Herne Bay Lawn Tennis Club

Herne Bay players have strived to emulate their heroes playing at Wimbledon over the last 2 weeks with varying degrees of success. In the Kent league matches none of the teams were able to record wins although some came desperately close. In division 1 the ladies 1st team lost by just 1 game away to Bromley 2. Louise Tucker/Anne Gibbs won both their rubbers dropping just 10 games but the Bay’s 2nd pair just failed to win enough games to clinch the win and the team lost by 2 rubbers all, 4 sets all and 34 games to 33. It was the team’s last match of a season in which they won 2 matches and lost 3 and should maintain their place in the top division for next summer. The mens 1st team also lost by a narrow margin, 1 set, in division 2 against Tunbridge Wells 2 at home. Peter Elsden/Graham Miles won both their rubbers but dropped a set to the opposition’s 1st pair. The Bay’s 2nd pair were unable to contribute a set to the score and the team lost by 5 sets to 4. The team have one more fixture but with 3 wins they are assured of their place in division 2 for next summer. The mens 2nd team continued their dismal form in division 5 with another 4-0 defeat at home to Bexley 2. All 3 mixed teams suffered 3-1 defeats to Bexley 1, Margate 2 and Canterbury 3 last weekend and will hope to return to winning ways soon.
In the midweek Kent League the ladies team played Bearsted at home and won 3-1 in division 1. Anne Gibbs/Gill Dickey won both rubbers and Sarah Pout/Sue Toye won one. Also the mixed team beat Canterbury away by 4 rubbers to nil. The start of the match was delayed due to Canterbury requiring a last minute replacement for one of their players who was ill on the morning of the match. The late start did not disturb the Herne Bay team’s concentration and Martin Beckley/Gill Dickey and Anne Gibbs/Keith Clark won all their rubbers in straight sets to continue the team’s long term unbeaten record. There was only one match in the East Kent league due to 2 matches being conceded and in this the ladies 2nd team lost at home to Sellindge by 3 rubbers to 1 in division 2. Anya Stileman/Denise Parrett won the only rubber but Sue Toye/Pauline Pierce played for 5 hours losing out in both rubbers in a 3rd set by 6-7/6-3/5-7 and 6-2/5-7/5-7. An exhausting afternoon’s tennis on a very hot day.
In the Dover & District league mens A beat Hythe B by 6 sets to 2 at home in division 2, Graham Miles/Martin Beckley won all their sets and Ben Clacy with an injured Alex Kazakeos won 2 sets. The team have won 5 out of 6 matches with 3 left to play and look on course for promotion to the top division. Mens B played Walmer D in division 4 and lost 2-6, Ron Withers/Bryan Packham won the 2 sets. The ladies team beat Hythe by 7 sets to 1 at home. Sarah Pout/Christine Hanson won 4 sets and Diana High/Liz Harvey won 3. The team have now won 2 matches and lost 2 with 2 left to play. Finally the mixed A team played Bridge A away in division 1 and had an excellent 2nd win of the season

