Halton Tennis Centre have 28 adult teams and 15 junior teams competing in league and knockout tournaments, both locally and nationally vs teams from Bucks, Hertfordshire, Bedfordshire, Oxfordshire, Hampshire and even Surrey & Middlesex!

HALTON ACHIEVES TENNIS CLUBMARK STATUS
5th October 2008

Tennis Clubmark is a club’s opportunity to be recognised for achieving excellent standards. Achieving Tennis Clubmark means the LTA endorses and supports a club’s tennis programme, policies and procedures, action and development planning, and club management. We are proud to have now achieved this status. You can read more about the criteria and its benefits on the LTA's official site.

SUNNY END TO SUMMER SEASON
29th September 2008

Halton Tennis Club were very fortunate to have a warm sunny day when they held their End-of-Summer-Season tournament on Sunday.  There was an excellent turn-out for the mixed doubles American tournament – whereby players change partners after every round.  After some excellent tennis played in great spirit, the 4 players with the highest scores went through to the Final.  Andy McGrath/Sue Evans and  Ralph Holliday/Janis O'Connor produced some great tennis in a very close-fought final, with McGrath/Evans eventually winning 7-6.

In the Bucks Shield both Mens 1 and Ladies are still on target for winning the title in the Premier Division.  Ladies 1 improved their chances of winning the Shield when they beat Great Missenden 1 last weekend – the team of Lereesa Easterbrook/Heather McNeill, Sue Dunn/Jacqui Wingfield and Sarah Butcher/Helen Adams won 9-0.  Mens 1 had a much tougher battle when they played Great Missenden.  The match was all square going into the final round, Halton's second and third pairs  - Danny West/Alan Hutcherson and Phil Hill/Alex Barnes – could only draw 1-1 against their opponents, leaving the first pair of Aiden Graveson/Jamie Evans needing to win both sets to secure a win for Halton, which they duly did, winning 6-3 6-4.  Mens 1 lost their last match of the season at the weekend and now both teams have to wait to see if they have done enough to secure the Bucks Shield titles.

 In Division 2A, Ladies 3 had their last match of the season - against Chesham 1879. The team had been undefeated all season but came up against a very steady team.  Again, the match was all square going into the final round but Chesham played more consistently and the team of Bridget Andreas/Debbie Jenkins, June Mordey/Julie Turner and Audrey Deane/Camilla Hayward lost 3½-5½, but hope to have done enough to secure promotion next year.

Halton's Mixed 1 team also had to play Great Missenden in the semi-finals of the Bucks Mixed Knock-out Cup.  The team of Alan Hutcherson/Jemima Hayward and Danny West/Celia Bristow were too strong for their opposition and now look forward to playing in the Final at Stoke Park on Sunday 5 October.

HALTON LADIES FIGHT HARD AT NATIONAL FINALS
16th September 2008

Halton's Ladies 1st team not only had to battle against some very tough opposition but also had to contend with horrendous weather conditions at the National Finals of the National Club League at Bournemouth this weekend.  Halton had done extremely well to be one of only 8 clubs in the country to win through to the Finals, and knew that they would be up against higher-ranked teams whoever they had to play. However confidence was high as two members of the team – Lereesa Easterbrook and Heather McNeill – had lifted the Under 18 National title in the Junior National Club League finals last weekend.

The team found themselves up against 3rd seeds Edgbaston Priory in the first round.  Heather McNeill (at 4) started her singles match against higher-rated Celia Fraser but then Bournemouth was hit by a massive storm – nearly 1.5 inches of rain fell in two hours, washing away the outside clay courts.  Play moved inside and Heather lost 3-6 3-6.  Celia Bristow (at 3) also was up against a player with a much higher rating and she lost against Leyla Ogan 3-6 0-6.  Lereesa Easterbrook (at 2) had the same rating as her opponent, Aimee Jarrett and played strongly to win 6-0 6-4.  Jemima Hayward (at 1) was up against  Hannah James (also with a higher rating) and James played a superb match to beat Jemima 1-6 2-6. 

By this time the rain was not only affecting play outdoors but damaged the club roof so that water started flooding the inside courts and play was abandoned for the day.  The Halton team came out on Saturday, knowing that they had to win both doubles matches to keep the match alive.  Unfortunately the Edgbaston doubles pairs were very strong and Halton lost both matches.

Halton then had to play Wimbledon in the consolation play-offs.  In the singles round Helen Adams and Emily Quin both had losses against some strong opposition.  Lereesa and Jemima, however, kept the match alive when they both won – Lereesa played very solidly to beat Claire Hamilton 6-0 6-2, whilst Jemima also proved more consistent when she beat Harriet Piercy 6-1 6-2.  Unfortunately, Wimbledon's doubles pairings proved stronger than Halton's and Jemima/Emily and Lereesa/Celia both lost – resulting in a 4-2 win for Wimbledon. 

The team were disappointed not to progress further but now look forward to training hard for next year's competition.

In the Bucks Shield Ladies 4 played their last match of the season in Division 3B against Burnham with the team of  Ellen North/Kathy Hill, Gill Roe/Tracey Strong and Janis O'Connor/Beverley Casey.  The team had won all their previous matches and were thrilled to complete a 100% winning record with a very close 5½-3½ win.

In Division 1 Ladies 2 also had a good win against Hazlemere 1 when the team of  Vicki Walker/Kathryn Sharples, Pam Knight/Grace Russell and Alison Morgan/Wendy Shute won 6-3.

Ladies 5 played well against Chesham 1879 2nd team in Division 4 but lost 3-6 to a stronger team.  The team was Stacey Taylor/Karen Fisher, Jenny Knott/Kaye Lillycrop, Linda Bottrill/Mariko Francombe.

ADVANCED APPRENTICESHIP IN SPORTING EXCELLENCE
9th September 2008

Congratulations to our 3 students – Emilia Osborne, Cameron Malik and Sam Humphrey – who have completed Year 1 successfully. We have 5 new students joining the scheme this September – Lereesa Easterbrook, Robert Mariconda, Heather McNeill, Tom Miller and Kathryn Sharples – giving us a total of 8 Apprentices, plus our 2 Coach Apprentices (Josh Oxley and Alex Barnes).

We are now fast becoming a great home for teenagers who want to stay in tennis but also continue with their education. We are very aware that many of our top junior players will be looking at going on to college tennis scholarships in the USA, pursuing coaching careers etc and these schemes provide a great stepping stone.

HALTON'S UNDER 18 GIRLS PERFORM WELL UNDER PRESSURE TO TAKE NATIONAL TITLE
8th September 2008

Halton Tennis Club's Girls 18 & Under team performed extremely well under severe pressure in both the semi-final and final of the National Junior Club League National Finals over the weekend at the Nottingham Tennis Centre.

