£18.00

Collapse AllPortsmouth Singles - Round 40 | Thursday 9 January 2020 to Wednesday 4 March 2020 (Midpoint: Wednesday 5 February 2020)

An absolutely terrific winter round with an elements defying nearly 80 per cent of matches played. Hats off to you all, and thanks for all the great commentaries that are a fantastic testament to the action. Looking forward to the spring weather and to see who the next set of champs will be!

Group Summary:

This was a great group - and so close! So many matches played and almost everyone got their bonus points. Lots of friendly rivalries were renewed and there was 'a slightly tense title decider' between Tomasz and Joe (who tied on points) as we can imagine! Tomasz won so gets gold this time but great play all round. Well done all.

Final Rankings:

Pos. Name Played P Won W Lost L Bonus BNS Total PTS Form
1 Tomasz Wojtak 6 6 0 2 14 WWWW
2 Joe Dobney 7 6 1 2 14 LWWW
3 Paul Mifsud 4 2 2 2 7 WLLW
4 Paul Whittenham 6 2 4 2 6 LLWL
5 Mark Tamba 4 1 3 0 3 WLLL
6 Jay Smith 4 0 4 2 3 LLLL
7 Lewis Richards 2 1 1 0 2 WL
8 Chris Corbett 3 0 3 2 2 LLL

Match Results:

Reveal CommentLewis Richards bt Jay Smith (Feb 29) 6-1, 6-4

Player Comments:

  • "I've played Jay about 5 times before and lost all but one, so it was great to get the win. I think the surface suited me, but was a great match as usual. "  -- Lewis
Reveal CommentTomasz Wojtak bt Joe Dobney (Feb 28) 6-3, 6-2

Player Comments:

  • "Slightly tense title decider Joe. Good, fun battle will hopefully make us better players. "  -- Tomasz
Mark Tamba bt Paul Whittenham (Feb 24) 6-4, 6-2
Reveal CommentTomasz Wojtak bt Mark Tamba (Feb 13) 6-1, 6-0

Player Comments:

  • "Thanks for the match Mark, very close games, and some quality rallies."  -- Tomasz
Reveal CommentJoe Dobney bt Paul Whittenham (Feb 11) 6-3, 6-2

Player Comments:

  • "Thanks for a good match Paul. See you soon in the doubles tournament - Dobney & son! "  -- Joe
Reveal CommentJoe Dobney bt Mark Tamba (Feb 10) 6-2, 6-0

Player Comments:

  • "Good to meet you Mark, good luck for the rest of your matches. "  -- Joe
Reveal CommentPaul Whittenham bt Chris Corbett (Jan 29) 6-2, 6-2

Player Comments:

  • "Great to see Chris again following a 2-year break since our last encounter which Chris won in straight sets. On this occasion it’s fair to say that Chris struggled to bring his usual consistent game to the court having played very little tennis in the past 12 months. Still a tough match in windy conditions and a good battle. Good luck with the rest of your matches Chris and happy to hit with you any time."  -- Paul
Paul Mifsud bt Paul Whittenham (Jan 27) 6-2, 6-2
Reveal CommentTomasz Wojtak bt Jay Smith (Jan 25) 6-0, 6-1

Player Comments:

  • "Thanks for the match Jay, top bloke, good luck in the others."  -- Tomasz
Reveal CommentJoe Dobney bt Lewis Richards (Jan 25) 6-2, 6-3

Player Comments:

  • "Good game Lewis, good luck for the rest of the tournament. ?"  -- Joe
Reveal CommentTomasz Wojtak bt Chris Corbett (Jan 23) 6-0, 6-1

Player Comments:

  • "Thanks Chris, I could see you can play, just looked a bit rusty. Good luck in your other matches. "  -- Tomasz
Reveal CommentTomasz Wojtak bt Paul Mifsud (Jan 20) 6-2, 7-5

Player Comments:

  • "Very tough second set Paul, the closest set I have played in any of these leagues."  -- Tomasz
Joe Dobney bt Jay Smith (Jan 19) 6-1, 6-0

Match of the Group:

Reveal CommentJoe Dobney bt Paul Mifsud (Jan 18) 6-4, 4-6, 6-4

Player Comments:

  • "Paul is made of steel! Hardest match I’ve ever played, both physical and mental strength required to the highest level today. Great match Paul! "  -- Joe
Reveal CommentPaul Whittenham bt Jay Smith (Jan 18) 2-6, 6-2, 6-0

