PSOBLTA v Imperial College London
Drew 2-2
PSOBLTA team:
Jon Basell, Greg Caterer, Russell Dykes, Brad Keenes
Imperial College London team:
Craig Hawthorne, Ricardo Monti, James Marchant, Miha Zgubic
PSOBLTA first pair: Greg Caterer and Russell Dykes
- beat James Marchant and Miha Zgubic 6-1, 6-2
- beat Craig Hawthorne and Ricardo Monti 6-4, 6-1
PSOBLTA second pair: Jon Basell and Brad Keenes
- lost to James Marchant and Miha Zgubic 7-6, 6-7, 0-1
- lost to Craig Hawthorne and Ricardo Monti 6-7, 5-7
This year’s fixture offered a close match up between the Imperial College team, comprising two current students (James Marchant and Craig Hawthorne) alongside two alumni (Ricardo Monti and Miha Zgubic). The PUBS Team comprised Imperial fixture stalwarts Jon Basell, Brad Keenes and Russell Dykes alongside the new draft, Greg Caterer.
All matches were hotly contested from the outset with games being dominated by long rallies and multiple deuces. After almost four hours on the acrylic, the tie finished 2 matches a-piece, with the PUBS claiming the win on sets.
The youth and exuberance of the Imperial team generated a powerful and agile display. However, Pubs players Russell and Greg provided a strong first pair and offered a doubles spectacle to win their matches in straight sets. Russell displayed pure wizardry at the net and Greg showed serious pace around the court coupled with some big hitting.
Jon and Brad narrowly missed out on victories, with all sets going to a tie-break, bar one (7-5). Brad’s performance was top-drawer and provided some particularly steadfast returning and deft net play. The results of both matches could have gone either way.
Jon Basell – PSOBLTA Match Manager