. Look forward to next time!" -- Dominic
Player Comments:
- "A lovely game Olivia. A dark and damp start at 6.30am - fortunately the sun was just about up just before the end of the warm up. A quick first set (despite having about 15 deuces in the second game!), but a good fight back from Olivia in the second where at 3-2 up it felt like that set could have gone either way. Look forward to the next time! Maybe on a slightly drier court?" -- Dominic
Player Comments:
- "Hard-fought and intense ding-dong from start to finish. Clay substitute surface new for me, and a strong breeze added difficulty with cold rain for the first hour. Thanks Jim, thoroughly enjoyed it, a shame one of us had to lose! " -- David
Player Comments:
- "Nice early match played in tough, gusty winds. Cheers for the match Jim!" -- Daniel
Player Comments:
- "Thanks Dom for a very enjoyable and challenging match played in good spirits. Great shots down the line from you that were unplayable!" -- Daniel
- " Thanks Daniel - great to meet you and thanks for all the info about the Hove Park Alliance. Minor shame I couldn't have hit the lines a few more times, but very well played - it's doesn't always seem to be the case but the scoreline this time is definitely a very fair reflection of what happened on the day!!" -- Dominic
Player Comments:
- "Great friendly competitive game in perfect weather. Such a lovely time. Thanks David" -- Carlos
Player Comments:
- "A very entertaining and hard fought match. Thanks David!" -- Daniel
Player Comments:
- "Thanks. Hope we can play soon again. Cheers" -- Carlos
Player Comments:
- "Thanks Patrick for a good hard-fought match over 90 mins, loads of deuces, I rode my luck! " -- David
Player Comments:
- "Thanks Olivia. Hope we play again soon. Cheers Carlos" -- Carlos
Player Comments:
- "A very tough match for both in intense conditions, the wind swirling on one side of the court. Scrappy tennis at points with battles of the backhands, few long rallies and over-caution with wind, but smart shots throughout. A great match that took everything!" -- Daniel
Player Comments:
- "Set 2 could and perhaps should have been Patrick’s. Overall, plenty of aces from both sides and some well-fought deuces. Really enjoyable game!" -- Daniel
Player Comments:
- "Thanks for the game. Hope we can play soon again. Cheers" -- Carlos
Player Comments:
- "Really enjoyable match partly played through wind and drizzle. Plenty of even games made up of outrageous lobs from Olivia and aces from Dan. After a close start and weather break, the match started to slip away from Olivia, but on another day it could have been much closer." -- Daniel
Match of the Group:
Reveal CommentDominic Jackson bt Frankie Ingham (Aug 23) 7-6 (7-4), 4-6, 7-6 (7-5)Player Comments:
- "A great match today and super close - some brilliant attacking play from you and some very cleverly thought out plays ... I'm still a little baffled how I got the win, other than just trying to hold on in a very tough fought match. Look forward to the next time! I'm also determined now to get some time with your coach!! :-) Good luck in the rest of you matches" -- Dominic
Player Comments:
- "Playing in swirly conditions, we both settled in the second set which could have gone either way at 4-4. A lot of deuce games, highly competitive and enjoyable =Phew!=" -- David
Player Comments:
- "Thanks a lot. Great game. Hope we play soon again. Cheers" -- Carlos
Player Comments:
- "Thanks for the game. Hope to play again soon." -- Carlos
Player Comments:
- "Great game Patrick - you certainly made me work for it, with some tough serves and big shots for me to contend with - best of luck for the rest of your games!" -- Dominic
Player Comments:
- "A lovely game David - a quick first set for you with all those cross court backhand winners, and well disguised angled short balls. And then a tough fought second set that could have gone either way - I didn't realise I'd saved 3 match points until you told me afterwards, so I must have been relaxed despite being on the wrong end of the scoreline at that point - not like me at all! Thanks again and very much looking forward to a rematch sometime soon!" -- Dominic
Group Summary:
It was a "battle of the Adam's" at the top of Group 3 with Adam S finishing as champ with 7 wins, just 2 points clear of Adam A in runner up spot. Their head to head was a close 2 setter with "great defensive play from both" while Adam S's standout win was a "3 hour epic match" featuring 2 close tiebreaks against Khalid... phew!
