Sponsorship

SABMiller is one of the world's largest brewers with a brewing presence in over 40 countries across 4 continents.  Fortunately for us this includes the UK.  Christine Thompson works for SABMiller who kindly donated some lager and beer.  As of writing there were still a few bottles left in the fridge, free of charge!!!

Singles:   Men's,   Ladies    Doubles:   Men's,   Ladies,   Mixed  

Order of Play,   Match Reports,   Biographies,   Gossip,   Rules  

Match Reports

Men's Singles Final

Mark Stapleton challenged the Title Holder, Cedric de la Chaise in this thrilling encounter.  As often happens, Mark started slowly, whle Cedric was already on top form, and played some god service returns to break Mark twice in the first four games.  However, at 4-0 to Cedric Mark seemed to get his eye in and started to hold serve while being unable to break Cedric.

Mark continued to improve early in the second set and Ceric felt the pressure a little.  Prior to this point he had played almost flawlessly, but in the second game of the set a few errors and double faults crept in and Mark broke and then held for a 3-0 lead.  But Mark could not maintain this form and allowed Cedric back into the set with some short volleys which were no match for Cedric's precise ground strokes.  This resulted in Cedric taking the next 3 games to level the score.  Mark then held and the next game got to 30 all on Cedric's serve before Mark got a couple of bad bounces in the same rally to give Cedric game point, which he converted.  On Mark's next service game there was a disputed call and the umpire (Kevin Ryan) called for the point to be played again.  This somewhat upset Mark's rhythm and he played a little cautiously for a few points, letting the ball drop too far in the volleys and allowed Cedric to break for 5-4.  Cedric then knew he only had to serve it out and made no mistake to take the match 6-2 6-4.

Cedric played very well throughout, reached some marvellous gets in the match, and generally made few errors.  Mark was more up and down, and while an excellent player with plenty of good ammunition, if he wants to beat Cedric next year he needs to be more positive in his volleying, moving forward to cut the ball off and place it out of Cedric's reach, rather than relying on accurately place but slower paced volleys and groundstrokes to force errors from Cedric, an opponent who is not only super fit but also can hit a winner off a difficult half volley if he has to - no wonder some of the women say Cedric reminds them of Roger Federer!

Ladies' Singles Final

This year's final was contested by Penny Northway, four times champion in 1987-90, and Kate Povey, a newcomer to the club.   Kate signalled her intentions early on by breaking Penny in her first three service games, but Penny recovered one of these breaks at which point the score was 4-1 to Kate.  However, at this point Penny got injured with a problem with her leg (muscle pull?)  Ice and medication were to no avail and Penny had to retire to hand the match to Kate 4-1 (retired)!

Men's Doubles Final

Mark Stapleton, partnering Sultan Gangji, was hoping to get his revenge on Cedric de la Chaise, partnering Stan Fletcher (the 2004 champions) for the defeat in the previous match (Singles Final).  The match proceeded with serve until 5-4, but then, with MArk serving, Sultan missed a couple at the net and Cedric won an excellent point by drawing Mark out to the deuce side with the service return and putting the cross court return away. On the crucial point Sultan could not reach the slow-paced passing shot and the Champions claimed the first set. 

In the second set Stan was broken by a combination of a couple of good shots by Sultan and a miss from Stan, and the challengers held the break until 5-4 up.  Then with Sultan serving 3 good serves, at 40-0 up the money was on a third set.  However, Cedric hit a good return to the corner and forced errors on the next few rallies, gaining the break point, and after a brief exchange, Stan hit a winner between Mark and Sultan which either could reach, but both left it rather than risk injuring partner.   Cedric then held easily and Mark won his service game from 40-30 up to take the set to a tie break.

Early in the tie break Cedric hit a fine top-spin lob to take a mini-break, but at 4-3 on his serve, Stan put a volley out to even it out at 4 all.  Stan then won his second service point and the pressure was on Sultan.  He hit a good serve but Mark could not quite reach the return.  5-4 to the champs.  Cedric won his first serve and Sultan put his return out on the next, and suddenly it was all over.  Cedric and Stan, the defending champions took the match 6-4 7-6^7-5

Ladies Doubles Final

Due to Penny Northway's injury this was postponed until 17 September 2005.

Mixed Doubles Final

This was the concluding set of the Final which was started the prevous evening and abandonned due to poor light.