The competition has been going on nationwide throughout the summer and only the top four teams in each age group made it through to the Nationals.  On Saturday in the semi-final Halton were up against Swindon Tennis Centre. Due to the severe weather conditions the players had to wait until the evening to play their matches and the sets were reduced to first to 4 games, with a deciding tiebreak if the match stood at one set each.  In the doubles round Halton's 1st pair Lereesa Easterbrook/Kathryn Sharples narrowly lost 5-4 2-4 0-1 (7-10) but the 2nd pair of Heather McNeill/Sarah Spanswick won their match in the deciding tiebreak – 4-1 2-4 1-0 (10-7), putting the match all square going into the singles round.  Heather McNeill (at 4) won convincingly 4-1 4-1, Sarah Spanswick (at 3) had a tight match but lost 4-5 3-5, and Kathryn Sharples (at 2) also lost 2-4 1-4, leaving Lereesa Easterbrook (at 1) needing to win her match to keep the competition alive for Halton.  She won in style 4-1 4-1, meaning the match was drawn, needing a tie-break shoot-out to decide the outcome.  The team Captain Jemima Hayward took the gamble of putting the untried doubles combination of Lereesa and Heather together to play the tie-break.  After a nervous start the Halton pair were 3-6 down but Lereesa put in some stunning shots and the Halton pair won the next 7 points to win 10-6 and book their place in the Final on Sunday.

Halton were up against Esporta Brighton in the Final with the matches reverting back to full sets. Again, the doubles round was very close with Heather/Sarah losing 5-7 6-3 0-1 (5-10) but Lereesa/Kathryn won convincingly 6-2 6-4, putting the match all square at 1-1.  In the singles round Heather had a very tough match against Pardis Kianoush.  She lost the first set 3-6, won the second 6-4 and then lost a marathon tie-break 10-12.  Sarah lost to Abbi Melrose 5-7 2-6, leaving both Kathryn and Lereesa needing to win to keep the match alive.  Kathryn was leading 6-5 when her opponent retired through injury, therefore Lereesa had to win to take the match to a deciding tie-break shoot-out.  Lereesa won the first set 6-1 but Kate Smith came back in the second to win 6-4 but Lereesa took control in the deciding tiebreak which she won 10-3.  Lereesa and Kathryn went back on court to play the tiebreak shoot-out and produced some stunning doubles play to win the tiebreak 10-8 and the match for Halton, making them Under 18 National Champions.

Well done to the full team squad:
Lereesa Easterbrook, Kathryn Sharples, Sarah Spanswick, Heather McNeill, Grace Russell, Romilly Smith, Becki Tricks and Emma Strong.

Left to right: Kathryn Sharples, Lereesa Easterbrook, Sarah Spanswick, Grace Russell, Heather McNeill and Jemima Hayward

HALTON TENNIS CLUB RAISE MONEY FOR CHARITY
8th September 2008

Halton Tennis Club held the annual “Terry's Tournament” - a mixed doubles one-day tournament when each pair is given a handicap according to their playing experience – to raise funds for the Iain Rennie Hospice at Home.  Money was raised throughout the day through entry fees, a raffle, bets on the length of Terry's speech at the dinner in the evening and a very successful auction for the opportunity to play mixed-doubles with some of the club's top coaches – resulting in the club donating over £2,000 to the charity.

24 pairs entered the tournament and despite a gloomy weather forecast, play started on time in the morning with each pair playing 5 matches.  After all these games, the four pairs with the highest scores progressed through to the semi-finals.  Michael Hill/Pauline Shorthouse had a very close match against Peter Strong/Hannah Balcombe with Michael and Pauline winning 6-4.  The second semi-final was against Salim Jadajvi/Bridget Andreas who were on a handicap of -40 and tournament organisers Terry McGrath/Trisha Hartley with a scratch handicap.  This contest was even closer with Terry and Trisha having match points at 5-5 but Salim and Bridget edged through to win 6-5.

The Final was a very entertaining match – despite being heavily handicapped Salim and Bridget raced to a 5-2 lead but Michael and Pauline (with a handicap of +15) fought back to bring the score back to 5-4 but in the end Salim and Bridget proved to be too strong and won 6-4. 

In the Bucks Shield two of the Ladies teams had matches at home on Sunday.  Ladies 1 played Gerrards Cross Bull Lane in the Premier Division and won a very tight match 5-4 – in the last round the match stood a 4-4 so the result depended on the second pair Sue Dunn/Katie Houghton winning, which they duly did.  The full team was Emily Quin/Celia Bristow, Sue Dunn/Katie Houghton and Sam Start/Rachel Barnes.  Ladies 3 played Wolverton in a Division 2 match and continued their winning record when the team of Trudie Drake/June Mordey, Bridget Andreas/Debbie Jenkins and Camilla Hayward/Audrey Deane won 6-3.

Left to right: winners Salim Jadavji and Bridget Andreas, and runners-up Pauline Shorthouse and Michael Hill

HALTON PLAYERS GET IN FESTIVE MOOD
5th September 2008

The second tournament to win The Chairman's Cup was held at Halton Tennis Club on a very wet Sunday last weekend.  Several players not only braved the bad weather but got into the spirit of the event by dressing up in some amazing costumes.  Thanks to Halton's indoor courts the event went ahead as planned with everyone having a great morning's tennis.  Runners-up were Dennis Phillips  (Holidaymaker)  and Trisha Hartley (French maid) and the winners were Alec Clapperton (The Clown) and Carolyn Dewhurst (The Fairy).

The festive mood continued into the afternoon when Halton's Ladies 1st team arrived in fancy dress to play a Premier Division Bucks Shield match against Aylesbury 1.  Despite their unusual tennis attire, Halton's team of Jemima Hayward/Emily Quin, Celia Bristow/Lereesa Easterbrook and Grace Russell/Sam Start won 8½-½.

From left to right runners-up Dennis Phillips and Trisha Hartley and winners Carolyn Dewhurst and Alec Clapperton

The crazy Ladies 1st team during the fancy dress tournament

HALTON PLAYERS TRIUMPH AT JUNIOR COUNTY CHAMPIONSHIPS
1st September 2008

Players from Halton featured in 20 out of the 22 Finals played at the Buckinghamshire Junior County Championships at the weekend, and winning an amazing 16 of those Finals – right from the 8 & Unders up to the 18 & Unders, which illustrates the depth of talent now at Halton Tennis Club.

Special mention should be given to Heather McNeill and Sarah Spanswick who met in both the 16 & Under and 18 & Under Girls Singles finals.  In the first final Heather played absolutely amazing tennis to win 6-2 6-0.  In the 18 & Under final, however, Heather didn't have it all her own way and Sarah came out much stronger to win the first set 6-4.  Heather fought back in the second set to win it 6-4.  The third set was also extremely tight with both girls producing some stunning shots but Heather just had the edge and won 6-4.  The girls had also teamed up to win the Girls 18 & Under doubles when they beat Alicia P-Neophytou & Ella Schofield from Gerrards Cross Bull Lane.  Heather added to her list of titles when she and James Tottle won the 18 & Under Mixed Doubles title.

