Collapse AllSt Albans and Harpenden Singles - Round 38 | Thursday 22 November 2018 to Wednesday 30 January 2019 (Midpoint: Wednesday 26 December 2018)
Another closely contested round in St Albans with numerous three set thrillers on the scoreboard and some close battles for the group crowns. Thanks for your efforts in getting a good number of matches played throughout the winter months and we hope to see you next time for more of the same!
Group Summary:
Liam played every match and bagged his bonus points to leave his quest for success all in his own hands. All this practice paid off as he battled to four victories to finish on top of the podium . Justin emerged victorious from one of the "longest, most competitive matches" he has ever played against Kevin, and with tough wins over the new champ and Laurence to his name too he caps off a strong display with second place. Kudos to Laurence for getting on court for the most matches.
Final Rankings:
Pos. | Name | Played | P | Won | W | Lost | L | Bonus | BNS | Total | PTS | Form | |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
1 | Liam Baldwin | 6 | 4 | 2 | 2 | 10 | LWWL | ||||||
2 | Justin Gilbert | 3 | 3 | 0 | 2 | 8 | WWW | ||||||
3 | Laurence Hubbard | 6 | 2 | 4 | 2 | 7 | LLLL | ||||||
4 | Kevin Lomas | 5 | 1 | 4 | 2 | 7 | LLWL | ||||||
5 | Nick Bunstead | 3 | 3 | 0 | 0 | 6 | WWW | ||||||
6 | James McGaughey | 2 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 2 | LW | ||||||
7 | Phil Chin | 3 | 0 | 3 | 0 | 2 | LLL |
Match Results:
Player Comments:
- "Great game as always against Liam, on another new surface - this time the indoor clay at Gosling. We both played well, producing plenty of long rallies. First set was to and fro, with several breaks of serve. I started the second set well, winning the first game comfortably, then Liam stormed to a 1-3 lead, his forehand firing well. I then had a shaky service game, just about managing to hold, but it could have been 1-4. In the end I dragged it back and saw out the match. Good fun, until the next one Liam" -- Nick
Player Comments:
- "In the first set I was consistent with my groundstrokes and managed too win most of the deuce games played, James made a lot of cheap errors. I took it 6-1. In the 2nd set James started serving with more power and find his range on his forehand taking a (3-0) lead. I then gave away a cheap game on serve making 3 double faults (4-0) the set looked over but I managed too dig in and break back twice and hold serve twice, my first serve was firing well. (4-4) James held onto serve well (5-4) I Managed too find another gear and win the next 3 games taking the set (5-7) hitting some good backhand lobs and volleying well at the net. James beat me in straight sets last round it’s always a good contest against him :)" -- Liam
Player Comments:
- "A very entertaining, competitive and close match. Probably would have gone the other way if we'd used Laurence's new balls. " -- James
Player Comments:
- "Great match, Liam and I played in Knebworth, the courts where a bit slippery so it was challenging for both of us. First set I was able to pull away after a service break at 2-2. The second set was a lot closer. We were neck and neck up to 3-3, then Liam broke my serve and went up 4-3. I then broke back, held, and ended up making it to 5-4. At 5-4 I was up 40-0 and Liam saved 4 match points. As you can imagine I was a bit nervous that the match was going to be 3 sets, so I had to push myself to stay focused. We ended up going into a tie breaker where I won 7-3. Liam is a solid player and I definitely look forward to the next match. " -- Justin
Player Comments:
- "First set I got off to a good start breaking Kevin in the first game and served well to take a 4-0 lead. I finished the set well, taking advantage of the fact that Kevin´s forehand and first serve were not firing as he would have liked. Second set was a lot closer - I started with a bad service game and Kevin was playing better, taking a 2-0 lead. I bounced back to lead 5-2 and we both held serve to finish the match. Plenty of quality points throughout the match! Look forward to the next one Kevin!" -- Nick
Player Comments:
