Herne Bay Lawn Tennis Club

The weather has caused Herne Bay tennis club dreadful fixture problems with numerous games being postponed due to falling or laying snow. A week after it 1st snowed some of the London-based clubs in the Kent League were still snow bound but the hardy members of the mens 3rd team were able to travel to West Malling to play their division 9 match against David Lloyd Kings Hill. It proved to be a successful journey when they secured a 3-1 victory. Their 1st pair of Mark Kennard/Jerry Loader beat the opposition’s 1st pair 10-4 in a 3rd set match tie-break and lost in straight sets to their 2nd pair. Bay’s Lionel Hoskins and Peter Grimwood beat the 2nd pair 7-5, 6-3 and luckily secured the match with a 12-10 win in another 3rd set match tie-break against the number one’s from David Lloyd. If they had lost the tie-break the teams would have been level on rubbers and sets and Herne Bay would have lost the match by 2 games, instead they won by 2 points! All the other matches for the last 2 weeks involving Herne Bay teams were conceded by the opposition or postponed due to the weather.

Lionel Hoskins had a successful trip to Dudley to play in the mens 75 doubles at the British Open Veteran’s Indoor Championships getting to the semi-finals with his partner John Baxter before losing to another Kent pair, Drane (Canterbury) and Draper (Kemsing).

Herne Bay tennis club has continued to play matches outdoors in freezing conditions whenever possible. In the matches played before Christmas players dodged rain showers to complete fixtures and in the New Year frozen courts have proved to be a big problem. Despite all these problems some matches have been possible in the Kent League. The mixed 2nd team played Bromley CC 1 at home in division 2 and won 4-0. Martin Beckley/Gill Dickey and Keith Clark/Louise Tucker all won their rubbers without dropping a set which was a very good start to their season. They also played another match away to Bromley 2 which they lost 3-1, so with 2 matches left to play they have a 50% winning record. The mixed 3rd team also played 2 matches either side of Christmas in division 5 and although they lost both they were very unlucky to lose away to Hayes 2 by just 1 game. The teams were level on rubbers (2 -2), sets (5-5) and Hayes won by 38 games to 37. The unfortunate team was Graham Miles/Debbie Holden and Ian Cooke/Christine Hanson. In their 2nd match they came up against a very strong Horsmonden team, who are working their way up through the divisions by winning promotion each year, and lost 4-0. The team have won one match and have one left to play. The ladies 1st team are the only team to have been unaffected by the weather and with one match in December and another at the weekend they completed their season in division 1 with 2 wins. They travelled to Bromley CC to play their 1st team and won 3-1. Louise Tucker/Anne Gibbs won both their rubbers easily and Sally Holmes/Christine Hanson won one in straight sets and narrowly lost their 2nd against the opposition’s 1st pair in a match tie-break. In the team’s last game they put out their full team for the only time this season and won 3-1 against Blackheath 1 at home. Gill Dickey/Sally Holmes won both rubbers and Louise Tucker/Anne Gibbs won 1 and lost their 2nd in a match tie-break. The team have won 2 matches and lost 2 this winter but hope to have done enough to remain in the top division for next season. The newly formed ladies veteran’s 2nd team also played 2 matches and won them both. They played away at Sundridge Park against their 2nd team in division 4 and won 3-1 in a bizarre match where the opposition tried to event new rules during play. At one stage they tried to persuade the Herne Bay ladies that they should only play 2 sets even when they were level at one set all and then later tried to enforce a time limit because one of the players wanted to get away early. Eventually the match was completed correctly and with a favourable result for the Bay as they won 3-1. The players involved were Christine Hanson/ Mary Gibbon who won 2 rubbers and Debbie Holden/Diana High who won one. In the final match of 2008 the team played Canterbury 3 away at Polo Farm and won 4-0. Christine Hanson/Denise Parrett won 6-2, 6-4 & 6-4, 6-3 and Debbie Holden/Diana High won 4-6, 7-6, 1-0 (11-9 in the match tie-break) & 6-3, 6-4 to finish the year undefeated having completed half their fixtures. The mens over 60’s midweek team finally got their season underway with a 4-0 win against Hartley. Keith Clark and Gary Sims dropped just 2 games and Lionel Hoskins with Brian Cooper were also very comfortable winners.