Click here to view full results

POSITIVE RESULTS FOR HALTON'S LADIES
18th August 2008

Three of Halton's Bucks Shield teams had convincing wins over the weekend.  In the Premier Division Ladies 1 played Chesham Bois on Sunday when the team of Jemima Hayward/Lereesa Easterbrook, Helen Adams/Heather McNeill and Katie Houghton/Sam Start won 7-2.  Despite some last minute substitutions due to illness Ladies 2 also had a convincing win when they played Widmer End 1 in Division 1A, with the team of Fay Acott-Smith/Lucy Caille, Gill Roe/Grace Russell and Bridget Andreas/Audrey Deane winning 6½-2½.

Ladies 5 played extremely well in their Division 4 match against Hazlemere 3 when the team of Mariko Francombe/Stacey Taylor, Christine Stones/Caroline Clark and Sally Felton/Emma McGrath also won 6½-2½.  In the two-pair competition Ladies 6 (Sarah Pope/Stacey Taylor and Tricia Hartley/Caroline Clark) secured a 2-2 draw against Wraysbury 1.

HALTON PLAYERS HELP BUCKINGHAMSHIRE TO RUNNERS-UP SPOT IN SUMMER COUNTY CUP
27th July 2008

All the players in Buckinghamshire's Ladies team who played in Group One of the LTA Summer County Cup were either past or present members of Halton Tennis Club. The Inter-County Cup is unique to Britain. The 44 competing counties are organised in six groups of six and one group of eight on a league basis. Group One is the premier group with the men's and ladies' teams playing at the famous Devonshire Park in Eastbourne.

This was the first year that Buckinghamshire Ladies team had played in Group One in the 114 year history of the competition. They had been steadily making their way through the Groups over the years and were delighted to win Group 2 last year to win promotion to the top Group to compete against Warwickshire, Lancashire, Surrey, Hertfordshire and South Wales.

On Monday Buckinghamshire faced highly-rated Surrey who have won the event on several occasions. Without one of their players – Lereesa Easterbrook who had been called up to play for Great Britain in an Under 18 competition in Austria – Bucks' team of Claire Hamilton/Helen Lawson, Jemima Hayward/Julia Bone and Emily Quin/Sarah Spanswick made an amazing start by beating Surrey 6-3. Helen and Claire performed heroics by winning all three of their matches in very tight three sets, whilst Jemima and Julia continued their winning record by also winning all three of their matches.

On Tuesday Bucks faced a very tough Hertfordshire team. There were some very close matches, with Emily and Sarah coming very close to getting their first rubber, losing 4-6 5-7 in one of their matches. Helen and Claire won 2 out of 3 of their matches and Jemima and Julia won their first match in 3 sets and were 5-3 in their second match when Julia needed the trainer for treatment on severe blisters which severely impeded her movement. They lost the set 5-7, came back to win the second set 6-2 but lost the third set 5-7. Despite winning their last match, the result was a 5-4 win for Hertfordshire.

On Wednesday the team were up against Warwickshire who had won on the previous two days. Emily Quin was forced to rest due to a shoulder injury with Heather McNeill/Grace Russell being given their first taste of senior County competition. Despite putting up a good fight Warwickshire won 6-3.

Thursday saw Lereesa joining the team after her arrival from Austria. The team knew they needed to beat Lancashire to give themselves a good chance of staying in Group One and they played superbly against the current holders of the Cup. Jemima/Julia won all three matches, Helen/Claire won 2 out of 3 and Emily/Lereesa won 1 match before Emily had to retire due to a shoulder injury – giving Bucks a much-deserved 6-3 win.

Their last match was against South Wales who had also been promoted to Group One last year. The Bucks team were full of confidence after their previous day's win which showed in their play. The team of Jemima/Julia, Helen/Claire and Lereesa/Emily didn't drop a set all day, winning 9-0 – something no other team had achieved during the week. Warwickshire and Hertfordshire were playing to decide on who won the Cup and Lancashire/Surrey on who else would be relegated with South Wales. Surrey beat Lancashire and after some very close 3-set matches, Warwickshire beat Hertfordshire to win the Cup which meant that not only had Buckinghamshire retained their place in Group One but in fact had come 2nd – a superb result.

Particular congratulations to Buckinghamshire's top two pairings – Jemima and Julia won 13 out of 15 matches and Helen and Claire won 11 out of 15.

The photo shows from left to right (back row) Lereesa Easterbrook, Emily Quin, Helen Lawson, Jemima Hayward, Julia Bone (front row) Jacquie Baker (non-playing captain) & Lara, Sarah Spanswick, Grace Russell, Claire Hamilton.

HALTON'S GIRLS UNDER 18 TEAM REACH NATIONAL FINALS
27th July 2008

Halton's Girls 18 & Under team played superbly against Cambridge Tennis Club on Saturday to reach the National Finals of the National Junior Club League to be held 6/7 September.

The team had won through several county and regional rounds over the last few months to reach this stage with only 4 clubs making it to each age-group final. In the first round Lereesa Easterbrook (with a 2.2 rating) played very confidently against Emily Crack (with a 3.2 rating) and proved to be the stronger player winning 6-1 6-1. Kathryn Sharples (5.2 rating) was up against Amanda Black who had a much higher rating (3.2). This didn't put off Kathryn, who kept with Amanda in the first set until 4-4 when she broke serve and then served out to win the set 6-4. Kathryn then ran away with the second set 6-1. Heather McNeill/Sarah Spanswick dominated their doubles match against Alice McGee/Katie Goodman, winning 6-0 6-1. With the score standing at 3-0, Halton were confident going into the second round. Sarah Spanswick (5.2 rating) played Alice McGee (8.1 rating) and played very solidly to win 6-1 6-2. In the 4th singles Heather McNeill played 12-year old Katie Goodman and completely dominated the match, winning 6-0 6-0. This meant that Halton were 5-0 up and had won the match, with the second doubles match conceded once the result was decided.

Throughout the season it has been a great team effort from all the players in the squad: Lereesa Easterbrook, Kathryn Sharples, Sarah Spanswick, Heather McNeill, Grace Russell, Romilly Smith, Becky Tricks and Emma Strong. Special congratulations to Lereesa Easterbrook, Sarah Spanswick and Heather McNeill who will also be in the Halton Ladies team going to the National Finals of the National Club League the following week.

The picture shows from left to right at the back Kathryn Sharples, Heather McNeill, Emma Strong, and left to right at the front Sarah Spanswick, Lereesa Easterbrook.