- "I had a terrible start Kevin started well he took a 5-0 lead! I had too raise my game otherwise I’d barely of got a game on the board! lucky I did I started too play my highest level of tennis and barely made an error getting it back too 5-5 then 6-6. I took a 6-3 lead in the tiebreak before Kevin struck back too 6-6 before I sealed it 8-6. Kevin took the early break in set 2 and was always ahead he hit the best forehands I’ve seen him hit playing more aggressively! He broke me again taking the set 3-6. In the decider we had 35 mins too finish it wasn’t ideal, but I found my best tennis again and quickly raced through the set! at 4-0 Kevin started cramping which gave him no hope of a comeback and took it 6-0. Just in time! Well played Kevin" -- Liam
Player Comments:
- "Good match against Laurence, 1st set was quite close, I had to figure out a strategy to manage his backhand. He was absolutely crushing everyball that I hit to that side of the court. I was finally able to pull out the set. In the 2nd set we traded games up to 2-2 then I was able to step up my game a bit to close it out. " -- Justin
Player Comments:
- "Another 3 setter in group 1! the first set was scrappy with lots of breaks, 6-6 Laurence upped his game for the tiebreak and took it 7-2 with some hard hit backhands! In the 2nd set I made a lot less double faults and started too serve better as Laurence’s level dropped I took the set 6-1. In the decider we both started serving much better and definitely was both playing our best tennis of the match having some gruelling long rallies! Laurence took a 4-2 lead and broke my serve with aggressive returns, I managed too dig in and break straight back, at 4-5 i had to serve too stay in the match and was keeping consistent too make sure I didn’t throw it away! this then helped me too break serve 6-5 and finally seal it! 7-5. It was Freezing!!!!" -- Liam
Player Comments:
- "This was a really good match with quality tennis from both of us and in fairness no one deserved to lose. The first set Phil was in total control and i just couldn't get going with my shots and Phil took full advantage with some great lobs and net play forcing me to scatter all over the place to try and get something on his shots.The 2nd set i tryed to introduce a change of first serve which worked well and tryed to be more patient on my shots but although 6-2 was a lot closer than the score suggests.The 3rd set was quicker than the other 2 as i managed to break Phil early and held my serve to see out the set.Was a great match with some great shots from Phil and on another day would have won comfortably.Good luck with your remaining matches" -- Kevin
Player Comments:
- "Deja vu - first set same score as last time, very close and saved 2 set points again! 2nd set Phil took an early lead and finished it off with good serving and forehands. 3rd set I got into a better rhythm and I think the cold and wind finally took it’s toll on Phil. Until next time :)" -- Laurence
Player Comments:
- "Second time I’ve played Kevin and his standard has jumped up! Very close match with very few errors and lots of tactical play mixed in with great shots. First couple of sets saw very few breaks of serve but I just got a better read of Kevin’s booming serves in the 3rd to finish it off. I’m glad it didn’t go longer as I was ready to collapse!" -- Laurence
Match of the Group:
Reveal CommentJustin Gilbert bt Kevin Lomas (Nov 25) 4-6, 6-4, 7-6 (7-3)Player Comments:
- "Wow, this was the longest most competitive match I have played in a long time. I’m sure I’ll be feeling this for the next few days. As you can see by the score it was a heck of a grind to pull out the win. Kevin just always seems to figure out a way to get a racket on the ball. I ended up pulling out the 3rd set tie breaker, but this could have gone either way. Levin good luck through the remainder of the round. " -- Justin
Group Summary:
There were lots of "cracking" matches in group two with Stuart v Alan, Richard v Dave, Richard v David and Miles v Alan just a few of the highlights. Miles' stamina was fully tested in this round but he managed to dig deep into his energy reserves to triumph in all six of his matches to claim the title in style. Richard and Christopher were ready to take advantage of any slip ups from the new champ, producing strong displays of their own to finish only a point behind. Their head to head decides the silver and Richard finally got the better of Chris to take the honours this time.
