Interclub 2021

Last Thursday saw the start of the second round of the competition. Unlike the first round , there are now A and B Grades.

Interestingly all five matches across the two grades finished 8-4.

In the A Grade, Rotzmist beat Matt Pigou’s team. Matthias Kronert , who didn’t play in the first round, won his three singles without the loss of a set. His serves  were  hard to read as ever and his attacking game was in good working order.

Matt Millar was also undefeated. His first match against Matt Pigou was an interesting affair as he lost the first set and then played a more attacking game to get the win in four sets. Billy Hebberd won a double with Matt Millar.

Jacqui Wood and Zac Cowdrey joined Matt on one win.

The second A Grade match saw Men in Black beat Looks, Brains and Muscles. Ken Thompsett started things off with a  close four set win over Josh Sim. Ken’s attacking game has been effective all season  and his pushes and chops kept very low over the net.

Nathan Watson also won two singles and played a five setter against Alex Kennedy, losing out by 9-11,8-11, 11-5, 11-6, 11-6. Jason Kennedy did well to come back from two sets down to beat Nathan Cross, who possesses some of the best sidespin serves in the province.

Josh beat Jason in four sets, to back up Alex’s three wins.

In the B Grade, Rory Osborne led his team to a win over Warren Haszard’s  team. He won his three singles with  some well timed attacking shots. Fellow junior Drew Materoa  backed him up with two wins, including a four set win over Warren. Drew played as a fill-in player in the first round and impressed with his ball control. The third junior, Sophia Dillon, won a single and two doubles.   The last single of the night saw Sophia beat another promising  junior, Tilly Watts, in four sets . Newcomer Gerry Van Kuyk gained two wins for Warren’s side with some good angled shots.

John’s Beauties beat Jeff’s Jets. John Diamanti won two singles and came very close to a third win, just losing out to Jeff Sawyer by 11-5, 6-11, 11-5, 9-11, 11-8. The hard hitting Marcus Osborne  also picked up two wins while Peter Wells won a single and helped his team to a clean sweep in the doubles.

Jeff won his three singles and Dennis Burkhart one. Dennis’s other two matches were  tight  affairs and  he was just pipped 11-9 in the fifth in both matches.

Peter Welsh led The Joyfull Grumps to a win over Malcolm Honour’s team. Peter has been in good touch all season and completed his singles matches with a 11-9, 8-11, 7-11, 11-7, 11-9 win over Malcolm. Ray Zinsli’s steady play earned him two wins while Barbara Burkhart won a single and was undefeated in doubles. Peter Cowdrey won a single to back up Malcolm’s two wins and these two players then combined for a doubles win.

By Chris Hood

There were five quality matches played last Thursday in the A and B Grades.

In the A Grade, Rotzmist beat Looks , Brains and Muscles 7-5. It was a good team effort with Matthias Kronert and Matt Millar winning two each with Billy Hebberd playing a big part in his team's clean sweep of the doubles.

Matt Millar played one of the matches of the season against Alex Kennedy. Alex took the first two sets before Matt took the match to a decider. What a decider it was too as Matt had a lead late in the set before Alex kept the topspin  going to get the win by 11-6, 11-5,9-11,9-11, 11-9. Matthias also played a good match against Alex going down in four sets. Billy played well in the singles too, just losing out to Nathan Cross and Josh Sim by two points in the fifth set.

Men in Black beat Matt's Team 8-4. Nathan Watson showed his versatility, mixing his game up to record three wins. Ken Thompsett had a good night, winning two singles including a 12-10, 11-6, 9-11, 10-12, 11-8 win over Zac Cowdrey. Jason Kennedy won a single and was involved in five setters against Jacqui Wood and Zac . In the latter match, the score was 10-9 before Zac unleashed a down the line winner to get the win. Men in Black won the doubles 8-4. Jacqui won two singles for her side and won the last doubles with Ping Muanwong, who was filling in for Matt Pigou.

In the B Grade, Rory's Team are now leading following an 8-4 win over Jeff's Jets. Rory won his three singles but had to work hard to beat Jeff Sawyer by 7-11, 11-7, 11-8, 10-12, 11-7.  The ever-improving  junior Drew Materoa also  won his three singles and impressed  with his relaxed style. Another top junior, Sophia Dillon, won a doubles with Rory. Jeff got on the board for his side as did Dennis Burkhart and fill-in player David Smith.

The Joyfull Grumps beat Warren's Team 24 games to 21 after matches were drawn  6 all. Peter Welsh won two singles with Ray Zinsli and Barbara Burkhart winning one each.  Ray and Barbara combined for a five set doubles win over Gerry van Kuyk and Tilly Watts.

