Herne Bay Lawn Tennis Club

15/04/12

Anne — Sun, 15 Apr 2012 21:46:29 +0000

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.

Easter Coaching for Juniors

Anne — Sat, 17 Mar 2012 12:45:21 +0000

Club Coach, Nicola Mileham, will be running coaching sessions for Juniors at the club this Easter. Sessions are from 10-12noon on the 3rd, 5th, 10th and 12th of April. They cost £6 per session. Contact Nicola on: 07725 129749 or email just [dot] tennisnic [at] yahoo [dot] co [dot] uk to reserve a place.

13/03/12

Anne — Fri, 16 Mar 2012 16:57:33 +0000

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.

Coach Launches Coaching for Adults

Anne — Mon, 05 Mar 2012 21:12:55 +0000

Head coach, Nicola Mileham, is starting a “Rusty Rackets” coaching programme for adults who are new to tennis or haven’t played for years and would like a refresher course. The sessions will be every Tuesday morning from 10-11am commencing on 17th April through to 29th May. The cost is £30 for 7 weeks or £5.00 per session.To book a place contact Head Coach Nicola Mileham at just.tennisnic@yahoo.co.uk or on her Mobile 07725129749. It is sure to be good fun, improve your fitness and a chance to meet new people!

31/01/12

Anne — Sun, 26 Feb 2012 19:42:43 +0000

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.

23/10/11

Anne — Mon, 24 Oct 2011 12:57:11 +0000

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!

Junior Club Finals Day

Anne — Wed, 28 Sep 2011 11:48:21 +0000

Herne Bay tennis club’s Junior section held their final’s day at the weekend. This year’s tournament was bigger than ever with more juniors playing in all age categories, finishing in a sunny finals day with a bbq and plenty of support from families and friends. In the Mini Red tournament Rebecca Curland retained her title from last year and followed this up with a close victory against Matthew Shields in the Mini Orange final too. The Mini Orange event saw many players having their first competition experience and they all performed fantastically. In the Mini Green tournament, last year’s Mini Orange winner, Elliot Wraight, was victorious making the step up from Orange to Green with ease. In the 12+ hard ball categories, our U14 boy’s winner was new member Aston Gillette, who outclassed all of the opposition. In the U14 girl’s final Rebecca Wibberley came out on top against opponent Kimarie Fielder. In the mixed doubles final, Mollie Eyles and David Symons narrowly overcame Joe Ibrahim and his sister Ameerah in a well contested final. This was followed by more success for Joe in the boy’s doubles, with partner Will Brealy, against previous winners David and Dan Symons. The girl’s U18 final was a repeat of last year’s final with Mollie Eyles playing Emily Bundock and although Emily took Mollie much closer this year, Mollie just came out on top to retain her title. The last final of the tournament was the boy’s U18 singles which could have gone either way and was eventually decided on a tie break. Will Brealy won his 2nd title of the day when he just overcame David Symons in a great match. The trophies for the most improved girl and boy were presented to Rebecca Curland and Elliot Wraight.
Thank you to all the players and parents who came to support, and all of the coaches who helped on the day.

Club Finals Day

Anne — Sun, 25 Sep 2011 11:23:47 +0000

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.

19/09/11

Anne — Sun, 25 Sep 2011 11:22:26 +0000

11/09/11

Anne — Mon, 12 Sep 2011 14:25:15 +0000

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.