Final Rankings:
Pos. | Name | Played | P | Won | W | Lost | L | Bonus | BNS | Total | PTS | Form | |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
1 | Miles Robinson | 6 | 6 | 0 | 2 | 14 | WWWW | ||||||
2 | Richard Washbrook | 7 | 5 | 2 | 2 | 13 | WLWW | ||||||
3 | Christopher Perry | 7 | 5 | 2 | 2 | 13 | WWWL | ||||||
4 | George Booth | 5 | 4 | 1 | 2 | 10 | LWWW | ||||||
5 | David Mincer | 6 | 2 | 4 | 2 | 8 | WLLL | ||||||
6 | Alan Orbell | 6 | 1 | 5 | 2 | 8 | LLWL | ||||||
7 | Stuart Mackay | 6 | 2 | 4 | 0 | 5 | LLLW | ||||||
8 | Dave Martell | 7 | 0 | 7 | 2 | 4 | LLLL |
Match Results:
Player Comments:
- "Good to play Stuart again... it's been a while! This match definitely felt like a post-Christmas match, both for fitness and touch for us both. Stu had the upper hand early on winning a couple of tight early games, as the set went on Stu grew in confidence, I made a fair few errors due to Stuarts play, atatcking and not letting me settle. I had a mini-fight back at the end but Stuart was playing well with a good lead. In the second,the first 3 games could have gone either way, I edged those holding my serve with many deuces. I cut out the errors and started to win a few more rallies. Really harsh scorecard as there were many close games in the 2nd/3rd.. Last few games we had some epic rallies, we got the touch back.. maybe not the fitness!!" -- Richard
Player Comments:
- "1st time I've played Alan. Judging by his results I'm sure I caught him on a bad day. It seems that Alan is struggling with a couple of injuries that hampered him. I was pre-warned about his forehand :) but Alan's shoulder prevented this from really firing on the day 1st set I was always in front 2nd set pretty much went with serve, I think we broke each other once. Had Alan nicked the tie-break who knows? But I managed to hold on I look forward to the re-match Alan, hopefully when you're fully fit!" -- David
Player Comments:
- "Epic three setter on a freezing evening at Radlett. Alan took a tight first set 6-3, using his forehand to good effect. I had the upper hand in the second and we went to a decider. From 2-2, Alan took three tight games in a row to lead 5-2, but couldn’t close it out and we went to a tie break which I took 7-4 just before the lights went out. Thanks for the game!" -- Miles
Player Comments:
- "Good couple of sets plenty of action we were both slightly limited as the omni turf started to freeze slightly. Good luck Dave in your next rounds" -- Alan
Player Comments:
- "I caught Dave on off day today - all our previous games have been 3 setters but for this one I had a fast start and Dave was down 5-2 pretty quickly. He then mounted a fight back and nearly dragged it back to 5-4, but I was able to close out the set 6-3. Second set was more comfortable although 6-0 was harsh on Dave. Thanks for the game and look forward to the next one!" -- Miles
Player Comments:
- "Scoreline not reflective of play. Many long quality rallies which fortunately mostly fell in my favour. Thanks for the game." -- Christopher
Player Comments:
- "Definitely a match of two halves. David had the upper hand in the first set and was always just ahead, with some great forehands, both down the line and cross-court, which I couldn't handle. David then went 2-0 up in the second set, but my level went up just as David's went down, and I won 8 games in a row to level the match and go 2-0 up in the third. David then fought back to 2-2, and I won a hard fought game to go 3-2 up. From there I raced away with the set but it could easily have been a different story as neither of us had much left in the tank! Thanks for the game David, look forward to the next one." -- Miles
Player Comments:
- "A very tiring but enjoyable game with some good long rallies. Looking forward to next time!" -- Christopher
Player Comments:
- "Really competitive match with Stuart with a lot of punishing forehands from both sides of the net, Stuart started to mount a comeback in the 2nd set making the most of some short balls from me and he was a hitting a lot of winners and I knew I had to up my game and managed to win the last few games, good luck for the rest of the season!" -- George
Player Comments:
- "As seems to be the way with group 2 neither of us could hold our service games during the 1st set. I managed to win mainly because of Dave’s serving not clicking but in the 2nd set it all came together and he went on a roll and completely dominated. The 3rd went back to type with all the games being extremely close. I just managed to win a couple of the big points and held on to win. Always very close with Dave and lots of fun! Good luck for the rest of your games Dave!" -- Stuart