Player Comments:

  • "It has been well over 2 years since I played Jay last so it was good to have the opportunity to play each other again. Jay played an excellent first set and fully deserved to take it, playing several winners particularly off the forehand wing. I settled more into my game in the 2nd set and managed to secure an early break of serve which helped build my confidence as I went on to win the set. I think it’s fair to say the Jay’s level dropped in the final set and I managed to close out the win. Thank you Jay for the game and enjoyed our chat both before the game and after. Good luck with the rest of your matches."  -- Paul
Reveal CommentTomasz Wojtak bt Paul Whittenham (Jan 16) 6-1, 6-0

Player Comments:

  • "Thanks for the match Paul, some very close games in that scoreline."  -- Tomasz
Reveal CommentPaul Mifsud bt Mark Tamba (Jan 13) 7-5, 5-7, 6-0

Player Comments:

  • "This was a great match. Mark is a very tough opponent. All 3 sets were very close, the scoreline in the last set not indicating how close it really was. "  -- Paul
Joe Dobney bt Chris Corbett (Jan 11) 6-1, 7-5

Group Summary:

All but one possible match played here which is fantastic! Well done all and given how much tennis was played, it is not surprising that the result was so close - just one point between the winner (Dorin) and runner up (David). Some excellent matches along the way with a brilliant turnaround from David playing Maksims (5 match points saved!) and a "Very very hard game,' between the top two with champ Dorin giving all credit to David - 'Amazing player'. Congrats to both.

Final Rankings:

Pos. Name Played P Won W Lost L Bonus BNS Total PTS Form
1 Dorin Vrasmas 6 6 0 2 14 WWWW
2 David Robertson 6 5 1 2 13 WWLW
3 Steve Dobney 5 3 2 2 9 WWWL
4 Will Martin 6 2 4 2 9 LLLW
5 Daniel Alexandru Rada 5 2 3 2 7 WLWL
6 Tim Durham 6 2 4 2 6 WLLW
7 Maksims Afanasjevs 6 0 6 2 4 LLLL

Match Results:

Reveal CommentDaniel Alexandru Rada bt Maksims Afanasjevs (Mar 2) 7-6 (7-2), 4-6, [10-5]

Player Comments:

  • "Maksims is an amazing player,we had a lot of deuces every game!Thanks for playing!"  -- Daniel Alexandru
Steve Dobney bt Maksims Afanasjevs (Feb 25) 6-3, 6-4
Reveal CommentSteve Dobney bt Will Martin (Feb 23) 6-4, 6-7 (5-7), [10-6]

Player Comments:

  • "Thanks for a great match Will. "  -- Steve
Reveal CommentTim Durham bt Maksims Afanasjevs (Feb 18) 6-4, 6-4

Player Comments:

  • "Another good game against Max, lots of long rallies and close games, and I just managed to hang on for the win in the end. "  -- Tim
Reveal CommentDavid Robertson bt Daniel Alexandru Rada (Feb 17) 6-2, 4-6, 6-0

Player Comments:

  • "Another good game with Daniel. We have played quite a few times now and it’s always close. I think my fitness got me through in the end. Thanks. Dave"  -- David
Reveal CommentDavid Robertson bt Tim Durham (Feb 11) 6-4, 6-4

Player Comments:

  • "A close and enjoyable match with Tim. Could have gone either way. Thanks. Dave"  -- David
Dorin Vrasmas bt Tim Durham (Feb 6) 7-5, 6-3

Match of the Group:

Reveal CommentDaniel Alexandru Rada bt Will Martin (Feb 5) 6-7 (4-7), 6-2, 6-3

Player Comments:

  • "Will it’s an amazing player!Thanks for the match!"  -- Daniel Alexandru
Reveal CommentDorin Vrasmas bt Will Martin (Feb 2) 2-6, 6-1, 6-4

Player Comments:

  • "Young and very strong player."  -- Dorin
Reveal CommentTim Durham bt Daniel Alexandru Rada (Jan 30) 6-2, 6-4

Player Comments:

  • "A really enjoyable game, lots of close games and long rallies in both sets. Difficult conditions with the court being slippery. Good luck for the rest of your games. "  -- Tim
Dorin Vrasmas bt Daniel Alexandru Rada (Jan 27) 6-2, 6-2
Reveal CommentSteve Dobney bt Tim Durham (Jan 25) 6-3, 6-0