Cedric de la Chaise and Jane Boyle were 6-3 3-6 with Mark and Ludmilla Stapleton when the match was restarted.  Cedric was broken immediately in the third set, Mark and Jane held, but Milly was also broken to even it up at 2 games all.  Mark, Cedric and Jane all held, but Milly was again broken as Mark made a few errors at the net and Milly could not pick up a low ball.  So Cedric was serving at 5-3 up to take the championship.  He served well, but at 30-15 up Milly was defending well and hit a lob which landed a centimetre or so wide.  On the match point Cedric produced a difficult low ball which Milly could not pick up, leaving Cedric and Jane to take the match 6-3 3-6 6-3.

Player Biographies

Cedric de la Chaise

Strong right-hander who was singles and doubles champion last year.  We look forward to more ding-dong singles battles between him and Mark Stapleton this year and over the years to come.

Mark Stapleton

Strong right-hander.  Mark is married to the delectable Ludmilla whom he partners in the mixed doubles.  Mark's historical domination of the singles title could be a thing of the past after the past after Cedric de la Chaise wrested away his crown.  Mark will have to improve his level of speed and fituness to compete at the top level this year.

Stan Fletcher

On past form Stand is a bit like Marat Safin.  You have to wait and see which player turns up on the day.

Sultan Gangji

While Sultan's eye is as good as ever, his mobility on court seems to be much reduced and a hip operation looks on the cards at some stage.

Kevin Ryan

In the past Kevin has been a good doubles player and steady under pressure although his singles record does not match his doubles ranking.  We have no West Heath form for him this year, as yet, but he and Moira Duncan have so far got through 2 rounds of the Cumberland Mixed Handicap tournament.

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Kate Povey

Kate is the current title holder, a dark horse beating Penny Northway in the final this year.  Kate has recently joined West Heath and has been playing in the ladies' first team.  Kate has a good all-round game.

Penny Northway

Runner up this year (2005), Penny is a four-times former champion (1987-90) and rejoined West Heath this year.  She plays for David Lloyd.  She has some great shots and a heavy serve, but both can be very inconsistent at times.

Marjan Denis

Marjan was the 2004 title holder, beating Christine Thompson in the final last year.  She currently plays her league tennis for Brampton.  

Christine Thompson

Christine has been playing for the West Heath first ladies league team during this season. She is a good player with a thumping serve and is also the leading light in arranging BBQ's and loud music, not to mention free lager!!!, to bring the club to life.

Jane Boyle

Jane holds more West Heath ladies singles titles than any other West Heath member, past or present (1974, 1976 - 1981, 2000 and 2001), a record of which she is justifiably proud.    However, last year Jane only reached the semi-finals.

Rachael Gangji

Nowadays Rachael is an infrequent visitor to the club nowadays, but puts in an appearance in the tournament.

The LTA Official View

The LTA have an inter-club rating scheme for players who register. You get an initial rating, then ratings are updated regularly based on your tournament results. The ratings of our club finalists are on the LTA web site (click on the underlined link above) and can be years out of date (mine is). The actual absolute ratings have now changed though the relative ratings are still valid.  Here are the rated players from the latter stages of the club tournament.  The lower the rating the better the player:-

5.1 Stan Fletcher
6.1 Mark Stapleton (For some reason he is Essex, not Middlesex!)
6.2 Jane Boyle, Sultan Gangji
7.1 Jamie Darling
7.2 Carol Jardine, Rachael Gangji, Cedric de la Chaise (and yours truly)
8.1 Marjan Denis

Singles:   Men's,   Ladies    Doubles:   Men's,   Ladies,   Mixed  

Order of Play,   Match Reports,   Biographies,   Gossip,   Rules  

Rules

Sultan Gangji and Jane Boyle

Tournament News and Gossip

Friday 22 July - Two doubles semis played
- I spent Friday evening mainly sitting in traffic jams, but in a brief interlude did have the privilege of seeing the 5m World Record women's pole vault from the stand at Crystal Palace.   Hence the lack of detailed match reports tonight.

- In the ladies doubles semi Sally Tornow and Gill Green were probably disappointed at their whitewash at the hands of the reigning champions, Rachael Gangji and Marie Woodthorpe 6-0 6-0.

