AUTUMN 2015 / ISSUE 31
THE MAGAZINE OF BUCKS TENNIS
TIEBREAKER Issue 25 / Winter 2014
HALTON/EVERYBALL’S 14&U GIRLS
NATIONAL CHAMPS Aegon Team Tennis 2015 saw over 5,900 teams competing across events from 8&U to Open (adult) in more than 40 leagues. 24 of these teams, who had all won their respective Tier 1 Region between April and June, were present in Roehampton to battle it out for the boys’ and girls’ 12U, 14U and 18U titles. Halton/Everyball’s 14&U girls otherwise known as the ‘Bandana Bandits’ made it through to the Tier 1 finals, National Team Aegon 14&U in July. The team consisting of Lauren Armstrong (Bucks), Izzy Marshall (Bucks), Scarlett Hutchinson (Middlesex), Alex Hildreth (Herts) and Alexa Wilson (Bucks) qualified for the finals and winning 5/5 in the South West group by beating a very strong West Hants team in the box stages. The ‘Bandana Bandits’ were too strong
for Nottingham in the semi finals, comfortably winning 6-0. Then on finals day the girls were up against a very strong USN Bolton Arena team. The match up didn’t disappoint with four of the six rubbers decided by match tiebreaks. The singles matches were full of drama and there were only a few points separating the two teams. In the doubles Alex and Scarlett came very close to sealing the victory for Halton but lost in a 3rd set, however Bucks duo Izzy and Lauren won 6-2 6-4. Really well done girls! National Champs. I am
Jemima King, Alexa Wilson, Alex Hildreth, Lauren Armstrong, Izzy Marshall, Scarlett Hutchinson
so proud of the girls who showed spirit, fight, energy, determination and most importantly a very good team spirit. Team competitions are key for keeping girls in the game!! By Jemima King (Coach/Captain)
JUNIOR GIRLS TENNIS IN MILTON KEYNES An ambitious scheme aimed at encouraging more girls to take up tennis is to be launched in primary schools across Milton Keynes. Stony Stratford Tennis Club and the Bucks LTA have given their support for the project which aims to introduce more than 1,000 girls to the sport in its early stages. The Tennis Works coaching team are delivering the scheme and have started by coaching all the year 1, 2 and 3 girls at Oxley Park Academy with Deanshanger Primary, Christ the Sower and more schools set to receive free demonstration sessions over this term. While the coaching will initially take place in schools, the long term objective is for the youngsters to become regular club members with competitions available for those wishing to develop their talent
further. Local female participation in tennis is far less than it is with males and with the joint commitment we aim to get more girls playing more sport, which is vital to the success of the scheme. Tennis is a great game and this scheme isn’t about looking for the next Maria Sharapova but to increase female participation for the enjoyment and health benefits tennis provides. Anyone wishing to have a free session at Stony Stratford Tennis Club can do so by calling 0203 286 5590 or emailing stony@tennisworks. net. Alternatively, if any school is interested in arranging free demonstration sessions, please contact Tennis Works at office@ tennisworks.net. By Melvyn Jones
ADVANTAGE BUCKS
WINNERS INSIDE
P5
Keep up to date at facebook.com/bucksLTA or
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Twitter@bucksLTA
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AUTUMN 2015 / ISSUE 31
HALTON’S HEAD OF ATHLETE DEVELOPMENT IN ATLANTA Dom King, Head of Athlete Development at Halton Tennis Centre, recently went to Atlanta, Georgia, to attend the Master Tennis Performance Specialist certification workshop with the International Tennis Performance Association (ITPA) and reports on his trip for Tiebreaker: ‘The three day workshop, with over 22hrs of learning, was led by Dr Mark Kovacs, Executive Director of the ITPA and a world respected authority in the field of Tennis-specific fitness and research. The workshop covered a huge amount of
information, ranging from the effect of physical training on the tennis
strokes, to movement based techniques, screening & assessing, injury prevention ideas, recovery strategies, tennis-specific endurance training, strength training,
planning & periodisation for the tennis athlete, and a whole lot more. The wide range of knowledge of the participants led to some very interesting discussions and it was great to share ideas with people from around the world. We were lucky enough to have Robbie Ginepri (career high 15, 2005 US Open semi-finalist) come and have a Q&A with us and offer his insights and experience into life as a professional player. It was interesting to hear him say that he felt it was the physical work that he put in that helped him the most when transitioning from the junior game into the pro tour.
