Herne Bay Lawn Tennis Club

Herne Bay tennis club members have spent the last few weeks completing the winter season and then diving straight into the summer season. The winter finished with one team in a divisional final and another missing out on a final by a set. The ladies 1st team played Beckenham 2 away in the division 2 play-off and lost 3-1. Unfortunately they were missing 2 members of their team. Their 1st pair, Louise Tucker/Anne Gibbs, lost in a match tie-break to the Beckenham 1st pair and beat their 2nds 1 & 0. The mixed 2nd team travelled to Kemsing to play their 1st team knowing that a win would put them into the final of division 4 but in a marathon match they lost by a set. The unlucky team was Graham & Danielle Miles and Ian Cooke/Sue Toye. The men’s veterans team played Parklangley 1 at home in division 1 and ensured their survival in the division with a 3-1 win. The team was Martin Beckley/Keith Clark and Graham Miles/Ian Cooke. Beckley and Clark won both their rubbers and Miles/Cooke won one. The team finished with 2 wins and 2 defeats. Finally the men’s over 60′s team completed their matches in division 1 with a win and a defeat. They beat Canterbury by 3 rubbers to 1 and lost to Gravesham 1 by a few games after they were level on rubbers and sets.
The summer season started at Herne Bay on the 1st April and several teams were immediately into action. The newly created mixed 4th team had 2 matches in quick succession in division 7 and although they started with a defeat at home to Frindsbury 2 they put aside their disappointment when they travelled to Trottiscliffe. Hence this match ended in a draw with the teams being level on rubbers, 2-2, sets 5-5 and games 50 all. The team for both matches was Dave Clements/Vanessa Webb and Dave Lawrence/Caroline Packer. The men’s 2nd team played their 1st match of the season in division 7 against Canterbury 5 at home. The Bay team proved to be much too strong than the Canterbury team and they won 4-0. The team was Ian Cooke/Gary Smith and Jerry Loader/Eddie Fisher and they won all their rubbers without dropping a set. The ladies 2nd team also made a very good start to their season winning 4-0 at home to Hayes 1 in division 3. Bay’s 1st pair, Danielle Miles/Sue Toye, won both their rubbers in straight sets and the 2nd pair, Debbie Holden/Sarah Pout, won one rubber very easily and the other in 3 sets 4-6, 6-0, 6-2.

Herne Bay tennis club have had a very disrupted second half to their winter season due to snow and rain. Several matches had to be postponed and it has meant a busy last few weeks for some players. The ladies 1st team qualified for the division 2 final when they had a 4-0 win away against Bearsted 1. The team was Louise Tucker/Anne Gibbs and Nicola and Kay Mileham and they won all their rubbers in straight sets. The team won all their matches without dropping a rubber and will contest the final away to Beckenham 2 on Saturday 24th March. The ladies 2nd team also completed all their matches in division 4 with a win. They played Parklangley 2 at home and won 3-1. In the 1st round the Bay’s 1st pair, Sue Toye/Danielle Miles, started slowly losing the 1st set and then were unlucky to lose the 2nd in a tie-break. The 2nd pair, Debbie Holden/Vanessa Webb, beat the opposition’s 2nd pair 6-0, 6-3. In the 2nd round Toye/Miles won very easily and Holden/Webb recovered from losing the 1st set to win 2-6, 6-3 and 10-6 in the match tie-break. The win means that the team finish 3rd in the division with 2 wins and 2 defeats. The ladies 3rd team’s last match of the season in division 8 was also a 3 -1 win. Sarah Pout/Christine Hanson and Diana High/Lesley Taylor played Tonbridge 1 away and in a match involving 2 match tie-breaks were able to secure the win. The team have finished 2nd in division 8 with 3 wins and just one defeat which was by the narrowest margin of one game. Mens 2 played their last match in division 9 away to St Johns 1 knowing that a win would put them in contention for promotion. Unfortunately they lost 1-3 and will have to settle for 3rd place in the division with 2 wins. Jerry Loader/Eddie Fisher won the 1 rubber. In the mixed divisions only the 2nd team have any fixtures remaining. They played UK Paper 1 away in division 4 and had an excellent 4-0 win. The team was Graham and Danielle Miles and Keith Clark/Sue Toye and the team are unbeaten with one match to play. If they beat Kemsing 1 this week they will be in the divisional play off and win promotion to division 3 for next winter. In the veterans leagues the mens vets team were unlucky to lose by a set to Bromley LTC at home in division 1. Both Herne Bay pairs, Graham Miles/Ian Cooke and Martin Beckley/Keith Clark, beat the Bromley 2nd pair and lost to their 1st. The team have one fixture remaining and will need a win to ensure their survival in the top division. Finally the mens ov 60s team suffered their 1st defeat in division 1 by a set away to Hayes. Keith Clark/Gary Sims won both their rubbers but dropped a set to the opposition 1st pair and Bryan Packham/Dave Clements lost both their rubbers. The team have 2 matches left to play and will hope to finish 2nd in the division.

