RACQUETS: Round-up from the courts and tables
THE bottom team in Division Three Woolwell H caused a surprise by holding leaders Inter City A (Adrian Osborne 3) to a 5-5 draw. Woolwell led 5-4 but City levelled when Osborne and Martin Holman beat Ben Stanbury and Damien Wyett 11-9, 8-11, 11-5, 11-8.
Woodland Fort C (Mike Willis 3) had two reserves in at Inter City C and Rob Batten beat Mike Hoskin 11-8, 7-11, 11-9, 11-4 but City won 6-4. Second-placed Siblyback A (Miles Noel-Johnson 3) won 7-3 at Crafthole District B.
In Division Five Astor F lost for the first time as did Gerry Elliott as Woodland Fort H won 7-3. Nigel Aston (3) and Dave Backholer (2) were the stars for Fort with Backholer beating Elliott 11-5, 10-12, 11-9, 11-7 and Aston beating Elliott 11-6, 11-7, 4-11, 6-11, 11-9. Aston and Backholer then defeated Elliott and Nick May 11-4, 11-7, 11-8. Seven sets from Oliver Davis and Alex Persad gave Woolwell J an 8-2 win at Woolwell K. Naval Stores B (Bob Steele 3) went 5-0 up against Inter City F but a recovery from City saw them only lose 6-4.
Lee Mill scored their first win in Division Four by a cracking 9-1 over Inter City E. After last week's impressive show Astor E came down to earth losing 10-0 at Saltash, but John Norsworthy did take two sets to five games. The Crafthole derby resulted in the C team (Josh Taylor 3) beating the D team 6-4.
Division Two leaders Crafthole District A won 9-1 at Astor C with the only surprise being merit award winner Shirley Luckhurst beaten by Peter Kratochvila 11-8, 12-14, 11-9, 11-5.
With Colin Poyntz now coming to terms with his new bat and winning three and the doubles with Brian Luscombe (3), Woodland Fort A beat Woolwell G 8-2.
Seven sets went to five games as Astor D drew 5-5 with Woodland Fort B (Phil Nile 3). Woolwell F needed Mark Ross to score a maximum to defeat Astor B 6-4 with Ross and Krysten Coombs securing victory by beating Steve Garlick and Tony Bray 9-11, 11-8, 11-4, 11-6.
Woolwell B beat their D team in Division One 7-3 with the best set being when Richard Marshall (3) beat Marketa Myskova 11-8, 11-8, 8-11, 11-5.
Peter Marshall scored a straight game maximum for Astor Hotel A in a 6-4 win at Woolwell C but Marshall and Helen Lambert were beaten 11-4, 11-9, 6-11, 11-8 by Freddie Cutler and Vicky Smith. Woolwell A won 7-3 at Woolwell E (Kevin Buddell 3) and Mike Shearman and Dennis White won all their singles for Shootout Club who beat Railway Club A 6-4.
Both the leading Division Six teams had comfortable wins with Siblyback B beating Woolwell N 9-1 and Crafthole District E winning 8-2 at Woolwell O. Two-player Woolwell R beat their Q team 6-4 with three from Beth Wilson, two from Jack Lambert plus the doubles together.
MANNAMEAD WINTER TENNIS LEAGUE by David Williams
IN THE top mixed doubles match the leaders Richard Avent and Jenny Snell coped with very blustery conditions far better than Kamran Ali and Joan Wiliams.
Apart from a close second set and a 2-0 third set lead Ali and Williams were always second best as Avent and Snell won 6-0, 6-5, 6-2. Two days later in perfect weather Ali and Williams beat Patrick and Jane Poon in almost identical fashion 6-1, 6-5, 6-2.
Viv Sargeant and Nancy O'Connor played their first ever Division B matches. Their opening match resulted in a defeat by Jenny Penny and sub Anne Lake 6-2, 4-6, 6-2.
Better understanding and combination brought victory in a tight encounter over Wendy Sharland and sub Julia Whetton 6-5, 6-5, 2-2 (unfinished).
Penny with another sub Heather Page kept her unbeaten record in a 5-6, 6-2, 6-2 win over Libby Allman and Linda Galpin. Joan McGregor and Helen Foote started slowly but eventually got the measure of Sue Peers-Jones and Joy Pellow in the long rallies and finished strongly to win 4-6, 6-2, 6-1.
The Saltash pair of Chris Bunney and Heather Gynn played three Division C matches in five days with one win beating Maggie Lintell and Sarah Brett 6-1, 5-6, 6-5.
Against one of the leading pairs in Esther Pettit and Anna Tickle, Bunney and Gynn did well to take two tie-breaks but lost 6-5, 6-3, 6-5.
In the third match Jessica Randell and Debbie Carroll proved too strong y 6-4, 6-1, 6-3. Pettit and Tickle made it four wins out of four in beating Lintell and Brett 6-2, 6-4, 5-6.
Joan Williams and sub Marian Phillips were at their meanest allowing Lisa Clifton and Jane Palmer just two games in a 6-0, 6-1, 6-1 win. Newcomers Sarah Coryton and Penny Thomson are still 100 per cent after a comfortable 6-2, 6-2, 6-0 win against Jill Cansfield and Carol Carter.
As expected the top men's Division B match was a close affair.
Andrew Leigh and Alex Peers-Jones were always ahead in the first two sets against Simon Yeo and Ashley Scoble winning them 6-4, 6-4 – but a change of serve in the third set saw Yeo and Scoble take it 6-4. Two pairs up from Division C met and in-form Steve Romanski and James Payne must have been delighted to beat Pat Pearman and Ron Skinner 6-4, 6-3, 6-3.
Kevin Thomas and Andy Conroy won at the fifth attempt using the lob to great effect to beat Jason Vosper and Alex Picot 6-4, 6-2, 4-6.
The consistency and retrieving of Patrick Poon and John Jacobs proved vital in a 6-4, 6-4, 6-3 Division C win over Chris Shorter and sub Bernard Lien.
Ron Cole and Rob Thomas remain unbeaten but only just after defeating Paul Matthews and Paul O'Connell 6-4, 5-6, 6-5.
Phil Harbottle and Phil Ruse returned to winning ways beating Chris Sargeant and sub Adam Crossley 6-5, 6-0, 6-3 in Division A. And in an all-University clash Sargeant and Pierre Gashe beat Ollie Blanchard and Alex Reynolds 6-4, 1-6, 6-4.
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