Warren Haszard  was in good form ,  winning his three singles, with his blocking game looking sharp. Newcomer  Gerry picked up two wins with some nice angled shots.

John Beauties beat Sherwood VK 7-5. John Diamanti and Peter Wells won two each but  both were taken to five sets by Marion Wood. Peter's match against Marion was a real cat and mouse affair with Marion playing seemingly winning shots before Peter scraped the ball from near the floor to keep the rallies going. Marcus Osborne got some big hits away  and was prominent in the doubles. Chris Hood's backshots were going well to give him three wins. Marion won a single and combined with Chris for a five set win in the doubles.

Points:

A Grade: Men in Black (Nathan) 18, Rotzmist  (Matthias) 17 , Looks , Brains and Muscles (Alex) 9, Matt Pigou 8.

B Grade: Rory 18, John's Beauties, 17, Joyfull Grumps (Peter Welsh ) 16, Warren 10, Jeff's Jets 8, Sherwood VK (Chris) 5*, Malcolm's Team 4*

*indicates that team has had a bye

By Chris Hood

Congratulations to Matt Mally Reubenators, who  are the Tarrant Cup champions for 2021.

They beat Loose Bearings, who were without Matt Pigou, 8-4 to win the Cup by two points. Malcolm Honour got the team off to a good start when he beat fill-in player Kylie Hurren in four close sets.

The next match saw young junior  Reuben Henry beat John Diamanti 11-9, 5-11, 9-11, 11-9, 11-9. Reuben played a good tactical game to just get the win against a player  who has  a wide variety of shots.

Matt Millar hardly missed a ball in his singles matches and effortlessly switched from defence to attack. Ray Zinsli picked up a win for Loose Bearings as did Kylie, who also was unbeaten in doubles.

Red Devils  finished  in second place following a 7-5 win over KCP. Jason Kennedy and Billy Hebberd playing at numbers 1 and 2 won two singles each. Jason has  again been consistent this season with his  all-round game.

Billy has benefited from the training sessions over the summer , adding effective forehand shots to his backhand hits. In his first match, he beat the well-performed Ken Thompsett in four sets. David Smith, filling in for Dennis Burkhart, won a single and a double and impressed with some nice angled shots. Chris Hood had a good night for KCP.

WWW.JPM beat Dukes of Hazzard  7-5 to claim third place. The seventh point was achieved when Jacqui Wood and Peter Welsh beat Nathan Cross and Warren Haszard in five sets, in the last match of the night.This gave their team a clean sweep of the doubles.

Earlier Jacqui had won two singles with Peter and Marion Wood winning one each. Nathan was impressive in his singles matches which included a five set win over Jacqui. Nathan came back to the sport last season and his short game  and heavily spun shots were working well. Warren Haszard came away with  two wins, including a five set win over Peter. These two players have had many close matches over the years, and this was another one .

Hi-Tension beat Table Toppers 7-5. The match score was four all when Jeff Sawyer beat Mike Mehlhopt 11-7, 11-9, 15-17, 5-11, 14-12 to give his side the lead. Nathan Watson raced out on the blocks in his match with Alex Kennedy, winning the first set and kept  the momentum going in the next two sets.  In local competition, these players are one all for the season. Linda van Kuyk won a doubles with Nathan.Tilly Watts played some good forehand shots in her win over Linda. Mike also got on the board for Table Toppers.

Fast but not furious beat Rory's Team 7-5 in a match that could have gone either way. Josh Sim and Zac Cowdrey were unbeaten but they were pushed very hard by Rory Osborne, who just missed out 12-10 in the fifth in both matches

Josh did well to come back in the fifth against Rory, staying close to the table and blocking to save a match point. Steve Rowsell and Peter Cowdrey won  a single each, with Peter being unbeaten in doubles. Interestingly, there were two  father v son matches, with the sons winning  both.

The half way singles tournament is on Thursday 15 July with the new graded  teams competition starting on 29 July.

Final points

Matt Mally Reubenators (Matt Millar) 80, Red Devils (Jason) 77, WWW.JPM (Jacqui) 76, Dukes of Hazzard (Nathan Cross) 73, KCP (Ken) 68, Fbnf (Josh) 67, Loose Bearings (Matt Pigou) 65, Hi-Tension ( Nathan Watson) 62, Table Toppers (Alex) 54, Rob's Mob 48, Rory's Team 42.

By Chris Hood

Following last Thursday's matches, the destination of the Tarrant Cup is still undecided, with no team having a decisive lead. That will be decided in  Thursday's final round. Another point of interest is that Nathan Watson and Alex Kennedy will be playing each other with  each player having 27 wins without a loss.

Matt-Mally-Reubenators beat WWW.JPM 7-5 to lead the competition by two points. Matt Millar once again showed his class with three wins. He hardly made a mistake when playing over the table and has an uncanny ability to bend the ball  around the side of the table when the need arises. Malcolm Honour continued his good form with two wins including an 8-11, 11-2, 12-14, 11-8, 11-9 win over Peter Welsh. Young Junior Reuben Henry won his doubles match with Matt.

For WWW.JPM, Jacqui Wood had two wins while Marion Wood joined Peter on one win,

Red Devils are in second following a 7-5 win over Fast but not furious. Jason Kennedy won his three singles  but had to overcome  a two set deficit to beat Josh Sim in five sets. Jason has been very consistent this year, with some steady play coupled with confident attacking  shots. Billy Hebberd and Dennis Burkhart won a single each with Dennis being undefeated in doubles. For Fbnf, Zac Cowdrey joined Josh on two wins with the pair combining for a doubles win.

Nathan Cross led the way as Dukes of Hazzard beat Rory's team 9-3. The tall left hander was in great touch impressing  with his sidespin serves and topspin follow-ups . Young junior Joseph Ruwhiu won two singles and impressed with good placement of his topspin shots.

Warren Haszard won a single and was part of his side's clean sweep in the doubles. Rory picked up two wins  and played a good match against Nathan . Peter Cowdrey did well to beat Warren in five sets.

Loose Bearings beat Table Toppers 8-4, with Matt Pigou and John Diamanti winning two each  with  Ray Zinsli , as he has done all season, giving good support with one singles win and two doubles wins.

Alex Kennedy kept his winning run going but he was pushed hard by Matt before winning 16-14,6-11, 11-5, 8-11, 11-7. This was good attacking table tennis , with each player looking to take the initiative with  powerful forehand topspin shots.

Mike Mehlhopt also got on the board.

KCP beat Rob's Mob 10-2. Ken Thompsett's booming forehand shots were working well  all night and he had to play well to beat the stylish Rob Honour in four sets. Rob beat Peter Wells and was just pipped 14-12 in the fifth by Chris Hood, in a match that could have gone either way. Kristin Ruwhiu won a point for her  team and also took a set from Ken and Chris.

Points

Matt-Mally-Reubenators (Matt Millar) 71, Red Devils (Jason) 69, WWW.JPM (Jacqui) 68, Dukes Of Hazzard (Nathan Cross) 68, KCP (Ken) 63, Loose Bearings (Matt Pigou) 61, Fbnf (Josh) 59, Hi-Tension (Nathan Watson) 54, Table Toppers (Alex) 50, Rob's Mob 48. Rory 37.

Rob's Mob have the bye this Thursday.

By Chris Hood

There are now joint leaders of the competition following last Thursday's matches.

WWWJPM beat Red Devils 8-4 to now lead the competition jointly with Matt Millar's team. They meet in this week's matches.  Jacqui Wood won her  three singles but was pushed hard  by Jason Kennedy before getting home by 8-11,9-11, 11-9,11-8, 11-3.

Peter Welsh continued his good form , picking up two wins, including a win over the well-performed Billy Hebberd. Marion Wood was again effective at number three, winning a single and two doubles. The mother/ daughter combination has now won  five   doubles matches in  a row.  Jason was the best of the Red Devils side winning his remaining two singles while Billy also got on the board.

Matt Millar led Matt Mally Reubenators to a 9-3 win over KCP. He won his three singles and was infuential in his team's clean sweep of the doubles. Malcolm Honour did well to win two singles, including an 11-9, 13-15, 8-11, 11-8, 11-7 win over fill-in player Kylie Hurren.

Young junior Reuben Henry just lost out to Kylie in five sets, but played well to beat Peter Wells  after being two sets to one down.Ken Thompsett  won the two other points for KCP.

Nathan Cross was in good touch as Dukes of Hazzard  beat Fast but not furious 25 games to 23 after matches were drawn 6 all. The left hander controlled play well with his topspin game to gain three wins. Warren Hazard won a single but was right in the mix in his other matches, going five sets with Josh Sim and  taking Zac Cowdrey to four close sets.Joseph Ruwhiu did well to beat fill-in player Ray Herd in five sets. Josh and Zac shared  four singles points with Zac being unbeaten in doubles.

Nathan Watson and Jeff Sawyer beat Rory Osborne and Steve Rowsell in the last doubles to get a win on the countback for Hi-Tension against Rory's team. Nathan kept his unbeaten run going but Rory played well against him in the clash of the number one players.

Jeff won a single while Linda van Kuyk partnered Nathan to a doubles win. Steve Rowsell matched Rory with two singles wins, one being a win over Jeff  while  Peter Cowdrey also got on the board.

Loose Bearings beat Rob's Mob 8-4. Matt Pigou was back this week and he won his three singles comfortably. John Diamanti had a good night, winning two singles including an 11-8, 6-11, 8-11, 12-10, 12-10 win over Kristin Ruwhiu. Ray Zinsli was effective in the doubles.

Rob Honour won two singles for his side with Kristin gaining one.  Barbara Burkhart beat Ray 4-11, 11-6, 14-12, 11-9 in the last single of the night.

Points

WWWJPM (Jacqui) 63, Matt Mally Reubenators (Matt Millar) 63. Red Devils (Jason) 61, Dukes of Hazzard ( Nathan Cross) 58, FBNF (Josh) 54, Hi-Tension (Nathan Watson)* 54, Loose Beatrings (Matt Pigou) 52, KCP (Ken) 52, Table Toppers (Alex) 46, Rob's Mob 46*,

Rory 34.

* indicates that team hasn't  had  a bye.

By Chris Hood

With the leaders Red Devils having the bye last week, it gave the chasing teams a chance to make up some ground.

Fast but not furious beat second placed WWW.JPM by 22  games to 20 after matches were drawn  6 all, It was  a very close match with 6 matches going past the third set. Josh Sim and Zac Cowdrey shared their team's 4 singles points.

Josh played an entertaining match with Jacqui Wood. Match point summed the match up with Jacqui smashing the ball hard into Josh's backhand. Back from the table, Josh returned it and then managed to play a return to Jacqui's dropshot before she hit the ball for a winner. Seven was a popular number as Zac took the first set from Jacqui  11-7, before losing the next 3 sets by the same score. Marcus Osborne won a doubles with Zac and gained sets in two of his singles matches. Peter Welsh and Marion Wood won a single each to complement Jacqui's three wins.

Matt-Mally-Reubenators  beat Table Toppers 8-4. Matt Millar and Malcolm Honour won two singles each, without dropping a set. Reuben Henry played well for a singles win and  was unbeaten in doubles. Alex Kennedy was again all class in his matches. He dropped the first set against Matt 11-9 before taking the next three. Alex has got the happy knack  of effectively being able to change his game at will. Drew Materoa, filling in for Mike Mehlhopt, won a single. Interestingly, Table Toppers probably fielded the youngest team in the competition for some years with under-15 players Drew and Tilly Watts joined by Alex, an under-21 player.

Rob's Mob beat Hi-Tension  21 games to 19  after matches  were drawn 6 all. Rob Honour won two singles but had to work hard in his first match to beat Jeff Sawyer by 5-11, 14-12, 11-6, 11-7. Kirstin Ruwhiu also played well to gain two wins. Kristin  plays a positive attacking game, indicative of someone who  reached number 25 in the national junior ratings, in her junior days. Barbara Burkhart won a single and a double. Nathan Watson again was dominant in his singles matches, conceding barely 4 points a set.

Jeff won a single while Linda van Kuyk won a doubles with Nathan.

Chris Hood had a good night  as KCP beat Rory's team 7-5.  Ken Thompsett won two singles and was involved in a five set match with Rory Osborne. Ken was two sets down, before taking the match to a fifth set. Rory changed tactics in the deciding set and hardly missed a return to come away with the win. Peter Wells teamed with Ken for a  five set doubles win. Steve Rowsell and and Peter Cowdrey backed up  Rory's two wins, with a win each. They also combined for a doubles win.

Dukes of Hazzard beat Loose Bearings 11-1, who were without  Matt Pigou.  Nathan Cross, Warren Haszard and Joseph Ruwhiu won the singles 9-0. Young junior Joseph  impressed with his service placement and tactics.

Regulars John Diamanti and  Ray Zinsli won a doubles for their team.

Points

Red Devils (Jason) 57, WWW.JPM (Jacqui) 54, Matt-Mally-Reubenators (Matt Millar) 53, Dukes of Hazzard (Nathan Cross) 51,KCP (Ken) 49,Fbnf (Josh) 48, Hi-Tension* (Nathan Watson) 47, Table Toppers*(Alex) 46, Loose Bearings (Matt Pigou) 43, Rob's Mob* 42,

Rory's Team 28

By Chris Hood

Unusually there were wide margins of victory in three of the five matches played last Thursday.

Red Devils continue to lead the competition following a 9-3 win over Rory's Team.  Billy Hebberd won his three singles, including a close 8-11, 11-9, 13-11, 10-12, 11-9 win over Rory Osborne. Billy's style is unorthodox but effective as he set the play up for some winning backhand shots. Jason Kennedy won two singles  and just lost out to Rory in his last match by 11-9, 14-12, 8-11, 11-4. Rory's backhand topspins were consistent all match and he scored points  by taking the ball early. Dennis Burkhart won a single and was part of the doubles effort which his team took 3-0. Rory won two singles with Peter Cowdrey gaining the third point with a five set win over Dennis.