Herne Bay tennis club are now back into the swing of playing matches after a break over Christmas and the New Year. Many of the teams are playing their final Kent League matches in their respective divisions with promotion to be won or relegation to be avoided. The ladies 1st team played their penultimate match in division 2 away to Sevenoaks 3 and maintained their 100% unbeaten record with another 4-0 win. The team was Louise Tucker/Anne Gibbs and Kay & Nicola Mileham and they won all rubbers without dropping a set. The team have to win just one rubber in their last match to achieve promotion back to the top division after only one season in division 2. The newly formed ladies 3rd team have played 2 very close matches in division 8, winning 1 and losing 1. In their home match against Kemsing 3 the team lost by one game. Sarah Pout/Christine Hanson and Lesley Taylor/Mary Gibbon both won one rubber each. The team were level on rubbers, 2-2, and sets, 4-4, but lost by one game. In their next game at home to David Lloyd, Kings Hill 3 they had a another close match but this time managed to win by 1 set. Diana High replaced Mary Gibbon in the team for this match. The team have won 2 matches and lost one with one left to play and could still win promotion to division 7 for next winter. The mens’ 1st team have completed all their matches in division 4 and with only 1 win will have to wait to see if they remain in the division. Men’s 2 have played twice in division 9 since Christmas and won 3-1 both times. They played Bearsted 2 at home in their 1st match and Knoll (Orpington) 4 at home in the 2nd. The team was the same for both matches with 1st pair, Jerry Loader/Eddie Fisher, winning 2 rubbers on each occasion and 2nd pair, Dave Smith/Dave Lawrence, winning 1. The team have one more fixture to play and have won 2 and lost one so far. The mixed 1st team played their last match in division 1 knowing that a win would ensure their survival at the top level. They took on Blackheath 1 at home and had a convincing 4-0 win. Peter Elsden/Anne Gibbs won their 1st rubber easily but had to survive a set point in a tie-break against the 2nd pair before going on to win 7-6, 6-0. Martin Beckley/Louise Tucker also beat the opposition’s 1st pair easily and struggled against the 2nds finally winning 6-4, 6-7, 10-7 in a match tie-break. The mixed 3rd team completed all their injury affected matches in division 5 without registering a win. The team was unlucky with injuries affecting several members of their team and will hope for a better season next winter. Finally, the men’s over 60′s team played a match at long last – their 3 previous fixtures had all been postponed. The team travelled to Catford Wanderers and won 4-0. Keith Clark/Gary Sims won their rubbers very easily and Dave Clemence/Bryan Packham dropped a set but still won both their rubbers.

