Herne Bay Lawn Tennis Club

Over the last couple of weeks with Wimbledon on the television Herne Bay tennis club members have being trying to emulate their heroes by their performances on the tennis courts. They have had mixed success in their endeavours. In the Kent League the ladies 1st team played 2 matches in division 1 , both away, and won one of them. The 1st match was at Margate were they lost 3-1 with both pairs losing heavily to the Margate 1st pair. Louise Tucker and Anne Gibbs beat the opposition’s 2nd pair very easily and Sue Toye/Debbie Holden just lost in 2 very close sets. The same 4 ladies than travelled to Orpington to play Knoll’s 1st team and won 3-1. Tucker/Gibbs won both their rubbers and Holden/Toye beat the 2nd pair in a championship tie-break. This was the 1st win for the team who are finding the top division very tough this season. The mixed 1st team also had a 1st division away game against Knoll 1st team and unluckily lost by a set. Both Bay pairs lost to the Knoll 1st pair and Martin Beckley/Louise Tucker beat their 2nds in straight sets while Keith Clark/Anne Gibbs won in a championship tie-breaks The teams were tied at 2 rubbers all but the opposition won by 5 sets to 4. This was the team’s 1st defeat of the season. The mixed 2nd team played 2 matches in division 2 and although they lost both they had a very close match against Tunbridge Wells 2 at home even though they lost 3-1. Both the Bay pairs struggled against the Tunbridge Wells hard hitting youngsters in the 1st pair but had good games against the 2nd string. Sarah Pout/Ian Cooke won in straight sets and Sue Toye/Eddie Fisher just lost 7-5, 7-6 – 14-12 in the 2nd set tie-break. The mixed 3rd team scored an emphatic 4-0 win at home to Kemsing 1 in division 5. Ian Cooke/Christine Hanson won 6-0, 3-6, 1-0 in a championship tie-break and then 6-0, 6-4 and the 2nd pair of Sue Toye/Jerry Loader had 2 long rubbers both ending in 3rd set championship tie-breaks which they won, 2-6, 6-3, 1-0 and 6-2, 6-7, 1-0. There were also 2 matches in the Kent midweek league both resulting in wins for Herne Bay teams. The ladies played Chipstead at home in division 1 and won 4-0 and the men played Canterbury 1 away and won 3-1. In the ladies match Anne Gibbs/Gill Dickey won both their rubbers very easily and Sarah Pout/Christine Hanson won both after a struggle against the Chipstead 1st pairing. The men had their usual competitive match against local rivals Canterbury with both pairs being taken to 3rd set championship tie-breaks by the Canterbury 1st pair. Keith Clark/Gary Sims came out on top in their tie-break and Martin Beckley/Brian Cooper just lost. Both pairs beat the Canterbury 2nd pair.

The Dover and District league has occupied a lot of Herne Bay pairs with matches every week for mens, mixed and ladies teams. The mens A team continued their undefeated form with a 7 sets to 1 win at home to Pfizer A in division 2. The team was Graham Miles/Ian Cooke and Martin Beckley/Jerry Loader. The mens B team had also made a good start to the season in division 4 and continued it with a 5 sets to 3 win away to River B but then suffered 2 defeats away to Sellindge and home to Sandwich. In the River match Gary Smith/Bryan Packham won 3 sets and Bob Toye/Dave Clements won 2. Both Herne Bay mixed teams are in the same division and they played each other during the week. The B team entertained the A team and despite some close sets the A team won 7-1. Dave Clements & Anja Stileman lost 4-6, 4-6 against Eddie Fisher and Sarah Pout and 6-7, 4-6 to Jerry Loader and Sue Toye while Matt Hoffmeister & Christine Hanson lost 2-6, 6-7 to Fisher/Pout and 2-6, 7-6 to Loader/Toye. The mixed A team followed up this win with 2 more against Ash and Canterbury C. In the match at Ash the team was the same except Debbie Holden played with Fisher and the team won 8-0. Then against Canterbury at home Holden and Hanson were the ladies with the men remaining unchanged and they won 7-1 this time. The team are undefeated with 5 out of 8 matches played and are currently top of the league. The mixed B team quickly recovered from the disappointment of the defeat by the A team and drew 4 sets all against Canterbury C at Canterbury. Diana High/Matt Hoffmeister and Debbie Holden/Dave Clements both won 2 sets each. Although the B team are not doing as well as the A team they are still in 3rd place in the division.