After the Q&A we went on court where Robbie was thoroughly put through his paces in a movement-based session for us to observe and offer feedback on. Overall it was a great experience and I’m excited to come back and bring this information back to our players at Halton and the wider community in Bucks Tennis. I’m grateful for the support from Bucks LTA, Halton Tennis Centre and others to enable me to attend. There’s still some post-course work that needs to be done before I can call myself a Master Tennis Performance Specialist but I’m on the way.’
BUCKINGHAMSHIRE JUNIOR COUNTY CLOSED 2015 Despite bad weather the Junior County Closed was a successful event with a small increase in participants and all events including doubles were completed before the Finals on Saturday. The 8&U Red and 9&U Orange events took place at the Bucks Indoor Tennis Centre. This was a long day for players and officials finishing with the Orange final at 6:45pm but a high standard of play and sporting behaviour was observed. Monday saw just 20 minutes of play and events were carried over to Tuesday and Wednesday. On Tuesday we used the BITC for the 18 boys and 16 girls and later in the afternoon Halton indoor courts for other events. We did manage to complete most of Tuesday’s events at GMLTC but unfortunately this was also a rain interrupted day so Wednesday presented a massive schedule. However, thanks to GMLTC, Chesham 1879 and Chesham Bois the programme was completed. We were now up to schedule and were able to
complete the doubles events on Thursday and Friday. The only events lost were some of the consolation events. Finals day started with sunshine and 12 finals were played with an appreciative audience of friends, parents, family relatives and coaches. Trophies were presented by Jill Hughes, a long-term supporter of junior tennis in the County, Neil Miller the GMLTC Chairman and Keith Dewick, County President. The organising Committee wish to thank GMLTC for their generosity in allowing the County Closed to use their excellent facilities and also to thank the ladies for their wonderful catering over the week. Congratulations to all our new County Champions and we look forward to watching their progress in the coming season and returning again next year to compete at the Junior County Championships. Best wishes also to our under 12 singles winners who qualified to play in The Babolat Cup at The Edgbaston Priory Club.
JUNIOR COUNTY CHAMPIONS 2015 8&U Boys 8&U Girls
Ashton Taank (Halton) Kyla Garner (Newport Pagnell)
9&U Boys 9&U Girls
Sebastian Mellows (GXBL) Millie Day (Chesham Bois)
10&U Boys 10&U Girls
Joshua Oakley (Halton) Millie Day (Chesham Bois)
12&U Boys 12&U Girls
Joel Good (Halton) Amelia Howie (GXDW)
14&U Boys 14&U Girls
Ben Smith (GMLTC) Emily Honor (Stony Stratford)
16&U Boys 16&U Girls
Daniel Dean (Halton) Lauren Armstrong (Halton)
18&U Boys 18&U Girls
Lee Tribe (DLMK) Lauren Armstrong (Halton)
10&U Boys Doubles David Mentiply & Joshua Oakley (Aylesbury & Halton) 12&U Boys Doubles Joel Good & Miles Groom (Halton) 12&U Girls Doubles Natalie Bell & Bethan Miles (Halton) 14&U Boys Doubles Joshua Stapleton & Aidan Varela (Stony Stratford) 18&U Boys Doubles Oscar Glenister & Lee Tribe (Halton & DLMK) 18&U Girls Doubles Lauren Armstrong & Isabelle Marshall (Halton & DLMK)
ISSUE 31 / AUTUMN 2015
TIEBREAKER // 3
BUCKS LADIES OVER 40S WIN GROUP 2A AND GAIN PROMOTION
GERRARDS CROSS
LTC JUNIOR & SENIOR OPEN TOURNAMENT The 36th Annual Tournament in August was a great success with all players enjoying their tennis and benefitting from extra matches on the 17 courts at Bull Lane plus courts at Chalfont St Peter Tennis Club. Players aged from 6 to 35 years old competed over six days in various singles and doubles events. The standard of play was astonishing in many of the events. Mens singles top seed Alex Juniper 2.1 from Kent beat Aneil Persaid Heston, rated 2.1 from Middx 7-6 7-6 in a hard-hitting encounter on one of the only grass court finals due to the wet weather. Tennace at Gerrards Cross LTC players competed extremely well in the younger age groups. Brothers Zac and Elijah Orr-Ewing won the Green u10 doubles beating teammates Ryan Teasdale and Bjorn Tewes in three sets on the way. Elijah then teamed up with other brother Benji in the Orange under 9 final. They lost to Gxltc players Robbie Spittal and Seb Mellows 7-3 3-7 3-7 in an exciting doubles final. The girls under 8 competition involved unbelievable play by