Even though the weather is still warm and sunny the winter tennis season is now in full swing at Herne Bay tennis club. There have been matches for teams in both the Kent League and the Kent veterans League. The mens 1st team have played twice in division 4 and lost both but only missed out by a set at home to Bromley Wendover 2. The mens 3rd team travelled to Bromley LTC to play their 5th team and won by 2 games. Both Dave Lawrence/Dave Clements and Bob Toye/Gary Smith beat the opposition’s 2nd pair and lost to their 1st but managed to win the match by 38 games to 36. The ladies 2nd team also had a very close game in division 4 away to Sydenham 2. They eventually won 3-1 but the match was in the balance right until the last ball was hit. In the 1st round both Herne Bay pairs, Sue Toye/Daniele Miles and Vanessa Webb/Debbie Holden, won in championship tie-breaks. Going into the 2nd round Herne Bay needed to win another rubber to be sure of winning the match but Toye/Miles lost their rubber to the 2nd pair in yet another championship tie-break. It all rested on the result of the rubber between Webb/Holden and the Sydenham 1st pair which started badly for the Bay pair when they lost the 1st set 2-6 and were 2-4 down in the 2nd set. They managed to stage a comeback to win that set 6-4 and started yet another championship tie-break. After going 6-9 down they rallied to take the tie-break 11-9 so securing the set, the rubber and the match. The mixed 1st team travelled to Sevenoaks to play a very strong Sevenoaks side in division 1 and lost 4-0. They only managed to take 1 set. The mixed 2nd team were much more successful at home to Gravesham 1 in division 4. The opposition were only able to send 1 pair and the home side won 4-0. The team was Keith Clark/Sue Toye and Graham and Danielle Miles. In the veterans leagues there were wins for both the men and the ladies 1st team in division 1. The men travelled to Oakwood and won by 2 sets. Both pairs beat the opposition 2nd pair and took a set from their 1st pair. The team was Martin Beckley/Keith Clark and Graham Miles/Ian Cooke. Finally the ladies were at home to an under strength Sevenoaks 1st team and they only just managed to take advantage of the situation. In the 1st round Anne Gibbs/Kay Mileham lost 6-4, 6-3 to the Sevenoaks 1st pair and Sarah Pout/Christine Hanson won 6-4, 6-2. At the end of the 1st round Herne Bay lead by a game. In the 2nd round both pairs were aware that games were critical and Pout/Hanson managed to take 2 from the Sevenoaks 1st pair. Meanwhile Gibbs/Mileham were trying to win without losing many games and they managed this by just dropping the 2. The win was secured by 1 game!

Sunday very a busy day for Herne Bay tennis club captain, Peter Elsden, as the club staged their Finals day. Not only was he defending 3 titles but he was also in charge of running the tournament and making sure that the day went smoothly. The 1st finals were the singles and Elsden was up against a much younger opponent, Nick Wibberley who is a coach. The match was very competitive with Wibberley pushing Elsden all the way with powerful ground strokes and Elsden responding with spin and accurate placement of the ball. The 1st set went to Elsden 6-3 with just one break of serve and the 2nd set followed the same pattern although Wibberley had his chances to break Elsden he could never quite achieve it and the 2nd set and match went to Elsden. The ladies singles was contested by Nicola and Kay Mileham –daughter –in- law versus mother-in-law and strained family loyalties throughout the close match. Both players were playing well and the 1st set consisted of long tiring rallies. Eventually Nicola’s more consistent ground shots prevailed and she took the 1st set 6-3. In the 2nd set Kay got off to a good start breaking serve to lead 3-1 but she was tiring and Nicola’s stamina and youth proved decisive when she took the next 5 games to win the match 6-3, 6-3. The mens single’s plate was a battle between youth and experience with teenager Daniel Walker taking on veteran Greg Pearson. The pair had many long rallies and Walker lead 4-0 before Pearson won any games. Eventually he got onto the score board but still lost the set 6-3. The 2nd set stayed on serve until Walker broke Pearson at 4 all to win the set and match. In the men’s doubles Elsden paired up with Ian Cooke against the powerful combination of Martin Beckley/Graham Miles. Elsden/Cooke made a tremendous start taking the 1st set 6-1 but Beckley/Miles fought their way into the match and won the 2nd set 6-4. In the deciding set Cooke proved to be the decisive influence by his rock steady play and he and Elsden won the match 6-4 in the 3rd set. In the ladies doubles final the Mileham’s joined forces to take on the defending champions Louise Tucker/Anne Gibbs. The match was very close to start with but after they broke serve in the 5th game, Tucker and Gibbs took control and won 6-3, 6-2. The mixed doubles was the last final of the day and was between Elsden/Tucker and Beckley/Gibbs. This was a long struggle with both pairs establishing a lead and then being pegged back. Beckley/Gibbs won the 1st set 7-5 then Elsden/Tucker the 2nd 6-3. In the 3rd set Elsden/Tucker led 4-1 but Beckley/Gibbs fought back to level the score at 4-4. The match finally went to Elsden/Tucker allowing Elsden to claim a hat-trick of wins. A big thank you goes to everyone who came to support the players and especially to Elsden for all his hard work.

