Sheffield Tennis League: Singles Round Nine

Round 9
Monday 21st November 2011 to Sunday 29th January 2012

The winners' report appears below

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It has been a great round despite the ongoing cold, with lots of matches played and some incredibly tight groups to keep things exciting! In Group Two an amazing 25 matches were played - and it is great to see so many players getting in to commentating through the "quotes" on their matches. I hope you have found these as much fun to read (and write) as we have.

Thank you all for supporting the league. We are, as ever, very grateful for the hard work you put in scheduling your matches and for your efforts on court. There are now over 50 local leagues up and down the country and players like you are making a real difference to grass roots tennis in the UK.

The next round starts on Monday February 13 and runs until April 8.

Many thanks to all those who have already joined, and if you haven’t, but would like to, the deadline is Friday February 10. As usual, players who have done well will be promoted (usually the winner of a group, but often the runner up too when it has been close). We would like to make 2012 the year we grow and grow the league - if you know anyone who might enjoy the challenge please do put them in touch.

You can pay by paypal here

And now, on to the groups and our winners...

GROUP ONE
Winner: Mark Walsh
Mark won all four of his matches before Christmas, and in picking up his bonus points as well, he built up what proved to be an insurmountable lead. As it turned out, he finished just a point ahead of Gavin, who picked up three wins but was just unable to get another. Jihun and Rob recorded victories late on, while Phil wrote in after winning his only match of the round, against Gavin:

“A first set in which neither player seemed able to hold serve eventually finished in a closely fought tie-break. The second set was a much higher standard of tennis with some tight and interesting rallies that the final score doesn’t reflect."

Some fine matches throughout, but congratulations go to Mark on a flawless round, his first ever title in Sheffield!

GROUP TWO
Winner: Andrew West
In a dramatic finish, Andrew and Nick were locked on 15 points each, with identical records of 6 wins from 7. By virtue of his win in their encounter, it is Andrew who takes the group, though fittingly it was an absolute classic which decided the outcome:
"A rather epic game lasting 2 hrs 30 mins."
Andrew's round was all the more impressive considering he lost his opener, in a tremendous three-setter with Ian. He recovered to win six in a row, with the only set dropped being in the match against Nick. As for the runner-up, he can look back with satisfaction on a round that 99 times out of 100 would be enough to win the group. He also opened his round against Ian, but was on the right end of the three-setter, and then followed this up with a number of victories, one of them against Charlotte:
"It was a cold, windy January morning but we battled through it. The puddles were deep and the wind was strong, we had some great rallies but in the end I came out stronger."
As mentioned, Ian played an important part in the round, and he finished in third, with Ben just a further point back. A special mention to Charlotte, who notched all three of her wins in three-setters, the most recent being a titanic struggle with Thomas:
“It was a great match, with both of us playing better than last time we met in the league. The score shows it could not have been much closer, with a marathon last set played in the January sunshine. Could have gone either way at the end."
A really wonderful round, and everyone contributed greatly to its success - no-one played less than five matches. Thanks to everyone, and well done to Andrew for coming out on top of such a competitive group.
The winners will be receiving their £20 prizes and certificates and we do hope to welcome you all back next time.

Mid way point for 2 bonus points and a FREE tube of tennis balls is: Monday 26 December 2011

Please report your results to: sheffieldtennisleague@gmail.com

To make input easier our end, please use the format: John McEnroe bt Bjorn Borg (Feb 21) 6-2, 4-6, 6-2.
Please do send match commentaries too - we may quote from them in our emailed round updates and now include them on this page - see the symbol next to the scores!
Player, [LTA rating], [win/loss/tie statistics] points won

GROUP ONE

Mark Walsh 9.2 [W4] 10 includes two bonus points
Gavin Douglas 9.2 [W3, L2] 9 includes two bonus points
Rob Barrs 9.2 [W1, L2] 3
Phil Armitage 9.2 [W1] 2
Chris Morton withdrawn
Jihun Park 9.2 [W1, L3] 2

Robert Henesey-Smith [L3]

Jihun Park bt Robert Henesey-Smith (Jan 29) 6-4, 6-3 "On the final day, we played at Bingham Park. We both played very carefully but quite few winners and errors from both side. At the end, I could get two straight sets," Jihun

"On the final day, we played at Bingham Park. We both played very carefully but quite few winners and errors from both side. At the end, I could get two straight sets," Jihun

Phil Armitage bt Gavin Douglas (Jan 12) 7-6, 6-1 “A first set in which neither player seemed able to hold serve eventually finished in a closely fought tie-break. The second set was a much higher standard of tennis with some tight and interesting rallies that the final score doesn’t reflect,” Phil