- In the mens doubles semi Brian Coffey and Simon Nelson lost the first set 6-1 to Sultan Gangji and Mark Stapleton, but appeared to have acquitted themselves well in the second set to get to 5 all before being broken to concede the match 6-1 7-5.

- The mixed doubles final between Cedric de la Chaise and Jane Boyle, and Mark and Ludmilla Stapleton appears to have been a rather more even affair.  Before bad light stopped play honours were even at 6-3 3-6 with Jane and Cedric taking the first set and the Stapletons taking the second.  I am assuming that the deciding set will be played on finals day after both the doubles matches have finished - Jane is playing in one and Cedric and Mark in the other.

- The net effect of tonight's matches is that either of Mark Stapleton and Cedric de la Chaise is in with a chance of winning all three finals!  No lady is in all three finals.

- On the women's side Frances Edwards says she is taking bets on Penny Northway to win the Ladies Singles.  I would think she would get quite a few takers, though she did not say what odds she was offering.

Thursday 21 July - Three semi-finals played
- The culinary standard slipped a little today.  Sultan had a problem arranging gourmet chefs for the meal, so enlisted the help of the Cumberland LTC catering department.  The food was tasty, but a little basic compared with the standard of variety and taste set by the three previous evenings.  In view of the deferred Mixed Doubles Final and other matches to be played tomorrow evening Sultan is arranging for some refreshments (I know not who or how), so ring him if you are going to attend.

- In the first of the mens semi-finals, Sultan Gangji tried his luck against the club champion, Cedric de la Chaise.  Sultan tried his hardest, but was generally outperformed in power, pace and mobility by Cedric, who is not club champion for nothing.  Sultan came close on a few of his own service games, and had a game point on around four occasions only to lose the game.  The final score of 6-1 6-1 was perhaps a little unfair on Sultan, but I am now beginning to see certain women are saying they see an uncanny resemblance between Cedric and Roger Federer!

- The most enthralling event of the evening was the mens singles semi between Stan Fletcher and Mark Stapleton.  Both players got off to a good start, holding serve for 4-4, but then Mark broke and held to take the first set.  Apparently the crowd got a bit out of control during this set, and the tournament referee tried to calm them down again.  In the second, Stan came into his own and quickly took it 6-3 to pave the way for the climax.  Was it around this point that Sultan stopped trying to calm the crowd and started to egg them on instead?  After the effort of the second set Stan's arm was bothering him a bit (after some problems earlier in the week which seemed to have been cured), and he lost the first four games of the 3rd set.  Stan pulled out all the stops and got the score back to 5-2 for Mark to serve it out, at which point Stan played some super tennis with pin-point shots to break for 3-5 and a small chance.  Stan then held on to his own serve, but Mark was always going to go for it when serving towards the baying crowd outside the club house.  Again, Stan got to 30 all, but Mark gained the match point and Stan put his final return long to give Mark victory.

- The disappointment of the evening was the ladies semi-final between Penny Northway (four times champion '87 to '90) and Marjan Denis, the title holder.  The match started on court 1, but the sun and steady stream of spectators arriving late soon proved too much of a distraction for both players, and the match was switched to court 3.  However, here, the noisy crowd (somewhat egged on by the tournament referee) often yelled at inconvenient times, and the ladies found it difficult to concentrate.  Neither found their rhythm, and both said that neither had played their best.  Penny tends to go for her second serve and Marjan found it hard to concentrate in a sea of double faults and aces, and lost the first set 6-4.  The second set was little better and the first few service games resulted in breaks, but Penny held on once or twice more to take this set 6-3 and the match 6-4 6-3.

Wednesday 20 July - Four matches played
- Keeping up the top-notch standard, Rosie and Vince Sudbery put forward a super choice of hot dishes, and taking to heart the comments on the puddings on Tuesday provided ample second courses replete with cream.  We have analysed the problem with food and West Heath children more fully, and it turns out that most of them are down on the list for the Gourmet meals.  However, the factor throwing out the culinary calculations seems to be that each child eats about twice as much as most adults!

- In the ladies singles, Jane Boyle, ex-champion, did battle with Kate Povey, the dark horse of the tournament.  Jane started the first set well, getting the upper hand for a 5-3 lead, but she could not convert this and was broken twice to lose the set 7-5.  Though I did not see the match I wonder whether Kate took a while to work out how to play Jane, who has a tricky combination of power serves with a choice of power or short slice drop-shot groundstrokes.  This reverse altered the whole tone of the match and Jane was on the back foot throughout the second set, Kate surging ahead to take it 6-2 for a 7-5 6-2 victory.  Kate's opponent in the final on Saturday will be either Marjan Denis or Penny Northway, to be decided tomorrow at 18:30.