Final Rankings:
- Adam Smith 8.2 [W7] 16 includes 2 bonus points WINNER
- Adam Arabzadeh 10.1 [W6, L2] 14 includes 2 bonus points RUNNER UP
- Juan Pane [W4, L1] 11 includes 2 bonus points
- Simon Purwar [W4, L3] 11 includes 2 bonus points
- Khalid Al Hamadi 10.2 [W4, L4] 11 includes 2 bonus points
- Jon Rattenbury 8.2 [W2, L3] 7
- Guy Dixon [W2, L5] 6 includes 2 bonus points
- Christopher Isherwood [L5] withdrawn 4 includes 2 bonus points
- Brett Baker [L6] 2 includes 2 bonus points
Match Results:
Player Comments:
- "Pleased to finish the season with a win and play my best match as a well against a very good player in Jon. It was a hard fought match lasting 1hr 40 minutes and the first set was long especially which Jon played well to win. Luckily I was able to turn it around in the 2nd despite being behind early. Many thanks for the great game Jon and thanks to my fellow players from Div 3 who have played such great Tennis. Hope to play you all soon." -- Guy
Player Comments:
- "Thanks for the game Simon!" -- Juan
Player Comments:
- "Back and forth match which probably deserved a 3rd set but we were short on time. Well played Jon, hope we get to play again in the league!" -- Khalid
Player Comments:
- "A tight match as always when we play each other, scoreline in the 3rd didnt really reflect how close the games were as pretty much every one went to duece. Really enjoyed the match, good luck with the rest of yours Jon." -- Adam
Player Comments:
- "Some great rallies with lots of chasing around, and several close games that went to deuce. The closeness of the match was not really reflected in the scoreline." -- Simon
Player Comments:
- "Nice match with some good rallies and winners despite the very gusty conditions" -- Adam
Player Comments:
- "It was a strange game overall but the 1st set ended up being key, with some great rallies at the crucial 5-4 mark! well played Brett, thanks for the match." -- Khalid
Player Comments:
- "Was a very tight second set, some very long rallies, fitness was definitely tested. good game!" -- Adam
Player Comments:
- "What a saga! We started with a tour of Hove public courts trying in vain to find a free court. Then to your club’s courts. Thanks to Khalid for that. My first time on clay. Our first time playing at dusk where we could barely see the ball. Then a floodlit court came free and we rounded off the game in the glare of floodlights. A tough game!!" -- Simon
Player Comments:
- "A great and challenging match! Really enjoyed Adam" -- Juan
Match of the Group:
Reveal CommentAdam Smith bt Khalid Al Hamadi (Sep 7) 7-6 (8-6), 6-7 (8-10), 6-3Player Comments:
- "A 3 hour epic match with some great rallies and winners, not much in it at all, well played!" -- Adam
Player Comments:
- "Cheers for the game Guy! A few long rallies and games in a very enjoyable match. Good luck for the rest of the round." -- Adam
Player Comments:
- "A very very hard match where neither player gave an inch in a match lasting 1hr 21minutes. First set was a real battle which swung too and fro. Was relieved to win just before the rain fell. Well played Brett! Some really hard fought rallies and hope to play you again soon. Good luck in your remaining games." -- Guy
Player Comments:
- "Nice game, some good rallies and defensive play!" -- Adam
Player Comments:
- "Great game with some long and challenging rallies! " -- Juan
Player Comments:
- "Well played Chris, turned into a tough match with some good rallies and a lot of long games. Wind made it tricky at times but a lot of good shots played by both." -- Adam
Player Comments:
- "Thanks for the game Guy, was nice to meet you. Lots of long games and good shots from both." -- Khalid
Player Comments:
- "Competitive match with some long rallies and great defensive play from both. Enjoyable game!" -- Adam
Player Comments:
- "Half way through the first set some players from a club tried to kick as off the court even though they had no right to, this broke both of our concentrations for a while otherwise we would have had a better match which was a shame" -- Adam
Player Comments:
- "Great match, really enjoyed some long rallies. " -- Juan
Player Comments:
- "Really good tennis played by both in tricky windy conditions. A lot of long rallies and close games throughout a very enjoyable match." -- Adam
Player Comments:
- "Cheers for the game Brett really enjoyable and competitive with a lot of duece games a closer match than the scoreline suggests. Good luck for the remainder of the round." -- Adam
Player Comments:
- "Nice match, good serving and rallies. Shame about the holes in the st Anns nets haha" -- Adam
Group Summary:
Congratulations to Bankim for a successful defence of his Group 4 crown winning 5 matches and building a 2 point lead over runner up Andy. Bankim was put through his paces by Leagues debutant Frankie who impressed with her court coverage and backhand, while Andy had to work hard against John, taking the win in the match tiebreak.