FESTIVAL OF TENNIS & CLUB CHAMPIONSHIPS AT HALTON
12th-13th July 2008

After unseasonably wet weather throughout the last week Halton Tennis Club were able to get through the initial rounds of their Senior and Junior Championships thanks to the indoor courts. The preliminary rounds of the Junior tournament had been played over the last few weeks culminating in the Finals on Saturday morning. There were some excellent matches throughout all the age groups. Click here to read the full report and results.

The Boys 12 & Under NJCL team who, after a hard fought victory on Sunday, are one step away from qualifying for the finals.

HALTON LADIES REACH NATIONAL FINALS
6th July 2008

Halton's Ladies 1st team showed a lot of grit and determination to beat Loughborough University to reach the National Finals of the National Club League on Saturday. The competition comprises National Division 1, National Division 2 and County Divisions with around 400 teams competing each year throughout the UK, with only 8 teams making it to the National Finals.

The team knew they were going to have dig deep when they discovered the Loughborough team had an overall higher rating than the Halton players.  In the singles round Heather McNeill (at 4, with a 6.1 rating) was up against Suzanna Dyrbus with a much higher rating of 3.2 who showed her great experience to beat Heather 6-2 6-1.  Jemima Hayward (at 2) played Rachael Hall – with both girls having a rating of 2.2.  However Jemima proved to be the stronger player and after a close first set, she ran away with the match winning 6-3 6-0.  At the score standing at 1-1 it was down to Celia Bristow (at 3) and Lereesa Easterbrook (at 1) to put Halton into the lead.  Celia was also playing a higher-rated player (2.2 compared to her rating of 5.2) and she struggled in the first set against Laura Pettingale, losing 3-6, however Celia didn't give up and despite being down in the second set she won it 7-5.

The final set was extremely tight but Celia proved more determined and won it 7-5. 16 year-old Lereesa Easterbrook played Annabel Blow, with both girls having a rating of 2.2.  Lereesa got off to a flying start and won the first set 6-4, however Annabel fought back and found her range in the second set to win it 6-3.  The final set was extremely tight with some high quality rallies and both girls having the chance to win.  Annabel was serving for the match at 6-5 when Lereesa broke her serve, then went 2-4 down in the tiebreak but Lereesa again fought back and eventually won it 9-7.  This meant that Halton were 3-1 up and only needed one win in the doubles round to win the match.

With confidence high, Emily Quin came in to play the second doubles pairing with Jemima Hayward and they dominated their opposition of Laura Pettingale/Kim Johnson to win by a very convincing margin of 6-1 6-1.  The first doubles pair of Lereesa Easterbrook/Celia Bristow put the icing on the cake when they also won their doubles, despite being 1-4 down in the first set – winning the match 6-4 6-4.  This resulted in a magnificent 5-1 win for Halton.  They can now look forward to the National Finals at West Hants Club, Bournemouth in September with the chance of becoming National Champions. 

Throughout the season it has been a great team effort from all the players in the squad:  Jemima Hayward (captain), Lereesa Easterbrook, Celia Bristow, Emily Quin, Helen Adams, Heather McNeill, Sarah Spanswick, Emilia Osborne and Nicola Pitt.

The winning team from left to right in front Emily Quin, Lereesa Easterbrook, Heather McNeill, left to right at back Celia Bristow, Jemima Hayward

HALTON’S GIRLS UNDER 18 REACH SEMI-FINALS
29th June 2008

Halton Tennis Club’s Girls 18 & Under team have progressed through to the semi-finals of the National Junior Club League after a fine win against Framlingham College on Sunday.  In the singles round Lereesa Easterbrook and Kathryn Sharples won in straight sets and Becki Tricks (at No. 4) lost.  Grace Russell, playing at No. 3 lost the first set against her higher-rated opponent and was 3-5 down in the second set but fought back and won the set and then went on to win the deciding tiebreak 10-5, which gave Halton a vital 3-1 lead.  In the doubles round Lereesa/Kathryn won and Grace/Becki – resulting in overall 4-2 win for Halton.  The girls now look forward to playing a team from Gosling Tennis Centre, Welwyn on 13 July.

In a 10 & Under JCT tournament held over the weekend, Halton’s Toby Rogers won 3 matches to reach the Final when he lost to the No. 1 seed James Caddies.  Jack Curliss lost in the first round but then won the next three matches to win the play-back draw.  Natasha won 3 out of 5 matches and ended up 5th in the competition.

8-year-old Sophie Russell beat two older players to win a Mini Green tournament at Stony Stratford at the weekend.

Several Halton juniors have travelled to Edinburgh to compete in the Scottish Junior Open, a Grade 2 tournament.  In the 14 & Under event, Dean Kelleher won through the qualifying tournament but lost in the first round of the main draw when he came up against the No. 3 seed.  Liberty Crawford had a good win in the first round against strong opposition, when she won in 3 sets.  Full results will follow next week.

Adult teams have also been in action during the last week.  In the Aylesbury & District League Vets Mixed 1 had a very close match against Leighton Buzzard 1 when the team of Neil Twogood/Camilla Hayward and Ralph Holliday/Wendy Shute drew 4-4.  Mixed 1 had a convincing win against Berkhamsted 1 with the team of Simon Childs/Helen Adams and Steve Dunklin/Katie Houghton when they won 7½-½. In the Bucks Shield Ladies 2 lost to Gerrards Cross, Dukes Wood 3½-5½ - the team was Fay Acott-Smith/Emma Strong, Alison Morgan/Wendy Shute and Susie Hall/Lucy Caille. However Ladies 3 had a good win against Wooburn Park 1 with the team of Bridget Andreas/Audrey Deane, June Mordey/Julie Turner and Claire Roberts/Trudie Drake when they won 6-3.  Ladies 4 were also successful when they played Stoke Park in a very tight match.  The team of Beverley Casey/Debbie Jenkins, Ellen North/Kathy Hill and Janis O’Connor/Tracey Strong won 5-4.  Ladies 5 had a closely-fought battle with Penn & Tylers Green 3 on Saturday but the team of Stacey Taylor/Mariko Francombe, Florence Glenister/Linda Bottrill and Suzie Mathew/Sally Felton lost 3-6 after some very close sets.  Mens 4 also played a team from Wooburn Park and dominated the match, winning 8½-½.

Ladies 1 play their vital Regional Play-Off match in the National Club League National Division 1 against Loughborough University on Saturday 5 July at 12 noon at Halton.

The team of Lereesa Easterbrook, Jemima Hayward, Celia Bristow, Heather McNeill and Emily Quin will be up against stiff opposition in their bid to get to the National Finals in Bournemouth in September.  The standard of tennis will be very high and all spectators are welcome – the Pavilion Bar and Cafe will be open all day.