Player Comments:
- "Great to see Stuart back in div 2. Really enjoyable, tight battle at Gosling, and it could easily have gone the other way across two long and punishing sets. It took until the 8th game of the first set for there to be a service hold, as we both looked to attack each other’s serves. Eventually I had the chance to serve out for the set at 5-4, but predictably couldn’t manage it: Stuart couldn’t then hold his serve so I had another chance at 6-5, which somehow I managed to take. Second set was just as tight, with a particularly titanic game with Stuart 4-3 up, featuring multiple deuces and game points, and which probably decided the game as I went on to take the set 6-4. Thanks for the game and good luck in the others!" -- Miles
Player Comments:
- "Always an absolute pleasure to play Rich as I know I’m gonna have a hard hitting competitive match! 1st set there was a few breaks early on and then after that just the one break and a few big serves from both of us but I managed to break at the crucial time. 2nd set was 4-4 and once again serving and follow up forehands doing the job for both of us and then Rich broke me as I was serving for the set to take it to a breaker which I managed to just about get through. Thanks for the game Rich and have a good one in Romania!" -- George
Player Comments:
- "This match was painful both mentally and physically. I got off to a good start and got 3-1 up, I was playing my best tennis of the league so far but ended up losing the first. David was punishing me on his forehand finding those angles, all the long rallies David had my number. This continued in the second, I couldnt get anything on Davids service games, and he was playing some awesome tennis. 1-4 down it felt like David had the match tied up and I just tried to stick in the points as I was getting no free points. I grinded out a few matches and somehow turned the set around, but David had his chances, I got away with that one! The third was a gruelling slugfest, with both of us having not having much left.Cracking battle, have a good xmas!" -- Richard
Player Comments:
- "Another Div 2 Christmas cracker! Dave stormed into a 4 -0 lead, picking off my first serves. Dave served well and controlled most of the points. Second set I found a bit of rhythm on my serve and kept ahead to take the second which was a bit of a scrappy affair. Into the third with Dave serving and it must've been 10 game points each, before I broke him (I hoped literally after that long game). I took a 3-1 lead but Dave recovered and turned it around to 4-3 (obviously not broken). I held for 4-4 and then broke to love. This followed by our best tennis with long punishing rallies with every point and Dave broke back. Another break and I served it out at 7-5. Very close match and very lucky to edge it! See you in the new year Dave!" -- Richard
Player Comments:
- "Very tricky conditions today in the freezing cold and horrible icy wind but it was a strangely enjoyable game, a few consecutive breaks at the beginning of the set and then just the single break for me to take the 1st set. 2nd set 6 holds of serves to take us at 3-3 and then I just managed to see the game out, thanks a lot David" -- George
Player Comments:
- "Tricky conditions, very cold, took a while to warm those hands up. But the sun was as bright as I've ever seen it, it's definitely getting closer to the earth...……...we're all doomed!! Anyways Merry Christmas 1st set was a typical League 2 encounter, serving was no advantage whatsoever. The key game in the match came when I was serving at 3-4 and 0-40 I could feel the set slipping away. Somehow managed to turn it around, held my serve and then won the next two games. 2nd set I managed to keep my head in front from the off Always a pleasure to play Dave, until next time...………….." -- David
Player Comments:
- "Glad to get this win and started strongly in the first set but the second was a very different story, 6 holds in a row and then 3 breaks as well. Found it tough to read Dave’s forehand and he was winning a lot of points on it but managed to serve it out in the end. Thanks for a good game Dave" -- George
Player Comments:
- "Another three setter between me and Richie. Neither of us were at our best but despite that we both kept fighting hard with lots of deuce games, including one in the first set with at least ten. Richie took an early lead and extended that to 5-3, but couldn’t close out the set, which I took 7-5. Second set was a different story, Richie pulling out big first serves when he needed them to stay ahead and take the set 6-3. I then took the third set 6-1 but this didn’t reflect how close it was - plenty of lung bursting rallies and close games. Thanks for the game and look forward to the next one!" -- Miles