WWWJPM are now in second place following an 11-1 win over Rob's Team who were without their regular number  1 and 2 players. Marion Wood started things off with a 6-11,11-9,11-5, 9-11, 11-6 win over fill-in player Kristin Ruwhiu. Marion had some tricky serves and angled shots which were hard to handle. Jacqui Wood was her normal consistent  self , only conceding an average of 5 points per set. Peter Welsh showed the benefit of Monday night training, picking up  two wins with some good attacking play. He lost his last match to Kristin in four tight sets.

A count back of points was needed to separate KCP and Table Toppers with KCP taking it 357 points to 324 after matches and games were tied at 6 all, 19 all. Ken Thompsett won two singles and played well against Alex Kennedy, managing to keep the ball tight with some heavy backspin shots and also got some good drives away. He was backed up by Chris Hood and Peter Wells. Alex was in great touch for his team, always looking to win the  points with positive play, whether it be flicks, topspins or flat hits. He also played a big part in doubles  victories with his partners Mike  Mehlhopt and fill-in player Sophia Dillon. Mike also got on the board in singles. Sophia played well against her experienced opponents in singles, with many rallies going 20 shots or more.

Matt Millar was to the fore as Matt-Mally-Reubenators beat Fast but not furious 8-4. Matt won his five matches and  as he has been  doing season after season showed immaculate ball control , coupled with some outstanding winners. He beat Josh Sim in an entertaining match  with Josh returning the ball from the back wall and in the blink of an eye, Matt  retrieving from the back of the playing area. Malcolm Honour had a good night, winning two singles including  a  5-11,11-7, 7-11, 11-6, 12-10 win over the well performed Zac Cowdrey.

Malcolm also took Josh to five sets. Fill-in player Drew Materoa, who won the Canterbury Open  Under-13 Boys Doubles with an Otago player last weekend, won a single and a double.  Josh won his remaining two singles while Zac won one. Marcus Osborne won a doubles with Zac.

Jeff Sawyer won his three singles as Hi-Tension beat Dukes of Hazzard 7-5, who were playing without Nathan Cross. Nathan Watson had three comfortable wins, conceding on average less than 4 points per set. Linda van Kuyk nearly got on the board with Nathan against Warren Haszard and Joseph Ruwhiu, just losing out 12-10 in the deciding set. Ray Herd joined Warren and Joseph on one win.

Points

Red Devils * (Jason) 57, WWWJPM (Jacqui) 48,  Matt-Mally Reubenators (Matt Millar) 44, Loose Bearings (Matt Pigou) 42,Table Toppers * (Alex ) 42, FBNF (Josh) 41, KCP (Ken) 41, Hi-Tension * (Nathan Watson) 41, Dukes of Hazzard (Nathan Cross) 39, Rob's Mob *35, Rory's Team 23,

* means that team has not had the bye

By Chris Hood

Four of the five matches played last Thursday finished in 7-5 wins.

The odd one out  was Matt-Mally-Reubenators 8-4 win over Rob's Mob. Matt Millar led the way with three singles. As usual his ball control was immaculate, being able to land the ball at the back of the table at will. Malcolm Honour backed him up with two wins, including a very close win over Kristin Ruwhiu. Fill-in player Sophia Dillon  played well, especially in the doubles where she recorded two wins. In her last singles match, she just lost at "deuce" in the first set against Barbara Burkhart.

Left-handed topspinner Rob Honour won two singles  with Kristin also getting on the board.

Zac Cowdrey was to the fore  as Fast But Not Furious beat KCP . He won his three  singles with some steady play but also produced some telling forehands, when required. He beat Ken Thompsett 11-8,11-7,6-11, 9-11, 11-8 in a tight match, taking attacking opportunities when they arose. In his last match , he beat Chris Hood in five sets, after saving a match point in the third set with a deceptive serve. Josh Sim also had a good night picking up two wins.In his first match he came from two sets down to beat Chris. Marcus Osborne played a vital role in the doubles, unleashing some strong forehands in his doubles win with Zac. For KCP, Ken won two singles with Peter Wells winning his last singles.

WWW.JPM beat Hi-Tension. Peter Welsh gave his side the sixth point when he beat Jeff Sawyer in four sets. This gave Peter two wins for the night. Marion Wood gained the seventh point with a win over Linda van Kuyk. Marion was also unbeaten in doubles. Jacqui Wood also won two singles and played a high quality match  against Nathan Watson. There were some tremendous rallies with Jacqui hitting  forehand loops and Nathan blocking on the backhand. Jeff won a single to back up Nathan's three wins and these two players combined for a doubles win.

Loose Bearings beat Rory's Team. Ray Zinsli started things off with an 11-7, 7-11, 11-7, 3-11, 11-7 win over Steve Rowsell and then combined for a doubles win with John Diamanti. Matt Pigou won two singles but lost his last match in four sets to Rory Osborne. These two players had some close matches last season and this was no exception. Rory excels when the play is fast and open and scored points with some well hit backhands. Rory won his two other singles and won a double with Peter Cowdrey. In the last single of the night, Peter beat Ray in a tight five setter.

Red Devils continue to lead  the competion following their win against Table Toppers. Once again Jason Kennedy and Billy Hebberd were consistent at numbers one and two respectively winning two singles each. Dennis Burkhart attacked well for a singles win and two doubles wins. Alex Kennedy was again all class for Table Toppers. Playing back from the table, Alex had so much time to play the ball but also impressed with some over the table play. Mike Mehlhopt ,making a comeback to the sport after several years break, also got on the board for Table Toppers.

Points

Red Devils (Jason) 47, Loose Bearings (Matt Pigou) 42, FBNF* (Josh) 37, WWWJPM* (Jacqui) 36, Table Toppers (Alex) 36, Dukes of Hazzard* (Nathan Cross) 35, Matt-Mally-Reubenators* (Matt Millar) 35, KCP* (Ken) 34, Hi-Tension (Nathan Watson) 33, Rob's Mob 34, Rory *20

* indicates that team has had the bye

By Chris Hood

Red Devils continue to lead the competition following the fifth round of matches.

They had a close match against Hi-Tension winning on a count back 20 games to 19 after matches were drawn 6 all. It all came down to the last doubles and although Jason Kennedy and Billy Hebberd lost the last match in four sets to Nathan Watson and Jeff Sawyer, the set they gained gave them a win. Earlier Jason had won two singles with Billy and Dennis Burkhart winning one each. Nathan Watson again was unstoppable for Hi-Tension conceding on  average 4 points per game. His forehand  serves were hard to read and if they did come back, Nathan put the loose ball away. For the second consecutive week, Jeff won his two singles, including a four set win over Billy.

A  great team effort saw Dukes of Hazzard beat Matt-Mally-Reubonaters 7-5. At  four all, Warren Haszard beat fill-in player Ray Herd 8-11,9-11,11-8,11-9, 11-8 to give his team the lead. Joseph Ruwhiu then beat promising junior Reuben Henry to get the sixth point for the team.Warren combined with  Nathan Cross for a five set doubles win over Ray and fill-in player Matthias  Krönert in the last match of the night, Earlier Nathan had won two singles, matching Warren and Joseph.

Matthias showed his class in his singles matches, keeping his opponents under pressure with his good serving and service returns. Reuben was undefeated in doubles.

Matt Pigou led the way as Loose Bearings beat KCP 7-5. Matt  won his three singles but was taken to four by Ken Thompsett, who has been in great touch this season. Matt combined with his doubles partners John Diamanti and Ray Zinsli for two wins, with his explosive winning shots complemented by the steady play of his partners. For KCP, Ken and Chris Hood won two each with Peter Wells winning a doubles with Chris.

Fast but not furious beat  Table  Toppers 8-4. Josh Sim and Zac Cowdrey went well at numbers 1 and 2 respectively picking up two wins each. These two players have contrasting styles, with Josh playing back from the table and Zac hitting some off the bounce forehands.

Marcus  Osborne had a good night ending with a singles win and two doubles wins. Alex Kennedy was again unbeaten for Table Toppers. His high skill level allows him  to  adapt to his opponent's game and play accordingly.

Mike Mehlhopt also got on the board.

Rob's Mob beat Rory's Team 8-4.  Rob Honour won his three singles matches including a 12-14, 11-6, 11-7, 3-11, 13-11 win over Marlborough's top junior, Rory Osborne. This was  a tremendous match with Rob saving three match points with some positive play including a topspin loop into the body, Fill-in player Kristin Ruwhiu also won her three singles. Kristin was playing her first match of the season but was quickly into her stride with forehand and backhand topspins. Barbara Burkart combined with Kristin for a doubles win.

Steve Rowsell and Peter Cowdrey  joined Rory on one win.

Points:

Red Devils (Jason) 39, Dukes Of Hazzard (Nathan Cross) 35, Loose Bearings (Matt Pigou) 34, Table Toppers (Alex) 32, Rob's Mob 30, Fast but not furious (Josh) *29, KCP (Ken) *29, WWWJPM (Jacqui)* 28, Hi-Tension (Nathan Watson) 28, Matt-Mally-Reubonaters(Matt Millar)* 26, Rory 16*

* indicates that team has had the bye

By Chris Hood.

Red Devils  now lead the competition following last Thursday's matches.

They beat Rob's Mob 10-2. Jason Kennedy led from the front with three wins, including an 11-9, 6-11, 11-6,9-11,11-9 win over the well-performed Graeme Jackson. Billy Hebberd had won two singles and gained  a further  point when Graeme unfortunately sustained an injury and had to retire at one game all. Dennis Burkhart had a good night, with two singles wins and a doubles win.

Rob's Mob's points came from Graeme and Rob Honour.

KCP beat WWW.JPM 7-5. Ken Thompsett won two singles and went well against Jacqui Wood, losing in four sets. Chris Hood also won two singles and helped the team in the doubles. Peter Wells used his spare bat and came away with 12-10, 9-11,8-11, 11-5,11-4 win over a tenacious Marion Wood. Jacqui played tactically throughout the night with some great push returns  and like her fellow top players, was quick to put any loose returns away with backhand and forehand shots. Marion teamed with Jacqui for a 13-11 fifth set win in the doubles over Ken and Peter. Peter Welsh  also got on the board with a win over Peter Wells, with some hard hits into the body.

A count back was required  with Dukes of Hazzard  beating Table Toppers 319 points to 311, after matches and games were drawn 6 all, 19 all. Nathan Cross picked up two singles wins, with Warren Haszard and fill-in player, Drew Materoa winning one each.

Alex Kennedy was in great touch, conceding on average 4 points per game. Mike Mehlhopt was steady at number two and gained two wins. Young junior, Tilly Watts, went well in the doubles with Alex, just missing out on  a win.

Matt Millar won two singles as Matt-Mally-Reubonaters beat Hi-Tension 20 games to 19 after matches were drawn 6 all. Matt Millar won two singles and although he lost to Nathan Watson in his third match, he played some good returns against Nathan's power shots .

Malcolm Honour and Reuben Henry won a single each and helped the team to win the doubles 2-1. Jeff Sawyer backed Nathan up with two wins, displaying good tactics with his anti-spin rubber.

Loose Bearings beat Fast but not furious 7-5. Matt Pigou attacked well for three wins, pouncing on any loose returns. John Diamanti took Josh Sim to five sets in his first match and ended the night with  a singles and doubles win.

With the match score at 5-5, Ray Zinsli beat Marcus Osborne 6-11, 11-1, 11-6, 8-11, 11-7 to give his team the lead. For Fbnf Zac Cowdrey matched Josh's two singles wins.

Points

Red Devils (Jason) 32, WWW.JPM (Jacqui) 28, Table Toppers (Alex) 28, Dukes of Hazzard (Nathan Cross) 27, Loose Bearings (Matt Pigou) 26, KCP* (Ken) 24, Hi-Tension (Nathan Watson) 22,  Rob's Mob 21, Matt-Mally-Reubonaters* (Matt Millar) 21,

Fbnf* (Josh) 20, Rory's Team* 12

*indicates that team has had a bye.

By Chris Hood.

The third round of the competition last Thursday  saw five more enthralling matches.

WWW.JPM have now hit the lead in the competition following a 7-5 win over Loose Bearings. Peter Welsh got the team off to a good start with a five set win over newcomer Ray Zinsli. Marion Wood , at number three, has been very consistent this year and she picked up two singles wins and two doubles wins with some steady play and tricky serves. Jacqui Wood  also won two singles and played a good match against fill-in player, Matthias Kronert. Matthias took it in four in a highly skilled match with Jacqui  doing well to return some deceptive serves and stay in the rallies and managing to  get some strong topspins into the corners.

In the last round of matches, John Diamanti beat  Peter 8-11,8-11, 11-3, 11-4,15-13.

Alex's Team beat Rory's Team  7-5. Alex Kennedy  led the way but was pushed hard by Rory Osborne in his last match. Alex won it 13-11, 11-8, 11-6 but Rory impressed with some off-the-bounce forehands.

Mike Mehlhopt, back playing after four years, also won his three singles including a win by 12-10 in the fifth against Rory. Young junior  Tilly Watts did well in a doubles with Alex, just missing out in four sets.

Peter Cowdrey was unbeaten in doubles  and won a single as did Rory and Steve Rowsell.

Red Devils just scraped past Matt Millar's team 22 Games to 20 after matches were drawn 6 all. Jason Kennedy and Billy Hebberd have been solid in the number 1 and 2 positions this season and they came away with two singles wins each. Dennis Burkhart won a single and partnered Billy to an 11-9, 12-10, 8-11, 12-10 win over  Malcolm Honour and Reuben Henry. Matt Millar, playing his first match of the season, was undefeated in singles and partnered Reuben to  a 10-12,11-9,4-11, 11-8, 11-4 win over Jason and Dennis.

