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There were some encouraging results for some of Halton's teams over the weekend.  In the Aylesbury & District League Division 1 Halton's Mens 1st team of Alex Barnes/Kirk Redford and Andy Maclean/Andy McGrath proved too strong for their opposition from Long Crendon and won the match 8-0.
Ladies 3 had a closer encounter against Tring 2 in Division 3 – Tracey Strong/Christina Sjoberg and Gill Roe/Hannah Russell were 1-3 down after the first round but managed to turn the match around and won all 4 sets in the second round to win the match 5-3.

In the Bucks Vets Shield Mens 1 had a close encounter against Chesham 1879 1st team when the team of Nick Leighton/John Hinchliff and Neil Twogood/Ralph Holliday won 5-3 in a Division 1 match.  Mens 3rd team were superb against High Wycombe 3rd team – Chris Roberts/Simon Napier-Munn and Gerry Walsh/John Steel didn't drop a set and won 8-0.  Ladies 2 came up against very tough opposition when they travelled to Burnham and the team of June Mordey/Julie Turner and Jane Chambers/Trisha Hartley lost 0-8.  Mixed Vets 2 were all square at the end of their Division 3 match against Chesham Bois – the team of June Mordey/Mark Trojacek and Julie Turner/Ralph Holliday drew 4-4.

HALTON TENNIS CLUB TEAMS BACK IN ACTION AFTER SNOW
24th January 2010

Several of Halton's teams were back in action over the weekend now that the snow has disappeared from the courts.  In the Aylesbury & District League Mens 2 had a convincing win over Widmer End in a Division 3 match.  The team of Ian Prior/Hasan Parvez and Chris I'Anson/Craig Rose won 7-1.  Mens 3 won their Division 6 match against Long Marston 2 without the loss of a set – the team of Luis Soares/David Herring and Trevor Dean/Peter Strong won 8-0.  In Division 3 Halton's Ladies 3 had a very tight match against Cublington when the team of Amanda Thompson/Gill Roe and Hannah Russell/Jo Euston-Moore won 5-3.

In the Bucks Vets Shield Division 1 Halton's Mixed 1 team of Neil Block/Wendy Shute and John Hinchliff/Ellen North had to settle for a 4-4 draw against Beaconsfield 1, with both pairs winning 2 sets each.  In Division 3 Mixed 2 had some very close sets against Richings Park but in the end were the stronger team and won 6-2 with the team of Colin Read/Claire Roberts and Chris Roberts/Camilla Hayward.  Ladies 4 had an extremely close match against High Wycombe 3 in a Division 7 match which also ended in a 4-4 draw.  The Halton team was Christine Stones/Caroline Clark and Flo Glenister/Sally Felton.

GREG RUSEDSKI UNVEILS NEW FACILITIES AT HALTON TENNIS CENTRE
22nd January 2010

LTA Talent Ambassador and former British number one Greg Rusedski was on hand yesterday to unveil the new facilities at Halton Tennis Centre near Aylesbury, following a major £379,000 grant from Sport England through the Lawn Tennis Association (LTA).

The facilities, which include an airhall covering three new indoor courts and a mini tennis zone, are the first of their kind in the country and will provide enhanced access to tennis for the local community.

Greg Rusedski, who works with the LTA to identify and develop British Tennis talent, took the opportunity to work with some of Halton’s junior squads and do a Q&A with players and parents. Speaking at the unveiling he commented:

“This is fantastic news for the area and will improve tennis facilities for local clubs and players. I am delighted to officially open the airhall which will get more people involved in the sport through this world-class facility."

Nick Leighton, Director at Halton Tennis Centre added: “We would like to thank the LTA and Sport England for their generous support with the new facilities, which aside from the new airhall and indoor courts also includes two outdoor tarmacadam courts, a new gym and associated infrastructure work.

The LTA have also been instrumental in supporting performance tennis at Halton, more recently through awarding us High Performance Centre status, and all the opportunities this brings to talented youngsters in the local community.”

After being awarded High Performance Centre status in 2007 in recognition of its high standard of performance programmes, Halton Tennis Centre is now the base for a number of national and international standard players. These include two AEGON FutureStars and one Team AEGON player in Katy Dunne, recognised as some of the best juniors in the country for their age group.

Richard Lewis, Sport England’s Chair, said: "It's vital that public funding for sport goes into facilities that meet the highest standards, are welcoming, and cater for everyone. That's how we’re going to get more people using them every day. Halton Tennis Centre will help our most talented young tennis players fulfil their potential and at the same time, offer the local community some of the very best sporting opportunities available."

HALTON FIGHTS BACK SNOW!
16th January 2010

On Friday 15th January, after 8 hours digging, courts were ready for play!

BEN POPE WINS THE  U9 BOYS SINGLES TITLE AT THE LETCHWORTH INDOOR OPEN TOURNAMENT OVER THE CHRISTMAS HOLIDAYS
15th January 2010

He won through his box of 3 matches having a 3 set match against a  tough Middlesex opponent and a win over his friend from Chesham Bois, Finlay Barret and then in the final won 7-0, 7-1 against a Hertfordshire boy.

HALTON'S KATY DUNNE REACHES FINAL IN FLORIDA
6th December 2009

14-year old Katy Dunne, who trains at Halton Tennis Centre at the Everyball International Academy reached the final of the Eddie Herr International Junior Tennis Championships in Florida at the weekend, knocking out the 4th and 6th seeds on the way.

The Eddie Herr, held at the Nick Bollettieri Tennis Academy, is a warm up event for the Junior Orange Bowl International Tennis Championships (one of the top junior events in the International tennis calendar) – it has served as a springboard to the professional tennis tour for such players as Roger Federer, Maria Sharapova and Andy Roddick. 

16th seed Katy moved through the initial rounds comfortably, without the loss of a set:- 

Round of 64 – beat I Fantanorosa of France 6-2 6-2
Round of 32 – beat Carol Zhao of Canada 6-1 6-4
Round of 16 – beat 4th seed Josie Kuhlman of USA 6-2 6-3

In the quarter-finals she came up against tough opposition in the form of 6th seed Domenica Gonzalez from Ecuador – Katy Dunn raced the first set to win 6-0 but then lost the second set 2-6 but fought back again and won the final set 6-3.  In the Semi Finals Katy was in control throughout the match and beat Madara Straum of Latvia 6-3 6-2.