INTERNATIONAL TITLE FOR KATY DUNNE
24th June 2008

13 year-old Katy Dunne, who trains at Halton Tennis Centre and is ranked in the top 14 in the UK 14 & Under rankings, won her first international title at the weekend.  Katy won the Tennis Europe 14 & Under Girls Singles event in Reykjavik, Iceland, beating Sophie Watts (GBR) 6-3 6-4. Katy handled herself well in the final having dealt with the pressure of being seeded No1 and playing a fellow Brit in the final. After a nervous start when Katy lost 7 out of the 8 first points, she then went on to dominate the match taking 4 games in a row at 2-3 down to the win first set.  In the second set she raced away to a 4-1 lead and had to keep her concentration when Watts fought back, winning 6-4 on her third match point.  Halton’s Dean Kelleher also had a great week in Reykajavik in the 14 & Under Boys event, reaching the finals of the doubles and consolation singles, having stretched the No. 2 seed all the way.

Lereesa Easterbrook put up a battle at the ITF Grade 1 tournament at Roehampton having been granted a wild card into the Main Draw.  She played Monica Gorney from South Africa, ranked 47 in the world junior rankings.  Lereesa lost the first set 2-6 but fought back from 0-2 down in the second set to take the set 6-3 but lost the third set 0-6 after some very close games.  She now looks forward to Junior Wimbledon Qualifying tournament next weekend.

FOR HALTON'S LADIES NATIONAL CLUB LEAGUE TEAMS
23rd June 2008

Halton Tennis Club's Ladies National Club League teams – both 1st and 2nd – become group winners having been undefeated all season.  Ladies 1 now look forward to the Regional Play-Offs for the top 16 teams in the UK with a chance of winning a place at the National Finals in September for the top 8 teams.  As winners of their group they are due to play the runners-up of Group 5 –  Loughborough University – at home on 5 July.

Ladies 2 played their final match of the season in Division 2 on Sunday.  The team of Jacqui Wingfield, Katie Houghton, Sue Dunn and Grace Russell only dropped a handful of games both in the singles and doubles rounds against Windsor and won the match 6-0.  This means that Halton Ladies 2 will now be promoted to join Ladies 1 in National Division 1 next year – a great achievement.

Two of Halton's National Junior Club League teams have progressed through to the next round of the regional play-offs after some extremely close matches.  Halton's Boys 10 & Under team played a combined team from Batchwood & Gosling in the quarter-finals.  After the singles round the Halton team of Scott Duguid, Toby Rogers, Jack Curliss and Barney Smith were 3-1 up and only needed to win one doubles match to win.  Scott and Toby won the first set but lost the second set, whilst Jack and Barney lost their first set but fought back to win their second set which meant one doubles team had to win their deciding 10-point tiebreak.  Jack and Barney played some courageous tennis to secure the tiebreak and the match for Halton.  The overall result was 4-2 to Halton and they now look forward to the semi-finals.  Halton's Boys 12 & Under team had an even closer match against Batchwood on Saturday.  The team of Joe Tingey, Sam Rogers, Calum McKinlay and Thomas Schmidt were forced to go into a tiebreak shoot-out after the match stood at 3-3 after both singles and doubles rounds.  The doubles team of Joe & Sam played superbly to win 10-6 in the tiebreak against the Batchwood doubles pair who had earlier beaten them – resulting in an overall 4-3 win for Halton and a place in the quarter-finals.

Halton teams also had success in the Bucks Shield matches this weekend.  Ladies 3 played Stoke Poges in Division 2A on Saturday.  After the second round the match stood at 3-3 all and the team of Claire Roberts/Trudie Drake, Debbie Jenkins/Bridget Andreas and Helen Stewart/Jill Dodds fought hard in the final round to achieve a 5½-3½ win.  Mens 4 also had success when they travelled to play Penn & Tylers Green in Division 3B.  The team of Craig Rose/Chris I'Anson, Ian Prior/Rufus Jackson and Peter Taylor/Ralph Holliday won comfortably 6-3.  Mens 5 played at home against Olney in Division 3A and were equally successful when the team of Peter Strong/Nick Tingey, David Andrew/Alan Pickett and Jeff Russell/Gavin McKinlay won 6½-2½.

MINI TENNIS CLUB CHAMPIONSHIPS HELD AT HALTON
22nd June 2008

Halton Tennis Club held their Mini Red and Mini Orange Championship at the weekend, with a record entry of 39 players aged between 5 and 8.  In the Mini Red Boys event, Cameron Beazley-Clarke, Harry Christopherson, Daniel Dean and Ben Pope won their round-robin boxes.  In the resulting semi-finals Daniel  beat Cameron 10-2 and Ben beat Harry 10-2.  The final between Daniel and Ben was extremely close and with some very hard-fought rallies.  The score was even right up to the last few points with Daniel having the edge to win 10-8.  In the Mini Red Girls event the winners of the 2 round-robin boxes – Isla Duguid and Danielle Benger – played the Final.  Again the match was very close with both girls producing some great shots but Isla showed her greater match experience to win 10-4.

In the Mini Orange Boys event, there was one round-robin box with some closely-contested matches. Oscar Glenister had the most number of wins to take the title with Elliott Abdey a close runner-up.  In the Mini Orange Girls event the winners of the two round-robin boxes – Lauren McKinlay and Poppy Rogers – had an extremely close Final with very long rallies but in the end Lauren emerged the winner 7-5 7-6.

The day finished with an awards presentation, a barbecue and fun on a bouncy castle.

HALTON LADIES CONTINUE THEIR WINNING RUN
9th June 2008

Halton Ladies 1 continued their winning run in the National Club League National Division 1 when they beat Queens Club 6-0 on Sunday.  In the singles round Lereesa Easterbrook was in superb form against Maureen O'Malia, winning 6-2 6-2, Jemima Hayward struggled in the first set against Stephanie Desmond but won the next two sets to win the match 3-6 6-3 6-1, Helen Adams had a close first set against Shaun Fitzgerald and then dominated the second to win 6-4 6-2, while Celia Bristow dominated Alex Kurkjian to win 6-0 6-1.  Lereesa/Celia teamed up to play No. 1 doubles against O'Malia/Desmond.  After a very tight set which the Halton pair won in a tie break, they then  proved too strong in the second set and won the match 7-6 6-0.  Jemima played No. 2 doubles with Emilia Osborne and they were 2-1 up against Fitzgerald/Kurkjian when Fitzgerald had to retire injured and conceded the match.  Halton are unbeaten so far with only one match to play before the regional play-offs – against Chesham Bois next weekend – so are hoping to win next Sunday which would make them winners of their group.

