£15.00

Collapse AllStafford Singles - Round 2 | Thursday 18 August 2016 to Wednesday 12 October 2016 (Midpoint: Wednesday 14 September 2016)

Top stuff from players in this still small but strong round - many thanks everybody for your efforts. It's early days still for the Stafford Tennis League but we'd love your help in helping us spread the word and making it bigger and better!

Group Summary:

Fantastic commitment from players here with every available match getting played and almost every player achieving their bonus points and prizes. Despite Matthews 3 hard fought wins, he just gets edged out of second place by Kristopher, who leap frogs him with help from his bonus points. However this round belongs to Will, who earned confident wins in all 4 of his matches to take the gold! Many thanks everyone for the kind and detailed match commentaries too.

Final Rankings:

Pos. Name Played P Won W Lost L Bonus BNS Total PTS Form
1 Will Conaghan 4 4 0 2 10 WWWW
2 Kristopher Jobson 4 2 2 2 7 LWLW
3 Matthew Armitt 4 3 1 0 6 WWLW
4 Richard Dunn 4 1 3 2 4 LWLL
5 Alison Williamson 4 0 4 2 2 LLLL
6 Carol Bradley 0 0 0 0 0 0

Match Results:

Match of the Group:

Reveal CommentMatthew Armitt bt Kristopher Jobson (Sep 24) 6-7 (2-7), 6-4, 6-3

Player Comments:

  • A close match on another fine day at Stonefield Park. The first set went the full distance, however Jobson blew Armitt off the court in the tiebreak with some powerful serves. The second set was also very close, Jobson faded towards the end with Armitt closing out to take the match to a third set. The third set was a bit of an anticlimax with Jobson making some uncharacteristic mistakes and giving Armitt the win. Looking forward to the next match which promises to be another three setter which will go to the wire! - Matthew
Reveal CommentMatthew Armitt bt Richard Dunn (Sep 18) 6-1, 7-6 (14-12)

Player Comments:

  • The match was played under perfect conditions, however the position of the sun caused both players problems when down the far end of the court. Luckily Armitt remembered his sunglasses which gave him the edge! The first set went Armitt’s way with Dunn making an uncharacteristic number of unforced errors. The second set was a different story however with Dunn pushing Armitt all the way. His targeting of the Armitt backhand and fast passing shots proving particularly effective. Fittingly the set ended with an epic tie break with neither player managing to gain the upper hand until Dunn double faulted to hand the match to Armitt. The set could have gone either way and if the match had gone to a third it would have been either player’s for the taking! - Matthew
Reveal CommentWill Conaghan bt Matthew Armitt (Sep 14) 6-1, 6-1

Player Comments:

  • The scoreline doesn't portray the battle that took place in a hot afternoon in Stafford. The vast majority of games going to multiple deuce and the difference between the two was probably the number of unforced errors from Armitt giving Conaghan some easy points. There were plenty of good rallies and some great winners from both, although the Armitt serve only got going towards the latter part of the match. Future matches will have a closer scoreline especially with the ageing Conaghan struggling to reach the clever dinks over the net that became an Armitt speciality. - Will
Reveal CommentMatthew Armitt bt Alison Williamson (Sep 14) 6-2, 6-2

Player Comments:

  • The match was played on an unseasonally warm day in September. As with a lot of matches played this round, the scoreline belies how close the match actually was with a good proportion of the games going to deuce. Williamson showed much improved form over the last round with her forehand in particular causing Armitt numerous problems. Armitt eventually coming through to win in 2 sets, with his consistency giving him the edge. - Matthew
Reveal CommentKristopher Jobson bt Alison Williamson (Sep 12) 6-0, 6-0

Player Comments:

  • In what was testing conditions, both Jobson and Williamson were determined to see the match through. The first set saw some great rallies and close games, but finally with Jobson holding his service games he came through winning the first set. The second set saw the return of the rain making the court and games ever more interesting. Williamson took the upper hand in a number of games with some sublime cross court shots that left Kris The Humpty Dumpty Jobson stood in awe but Jobson held it together and finally managed to take the second set. A score line that does not do the match justice. - Kristopher
Richard Dunn bt Alison Williamson (Sep 1) 6-0, 6-1
Reveal CommentWill Conaghan bt Kristopher Jobson (Aug 31) 6-3, 6-0

Player Comments:

  • Both players struggled in the windy conditions but it was Conaghan who eventually came through. Jobson started well and broke serve first to lead the clash. But Conaghan managed to break back twice to take the first set 6-3. There were some fantastic rallies as the more youthful Jobson pulled off some great lobs and passes which had his older opponent running around the court. Every game was close, many going to deuce, but some uncharacteristic mistakes from Jobson let Conaghan gain the upper hand as both players tired. There is no doubt Jobson will be a force to be reckoned with in matches to come. - Will
Reveal CommentWill Conaghan bt Richard Dunn (Aug 28) 6-0, 6-1

Player Comments:

  • More than half the games played went to deuce which demonstrates the match was not as straightforward as the scoreline suggests. Unfortunately Dunn could not take advantage of a plethora of chances and gave the upper hand to Conaghan. Dunn's return was working well and he hit several winners but his serve often let him down and a few double faults gave Conaghan some easy points. The Conaghan children again provided much needed ball boy services as both players started to fade in the warm weather. But with Dunn chasing everything around the court it was inevitable he was going to struggle as the match wore on and Conaghan took advantage to cross the finishing line. - Will
Reveal CommentWill Conaghan bt Alison Williamson (Aug 23) 6-2, 6-2

Player Comments:

  • Alison exceeded expectations on a balmy early evening at Rowley Park. She was close to winning the opening game before Will took control. This was an improvement on her previous performances and hit several winners but just wasn't able to convert her fair share of advantages into winning games. Will eventually eased through but Alison will provide tougher tests for others if her game continues to improve. - Will
Reveal CommentKristopher Jobson bt Richard Dunn (Aug 18) 6-0, 6-0

Player Comments:

  • On what was a hot and suitably dry day for Tennis, both players started the match already feeling the ray's and looking like they had already been playing for hours. The going was slow for the first couple of games with the debutant Jobbo, whose physique is more suited to Man Vs Food then Tennis, taking the games narrowly. Jobbo then settled in with some consistent serving and base line shots and unfortunately the Dunnmeister suffered from a number of mistakes at key times. Games were closer than the score-line suggests and a rematch is definitely on the cards. - Kristopher