In the Final, played on Sunday 6 December, Katy played unseeded Spenser Liang of USA which she lost 6-2 6-2.  Her coach Mike James, Director of Tennis at Halton's Everyball International Academy, commented that Katy found it tough in the final to maintain her focus on the job in hand, and played an opponent who out-smarted her at the key moments. Mike went on to say that 'Katy has had a very positive week in getting to the finals of Eddie Herr, and this should boost her confidence as she goes into the Orange Bowl next week. She is clearly competitive with the very top international girls in her age-group, and as she matures she will learn to put the finishing touches to an event such as this.  Her focus remains on developing a great game for the future, but results like this along the way only support she is on the right track.'

With a great string results under her belt, Katy now looks forward to competing in the 14 & Under Orange Bowl Championships next week.

SUCCESS FOR HALTON'S VETS TEAMS
29th November 2009

Two of Halton's teams competing in the Bucks Veterans Shield had success over the weekend.  Ladies 1 played Stoke Poges in Division 2 and the team of Bridget Andreas/Debbie Jenkins and Wendy Shute/Claire Roberts proved too strong for their opposition winning 7-1.  Mens 3 were equally dominant in their Division 4 match against Farnham Common 1.  The match was played in great sporting spirit but the team of Chris Roberts/Simon Napier-Munn and Kevin Clausner/Gerry Walsh were too consistent for their opponents and also won the match 7-1.

BUCKS LADIES RETAIN THEIR PLACE IN GROUP 2 AT WINTER COUNTY CUP
29th November 2009

Bucks Ladies competed in Group 2A of the Aegon Winter County Cup held at Welwyn Garden City over the weekend – with the majority of the team based at Halton Tennis Club.   The event, which combines both singles and doubles matches is played in competitions across the country – with 6 singles matches and 3 doubles matches being played each day.  The winners of Group 1 are crowned champions and promotion and relegation for the following year being contested in all the other groups. 

The team had been beset with last minute injuries so the players were under pressure – however they surpassed their expectations and Buckinghamshire beat Cheshire 6-3 on Friday and followed that up by an even more conclusive win on Saturday when they beat Dorset 7-2.  This meant that on Sunday Buckinghamshire were competing against Hertfordshire for promotion to Group 1.  Hertfordshire had a particularly strong team and Buckinghamshire had a bad start when Celia Bristow popped a calf muscle at the end of her first set and had to retire – the rest of the singles also went Hertfordshire's way apart from an epic win by Kathryn Sharples who won in a 3rd set tiebreak after a marathon 3-hour match against Katy Williams.  Hertfordshire went on to win the match and promotion but Buckinghamshire were pleased to be runners-up and look forward to the chance of competing for a place in Group 1 next year.   The Bucks team were Helen Adams, Celia Bristow, Lereesa Easterbrook, Jemima Hayward, Emily Quin, Kathryn Sharples (Halton), Helen Lawson (previously based at Halton), and Laura Jones and Kelly Walsh (Gerrards Cross Bull Lane).

SPECIAL AWARD PRESENTED TO HALTON PLAYERS
22nd November 2009

At the Bucks LTA  AGM held recently it was announced that a special award  had been set up in memory of Meme Griffiths (Honorary Life President of the Buckinghamshire Lawn Tennis Association), who sadly died earlier this year. The Award will be presented every year to an individual or individuals who have made an outstanding contribution to tennis in Buckinghamshire.

The inaugural winners for 2009 were Jemima Hayward and Julia Bone who won the award for their exceptional record when they represented Buckinghamshire in Division 1 of the LTA Summer County Cup at Eastbourne this year.  The Bucks No. 1 pair were unbeaten all week – winning a record 15 out of 15 matches, helping the Buckinghamshire team to 3rd place and retaining their position in the elite Division 1.  This feat has never been achieved before in the history of Buckinghamshire tennis.

It was very fitting that Jemima and Julia should receive the first Meme Griffiths Award because the only pair to achieve an unbeaten record during County Week were Meme and her partner Joyce Nickless 48 years ago in 1961.

Jemima accepted the magnificent silver salver on behalf of herself and Julia (who is studying at Loughborough University) from Jill Newby (Meme's daughter) and said that she felt very honoured to receive the award.  Meme had always shown great interest in her tennis career from when she was very young playing at local tournaments, especially Great Missenden.   She went on to say that Meme had always been very supportive and encouraging and travelled all over the country to cheer on the Bucks team during county competitions even when she was well into her 80's and everyone involved in Bucks Tennis would miss her.

Jemima being presented the award by Jill Newby (Meme Griffiths' daughter)

HALTON TENNIS CLUB WIN BUCKS TITLES
22nd November 2009

At the Bucks LTA AGM Halton's Ladies and Mens 1st teams were presented with the Bucks Shield after a superb season when both teams won the Premier Division. Mens 1 (under the captaincy of Danny West) won the Shield for the fourth year running whilst Ladies 1 (captained by Emily Quin) came top of the Premier Division for the second consecutive year.

MIXED FORTUNES FOR HALTON TENNIS CLUB
8th November 2009

Halton's teams had mixed fortunes in their matches this weekend.  In the Bucks Veterans Shield Division 3 Mens 2 got off to a good start against High Wycombe 2 but the team of Peter Taylor/Trevor Dean and Alan Pickett/David Herring eventually lost the match 5-3. However, in Division  7 Ladies 4 continued their winning streak by beating Marlow 2 by a very convincing 7-1.  The team was Kaye Lillycrop/Linda Bottrill and Mary O'Sullivan/Flo Glenister. 

In the Aylesbury & District League Division 1 Ladies 1 beat Chesham 1879 7-1 with the team of Helen Hales/Sarah Butcher and Victoria Pisani/Grace Russell.  In Division 3  Ladies 2, Ladies 3 and Mens 2 were in action.  Ladies 2 came up against tough opposition when they played Wendover 1 on Sunday and the team of Lucy Caillé/Emma Strong and Audrey Deane/Camilla Hayward lost 7-1 to a more consistent team.  Ladies 3 played at home against Tring 2 – there were some close sets but Rachel Palmer/Amanda Thompson and Gill Roe/Delia Chadwick won 5½-2½. Mens 2 also had a match against Tring and the team of Craig Rose/Ralph Holliday and Ian Prior/Peter Strong also secured a 5½-2½ win.