Halton Mens 1 also had a good win against Chesham Bois in National Division 2.  After the singles round the match stood at 2-2.  Simon Childs – recently arrived back in the UK after his first year in the USA on a tennis scholarship – beat Simon Loh 6-3 6-2, Aidan Graveson beat Alec Allen 6-3 6-4, Alex Barnes had a battle against Simon Hooker losing in 3 sets 5-7 6-4 3-6, whilst Andy Maclean (who had come in as a late substitute after injuries in the team) lost 3-6 3-6.  The doubles round was equally close with Childs/Barnes winning 6-3 6-4 at No. 1 position but Graveson/Maclean losing 6-4 6-7 7-10 in the deciding tie break.  This meant that the match had to be decided by a penalty tie break shoot-out – 2 singles and one doubles.  The 2 singles players went out first with both Childs and Barnes winning in two very tight tie breaks – which meant that Halton had won the match without having to play the doubles.

The day also raised £42 for Ian Rennie Hospice at Home with a draw for two tennis lessons - won by Tracey Strong and Harry Fisher.

In the Bucks Shield Division 2A Halton Ladies 3 had a convincing win against Beaconsfield 3 when the team of June Mordey/Trudie Drake, Vicki Walker/Audrey Deane and Claire Roberts/Camilla Hayward won 7-2.

HALTON'S JUNIORS HAVE RECORD RESULT
2nd June 2008

Halton Tennis Club's National Junior Club League teams have achieved a tremendous result.  This year, for the first time ever, all the teams at every age group – Under 10 boys & girls, Under 12 boys & girls, Under 14 boys & girls, Under 16 boys & girls and Under 18 boys & girls – have qualified for the regional knock-out stages of the competition, starting middle of June.  The teams have secured this result either by winning their county divisions or by being seeded as a Premier league team.

The knockout stage consists of 4 rounds of matches, with the ultimate goal the National Finals in September.  Last year Halton's Girls Under 12 team made it to the National Finals and beat Nottingham Tennis Centre to become National 12 & Under Champions and Halton are hoping to equal, if not beat, this success in 2008.  Good luck to all the teams for their matches over the next few weeks.

Halton's senior National Club League teams are playing at home next weekend.  Ladies 1 play Queens Club at 10.30am followed by Mens 1 playing Chesham Bois.  Spectators are very welcome to come and watch some first class tennis.  The Pavilion Bar and Cafe will be open all day for food and drink.

OPEN MIXED DOUBLES TOURNAMENT AT HALTON TENNIS CLUB
28th May 2008

 The Derek Bone Memorial Open Mixed Doubles Tournament went ahead at Halton Tennis Club on Monday despite torrential rain all day, thanks to the club's indoor tennis courts and the expertise of the tournament referee Gill Roe.   The tournament attracted 27 pairs from all over the country – as far away as Southampton, south-west London, Oxfordshire, as well as all over Bucks.  Thanks to the tournament's main sponsors – Kado! Gift shop in Princes Risborough and Kings Farm Shop, Wendover – there were generous cash prizes for quarter-finalists, semi-finalists and finalists in the main draw, and the winners of Tableau B and Tableau C. The tournament also raised over £300 for Ian Rennie Hospice at Home through a raffle and donating a percentage of the entry fees.

The format was a knock-out draw, with first and second round losers going into Tableau B and Tableau C.  The winners of Tableau B were Danny West and Katie Houghton (Halton) with Josh Oxley/Tracey Strong (Halton) runners-up.  In Tableau C Halton players Alex Barnes/Mariko Francombe eventually beat Yuichi Kuya/Minori Lowis from Southampton 7-6 after an extremely tight set and tie-break.

In Tableau A the standard of tennis was extremely high in both semi-finals.  The first semi-final featured all Halton players – Alan Hutcherson/Jemima Hayward and Ian Cast/Emily Quin – and was extremely tight with Hutcherson/Hayward winning 6-4.  In the second semi-final two of Halton's top junior performance players Stuart Pugh/Lereesa Easterbrook played Roger Marris/Ana Coggan from High Wycombe in another quality match, which was won by the Halton players.

In the resulting Final the score was extremely close throughout the match with all four players producing some stunning shots but Stuart Pugh/Lereesa Easterbrook just had the edge over Alan Hutcherson/Jemima Hayward and won 7-5.

Mariko Francombe & Alex Barnes, winners of Tableau C with Chairman John Walker (centre)

Finalists of Tableau A, left to right:  Alan Hutcherson & Jemima Hayward (runners-up) and Lereesa Easterbnrook & Stuart Pugh (winners)

Danny West & Katie Houghton, winners of Tableau B, with Chairman John Walker (centre)

MORE NATIONAL CLUB LEAGUE SUCCESS
25th May 2008

Despite some horrendous weather conditions over the weekend, teams from Halton Tennis Club have had some positive results in the National Club League competition at both senior and junior level.  In the Under 18 event Lereesa Easterbrook, Kathryn Sharples, Heather McNeill and Romilly Smith all won their singles matches against London club, Riverside.  Kathryn Sharples/Grace Russell and Heather McNeill/Emma Strong lost the doubles round after some very close sets but the result was still a 4-2 win for Halton.  Easterbrook and McNeill had a short break before playing for Ladies 1 in a National Division 1 match against highly-ranked Roehampton.  In the singles round Jemima Hayward (at No. 1) lost the first set against Karen Cross and was leading in the second set when Cross had to retire injured.  Lereesa Easterbrook (at No. 2) played against Australian Siobhan Drake-Brookman – a former Australian Open Junior Champion – and played well to win 7-5 6-4.  Celia Bristow and Heather McNeill (at No. 3 and 4 respectively) dominated their opponents with Celia winning 6-0 6-0 and Heather winning 6-1 6-4.  Roehampton conceded one doubles match because of Cross's injury and Celia/Lereesa won 6-1 6-4 in the second doubles, resulting in a resounding 6-0 victory for Halton.  Halton is so far unbeaten and are currently at the top of their group with 2 matches to go, against Queens Club and Chesham Bois in June.

Halton's Girls 14 & Under team continued the winning form when the team of Liberty Crawford, Claudia Marsala, Ruby Brady and Annabel Westerman won 6-0 against Gerrards Cross Bull Lane with the loss of only 3 games throughout the afternoon.  Both the Under 14 and Under 18 teams are now through to the next round of the competition.

In the Bucks Shield Ladies 3 were also successful in their first match of the season in Division 2 against Little Chalfont.  The team of Pam Knight/Alison Morgan, Bridget Andreas/Jill Dodds and Ellen North/Sue Wood won 6-3.

NATIONAL CLUB LEAGUE RESULTS FROM HALTON TENNIS CLUB
18th May 2008

All of Halton's National Club League teams were in action this weekend.  Ladies 1 travelled to play Putney in National Division 1 where they had a very tight match.  In the singles round Emily Quin lost 4-6 3-6, Helen Adams lost 6-1 4-6 0-6 but Celia Bristow and Heather McNeill won 6-3 6-2 and 6-1 6-3 respectively.  Therefore Halton needed to win both doubles matches to win the match overall.  McNeill/Adams won 6-4 6-4 and Quin/Bristow had a marathon match, winning the first set 6-4, losing the second set 3-6 and finally winning 10-8 in the deciding tie break, resulting in a 4-2 win for Halton.