At last we have had some good weather at the weekend which has allowed Herne Bay tennis teams to play all their scheduled matches. In the Kent league mens 1 had an excellent, if surprising, win away to Sevenoaks 1 in division 2. The Bay team was missing 2 key players but still managed a win by the narrow margin of 3 games. Martin Beckley/Peter Elsden beat both Sevenoaks pairs without dropping a set and Stephen & Christopher Hanson managed to win enough games by taking the 1st pair to a tie-break, to secure the win. This was the team’s 3rd win of the season and means that they will definitely stay in division 2 for next season. The mens 3rd team travelled to David Lloyd tennis centre at King’s Hill to play their 1st team in division 7 and lost 3-1. The team are finding this division very difficult and have yet to win a match. The ladies 2nd team had an excellent 3-1 win away to Blackheath 3 in division 4. They played on grass courts for the 1st time this season but adapted much quicker to the unfamiliar surface than their opponents. Sarah Pout/Denise Parrett won both rubbers and Debbie Holden/Christine Hanson won 1. Mixed 1 played their 1st match of the season in division 1 also away to Blackheath 1 but due to problems finding a 2nd lady they could only field 1 pair. Peter Elsden/Anne Gibbs made the long journey to Blackheath knowing that as soon as they dropped a game the match was lost but undeterred they enjoyed playing on grass and won both rubbers dropping just 8 games. This was of course the margin by which they lost the match. Hopefully in their remaining 4 matches they will be able to field a full team. In the East Kent League the ladies 1st team played Hythe at home in division 1 and won 3-1. The match was extremely long with 2 rubbers going to championship tie-breaks. In the 1st round Sarah Pout/Caroline Mitchell lost to the Hythe 1st pair 6-7, 6-4, 14-12 and then beat their 2nd pair 7-6, 6-1, while Debbie Holden/Christine Hanson won their 1st round in a championship tie-break and took advantage of their opposition being totally exhausted to win their 2nd rubber very easily. Mens 1 travelled to Hythe to play their 2nd team and lost by one set. Both Bay pairs lost their 1st round rubbers as they tried to adjust to the unfamiliar grass courts and then won their 2nd round rubbers. Alex Kazakeos/Nick Wibberley played 2 championship tie-breaks winning 1 and Lionel Hoskins/Dave Lawrence lost in straight sets and then won in a championship tie-break. Overall they lost by 5 sets to 6. Finally in the Dover & District there were wins for mens A and mixed A and a draw for Mens B. The Mens A match was at home to Pfizer B in division 2 and Martin Beckley/Ben Clacy won all their sets and Graham Miles/Dave Lawrence won 2 to give an overall win by 6 sets to 2. Mixed A recorded their 1st win of the season with a 5-3 defeat of Hythe 1 at home in division 1. Graham Miles and Christina Bell drew 1-1 against their 1st pair and beat their 2nd pair 2-0. Anne Gibbs/Greg Pearson won 6-2, 6-3 against the 2nd pair. The mens B team recorded their best result of the season when they drew 4-4 on sets away to Pfizer C in division 3. Both pairs, Gary Smith/Bob Toye and Matt Hoffmeister/Dave Clemence, won 2 sets each.

In the Kent League Herne Bay ladies 1st team secured their place in division 1 for another year with their 2nd win of the season. They beat a depleted Knoll, Orpington 3-1 at home. Knoll were only able to send one pair for the match and Louise Tucker/Anne Gibbs beat them in a championship tie-break while Sarah Pout/Debbie lost to them in 2 close sets. Mens 1 also celebrated their 2nd win of the season against the same club in division 2. They had to travel to Knoll to play their 1st team. Both pairs, Martin Beckley/Graham Miles and Peter Elsden/Chris Hanson, beat the opposition’s 2nd pair in straight sets and lost to their 1st pair but because Beckley and Miles lost in a championship tie-break they clinched the match by one set. Two other team were also involved in close matches – ladies 2 and mens 4. Ladies 2 lost at home to Gravesham 1 in division 4 by 4 games and mens 3 lost at home to Bexley 3 in division 7 by 6 games. In the midweek league the mens veterans team had another win, this time 3-1 away to Bearsted. Gary Sims/Keith Clark won both their rubbers very easily and Brian Cooper/Lionel Hoskins won 1 rubber in a championship tie-break. In the East Kent league the mens 2nd team had a very easy win against Gore Court at home in division 3. The team was Bryan Packham/Gary Smith and Andy Cannon/Charlie Jacklin and they were far too strong for the inexperienced Gore Court youngsters. Several matches were also played in the Dover & District league with 2 wins and 2 defeats. The mens A team beat Canterbury B by 6 sets to 2 at home in division 2 with Beckley/Miles winning all their sets and Alex Kazakeos/Ben Clacy winning 2 sets. The ladies also beat a Canterbury team at home by the same score. Sarah Pout/Christine Hanson won 4 sets and Anya Stileman/Diana High won 2 sets. This was the ladies 1st win of the season. In the other 2 matches both mixed teams lost, the A team to Canterbury B in division 1 and the B team to St Margaret’s in division 2