RAF JUNIOR TOURNAMENT CELEBRATES 21 YEARS
31st October 2009

It was a special year for the RAF Careers Junior Tournament held at Halton Tennis Club – it is 21 years since the tournament was started by Keith & Ann Dewick, who are still running the event, with the help of Tournament Chairman Squadron Leader Robin Smith (Retd).

The tournament had benefited from unseasonably warm weather throughout the week which ensured that all competitors had  a great week of tennis.  The tournament was open to players aged 12 to 18 and attracted juniors from throughout the county.  Halton players featured in several of the finals, especially in the girls singles when Laura Hope beat Molly Hawker from Gerrards Cross, Bull Lane to win the 12 & Under event 6-3 6-4, and No. 1 seed Annabel Westermann won both 14 & Under and 16 & Under singles titles.  Annabel beat Louise Barrett from Gerrards Cross in the 14 & Under event 6-1 6-4 and had a walk-over in the 16 & Under event when the No. 2 seed Izabella Grysztar was unable to play due to illness.

Halton boys also featured in 3 out of the 4 singles finals.  In the 12 & Under singles competition Halton's Ben Hedger, who was unseeded, had beaten the No. 2 seed Jack Molloy in the Semi-Final but had a tough match in the Final against the No. 1 seed Mark Konieczny from Chesham Bois and lost 6-2 6-2.  However in the 14 & Under event Halton's Thomas Schmidt came back from losing the first set 7-5 to Oliver Levi (Gerrards Cross, Bull Lane) to win the second set 6-3 and the deciding tie-break 10-4 to win the title.  Thomas Pieke justified his No. 1 seeding to beat Richard Beeny from Tring 6-2 6-4.  Thomas Schmidt and Oliver Levi then played together in the 13 & Under Boys Doubles final when they beat Jack Clark and Michael Pieke from Halton 6-1 6-1.

The boys 18 & Under Singles final was a first-class match between Michael Maw (Chesham 1879) and Henry Donnelly (High Wycombe) – Donnelly won the first set 6-3 but Maw played more consistently in the second set to win it 6-1 and then took the deciding tie-break 10-4 to win the title.

Winners of the Girls Doubles 13 & Under were Charlotte Barber and Louise Barrett from Gerrards Cross, Bull Lane and the Boys 16 & Under Doubles were won by Oliver Jones & Ben Levi also from Gerrards Cross, Bull Lane.

Air Chief Marshal Sir Stephen Dalton, President of RAF Lawn Tennis Association presented the winners and runners-up with their prizes, after which a cake was brought out to celebrate the tournament's 21st anniversary.

Winners and runners-up

Annabel & Jamima Westermann receiving their prizes from Air Chief Marshal Sir Stephen Dalton

GOOD START FOR HALTON TENNIS CLUB IN WINTER LEAGUES
19th October 2009

Halton's teams have made a good start to the Winter season during the past week.  For the first time they have entered a team in the Bucks Super-Veterans league and they made a great start in their  inaugural match.  The format is Ladies/Mens doubles in the first round, followed by Mixed doubles in the second round and the team of Gill Roe, Diane Marston, Terry McGrath and Tony Jeffryes only dropped one set to beat Hazlemere 7-1. 

In the County Winter Singles League Halton played David Lloyd High Wycombe on Saturday and Bridget Andreas and Lucy Caillé won 3-0 – winning both their singles and teaming up to win the doubles round.  In the Aylesbury & District League Division 3 Halton's Mens 2 team beat Haddenham 2 with the team of Chris I'Anson/Hasan Parvez and Ian Prior/Rufus Jackson.

In the Bucks Veterans League Mixed 2 played Farnham Common 1 in a Division 3 match.  The team of Helen Stewart/Ralph Holliday and Claire Roberts/Mark Trojacek proved too strong for their opposition and they won 8-0.  Mixed 1 had a tougher match in Division 1 against High Wycombe 1 and despite some close sets the team of Wendy Shute/Neil Block and Pam Knight/Ralph Holliday lost 3-5.  Ladies 4  were very pleased to win their first match of the season when the team of Kaye Lillycrop/Caroline Clark and Sally Felton/Flo Glenister won 6-2 against Farnham Common 3.

ADULT & JUNIOR TOURNAMENT AT HALTON TENNIS CLUB
10th October 2009

The annual Autumn Adult & Junior tournament at Halton Tennis Club attracted a record entry of 55 pairs in warm sunshine on Saturday, organised by Head Coach James Morgan with assistance from Sarah and Becki Tricks.  Competition was fierce at all levels as entrants were split into 3 mini tennis groups and 5 yellow ball groups – players of all ages and experience entered – from 5 years to 75 years!  Winners of the Mini Red event were Ted  and Graham Holland who were undefeated on the day with the runners-up Joshua & Mark Bright who only lost to the winners.  In the Mini Orange group just 1½ points ( 1 for a win and ½  for a draw) separated first and last.  Winners were Finn & Kate Hudson and runners up (with only ½ point less) were Ferdi and Gunnar Maintzer.  In the Green event, Paul and Daniel Dean, Pete & Liberty Abdey and James & Gary Fuller had the same number of wins/draws after the round robin stage in group 1 and a lot of arithmetic was required to determine the winner and runner-up of that group.  In the event the Deans were overall winners,  defeating the Fullers in the Final after the Deans had beaten Thomas & Guy Townsend and the Fullers had beaten Nigel & Ben Pope in the semi finals.

The winners and runners-up in each of the 5 round-robin groups for yellow ball all went through to the knock-out stage.  The results were so close in Group 4 that the organisers needed a calculator to work out who should go through with Mike & Harrison Roe just beating Hannah & Cathy Russell to take runner-up slot, with Ben & Steve Willis the winners.  In Group 1 the winners were Adrian & Michael Shaw, runners-up Tom Parkin & Peter Wilkinson; Group 2 winners were Edward Hart & Terry McGrath, runners-up Calum Findlay & Trisha Hartley; Group 3 was won by Peter & Annabel Westermann with James & David Parry runners-up and Group 5 winners were Ewan Maclean & Sarah Butcher followed by Sarah & Cameron Pope as runners-up.  After some competitive quarter-finals, Edward Hart & Terry McGrath beat Calum Findlay & Trisha Hartley and Peter & Annabel Westermann beat Adrian & Michael Shaw to reach the final which Edward & Terry won after some very close games.