Player Comments:
- "Really happy to get a win today as Chris has been beating me regularly over the last year + in some tight matches. The match started with some solid service holds, I got a break in the 6th game and served well throughout the set, finding first serves when I needed them. Second set we had a few more of our usual long rallies. I got ahead at 5-2 with a few match points and in one of those long rallies I came in the net and Chris completely wrong footed me and I ended up on the deck with some nice burn marks. Chris upped his game and came out fighting, playing his best tennis of the match and hitting some nice winners. I served out the match on the second oppurtunity which was not easy with Chris fighting till the end. See you in 2019!" -- Richard
Match of the Group:
Reveal CommentStuart Mackay bt Alan Orbell (Dec 8) 4-6, 7-6 (7-5), 6-4Player Comments:
- "A very close tough match that Alan was 2 games from winning in two sets as he won the first and was 4-0 up in the 2nd. However I managed to hang in there, take the set in a tiebreak and in the 3rd with Alan having an unfortunate leg injury I managed to win 6-4. Good luck for the rest of your games Alan" -- Stuart
Player Comments:
- "I had a bit of luck today as Alan had to use his back up racquet, it was pretty obvious Alan wasn't quite used to it. I got a few errors from him in the first. First point second set, we had our first really long rally, Alan won it and the confidence with the racquet was up, suddenly I was 0-5 down. Alan started to dictate the points with his forehand which he wasn't able to do in the first. I took a 3-1 lead in the final set and again Alan came back at 3-3, followed by a couple of love service games, I was serving at 4-4, 0-30 down, I managed a run of first serves which saved the hold. I broke and won the 6-4. That scoreline coud have been a lot different had Alan had his usual weapon! Good luck Alan with the rest of the league." -- Richard
Player Comments:
- "As always, a great pleasure to play with David. The score is a bit of an anomaly in our match history and I think I caught David on an off day. After David went 3-0 up in the first, momentum shifted and mostly stayed with me for the rest of the match, possibly helped by David serving a 10 deuce game at 3-3 in the third. Will look forward to the next one." -- Christopher
Player Comments:
- "As usual, a very tight and enjoyable match with Chris, in his welcome return to div 2. I started well and took a 4-2 lead, but It never felt decisive, and Chris hauled it back to 5-5 (including one game with at least 6 deuces). Anyone’s set from there but I was able to take it 7-5. Second set started very even but from 2-2 Chris took control and deserved to win it 6-2. Third set looked like it might be similar as from 2-2 Chris again took a 4-2 lead, but this time I was able to dig in and recover to 4-4, and it was neck and neck until I was able to grind out a 7-5 win. Really enjoyable game and pretty good tennis on both sides. Look forward to the next one!" -- Miles
Player Comments:
- "A bit of a disjointed but close game. Late start, rain and wind to begin with and lights out and a court change halfway through. Alan gets to virtually every ball so it's a tough grind with lots of long games. Thanks for the game." -- Christopher
Group Summary:
A round of applause to Simon who came out on top in all four of his encounters to become the new champ. James was also a dominant force, storming to three wins from three, but with no further matches played he has to settle for second this time. Well done to Lucy for being the only player to perfect her scheduling skills.
Final Rankings:
Pos. | Name | Played | P | Won | W | Lost | L | Bonus | BNS | Total | PTS | Form | |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
1 | Simon Phillips | 4 | 4 | 0 | 0 | 8 | WWWW | ||||||
2 | James Booth | 3 | 3 | 0 | 0 | 6 | WWW | ||||||
3 | Duc To | 4 | 2 | 2 | 0 | 4 | WLLW | ||||||
4 | Lucy Webster | 4 | 1 | 3 | 2 | 4 | WLLL | ||||||
5 | Tim Smith | 4 | 0 | 4 | 0 | 1 | LLLL | ||||||
6 | Leslie Okomi | 1 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | L | ||||||
7 | Samantha Calderwood | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
Match Results:
Player Comments:
- "Both of us started slowly until 2-2 and then I led 5-2. Tim recovered in the next 2 games but I finished the set with 6-4. The second set was very tough, Tim got 3 first games easily. Then, I managed to earn the next 4 games. After that, none of us lose our serve games . In tiebreak, Tim led 5-3 but an error of him brought me back to the fight. 10-8 is the final score in the tiebreak. Very close match! Thanks Tim. Duc" -- Duc
