CLIFTON 2 WRITHLINGTON LADIES 1sts 8
WRITHLINGTON LADIES 2nds 0 HENLEAZE 10
Mandy and Ces took on Clifton’s top pairing of Fiona and Lucy. We struggled to get used to the astro court, as it was unpredictable with the bounce – or lack of it.
It was a very close first set, all going against serve. We won it on a tiebreak, 7-5. The second set was a little more straightforward. We made less mistakes and finished off the break points gained by winning it 6-0.
The second pairing of Charlotte and the other Lucy played extremely well, and were nicely warmed up after their first match went to three sets. They came out of the blocks a lot quicker than us, hitting some unbelievable angles, we stayed with them and broke Lucy’s serve to go 5-4 up. Ces served brilliantly to win it 6-4.
The second set was very similar to the first set. We both got a little tight and made a few too many mistakes. We pulled through, winning it 7-6 with minutes to spare before the floodlights went out.
Sarah and Alex teamed up for the first time in a while at glorious Clifton. The sun was high and low at the same time, causing major issues at one end of our patchy sandy Astro court. It took ages to get used to the court, along with the sun, and we went down 6-2 in the first set to Charlotte and Lucy.
We then found our groove and started the comeback by not making so many errors and taking great advantage when they were at the ‘dazzling’ end. We won the second set, 6-3, and felt strong to romp home in the third, 6-2.
We then played the first pair of Fiona and Lucy. This was a very different pairing of one hitting very hard balls and poaching everything at the net, and the other just returning everything with no real pace, but making you play another shot. We didn’t really get into our game and the match seemed to whizz past us. Although we had some great rallies and points, we dropped the rubber, 6-1, 6-2.
Writhlington Ladies Seconds took on Henleaze for the return match at home. Kelly and Ellie played the first pair of Caroline and Heidi, and two long hours later, the away pair won with only two games separating the two sides. Rachel and Christine has also had a competitive match against Jo and Alison, but alas a loss, albeit a much shorter affair.
A few other teams at the centre were packing away and off to the pub as we set about the second round of rubbers.
With little energy left and deflated from the narrow loss, Kelly and Ellie managed a much shorter rubber with a giveaway loss.With the centre manager jingling her keys to lock up, Rachel and Christine had another narrow loss, having pushed them all the way in the second set.
So, unfortunately, a 10-0 loss which was so disappointing considering how closely matched we all were.
WRITHLINGTON TENNIS MEN’S 1sts 0 DL BRISTOL 2nds 10
KNOWLE 3rds 8 WRITHLINGTON MEN 2nds 2
The third clean-sweep against us was again filled with notes of optimism – losing tiebreaks was a recurrent theme, and the Seconds, Thirds and Fourths all felt very aggrieved at losing. The fight is still there, but the results keep going against us!
A theme has emerged this season of near-misses. Looking to change the First Team’s fortune were Nathan, Pat, Adam and Ollie.
Nathan and Pat played Jamie and John. In a close first set, the DL pairing took all their chances while Writhlington couldn’t – 6-2 to DL. In that time, Adam and Ollie had been swiftly dispatched by George and Rob, 6-0, 6-0.
The second set turned around for Nathan and Pat taking all the close games, 6-2 Writhlington. With the other pairs waiting so long, a championship tiebreaker was decided, and with too many early errors from the home team, there was too much to recover. 10-7 DL.
Similar to the first round of matches Nathan and Pat had just finished, a closer-than-the-score-suggested 6-2 loss of the first set, as Adam and Ollie lost 6-1, 6-2. Writhlington, frustrated with all the missed opportunities, fell away to a 6-1 second set.
The first team will need some serious results and things to go their way to avoid relegation.
With the same players as the previous week (the first time this has happened for any of our teams this season!), and coming off a 10-0 win last week (again, the first for any of our teams this season), Chris Cox, Richard Chapman, Graham Steer and Andy Jeffery were full of confidence arriving at the Merchant Academy School courts, before any of the opposing team!
Knowle were top and the Writhlington Seconds were bottom. Our hearts sank when Tony (good player!)
arrived, but their star player (Ollie) turned up half-an-hour after everyone else!
Graham and Andy made short work of Tony and Joe, and played their vintage best tennis for a 6-0, 6-3 win. Chris and Richard were grinding out a win, when they accidentally lost the championship tiebreak for a 2-6, 7-6, 0-1 loss.
Chris and Richard seemed to be doing well in the second rubber against Tony and Joe, but both Chris and Richard independently said they did not play well, and ended with a 1-6, 3-6 loss.
Graham and Andy had a corker against Ollie and Adrian – just one break of serve saw the first set disappear, 6-4, and they saved many match points before finally succumbing 7-6 in the second set as the darkness gathered.
This certainly should have been a 6-4 to Writhlington, if not an 8-2, so just like every Writhlington team this year, we can genuinely say: “We were robbed!”