HALTON TENNIS CLUB WIN BUCKS SENIOR MIXED TITLE
10th October 2009

Halton Tennis Club retained the Bucks Senior Mixed Knockout Cup when they beat Great Missenden in the Finals at Stoke Park last weekend.  The winning team were Alan Hutcherson/Kathryn Sharples and Danny West/Celia Bristow.  Halton are very proud of their record in this event, having only lost the title twice since 1992.

END OF SEASON TOURNAMENT AT HALTON
28th September 2009

Halton Tennis Club held its annual End of Season tournament on Sunday 27 September.  The warm and sunny weather helped to attract a large number of players, both to the tournament and for the general club mix-in tennis.  28 players entered the doubles tournament, with players changing partners after each round.   6 rounds were played, with a break for Pimms after 3 rounds, after which 4 players emerged with the highest score and played out a final.  After some very close games Ian Prior and Caroline Clark beat Ian Handscombe and Nicky Lambell to take the title.  There was also a Mens consolation final (to take into account the fact that out of the 28 entries, 21 were men) in which Andy Maclean and Peter Down beat David Barnett and Alex Peacock.

After a successful Summer, in which both Ladies and Mens 1st teams await confirmation that they  came top of the Premier Division of the Bucks Shield,  Halton teams now look forward to the challenge of the Winter season in both the Aylesbury & District and Bucks Veterans leagues.  The first matches of the new season were played this weekend.  In the Bucks Veterans League Halton's Mixed Vets 2 team had to play Halton's Mixed Vets 3 team in a Division 3 match.  After some very tight sets, the 2nd team of Phil Mayhew/Debbie Jenkins and  Ralph Holliday/Ellen North beat John Steel/Janis O'Connor and Alan Pickett/Tracey Strong 7-1.  In the Aylesbury & District League Division 3 Ladies 2 beat Cublington 1 with the team of Bridget Andreas/Debbie Jenkins and Claire Roberts/Ellen North.

HALTON TENNIS CLUB RAISE MONEY FOR UGANDAN ORPHANS
14th September 2009

Terry McGrath ran a very successful Mixed Doubles Handicapped Tournament at Halton Tennis Club recently in aid of the charity Uganda Orphans Bega Kwa Bega.  21 pairs played and were given handicaps accordingly to their ability and experience.  The initial rounds were played as a round-robin timed event.  The 4 pairs with the highest scores then played a Semi-Final:  Peter Strong & Nicky Lambell beat Mark Trojacek & Trisha Hartley and Salim Jadajvi & Bridget Andreas beat Graeme Mackie & Diane Marston to reach the Final.  The Final was extremely close but Peter Strong & Nicky Lambell took advantage of  their handicap and won. Following the tournament the players were treated to a 3-course dinner (with meat for the main course donated by Garry King, King's Farm Shop).  Following dinner Mike Hill ran an auction to raise funds for the nominated charity – thanks to the generosity of everyone who took part, the event raised £1,450 plus £60 from the tombola which was running all day – enough to pay the annual school fees for 25 children to go to primary school or salaries for a year for 3 trained midwives/nurses.

Winners Nicky Lambell and Peter Strong receiving their trophies from organiser Terry McGrath

CHAIRMAN'S CUP AT HALTON
10th September 2009

There was a good entry for the annual fun mixed doubles tournament - The Chairman's Cup - held at Halton Tennis Club in August when fancy dress was optional.  After several rounds, when players changed partners after each round,  4 players with the highest scores emerged as finalists.  After a very close Final, Pauline Shorthouse & Andy Maclean beat Trisha Hartley & Craig Rose to win the coveted Chairman's Cup.  There were also prizes for the best fancy dress awarded to Steve & Stephanie Langley, Trisha Hartley and Harry Sparkes.

HALTON JUNIORS EXCEL AT JUNIOR NATIONALS - STUNNING BARNEY HEADS A CAST OF HALTON STARS HAVING A SUMMER BALL
1st September 2009

Barney Smith became the 10&U Great Britain National Champion on Saturday 22 August as he blasted through second seed Will Davies 4-0, 4-0 in a performance of rare quality. Barney reached the final of the event having earlier dismissed top seed Dominic West 4-1, 5-4 and 4th seed Max Stewart 4-0, 4-2. Danny West, individual coach to Barney said: 'He was on fire in the semis and finals, executed his game plans perfectly and stayed composed and positive throughout. We are extremely proud of him – he has worked really hard throughout the year and deserves this reward.'

Katy Dunne, Claudia Marsala and Dean Kelleher also performed very well at the Aegon 14&U National Championships.

Katy coped brilliantly as the event's top seed and made a confident march to the final where she was narrowly beaten by 2nd seed Eleanor Dean in a third set. Katy went on to compete in the 16&U Nationals a week later and went all the way through to the quarter finals upsetting Scotland's highly rated Joanna Henderson on the way. Despite her loss in the finals, Katy will finish the ranking year as the top 14&U Girls in Great Britain, whilst being firmly entrenched in Europe's top 10. An exciting year ahead beckons as Katy looks now to improve her international ITF (International Tennis Federation) 18&U ranking.

Claudia and Dean both won through to the quarter finals of the 14&U Nationals beating some very strong opposition. Claudia eventually lost to Eleanor Dean whilst Dean lost to Bedfordshire's Josh Sapwell. Finishing in the top 16 of their age-group at the National Championships was a great accomplishment for both players who will use this experience as a spring board to further improvement.

Halton players also dominated a series of LTA Grade 3 events throughout July and August.

Leverstock Green – Claudia Marsala, Girls 16&U winner; Dean Kelleher, Boys 14&U winner
Great Missenden – Owen Richards, 18&U winner; Claudia Marsala 16&U winner; Barney Smith, 10&U winner; Sophie Russell, 10&U winner
Winchester – Michael Patch, 14&U winner
Gerrards Cross – Kathryn Sharples, 18&U winner
Radlett – Alice Patch, 14&U winner; Kathryn Sharples, 18&U winner; Sam Gough, 10&U winner
Chandos – Alice Patch 14&U winner

There have also been some fantastic performances over the summer at Mini Tennis Red and Orange events, with players such as Daniel Dean beginning to step up to the mark as talented young performers.

