Our ladies have done so brilliantly this season that they will be going up into the second division next year. Thank you everybody who played – Vivienne, Anne, Jane H., Sue, Jane B., Nikki, Wendy, Jeannie.
Keep up the practice on Thursday evenings.
Thank you Ritchie for organising Vets fixtures.
Erika (Captain)
The C team’s season climaxed with an impressive 7-1 away win over Lymington B on 10 September. The happy hitters were David Darby, Geoff Littler, Les Brown, Richard Hancock, Charlotte Littler, Jacquie Kennedy, Sarah Impey & Jane Bracy.
Whisper it gently, but with 5 wins, 1 draw and only 2 losses all season, there is a chance that the elusive dream of promotion from Division 5 could become a reality! We’ll get back to you on this.
Thanks to everyone who played for or helped with the team and especially to Vivian, Jill & Richard for all they did on the organisational/captaining side of things over the season.
A JE match report
Littleton Vets Ladies played their final match of the season last night and, true to form, have won again. It was a stormy evening at Lee-on-Solent, rain clouds threatening, and light fading fast, but we battled on and won eventually 40-31 on countback.
A big thank you to all ladies who played in vets matches and made the season such a huge success:
Vivienne, Anne, Jane H., Nikki, Jane B., Wendy, Sue and Jeannie.
Erika
Littleton 3 Sandleheath 5 played at Littleton on 16 August 2008
The Apsley B team were up against the League leaders for their final match of the summer. Despite fielding a strong team we couldn’t quite pull off a victory. David Darby continued his mixed success and started the team off with the first winning rubber. However after the first round the team were 1 – 3 down. The level doubles round saw the two ladies pairs winning their rubbers. The Littler family, Geoff, Nikki and Charlotte turned out in force to represent Littleton comprising just under half the team!
The team this week was Geoff and Nikki Littler, Gill Baker, Rob Strickland, Tom Neale, Jacqui Kennedy, David Darby and Charlotte Littler.
JH
Littleton 5 Kingsgate 3 played at Littleton on 19 July 2008
The mixed B team recorded their first win of the summer season beating local Kingsgate. After the mixed round the scores were even, but Littleton pulled away in the level round taking three of the four rubbers. The match was hard fought with three rubbers going to three sets apiece, and two of the final sets went to a tie-break finish. These crucial tiebreaks went Littleton’s way and determined the match result.
Littleton 2 Thornden A 6 played at Thornden on 2 August 2008
Unfortunately the B team couldn’t repeat their winning way against a capable Thornden A team. However, the mixed pair of David Darby and Jeannie Kettle won their mixed round for the third match in a row. Felicity McElderry and Chris Stone had a truly marathon three setter lasting over two hours, which ended in a Littleton win. The rest of the team couldn’t match the strong opposition, but played good tennis and had an enjoyable afternoon.
One B team match remains to be played this summer against Sandleheath on 16 August.
JH
The Apsley A Team achieved another win in the match against Portswood A on Saturday – making four wins in a row! After a disappointing start to the summer season, the team’s optimism, determination (& maybe even a touch of talent!) has been rewarded. The core of the successful team has been Geoff Morris, who’s played in all six matches, Phil Torkington (5) Wayne Barter & Adam Drysdale (4); Anne Heathorn, Erika Walsh & Vivienne Aspin, who have all played in five of the matches. Unbeaten regular pairings: Phil Torkington & Anne Heathorn; Adam Drysdale & Erika Walsh; Geoff Morris & Adam. Geoff also has the distinction of having partnered five different ladies in the Apsley mixed matches so far this season – is he using Lynx?
Results so far: lost to Bassett A; lost to Warsash B 3-5; won against Swanmore B 7-1; won against Compton 5-3; won against Hants Club C 5-3; won against Portswood A 5-3.