The last few matches have been played in the East Kent league by Herne Bay teams with the mixed 1st team having another very close match at home to UK Paper which they won by 1 game. Keith Clark/Sue Toye lost to the opposition 1st pair 2-6, 4-6 but beat their 2nd pair 6-4, 6-3. While Christine Hanson/Bryan Packham also did the same thing this time winning 6-4, 6-3 and losing 6-7, 4-6. The teams were tied on rubbers and sets but Herne Bay won 40 games to UK Paper’s 39. This was the team’s 4th win out of 6 matches. With the summer tennis season nearly over for Herne Bay members their attention has been drawn to the club open tournament. Matches have been played in all events over the last month and the culmination of all this endeavour is Finals day on Sunday. The mens singles final will have Peter Elsden defending his title against either ex-club coach Nick Wibberley or Jerry Loader. The ladies singles will be contested between 2 players new to the club due to the retirement of defending champion, Anne Gibbs, from singles due to bad knees. Other finals contain a mixture of new faces and old adversaries. The proceedings start at the club in Beacon Road at 12 noon and everyone is welcome to come and lend their support. The club said goodbye to their coach for the last 3 years, Nick Wibberley, last weekend. The departure was marked by the contesting of the Junior Club Finals followed by a barbecue. There will be a report on these Finals in next week’s paper. The youngsters presented Nick with a large handmade card to thank him for all his hard work. He will be missed at Herne Bay but his successor, Nicola Mileham, has slipped easily into his shoes having worked alongside Nick for the last 6 months and there will be no changes to the junior sessions at the club. More information can be found about the juniors on the club website www.herne baytennis.co.uk or by ringing Nicola on 07725 129749.

The Kent and Dover and District League seasons have been drawing to a close for Herne Bay tennis club players over the last couple of weeks and the final group matches have been played. The mixed 1st team played their penultimate match in Kent League division 1 at home to Sundridge Park 1 knowing that a win was essential and they managed to achieve that by a set. Peter Elsden/Nicola Mileham were playing together for the 1st time but made a magnificent start against the Sundridge Park number ones winning 6-0, 6-1.They had a harder time against the 2nds and eventually lost in a match tie-break. Bay’s second pair made a slow start losing to the opposition’s 2nd pair but rallied well to beat the 1st 7-5, 6-3 and ensure the win by 1 set. The team have now won 2 matches and lost 2 with 1 to play. The other 2 mixed teams also completed their seasons in divisions 3 and 5 and ensured their places for next summer. The mens 3 team were given a walk-over in their last match by Kemsing 2 in division 8 and with 3 wins will remain in the division for next summer. Mens 1 won 4 out of 6 matches in division 2 and are safe but mens 2 were relegated from division 6. Ladies 1 finished their season in division 1 with a defeat by Sevenoaks 1 but they also won 3 matches and are safe in the top division for next year. Ladies 2 won the same number of matches and will remain in division 4. In the Dover and District league the ladies team have been the most successful winning 5 matches, drawing 2 and only losing one. Their last match was at home to Hythe and they won by 7 sets to 1. Debbie Holden/Vanessa Webb won both their rubbers and Mary Haldin/ Liz Harvey beat the opposition’s 2nd pair and drew with their 1st. The team are optimistic that they will retain the ladies cup for winning the league. The mens A team played away at Hythe against their A team in division 1 and drew 4 sets all. Peter Elsden, making his debut in the Dover and District League, played with Ian Cooke and drew with the Hythe 1st pair and beat their 2nds. Martin Beckley/Dave Lawrence drew with the opposition’s 2nd pair and the match ended as a draw. The men have one match remaining but with only one win and one draw out of 9 matches they are likely to be relegated from the top division. The mixed A team also had a draw in their home match against Hythe A in division 1. Sue Toye/Eddie Fisher and Jerry Loader/Sarah Pout both beat the 2nd pair and lost to their 1st. The team have one match left and with 1 win and 4 draws out of 9 matches they will have to wait to the end of the season to discover whether they have stayed in division 1.
The start of the summer holidays means that there are coaching sessions for the juniors at Herne Bay tennis club on Tuesday and Thursday mornings from 10-12 running from 26th July to 25th August. The sessions cost £6 each and there is no need to book. Our club coach, Nick Wibberley, is also running a summer camp from Monday 22nd – Wednesday 24th August. The camp starts at 1pm and last 3 hours and the cost for all 3 days is £35. Booking is required for this camp because places are limited. More information can be found on the club website http://www.hernebaytennis.co.uk/ or by contacting Nick on 07792067279.