- Huw Crompton took on Cedric de la Chaise for the first time this evening in the men's singles.  Huw said he enjoyed the match, but the eventual outcome was 6-0 6-0 to Cedric!

- There was a second encounter of the evening when Huw Crompton and Jeff Hiday took on the doubles champions not only Cedric de la Chaise, but also Stan Fletcher.  Jeff and Huw had forgone the chance to hear Placido Domingo in favour of practising together for their semi in the mens second team match on Monday night.  However, they could not quite find the key to unlock the champions game in the first set, losing the set 6-0.  The second set could have been a different matter as Jeff's left-handed service games found enough corners of the service box to prompt some atypical errors from the opposition.  This might have had the holders quaking in their boots, but unfortunately Huw was broken each time, despite holding game points and acing Cedric.  Cedric's serve was largely unreturnable, aided by the "West Heath bounce" on occasions, while multiple smashes from Stan literally burst through the wire chain fence and on to the shale courts behind.  Towards the end Jeff and Huw became admiring spectators while the champions put on an exhibition for the crowd.  Despite the difference in the standards, both Jeff and Huw served well, and I for one felt that the big difference was that Cedric and Stan were looking to smash lobs out of the air while Jeff and Huw seemed relunctant to do this, ceding the net position and most of these points to the champions by waiting for the ball to bounce before attempting a difficult groundstroke off it.  Cedric and Stan will now meet either Brian Coffey and Simon Nelson, or more likely Sultan Gangji and Mark Stapleton, to be determined on Friday night.

- The mixed semi-final consisted of Rachael and Sultan Gangji taking on the champions, Mark and Ludmilla Stapleton.  The first set went to the Gangjis 6-2.  I do believe that Mark takes a while to warm up, though he denies it.  The second set was a much tighter affair, with service breaks swapped towards the end to force a tie break.This could have gone either way until the change of ends at 3-3, but at this point Mark and Milly nicked a couple of min-breaks for a 6-3 lead which Mark was able to convert on his serve into the set.  The final set started off as a very one-sided affair with the Stapletons taking all the games, as Mark determined that he had better win it quickly before he became exhausted.  Rachael showed determination in threatening Sultan with nameless punishment if he stopped competing vigorously, but it was in vain and the Stapletons edged rapidly towards victory.  Sultan had generally served well throughout, and was continuing this trend at 5-0 down by reaching a game point which was lost.  On the subsequent deuce point there was an audible (and most un-ladylike) obscenity as Rachale found the net to give the Stapletons match point.  Sultan's serve then finally cracked as he double faulted to give Milly and Mark the match 2-6 7-6 6-0.

Tuesday 19 July - One singles and one mixed quarter final played
- Although the weather looked dodgy, two matches were played on grass this evening.  There were a number of spectators, though it became clear that not all were focussing entirely on the matches in progress!
- Frances Edwards wrote the following amended match report on her and Simon Nelson's quarter final match against Sultan and Rachael Gangji.   "Fresh from their triumph in Singapore, plucky London 2012 Olympic Bid Champions (see Sunday 17 July below) Frances Edwards and Simon Nelson gave old-timers Sultan and Rachael Gangji a big fright tonight.  Frances and Simon were brimming with confidence after two successful walkovers into the quarter finals and were thus playing their first real match of the tournament, and roared into a 3-1 lead in the first set, but Sultan and Rachael came back strongly to steal the set 7-5."  (At this point the handwriting degenerates into a semi-illegible spidery scrawl, despite my suggestion that Frances should complete the report before having any more Champagne).  "Sultan and Rachael clinched the match after a close second set for a 7-5 6-3 victory."  (The match details now become somewhat lacking and Frances somehow omitted to say that at 2-5 down in the second set she was serving and saved 6 match points, eventually forcing Sultan to serve again to close out the match).
- Mark Stapleton took on the power game of Paul Gorgolis in the other match this evening.  Mark reckoned that both players started well, and that he had to change tactics towards the end of the first set to gain the upper hand, and hence started to chip back returns instead of hitting them hard.  The result was a 6-4 victory to Mark.  In the second set Paul lost confidence somewhat, and Mark started to read his game better to close out for a 6-4 6-0 victory.
- Huw Crompton has sent me match reports from his matches on Sunday 17 July, one of which had to be toned down considerably before it was considered suitable for web publication.
- The buffet from Ros Norkett and Marjan Denis was excellent.  The menu is displayed above.  The puddings were very tasty but Ros and Marjan had not anticipated the super-numerary children that had been brought along by their parents that were never on the original list!

