Writhlington Seconds 10 Saltford Firsts 0

With only eight points this season, Saltford were not expected to provide stiff competition for the promotion-chasing full-strength Writhlington Seconds. And it proved to be the case.

We started at 6.30 p.m., and it was all over by 8.30 p.m., but the very cheerful, fair and good-banter Saltford team joined us at the pub afterwards to fill in the gap before other teams arrived. The scores were: 1st rubbers: Andy Jeffery and Graham Steer beat Ben and Lucas 6–2, 6–4; Chris Cox and Darren Thompson beat John and John 6–2, 6–2. 2nd rubbers: Andy and Graham beat John and John 6–1, 6-0; Chris and Darren beat Ben and Lucas 6–4, 6–2.

We now need a slip-up by rivals, Knowle, (against top team Sodbury next) and superb performances by ourselves in both remaining matches to put us in a promotion spot.

Andy Jeffery

DL Westbury Thirds 6 Writhlington Thirds 4

Hanging in there was an attribute tested to beyond the limit when Simon Brand paired up with James Brocksopp for the Thirds’ match at David Lloyd (Westbury). It was basically a horror show from James, but a masterclass from Simon, who deserves huge credit for his performance.

Despite barely finding a ground-stroke, volley, return or smash all evening, (James that is, not Simon), the Writhlington service games were held throughout in the first rubber against Simon and Rob. This meant that when we could take the

opportunities that were offered to us, it led to a single break

deciding both sets in our favour. 4–6, 5–7.

It was more of the same in our second match against Russ and Doug. Russ struggled with his service games early on, which gave us early breaks and led to us winning the first set, 6–2.

Another early break to us was cancelled out by the DL pair and led to us having to dig deep to force a tie break. Even this was made harder than it should have been, with DL taking a 5–2 lead, but we clawed our way back into it and hung on for the win 7–5, and the set, 7–6. James Brocksopp

SBL 6 Writhlington Fourths 4

Desperate for points to avoid relegation, the Writhlington ‘A’ pair this week was Laurie Costello and Steve Lawrence. With SBL only having one team in the league and also having their coach as a player, Writhlington needed a strong pairing to compete.

Compete they did – Laurie and Steve played some excellent tennis in the first rubber against the coach Ben Hackett and his side-kick Tom. Whilst Ben gave his all and tried to protect his partner, who was good but not experienced, Laurie and Steve won the first set easily and then went 5-2 up in the second. Steve then lost his service game, Ben won his, leaving Laurie the honour to close out the match. At 0-30 down the Writhlington pair collected their composure and pulled it back to win 2-6, 4-6.

Super-sub Bob Sonderman had stepped in at the last minute to pair with Bryn Jones. In their first rubber the score-line of a 6-1, 6-0 loss was not a true reflection of the tennis played. The young SBL opposition were dynamic and consistent players but all too eager to go for the outright winner. Bryn and Bob got many games to deuce and had some excellent rallies but couldn’t convert the key points when it mattered.

Bryn and Bob fared no better in the second round against the SBL top pair, again losing 6-1, 6-0. There were chances for the Writhlington pair to win more games but again at the crucial points the opposition had the upper hand.

The last rubber of the evening was a great contest between Writhlington’s Laurie and Steve against the supposedly second SBL pair of George and Luke. First set went to Writhlington but the second set started with SBL taking the lead which they never relinquished. Discussion was had about playing a third set or championship tie-break; light fading and SBL’s lights due to go off in 25 minutes, the choice was a tough one. Laurie stepped up and said he was confident of winning the tie-break and they did in style, taking it with relative ease. Good result 2-6, 6-3, 0-1.

Overall result was a 4-6 loss for Writhlington but still a welcome 4 points from top of the league SBL. Two matches to go in the season where nothing short of a miracle will keep the Fourths up!

Bryn Jones

Cleeve Hill7 0 Writhlington 5ths 10

After their first win of the season, Writhlington 5ths travelled to Cleeve Hill to keep up the winning momentum and avoid relegation.

With Pete Goldsmith, Ray Clarke, Callum Nowell and Dean Taylor, the mighty 5ths had an experienced side (well, three vets and a youngster) ready to take on a youthful Cleeve Hill.

Veterans Ray and Pete rolled back the years to put two pairings of youngsters to the sword. Very consistent display from both players, accurate serving to backhands, some superb lobs wrong-footing the youngsters and clinically angled net volleys were the keys. This resulted in two solid wins. 6-1, 6-2 in the first against Joe and Ed and 6-2, 6-3 in the second rubber against Andy and Dom.

Callum and Dean gelled well and played some enjoyable tennis. The first rubber saw Callum’s superb service games and Dean’s not-giving-up attitude result in a 6-2, 6-1 win against Andy and Dom. The second rubber was a 6-1, 6-3 win against Joe and Ed, with the Writhlington pairing getting a little complacent in the second set.

Dean Taylor