Anoushka Patel who used a racket with broken strings throughout the whole tournament and reached the final where she lost to Tennace player Helena Ullyatt 10-5. They both attend Maltmans Green school. Jake Williams (16) from Halton lost in three close sets to Julian Williams from Beckenham 10-4 in match tie-break. Yureha Yamaguchi from Ealing won the girls under 16 against Aleksandra Rychlewska from Heston and just lost the under 18 girls to Alisha Reayer who in turn lost the ladies singles to Megan Forster 6-2 6-1. Jacob Mellows came 3rd in the boys under 10 singles as did Benji Orr-Ewing in the under 8 singles. The Tournament was organised and Refereed by Andy Scholfield with assistant referees Charlotte Thistle and Peter Bresnen. Prizes were awarded in all events including gift vouchers bought from Amazon. For more information on Tennace Courses see www.tennace.com
CLUB TENNIS CHAMPS SERVE UP A TREAT IN STONY Juniors
James Marchant, Seb Callcut
The Ladies 40s matches take place over the summer period with all matches being completed by the middle of September. We started the year with an away trip to Swindon to play Wiltshire where the team consists of Alison Longfield, Sophie Bell, Sarah Bright and Avril Tarry, with Alison and Sophie playing the singles rubbers and Sarah and Avril the doubles pairing. Sophie breezed through her singles to victory and was shortly followed by Sarah and Avril with their first doubles victory of the day. We then waited and waited for Alison to come through and gain victory in her singles which meant going into the second round of rubbers we already knew we had won the match. All players continued their good form in the doubles matches and completed the whitewash and won the match 5-0 on rubbers. Up next was a home fixture against Bedfordshire with a team of Caroline Neil-Dwyer, Sophie Bell, Sarah Bright and Avril Tarry. Caroline and Sophie played the singles and Sarah and Avril again played as the doubles pairing. Sophie won her singles and Caroline lost on a championship tiebreak, with Avril and Sarah winning their doubles meant going into the second round of matches we were 2-1 up in rubbers. Bedfordshire doubles pairing were the weak link and Bucks completed the victory with a 3-2 rubbers win. After a few weeks’ break we had an away match to Lincolnshire which seemed to fall in the middle of the heatwave that was taking over the country at the time. The team of Avril Tarry, Sarah Bright, Philippa Callcut and Ellen North made the trip to Grantham. This time Avril and Philippa were the singles players with Sarah and Ellen as the doubles pairing. We
all went down fighting that day with a 0-5 rubber loss. After the summer break we had the last two fixtures in September. First was an away fixture to Swansea, South Wales. The same team that defeated Wiltshire were up for this fixture, again Sophie won her singles, but unfortunately Alison could not wear down her opponent on this occasion. Avril and Sarah were kept waiting by the late arrival of one of the opposition players. 45minutes later they commenced their match and came through winning in comfortable style. Then the second round of doubles rubbers and again the opposition’s doubles pairing was the weak link which meant Sophie and Alison won the deciding rubber and an overall win 3-2 on rubbers. Safe in the knowledge that we would not be demoted this season and there was a possibility of promotion Essex would be the final county to play this year. The same team that defeated Bedfordshire would be again up for this match, Caroline and Sophie won their respective singles but unfortunately Avril and Sarah could not defeat their doubles pairing. So into the second round of doubles and requiring one rubber to gain promotion, both doubles pairings put in excellent displays and won both remaining rubbers to ensure an overall 4-1 victory. A massive well done to all players that competed for Bucks in both the Ladies Over 35s and Ladies Over 40s teams. As you may have noticed several names appear in both age groups! If you are interested in playing for either team then please let Avril Tarry (avril2009@live.co.uk) know, we do hold a few winter training sessions at the Bucks Indoor Centre, so you can come down and join in. By Avril Tarry
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AUTUMN 2015 / ISSUE 31
AEGON TEAM TENNIS 2015 Between April and June 2015 the Aegon Team Tennis competition took place within the County. This year it involved 28 clubs, 190 teams competing in 38 draws including division 1 (4-player teams) and division 2 (2-player teams) as well as a Central Venue for developing Red players. There is also an Open event for adult men and ladies. It is an excellent format where everyone plays a singles event and a doubles event. The LTA invites entries in November and perhaps Clubs who have not entered previously might consider entering the 2016 competition. The results for the 2015 competition are listed to the right.