Mike James, Halton's Director of Tennis commented, 'It has been a superb summer for Halton's juniors with success at all levels and age-groups. We have a very together, committed group of players, coaches and parents with a hugely supportive club keen to see Halton make a real stamp on British Tennis. It is a very exciting time to be involved and we're looking forward to taking things further in 2010.'

HALTON JUNIORS EXCEL AT GREAT MISSENDEN TOURNAMENT
4th August 2009

Several of Halton Tennis Club's juniors excelled at the finals of  Great Missenden Junior Open Tournament at the weekend. Barney Smith became the Under 10 Champion when he beat Seb Harris and Sophie Russell  won the Under 10 girls singles.  In the Under 12 Boys Doubles Barney teamed up with JJ Clarke but they lost to fellow Halton players Toby Rogers & Scott Duguid in an extremely close match – with Toby & Scott eventually winning 10-8 in the 3rd set tiebreak.  Owen Richards beat Brad Marriott to win the 16 & Under singles, winning 6-4 in the 3rd set despite struggling with blisters.  The 16 & Under Girls singles final was between two Halton players with Claudia Marsala beating Liberty Crawford 6-2 in the 3rd set.  Claudia went on to play in the 18 & Under Girls singles final when she lost to Cassandra Dix.  In the 18 & Under Boys singles Halton's Dean Kelleher lost to Miles Orton. 

Several Halton players also featured in the doubles finals – Jack Mordey won the 14 & Under Mixed Doubles with Sophie Marriott; Tom Miller and his partner beat Owen Richards and his partner in the 18 & Under Boys Doubles and Stuart Pugh and Lottie Hayward-Cooke lost the 18 & Under Mixed Doubles.

Immediately after the finals, 15 of Halton's junior players travelled down to Torbay, Devon with two of their coaches to compete in the Torbay LTA Grade 3 Grand Prix tournament which takes place this week.

HALTON PLAYERS HELP BUCKS LADIES RETAIN PLACE IN DIVISION 1
29th July 2009

The Buckinghamshire Ladies team playing in the Aegon Summer County Cup Group 1 in Eastbourne last week was made up of members of Halton Tennis Centre, both present and past.  A total of 44 British counties and regions compete during the same week in late July, playing in 7 groups at various venues throughout the country (all on grass courts) with the top groups of both men's and women's – Group 1 – competing at Devonshire Park Eastbourne where the winners are crowned Aegon Summer County Cup Champions.

The importance of the occasion for British tennis was emphasised when North of Scotland brought in Andy and Jamie Murray to their team which caused much excitement from the spectators and players.  Bucks Ladies came 2nd last year (their first year in Group1) and were keen to consolidate their place this year.  The team is made up of 3 pairs who play a different county each day (3 best of 3 set matches per day over 5 days).  On Monday Bucks made a good start when they beat Leicestershire 6-3.  However on Tuesday they came up against a strong Essex team (who were eventual runners-up) and lost 3-6.  So on Wednesday Bucks needed to beat Hertfordshire to keep them in with a chance of staying in Group 1.  The match stood at 3-3 when rain stopped play and had to be finished off Thursday morning.  Bucks 1st pair Jemima Hayward and Julia Bone won in 2 sets, 2nd pair Claire Hamilton and Lereesa Easterbrook were unlucky to lose in a deciding 3rd set tiebreak 9-11 which meant that Celia Bristow and Helen Lawson needed to win – they won the first set but were down 2-5 in the second set however they fought back and won the second set 7-5 – resulting in a 5-4 win for Bucks.  On Thursday Bucks lost to Surrey (the eventual winners) 4-5.

The final day Bucks needed to win 4 matches to stay in Group 1 – torrential rain delayed play but Bucks made a great start against Warwickshire and raced to a 3 match lead which they consolidated and won 6-3.  This meant that Bucks had come 3rd overall and look forward to going back to Eastbourne next year.  There was a superb performance by Jemima Hayward & Julia Bone who were undefeated all week – winning 15 out of 15 matches.  However it was a great team effort and well done to all the players – Jemima Hayward, Julia Bone, Claire Hamilton, Helen Lawson, Lereesa Easterbrook, Celia Bristow, Emily Quin, Helen Adams, Sarah Spanswick.

FESTIVAL OF TENNIS AT HALTON TENNIS CENTRE
28th July 2009

Halton's Senior Club Championships and Festival of Tennis were held 17-19 July in mixed weather conditions.  On Friday evening and Saturday afternoon the quarter-finals and semi-finals took place in sunny conditions.  However on Sunday morning the rain arrived and the finals were only  completed thanks to Halton's 6 indoor courts. In the Open Mens Singles Halton's Director of Tennis, Mike James, showed greater guile and skill to secure a win against Josh Oxley in a final of high-quality tennis.  The Ladies Singles Final was competed between two of Halton's juniors (with Halton's top senior players on their way to Eastbourne to compete for Bucks in the Aegon Summer County Cup).  Rebecca Tricks played with confidence to beat Emma Strong.

The longest match was between Andrew Brockington and Dave Herring in the Mens Veterans Singles- when it took over two hours for Brockington to eventually win 11-10 after the match was decided in a tie-break.  Halton introduced an Over 60's category for the first time which produced some very tight matches, particularly between Ralph Holliday/Barry Foxcroft and Alan Pickett/Hetherington in the Mens Doubles, which Pickett/Hetherington eventually won 11-10.  The full results are shown below:-

FESTIVAL OF TENNIS & CLUB CHAMPIONSHIPS AT HALTON TENNIS CLUB - 18/19 JULY 2009
20th July 2009

Halton Tennis Club held its annual Festival of Tennis & Club Championships during last weekend.  The initial rounds and up to quarter-finals of the Adult Championships had been played over the last few weeks with the semi-finals taking place on Saturday afternoon and the Finals on Sunday (more details to follow next week).  For the first time, the Junior Championships were held on one day – Saturday – with the first match taking place at 9am and the last match (the Under 14 boys doubles finals) finishing at 8pm!