Ladies also continued their winning form when they played Cumberland 2 in National Division 2.  The team of Jacqui Wingfield, Katie Houghton, Sue Dunn and Grace Russell proved too strong for their opposition, winning 6-0.  In the singles round Jacqui won 6-1 6-0, Katie won 7-5 6-2, Sue won 6-1 6-0 and Grace also won comfortably 6-1 6-1.  The team consolidated the result by winning both doubles matches with the loss of only 3 games.

Mens 1 came up against tough opposition when they played Muswell Hill Methodist in National Division 2.  Aidan Graveson put up a great fight playing at No. 1 but lost 6-7 5-7, Josh Oxley (2) lost 4-6 3-6 and Alex Barnes (4) lost 2-6 2-6.  Mike James kept the match alive when he beat a higher-ranked player 6-2 7-5.  Halton needed to win both doubles matches to force the match to a deciding tie break shoot-out.  The No. 1 pair of James/Graveson won in two tight sets but Barnes/Oxley lost the first set in a close tie break and the second set 4-6, resulting in a 2-4 loss.

Next weekend Ladies 1 play at Halton against highly-ranked Roehampton at 12 noon.  All are welcome to watch – the Pavilion Bar and Cafe will be open all day for drink and food.

NATIONAL CLUB LEAGUE SUCCESS FOR HALTON TENNIS CLUB
12th May 2008

Both of Halton's Ladies teams won through at the weekend in the National Club League National divisions.  Ladies 1 (in National 1) won comfortably against Northampton County with the loss of only one match which was a 3-hour 3-set marathon.  Emily Quin (playing at 1) won the first set 6-4 against Laura Richards but lost the next two sets 6-7 6-7, with the final set tie break going to 10-8.

Celia Bristow won 6-3 6-1, Heather McNeill won 6-0 6-2 and Katie Houghton won 6-1 6-0.  The team then consolidated their winning position by winning both doubles matches – Celia & Emily winning 6-3 6-2 and Heather & Katie winning 6-3 6-1.  Ladies 2 were also victorious against Gerrards Cross Bull Lane in National 2 but it was a nail-biting match.  After the singles round the match stood at 2-2 (Kathryn Sharples and Grace Russell having won and Susie Hall and Sue Dunn losing in tight matches).  The drama continued when the doubles round also ended in a 1-1 draw, with Sue/Grace losing and Susie Hall/Allegra Miles winning in 3 sets.  Therefore the match had to be decided by a tie break shoot-out – 2 singles and one doubles – Kathryn won, Grace lost and Susie Hall/Allegra Miles won – resulting in an overall win for Halton.
Mens 1 were not so successful when they played Letchworth in National 2.  The team of Peter Thorne, Stuart Pugh, Josh Oxley and Alex Barnes lost 1-5. 

Next Sunday there are 2 National Club League matches at home (Chestnut End, Halton) – Ladies 2 v Cumberland 2 and Mens 1 v Muswell Hill Methodist – the tennis will be great to watch and the Pavilion Bar and Cafe will be open all day for food and drink – members and non-members are welcome to come and watch.

In the Aylesbury & District League this week Halton teams have also had considerable success in several Division 1 matches.
On Tuesday both Mixed 1 and Mixed 2 had home matches.  Mixed 1 proved too strong for Haddenham when the team of Celia Bristow/Alan Hutcherson and Katie Houghton/Danny West won 8-0.  Mixed 2 were also successful against Berkhamsted 1 with a 6-2 win – the team was Vicki Walker/Ian Prior and Pam Knight/Craig Rose.  Ladies 1 continued their winning form when they played Aylesbury 1.  The team of Sue Dunn/Jacqui Wingfield and Celia Bristow/Katie Houghton won 8-0.

The Vets teams were not to be left out and both Vets Mixed 1 and 2 also won their matches.  Mixed 1 travelled to play Berkhamsted 1 who were unbeaten last season.  It was an extremely tight match but the team of Wendy Shute/Ralph Holliday and Camilla Hayward/Peter Riddick squeaked through with a 4½-3½ win. Mixed 2 played at home against Chesham Bois 2 in a Division 2 match when the team of Gill Roe/Peter Strong and Tracey Strong/Dave Herring won 7-1.

In the Bucks Shield Ladies 4 had an extremely tight match against Stony Stratford 3 in Division 3b in very hot humid conditions.  The team of Janis O'Connor/Jenny Webley, Gill Roe/Tracey Strong and Ellen North/Kathy Hill battled through to win 5½-3½.  In Division 4b Ladies 5 also had to contend with very hot conditions against Aylesbury 3 but the team of Mariko Francombe/Stacey Taylor, Linda Bottrill/Emma McGrath and Karen Fisher/Flo Glenister battled through and came within a whisker of winning, only losing 4-5 (with a difference of just 6 games overall).

ADULT & CHILD TOURNAMENT HELD AT HALTON TENNIS CLUB
12th May 2008

22 pairs ranging in age from 8 to 80 years turned out in very hot and sunny conditions to play in  Halton's biannual Adult & Child tournament on Saturday.  There was a great atmosphere with some competitive but fun tennis played throughout the afternoon.  The mother and son pair of Linda and Edward Bottrill beat father and daughter team Jeff and Sophie Russell to win the “Green” event.  The Russell family was also represented in the “A” event when the mother and daughter team of Kathy and Hannah Russell beat Alison Morgan and Edward Hart in the Final.

SUCCESSFUL TOURNAMENT AT HALTON TENNIS CLUB
6th May 2008

Halton Tennis Club held a Mixed Doubles American tournament on Monday to mark the beginning of the summer season.  36 people entered, with players changing partners after each round.  After some very good tennis, the 4 players with the highest points played a Final.  After some very close games Ralph Holliday/Sarah Butcher beat Andy Maclean/Tricia Hartley 3-6.

In the Bucks Shield Premier Division Men’s 1 proved too strong for Chesham Bois 1 when the team of Danny West/Steve Dunklin, Josh Oxley/Alex Barnes and Phil Hill/Mike James won 8½-½.  Ladies 2 were also victorious when they travelled to play Stony Stratford 1 in Division 1.  The match was very close throughout the afternoon, with Halton eventually winning 5½-3½.  The team was Fay Acott-Smith/Grace Russell, Kathryn Sharples/Wendy Shute and Christina Sjoberg/Lucy Caille.

In the Aylesbury & District League Ladies 2 won their first match of the season when they played Wendover 1. Throughout the match there were some very close sets, but the team of Claire Roberts/Trudie Drake and Bridget Andreas/Ellen North had the edge and won 8-0.