REMEMBERING
ANNE HARRIS In late July the death of Anne Harris was announced. Anne had been a stalwart of tennis in the Milton Keynes area for over 45 years, having been a member of the Milton Keynes Tennis League (recently re-named ‘Tennis MK’) since its inception in 1969; for the majority of years acting as Secretary. She also devoted a large amount of time to organising junior tournaments at her club, Woburn Sands LTC, and throughout the north of Buckinghamshire. For many years she was also league Secretary for Bedfordshire LTA. In December 2006, in recognition of her devoted voluntary service to tennis over more than 35
years, Anne was presented with the LTA’s Meritorious Award following a joint recommendation from Buckinghamshire and Bedfordshire LTAs. The photograph shows Anne receiving the award from the then LTA President, Stuart Smith, at the LTA AGM at The Queen’s Club in London. Anne was one of the many unpaid administrators of tennis that form the backbone of British tennis at grassroots level. She will be sadly missed. Andrew Petherick. Chairman, Bucks Tennis and former Chair of Tennis MK Donations in Anne’s memory may be sent to Willen Hospice, Milton Road, Willen, MK15 9AB
League Winning Teams
Age & Gender
Division
League Winning Teams
Age & Gender
Division
Gerrards Cross Bull Lane
8&U Mxd
Division 1
Gerrards Cross Bull Lane
14&U Boys
Division 1A
Halton Tennis Club
8&U Mxd
Division 2
Chesham (1879) Tennis Club
14&U Boys
Division 1B
Beaconsfield Tennis Club
8&U Mxd
Division 2
Wooburn Park Tennis Club
14&U Boys
Division 2A
Great Missenden Tennis Club
8&U Mxd
Division 2
Marlow Tennis Club
14&U Boys
Division 2B
Gerrards Cross Dukes Wood
8&U Mxd
Division 2
Aylesbury Tennis Club
14&U Boys
Division 2C
Burnham Tennis Association
8&U Mxd
Division 2
Beaconsfield Tennis Club
14&U Girls
Division 2
Chesham (1879) Tennis Club
9&U Mxd
Division 1A
Stony Stratford Tennis Club
16&U Boys
Division 1
Gerrards Cross Bull Lane
9&U Mxd
Division 1B
Cheddington
16&U Boys
Division 2A
Gerrards Cross Bull Lane
9&U Mxd
Division 1C
Wooburn Park Tennis Club
16&U Boys
Division 2B
Burnham Tennis Association
9&U Mxd
Division 2A
Richings Park Tennis Club
16&U Boys
Division 2C
Hazlemere & District Tennis Club
9&U Mxd
Division 2B
Gerrards Cross Bull Lane
16&U Girls
Division 2A
Gerrards Cross Bull Lane
10&U Mxd
Division 1
Beaconsfield Tennis Club
16&U Girls
Division 2B
Hazlemere & District Tennis Club
10&U Mxd
Division 2A
Wooburn Park Tennis Club
18&U Boys
Division 1
Stoke Poges Tennis Club
10&U Mxd
Division 2B
Hazlemere & District Tennis Club
18&U Boys
Division 2A
Gerrards Cross Bull Lane
12&U Boys
Division 1A
Richings Park Tennis Club
18&U Boys
Division 2B
Iver Heath Tennis Club
12&U Boys
Division 1B
Division 1
Aston Park Tennis Club
12&U Boys
Division 2A
David Lloyd Milton Keynes Tennis Open Men Club
Wooburn Park Tennis Club
12&U Boys
Division 2B
Newport Pagnell Tennis Club
Open Men
Division 2
Hazlemere & District Tennis Club
12&U Boys
Division 2C
Great Missenden Tennis Club
Open Ladies Division 1
Gerrards Cross Bull Lane
12&U Girls
Division 2
BUCKS LADIES OVER 35S STAY IN GROUP 4B The weekend in Eastbourne provided some glorious weather and some sublime tennis. On the Friday Bucks played Durham & Cleveland where Sophie Bell got us off to a good start by winning her match, unfortunately Avril Tarry was unable to build on the good start and going into the doubles fixtures the match was 1 rubber all (which was a theme for the whole weekend). Sarah Bright and Emily Weller, our doubles experts, narrowly lost their first rubber on a Championship tiebreak, then remained on the court to take on Durham’s singles players and went down fighting. Avril and Sophie then paired up to take on Durham’s doubles experts and won 6-2 6-0. This meant an overall loss 3-2 on rubbers which made it a frustrating day. Time was taken to reflect on the day’s play whilst taking the obligatory version of the ice bath – standing in the English Channel for half an hour! Day two was slightly more overcast as we took on Derbyshire, but again ended with another loss of 3-2 on rubbers. Day three was the day of reckoning as
Sophie Bell, Emily Weller, Avril Tarry & Sarah Bright