There were some excellent matches throughout all the age groups.  In the Mini section there were some closely contested matches in both Mini Red (Under 8) and Mini Orange (Under 9).  In the Mini Red competition the four highest scorers played a semi-final when Oliver Kenton beat Luke Murray-Russell and Charlie Tilt beat Nicholas Blagg, after some amazingly long rallies.  In the Final both Charlie and Oliver played extremely well, with Oliver emerging the winner.  In the Mini Orange Boys semi-finals Daniel Dean beat Elliott Abdey in a very close 3-set match and Ben Pope beat Brandon Malaure.  In a high quality final Daniel Dean beat Ben Pope 7-4 7-6.  In the girls Final Molly Curliss beat Mollie Kelleher in two very close sets.

Barney Smith deserves special mention for winning 4 events, both singles and doubles – he beat Sam Gough and JJ Clark in the Under 10 and Under 12 singles respectively and then went on to win the Boys Under 10 and Under 12/14 doubles.  In the Boys Under 14 singles Alex Smillie finally beat Alec Brazier – 13-11 in the 3rd set tie-break.  In the girls event Annabel Westermann beat Rebecca Tricks in 3 sets but Rebecca then teamed up with Laura Hope to beat Annabel and her sister Jamima in the Under 18 doubles.  One of the longest matches of the day was in the Under 10 Mixed Doubles when Lauren McKinlay & Teddie Casterton beat Olivia Ray and Ben Pope.  The full results of the Halton Junior Championships are below:

The Adult Finals were held on Sunday 19 July - full details of the results to follow next week. 
 
Earlier in the week Halton's Mixed 1 Team successfully defended their title in the Aylesbury & District League Mixed Knock-out compeititon when the team of Alan Hutcherson/Helen Adams and Pete Thorne/Celia Bristow beat Chesham Bois 8-0. 

HALTON LADIES IN REGIONAL PLAY-OFFS
12th July 2009

Halton's Ladies 1st team played Edgbaston Priory, Birmingham in the Regional Play-Offs for a place in the National Finals of the Aegon Team Tennis competition.  In the singles round Halton's No. 1 player Jemima Hayward battled through to beat Leyla Ogan 3-6 6-3 7-6, having had to save a match point.  However in the other singles matches Lereesa Easterbrook lost to Aimee Jarratt, Helen Adams lost to Celia Fraser in 2 close sets and Celia Bristow lost to Luisa Cowper.  This meant that Halton needed to win both doubles matches to force a tiebreak shoot-out.  Unfortunately Bristow/Easterbrook lost their match, so despite Jemima Hayward and Emily Quin winning their match, Halton lost 2-4 and will have to wait until next year for a chance to make the National Finals in Bournemouth.

In the Bucks Shield Premier Division Mens 1 had a very tight match against Great Missenden 1 but Pete Thorne/David Rice, Alan Hutcherson/Owen Richards and Josh Oxley/Phil Hill just had the edge and Halton won 5-4.  Mens 4 had their first win of the season in Div 2A, after 4 narrow defeats.  The team of Peter Strong/Dean Kelleher, James Tottle/David Herring and Simon Jenning/Trevor Dean beat Princes Risborough 5½-3½.  In Div 2B Mens 3 also secured a win against Magnolia Park, High Wycombe when the team of Rob Pearce/James Blane, Craig Rose/Chris I'Anson and Ian Prior/Rufus Jackson dominated the match by winning 7½-1½.  This was their last match of the season when the team finished with a 4-3 winning record which should secure their place in Division 2 next year.   Ladies 4 also had a match in Div 2A when the team of Delia Chadwick/Gill Roe, Penny Jeffery/Jenny Webley and Janis O'Connor/Rachel Palmer played Wolverton and the result was a 5½-3½ win for Halton.  Ladies 5 had another extremely close match in Division 4 – at the end of the match there was only a difference of 4 games – but the team of Mariko Francombe/Sam McCaffrey, Linda Bottrill/Flo Glenister and Kaye Lillycrop/Emma McGrath lost 3½-5½. 

In the Aylesbury & District League Mixed 1 played a Division 1 match against Great Missenden when the team of Alan Hutcherson/Jemima Hayward and Andy Maclean/Helen Adams won 6½-1½.  Ladies 1 had a similar score when they beat Linslade 1 (also a Division 1 match) when the team was Helen Adams/Jacqui Wingfield and Sam Start/Katie Houghton.  In Division 2 Ladies 2 came up against a strong Long Crendon 1st team and the team of Bridget Andreas/Debbie Jenkins and Camilla Hayward/Jenny Webley lost 2-6.  

WORLD-FAMOUS TENNIS COACH NICK BOLLETTIERI COMES TO HALTON TENNIS CENTRE
6th July 2009

Nick Bollettieri, probably the most famous coach in the world, who has coached great players like Andre Agassi, Maria Sharapova and the Williams sisters, came to Halton Tennis Centre on Tuesday 23 June to give a masterclass with some of the UK's most talented young players.  400 tennis fans, including numerous coaches, attended the event from all over the UK – from Grimsby in the north to Devon and Wales in the south-west.

Halton Tennis Centre laid on a fabulous evening of entertainment centred on Nick Bollettieri in the best American tradition – with cheerleaders, break dancing and a barbecue.  The evening started by showcasing the Halton High Performance squads in action – demonstrating warm-up drills led by their coaches.  Halton's top players were supported by other talented juniors from other LTA High Performance Centres.  Nick Bollettieri ran a 2-hour masterclass, putting students aged from 10 & under to 16 & under through their paces assisted by the Halton coaching team.  He commented that he was very impressed with the players' enthusiasm and ability and went on to say that there wasn't a lot wrong with British tennis and he liked what he saw.  Nick concluded the masterclass with a question & answer session and several amusing anecdotal stories about the tennis legends he has coached as well as signing numerous autographs.

 To commemorate the occasion, John Walker, Halton's Chairman presented a painting to Nick, kindly donated by Aces High in Wendover, depicting the occasion on 17 September 1944 when C47 Dakotas dropped thousands of paratroopers from the US Airborne Divisions into Holland behind enemy lines.  Bollettieri commented in The Independent the following day that “as a former US paratrooper, I was truly thrilled at Halton that they presented me with the gift of a painting of US troops parachuting into the Netherlands in the Second World War, and it was signed by the four last surviving members of the real-life Band of Brothers.  Awesome.”