Winners Ralph Holliday & Sarah Butcher (left), with Andy MacLean and Tricia Hartley

CLEAN SWEEP FOR HALTON’S NATIONAL CLUB LEAGUE TEAMS
21st April 2008

Halton’s National Club League teams have made a great start to the season with a 100% winning record so far.  Last weekend Ladies 1 played their first match against Aylesbury in National Division 1 when the team of Emily Quin, Helen Adams, Celia Bristow and Heather McNeill won 6-0.  Mens 1 (in National Divison 2) played Gerrards Cross, Bull Lane who put up some stiff opposition but the team of James Chaudry, Ahmed El Menshawey, Aidan Graveson and Mike James came through to win 4-2.

This weekend all three of Halton’s senior teams were in action.  Ladies 1 travelled to Ealing with the team of Jemima Hayward, Emily Quin, Celia Bristow and Sarah Spanswick.  The score stood at 2-2 after the singles round, with Jemima and Celia winning their matches but Emily and Sarah coming up against some very stiff opposition.  However the team came through to win the match 4-2 after Jemima/Sarah and Emily/Celia both won their doubles matches comfortably.  Ladies 2 also had a tight match when they played at home against Caversham in National Division 2.  Jacqui Wingfield had a tough match playing at No. 1, losing in two tight sets, with Katie Houghton winning very convincingly at No. 2, and Grace Russell at No. 4 also winning in straight sets.  Sue Dunn at No. 3 lost the first set, fought back to win the second set and then won a very close third set 6-4 – giving Halton a 3-1 lead before the doubles round.  Both Halton’s doubles pairs found themselves one set down and needing to win one match to win overall.  Both Sue Dunn/Jacqui Wingfield and Katie Houghton/Grace Russell fought back to win their second sets, with a 10-point tiebreak needed to decide the match.  Sue/Jacqui lost but Katie/Grace played some inspiring tennis to win their tiebreak 11-9, thus securing a 4-2 win for Halton.

Mens 1 continued their winning form when the team of Aidan Graveson, Josh Oxley, Alex Barnes and Alan Hutcherson dominated their match against Cranbrook Castle, Essex.  The team didn’t drop a set all afternoon and won the match 6-0.

Halton’s National Junior Club League teams have been equally successful over the last week. Girls 18 & Under team beat Gerrards Cross, Bull Lane 6-0 with the team of Sarah Spanswick, Heather McNeill, Romilly Smith, Grace Russell winning their singles matches, followed up by Heather McNeill/Emma Strong and Sarah Spanswick/Romilly Smith winning the doubles round with the loss of very few games.  Boys 12 & Under dominated their match against Beaconsfield with the team of Sam Rogers, Thomas Schmidt, Luke Williams and Jack Clark also winning 6-0.  Boys 14 & Under completed the hat trick when the team of Jack Mordey, Benn Dunn, Ali Leighton and Calum McKinlay beat Chesham 1879 by 6-0.

Halton’s younger players were also in action in a Mini Green match against Tring, with some of the team playing their first match at this level.  Jack Curliss, Jake Williams, Meg Brazier and Olivia Ray put in a good team effort to win 7-3.

In the Bucks Shield Mens 5 lost to Gerrards Cross, Dukes Wood by the narrowest of margins - 3½-5½ - with two of the sets being decided by a tiebreak.  The team was Alan Pickett/Dave Herring, Trevor Dean/Simon Jennings and Peter Strong/Kevin Clausner.

WINTER SEASON DRAWS TO A CLOSE FOR HALTON
6th April 2008

Various Halton teams have played their final matches of the winter season over the last two weeks.  In the Bucks Veterans Winter Shield, Mixed 1 played a weakened team from Aylesbury in Division 1 resulting in a convincing win for the team of Fay Acott-Smith/John Hinchliff and Susie Hall/Phil Mayhew. 

In the Aylesbury & District League Ladies 2 played their final match of the season in Division 3 when they travelled to Chesham 1879.  The match was extremely tight with the score ending in a 4-4 draw.  The team was Claire Roberts/Trudie Drake and Judy Fitch/Jill Dodds. Ladies 3 had a very busy day with two matches in Division 5.  In the first match the team of Sarah Tricks/Ellen North and Sarah Pope/Stacey Taylor lost 2-6 to Chesham Bois 3.  Later in the day the team of Tracey Strong/Janis O’Connor and Penny Jeffery/Jenny Webley had a good win against Princes Risborough 1.  After some very close games the score was 5½-2½ to Halton.  This win ensured that the team has come top of Division 5 and look forward to promotion next year. In their first season in the league, Mens 3 carried on their winning form last week when they played Marsh Gibbon 2.  The team of Peter Strong/Karl Beeden and Robert Pearce/Nick Tingey won 6-2. Having won all their matches they thoroughly deserve their promotion to Division 7 next year.

Halton’s Girls 14 & Under National Junior Club League Team only dropped one game in their match against Chesham 1879.  Katy Dunne beat Francesca Weil 6-0 6-0, Liberty Crawford beat Olivia Copestick 6-0 6-0, Alica Patch beat Natalia Van den Bont 6-0 6-0 and Annabel Westermann 6-1 6-0. With the match standing at 4-0 to Halton, rain prevented the doubles round being played.

In the senior National Club League, the first matches are due to played over the next two weekends.  Next Sunday, 13 April Ladies 1 play Aylesbury 1 in Division 1 and Mens 1 play Gerrards Cross, Bull Lane in Division 2.  The following weekend on Sunday 20 April Ladies 2 are at home against Caversham and Mens 1 play Cranbrook Castle. Everyone is welcome to come down to Chestnut End and watch some great tennis as well as enjoy good food and drink provided by the Pavilion Café throughout the day.   The Ladies match is due to start at 10.30am with the Men starting at 2pm.
There will be a draw for 2 Free Tennis Lessons – one for an adult and one for a child – open to everyone who comes to watch – don’t miss out on this great chance to win a Free Lesson!

RAF OUTREACH TEAM DONATE TRACKSUITS
2nd April 2008

Halton’s performance players are looking smart and co-ordinated this week courtesy of Sgt Simon Williams and the RAF Careers Outreach Team based at RAF Halton.  Simon, who works with the Outreach Team, and whose children play tennis at Halton Tennis Club, approached the Inspectorate of Recruiting for funding of the club’s juniors to be kitted out in matching tracksuits.  Funding was soon made available and Air Commodore Paul Hughesdon, Chairman of the RAF Lawn Tennis Association, took the opportunity of handing the outfits over to Mike James, Director of Tennis at the Club last Thursday.

Sgt Williams said: ‘It was a pleasure to be able to help Great Britain’s future tennis champions.  The youngsters thoroughly enjoyed the afternoon’s practice and receiving the new kit and asked me to say a big thank you to Halton’s Outreach Team for their generosity.’

The photograph below shows Paul Hughesdon presenting the tracksuits to Mike James.