The weather has played havoc with Herne Bay tennis club fixtures over the last few weeks with most of the matches being called off. Last weekend saw a break in the weather and mens 3 were able to complete their Kent League division 9 match away to Bromley Wendover 5 but only by playing the second round in heavy rain. Lionel Hoskins/Peter Grimwood beat the Wendover 1st pair in 3 sets while the Bay 2nd pair, Bryan Packham/Dave Lawrence, beat their opposition 6-4, 6-3. The 2nd round started with the drizzle falling and as the match progressed it became heavier and heavier so that the players were struggling to hold onto their rackets. Hoskins and Grimwood lost their 1st set to the Wendover 2nd pair but then came back from a 1-5 deficit to take the 2nd set easily on a tie-break. At this point the opposition insisted on continuing the rubber into a 3rd set instead of playing a match tie-break because they could still win the match on games, but after only one more  game they changed their minds and the rubber was halved. Packham and Lawrence meanwhile lost to the 1st pair so the overall match score was a 2.5 – 1.5 win for Herne Bay. The team have now won two matches with 2 to play. No other matches were possible this weekend and everyone is hoping for better weather especially the match secretary.

It was a weekend of contrasting weather conditions for the players of Herne Bay tennis club. On Saturday the sun shone and there was little wind to contend with but on the Sunday the rain fell and the wind blew but one hardy ladies team defied the conditions to play their league match against Margate. In the match played on Saturday the mixed 1st team took on Blackheath 1 at home in division 1 of the Kent league and won 4-0. The team had a late substitute playing when Dominic Wood was unfit to play at 8am on the morning of the match and Keith Clark took his place at short notice and in partnership with Sally Homes they won both their rubbers with the loss of only 9 games. Bay’s other pair was Anne Gibbs/Peter Elsden and they did equally well with the loss of just 11 games. This was the 2nd match for the team and they have now recorded two 4-0 wins. In the Sunday match the hardy, perhaps even foolhardy, ladies 2nd team played Margate 2 at home in division 4 and also won 4-0. The conditions were very poor but both teams were happy to play on even though they were soaking wet. Sarah Pout/Caroline Mitchell won 6-2, 6-1 & then 6-4, 6-1 and Christine Hanson/Debbie Holden won 6-0, 6-2 & 6-2, 6-2. The ladies were the only ones brave enough to play in the rain with both mens matches scheduled for that day being called off.

There were only 2 matches played at the weekend by Herne Bay tennis club. On Saturday the newly promoted mixed 3rd team started their winter Kent League season in division 4 with a home game against Trottiscliffe 1. The team were totally dominant winning all their rubbers in straight sets and only dropped 18 games altogether. The winning team was Graham Miles/Christine Hanson and Ian Cooke/Debbie Holden. They will hope that the remainder of their matches are as easy to win. In the top division of the ladies, Bay’s 1st team played Sevenoaks 1 at home with a depleted side and although they fought hard they lost by 3 rubbers to 1. Louise Tucker/Anne Gibbs won one rubber when the scraped home by 10 points to 8 in a deciding match tie break having been 6-1 down against the Sevenoaks 2nd pair. The new pairing of Gill Dickey/Caroline Mitchell played exceptionally well and had a very close match against the opposition’s 2nd pair only losing 7-5, 6-4 after 2 hours of play. The team will hope to win their subsequent matches in division 1.

Herne Bay tennis club are making good use of the continuing Indian Summer with convincing wins in the Kent League. The mixed 1stteamstarted their first division programme with  4-0 win away to Bromley Lawn tennis club 1. Sally Holmes/Dominic Holmes won their 1st round rubber easily 6-2,6-2 and the 2nd pair of Anne Gibbs/Peter Elsden also won 6-3, 6-4. In the 2nd round Holmes and Wood had a close 1st set against the opposition’s 2nd pair but went on to win the rubber 7-5, 6-1. Gibbs and Elsden had to beat their opposition in a championship tie break after they took the first set, 6-3, but then dropped the 2nd 7-5. A 4-0 win was a very good start for the team who reached the final last winter. In the Mens division 9 Herne Bay’s mens 3rd team also beat Brenchley and Matfield 2 by 4 rubbers to nil. The new pairing of Mark Kennard/Bryan Packham won both their rubbers easily but the septuagenarian pair of Lionel Hoskins/Peter Grimwood felt their age in the 2nd round when they only beat the opposition’s 2nd pair, containing a 13 year old, 6-4, 6-4. Their win was a triumph for age and experience over youth and a good start to their season. Finally the newly created ladies veterans 2nd team also started matches in division 4 with a 4-0 win away to Brenchley & Matfield. Christine Hanson/Sue Toye won both their rubbers 7-5 , 6-2; 6-3, 6-1 and Debbie Holden/Diana High won even more convincingly 6-3, 6-1; 6-1, 6-0. This was a very promising start to their first season in the Kent League.

Herne Bay tennis club mixed 1st team are Kent League Champions. In the replayed final at Herne Bay on Saturday they beat Sevenoaks 1st team by a set after they tied with them when the played them at Sevenoaks in September. Both teams were missing 3 of their original team but despite this Herne Bay won 2-2 on rubbers and 6-4 on sets. In the 1srt round Peter Elsden/Louise Tucker, fresh from their win in the club championships, beat the Sevenoak’s 1st pair 7-6, 7-5 having come back from a 5-3 deficit in the 2nd set. Bay’s 2nd pair, Martin Beckley/Gill Dickey lost to the opposition’s 2nd pair 2-6, 7-5 and 5-10 in a tie-break, but took a crucial set. The 2nd round proved to be very one sided with the 1st pairs on both sides totally dominant, when Elsden & Tucker won 6-0, 6-0 and Beckley & Dickey lost 6-0, 6-2. The match was won by the set Beckley and Dickey won in the 1st round and Herne Bay became Summer Kent League champions for the 1st time. This is a great triumph for a small club which has only 60 senior members.

The Junior section of the club had their Final’s day with Matt Hoffmeister winning the U18 boy’s singles for the 2nd year in succession. Emily Bundock won the Girl’s singles and William Brealey the Boy’s U14 singles and the award for the Most Improved Player. The boy’s Doubles was won by Dan & David Symons.

Finally the Kent Mens 45 team won 5-0 away against Avon in division 2 with Peter Elsden and Dominic Wood from Herne Bay playing together and winning both their rubbers in straight sets. The team will be promoted to division 1 as long as the number of rubbers won is taken into account before the result of the match between 2 counties finishing on the same number of points. Kent and Cambridgeshire are tied on 3 points each but Kent have won 16 rubbers to Cambridgeshire’s 11. In the match when the 2 teams played each other Kent lost 3-2 so the team will have to wait for the organiser’s decision on who gets promoted with South Wales.

Herne Bay tennis club held their club finals on Sunday in lovely sunny conditions. Peter Elsden was taking part in 3 finals and was determined to become a triple champion for the 1st time. In the mens singles he proved too strong for Martin Beckley beating him 6-1, 6-2 although Beckley was handicapped by breaking strings in 2 rackets within the 1st few games and then having to continue with the worry that his last remaining racket would also break. Elsden next paired up with Dominic Wood in the mens doubles to play the youngsters Alex Kazakeos and Ben Clacy, who were still on a high from beating the defending champions, Beckley and Gary Sims, in an earlier round. Elsden and Wood were too consistent for Clacy and Kazakeos and ran out 6-2, 6-0 winners although the match seemed much closer with lots of very compelling rallies to enthral the spectators. Finally Elsden teamed up with Louise Tucker to defend the mixed title that they won in 2007 in a repeat of that final against Beckley and Anne Gibbs. The match followed the same pattern as last year when Beckley/Gibbs made a vey hesitant start and allowed Elsden/Tucker to take the 1st set very easily 6-1. The match became much more competitive in the 2nd set which went to Beckley/Gibbs 6-4 and in the final set the lead changed hands several times before a tie-break was required at 6 games all. The eventual winners were Elsden/Tucker by 10 points to 8 and Elsden was able to claim the “triple crown”. In the other finals the ladies singles title was won by Gibbs who played Caroline Mitchell in a repeat of the previous year’s event. Mitchell played very well and Gibbs was only able to win due to her more consistent play and greater fitness but the score of 6-4, 6-3 was a lot closer than previous finals. In the plate competitions the mens singles was won by James Wren 6-0, 6-0 when he over-powered his more mature opponent Greg Pearson and the mens doubles was again a triumph for youth over experience when Stephen & Christopher Hanson beat Bob Toye and Gary Smith 6-1, 6-2. It was a very enjoyable day for all concerned and thanks go to Peter Elsden for organising the event.

On Saturday two Herne Bay ladies helped the Kent 50’s team record their 3rd win of the season and ensure their survival in division 2 for next year. Anne Gibbs and Gill Dickey played together against Sussex at the Kent Tennis centre Bromley and won both their rubbers in championship tie-breaks. On each occasion they came back strongly having lost the 1st set 6-3. The other pair for Kent was Sarah van Doren (Tunbridge Wells and Sue Hornsby (Bromley Cricket Club) who beat the Sussex 2nd pair 6-2, 6-4.

It was an exciting weekend for Herne Bay tennis club when 3 of their teams were playing in Kent League Finals. The mixed 1 team were in the division 1 final away to Sevenoaks 1 and had to battle through wind and rain only to end up drawing the match. The teams were tied on rubbers, sets and games and will now have to replay the match at Herne Bay in 3 weeks time. The 1st round of the match was very close with Bay’s 1st pair, Sally Holmes/Dominic Wood finally beating the Sevenoaks youngsters 6-3, 3-6, 7-6 after 2 rain breaks. Meanwhile their 2nd pair, Anne Gibbs/Peter Elsden, went down in 3 sets to the 2nd pair. At the midway point Sevenoaks were ahead by 1 game. In the 2nd round Holmes & Wood again won, this time in straight sets, and Gibbs and Elsden took 7 games off the Sevenoaks 1st pair. When the games were counted it was a tie at 48 games all and according to the league rules the final will have to be replayed. In the final of division 5 mixed 3 played away at UK Paper but the team did not do very well and lost 4 rubbers to nil. The last final of the weekend was the mens 3rd team playing Hartley 2 at home in division 9. This was a repeat of last winter’s semi-final which Herne Bay won and they were triumphant again this year by the narrow margin of 5 games. The Bay’s 1st pair were Ben Clacy/Alex Kazakeos and they won both their rubbers 6-4, 6-1 and 6-3, 6-1. The Herne Bay 2nd pair lost both their rubbers but gained enough games when they went down 5-7,6-7 to the Hartley 2nd pair. The total number of games was 40 to 35 and the team will be delighted to have won division 10 and 9 in consecutive years.

Another 2 games were also played this weekend in the East Kent league. The mixed 2nd team also played a UK Paper team in division 2 and won by 2 games. Again the teams were tied on rubbers and sets and had to rely on games to capture the win. Herne Bay’s 1st pair were Martin Beckley and Debbie Holden and they won both rubbers while Lionel Hoskins/Sarah Pout lost theirs but accrued enough games in their 2 rubbers. In the ladies 1st team match in division 1 played at home against Broadstairs 1 the team won 4-0. All the players had been involved in matches the previous day and were very pleased to win comfortably. The team was Sarah Pout/Caroline Mitchell and Debbie Holden/Christine Hanson. The ladies have finished their league matches and with 2 wins and 2 defeats will remain in the top division next summer.

Next Sunday is Finals Day at Herne Bay tennis club for the senior members starting at 12noon. All the main and plate competitions will be played during the afternoon and members and friends are invited to come along and support the players. Afternoon tea will be available from 3.30pm onwards.

The last 2 weeks have been very quiet for Herne Bay tennis club with most people on holiday and the weather causing several matches to be postponed. The ladies managed to play on a couple of rain-free days. Firstly the ladies 1 Kent midweek team played Bearsted 1away in division 1 and won a close match by 1 set. The Bay’s 1st pair of Sally Holmes/Gill Dickey won both their rubbers and Sarah Pout/Christine Hanson took a set from the opposition’s 2nd pair to secure the team’s win and the league title. The team have now won the mid-week title every year since they first entered the competition 10 years ago. In the other ladies match played the ladies 1st team travelled to Hythe to play their 1st team in division 1 of the East Kent league. The team had a good win by 3 rubbers to 1. Their 1st pair, Sarah Pout/Anne Gibbs, won 6-1, 3-6, 6-3 and then 6-1, 6-2 and the second pair, Christine Hanson/Debbie Holden beat the 2nd pair 7-6, 6-4.

The Annual Wilson Dover & District Tournament was held at Canterbury on Bank Holiday Monday and 2 Herne Bay pairs contested the final after winning their groups. Sally Holmes/Dominic Wood beat Anne Gibbs/Martin Beckley 6-3 to take the title.