Avon had also lost on the previous two days, so this was a must win match to ensure we remained in Group 4. A similar pattern emerged with the singles results, with Sophie having a brilliant singles result against a former Bucks player and Avril (held together by strapping and intense physio) unable to build on the good start. Sarah and Emily gave us the significant lead that we needed when they beat their doubles pairing which meant we required one more rubber to remain in the group. As it was the last day and other counties had finished playing their matches we were able to play the remaining two doubles at the same time. Avril and Sophie managed to get the win against their doubles pairing that ensured we remained in the group. It was an excellent effort by all four players that made the trip to Eastbourne; next year’s aim is to gain promotion!! By Avril Tarry
ISSUE 31 / AUTUMN 2015
TIEBREAKER // 5
BUCKS GIRLS’ INITIATIVE The first girls’ fun session of the season was held on 18th October at Halton. 40 girls ranging from 4 – 16 years old came along and six different clubs were represented: Naphill, Milton Keynes, Beaconsfield, High Wycombe, Widmer End and Halton. The aim of the sessions is to create a fun, relaxed tennis atmosphere where girls can come along and be active. It doesn’t matter what level player you are, the DATE FOR THE DIARY session is for everyone. MINI RED/ORANGE TEAM The girls warm up to COMPETITION music, balloon games, relays 8TH NOVEMBER 2-4pm, Halton ‘Thank you to Jemima and all the and then split up into their Format: Enter as a team of two – coaches. I really enjoyed playing with new individual ball colour. Drills play singles & doubles with your girls and I loved the doubles games. It was are set up, emphasis on teamate against other teams. nice to be able to choose the last game. doubles and team activities Please contact: Camilla Hayward When is the next one?’ Darcey Rowles. to encourage the girls to play camilla@everyball.net to enter. It was so nice to see girls of all levels with girls they may not know. smiling and enjoying the game. ‘I hope you have other Let’s hope we can build on these kinds of sessions sessions as it was great for the girls to play in a fun, and get more girls playing the game and being active. sociable environment. She really enjoyed it. ’ Parent of By Camilla Hayward a child attending a session
BUCKS LTA PROVIDE FUNDING SUPPORT In 2014/15 Bucks LTA was able to support eight people with grants towards the cost of coaching courses from Level 1 to Level 5. We also made grants to six clubs to help with the purchase of equipment or upgrading facilities. We have made interest free loans of £10,000 to six clubs to support the building of an extra court, an air dome, and the refurbishment and upgrading of existing courts. The Management Committee considers the use of some of Bucks LTA’s funds in these ways to be an important investment in the future of tennis in registered places to play in the county. We can also consider grant applications for new activities including inclusive (disabled) tennis. If anyone is interested in applying for financial assistance please download the appropriate details and application form from www.lta.org.uk/ in-your-area/Buckinghamshire. We have also recently agreed to introduce a new grant scheme to support players aged 12 to 18 years who are in the top 50 nationally within their age group. This scheme is aimed at supporting coaching and tournament activities. By Rosemary Badman
Celia Cornforth, Jemima King, Barney Smith, Laura Deigman, Izzy Marshall.
HALTON’S TEAMS IN FINALS The West Hants Club in Bournemouth played host to 16 teams with many players currently holding world rankings on the ATP and WTA Tour and Halton Men’s and Ladies teams were part of the finals weekend. The men’s team, captained by Alan Bevan (Bucks), reached the Finals for the first time by winning the South West division. Barnaby Smith (Bucks) played at number 1 and remained in the country to play the tournament before heading off to start his new tennis journey at Sanchez Casal Academy. Cameron Malik (Warks), Alex Barnes and Ed Taylor (Bucks) completed the team, playing Sutton in the quarter finals, coming up against a very strong team, before playing Lady Bay in the 5-8th play-off, winning all of their matches. The women’s team captained by Jemima King (Bucks) have reached the finals three times in the last five years. The team playing in the finals were all Bucks players – Jemima King, Laura Deigman, Celia Cornforth and Izzy Marshall – at 14 years old was able to play in her first Senior Aegon match at the finals to replace a few injured players! The women were up against it but fought hard against Edgbaston and West Hants but couldn’t quite clinch the tight matches.