Match Report for w/e 10/07/11

The Herne Bay mens 1st team had another good win in Kent League division 2 away to Bromley Cricket Club 1. They won 4 nil without dropping any sets. The team was Peter Elsden/Keith Clark and Martin Beckley/Graham Miles and this was their 4th win of the season. The ladies 2nd team also won 4-0 in division 4 at home to Hildenborough. Sarah Pout/Christine Hanson sailed through their 2 rubbers only dropping 7 games while Debbie Holden/Vanessa Webb came back from losing the 1st set in both rubbers to win in 2 championship tie-breaks. The ladies have now finished their season and won 3 out of 5 matches. In the midweek league the ladies 2nd team played 2 matches in division 4 winning both of them. The 1st was away to Bearsted’s 3rd team and they won 4-0. In this match Cloe Maple made a return to competitive tennis after a 10 year absence and in combination with Mary Haldin won both her rubbers. The other Bay pair was Mary Gibbon/Diana High who also won in straight sets although their 2nd rubber was cut short when one of the Bearsted players retired due to heat exhaustion. Their 2nd match was at home to Broadstairs 2 and they won this match 3-1. High & Gibbon played 1st pair and beat the Broadstairs 1st pair 7 – 6, 6 – 1 and lost to their 2nds 7 – 5, 6 – 7, 0 – 1. Mary Haldin played with Liz Harvey and they won 6 – 4, 7 – 5 and 7 – 6, 6 – 4. There was a good win by 3 rubbers to 1 for the mens 1st team in the East Kent League away to Chilham in division 1. Clark and Miles teamed up for their 2nd match of the weekend and won both their rubbers in straight sets and Dave Lawrence/Eddie Fisher won 1 rubber in a championship tie-break. In the Dover and District league the ladies team played 2 matches winning one and drawing the other. They played Canterbury away and won by 6 sets to 2. Sarah Pout/Vanessa Webb won all their sets and Debbie Holden/Mary Haldin won 2 sets. The 2nd match was away to Knoll and this was a 4 sets all draw – the same result when the 2 teams played at home. The team was Holden/Sue Toye and Webb/Christine Hanson. The mixed B team also had a draw in division 2 away to Hythe B. The team was Toby Brown/Caroline Packer and Bob Toye/Vanessa Webb.

Herne Bay tennis members have been busy trying to emulate their favourite players at Wimbledon over the last week in the Kent League. The mens 3 team played Beckenham 5 at home in division 8 and won 3-1. The team welcomed back James Wren to tennis after 2 years out to take up long distance running. His presence proved decisive when in partnership with Dave Lawrence they won both their rubbers. Bob Toye/John Lengthorn also won a rubber to contribute to the team’s 2nd win of the season. The mixed 2nd team had a very close match against Bexley 2 at home in division 3 which they just lost by a set. Both the Bay pairs beat the opposition’s 2nd pair but dropped a set doing so and they both lost to their 1st pair. Although the match was tied at 2 rubbers all they lost by 5 sets to 4. The team was Graham and Danielle Miles and Keith Clark/Sue Toye and they have now finished their season with 2 wins and 3 defeats. The mixed 3rd team have played twice in the last 2 weeks in division 5 and had a convincing win and a defeat. In the match at home to Tunbridge Wells 4 their job was made easier when the opposition were only able to send 1 pair. Both Herne Bay pairs, Ian Cooke/Debbie Holden and Jerry Loader/Vanessa Webb, beat them and won the match 4-0. Their away match at David Lloyd King’s Hill was also 4-0 but this time to the opposition. In the midweek league there was another win for the mens veterans team. They played at Walmer on their hard courts due to wet weather during the morning preventing use of the grass and won 3-1. Gary Sims/Keith Clark won 1 rubber and then the Walmer 2nd pair conceded to them due to running out of time to use the courts. Martin Beckley/Bryan Packham also won their 1st rubber but they conceded the second rubber when Packham was unable to continue due to a sprained ankle. The team have won all of their matches so far and have 2 remaining. In the Dover and District League the mens B team drew at home to Walmer D in division 4. Both Bay pairs won 2 sets against the Walmer 2nd pair and lost to their 1st giving a 4 sets all draw and a share of the points. The team was Gary Smith/Bob Toye and Dave Clemence/Bryan Packham. The club held their Longest Day Mixed American Tournament on the evening of 21st June with 12 pairs taking part. After the round-robin stage 4 pairs qualified for the semi-finals, they were Kay Mileham/Dave Lawrence against Lesley Taylor/Bryan Packham and Nicola Mileham/James Wren against Paul Wood/Ian Cooke. Cooke and Nicola Mileham won through to play Lawrence and Kay Mileham in the final. After an very competitive match Nicola Mileham and Ian Cooke were the winners. The tournament was well supported by club members, especially new members and it was good to see new faces competing in the latter stages.