The club held its Annual Longest Day Tournament last week in which 12 mixed pairs competed. The pairs were initially divided into 3 groups of 4 and the winners of each group plus the best runners-up progressed to the semi-finals. The groups finished with several players tied on the same number of games and the semi-finalists had to be decide by the toss of a coin in some cases. The 1st semi was Martin Beckley/Liz Harvey against Graham and Dani Miles and the 2nd was between Ian Cooke/Sarah Pout and Debbie Holden/Peter Grimwood. Cooke and Pout won the most games in the 2nd semi and the 1st resulted in a tie with all 4 players winning 4 games. The finalists were decided by a tie-break to 5 points and the Miles’ pair won. In the final Cooke and Dani Miles both won 5 games and were the overall winners.

Herne Bay tennis club had mixed success over the last week with matches in 3 different leagues. The midweek Kent teams were the most successful with 2 wins. The mens veterans team won by 2 sets against Margate at Herne Bay. In a close match both Herne Bay pairs beat the Margate 2nd pair in straight sets and lost to their 1st pair in championship tie-breaks. The pairs were Keith Clark/Gary Sims (suffering their 1st defeat in 10 years) and Martin Beckley/Brian Cooper. The ladies played away at Canterbury in division 1 and won 4-0. Anne Gibbs/Gill Dickey made a slow start in the windy conditions but came back from a 3-0 deficit to subsequently lose only one more game in their 4 sets. Sue Toye/Debbie Holden had a much tougher match and eventually won both their rubbers in championship tie-breaks. In the Dover and District league there were 2 wins and a draw. Both mixed A and B had away wins in division 2, the A team won with the loss of just one set against Hythe B. The team was Sarah Pout/Eddie Fisher and Sue Toye/Jerry Loader. In the B team match they travelled to Ash and won by 5 sets to 3, with Anja Stileman/Matt Hoffmeister winning 4 sets and Diana High/Dan Walker winning one. This was only the 2nd match for Dan and his 1st mixed experience. The match that was drawn was between the mens A team and Folkestone Harbour away on Folkestone’s grass courts. Martin Beckley/Graham Miles won all 4 of their sets to give the draw and Alex Kazakeos/Matt Hoffmeister lost a very close rubber 4-6, 5-7. The team won by 6 games.

Herne Bay teams were not as successful In the Kent League. The ladies 2nd team were the only ones to secure a win. They beat Bromley LTC 3 3-1 at home in division 4 to record their 3rd win in 4 matches. Sarah Pout/Denise Parrett won 6-1, 6-3 & 6-1, 6-0 and Christine Hanson/Diana High won 7-6, 6-3 against the opposition 2nd pair and then lost 5-7, 2-6 to their 1sts. The mens 1st team, mens 3rd team and mixed 2nd team all suffered heavy defeats and hope to have better matches in their remaining fixtures.