CHEDDINGTON’S CHARITY TOURNAMENT On a glorious Sunday in September, Cheddington Tennis Club ran their annual charity tournament in aid of Cancer Research. The tournament was in memory of Gill Waterhouse, a much loved member of the community and former treasurer of the club. It was an American tournament where everybody had a chance to play with different partners but most importantly, there was a BBQ lunch where everybody could relax and enjoy the weather. Around £250 was raised and we would like to thank the organisers and also the participants for supporting this cause. By Bex Stanley
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AUTUMN 2015 / ISSUE 31
AEGON 9U COUNTY CUP 2015 The opponents for the Bucks team for the Aegon 9u County Cup were Herts, Oxfordshire, Gloucestershire and Essex. Zac Orr-Ewing made his Bucks debut in the team, playing at #1. Oxfordshire were first up, and Zac was determined to make his mark straight away, racing to win the first set 7-0. The Oxford player was to come back strongly though, raising his game impressively to take the match eventually 0-7 7-4 7-5. Fraser roared through his opening match, taking it 7-4 7-5 and Charlie held on to win his first rubber against Oxfordshire’s #3 7-5 4-7 9-7. It was the best start the team could’ve hoped for. The girls were equally impressive; Millie, Ashni and Aneka made small work of their Oxfordshire opponents, with each coming through in straight sets: 7-3 8-6, 7-2 7-3 and 7-5 7-3 respectively. Millie and Ashni won their doubles match (7-4 10-8), as did Zac and Aneka (8-6 5-7 7-4) and both rubbers brought real entertainment to the parents and coaches watching. Next up were mighty
Herts, who were rightly seen as pre-tournament favourites. In fairness, they showed just why this was the case, displaying inspirational tennis at times that still managed to bring out the best of the Bucks players. Unfortunately neither Zac (7-2 7-2), Fraser (7-5 7-2) or Charlie (7-4 7-2) could even get a set from the Herts boys, despite throwing the kitchen sink at them. Millie fought valiantly in her 3 set loss to the Herts #1 girl – arguably playing her best tennis of the day in the second set before finally going down 7-3 1-7 7-3. But with Ashni (7-3 7-2) and Aneka (9-7 7-5) scoring vital Bucks wins, a shock was still possible going into the doubles. It almost seemed on the cards when Millie and Ashni won their doubles 7-5 7-9 7-4. The 2 were starting to build a real understanding as a pair, after having comparatively little doubles experience between them. Alas it was not to be overall, as Fraser and Charlie lost the decisive rubber 7-4 7-1 against a very strong Herts boys pair. This was a shame, as Zac and Aneka came within a
// TEAM ZAC ORR-EWING / FRASER REEVES / CHARLIE BERENS / MILLIE DAY / ASHNI SANGHA, ANEKA PATEL // CAPTAIN: TOM EDIS
whisker of making the tie interesting, narrowly losing out themselves 7-4 6-8 9-7 in the mixed. Unabashed, the team looked for better fortune after lunch. They found it in style after thrilling performances against Gloucestershire – in particular from Fraser (7-2 3-7 7-5), Charlie (7-5 1-7 7-5) and Ashni (5-7 9-7 7-4), who all managed to come out on top in gripping 3-setters. With Millie also winning in straight sets (7-2 7-2), Zac’s tough 7-2 7-4 loss, and that of Aneka 7-5 8-6 meant Bucks were still in pole position going into the doubles. Fraser and Charlie were still trying to find that elusive win, but just couldn’t find it here. Gloucestershire’s boys pair were solid at the net and denied them 7-3 7-3. There was no such trouble for Millie and Ashni though, blitzing their opponents aggressively in the girls doubles 7-4 7-0, in a win which clinched victory for Bucks. Zac and Aneka’s
marathon 3-setter 7-9 7-0 10-8 was the icing on the cake. It meant a victory over Essex would at least guarantee the team second place. The Essex fixture saw the most emphatic victory of the day, and rounded off a fantastic event for Bucks. The players seemed to have a second wind, and a steely determination that simply blew their opponents away. This was especially impressive as Essex had recorded some excellent individual wins against the other counties, and not to mention some eyecatching performances. Zac finally got the singles win his battling displays had deserved. His 7-2 7-5 victory was met with as much relief as it was joy from his teammates! Fraser followed that up with an equally determined 7-0 7-5 win of his own, and although Charlie’s closely fought 7-4 8-6 defeat made the overall score tight, the girls were to dispel any nerves going into the doubles with an outstanding series of singles victories: first Millie came through 7-4 8-6 in a win that could have been even more comprehensive if it wasn’t for a dogged late
rally from the Essex #1, before Aneka (2-7 7-4 7-2) and then Ashni (7-3 4-7 9-7) won in heroic fashion. The Bucks team still wanted to end the day strongly, even though victory was secured. Fraser and Charlie produced their best doubles play of the day to finally get a win themselves, seeing off the Herts boys pair 7-3 9-7. Zac and Aneka made short work of their mixed opponents, defeating them 7-2 8-6, which left Millie and Aneka to round it all off with the most convincing Bucks set of the day – smashing the Essex girls’ pair 7-0 in the third with the rubber deadlocked 7-4 4-7. So silver medals for Bucks, which was an excellent achievement for a promising squad. With all the focus for the players now going towards playing green ball competition from now on, the team can look back, both individually and collectively, at orange ball-level competition of this standard as a significant and successful stage in their development as tennis players. By Tom Edis (Captain)
FAMILY TOURNAMENT SUCCESS AT WIDMER END A very successful Junior/Adult tournament was held at Widmer End Tennis Club on the 6th September when 48 youngsters with their Mum, Dad, Auntie, Uncle, Granny or Grandpa fought it out to be champion of the mini-court. The sun shone brightly, the cakes were devoured eagerly. The standard of tennis was really good and some very close and exciting matches were played. Well done Darren, our Sunday Junior Coach, and team for organising this.