“A first set in which neither player seemed able to hold serve eventually finished in a closely fought tie-break. The second set was a much higher standard of tennis with some tight and interesting rallies that the final score doesn’t reflect,” Phil

Rob Barrs bt Jihun Park (Jan 24) 6-1, 7-5
Gavin Douglas bt Robert Henesey-Smith (Dec 5) 6-1, 6-2 “Another convincing victory for Douglas here as he stamps his authority on Rob Smith who couldn’t find his feet in what could have been a close game, considering Robs’ pre and post match form. Some say nerves got the better of him and his scores will undoubtedly improve with group one experience,” Douglas

“Another convincing victory for Douglas here as he stamps his authority on Rob Smith who couldn’t find his feet in what could have been a close game, considering Robs’ pre and post match form. Some say nerves got the better of him and his scores will undoubtedly improve with group one experience,” Douglas

Mark Walsh bt Rob Barrs (Dec 4) 7-6, 6-2 "Great hard fought game mark took early lead 5-1 but Rob came back strong to lead 6-5 having a set point. It went to a tie break with mark winning the tie break with ease. The 2nd set was 2-2 until mark took the set after stepping up his play to win 6-2," Mark

"Great hard fought game mark took early lead 5-1 but Rob came back strong to lead 6-5 having a set point. It went to a tie break with mark winning the tie break with ease. The 2nd set was 2-2 until mark took the set after stepping up his play to win 6-2," Mark

Gavin Douglas bt Rob Barrs (Nov 27) 5-7, 6-2, 6-3 "After narrowly missing two clear set points to lose the first set 7-5, Douglas showed no mercy and proceeded to pull Barrs game to pieces in a relentless show of style and poise. Douglas wins, 5-7 6-2 6-3." Gavin

"After narrowly missing two clear set points to lose the first set 7-5, Douglas showed no mercy and proceeded to pull Barrs game to pieces in a relentless show of style and poise. Douglas wins, 5-7 6-2 6-3." Gavin

Gavin Douglas bt Jihun Park (Nov 26) 6-1, 6-2 "A show of great form by Jihun, but a lack of consistancy lead to Douglas taking the match in straight sets 6-1 6-2." Gavin

"A show of great form by Jihun, but a lack of consistancy lead to Douglas taking the match in straight sets 6-1 6-2." Gavin

Mark Walsh bt Robert Henesey-Smith (Nov 26) 6-2, 6-2 "Not as one sided as the score suggests, windy conditions played its part, but still very competitive, having to work for every point. May I also comment on Robert being a genuine and humble gentleman in defeat an asset I'm sure will put him in good light in life." Mark

"Not as one sided as the score suggests, windy conditions played its part, but still very competitive, having to work for every point. May I also comment on Robert being a genuine and humble gentleman in defeat an asset I'm sure will put him in good light in life." Mark

Mark Walsh bt Jihun Park (Nov 23) 6-3, 6-2
Mark Walsh bt Gavin Douglas (Nov 22) 6-4, 2-6, 6-3

GROUP TWO
Andrew West 9.2 [W6, L1] 15 includes two bonus points
Nick Lowe 9.2 [W6, L1] 15 includes two bonus points
Ian Simpson 9.2 [W4, L2] 11 includes two bonus points
Ben Mackay [W4, L2] 10 includes two bonus points

Charlotte Bowyer 9.2 [W3, L4] 8 includes two bonus points
Tom McKechnie [W1, L4] 5 includes two bonus points
Anne Little 9.2 [L5, UF1] 3 includes two bonus points

Thomas Lake 9.2 [L5, UF1] 2

Charlotte Bowyer bt Thomas Lake (Jan 28) 3-6, 6-3, 8-6 “It was a great match, with both of us playing better than last time we met in the league. The score shows it could not have been much closer, with a marathon last set played in the January sunshine. Could have gone either way at the end", Charlotte

“It was a great match, with both of us playing better than last time we met in the league. The score shows it could not have been much closer, with a marathon last set played in the January sunshine. Could have gone either way at the end", Charlotte

Nick Lowe bt Tom Mckechnie (Jan 28) 6-2, 6-0 "It was a really nice day, but Tom's lack of consistency let him down," Nick

Ian Simpson bt Charlotte Bowyer (Jan 28) 6-4, 6-4 “A very hard match, Charlotte pushed me all the way, her serves are excellent!", Ian

Nick Lowe bt Thomas Lake (Jan 26) 6-2, 7-5
Andrew West bt Ben Mackay (Jan 19) 6-3, 6-2 "The tennis was slightly compromised by the driving hail and rain," Andrew

Ben Mackay bt Charlotte Bowyer (Jan 18) 6-1, 6-4 “I was leading 5 - 1 in the second set, but after a short break (to wait for the lights to come back on) Charlotte played very well and took three consecutive games. I was finding it difficult to close out the match. Finally I strung together a strong service game and won. A very enjoyable match with some great tiring rallies,” Ben