Herne Bay tennis club had mixed success in their matches recently. In the Kent league the ladies 1st team finally managed a win on their 3rd attempt. They played Bexley 1 at home in division 1 and won by 1 set. Both Bay pairs beat the opposition’s 2nd pair in straight sets and lost to their 1st but fortunately Louise Tucker and Anne Gibbs took a set off their 1st pair to clinch the match by 5 sets to 4. Sarah Pout/Caroline Mitchell were the other pair. The mens 2nd team lost at home to a strong Crescent 2nd team in division 5. In the midweek league there were wins for both the ladies and the mixed veterans. Both teams won without dropping a set, the ladies away to Sevenoaks and the mixed at home to Margate. In the East Kent league division 2 the mens 1st team beat Walmer 2 at home by 3 rubbers to 1. The team was Martin Beckley/Keith Clark and Alex Kazakeos/Dave Lawrence and it was their 2nd win of the season.Finally the Dover & District league is now fully underway after a slow start due to bad weather and teams are now playing every week. The mens A team played Folkestone Harbour at home in division 2 and won by 6 sets to 2 and then travelled to Hythe to play their B tam and lost by 1 game. The teams were level on sets and lost by 34 games to 33. Martin Beckley/Graham Miles won 6-2, 6-2 and drew 6-2, 4-6 and Alex Kazakeos/Dave Lawrence drew 6-4, 3-6 and lost 2-6, 0-6 – a very close match! In division 3 the mens B team played some good sets but still lost 3-5 to River B and 2-6 to Walmer D. The mixed B team also lost at home to Ash by 3 sets to 5.

Herne Bay tennis club’s summer season is now underway with matches being played in all 3 leagues. In the Kent league the ladies 2nd team have made a very impressive start to their 1st season in division 4 with 2 good wins. Their 1st was a 3-1 win against Broadstairs 1 and then they beat Bearsted 2 4-0 at home. The successful team was Sarah Pout/Denise Parrett and Debbie Holden/Christine Hanson. The ladies 1st team have struggled in both their matches in the top division and have only won one rubber so far, they are obviously missing 2 key members who have left the club. The mens 1st team played their 1st match in division 2 at home to Blackheath 1 and in a close contest lost by a set. Both the Bay pairs lost to the strong Blackheath 1st pair and had close games against their second pair. Martin Beckley/Graham Miles won in straight sets and Peter Elsden/Ian Cooke won 11-9 in a 3rd set match tie-break. The mens 2nd team are also finding the games in division 5 very difficult and have lost both their matches so far. The news was no better for the mens 3rd team in division 7 and mens 4th in division 9, both teams are without a win currently. In the midweek league Herne Bay returned to winning ways when the mens veteran’s team beat Canterbury 3-1. Keith Clark/Gary Sims continued their unbeatable form winning both rubbers and Martin Beckley/Brian Cooper won one. In the East Kent league the mens 1st team played Broadstairs 3 at home in division 2 and won 4-0. They only dropped one set in their excellent win. Alex Kazakeos/Ben Clacy had a magnificent day when they won both their rubbers without dropping a single game. Bay’s other pairing of Lionel Hoskins/Bryan Packham also won both rubbers but were pushed all the way by the Broadstairs 1st pair finally winning 6-4, 4-6, 6-3. Finally matches were also scheduled to start in the Dover & District league but rain caused postponement of 2 and the mixed B and the ladies teams both lost their opening games. The ladies lost by 5 sets to 3 with Diana High and Christine Hanson winning the sets.

