Round 1
Monday 24 May to Sunday 18 July 2010
Mid way point: Sunday 20 June 2010
It is game over for the first round of the Prospect Park Tennis League. Thank you all very much indeed for being our Reading pioneers. We do hope you have enjoyed it as much as we have enjoyed seeing the results come in. Thirteen matches were played and 6 out of the 8 players in this round got their bonus points and free balls which is brilliant.
As you may know the Prospect Park League of around 30 local tennis leagues we run around the country, helping, we hope to bring about a grass roots revolution in friendly, competitive park tennis. We do hope you will stick with us as we try to grow the league and of course, the more players we have, the better the balance in each group and the more competitive and fun the matches.
And the winner is: Tony Martin
After their own match, which Tony Martin won 6-2, 7-6 (7-4), Martin Holder tipped Tony to be the overall winner and so it proved. Tony did everything right: he played 6 matches, won them all, didn’t drop a set and got his bonus points. It doesn’t get much better that that, and he makes a very worthy winner. Well played.
Martin Holder and Nii tied on points for second place, but as Martin beat Nii in their head to head, we declare him the runner up. They had a beautiful Sunday afternoon for their match and “with the sun beaming down, it was much tighter than the scoreline suggests with big serves and big groundies,” says Martin. “I went ahead 4-0 in the 1st set only to be pegged back to 4-4 then a tight hold and break to take the 2nd set. The second set was a similar affair at the start with Nii using the old 1 2 plays and mixed it up but fell away as I kept my momentum to take the match 6-2 in the second.”
Nii however wins the special prize for playing the most games (six). He actually tied on this with Tony, but the rule is, the prize goes to the player with the most points behind the overall group winner.
Selwyn Weekes and Chris Hunt came third and fourth respectively, followed by Gintaras Guzelis. Martin (who turns out to be our chief scribe, and writes an ace match report) said that after losing the first set in their match, “Early into the second set Gintaras level picked up and he stormed into a 3-0 lead after breaking my serve in the second game with a spate of clever passing shots and more aggression,. Unfortunately he could not maintain it, and I broke back and we were back to 3-3. He then held to go 4-3 and I stepped up a level to take the remaining games without reply.”
The runners up were Pip Sleigh, who being the only woman in the group and a relatively inexperienced player, was always in a tough position, and bowed out after a couple of games; and Aruf Kahn. Martin played Aruf “on a windswept overcast day,” and says, “As ever my serve was on point to help get through the 1st set 6-2, whilst the second set was more evened out. We both had problems dealing with the wind sweeping across the court but in the end I prevailed 6-4 in the second.” Tony Martin also played Aruf and though he won easily says it was “a game that was played in excellent spirit and which was much closer than the score suggests. He has very much enjoyed playing different people for a change all of whom have been jolly good eggs!”
Thanks again, and well played everyone. Tony will be receiving his certificate and £20 cheque, and Nii Okyne gets a set of Wilson wristbands.
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GROUP ONE
Tony Martin [W6] 14 includes two bonus points
Martin Holder [W4, L1] 10 includes two bonus points
Nii Okyne [W4, L2] 10 includes two bonus points Selwyn Weekes [W3, L3] 8 includes two bonus points
Chris Hunt [W2, L3] 6 includes two bonus points
Henrikas Guzelis [L5] 2 includes two bonus points
Aruf Khan [L3]
Pip Sleigh [L2] - withdrawn
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Martin Holder bt Nii Okyne (July 18) 6-4, 6-2
Tony Martin bt Aruf Khan (July 12) 6-0, 6-0
Martin Holder bt Henrikas Guzelis (July 12) 6-1, 6-4
Selwyn Weekes bt Chris Hunt (July 9) 6-0, 6-1
Selwyn Weekes bt Aruf Khan (July 7) 6-0, 6-0
Tony Martin beat Chris Hunt (July 7) 6-0, 6-1
Nii Okyne bt Pip Sleigh (?) 6-0, 6-0
Tony Martin bt Henrikas Guzelis (June 24) 6-0, 6-2
Martin Holder bt Aruf Khan (June 19) 6-2, 6-4
Tony Martin bt Martin Holder (June 20) 6-2, 7-6
Tony Martin bt Nii Okyne (June 18) 6-3, 6-0
Chris Hunt bt Henrikas Guzelis (June 17) 6-3, 6-4
Chris Hunt bt Pip Sleigh (June15), 6-4, 7-6
Nii Okyne bt Selwyn Weeks (June 15) 6-4, 6-1
Nii Okyne bt Chris Hunt (June 9) 6-3, 6-4
Tony Martin bt Selwyn Weekes (June 9) 6-1, 6-0
Nii Okyne bt Gintaras Guzelis (June 6) 6-1, 6-1
Martin Holder bt Selwyn Weekes (June 5) 6-2, 6-4
Selwyn Weekes bt Gintaras Guzelis (June 3) 6-2, 6-2 |