Herne Bay tennis club members have been very busy playing matches over the last few weeks. In the Kent League the mens 1st team have played 3 matches in quick succession, a policy which obviously suited them as they won 2 of the 3 and narrowly lost the 3rd. Their 1st match of the 3 in division 2 was away to Bromley Wendover 1 and in a very close match they ended up losing by just one game. Peter Elsden/Keith Clark won both their rubbers, one in straight sets and one in a championship tie-break. Bay’s other pair of Graham Miles/Martin Beckley took a set off the opposition’s 2nd pair but were unable to register a win. When the scores were added up the teams were level on rubbers (2-2), and on sets (5-5) but Bromley Wendover won by one game. The team , minus Clark, who had aggravated a hamstring injury, then played Canterbury 1 at home. This time Miles and Beckley won both their rubbers and Elsden paired with reserve Alex Kazakeos, won one giving a 3-1 winning margin. The last match in their trio was at home to Tunbridge Wells 2 and after a titanic struggle they won by 6 sets to 4. In the 1st round the reunited pair of Elsden/Clark played for over 2 hours on the hottest day of the season, against the Tunbridge Wells 1st pair only to lose out 6-7, 6-2, 6-7. Beckley/Miles meanwhile had a much quicker win in straight sets against the opposition’s 2nd pair. In the 2nd round Miles/Beckley also went to 3 sets against the Tunbridge Wells 1st pair and also lost but Elsden/Clark had saved enough energy to close out a straight sets win against the 2nd pair and the match was won by 2 sets. These 2 wins have ensured that the team will remain in division 2 next season even though they have 2 matches still to play. The ladies 2nd team suffered their 1st defeat of the season in division 4 when they lost by a set away to Bromley CC 2. Sarah Pout/Denise Parrett won both their rubbers but this was not enough to prevent the defeat. In their previous match away to Headcorn the same team had managed to secure a win by 1 game. Mixed 3 also suffered a very close defeat when they played Sevenoaks 3 at home in division 5. The match was curtailed by rain and at the end of the 1st round the teams were tied on rubbers and sets but lost by 27-28 Nick Wibberley/Christine Hanson won 6-1,4-6,6-4 and Jerry Loader/Denis Parrett lost 6-4, 2-6,2-6.

In the Dover and District league the mens A team had 2 games in division 2. The 1st was a win against Hythe B at home without dropping a sets and the 2nd a 4-4 draw away to Canterbury B. The team was Graham Miles/Martin Beckley and Alex Kazakeos/Mark Kennard for both matches. Miles/Beckley have not dropped a set in 4 matches in this excellent start to the season. The mens B team are also unbeaten in their 1st 2 matches in division 4 and in their latest match they beat Sellindge away by 5 sets to 3. Gary Smith/Bryan Packham won 3 of their 4 sets and Bob Toye/Ron Withers won 2 sets. This is the best ever start for the B team since they entered the league 3 years ago. The ladies team also played 2 matches winning one and drawing the other. In their home match against Canterbury they won 6-2 with Christine Hanson/Denise Parrett winning all 4 of their sets and Mary Haldin/Pauline Pierce winning 2. Then in their 2nd match , away to Hythe, Debbie Holden/Parrett won 4 sets but the Bay 2nd pair found the alien grass courts too tricky and were unable to win a set. Mixed A finally played their 1st match in division 2 and started with a 5 sets to 3 win away to Canterbury C. Sarah Pout/Eddie Fisher won 4 sets and Sue Toye/Jerry Loader won 1.

There were just 2 matches in the East Kent league. The mens 1st team beat Margate 2 at home in division 2 4-0. Lionel Hoskins/Nick Wibberley won both their rubbers very easily and Gary Smith/Eddie Fisher won but were taken to championship tie-breaks in both rubbers. The team have now won 3 matches and only dropped one rubber doing so. The mens 2nd team also played a Margate team in division 2 but this time they were defeated by Margate’s 1st team by 4 rubbers to 0. Youngster Dan Walker was making his debut for a Herne Bay senior team in this match and although he was unable to win a set the opposition were very impressed by his performance. Finally there were 2 matches in the Kent midweek league for Herne Bay teams. The ladies travelled to Bearsted to play their 1st team in division 1 and won by 9 games. Anne Gibbs/Sarah Pout won both their rubbers with the loss of just 5 games and despite losing both their rubbers Sue Toye/Christine Hanson won enough games to secure a 2nd win of the season for the team. The mixed veterans team had a home game against Margate and won 3-0. Martin Beckley/Sarah Pout completed both their rubbers winning them in straight sets and Anne Gibbs/Brian Cooper won their 1st rubber very easily but stopped after they won the 1st set against the opposition’s 1st pair on a tie-break because it was raining heavily. The team have now won 3 matches without dropping a rubber.