Members of Herne Bay tennis club started their summer season with matches in the Kent League this weekend. The ladies 1st team travelled to Sevenoaks to play their 1st team in division 1 and lost 3-1. The combination of fast courts and the loss of 2 key players from the 1st team to another local club meant that the team would inevitably struggle against a strong Sevenoaks side. Bay’s Louise Tucker and Anne Gibbs won one rubber but only after they had spent the 1st round getting used to the conditions. The team will hope for better results in their other matches this season. The ladies 2nd team had a more successful 1st match in division 4 when they beat Broadstairs 1 at home by 3 rubbers to 1. Sarah Pout/Denise Parrett won both their rubbers 6-2, 7-5 and 2-6 7-5 1-0 in a championship tie-break and Christine Hanson/Debbie Holden beat the opposition’s second pair 6-0 6-4. The newly promoted mens 3rd team also started their league season in division 7 at home to New Ash Green. The match was very close with both pairs beating the opposition’s 2nd pair and losing to their 1st. Dave Lawrence/Bryan Packham won one rubber in straight sets and lost the other in 3 sets while Lionel Hoskins/Charlie Jacklin beat the 2nd pair in 3 sets and then lost in straight sets. The match was decided on games when the teams were level on rubbers (2-2) and sets (5-5) and unfortunately Herne Bay lost by just 1 game, 55 –54.

The last ever KM finals were held at Bearsted on Sunday and Herne Bay tennis club was well represented having players in 5 finals. Anne Gibbs and Sally Holmes successfully defended their Ladies doubles title with a 6-2, 6-2 win against Rebecca Cooper and Harri Norfolk from Canterbury. Gibbs then teamed up with Gill Dickey to win the ladies 40 doubles title with a 7-6, 4-3 defeat of Jane Gentle and Jane Humphrey of Maidstone. Gibbs and Holmes then paired up with Keith Clark and Dominic Wood respectively to compete against each other in an all Herne Bay veteran mixed final. Holmes and Wood won 6-0, 6-3. Holmes and Wood also contested the mixed doubles final for the second year running but lost in 3 sets to Giles Davey and Faye Tagg of Tunbridge Wells. This was a reversal of the previous year’s result. Finally Graham Miles and Martin Beckley were involved in the last final of the day, the mens 45 doubles, against Terry Clare and Dave Craddock of Frindsbury. Miles and Beckley recovered after dropping the 1st set 7-5, to win 6-1, 6-1. Overall it was a very successful day for the club.

The winter season finally finished for Herne Bay tennis club on Saturday, the same day as they celebrated the start of the summer season. The mixed 1st team were involved in the Kent League division 1 final for the 3rd consecutive winter. This time they were away to Sydenham 1. In a close 1st round Sally Holmes and Dominic Wood beat the Sydenham 1st pair 7-6, 6-4 and Anne Gibbs and Peter Elsden lost 6-2, 7-5. Going into the 2nd round the match was finally balanced with only 3 games separating the teams and Gibbs/Elsden managed to win their rubber in a champion’s tie-break. The result then hinged on the result of the Bay 1st pairing which they unfortunately lost 6-2, 6-1 and hence the match was lost by a set. In the other final that involved Herne Bay teams the mens 3rd team found Bearsted 2 too strong and lost 4-0 thereby finishing as runners-up in division 9 but still achieving promotion to division 8.

The finals of the Kent Closed veteran’s competitions were played at Bromley Newstead on Sunday and Herne Bay were well represented in the mens events. Peter Elsden/Dominic Wood played Bob Whitehead/Keith Gill in the mens 45 doubles and won 7-5, 6-2 after coming back from a 3-1 deficit. Keith Clark beat Ray Preston in the mens 60 singles 6-4, 6-3 and then teamed up with Gary Sims in the 60 doubles to retain their title 6-3, 6-4. Lastly Lionel Hoskins and Peter Grimwood played together in the mend 70 doubles and beat George Buckmaster/Derek Shephard 7-6, 6-4. It was a very successful day for Herne Bay and hopefully this will continue into the Finals of the KM tournament in a few weeks time. Herne Bay already have finalists in the Ladies doubles and veteran’s doubles and both pairs in the mixed veterans’ doubles final.