HALTON'S UNDER 10 BOYS TEAM AT CHAMPIONS CUP
4th July 2009

Halton Tennis Club's Under 10 Boys team competed in the Aegon Champions Cup recently in Bury St Edmunds.  The team of Sam Gough, Jake Williams, Cameron Pope and Oscar Glenister fought hard in all of their singles and challenging doubles matches eventually coming off court late into the evening.  In the end it came down to the last head to head between Halton and Cullford School, the hosts of the championship final.

The Halton players fought very hard but in the end their opposition beat them by 5 points to take the title.  However the Halton team were very proud of their performance and were pleased to receive the runners-up medals.  Congratulations to all of these players and the other Halton boys who competed through the season and helped Halton U10 Boys to get to the finals – Michael Shaw, Barnaby Smith, Joshua Pisani and Charlie Newell.

The team with their medals, from left to right: Cameron Pope, Jake Williams, Sam Gough and Oscar Glenister

HALTON TEAMS PROGRESS
21st June 2009

Despite losing to Maidenhead at the weekend, when the team of Peter Thorne, Alex Barnes, Josh Oxley and Owen Richards lost 5-1, in the Aegon Team Tennis competition National Division 2, the team have done enough to be promoted to National Division 1 next year, joining the two Ladies teams.
Ladies 1 are already through to the regional play-offs and Ladies 2 played their last group match against Chesham Bois on Sunday.  The team needed to win to ensure they stayed up in Division 1.  In the singles round Jacqui Wingfield won, Sarah Butcher and Liberty Crawford lost, while Grace Russell won – making the score 2-2.  The match was still a draw after the doubles round after Sarah Butcher/Jacqui Wingfield won and Grace/Liberty lost.  This meant that the match had to be decided by a tie-break shoot-out.  Sarah/Jacqui lost the doubles 9-11 but both Grace and Liberty won their singles, resulting in a win for Halton to ensure that Ladies 2 stay in Division 1 next year.

In the Bucks Shield Ladies 5 had a good win against Penn & Tylers Green 3 in Division 4.  The team of Sam McCaffrey/Mariko Francombe, Flo Glenister/Jenny Knott and Kaye Lillycrop/Karen Fisher won 6-3.  In the 2-pair league Halton's Ladies team had a very close match against Beaconsfield 2 when the team of Suzie Mathew/Sally Felton and Christine Stones/Barbara Muston drew 4-4.

Halton Tennis Club are holding two free Coaching sessions for Adult Beginners/Rusty Rackets on Thursday 25 June from 7.30-9.00pm and Saturday 27 June from 2-4pm – a good opportunity to have a go at playing tennis, especially if you have been inspired by watching the Wimbledon Championships.  For more information contact Nick Leighton on 07863 169839.

HALTON LADIES WIN THROUGH TO REGIONAL PLAY-OFF
8th June 2009

Halton Ladies 1 needed a win against Leicestershire Tennis Club to secure a place in the regional play-offs of the Aegon Team Tennis National Division 1 competition.  After torrential rain during the morning, the weather cleared sufficiently for the ladies to play the singles round on the astroturf courts outside.  At No. 1 spot Jemima Hayward played 17 year-old Joanna Horne who trains at Win Tennis Academy, Marlow and Jemima's greater experience and consistency, especially on her serve, paid dividends and she won the match 6-2 6-3. Lereesa Easterbrook at No. 2 played Claire Seal who played very well to beat Lereesa 6-1 6-3.  14 year-old Katy Dunne (at No. 3) raced away with the first set against Lucy Easter, winning it 6-0 but had a tougher time in the 2nd set and eventually won the set 7-5 to secure another win for Halton.  Kathryn Sharples was out on court for 3 hours against Manon Le Testu.  She lost the first 4-6 but came back to win the second 6-3.  In the final set Kathryn went 1-4 down but fought back to get to 5-5 and in fact had match points at 6-5 but was forced to play a tiebreak which she eventually won.  This meant that Halton were 3-1 up and needed one doubles win to win the match.  Lereesa Easterbrook teamed up with Celia Bristow to play Manon Le Testu & Claire Seal but the Leicestershire pair proved too strong and they won the match 6-1 7-5.  This meant that Jemima Hayward & Katy Dunne had to win to prevent the match going to a penalty tiebreak shoot-out. The Halton pair stormed to a 3-0 lead but Joanne Horne & Lucy Easters got into their stride and won the next 3 games.  The set continued to be very tight but the Halton pair just had the edge and won the set 7-5.  In the second set Jemima and Katy got an early service break and kept up the momentum to win 6-3.  This meant that Halton had won the match overall 4-2 and came up runners-up in their group, earning them the opportunity to play highly-ranked Edgbaston Priory in the Regional Play-offs in July.

In the Bucks Shield Division 2A Ladies 4 travelled to play Beaconsfield 3 and despite some rain showers the team of Tracey Strong/Gill Roe, Janis O'Connor/Penny Jeffery and Delia Chadwick/Anne Cobley completed the match and won by a very convincing margin – 7-2.  Mens 5 played at home against Olney in a Division 3 match and were fortunate to be able to play indoors.  After some very close the sets the Halton team of Gerry Walsh, John Steel, Kevin Clausner, Paul Henry, Alex Peacock and Chris Roberts lost 4-5.

Several of Halton's junior teams also had matches in the Aegon Team Tennis competition.  Boys 16 & Under played High Wycombe on Saturday and secured a very good 5-1 win.  In the singles round Max Baiden won 6-3 6-1, Harry Glenister lost 3-6 5-7, Sam Monastyrskyj won 6-4 6-3 and Calum Findlay won 6-3 6-2.  The boys then went on to win both doubles matches – Max and Harry winning 6-3 6-4 and Sam and Calum winning 6-2 6-4.  Halton's Boys 12 & Under 'B' team had a very tough match against when they lost to Gerrards Cross Bull Lane 'A' team with the team of Jack Curliss, Daniel Angel, Ethan Jackson and Marcus Pugh. Halton's 16 & Under team travelled to Great Missenden on Sunday and the team of Freddie Pugh, Sean Strong, Calum Findlay and Sam Monastyrskyj won 4-2.