Final Rankings:
- Bankim Chandra [W5, L2] 12 includes 2 bonus points WINNER
- Andy Gray 9.1 [W3, L4] 10 includes 2 bonus points RUNNER UP
- Alastair Shaw [W4, L1] 8
- Geoff Hunt [W3] 8 includes 2 bonus points
- Frankie Chiles [W3, L2] 6
- John Tovey 10.2 [W1, L3] 4
- Kate Morley [L3] 2 includes 2 bonus points
- Thys Aarts [L4]
- Rob Goodwin 8.2 withdrawn
Match Results:
Player Comments:
- "Great sets with Bankim, long rallies and a hard man to get a ball passed! Would love to play again some time. " -- Alastair
Player Comments:
- "Great match, John has got a difficult serve to deal with , lots of closely contested points! " -- Frankie
Player Comments:
- "Great match with Frankie, she deserved more than the games she got in tough conditions. Look forward to our next match!" -- Alastair
Player Comments:
- "What a pleasure playing with you Thys. You are such a fun person to play with & so happy all the time. Thanks for the game & good luck with the rest of the games." -- Bankim
Match of the Group:
Andy Gray bt John Tovey (Sep 16) 6-2, 4-6, [10-7]Player Comments:
- "Great game with John again...long rallies, every game was a tough one...well played John!!" -- Bankim
Player Comments:
- "Well played Kate, great game and thanks " -- Geoff
Player Comments:
- "Amazing Tennis with Frankie who is playing in her first ever league. She was UN-BELIEVABLE runner all over the court & her back-hand was one of the best I've experienced in this league. Well Played Frankie & good luck for rest of your matches!!" -- Bankim
- "Really enjoyable, lots of long rallies, Bankim is super consistent. Well played." -- Frankie
Player Comments:
- "Very enjoyable game with Kate....Long rallies...Kate has an amazing serve & very effective top spin. Hope to play with you again...Thanks Bankim" -- Bankim
Player Comments:
- "Epic game , really enjoyable . What a great guy as well . Well played " -- Geoff
Player Comments:
- "Andy is a very fit & energetic player. We had an amazing game on a windy morning with lots of long rallies. One of the best matches in my life & the hardest set ever which could have gone either way. Thanks Andy, hope to play with you soon!!" -- Bankim
Player Comments:
- "Great game in the evening sunshine. Ali has an incredible forehand and was pinging me all over the plaza. Also king of the drop shot! Some great rallies and look forward to playing again. Cheers!" -- John
Player Comments:
- "Thanks for the game Andy . Very competitive " -- Geoff
Group Summary:
Nick led the way on his debut with 7 wins and finishing 2 points clear of runner up Ben. It was a close contest for runner up spot though with Ben just edging above Jon in the table by winning their head to head in 2 close sets with "very long rallies throughout and evenly matched" although Jon had a strong round too also recording 6 wins including a "tough match" against Mel.
Final Rankings:
- Nick Kuh [W7, UF1] 17 includes 2 bonus points WINNER
- Ben Gordon 10.2 [W6, L2] 15 includes 2 bonus points RUNNER UP
- Jon Cook 10.1 [W6, L2] 15 includes 2 bonus points
- Diarmuid (dee) O'hare [W4, L3, UF1] 10
- David Ford [W2, L5] 9 includes 2 bonus points
- Allan Maxwell [W3, L5] 9 includes 2 bonus points
- Mel Dixon 10.2 [W3, L4] 8 includes 2 bonus points
- Amanda Atkins 10.1 [W2, L5, UF1] 8 includes 2 bonus points
- Andy Grant [L7, UF1] 7 includes 2 bonus points
Match Results:
Player Comments:
- "Great to meet and play Mel. The scoreline doesn't reflect closeness of the play." -- Diarmuid (dee)
Player Comments:
- "great to meet and play against Allan. windy conditions at Kingsway and we had many tough battles to deuce. thanks Allan " -- Diarmuid (dee)
Player Comments:
- "We managed to avoid the expected rain and a very enjoyable game with many exhausting long rallies . Well played Alan and look forward to playing you in the next league " -- David
Player Comments:
- "Great contest in a warm September day. David was a great competitor and very sporting throughout. Look forward to playing him again." -- Diarmuid (dee)
Player Comments:
- "We will not be able to arrange the completion of this match unfortunately. Great o meet and play Amanda. Very enjoyable game in the windy sunshine. " -- Diarmuid (dee)
Player Comments:
- "Always a tough competitor is Andy. Managed to get the second set to a tie break where it could have gone either way. Wind was also a factor. " -- Jon
Player Comments:
- "We've got to 5-5 in set 2. To be continued." -- Andy
- "Another great match with Andy. Split across two locations and conditions literally made it a game of 2 halves. Friendly and sporting." -- Diarmuid
Player Comments:
- "What a match! Really enjoyable, tough game on a Sunday morning! Very nice to meet you Dee. Looking forward to playing again 🎾 " -- Nick
Player Comments:
- "Cheers for the game Jon 👍🎾" -- Nick
Player Comments:
- "Great game where we just about managed to avoid the rain and sunset! Thanks David." -- Nick
Player Comments:
- "Thanks for a great match Amanda." -- Jon
Player Comments:
- "Always great to play against Dee lots of games going to deuce. Look forward to playing him again next round " -- Ben
Player Comments:
- "An absolutely epic match! So many deuce's! So many long rallies. Mel's is so consistent and good at getting to everything that my only option was to push shots to the baseline and attack the net. Great game, well played Mel." -- Nick
Player Comments:
- "A superb well balanced match, good long rallies and that competitive edge on both sides of the net. This game could have gone either way without question - well done Andy where I look forward to that rematch. " -- Allan
Player Comments:
- "Our similar styles meant this was always going to be a well contested match full of hard-fought rallies. The first set was an even affair with Ben fighting back well from 5-3 down to draw level at 5-5 before I managed to close it out. The second took place against a backdrop of fast-fading light. Good match played in a good spirit." -- Mel
Match of the Group:
Amanda Atkins bt David Ford (Sep 1) 6-4, 3-6, [10-7]Player Comments:
- "Very long rallies and an exhausting match. Great fun and very evenly matched. " -- Ben
Player Comments:
- "An exceedingly challenging match that could easily have gone either way. Superb competitor with a strong forehand top spin return. Thank you Amanda. " -- Allan
Player Comments:
- "Irrespective of the score in the first set, Mel played an exceedingly challenging game of Tennis throughout. In the 2nd set, he pushed his game and took a quick 3-0 lead however, he let me back in to take command 5-3. Again Mel pushed his boundaries and pulled the set back to 5-5. Great commitment throughout and always a highly competitive opponent- Thanks buddy and well played....." -- Allan
Player Comments:
- "Very long rallies throughout and evenly matched. Look forward to playing Jon in a future round" -- Ben
Player Comments:
- "Twas a blustery day and Alan and I battled and overcame the winds of Babylon. After a competitive game of tennis we hit the beers and curry houses of Hove. Could have gone either way in the first which tbh sets the tone for the second. Good luck in the leagues and in life Allan! " -- Nick
Player Comments:
- "We were both probably a bit erratic today. Some quality shots followed by inexplicable errors. Happy to complete the win just as the light was starting to fade. Sadly, one of Andy's balls was stolen by the tree overhanging St Anne's Wells tennis court." -- Mel
Player Comments:
- "Enjoyable game in windy conditions. Amanda has a mean top spin forehand and a great serve. I look forward to the next time we play - knackered now!" -- Nick
Player Comments:
- "Happy to get my first win on clay! Match was closer than the score would indicate with plenty of close games." -- Mel
Player Comments:
- "Ben is a great player and a sportsman. Aside from the first set it was neck and neck all the way. Very nice bloke and enjoyable way to start a Sunday!" -- Nick
Player Comments:
- "A game of two halves and could have easily gone either way. Look forward to playing Amanda again - it’s now 1-1 in the two matches we’ve played!" -- Ben
Player Comments:
- "Great match played in quite difficult conditions due to the slippery courts at saint Anne’s and ‘kids club’! " -- Jon
Player Comments:
- "A very close game that could have gone either way on a hot and humid afternoon . Thanks Andy and good luck in your other matches. " -- David
Player Comments:
- "Good fun and very evenly matched. Look forward to playing Andy again." -- Ben
Player Comments:
- "Such a tough match. Long rallies on every point. Mel gets every ball back, most tenacious player I’ve ever played. Could have gone either way. Shame one of us had to lose." -- Jon
Player Comments:
- "A gruelling game against Allan that could have easily gone either way. Look forward to playing Allan again in the future " -- Ben
Group Summary:
Ian and Henry headed up an otherwise low scoring group, with Ian the only player to schedule 5 matches and no-one earning midway bonus points. Ian won 5 out of 5 to finish as clear winner ahead of Henry although their head to head was a good 2 setter. Henry also has the kudos of winning the group's only 3 setter, his "loopy shots to the baseline" helping him to win the third set after dropping the second.
Final Rankings:
- Ian Pemberton [W5] 8 WINNER
- Henry McLaughlin 9.2 [W3, L1] 6 RUNNER UP
- Thomas Setter [W1, L2] 3
- Catherine Clifton [W1, L3] 2
- Louis Blair [L1]
- Richard Donovan [L3]
- Cristina Iacob withdrawn
Match Results:
Player Comments:
- "Bad light suspended play" -- Ian
Player Comments:
- "Good to play you Catherine. It was difficult in the wind. Some great forehand drives into the corner!" -- Henry
Player Comments:
- "Nice to play you Tom! 😊🎾" -- Catherine
Player Comments:
- "Nice to meet you Richard! 😊🎾" -- Catherine
Match of the Group:
Reveal CommentHenry McLaughlin bt Thomas Setter (Sep 8) 6-2, 1-6, 6-3Player Comments:
- "Tom got his eye in on the second set and hit some lovely groundstrokes to level at one set each, but Henry was able to bring him down to his level in the third set with some loopy shots to the baseline and ground out the win! Great match and finished with only a few minutes until the light faded." -- Henry
Player Comments:
- "Good game. We both took a while to get our serves going but some competitive rallies." -- Henry
Player Comments: