Report from Rearranged matches

Braid 2 v DL Corstorphine 

Our last match of the season was re-arranged from week 7.  We had 6 able and willing players, all was looking good! Unfortunately Marianna was struck down with a nasty lurgy which seems to have been going around, and as all other teams had played their week 7 match by this point, I was really pleased when Erin said she was available and enthusiastic to play.  It’s been so lovely having some of the juniors playing with us in the leagues this season and I was thrilled to be able to offer her a game.
However this was not to be.  DL let me know the day of the match that they were unable to field a 3rd pair due to illness, and that one of the players from their second couple (who Erin and I at 3rd pair were due to play in the second round) may only manage one round due to coming back from injury.  So it was not to be for us at 3rd pair.
Summer seemed to have disappeared, but an enthusiastic 4 came to play for Braid.  
Sophie Black returned to play a brilliant match with Juliet against a strong DL first pair which included a strong 12 year old who had been playing in the tennis Europe international in Edinburgh this week…. Sophie helped Juliet to maintain her unbeaten run this season taking the win in 2 sets.  
Jenni also joined us, back from an injury that had kept her out most of the season and teamed up with Andrea at 2nd pair.  A well fought win against a steady second couple, ending 10-7 in the MTB.
Andrea and Jenni were the only couple to go on for the 2nd round, against the DL first couple.  A very strong performance saw them come back with another win in the MTB, very well deserved and a great end to the evening.

We won 12-2 overall, keeping us safely top of Division 2 for the end of the season. 
Thank you to everyone for a very enjoyable and successful season. 

Ladies 3’s (Div 3A), captain: Diana Dalton

The last Ladies 3 match was a rescheduled one against Waverley 2 from the wet week of 27 May. As the day went on it got cloudier and cloudier and wetter and wetter, but much to the relief of the respective captains the weather god took pity to provide enough of a cloud break to get the match played. But moving on (given this is a tennis match not a weather report), we had another strong performance from the team, winning 12 sets and conceding none. Maki and Janine were reunited (at last!) for the match and the other pairs were Maeve & Eileen and Diana & Cat. Huge thanks to all who’ve played this season for the 3s, helping us to secure second position just two points behind David Lloyd Newhaven, with their much improved team this year.

Ladies 4’s (Div 5B), captain: Mhairi Reid 

This week’s match was home against Joppa and rearranged from week 6.  We’d had a tough loss to them in the opening match of the season and were looking forward to playing at home.  A win would mean we finished top of the table.  

Sue and Viv played against the first couple and took two sets, 7-6, 6-2.  Anne and Jacqui were in at second and won 6-4, 6-2. Claire and Catriona took on the third couple and won 6-3, 3-6, 1-0, which gave us a 6-1 lead. 

In the second round, Anne and Jacqui had a convincing win against the first couple, 6-3, 7-5 and Viv and Sue had a strong finish with a 6-1, 6-1 win against the third couple.  Catriona and Claire played well against the second couple but Joppa just sneaked a win at the end of each set to give them two more sets, 6-4, 6-4.  

Another outstanding team performance put Braid 4 one point ahead of Abercorn leaving us top of the table with 16 points after playing all ten matches.  

Thanks to everyone who played and came along to support.  

Division 4 here we come! 

2024 East of Scotland League Match Results -  Week 10

Ladies 1’s (Div 1), captain: Suzie Provan

The ladies first team secured their 10th and final win of the season, to take home the league title for a third year in a row ☺️ Our opponents were Waverley, and team lost just 6 games all night. Well done to the whole team for another great year, and to all those who came to support over the ten weeks. 

Ladies 2’s (Div 2), captain: Amy Allen

Braid 2 v Barnton Park 1

A top of the table clash this week, both teams sitting on 12 points at positions 1 and 2.  We had close games during the home fixtures but came away with the win, and we were hoping we could do the same on the Barnton Park courts.

It was a beautiful evening for tennis, finally! A relaxing start sitting in the lovely club house and comfy sofas meant we almost didn’t want to get up to play!  However competitive edge took over and we headed to the courts.

Lisa and Juliet back together maintained their impressive unbeaten streak this season with two good matches against the 1st and 2nd couples, both steady but not quite as steady as them. 

Andrea and Lorraine had a mammoth first round match against the 2nd couple narrowly losing in the MTB. Their second round was also tight towards the end but they clinched the win in 2 sets. 

Amy and Margaret teamed up at 3rd couple, winning their first round relatively quickly and heading out soon to face the 1st couple as the 3rd court had no flood lights…. Thankfully it was late in the season as we needed all the light we could get, the win taking a while and a battle to secure but over the line at 10-8 in the MTB.

Braid winning overall 11-3, a fantastic result and securing us top spot with one rearranged game to play. Meadows could still draw level with us on points as they have two games left to play, but it looks like we will remain top on set % if this happens.  

Well done all for a very strong season. 

Ladies 3’s (Div 3A), captain: Diana Dalton

Braid 3 Ladies welcomed North Berwick 1s at home on Thursday this week. We faced a strong first couple again (unbeatable last match), but they were not as strong as last time. Maeve and Eileen, playing first couple, came extremely close to snatching the match with only two points between the pairs in the match tie break. A great match to watch. The other first round matches were comfortable for Braid. Second round was a repeat - Maki and Diana losing to the firsts and the others winning nicely. Viv and Cat were the final couple and on great form. This leaves us second on the leaderboard, with one rescheduled match to go on Tuesday, ending the season with a legendary Waverley tea (we hope!).

Ladies 4’s (Div 5B), captain: Mhairi Reid 

This week’s match was away against Corstorphine.  The team came down from division 4 last year and we’d done well to secure a 10-2 win in the first leg, although Corstorphine’s second couple had been forced to concede two sets due to injury.  It was a key match for us as a win would hugely increase our chances of promotion to division 4 next season.  

Hazel and Mhairi played against the first couple and took two sets, 6-3, 6-1.  Sue and Sugantha fought hard against a strong second couple but just missed out on both sets.  Anne and Jacqui had a comfortable win over the third couple 6-2, 6-3.  

In the second round, Braid came away with six sets, Mhairi and Hazel winning against the second couple 6-2, 6-1, Sugantha and Sue winning against the third couple, 6-2, 6-0, and Jacqui and Anne securing a 7-5, 6-2 win over the first couple.  

Thanks to everyone involved in playing, planning and supporting this week.  

It’s looking good for promotion to division 4!  

Ladies 5’s (Div 9), captain: Kerry Cooper 

Braid 5 played Barnton Park 4 at our Craiglockhart home as our final match of the season. Catriona and Fiona smashed it taking no prisoners! Jane and Amanda won their first round easily and took one set of the first couple which we needed to win the match, well fought. Anna and Angie gained lots of games and had many deuces, well fought but lost their sets. So we slid in to a win 7-6. Braid 5 didn’t lose a match all season remaining at the top, though not officially just yet as several teams have catch ups...  they cant knock us off our pedestal now. Well played everyone and thanks to all of you. A fantastic effort.

Men
In week 10 our men’s first team secured a crucial win at home 9-6 against Barnton Park 1, lifting the team out of automatic relegation from division 1 in the very last fixture. The team now has a play off match scheduled on 8th July at home to stay in division 1 next season. The team in week 10 was Gregor Stott, Joe Edmunds, Jimmy Wood, Tom Johnston, Danny McLaren and Jesse Phitidis. 

T2 secured another win to close out their final week of the leagues, 9-4 away to Meadows City 1. With this win, they secure top spot in division 4A, and promotion to division 3 for next season. The team was David Rigterink, Ewan McMillin, Felix Freund, Gary Melville, Alexey Dronov & Max Chen.

Our men’s 3rd team lost at home against a strong Dunfermline 2 team, 3-11. The team was John Charlton, Ross Cobban, Peter Thomson, Eugene Creally, Finn Mitchell and Gilberto Martinez. T3 has one rearranged match left to play this season.

T4’s match in week 10 ended in a draw 6-6 away to Murrayfield 2. The team was Gary Kedney, Andrew Murray, Alexander Westmoreland, Peter Traynor, Andrew White and Callum Thomson. In a rearranged match from week 6, T4 lost a tight game at home against Queensferry 2, 7-8. The team was Peter Traynor, Finn Mitchell, Juan Carlos Varona Sanchez, Callum Thomson, Andrew White & Andrew Murray. T4 has 1 remaining rescheduled match to go.

 

2024 East of Scotland League Match Results -  Week 9

Ladies 1’s (Div 1), captain: Suzie Provan

Braid firsts played Mortonhall away this week, enjoying a nice but slightly chilly evening. We were without both Mhairi and Emily this week, so Sarah teamed up with Heather at one, Suzie and Eva moved up to two, and Lisa came up to join Alice at third pair. Sarah and Heather won both rubbers comfortably, losing just four games. Unfortunately Eva had to pull out after the first set due to injury, so she and Suzie had to concede the remaining four sets. Lisa and Alice did a stellar job at three, beating not only their opposing pair, but also Mortonhall 1’s, 10-8 in a champs TB. Overall score: 9-5 to Braid. 

Ladies 2’s (Div 2), captain: Amy Allen

This week we faced Dunfermline at home. They came equipped with a stronger team than when we faced them away and the matches reflected this.  Some very enjoyable and good tennis (often not reflected in the end score line) on the first perfect evening for tennis of the season, with no wind or rain! Lisa had hopped over to Mortonhall to play for the 1sts, leaving Andrea to partner up with Juliet at 1st couple.  

Feeling the pressure to not lose Juliet’s unbeaten record, they had a close first match, winning 11-9 in the MTB against Dunfermline’s first pair.  A slightly less tense second round against the 3rd pair also ended in a win for Juliet and Andrea, and the record remains intact!

Amy and Marianna didn’t fair so well against a very strong 2nd pair, the ball coming back reliably to whatever was thrown at the Dunfermline 2nd pair.  This was repeated in the game against their 1st couple.

Lorraine and Maki paired up again this week. Another MTB, ending 10-8 in the favour of Braid against the 3rd couple put us 4-4 at the end of the first round.  The Dunfermline 2nd pair however repeated their strong 1st round performance and the overall result of the evening ended 8-6 in favour of Dunfermline.  A lovely evening of tennis - thanks to all who played.

We remain top of the league, level on points with Barnton Park, who we face next week!

Ladies 3’s (Div 3A), captain: Diana Dalton

We came up against a strong David Lloyd Newhaven team who are top of the division. Their 1st pairing, a couple of talented juniors, outclassed us - we just had to watch & admire. We had some tighter games against their 2nd and 3rd couples, though unfortunately we lost 10-2 overall.  Playing for Braid were Maeve & Eileen, Hazel & Jenni (welcome back from injury), and Rachel & Lisa.

Ladies 4’s (Div 5B), captain: Mhairi Reid 

This week’s match was at home against Abercorn.  The team came down from division 4 last year and we’d had a tight first leg against them which we’d won, 7-6.  

We played in persistent rain.  Anne and Mhairi lost to their first couple and Sue and Sugantha lost to the second couple, both in straight sets despite a number of close games.  Amanda and Anna played the third couple, winning the first set but narrowly losing the next and the championship tiebreak. 

In the second round, Anne and Mhairi won against the third couple.  Sue and Sugantha and Amanda and Anna had tight games but Abercorn eeked out four more sets giving an overall result of 10-3 to Abercorn.  

Thanks to everyone who played in poor conditions and to David for coming down to support.  

Ladies 5’s (Div 9), captain: Kerry Cooper 

Braid 5 players were pleased to be playing away at David Loyd’s Shawfair’s indoor courts while the rain drizzled on outdoors. DLS had forfeited their third pair matches in advance, so a special thank you to the Braid team players who turned out for only one rubber. Fiona and Jane had convincing wins with all their sets, even with an opposition that retrieved even the best of shots, only giving away a total of 6 games over the 2 rubbers. Kerry and Sheila also played well, with several close calls winning games from 15-40 down with Sheila lobbing their frustrated net player constantly, to win both sets 6-2. Evelyn G and Helen fought a good fight, and the many deuces just weren’t falling their way. A 10-2 win to Braid... onwards and upwards team 5!

Men

A more positive week for the men in week 9.

Braid men's T1 has secured its first win of the season, winning 10-3 away to Colinton 1. It's a tight relegation battle, but this gives T1 some light at the end of the tunnel. The team was Gregor Stott, Russell Dickson, Joe Edmunds, Tom Johnston, Jimmy Wood & Mark Brocklebank.

T2 secured a solid 8-5 win at home against Merchiston 1, leaving them top of their division group with 1 week to go. The team was David Rigterink, Ewan McMillin, Max Chen, Alexey Dronov, Danny McLaren & Felix Freund.

Braid men's T3 got a much needed win away to Kirkcaldy 2, 10-3, to support them in their battle to stay in their division group. The team was John Charlton, Ross Cobban, Peter Thomson, Graham Moffat, Mathias Martinez & Gilberto Martinez.

T4 had a tough match away against Drummond 3, losing 3-11. The team was Eugene Creally, Alexander Westmoreland, Peter Traynor, Andrew White, Gary Kedney and Juan Carlos Varona Sanchez.