Monday 18 July - Two mixed matches played
- The weather started off rather inclement, and it looked like there would be no play this evening, but later the rain broke and one mixed quarter-finals and one semi were played simultaneously on the shale.
- In the quarter final, Elena Valarche and Kevin Ryan took on the title holders, Ludmilla and Mark Stapleton.  It seemed to take Mark, in particular, quite a time to get to grips with the move to shale, and the first set was very even, stolen at the end by the Stapletons 7-5.  In the second set Mark found his form, and Ludmilla was playing very steadily on all the bread and butter shots.  With her usual aggressive form Elena was very keen to approach the net, and Kevin was rushing backwards and forwards at the baseline covering the lobs put up by the Stapleton.  Inevitably Kevin missed a few and Mark was able to intercept a few others, giving the Stapletons a distinct edge in the second set, which they proceeded to win 7-5 6-1 to the applause from all those spectators who were not holding their half-full dinner plates.
- In the semi final the South African pair of Marie Woodthorpe and Stan Fletcher took on the solid pair of Jane Boyle and Cedric de la Chaise.  Apparently more than one lady member finds Cedric very attractive, with his super French accent (eat your heart out Antoine), and baby face (though possibly could be a tad taller).  Cedric and Jane played solidly to take the first set 6-4, but must have eased off a bit in the second to lose it 2-6, leaving all to play for.  Played in increasing gloom, the third set contained some cracking rallies, with both solid and spectacular brick-wall net play from both pairs.  Despite the last 12 months spent on the top UK coaching qualification with a significant helping of sport psychology, Stan could not always maintain a low error rate under the pressure of Cedric playing superbly at the other end and making it difficult for the South Africans, who conceded the set 1-6 for a deserved 6-4 2-6 6-1 victory to Cedric and Jane.
- This brings me to the food, which was acknowledged by all to be superb, setting the standard for others to emulate at this year's Gourmet Dinners.  Curried chicken, Tarka Dall, cheese and spinach, but to mention a few courses.  One is almost tempted to think that Stan and Marie hastened their own end rather than miss out on it.  Our thanks go to Radhika, Vivek, and his mum for the super meal.  If you missed this, don't miss out on the salmon, beef and chicken from Ros Norkett and Marjan Denis tomorrow night!

Sunday 17 July - London 2012 Celebration - 11 matches
- Moira Duncan and Frances Edwards provided two contrasting cakes iced with the London 2012 and Olympic logos, most of which had been eaten by the end of play.  The sponge cream and raspberry concoction was huge, and must have slowed down the pace at which quite a few matches after 16:00 were played.
- An excellent day's tennis - both to watch and play.  No walkovers today either.
- Early on, Sultan Gangji beat Joshua Azouz 6-1 6-0.  OK so Sultan is playing well!!  More surprising is that one female member of the club said she thought that Joshua reminded her of the young gardener, John, in Desperate Housewives (the one having it off with the dark beauty).  So Joshua might like to try his luck in the mixed doubles next year!
- Sultan then followed up this earlier victory by beating Paul O'Flynn 6-1 6-1.  Although Sultan is not so mobile nowadays (his hips you know), his reading of Paul's service placement, general anticipation, and timing of both serve and groundstrokes was excellent in this match.  Paul acquitted himself well, and was greeted with loud cheers everytime he took a point off Sultan, but the difference in unforced errors and Sultan's pin-point placement was always bound to tell.
- Sultan then followed this with a doubles, partnering Mark Stapleton against Andrew Brodie and Mark Webb.  Although the challengers were able to do some damage with serves and some excellent play, the consistency of Sultan and Mark made it very difficult and the eventual winning margin was 6-1 6-2.
- Jane Boyle took on Ros Norkett in a thrilling quarter final.  Ros walked away with the first set 6-2, but then went off the boil (so to speak) to hand Jane the second set 6-0.  The third set was a little more even, but Jane had no real problems and finally wrapped it up for a 2-6 6-0 6-2 victory.  From where I sat it looked as if Jane played steadily throughout, but Ros was up and down, so it was mostly Ros battling against herself and unforced errors.  I did warn her to steer clear of Frances' champagne before the match, but she did not take my advice and the score almost seems to reflect the time taken for the alcohol to be absorbed and later to start to clear.
- Huw Crompton played Andrew Brodie in the singles.  Huw got an early break, whereafter both men served like metronomes, first set to Huw 6-4.  The opening game of the second set lasted the length of the entire first set, concluding in a double fault from a fraught Andrew.  Evidently both players had suffered and Andrew immediately broke back. Huw attacked the net and took the set 6-3, despite eternal end changing, eventually looking more mobile than Andrew.  (Match report by Huw Crompton).
- Cedric de la Chaise and Stan Fletcher took on the father and son pair of Dudley and Joshua Leigh.  Dudley had high expectations of the match and played very well, but Joshua has played little over the last 12 months.  Joshua hit some piercing ground strokes, but did not acquit himself as well at the net, and Cedric and Stan won 6-1 6-0, the score to at least some extent not reflecting the tennis.
- Charles Rubinstein and Aruna Gunasekera had a good match against Huw Compton and Jeff Hiday.  Huw and Jeff blew away Charles and Aruna 6-1 in the first set and it looked like early beer for the North Carolina/Yorkshire combo. However, in the second set, Charles stepped up a gear, anticipating very well at the net with Aruna serving up some wonderful bouncing outswingers worthy of Chaminda Vaas (ed - who is that???) himself, second set to Charles and Aruna 6-3. The match came to a head at 3-3 in the final set, with Huw serving, and a line dispute resulting in that game and the break being won by Charles and Aruna.  At this crucial moment Aruna's serving rhythm deserted him and a wild smash out of the sun by Huw aimed at Charles gave the break straight back.   Held together only by adrenaline and team spirit, Jeff served 'em up, but Charles could not follow suit and the match fizzled out with victory to Huw and Jeff 6-1 3-6, 6-4.  (Somewhat toned down match report from Huw Crompton).
- Sally Tornow and Gill Green played Radhika and Mallika Sood in the searing heat of early Sunday afternoon, with young superstar Mallika hitting her driving forehands down the tramlines past stunned Sally and Gill (who are more used to lobs).  But despite valiant efforts by both the Soods, Sally and Gill played a skillful and consistent game (a foretaste of more to come later), and even with the mini dynamo at the other side of the net they had a convincing 6-1 6-1 win.  The score did not reflect the many deuces in the second set.
- The best match of the tournament so far - Ludmilla Stapleton and Ros Norkett vs Gill Green and Sally Tornow - turned into a highly charged match of highs and lows.  Sally and Gill were leading 4-0 in the first set, until Kevin Ryan started to cheer them on, after which they lost the next 5 games.  Skillful net play, lobs and sheer tenacity then brought both couples to a tie-break finish which Sally and Gill proceeded to win 7-5.  In the next set both pairs played exceptionally well.  However, with Sally killing everything at the net and Gill running up and down the baseline like a hare, Sally and Gill got the upper hand to close off the match 7-6 6-4.  It is not for nothing that they are known on the ladies doubles circuit as Grinder Green and Tornado Tornow!

Saturday 16 July - 8 matches + 1 walkover
- Frances Edwards and Simon Nelson continue their progression to the final by means of a series of walkovers!  Perhaps Sultan and Rachael Gangji can stay fit to give them a game eventually.
- Paul O'Flynn and Simon Button were subject to a lengthy shock defeat at the hands of Brian Coffey and Simon Nelson, 6-4 1-6 6-3
- Elena Valarche fought hard against Marjan Denis, but succumbed 6-3 in the first set.  In the second set Elena broke Marjan a number of times and held 2 set points on her own serve, but was broken and eventually lost in a tie break.  Elena's aggressive style contrasted with Marjan's graceful but athletic and powerful hitting and pin-point passing shots.
- The Stapleton's, the number one seeds in the mixed, proved that the previous night's score was no accident by completing their victory over Andrew Brodie and Kate Povey 6-3 6-3.
- Apologies to everyone else whose matches I did not see, but I have to get ready for the BBQ now!