Herne Bay tennis teams have had a successful time in their league matches over the last 2 weeks. The mens 1st team and the ladies 2nd team both won 2 matches. The men played Beckenham 2 at home in division 2 and won 4-0 and then followed that win with a 3-1 defeat of Gravesham 2 also at home. The team for the 1st match was Peter Elsden/Keith Clark and Martin Beckley/Graham Miles. For the 2nd match Ian Cooke replaced the injured Miles. The team have played half their matches and are undefeated so far. The ladies 2nd team were playing in division 4, 1st away to Sydenham 2 and then home to Headcorn. In the Sydenham match they had a comfortable 4-0 win but against Headcorn it was much closer and they won by one set when both pairs beat the oppositions 2nd pair and lost to their 1sts. Luckily Bay’s pairing of Sarah Pout/Christine Hanson lost in 3 sets. This clinched the match for the team. The team for both matches was Pout/Hanson and Debbie Holden/Vanessa Webb and the team have won 2 matches out of 3 with 2 to play. Mens 2 were also in action in division 6 at home to Beckenham 4 and they had a very impressive 1st win of the season by 4 rubbers to 0. Ian Cooke/Nick Wibberley and Alex Kazakeos/Jerry Loader all played well to ensure the emphatic win. This was the 1st time all the nominated team had been able to play and hence the team’s 1st win in 4 starts. In the midweek league the mens veterans team beat both Chipstead and Bearsted away 4-0. Gary Sims/Keith Clark played in both matches and Martin Beckley partnered Brian Cooper in the 1st match and John Lengthorn in the 2nd. The mixed veteran team also had a good win against Broadstairs. Sarah Pout/Keith Clark and Anne Gibbs/Brain Cooper both winning their rubbers without dropping a set and continuing their long running unbeaten run.
There were several matches in the Dover and District league over the last 2 weeks. The ladies team played Canterbury at home and won by 8 sets to 0 with Debbie Holden/Christine Hanson and Mary Haldin/Liz Harvey all winning comfortably. The team then travelled to Wye to play Knoll and earned a 4-4 draw. This time the team was Holden/Sue Toye who won 3 sets and Vanessa Webb/Diana High won 1 set. The mens A team played Canterbury A away in division 1 and were unfortunate to lose by 3 sets to 5. After the 1st round the Bay were leading by 3 set to 1 when Beckley/Miles had halved their rubber with the 1st pair and Alex Kazakeos/Mark Kennard beat the Canterbury 2nd pair 6-2, 6-4. The match was all set-up for a Bay win when Miles injured his hip and had to concede the rubber. Kazakeos/Kennard then missed out on winning a set against the 1st pair and the match was lost by 3 sets to 5. The mens B team also had a draw in their division 4 match at home to St Margarets. Gary Smith/Bryan Packham won 3 sets and Bob Toye/Dave Lawrence won 1. Two draws were the outcome for both matches played by the mixed A team in division 1. The 1st was away to Knoll A when the team was Graham Miles/Debbie Holden and Martin Beckley/Nicola Mileham and the 2nd away to Canterbury A. This time Beckley was joined by Anne Gibbs and Sarah Pout/Ian Cooke. Finally the mixed B team took on Hythe B at home in division 2 and won by 6 sets to 2. The team was Anja Stileman/Dave Clemence and Toby Brown/Diana High.
The club is holding a Mixed American tournament starting at 6pm on the longest day of the year – Tuesday 21st June. All members are invited to enter. Please consult the club website www.hernebaytennis.co.uk for more information about the tournament and about club sessions for seniors and juniors.