PSOBLTA v Westside LTC – 22 August 2015: Lost 3-1
PSOBLTA v AELTC – 23 August 2015: Lost 3-1
PSOBLTA v Seniors LTC of GB – 23 August 2015: Won 3.5-0
If the power ballads singer Meatloaf considered 2 out of 3 “ain’t bad”, then by his standards the Pubs had a bad weekend with results! Saturday saw the long-standing fixture against Westside LTC being played in temperatures approaching 30 degrees at the Wimbledon based club. The result ended up as 3 -1 to Westside notwithstanding some commendable performances from the Pubs team, including a notable effort from new member, Edward Jones. The PSOBLTA team consisted of James Compton-Dando, Ed Fry, Edward Jones and Brad Keenes.
‘Super Sunday’, however, was mixed fortunes for the Pubs. The ever-popular match against the All England LTC got underway in the morning with the match being commenced on the hallowed turf with the majestic ivy-clad clubhouse in the background. Unfortunately the weather was not on our side and the match had to be moved indoors after the first set of play. The change, however, did not faze the All England Club as they raced to a 2-0 lead. The Pubs team put up a sterner test in the second round with Chris Jenkins and Rory Pullinger narrowly taking a rubber 10-8 in the deciding champions tie-break, whilst Jon Basell and Austin Coventry narrowly losing a deciding champions tie-break meaning that the result ended a 3-1 to the All England Club and won The Peter Jackson Cup.
Down the road, another Pubs team was taking on the esteemed Seniors LTC of Great Britain at Roehampton LTC. This time a success for the assembled Pubs team not only on court but also in battling against the weather to finish most of the match outdoors. This time the match ended up as a 3 ½-0 win for the Pubs with the last set of the rubber having to be abandoned due to rain. Many congratulations to the players involved (PSOBLTA team: Adrian Blackman, Joe Harris, Brad Keenes and Stephen Morris and SLTC team: Steve Anderson, Chris Gotla, Andrew Soul and Arun Vethakkan).
Anyway, to draw the positives from the weekend – all were fantastic matches played at great venues and in great spirit. The hospitality of our hosts, particularly at the All England Club was exceptional and a thoroughly enjoyable weekend of tennis for all involved. Walking away with another notable win against the Seniors LTC of Great Britain was highly commendable and of course a positive that our talisman player, Brad Keenes notched up another two caps!
The Pubs calendar takes a break for the bank holiday weekend, however, there are still over 11 matches left in the season – so lots of get involved with and plenty of quality tennis left to be played!
Edward Cooper – PSOBLTA Match Manager