Friday 15 July - disastrous night!
- Paul O'Flynn, fresh from briefing the Ham and High about his experiences of treating bombing victims (see Ham and High article above), took on Philip Reid (age 14).  Apparently it was a marathon struggle over 3 sets, in which one game at 5 all in the third set lasted for half an hour.  The match itself lasted for 3 hours. In the end Paul nicked it in a tight third set tie break 6-4 3-6 7-6.  I bet he will not fancy playing Philip next year as Philip hit a good length and was very steady.   This bit of the evening went relatively well.
- Moira Duncan and Sue Ehr started their match against Jane Boyle and Penny Northway, but almost immediatelyl afterwards Sue had to concede the match due to a severe problem with her left (playing) wrist which she had tweaked in the match on Tuesday.  That is two of the ladies' first team out of action now, Christine Thompson being the other.
- Mark and Ludmilla Stapleton had agreed to play Andrew Brodie and Kate Povey at 19:00, but Mark was very late because his taxi had to take a long detour around Russell Square.  So the match started late.  The first set went 6-2 to the defending champions, but then Andrew had to ask for a delay due to light as he had brought tinted glasses, expecting to be playing in strong sunlight.  The match will be completed at 17:00 on Saturday.

Thursday 14 July - 4 matches played + 2 walkovers.
- Paul Gorgolis beat Simon Nelson 6-3 6-3
- Mark Stapleton beat Dudley Leigh 6-1 6-2.  Mark commented that the match was tighter than the score would indicate as there were a number of deuces in various games.
- Mark Webb and Andrew Brodie beat Vince Sudbery and Derek Councell by the unusual score of 6-5 6-3.  By the time I got there Vince looked relatively happy in defeat, unlike his singles match.
- Dudley and Joshua Leigh beat Sandip Sen and Michael Johnson 6-1 6-2.

Wednesday 13 July - one match played.
- Paul O'Flynn and Marjan Denis beat Vivek and Mallika Sood 6-1 6-2.

Tuesday 12 July - 2 matches played (that I know of)
- Two results tonight and another walkover.  No match reports again.  
- Christine Thompson had to stop playing during the Ladies I match tonight against Finchley LTC with a pulled calf muscle.  Whether she will be fit to play again in the West Heath tournament is not yet known, but be assured we will keep you on informed via the web site.

Monday 11 July - 5 matches played
- Five results and one walkover tonight.  No match reports, sorry.  Personally I thought it was too hot to play today.

Sunday 10 July - Hot summer's day
- I know little of the Mens Doubles match between Jeff Hiday and Huw Cormpton taking on Alex and Martin Raybould, except that it lasted 2 hours and resulted in a 7-6 3-6 6-4 victory for Jeff and Huw.  It was clearly tight and must have been exhausting in the heat!
- In the Ladies Singles Mallika Sood (aged 10) kept Carol Jardine on her toes for well over an hour with some beautiful passing shots and strong deep hitting.  For the first four games it looked like the match could go either way at 2-2, but then Carol's experience won through with Mallika double faulting at some critical points - possibly in horror at the steaming red Carol opposite, and Carol took the first set 6-2.  At this stage Carol was panting madly, but persevered and managed to force Mallika into unforced errors leading to a second set score of 6-0. Carol then crawled off the court while Mallika skipped around collecting the balls.  Mallika is a young player to watch - brilliant shots, calm demeanour and a good strategist, but lost 6-2 6-0 on this occasion to the veteran Carol.
- Carol was also involved in the first major shock of the tournament which occurred in the Ladies Doubles!!!  The number 2 seeds, Carol Jardine and reigning club singles champion Marjan Denis were defeated in a needle match by Kate Povey and Elena Dementiava (sorry, Valarche).  Kate and Elena played consistently well, with some lovely passing shots from Kate and a tiger-like net presence from Elena, taking a strenuous first set 7-6.  Kate and Elena then kept up the pressure, forcing errors from their opponents, and after breaking in a marathon service game the new pairing of Kat and Elena romped home to victory 7-6 6-3.
- The next shock came in the Mens Singles when Vivec Sood took on the youngster Philip Reid (aged 14).  The match was tight throughout but the pattern of the match was that Vivec was hitting hard, while Philip had to defend, scrambling the ball back whenever he could.  However, as Radhika commented, Vivec was making far too many unforced errors, while Philip was very consistent throughout, and this proved to be Vivec's undoing as he was broken muliple times for a 6-4 6-4 victory to Philip. Congratulations to Philip, but he had better not expect to play in the junior tournament now!
- Fresh from her Doubles upset against Carol Jardine and Marjan Denis plus a victory against a veteran club champion against the odds at Finchley LTC, the shapely Siberian Elena Valarche made easy work of the equally fetching Radhika Sood, beating her 6-0 6-0 after hours for Elena's 3rd victory of the day.  Is there anyone can stop such a determined woman?