Our new coaches Challenge Tennis are now in place and we are all looking forward to a successful time ahead. This starts with our Mince Pie & Mulled Wine Tennis (yes, and tennis) club night. Some even play better after a few glasses! Happy Christmas and Happy New Year to all of you from all at Widmer End. By Margaret Plummer
ISSUE 31 / AUTUMN 2015
MOST SUCCESSFUL YEAR EVER FOR GT LINFORD ‘A’ TEAM Great Linford Tennis Club’s first game this season was Chesham away in late April winning 18 sets to 0 in the Bucks Shield! This was the way of things to come in the shield only losing five sets in total all season, with Gt Linford A winning Div 3 and gaining promotion to Div 2. A new player, Declan Kavanagh, was introduced to the team, also playing one match in the Milton Keynes A league. The MKA league also proved to be mostly one where we were again triumphant, the team only losing to a loaded MKC team in an extremely close defeat to MKA 5-3 which was awesome to play in with about 12 Linford fans present to support the boys.
In addition we held the top seven spots in the player statistic standings and our 8th player being 17th only because they had only played in two matches. Lee Tribe and Mark Judd were in competition all season to finish top but there could be only one winner and Lee Tribe found great form through the summer. On beating Wing at our last game of the season we ended up runners up in the league concluding in the most successful season ever for the A team. Well done boys! Bring on next season. A little foot note: Lee Tribe also became county champion this year too, so a big well done to him! By Steve Knight
TIEBREAKER // 7
MILLIE DAY WINS 3 REGIONAL TOURNAMENTS Congratulations to Millie Day for winning no less than three regional tournaments over the Summer, as well as the County Closed Girls U9 and 10U events! Millie, one of the strongest juniors at Chesham Bois Tennis Club, is ranked 8th on the National Leaderboard for 9U. There’s currently a lot going on in the junior section of Chesham Bois Tennis club, including a new Junior kit, an All Girls’ training session planned for Early November, a new Singles league for 10 to 14 year olds and a great Disco in November. By Pippa Pearson
LEARNING DISABILITY TENNIS IN MILTON KEYNES
WRAYSBURY LAWN TENNIS CLUB’S JUNIOR FINALS DAY
MK Inclusive Tennis have had a great start to the year in Milton Keynes delivering learning disability tennis sessions to participants at both MacIntyre and MK Snap. Both of these charities provide learning support and care for children and young adults in Milton Keynes offering them education, life skills, learning opportunities and work preparation. MK Inclusive Tennis have delivered 6 sessions to each venue, with the participants thoroughly enjoying the interaction and activity going from never having played tennis to being able to demonstrate consistent forehand and backhand shots. We have thoroughly enjoyed coaching them all and look forward to working with them again in 2016. By Emma Maitland
27 kids aged from 4 to 16 took part in Wraysbury Lawn Tennis Club’s Junior Finals day in September. Everyone involved received a medal for taking part and was rewarded with a barbecue to help refuel them after their efforts. 8 year old Nathan was the overall winner of the tournament, and was awarded the Jean Bell trophy. Jean was ladies champion at the club a record 13 times, and was passionate about getting kids involved in tennis. Isabella Makuch, aged 6, was awarded the Alistair Young trophy, which is an annual trophy awarded to the most enthusiastic, helpful and sportsmanlike participant amongst the club’s juniors and intermediates. The club also held its annual end of season tournament for adults in September - though they play all year round! The winners were Dawn Funnell and Alec Blyth, pictured with club Chairman, Ros Nockles. By Clive Ferguson, Hon. Sec You can contact the club at Wraysburyltc@yahoo.co.uk, or find out more on their website, wraysburyltc.org.uk.