The winter season is nearly over for Herne Bay tennis clubs and as teams finish their matches in the Kent League wins become more important either to secure promotion or prevent relegation. This was the case for several teams including mens 3 and mixed 1. The mixed 1st team travelled to Sevenoaks to play their 1st team in the top division knowing that one rubber would be enough to secure their place in the divisional final for the 3rd year running. Unfortunately they were without their best players who were away skiing but they still managed to secure 2 rubbers despite losing the match by one set. In the 1st round Peter Elsden/Anne Gibbs had a close match against 2 Kent juniors which they just lost 6-4, 7-6 and Martin Beckley/Sarah Pout had a bizarre rubber in which they won the 1st set 6-1 when the opposition couldn’t get a ball over the net and then lost the 2nd set 6-3 having rallied from 5-1 down. In the deciding match tie-break there was never more that 1 point between them when the Sevenoaks man served for the match at 9-8 and Beckley played an excellent lob into the back corner of the court. Instead of leaving the ball the Sevenoaks player chased after it and tripped, twisting his ankle and head butting the fence. Unfortunately he was unable to continue with that rubber or the next and Herne Bay therefore won 2 rubbers which places them into the final in April where they will hope it is 3rd time lucky. Their opponents are not known at the moment but it would be nice to play somebody different form Margate, their opposition over the previous 2 winters. Mens 3 also concluded their league programme in division 9 away to Bearsted 3. The team was unbeaten going into the match so a win was sure to win them promotion and put them into the divisional final. In the 1st round Jerry Loader/Dave Lawrence won 7-6, 6-2 and Peter Grimwood/Lionel Hoskins just lost in a tie-break by 10 points to 8. In the 2nd round the weather started to deteriorate badly and with hailstones and heavy rain setting-in the match was abandoned. Lawrence and Loader were 1 game away from victory at the time and Grimwood & Hoskins in yet another deciding tie-break. The match result was taken from the end of the 1st round and Herne Bay were the victors by one set and progress to the final to play Bearsted’s 2nd team on the 21st March back at Bearsted. The 2nd ladies veterans’ team had an extremely close match against Bromley Wendover in division 4 which they won by 1 game. Both the Bay pairs beat the Wendover 2nd pairing and lost to their 1sts. They were also tied on sets and won by 31 games to 30. The team was Debbie Holden/Dian High and Christine Hanson/Sue Toye and they have enjoyed a very successful 1st season in the league winning 4 out of 5 matches. In other matches played this weekend the 1st ladies veteran’s team lost 3-1 to Sevenoaks 1 with Anne Gibbs and Gill Dickey winning the one rubber and ladies 2 lost 3-1 away to Hayes 1 in division 4 to complete their season with 2 wins and 2 defeats. The mens 1st team completed a miserable winter in division 1 with a heavy defeat to Beckenham 1 and were relegated.

            In the over 60-s matches played during the week Herne Bay had 2 remaining fixtures which they played this week. In the 1st they travelled to Canterbury to play their league rivals in a close match on fast, wet Astroturf courts and beat them by 7 games. Bay’s very strong 1st pair, Keith Clark/Gary Sims, disposed of both Canterbury pairs with the loss of just 3 games and their 2nd pair, Brian Cooper/Lionel Hoskins, played well to take 5 games in both of their rubbers to give the 7 game winning margin. Herne Bay then played Parklangley at home 2 days later knowing that a win would give them the title for the 2nd year running. The same team played and this time won 4-0 securing the title.