The summer season is well underway for Herne Bay tennis club, with matches taking place in 4 different leagues. In the Kent League all 3 mens teams have played but the mens 3rd were the only team to record a win. In their 2nd match in division 8 they beat their local rivals Canterbury 6 by 4 rubbers to nil. Lionel Hoskins/Bryan Packham won both their rubbers easily and Ron Withers/Dave Clements won their 2 in championship tie-breaks. The ladies 2nd team played a very close match away to Headcorn in division 4 and despite drawing on both rubbers and sets clinched the match by 1 game. The Bay 1st pair of Sarah Pout/Denise Parrett won both their rubbers in straight sets, 6-2, 7-6 & 6-1, 6-3 and their 2nd pair of Christine Hanson/Diana High lost both theirs but won just enough games to secure a 37-36 game win. The mixed 1st team played their 2nd match of the summer in division 1 and won 4-0 at home to Sevenoaks 1. Peter Elsden/Anne Gibbs won both their rubbers in straight sets but did require a tie-break to take the 1st set against the opposition’s 2nd pair and Martin Beckley/Louise Tucker needed a championship tie-break to beat the same pair but also won against the 1st pair in straight sets. The team have now won both matches they have played.
In the East Kent league there was a 4-0 win for the mens 1st team in division 2 away to Margate 3. Hoskins/Packham won 1 rubber in straight sets and the other, against a pair of youngsters, in a championship tie-break. Bay’s 2nd pair of Gary Smith/Ron Withers won both their rubbers very convincingly. The ladies 1st team played Broadstairs away in division 1 and lost 1-3, Pout and Parrett winning the only rubber and the mens 2nd team lost in division 2 away to Margate 2.
In the Dover and District midweek evening league there were wins for mens A, B and mixed B plus 2 draws one for the ladies and one for mixed B. The mens 1st team played Pfizer A away and Folkestone Harbour at home in division 2 and only dropped one set. Martin Beckley/Graham Miles and Alex Kazakeos/Mark Kennard beat Pfizer 8-0 and Folkestone 7-1 to ensure a very successful start to the season. Mens B were also in winning form in division 4 with a 7-1 result at home to Pfizer B. The team was Gary Smith/Bryan Packham and Jerry Loader/Dave Clements. The mixed B team also played 2 matches in division 2, the 1st at home to Canterbury C they won by 5 sets to 3 with Christine Hanson/Matt Hoffmeister winning 3 sets and Anja Stileman/Dave Clements winning 2. They then played Ash also at home and drew 4 sets all. This time the 2nd pair was Debbie Holden/Clements. The other match played in this league was the ladies team at home to Bridge and this resulted in yet another 4-4 draw. Hanson/Holden won 6-1, 6-1 & then lost 0-6, 2-6 while Parrett/High won 7-6, 6-1 & then lost 5-7, 2-6.
Finally in the Kent midweek league there were wins for the mens and mixed veterans teams. The mens travelled to Chipstead and won 4-0. Keith Clark/Gary Sims had 2 very easy wins while Hoskins/Packham won both their rubbers in championship tie-breaks. The mixed team’s match against Canterbury at Herne Bay was very competitive with the 4-0 score line flattering the home side. Beckley/Hanson won their 1st rubber in a championship tie-break and then their 2nd by 6-4, 7-6 and Clark/Gibbs had a very easy 0 and 1 win against the Canterbury 2nd pair but needed a championship tie-break to beat their 1st pair.