Player Comments:

  • "Good game, good to play you Tim. Good luck for the rest of the tournament. "  -- Steve
Reveal CommentDorin Vrasmas bt David Robertson (Jan 24) 6-4, 5-7, 6-2

Player Comments:

  • "Very very hard game.Amazing player.Thanks"  -- Dorin
Reveal CommentWill Martin bt Maksims Afanasjevs (Jan 22) 7-6 (7-1), 6-0

Player Comments:

  • "A good match, the second set a lot closer than the score suggests."  -- Will
Reveal CommentDavid Robertson bt Steve Dobney (Jan 21) 6-3, 6-1

Player Comments:

  • "Another good game with Steve on a beautiful sunny morning in Southsea. Thanks for the match!"  -- David
Reveal CommentWill Martin bt Tim Durham (Jan 21) 6-4, 6-3

Player Comments:

  • "Great match, with some really close points and one extra long game at 5-3 that could have gone either way."  -- Will
Dorin Vrasmas bt Maksims Afanasjevs (Jan 20) 6-2, 6-2
Reveal CommentDavid Robertson bt Maksims Afanasjevs (Jan 19) 4-6, 7-5, 6-1

Player Comments:

  • "A tough match against Max. I made so many errors in the first set and then saved 5 match points. I managed to grind out the win but could have gone either way. Thanks. Dave "  -- David
Reveal CommentDorin Vrasmas bt Steve Dobney (Jan 18) 7-5, 1-6, 6-1

Player Comments:

  • "Steve a great player"  -- Dorin
Reveal CommentDavid Robertson bt Will Martin (Jan 13) 7-5, 7-6 (7-5)

Player Comments:

  • "A good match in difficult windy conditions. As the scoreline suggests it was very close and a point here and there just swung it my way. Thanks. Dave"  -- David

Group Summary:

In a nail-bitingly close group, bonus points, scheduling skill and some mighty-fine tennis made the difference! No one could keep and entirely clean sheet and that meant three if not four players were in the running for top spot. One more set won and it could have been Damian as our champ; if only Dennis had earned bonus points his head-to-head win against Matt would have seen him the champ; but Matt, with more wins than anyone else, grabs the prize. Fantastic tennis everyone!

Final Rankings:

Pos. Name Played P Won W Lost L Bonus BNS Total PTS Form
1 Matt Webber 7 6 1 0 12 WWWL
2 Damian Hodnett 6 4 2 2 12 LWLW
3 Dennis Greenwood 6 5 1 0 10 WLWW
4 Stephen Philpott 7 4 3 0 9 WLLW
5 Gemma Cutts 6 2 4 2 8 WLLW
6 Peter Pullen 6 2 4 0 6 LLLW
7 Jess Doyle 5 0 5 2 2 LLLL
8 Rob Darling 3 0 3 0 0 LLL

Match Results:

Reveal CommentStephen Philpott bt Peter Pullen (Mar 2) 6-3, 6-4

Player Comments:

  • "great to meet and play pete ,thanks for playing as i know you were knackered from work ...obviously the score reflected that .....hope to play again in the future ...all the best "  -- Stephen
Reveal CommentMatt Webber bt Peter Pullen (Mar 1) 7-5, 7-6 (7-4)

Player Comments:

  • "Fantastic match with Pete. Some great rallies and it could easily have gone the other way. I'm looking forward to the next one."  -- Matt
Reveal CommentGemma Cutts bt Jess Doyle (Feb 28) 6-2, 6-2

Player Comments:

  • "It was so lovely to play Jess, and the score is definitely not reflective of the game! Thanks Jess"  -- Gemma

Match of the Group:

Reveal CommentMatt Webber bt Damian Hodnett (Feb 27) 6-4, 1-6, 6-0

Player Comments:

  • "Wow! After the 2nd set I really didn't expect this to go my way. Damian's a really good player. I'm lucky that he made more of the mistakes today and I'm really happy to have played out of my skin. Some great rallies, which I didn't want to get into with him because he's better than me from the baseline. I think my returning and my backhand hanging in there were what got me through in the end. Excellent match and I look forward to the next one!"  -- Matt
Reveal CommentMatt Webber bt Stephen Philpott (Feb 26) 2-6, 6-3, 6-4

