Well quite a week really that has flashed by and in which I seem to have spent a lot of time with Sharon, Chris and Jenny. Sounds like bliss and it was in a tennis related way: Sharon had two sons playing in three, or was it fur events at the Snow’s Thornden Tennis Club Summer Junior Tennis Tournament, Chris and Jenny, his wife, were officiating and I was selling pies. On Monday the Men’s Vets B team was away to Portswood and on Wednesday the Men’s Vets A team was meant to be away to Warsash – if you remember Wednesday evening you will know why it was meant to be. Finally on Saturday the Apsley A team was away to Lymington. Photo: Apsley A at Lymington.
The tournament is covered in another report on this web site so I will say no more than the Ardley family collected three wins and we allowed some other players to win as well. It was well attended and the officiating was first class. Chris Whiting is retiring from Refereeing for the LTA but has indicated that he has plans for the WWF as he likes to watch people get into a tangle. Seriously though, Chris has given great service to the LTA and I ask all of you to raise a glass of whatever you are drinking and wish him a happy retirement.
Monday the Male Vets team was at Portswood. Paul Stavely & David Dunnett enjoyed a really close first match that they won 3-6, 7-6, 1-0 while Lindsay Ross & Nigel Lindley won 6-3, 6-2. In the reverse doubles Paul & David won6-2, 6-0 but Lindsay & Nigel lost 6-4, 3-6, 0-1. That not only cements them into promotion but concretes them which is what they deserve after a dominant season.
Wednesday was a difficult day for the Referee at the Snow’s Thornden Junior Tennis and play was abandoned before lunchtime appeared so it was no surprise that the Vet’s A Team at Warsash decided that they would prefer to stay at home and watch back episodes of Bargain Hunt or Grand Designs rather than play tennis. Mind you they could have had a doubles snorkelling competition in Southampton Water but apparently LTS does not sanction such events. We await the final match of the season – but know we have won anyway.
Saturday was lovely. I took the dog to Lee-on-the-Solent in the afternoon and enjoyed looking at the Solent as storms dropped rain on the water – but none on land. The Apsley A crowd went to Lymington in positive mood and came away the same way. Mats & Summer Colling started with a 7-5, 6-3 win while Lydia Kelly & Simon Piper won a drawn out encounter 6-2, 4-6, 6-0, Liezl Edom & Tom Vinnell won comfortably 6-2, 6-0 and Peter & Frankie Colling won 6-2, 6-0. The ladies carried on where they had stopped with Liezl & Lydia winning 6-2, 6-4 and Frankie & Summer winning 6-0, 6-1. Mats & Simon couldn’t get it together and lost in a regulation 4-6, 4-6 while Tom & Pete won 7-5, 6-0 for a 7-1 trouncing of Lymington’s finest.
Next week: Saturday 12th August 2017: Apsley B at David Lloyd.
Title: “Happy Days” 1976: theme song to a TV show: ask you Mum & Dad or Grandparents if you don’t know about the show.