            Herne Bay tennis club’s season seems to be progressing smoothly at last. Three matches were played at the weekend in the Kent league with 2 wins and a narrow loss. In mens’ division 9 the 3rd team played a home match against Bromley Cricket Club 4th team. It proved to be a very close match with both Bay pairs beating the opposition’s 2nd pair easily and having close games against their 1st pair. In the 1st round Dave Lawrence/Jerry Loader lost 5-7, 1-6 to the Bromley number ones and Lionel Hoskins/Peter Grimwood beat the number twos 6-0, 6-0. In the 2nd round Hoskins and Grimwood had an excellent match against the Bromley youngsters which ended in them losing in a championship tie-break after sharing the 1st 2 sets. Meanwhile Loader and Lawrence beat the 2nd pair 6-0, 6-4 and the match was won by one set. The team have won all their others matches and have one left to play. In mixed division 5 the 3rd team travelled up to play the 3rd team of the same club as the mens team, which was Bromley Cricket Club. The match nearly went disastrously wrong when the Bromley match secretary got confused about where the 2 teams should be and advised our mixed team that their opponents were on the way down to Herne Bay but luckily it was all sorted out and the Herne Bay mixed team arrived in Bromley on time. They went on to win 4-0 although 2 of the rubbers went to championship tie-breaks. Christine Hanson/Ian Cooke won 6-7, 6-1 and 10-7 in the tie-break and then 6-3, 1-6 and 10-6 in another tie-break. The Bay’s 2nd pair was Debbie Holden and Alex Kazakeos, a late replacement for Graham Miles who was ill, won both their rubbers 6-3, 6-4 and 6-4, 6-4. The team have completed all their matches and having won 2 out of 4 will remain in division 5 for next winter. Finally the 1st ladies veterans’ team lost their match by a set to Bearsted in division 1. Anne Gibbs and Sarah Pout won both their rubbers but dropped a set against the Bearsted number ones and this proved costly with the match tied on 2 rubbers each.

At last matches have been progressing smoothly with the improving weather for Herne Bay tennis club. Over the last 2 weeks there have been no cancellations and 9 matches have been played. The mens over 60’s team led the way with 2 matches in the Kent League, winning both, one at home and one away. They travelled to Gravesham to play their 1st team and managed to win by just one set. Gary Sims/Keith Clark won both their rubbers and Lionel Hoskins/Brian Cooper took a set from the opposition’s 2nd pair which clinched the match. In the match played at home the same team beat Hayes by 3 rubbers to 1. Clark and Sims won again without dropping a set and Hoskins/Cooper won one rubber. The team have 2 matches remaining and will hope to maintain their 100% record in them. The 1st ladies veteran’s team also had 2 matches and won 1 and lost 1. They played away at Tunbridge Wells against their 2nd team and lost 3-1 with Gill Dickey/Anne Gibbs winning one rubber. Then they travelled to Beckenham and won 3-1. Sally Holmes/Anne Gibbs won both their rubbers and Debbie Holden and Denise Parrett won one and lost the 2nd in 2 close sets. The team have played half their matches and will hope to win at least one more match to enable them to stay in division 1 for next winter. The 2nd ladies veterans’ team also played at the weekend and they won 4-0 at home to Bromley Cricket Club 4 in division 4. Christine Hanson/Sue Toye won 6-2, 6-3 and 6-4, 6-3 and Debbie Holden/Diana High won 6-3, 6-3 and 4-6, 6-4 1-0. This was the newly formed teams 4th win out of 5 and they have one match left to play. The men’s veteran’s team got back to winning ways in division 1 with a 2 sets win over Beckenham 2. Martin Beckley/Jerry Loader and Ian Cooke/Graham Miles both beat the Beckenham 2nd pair in straight sets and lost in championship tie-breaks to their 1st pair. The mens 4th team were finally able to record a win in division 11 when they travelled to Trottiscliffe to play their 2nd team. Gary Smith/Bryan Packham beat the opposition’s 2nd pair 6-4, 6-0 and lost to their 1st 7-6 6-2 and Ron Withers/Dave Clements also beat the 2nd pair (6-3, 6-0) and lost to the 1st 6-0, 6-7. The teams were level on rubbers, 2-2, and sets 4-4, but Herne Bay won by 35 games to 32. The team were delighted with the win in what has been a very frustrating first season due to injury, rain and teams not turning up to play. They hope to continue their winning ways in their remaining 2 matches. Mens 2 had a hard fought game against Bearsted 1 at home in division 3 and despite going to 3 sets in 3 out of the 4 rubbers they were unable to win a single rubber. Alex Kazakeos/Ben Clacy and Ian Cooke/Jerry Loader were the unlucky team. The same score line also befell mixed 2 in division 2 at home to a strong Beckenham 1team. Both Herne Bay pairs lost to the opposition’s 1st pair, 6-4, 2-6, 6-7 and then in straight sets to their second pair. The team was Gill Dickey/Martin Beckley and Louise Tucker/Graham Miles.