Player Comments:

  • "Fantastic match with Stephen. He played some great tennis - hitting a lot to my backhand and moving me all over the court. When I came to the net, he passed me. When I targeted his backhand, he defended well. It was a real contest. I think my racquet change after the first set and more consistent serving made the difference in the end. Really enjoyed this one and look forward to our next match."  -- Matt
Reveal CommentDennis Greenwood bt Matt Webber (Feb 24) 6-3, 6-4

Player Comments:

  • "Good match, Matt hit some really powerful top spin forehands, but serve was a little off."  -- Dennis
Reveal CommentMatt Webber bt Jess Doyle (Feb 23) 6-2, 6-2

Player Comments:

  • "Great, competitive match against Jess. She's got a mean forehand, was pretty consistent and played some intelligent shots. I was lucky that my 1st serve seems to work really well at Priory and I managed to keep Jess on her backhand. Very enjoyable match and I look forward to our next one."  -- Matt
Reveal CommentMatt Webber bt Gemma Cutts (Feb 20) 6-1, 6-0

Player Comments:

  • "Great match against Jess. Lots of nice rallies and we both tried to build points. I had to defend a lot and she hit some very intelligent shots. I was just lucky to make less mistakes than usual and serve consistently. Looking forward to the next one."  -- Matt
Reveal CommentDamian Hodnett bt Dennis Greenwood (Feb 19) 6-4, 6-3

Player Comments:

  • "Good to meet Dennis and play a competitive match. Good luck for the rest of the league."  -- Damian
Reveal CommentMatt Webber bt Rob Darling (Feb 19) 6-0, 6-1

Player Comments:

  • "Always a great match against Rob. This was much closer than the scoreline suggests. Lots of deuce games and great rallies. I had to concentrate very hard. I won't mention the fact that but for an inside-out forehand landing long by a centimetre this would have been a double bagel. I'll leave that part out ;) Really enjoyable match. Looking forward to the next one."  -- Matt
Reveal CommentDennis Greenwood bt Peter Pullen (Feb 17) 6-0, 2-6, 6-2

Player Comments:

  • "First two sets were very contrasting and the last was very even. Overall an enjoyable match."  -- Dennis
Reveal CommentDennis Greenwood bt Stephen Philpott (Feb 14) 7-6 (7-4), 7-5

Player Comments:

  • "This was a really close match and could have gone either way."  -- Dennis
Reveal CommentPeter Pullen bt Damian Hodnett (Feb 13) 6-0, 0-6, 6-1

Player Comments:

  • "Strange scores for a very close match "  -- Peter
Reveal CommentStephen Philpott bt Rob Darling (Feb 7) 6-4, 7-5

Player Comments:

  • "wot can i say ....thought i was gunna get proper smashed ....first game ....wow .....super serving ....have played rob a few times now ....recent results have all gone robs way ....but manged to upset his rhythm today and stole the victory .....many thanks rob im sure you will have your revenge in the future ....good luck bud in future games "  -- Stephen
Reveal CommentStephen Philpott bt Gemma Cutts (Feb 6) 6-4, 6-1

Player Comments:

  • "first time to play gemma ,had a very close first set ,which i just managed to take ....second set ...well we can blame your shoes .....played in your dog walking shoes lol.....pleasure to meet and play ...good luck with your future games "  -- Stephen
Reveal CommentGemma Cutts bt Peter Pullen (Feb 4) 6-7 (4-7), 6-3, 6-2

Player Comments:

  • "Always great to play Pete, always so much running!!"  -- Gemma
Reveal CommentDamian Hodnett bt Gemma Cutts (Jan 29) 4-6, 6-2, 6-2

Player Comments:

  • "Great to play Gemma again. Long rallies, lots of running and really hard work. Good luck for the rest of the league "  -- Damian
Reveal CommentStephen Philpott bt Jess Doyle (Jan 27) 6-3, 6-4

Player Comments:

  • "always a pleasure to play Jess ,as usual some good shots and some not so good shots ...lol...thanks for the game ,good luck for your future games "  -- Stephen
Reveal CommentDennis Greenwood bt Gemma Cutts (Jan 27) 6-2, 3-6, 6-3

Player Comments:

  • "Really even and enjoyable game, Gemma had great control of her ground shots."  -- Dennis
Reveal CommentDennis Greenwood bt Jess Doyle (Jan 24) 6-1, 6-4

Player Comments:

  • "This was a very close match, Jess hit some really powerful forehands."  -- Dennis
Reveal CommentPeter Pullen bt Rob Darling (Jan 23) 6-4, 7-5

Player Comments:

  • "Some really long rallies and good shots. "  -- Peter
Reveal CommentDamian Hodnett bt Stephen Philpott (Jan 23) 6-3, 6-2

Player Comments:

  • "Thanks Stephen for a really enjoyable game, i had to move alot, and just managed to come out on top in some of the longer rallies. "  -- Damian
Reveal CommentDamian Hodnett bt Jess Doyle (Jan 17) 6-3, 6-4

Player Comments:

  • "Really good to meet Jess, I really enjoyed the match, we had some good rallies and both dusted off the cobwebs a bit..."  -- Damian

Group Summary:

David celebrates a return to the league with an emphatic claim for promotion and a very well-deserved group win! It was a much closer affair elsewhere and, with a few matches left unplayed, it could have been closer still. Andy and Lyuba battled it out for second place, the positions in part decided by their excellent head to head. Special nod to Sarah on a very commendable debut performance. Here's to the next round!

Final Rankings:

Pos. Name Played P Won W Lost L Bonus BNS Total PTS Form
1 David Simmons 4 4 0 2 10 WWWW
2 Andy Smith 4 3 1 0 6 WWWL
3 Lyuba Anderton 4 2 2 0 4 WWLL
4 Miriam Mclean 4 0 4 2 4 LLLL
5 Sarah Close 4 1 3 0 3 LLLW
6 Lesley Kelly 0 0 0 0 1 0

Match Results:

Reveal CommentLyuba Anderton bt Miriam Mclean (Mar 2) 4-6, 6-3, 6-0

Player Comments:

  • "What a match! Miriam is a great tennis player. It was a real battle—plenty of long rallies and deuces throughout the match. Her elegant slices made me run and jump all around the court like a young goat :-) I need a massive dinner and a deep sleep now. I guess Miriam needs some sort of energy renewal program too. It was a real pleasure to play with Miriam, and she deserves to have her revenge. I'm looking forward to playing with you again in the next rounds of the Local Tennis League or a friendly matches elsewhere, Miriam! "  -- Lyuba
Reveal CommentLyuba Anderton bt Sarah Close (Feb 22) 6-1, 6-2

Player Comments:

  • "It was a great match full of fun. We have an endless amount of deuces and miles of running around the court. Sarah is a very competitive and a real fighter yet friendly and warm person to play with. Well done Sarah, great start with the League! Have a very good luck in other matches and next rounds. I'm already looking forward to playing with Sarah again either during the next League matches or a friendly sessions."  -- Lyuba

Match of the Group:

Reveal CommentAndy Smith bt Lyuba Anderton (Feb 20) 6-2, 7-6 (7-3)

Player Comments:

  • "Excellent match, very competitive with many deuce games that could have gone either way. Even the 1st set which looks clear cut was actually quite a struggle for me to take. Excellent fun, I am looking forward to my next game against Lyuba. "  -- Andy
David Simmons bt Sarah Close (Feb 20) 6-2, 6-1
Reveal CommentAndy Smith bt Sarah Close (Feb 7) 7-5, 3-6, 6-4

Player Comments:

  • "Excellent match. Very close, could have easily gone either way. Lots of deuce games and really long rallies. I think Sarah wants a right to reply and I don't blame her, in fact really looking forward to it already. Thanks for a great game Sarah."  -- Andy
David Simmons bt Miriam Mclean (Feb 5) 6-0, 6-0
David Simmons bt Lyuba Anderton (Feb 3) 6-0, 6-0
Reveal CommentSarah Close bt Miriam Mclean (Jan 30) 4-6, 7-5, 6-4

Player Comments:

  • "Really enjoy playing with Miriam, fun, fair and a really good sport. "  -- Sarah
Reveal CommentAndy Smith bt Miriam Mclean (Jan 19) 6-3, 6-3

Player Comments:

  • "Good game, I enjoyed it."  -- Andy
Lesley Kelly v Sarah Close (Jan 18) 6-4 TBC
David Simmons bt Andy Smith (Jan 10) 6-2, 6-2