There were 2 Kent League matches for Herne Bay tennis club this weekend and one midweek and they all ended successfully for the club. In the mixed 1 match at home to Bexley 1 in Division 1 the 1st round started very badly for the Bay pairs of Peter Elsden/Anne Gibbs and Martin Beckley/Louise Tucker when they both lost their opening sets 6-2, luckily both pairs responded well to take the 2nd sets and then closed out the rubbers with winds in the match tie-breaks. In the second round Elsden and Gibbs won easily against the Bexley number 2’s, 6-3, 6-2 but Beckley and Tucker found themselves contending another match tie-break. This time they lost 10- 5 and the overall match score was a 3-1 win to Herne Bay. In the other match at the weekend the mixed 3rd team played Bromley Wendover 3 at home in division 5 and had a very comfortable win 4-0. Nick Wibberley/Danielle Miles won 6-4, 6-2 & 6-0, 6-0 and Ina Cooke/Christine Hanson 6-2, 6-3 & 6-1, 6-1 making a very pleasing start to the season.
In the 1st midweek match of the season for the ladies they started with a win. In the 1st round the blustery conditions made it very difficult for all the players. Bay’s 1st pairing of Anne Gibbs and Gill Dickey had a fluctuating match when they lead 4-1 in the 1st set only to lose it 6-4 then in the 2nd set they again led, this time 5-0, but managed to close out the set 6-3. In the deciding tie-break they lost 10-7. Meanwhile Bay’s second pairing of Sarah Pout and Sue Toye won easily 2 and 2. In the second round Gibbs/Dickey won 6-0, 6-3 and Pout/Toye lost 6-2, 6-4. The match was tied at 2 rubbers all but the home side won by 5 sets to 4.
The Finals of the 1st ever Maidstone Open Tennis Tournament were held at LA Fitness, Maidstone on Sunday and Herne Bay had representatives in 3 finals. The veteran mixed doubles final was an all Herne Bay affair with Martin Beckley/Gill Dickey playing Keith Clark/Anne Gibbs. The match was played under a bubble in very hot conditions and after exchanging service breaks Clark and Gibbs clinched the 1st set 6-4 and then immediately went a break behind in the 2nd set. They were unable to recover the break and lost the 2nd set 6-2. In the final set the tension started to show and the standard of play dropped but Clark and Gibbs had the stronger nerves and eventually won 6-3 to take the title. Beckley then went on to team up with Graham Miles in the mens veteran’s doubles against Simon Gent and Keith Gill from Tunbridge Wells. The match was played outdoors and Beckley/Miles won a close 1st set 7-5 then dropped the 2nd 6-3. At the start of the 3rd set Gill had to retire with a pulled calf muscle making Beckley/Miles the champions. The other final involving a Bay player was the ladies doubles but this could not be played because one of the opposition was stuck in Madeira – Gibbs and Sally Holmes will have to play this at a later date.

It was a busy weekend for Herne Bay Tennis club with the climax of the winter league season and the start of the summer leagues. Two Herne Bay tennis were playing away in divisional finals, the mixed 1st team and the ladies veterans 2nd team. The mixed team travelled to Sydenham to play their 1st team in a repeat of last year’s division 1 final. The 1st round was very close with Peter Elsden/Anne Gibbs just being edged out 7-6, 6-4 by the opposition’s youngsters and Martin Beckley/Gill Dickey losing 3 and 3 to the 2nd pair. In the 2nd round Elsden and Gibbs thrashed the Sydenham 2nd pair 2 and 0 but Beckley and Dickey lost 4 and 1 to their 1st pair giving Sydenham a 3-1 win. In the other final, the 2nd ladies veterans played in the division 4 final at Bromley Wendover and won by a set. Sue Toye/Debbie Holden and Christine Hanson/Diana High both won their rubbers against the Wendover 2nd pair and lost to their 1st pair, but Toye and Holden managed to take a set from them which clinched the match and title.
The summer season also started at the weekend with matches in both the Kent League and the East Kent league. In the Kent League division 4 the ladies 2nd team played Bearsted 2nd team at home and won a very close match by 6 games after they were level on rubbers and sets. Hanson/High played together for the 2nd time that weekend and won one rubber and lost one in straight sets. Bay’s other pairing of Sarah Pout/Danielle Miles, had a more topsy-turvy match with both their rubbers going to 3 sets and they won one and lost one. Eventually the teams were tied on 2 rubbers all, 5 sets all but Bay won 46 games to 40 – a pleasing start to the season! There was also a 1st match of the season in the East Kent league for both mens 1 and 2 – they had to play each other. Both teams are in division 2 this season so their 1st match has to be against each other. Luckily for mens 1 they won by 3 rubbers to 1. Lionel Hoskins and Peter Grimwood won both their rubbers for the 1st team and Bryan Packham/Gary Sims won the other 1 while Ron Withers/Dave Clements picked up the rubber for the 2nd team.