Saturday 9 July - First day's play - tournament starts in earnest
- By all accounts Kate Povey gave a good account of herself to beat Sally Tornow 6-0 6-1.
- Huw Crompton's racket is apparently very highly strung (though Huw himself is not), and a string broke in the middle of Huw and Sally Tornow's 6-1 6-2 defeat at the hands of Paul Gorgolis and Christine Thompson.  If Huw would like to tell me what happened in this match I would be delighted to publish the match report he was asking after.
- Vince Sudbery was nursing tennis elbow and feeling slightly miffed after his early exit from the singles draw at the hands of Walter Reid.  Perhaps he and Derek Councell will do better in their doubles match.
- Penney Northway (aka Wild) has not been seen recently.  Apparently our ex-Ladies Singles Champion from 1987-90 is still in Australia.  Please say Hi to Sofie Becaus, another former West Heath champion, while you are there.
- Yours truly is in Francis Edwards' bad books as, prior to to departing for Singapore, she asked me to put £10 on London 2012.   Now she has returned to plaudits all around (at least from the majority of us in London who support the local Olympics), and has requested her winnings, but unfortunately I forgot to place the bet.  However, I can report a rumour that Andrew Brodie did very well at the bookies as a result of her efforts!  Frances we are all very grateful and impressed, especially Andrew who has nearly covered his losses on other recent punts against the odds.

Sunday 26 June - Anticipation
- I'm sure we are all looking forward to a great tournament.  Carol Jardine has offered to help me with match reports on the ladies matches.
- A number of last year's finalist have LTA inter-club ratings.  Click here to find out more.

Tournament Picture Gallery Future Club Champion? Ever wonder where future West Heath Tournament champions come from?  Here's the latest addition to the Sullivan family - Jamie Sullivan, whose parents Sophie (recent Ladies Singles champ) and Philip are currently living in Australia. Austalia has excellent tennis coaching, but Sophie and Philip will have to renew their visa which expires next year if Jamie is to take advantage of it.

Surgeon halted op to help blast victims

(Article from Ham and High July 15 2005 about our men's second team captain)

A top surgeon from Hampstead has given a graphic account of how he helped victims of Thursday's terror attack.  Paul O'Flynn, 46, expert in head and neck cancer, was in theatre at University College Hospital in Euston Road preparing to operate on a patient when the desperate call for help came through.  Mr O'Flynn had only been working at the UCLH for a month when he found himself in the thick of the atrocity.  

He said, "I was in the theatre wearing my gown with a patient ready to operate when the senior theatre manager came in and said, 'Hold it if you haven't started,' so it was pretty abrupt.  There were patients coming in with problems with airways, which I can treat.  People with serious multiple injuries were coming into A&E - people with burns, neck and chest injuries.  One person had both legs broken and one man came in with a splint made from chip board stuck together with Sellotape.  It looked like it had been pulled out of a skip, it was clearly pretty desperate."

Mr O'Flynn was quickly placed in a team treating seven of the most seriously injured that had arrived from the bombings.  Doctors were given an extra sense of urgency when police warned that the terrorists could target the wounded being treated at the hospital.

Mr O'Flynn said, "I understand that in other attacks, terrorists have followed the rescuers into medical facilities and targeted the wounded.  They were concerned that they might try to do the same this time."

The surgeon was full of praise for his colleagues who he credited with saving lives and keeping the death toll lower than it could have been.

He said, "As far as I know none of the patients has died.  If you consider that you might not have expected even half to live through the first day, it is really quite a tribute.  One patient had only one pint of blood when he arrived.  You would normally have eight - and he was really only kept going with a drip.  In just a month the team at the UCLH haven't really had the chance to network and get to know each other, yet everything worked like clockwork.  I think they have done remarkably well."

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