“I was leading 5 - 1 in the second set, but after a short break (to wait for the lights to come back on) Charlotte played very well and took three consecutive games. I was finding it difficult to close out the match. Finally I strung together a strong service game and won. A very enjoyable match with some great tiring rallies,” Ben

Thomas Lake v Anne Little (Jan 14) 7-6 (9-7) to be completed "Unfortunately we only had time for one set, which was closely matched and included many deuces. I was up 5-2 in games but Anne came back to level at 5-5, and it had to be decided in the end by a tiebreak," Thomas

"Unfortunately we only had time for one set, which was closely matched and included many deuces. I was up 5-2 in games but Anne came back to level at 5-5, and it had to be decided in the end by a tiebreak," Thomas

Andrew West bt Nick Lowe (Jan 12) 6-7 (7-9), 6-1, 7-5 "A rather epic game lasting 2hrs 30 mins," Andrew

Charlotte Bowyer bt Anne Little (Dec 10/Jan 8) 3-6, 7-5, 6-1 "A very enjoyable, close match with many long rallies and games going to deuce. We both look forward to more consistency in the future!'", Charlotte

"A very enjoyable, close match with many long rallies and games going to deuce. We both look forward to more consistency in the future!'", Charlotte

Andrew West bt Thomas Lake (Jan 8) 6-0, 6-1
Andrew West bt Anne little (Dec 29) 6-2, 6-1 "nice to play indoors rather than brave the weather," Andrew

Nick Lowe bt Charlotte Bowyer (Jan 2) 6-3, 6-2 "It was a cold, windy January morning but we battled through it. The puddles were deep and the wind was strong, we had some great rallies but in the end I came out stronger." Nick

"It was a cold, windy January morning but we battled through it. The puddles were deep and the wind was strong, we had some great rallies but in the end I came out stronger." Nick

Charlotte Bowyer bt Tom McKechnie (Dec 20) 6-4, 2-6, 7-5
Andrew west bt Tom McKechnie (Dec 18) 6-2, 6-3 “we invented a new sport tennis on ice!" Andrew

Ian Simpson bt Tom Mckechnie (Dec 18) 6-1, 6-4 “The first set was reasonably comfortable, but Tom changed his game & nearly took the 2nd, breaking back twice to level at 4-4. Fortunately I just managed to get the lead again and then win it"," Ian

“The first set was reasonably comfortable, but Tom changed his game & nearly took the 2nd, breaking back twice to level at 4-4. Fortunately I just managed to get the lead again and then win it"," Ian

Ian Simpson bt Thomas Lake (Dec 10) 6-1, 6-1
Nick Lowe bt Anne Little (Dec 8) 6-1, 6-3 “We had some really good rally's, over all a very good player. Quicker than you think!” Nick

“We had some really good rally's, over all a very good player. Quicker than you think!” Nick

Tom McKechnie bt Anne Little (Dec 7) 7-5, 3-1 “A very tight first set which included a couple of epic games in which Tom came back from being 4-1 down meant that time was against us and we couldn't complete the match,” Tom

“A very tight first set which included a couple of epic games in which Tom came back from being 4-1 down meant that time was against us and we couldn't complete the match,” Tom

Andrew West bt Charlotte Bowyer (Dec 2) 6-2, 6-3
Ian Simpson bt Andrew West (Dec 3) 6-1, 3-6, 6-4 “"we were like 2 drowned rats, the rain kept coming down in heavy showers, but it was a close run thing - Andrew nearly caught me at the end," Ian

“"we were like 2 drowned rats, the rain kept coming down in heavy showers, but it was a close run thing - Andrew nearly caught me at the end," Ian

Nick Lowe bt Ben Mackay (Dec 2) 6-4, 6-2 “'We were playing in difficult conditions - it was very windy which I think Ben struggled with more. We had some pretty epic rallies. All round, a very good player,' Nick

“'We were playing in difficult conditions - it was very windy which I think Ben struggled with more. We had some pretty epic rallies. All round, a very good player,' Nick

Ben Mackay bt Thomas Lake (Dec 1) 6-3, 6-2 “Both of us could have played better however we had some good rallies,” Ben

Ben Mackay bt Anne Little (Nov 30) 6-2, 7-6 (7-5) "A very competitive second set, with Anne having several set points which I was lucky to save." Ben

Ben Mackay bt Ian Simpson (Nov 29) 6-1, 7-5 "Very close second set which I was fortunate to win," Ben

Nick Lowe bt Ian Simpson (Nov 28) 6-2, 3-6, 7-5 "The third set was a a close one, He really turned up a notch and his serve got a let better throughout the match. Well played Ian." Nick

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