Herne Bay tennis club have had a stop-start winter season due to the appalling weather conditions we have been suffering since the autumn. Initially persistent rain caused matches to be postponed or curtailed and then the snow came and totally wiped-out any chance of outdoor tennis. Luckily since February the weather has improved enough for all the scheduled Kent League matches to have been played. The ladies 1st team have now played 2 matches and won them both by a narrow margin. In their 1st Division match away against Sundridge Park 1 they won by a set with both pairs beating the opposition’s 2nd pair and losing to their 1st The Bay pairing of Louise Tucker/Anne Gibbs took a set off the Sundridge Park 1st pair to win the match. Gill Dickey/Debbie Holden were the other pair. In their other match Knoll Orpington were the opposition but they could only field one pair, who won both rubbers but couldn’t prevent Herne Bay winning by 12 games. The Ladies 2nd team have completed 3 of their division 4 matches with one win and 2 defeats. Their win was a rare triumph against any Tunbridge Wells team and they won 3-1 against their 4th team. Sarah Pout/Denise Parrett won 2 rubbers and Sue Toye/Diana High won one and lost one in a match tie-break. The men’s teams have also managed to play some matches with the 1st team currently holding a 100% record in division 2 for their 2 matches. They also beat a Tunbridge Wells team (their 2nd) by a set and then defeated David Lloyd, Beckenham 1 3-1 in a match that turned out to be a marathon for the Bay 1st pair of Graham Miles/Martin Beckley. They spent over 2hours beating the opposition’s 1st pair in 3 sets and then also took 3 sets to beat the 2nd pair, meanwhile Peter Elsden/Ian Cooke disposed of the 2nd pair quickly but were so cold after their long wait to play the 1st pair , they lost rapidly. The mens 2nd and 3rd teams have struggled in divisions 4 and 8 and have yet to win a match. Mens 3 did have a very close match against Sevenoaks 4 on their new clay courts. The sprightly pairing of Lionel Hoskins/Peter Grimwood, with a combined age just short of 150 years, won one rubber convincingly against much younger opposition and were unlucky not to clinch the match on games. Unfortunately our other pair dropped a set during their defeat of the 2nd pair and hence the match was lost by a set.

The matches involving Herne Bay mixed teams have also progressed slowly with mixed 1 only playing once in division 1 in 5 months. This was a 3-1 win at home against Knoll Orpington 1 with Gibbs/Elsden winning 2 rubbers and Beckley/Tucker one. The mixed 2nd team have played 2 matches in division 3 but lost them both and the 3rd team have played 2 in division 5 and won one. The match they won was at home to Bromley LTC IV and they only played one round before the rain made continuing impossible. The result at that point was that Herne Bay won by 3 games since they were tied at one rubber all. The team was Chris Hanson/Holden and Nick Wibberley/Toye who won their rubber.