Match Report, Littleton A v Portswood A: In the first round of mixed doubles matches, three pairs managed to win or lose their matches very quickly – not so Geoff & Vivienne! They took over two and a half hours to play three entertaining sets of tennis and at the end of the first round, the match score was level at 2-2. The Littleton winning combinations were Phil Torkington & Anne Heathorn; Pete Drysdale & Erika Walsh. In the second round of matches, Anne & Erika won their battle (& not only in tennis) against the opposition first pair while Fran Arnold, back playing for Littleton after an absence of ten years, partnered Vivienne against the opposition’s second ladies’ pair, who doggedly wore down the home pair to win 6-4, 6-4. Meanwhile, Geoff Morris & Pete Drysdale quickly overcame the opposition to win 6 -3, 6-2 while Phil Torkington & Mark Hinxman seemed to enjoy prolonging their battle against the men’s second pair – having conceded the first set 2 -6, Phil & Mark then convincingly won the next two, 6-3, 6-3.
Another good win for Littleton and many thanks to Fran Arnold, Mark Hinxman & Pete Drysdale for supplementing the A team strength.
On one of the hottest days of the year the Ladies team travelled to what they hoped would be the cool grass courts of South Hants tennis club. But the hot and humid afternoon was more suited to sitting in the shade with a book and a cold glass of something than running around a tennis court!
We attempted to deal with the awkward bounces and slides of the grass surface, but a win eluded us. South Hants had the experience of playing on their home surface, although we had made plans to play short attacking points.
The team this week was Erika Walsh, Vivienne Aspin, Emma Poffley, Gill Baker, Sue Brown and Jane Hendry.
This was the last Ladies match of the summer season, and I’m happy to report that we have won 2 and lost 2, so should maintain our place in division 3a. Many thanks also to the 5 club members who played one or more matches and contributed greatly to the team effort : Nikki and Charlotte Littler, Anne Heathorn, Wendy Raw and Jeannie Kettle.
JH
Social Mixed Doubles Champions Dennis & Auriol
There was an early start to this year’s Finals’ Day with the Social Mixed Doubles starting at 11 a.m. at the request of the finalists. This event is open to club members who have not played in league matches for the club – which suggests that competitors might have a friendly, gentler approach to the game. Not so! From the very start of the finals’ match, it became evident that the four players were every bit as competitive as the rest of the tournament entrants who’d fought their way to the finals. Dennis Patient & Auriol Mayo took the first set, then Colin Rees & Beryl May held on to an early lead in the second set. At the beginning of the third set, Beryl & Colin showed even more determination not to be beaten with Beryl really going for the winning shots and Colin playing a very active tactical game with some particularly well-judged lobs. Colin & Beryl were soon 4 -1 up and lesser opposition might have given up at that point – but not Dennis & Auriol. Dennis used his height advantage at the net & consisiently produced fine volleys & overhead smashes, while Auriol played a supporting defensive game. This combination of attacking & relentless defenceless play brought them back into the match and although the longer the match went on, the harder it was for either pair to make the winning shot, Denns & Auriol eventually overcame Colin & Beryl by 7 games to 5 in the third set – after two and a half hours’ play. (Dennis had been booked to sing at a wedding in the afternoon & it’s a testament to his fitness that he was fully recovered & in fine voice by the time he arrived at the church!)
Men's Singles Finalists, Adam & David
The Social Mixed Doubles Final was followed by the Men’s & Ladies Singles Finals, featuring the club’s up and coming young talent - all the finalists were aged between 15 & 17 years old. The Ladies’ Singles was a demonstration of attacking top spin play from both of the talented teenaged players, but Emma’s greater match play experience and ‘leftie’ finesse enabled her to win in two sets, despite some fine play from Charlotte.
The Men’s Singles was an interesting contrast in styles, played between two friends, Adam & David, who are the very successful number one doubles’ pair in the club’s 16 & under Boys’ Team. It was soon evident that Adam was totally committed to winning the title of Men’s Singles’ Champion and he played aggressive attacking tennis from the start of the match, using his developing physical strength to produce some awesome shots in his determination to outplay his opponent. David put up an equally determined resistance and his defensive play impressed and delighted the spectators, especially when David took Adam to ten deuces in one game and when David produced his finest defence in what proved to be the last game of the match. However, Adam kept his focus throughout the match and with an impressive display of power play, won the Men’s Singles title in two sets.