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AUTUMN 2015 / ISSUE 31
PHILS DOMINATE BOTH SIDES IN STOKE POGES’ CHAMPIONSHIP FINALS On a sunny Saturday 12th September, Stoke Poges’ tennis club held their annual Club Championships Finals Day. This year was very special since it was the first time they were being played on the brand new artificial grass with new nets and posts. Also it was the first time Phil Nash had qualified to be in three finals matches and facing Phil Clarke on the other side of the net in all the matches ! Unfortunately, a player in the ladies singles and doubles final was ill so Karen Perez held onto the singles trophy she won last year. Jenny Milne and her mother Anne Milne became the ladies doubles champions. Yet despite the set-back, it didn’t stop a very entertaining fast start with the two big hitting Phils battling it out for the men’s singles title. In a close long match, Clarke’s consistency just saw him through in the deciding last set as Nash tried to take the pace off with drop shots and good length blocked shots. Clarke who is a qualified tennis coach was delighted to win back the trophy he had previously held for many years, until a teenager ran him off court over the last couple of years. The Men’s Doubles Final saw Phil Nash and Graham Roper up against past winners of Phil Clarke and Tony McCaugherty. The wide angled shots on the lest were well run down by left handed Tony as his partner was ripping ones
back from the right. Brilliant net rallies were being won by either side. Phil Clarke’s powerful baseline ground strokes and cross-court top spin forehands by Tony led them to take the edge to win in straight sets. The Mixed Doubles Final was a hard one to call as it featured Phil Nash partnering Jenny Milne (who have been in great form after convincing wins for the club in Bucks league matches), up against the experienced defending champions – Finella Daywan and Phil Clarke. The teamwork and regular positive talking by Daywan and Clarke showed through to help clinch the first set tie-break to love. In the second set, Finella convincingly won her service games, Clarke upped the power and Nash admitted afterwards that a bit of cramp had set in, all helping Daywan and Clarke to retain their trophy. Alan Munro, the Club Chairman, presented the trophies and thanked the many members and friends who had supported the event. Drinks and a BBQ were enjoyed throughout the day. By Harvey Whittam
GET PUBLISHED! Make sure not to miss the next publication deadline for articles and photos on the 20th January. It is important that your article has the following: • no more than 200 words • f ull event name, participants’ names and labelled photo files so that everybody gets attributed correctly •h igh‑resolution photos (set your digital camera to the ‘biggest’ setting) •p lease include your full name at start/end of a report if you want to be credited as the author NEXT Send your files to dom@tennis4kids.co.uk
IS AVAILAB SUE LE IN
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AT YOU LOCAL C R LUB
CONTACT WITH BUCKINGHAMSHIRE LTA: Chairman // Andrew Petherick Tel: 07779579674 Email: chairman@buckstennis.com Secretary // Mary Crowshaw Tel: 01494 726931 Email: mscrowshaw@gmail.com Or via // Bucks LTA County Office, Bucks Indoor Tennis Centre, Holmer’s Lane, High Wycombe, Bucks, HP12 4QA
Disclaimer: The views expressed in this newsletter are not necessarily those of Buckinghamshire LTA. The association accepts no liability for the accuracy of information provided by contributors. CONTACT WITH LTA REGIONAL OFFICE: Tel: 01494 471238 Email: East@LTA.org.uk East Region Tennis Office, Bucks Indoor Tennis Centre Holmer’s Lane, High Wycombe, Bucks, HP12 4QA
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The next TIEBREAKER will be published in June, if you have any articles you wish to be included please send them to dom@tennis4kids.co.uk by 20th January 2016.
This issue can be viewed in full on the Bucks web site: lta.org.uk/In-Your-Area/ Buckinghamshire
BUCKS TENNIS HISTORY NEARS COMPLETION With financial support from the Bucks LTA, David Orchard reports that the History of Bucks County Tennis from 1923-2013 is almost complete. A draft version is available but this will require some additions, amendments and editing before it is ready for publication. Any advice or help that can be offered in bringing this “Magnum Opus” to a published state would be gratefully received by the author on 01296486242.
ALFRED GEORGE DEREK GATER (FREDDIE) Congratulations to Julia Bone and Francis Gater on the arrival of Freddie weighing 7 lb 15 oz.
BUCKS DO WELL AT NATIONAL SENIORS GRASS COURTS Two Bucks players came away with titles at the National Senior Grass Courts event at Wimbledon recently. Jonathan Leslie made a successful return to National Seniors competitions by winning the 65+ singles with a victory over Rennie Johnston who had beaten the holder in the semi final. The other success was for Chris Hearn. He took the 45+ doubles with new partner Johnny Barr. There was a near miss by Bucks ladies Liz Murdoch and Sue Soul who lost a close match, despite having two match points, against eventual winners Shirley Fox and Pauline Fisher in the 60+ doubles.