In the veteran leagues the mens over 45 team have won one match and lost one in division 1. Their win came against Knoll, Orpington by a set with both pairs, Beckley/Keith Clark and Miles/Cooke both beating the 2nd pair and Beckley/Clark taking a set off the 1st pair. The ladies over 40’s team also have the same record in division 1 with 1 win and 1 defeat. They lost to Bexley by 4 games with Gibbs/Pout winning both rubbers and then followed up with a 4-0 win away to Crescent at Sidcup. The team was Gibbs/Dickey and Pout/Parrett. In the older age groups, the newly formed ladies over 60’s team beat Blackheath by 3 rubbers to one but lost to Bearsted 4-0. The team for both matches was Pout/High and Mary Gibbon/Mary Haldin. The mens over 60’s team played their toughest match 1st away to Canterbury and lost by 4 games after being level at 2 rubbers all. Gary Sims/Clark won both their rubbers but Hoskins/Brian Cooper were unable to take a set on the fast Canterbury courts. In their other 2 matches they have been successful without dropping a set. Finally Herne Bay now have an over 70’s men’s team and in the 2 matches they have played they have won 3-1. The team comprises the regular pairing of Hoskins/Grimwood and then Dave Clements with either Cyril Richards or John High. The biggest problems facing the teams in this league are injury or sometimes death and the team have already had 2 clubs concede their matches because they no longer have 4 members over 70 able to play tennis – even so it is an inspiration to other members that players can still be playing competitively in their 70’s and long may it continue.

Herne Bay members have had a lull in matches during the school holidays and also while the club closed tournament in being played. Only 2 teams played over the last few weeks. Firstly the mens veterans team played Walmer at home in the Kent League and won 4-0. The team was Keith Clark/Gary Sims and Martin Beckley/Brian Cooper. They won all 4 rubbers without dropping a set and are one match away from retaining their title. In the other match the ladies 1st team beat Broadstairs 1 3-1 at home in the East Kent division 1. Sarah Pout/Anne Gibbs won both their rubbers, one in 3 sets and Christine Hanson/Debbie Holden beat the 2nd pair. The ladies have now played all of their matches and won 2 and lost 2 so will remain in the top division for next summer.
Lionel Hoskins has had a successful time over the last few weeks in two 75 and over Open competitions. He reached the mens doubles final of the British Grass court Championships at Wimbledon with regular partner Jack Baxter where they lost to the number 1 seeds. He then travelled to Eastbourne to compete in the South of England Championships and this time reached both the 75 and over singles and men’s doubles finals. Unfortunately he lost both finals to the number one seeds. This was the 1st defeat in 4 years at this event for him and his partner Jack Baxter. This completed an excellent season for Hoskins who won the LTA’s Frinton 75 & over doubles and the Kent 70 & over doubles titles earlier in the year. His partner for the Kent doubles was Peter Grimwood.

Matches in the Dover & District league have occupied many of the Herne Bay players over the last 2 weeks as their season has drawn to a finish. The mens A team completed their league programme in division 2 with 2 wins and are poised for promotion to the top division. They played Hythe A at home and won by 5 sets to 3, overturning an 8-0 defeat away to the same team the previous week. Then they travelled to Folkestone Harbour were they recorded a 7-1 win. The team against Hythe was Martin Beckley/Alex Kazakeos, who won 2 sets, and Graham Miles/Ian Cooke who won 3 sets. Against Folkestone Beckley partnered Miles winning all 4 sets and Kazakeos played with Bryan Packham and won 3 sets. The team won 7 matches, drew 2 and lost just 1 over the season and now await the results from other teams in the division to see if they will be promoted. Some of the A team’s success must have rubbed off on the B team because they had their 1st win of the season last week when they beat Pfizer C 7-1 at home in division 4. The ecstatic team was Gary Smith/Ron Withers and Bob Toye/Bryan Packham. The team had previously lost 4 matches and drawn 2 and have one left to play.
In the Kent League the mixed veterans team played their penultimate fixture away to LA Fitness and won 4-0. Keith Clark/Anne Gibbs won both their rubbers in straight sets and were well supported by Lionel Hoskins/Sarah Pout who also won both their rubbers to give an excellent 4-0 win. The unbeaten team have one match left to play. Other teams were not so successful in this league. The mixed 3rd team had a tremendous match away to Bromley 4 in division 4 and although they lost 4-0, 3 of the 4 rubbers were decided by match tie-breaks. In the East Kent league the ladies 1st team lost out by 1 set away to Walmer in division 1. Louise Tucker/Debbie Holden won both their rubbers, one in straight sets and one in a match tie-break. Bay’s 2nd pair, Sarah Pout/Caroline Mitchell, just failed to take a set from the 2nd pair losing 6-4,7-5 and unfortunately the match was lost by 5 sets to 4. The ladies 2nd team suffered the same fate away to Canterbury in division 2 when both pairs beat the Canterbury 2nd string and lost to their 1sts. In their other match played on Sunday the team beat Broadstairs 3 by a set when the match was stopped after the 1st round by heavy rain. The team was Danielle Miles/Mary Gibbon and Mary Haldin/Pauline Pierce.
Herne Bay players were well represented in the Walmer Open Finals held on Saturday. Anne Gibbs/Gill Dickey won the ladies 45 doubles for the 3rd successive year, Keith Clark partnering Bob Whitehead (Margate) won the mens 45 doubles and Clark is in the final of the mixed handicap with Sally Holmes which has yet to be played.
Junior coaching is taking place every Monday and Thursday from 10am till 12 noon at Kent Close, Beacon Road until the end of August. The 2hr sessions cost £5 per child and everyone aged 5 years upwards is welcome. For more details contact Danielle Miles on 07852 176262.