HALTON JUNIORS SHINE AT JUNIOR TOURNAMENT
2nd June 2009

Halton's junior players dominated the finals of the 31st Chesham Bois LTA Grade 3 Junior Tournament.  Halton players featured in every age category from Under 10 to Under 18, both boys and girls events.  The winners of the Under 10 singles event were both from Halton – Barnaby Smith won the boys event (beating Sam Gough also from Halton) and Olivia Ray won the girls event.  In the Boys 14 & Under singles the No. 1 seed Dean Kelleher beat No. 3 seed Michael Patch  - both boys from Halton.  Owen Richards featured in two very close finals – he won the 16 & Under event beating Jordan Angus but lost to Jordan in the18 & Under event.

In the 18 & Under girls singles Claudia Marsala (Halton) lost to Lisa Losseva (who had beaten Halton's Kathryn Sharples in the semi-final).  Several Halton players also featured in consolation singles finals:  Ben Willis (winning U12),  James Blane beating Jack Mordey (U18),  Becki Tricks (losing U16) andJamima Westermann (losing U12).  In the doubles events there were wins for Jack Mordey/Kathryn Sharples in the Mixed 18 & Under, Michael & Alice Patch in the Mixed 14 & Under,  Calum McKinlay/Alex Fage in the Boys 14 & Under and Claudia Marsala/Grace Russell in the Girls 18 & Under.  Other players competing in doubles finals were Alice Patch/Annabel Westermann (Girls 14 & Under), Thomas Schmidt (Boys 12 & Under), Hannah Russell (Girls 12 & Under & Mixed 14 & Under), Becki Tricks (Girls 18 & Under), Jonathan Tingey (Boys 14 & Under). 

In the Aegon Team Tennis competition, there were mixed fortunes for Halton's adult teams.  Mens 1 played Salisbury in National Division 2 and completely dominated the match.  In the singles round David Rice won 6-3 6-3, Peter Thorne won 6-0 6-1, Alex Barnes and Sam Humphrey both won 6-2 6-3.  The team consolidated their position by winning both doubles matches confortably to win the match 6-0.  Ladies 2 came up against stiff opposition when they played highly-ranked Roehampton in National Division 1.  The team of Sue Dunn, Jacqui Wingfield, Grace Russell, Ruby Brady and Sarah Butcher lost 6-0.  Ladies 1 travelled to Leicestershire to play Roundhill in their National Division 1 match and proved too strong for their opposition.  In the singles round Jemima Hayward won 6-0 6-1, Katy Dunne 6-1 6-1, Helen Adams 6-4 6-2 and Celia Bristow 6-1 6-1.  In the doubles round Jemima/Katy won 6-0 6-2 and Celia teamed up with Emily Quin to win 6-3 7-5, resulting in a 6-0 win for Halton.

Some of the Halton players with their coaches (Jemima Hayward, Pete Thorne and Phil Hill) and the tournament referee Sarah Tricks

FESTIVAL WEEKEND AT HALTON TENNIS CENTRE RAISING MONEY FOR IAIN RENNIE HOSPICE AT HOME
25th May 2009

Crowds of people visited Halton Tennis Centre over the May Bank Holiday weekend, attracted by the host of attractions and events for all ages to celebrate the completion of the new and improved facilities at the Centre and to raise funds for Iain Rennie Hospice at Home (over £1,600 was raised for the charity over the weekend).

On Saturday there was a real festival atmosphere with a May Fayre – children's games, tombolas, raffle, face painting, bouncy castle and a great game of “Soak the Coach” when the tennis coaches were put in the “stocks” and their pupils had the opportunity of throwing wet sponges at them. Throughout the day there were Street Dance workshops by Flash Dance, children's musical theatre sessions, adult dance classes with Jacky Travers, as well as numerous tennis activities including mini tennis,  adult coaching for beginners/rusty rackets, one-point tournaments and testing one's serve against the speed gun.  The celebrations continued on Sunday with similar activities throughout the afternoon and on Monday with the Derek Bone Memorial Open Mixed Doubles tournament (when a proportion of the entry fee went to the charity).

"Soak the Coach!"

Halton's Street Dance group!!

Fun on the Bouncy Castle

Hook a duck!

A terrific May turnout

The Tournament (in memory of one Halton's tennis coaches) was the highlight of the weekend. 24 pairs entered with players coming from all over the country – one couple travelling up from Southampton.  The players were put into boxes for the intial rounds which were played in a round-robin format. The players in 5th & 6th position then went into Tableau C, 3rd & 4th to Tableau B and the winners and runners-up of each box progressed to Tableau A.  Graeme Mackie & Ellen North beat Mike & Trish Hartley 6-2  to win Tableau C and Yuichi Kuya & Minori Lowis beat Peter Riddick & Bridget Andreas 6-1 to win Tableau B.

Tableau B winners Yuicha Kuya & Minori Lowis

Tableau C winners Ellen North & Graeme Mackie

The standard of play in Tableau A was extremely high with some very competitive matches throughout.  Thanks to the sponsors Kado! from Princes Risborough and Kings Farm Shop, Wendover all players in Tableau A received prize money.

8th place:  Ian Cast & Emily Quin

7th: Andy Maclean & Jacqui Wingfield

6th: John Hinchliff & Helen Adams

5th: Ian & Sarah Spanswick

4th: Olly Hayes & Celia Bristow

3rd: Nigel Matthews & Caroline Goldring

The Final was an all-Halton affair between Alan Hutcherson & Jemima Hayward and Peter Thorne & Lereesa Easterbrook and the large crowd of spectators who had stayed on to watch the final (at least 80 people) were treated to some scintillating tennis.

Finalists: Lereesa Easterbrook, Pete Thorne, Alan Hutcherson and Jemima Hayward

After a shaky start Alan and Jemima raced to a 7-4 lead and looked set to win the pro-set comfortably but Pete and Lereesa came storming back and soon were only one game adrift at 8-9, with Jemima having to serve for the match.  After some amazing rallies with all four players fighting it out at net, Alan and Jemima won the game and the match 10-8.  The prizes were presented by Geoff Bone (Derek's twin brother) who had travelled down from Leicestershire for the day.

Runners-up Peter Thorne & Lereesa Easterbrook

Winners Alan Hutcherson & Jemima Hayward!