Malcolm also got on the board in the singles.

Dukes of Hazzard also had a countback win by 2 games against Rob's Mob. Nathan Cross won two singles and played an interesting match against impressive newcomer ,  Graeme Jackson. Graeme won it on four  displaying some good serves and control with his anti-spin rubber. Warren Haszard and Joseph Ruwhiu won two singles each with Joseph being unbeaten in doubles. For Rob's Mob, Rob Honour's two singles complemented Graeme's three  wins and these two players combined to win the last doubles.

The experienced KCP trio of Ken Thompsett, Chris Hood and Peter Wells beat High Tension 7-5. Peter turned the clock back  to his Wairau Valley days with some great forehand/ backhand combination play.

Nathan Watson was untouchable for High Tension  and he brought his team-mates Jeff Sawyer and Linda van Kuyk through for two doubles wins.

Points:

WWWJPM (Jacqui) 23, Alex 22, Red Devils (Jason) 21, Dukes of Hazzard (Nathan Cross) 20, Rob's Mob 19, Loose Bearings (Matt Pigou) 18, High Tension (Nathan Watson) 16, KCP (Ken) * 16,  Fbnf (Josh)*15, Matt Millar *14, Rory 12.

*indicates that team has had the bye

By Chris Hood

The second round of the competition played last Thursday produced some enthralling matches.

Fast but not furious just edged out High Tension 20 games to 19 after matches were drawn 6 all. Playing at numbers 1 and 2, Josh Sim and Zac Cowdrey won two singles each and both looked to be in good early season form.

Marcus Osborne is a consistent number 3 and he came away with a singles and a doubles win. Nathan Watson was a  class act for High Tension, claiming three singles wins. He was unbeaten in the doubles too including a great win with first year player , Linda van Kuyk, by 11-9, 11-6, 7-11. 15-13 over Josh and Marcus. Jeff Sawyer also got on the board in singles.

WWW.JPM are now level with Fbnf on 15 points following a 10-2 win over Rory's team. The scoreline didn't really tell the whole story as half the matches went past the third set. Peter Welsh and Marion Wood, who are two of the enthusiastic players at Monday's training sessions,   won two singles each . Peter got things started with a win over Peter Cowdrey. Marion had a great first match with the province's top junior, Rory Osborne, just losing out by 11-8, 11-9, 4-11, 10-12, 11-6. Jacqui Wood's attacking shots flowed to give her three comfortable wins. She also combined with her mum for a 12-14, 11-7, 12-10, 6-11, 12-10 win over Rory and Peter.

Barbara Burkhart had a good night for Rob's Mob as they beat Alex's team 7-5. Barbara paired with Graeme Jackson for a close 12-10, 10-12, 9-11, 11-8, 11-9 win over Mike Mehlhopt and junior , Tilly Watts. She then went on to win a single and a second doubles.

Graeme and Rob Honour won two singles each with contrasting styles. Graeme used his anti-spin rubber effectively and backed that up with good serves and forehand hitting. Rob is an attacking left-hander, who has added backhand loops to his game.

For Alex's team, Alex  Kennedy  won his three singles with some great attacking play. Alex, who is in his last year as an under-21 player, has been one of the top players in the province for 6 years and had to work hard to beat Graeme's defence.

Red Devils beat Loose Bearings 7-5. Jason Kennedy and Billy Hebberd gained two wins each. Jason was his normal consistent self while Billy set the play up well to make use of his backhand hits.Dennis Burkhart was good value in the doubles and attacked well to beat newcomer, Ray Zinsli. Matt Pigou won his three singles for Loose Bearings. He is another player who has worked  hard at his game  and has added some very crisp backhand shots. He also combined with John Damanti for a win in the last doubles.

Ken Thompsett led the way as Ken's Team beat Nathan's team 7-5. Ken is one of the hardest hitters in the province  and through  strength and timing managed to return Nathan Cross's heavily spun sidespin serves to get the win in four sets.

Chris Hood played solidly at number two while Peter  Wells was undefeated in doubles. Warren Haszard and Joseph Ruwhiu won a single each  to complement Nathan's two wins. Warren also partnered Nathan to an 11-8, 11-7, 8-11, 4-11, 12-10 win over Ken and Chris.

Points

Fbnf (Josh) 15, WWW.JPM (Jacqui ) 15, Alex 14, Red Devils (Jason) 13, Nathan Cross 13, Rob's Mob 13, Loose Bearings (Matt Pigou) 13, High Tension (Nathan Watson) 11, Matt Millar 8*, Ken 8*, Rory 7

*indicates that team has had the bye.

By Chris Hood