The tennis matches played by Herne Bay last week were dominated by draws. In the Dover & District league 3 of the 5 matches played ended in a draw. The mens A team travelled to Canterbury on a wet evening to play their B team in division 2 and drew 4 sets all. Martin Beckley/Graham Miles had a close 1st round against the Canterbury no.1’ s just winning 7-6, 6-3 and then followed up with a 6-2, 6-3 win against their 2nd pair. Although the Bay’s 2nd pair were unable to win a set the result stands as a draw with both sides awarded 2 points. The mens B team had the same result away to Sandwich B in division 4. Bryan Packham/Ron Withers won all their sets but the Bay’s 2nd pair were unable to take a set. Finally the mixed B team played St Margarets away in division 2 again with the same outcome. This time both Bay pairs, Sue Toye/Dave Clements and Mary Gibbon/Matt Hoffmeister, beat the oppositions 2nd pair and lost to their 1st giving both sides 4 sets all.
In the Kent League, were draws are much less common, the mens 3rd team completed a dismal season in division 7 with another close defeat, this time by just 4 games. This was the 3rd time the team had lost by a few games. Lionel Hoskins partnered club coach Nick Wibberley and they won both their rubbers, one in straight sets and the other in 3 sets. The 3rd teams 2nd pair, Dave Clements/Bryan Packham, lost one rubber in straight sets and then having led 4-1 in the final set against the opposition’s 1st pair finally succumbed 7-5. The match was tied 2-2 on rubbers, 5-5 on sets but lost by 4 games. The ladies 2nd team fared much better with a 4-0 win away to Brenchley and Matfield 1 in division 4 to complete their season with 4 wins and just one defeat by 4 games. Sarah Pout/Denise Parrett won both rubbers in straight sets and Debbie Holden/Diana High won both with one in a championship tie-break.. Mixed 3 also had a good win in division 4 away to LA Fitness by 3 rubbers to 1. Chris Hanson/Debbie Holden won both their rubbers 6-2, 6-1 & 6-1, 4-6, 1-0 in championship tie break and Ian Cooke/Christine Hanson won the other rubber 6-0,6-2. This was the team’s 1st win of the season and they have 2 matches left to play. In the midweek league the mixed veterans team beat Broadstairs 3-1 at Herne Bay. Martin Beckley/Anne Gibbs won 2 rubbers and Keith Clark/Sarah Pout won one. The team have 2 fixtures remaining and look on course to retain their title for the 11th successive year.
Finally, club veteran, Lionel Hoskins, spent the week by the sea in Frinton playing in the 75 and over mens doubles with his regular partner, Jack Baxter and came away with the trophy. They beat Reynolds and Foster 6-3, 6-2 in the final.