Player Comments:
- "Great match with Leslie. I raced into a 4-1 lead, then Leslie pulled it back to 4-4. We both held serve to reach 5-5, then Leslie broke my serve, to lead 6-5. An epic game with 8-9 dueces went back and forth with neither one of us nudging, until Leslie double faulted to hand me the break. I think this affected Leslie, as I raced into a 6-0 lead in the tie break, finally taking it 7-2. The second set I got into a 2-0 lead before Leslie broke my serve to come back 1-2, I the next 3 games went to duece again and I was fortunate to come out on the right side of them to take a 5-1 lead. I won the last game to love finishing with a face down the T. Thanks for the game and good luck with threat of your matches. " -- Simon
Player Comments:
- "Nice match against Tim who has quite a dangerous serve when it goes in. Thanks for coming down Tim." -- James
Player Comments:
- "Felt rusty early doors but soon got into it and played well. Lots of winners and some good serving helped me win comfortably. Thanks for the game Duc." -- James
Player Comments:
- "A good match to help buenough away the excesses of Xmas. A nervy start where Duc broke my serve and I then broke his. We then held serves before I managed to take control of the set with good serving. Duc took control of the 2nd set set after my serve completely disappeared, racing into a 0-3 lead. I managed to compose myself and reeled off 6 games to take the match. Thanks for the game Duc and good luck in the rest of the matches." -- Simon
Match of the Group:
Reveal CommentLucy Webster bt Tim Smith (Dec 19) 6-4, 3-6, 6-4Player Comments:
- "Another excellent and very close match, finishing minutes before the lights went out. Many thanks Tim. " -- Lucy
Player Comments:
- "Tim and I both held our first service games, and then I was able fortunate enough to win a couple of key points in his next two to break his serve to take the first set 6-1. The second set followed the first, with us both holding our opening service games. At 1-1, the next game I felt was key to the match, I survived several break points at deuce, and finally held my serve, and then broke Tim, to go 3-1 up. Tim broke my serve to came back to 3-2, but I then broke immediately back for 4-2 lead and held my serve to have 5-2 lead. I broke Tim's serve again to take the set 6-2. Thanks for the match Tim, and good luck for your remaining games." -- Simon
Player Comments:
- "The first set was a bit cagey, Lucy broke my serve and went 2-4 up, I then found my serve and rattled off 9 games on the spin to take the first set 6-4, and then race into a 5-0 lead in the second. We both managed to hold our serves to closeout the set 6-1. Thanks for the game Lucy, and good luck for your remaining games." -- Simon
Player Comments:
- "At the start, it was a bit windy but then the weather was brilliant. I served first in the 1st set and took a break to lead 3-0 when Lucy had not got used to the sun shine. Though there are many rallies and deuces, I have gained momentum to take to match to the end. Thank Lucy for enjoyable game. Duc" -- Duc
Player Comments:
- "Poor conditions, but good to get a win early doors. Thanks for the game." -- James
Group Summary:
Abid and Henry finished tied on points at the top to make it a close run thing for the gold. In the end it all comes down to their head to head and there was little to choose between the two on court either. Abid edged both sets to emerge with a 6-4 7-5 victory and claim the prize this time. A shout out to Christopher who alongside the top two perfected his scheduling skills to earn a bonus prize.
Final Rankings:
Pos. | Name | Played | P | Won | W | Lost | L | Bonus | BNS | Total | PTS | Form | |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
1 | Abid Shabir | 4 | 4 | 0 | 2 | 10 | WWWW | ||||||
2 | Henry Blain | 6 | 4 | 2 | 2 | 10 | LWWW | ||||||
3 | Zac Sargusingh | 3 | 3 | 0 | 0 | 6 | WWW | ||||||
4 | Simon Mavin | 2 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 3 | WL | ||||||
5 | Christopher Lowe | 4 | 0 | 4 | 2 | 2 | LLLL | ||||||
6 | Richard Egemba | 3 | 0 | 3 | 0 | 0 | LLL | ||||||
7 | Tim Kidd | 2 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 0 | LL |
Match Results:
Player Comments:
- "An even match played in good spirit! Not many points in it. " -- Simon
Match of the Group:
Reveal CommentHenry Blain bt Simon Mavin (Nov 24) 7-5, 2-6, 6-4Player Comments:
- "Great game, only a few points in it!" -- Henry
Player Comments: