Tears

I usually start by summarising the expected week’s action but excuse me if I mention the two significant figures pass away in one week I have to change my style. I will say little about Stephen Hawking because you will have heard lots about him and his life by now. However some of you may not even remember the comedian Ken Dodd who was known as the king of the one-liner gag. In business life he was a bit of a disaster bit still made a gag out of his escape from Tax Evasion charges with the line "Good evening, my name is Kenneth Arthur Dodd; singer, photographic playboy and failed accountant!” On the other hand Stephen Hawking was one of the greatest men of our lifetimes who contributed so much to our knowledge of the universe. No Photo this week.

Back to the normal style: with just one match due this week things stutter along between seasons. Ringwood David Lloyd finally agreed to bring their team to play our girls next weekend that will hopefully be sunny and breezy. This week we had the Men’s Cees at home to Totton & Eling B and that was all. I finally finalised the final date for the Road to Wimbledon (including the finals) after long messing bout with dates. We will hold the event on Monday 7th May (Bank Holiday) so do put it in your calendar and come down to support our younger players. I have had a few entries so far so am feeling ever so optimistic of a good tournament but need lots more please.

I have to remind you that THE SKITTLES EVENING AT PHOENIX HOTEL IN TWYFORD IS ON FRIDAY 23RD MARCH 2018. If you need a ticket THEY ARE STILL AVAILABLE contact me please on 07963803515 or send me an email wm.g.chatterton@gmail.com. Tickets are £15.00 but there is a meal to go with that and my scintillating presence to enliven the proceedings. This is YOUR CHANCE to impress with a ball that doesn’t keep coming back (hopefully).

So to tennis: there was none. Down came the snow overnight messing up all sorts of plans for the weekend. Leon spent the morning prowling around like a hung-over cheetah with no coaching to deliver, and worst of all, his gig being cancelled as the owner of the premises was unable to reach the shop due to the snow. Chris Osborne reported that the match was cancelled: I asked why but then remembered that our courts don’t have radioactive lines.

We learned this week that the Men’s A-TEAM are definitely second in the Division 1 of Southampton & District Tennis League and this is the best ever result for a Men’s team in the history of the club. Men’s Bees are ranked third in the Division 2 while the Cees survived in Division 4 which is all you want in a promotion year. We think that the Dees will survive in Division 5 but there will be a long wait to learn of their fate. So with the Ladies Angels winning in Division 1, the Mixed Aces finishing second in their Division 1it has been an absolutely outstanding season: can we repeat this in the summer? And of course the Boy’s 16s won their division.

Finally, it has been a good week for some species this week with the first Polar Bear cub being born in the UK for 25 years and a baby oyster being found near Portsmouth raising hopes that the Pompey oysters will soon be on the menu again – “serves you right coming back from extinction: what did you expect us to do? Stop eating you!!”

Next week: Friday 23rd March at 19:30 Skittles at the Phoenix Hotel in Twyford. Saturday 24th March at 1230: Girl’s 14s vs Ringwood David Lloyd. Sunday 24th March at 10:00 Men’s Dees at home to South Hants plus Men’s Cees playing the rearranged-rearranged match vs Totton & Eling B.

Title: Ken Dodd 1965 (but written in 1929!). Reached #1 in the Hit Parade in 1965. Other suitable titles for tennis are “When Love Comes Around, 1971, and “More than Love” 1966.