The defending champions of the top flight of the Doric Insurance Sponsored senior leagues have dropped points for the first time this season, whilst the last remaining 100% singles record also fell.
Division 1
Whistlers B continue to impress and they hold a commanding 3 point lead at the top, following their 4th consecutive victory. Their 8-2 win obtained over the now bottom placed Ravenscroft Panthers A side was however not without drama as it saw a number of close matches and surprise results. Nye Matthew was the player involved in a number of these games and it saw him sensationally upset Lawrence Stacey in 5 sets, removing the Whistlers players 100% singles record in the process. This clash was the match opener and Stacey started with a comfortable 11-4 set. Matthew however rattled through the next 2 sets for the loss of just 11 points, followed by Stacey comfortably winning the 4th 11-6. Expectation was that Stacey would complete the comeback, as he did against Steve Ozanne the prior week, however on this occasion Matthew stormed through the decider incredibly for the loss of just 3 points. He was also responsible for the other Panthers victory when he dispatched Oskar Cleal in straight sets. It was very almost a perfect evening of singles action for Matthew, however Dawn Morgan managed to edge past him in another closely fought 5 set encounter. Matthew led this match 2-1 before Morgan edged a close 4th 11-9 before storming through the decider 11-4. Stacey, Morgan and Cleal were all on hand to defeat juniors Barney Groves and Luke Evans in singles action, whilst Stacey and Cleal were comfortable straight sets winners over Groves and Evans in the doubles rubber.
Defending champions Whistlers A were held to a 5-5 draw by 4th placed side Lions D in a match where Phil Ogier was the catalyst for the Lions side as he was unbeaten in singles action. This included a superb straight sets win over Joshua Stacey, as well as comfortable straight sets wins over Matthew Casey and Joseph Bourgaize. Reserve Ben Sharp was the player to pick up the other 2 important wins for the Lions side, albeit he had to do this the hard way. His first match against Casey saw him staring down a 2-1 deficit, however he fought well and clinched the final 2 sets 11-7, 11-8. Sharp’s clash against Bourgaize appeared to be firmly going the way of the Whistlers player after an 11-1 triumph in the 2nd set put him just a single set away from victory. Sharp however showed his strong resolve once more and came back well, especially in the deciding set, which he comfortably breezed through 11-3. Ogier and Sharp combined in the doubles and edged a tight opener 12-10, however the Whistlers combination of Stacey and Casey fought through the next 3 sets to take it in 4. All of the Whistlers player earned wins over the other Lions reserve Ollie Sparkes, but Sparkes once more impressed, taking sets off both Stacey and Bourgaize. Stacey also defeated Sharp in straight sets.
Lions A moved up into 3rd spot following a comfortable 8-2 win over a 5th placed Lions E side missing Jez Powell. The victors had the luxury of calling upon multiple time Green Trophy player Ben Foss as reserve. Foss showed little sign of rust during his wins over Steve Ozanne, Mark Fenwick and reserve Ian Le Page, dropping just a single set to Ozanne in the process. Liam Robilliard mirrored the results of Foss, also dropping just a single set to Ozanne, whilst Sam Clark defeated Le Page in straight sets. Robilliard and Clark won the doubles game over Ozanne and Fenwick in 4 sets. Ozanne earned a 4 set win over Clark, whilst Fenwick defeated Clark in the final match of the night in straight sets.
Lions C’s first victory of the season saw them move up to 7th place in the table. Their 7-3 win came over 8th placed side Ravenscroft Panthers B and saw Paul Hainsworth unbeaten. Hainsworth defeated Andy Gill, Micah Cohen and Marli Barker, for the loss of just a single end to Gill, in a hard fought match opener. Hainsworth also combined with Caden Brouard in the doubles match, where they dispatched Gill and Barker in straight sets. Brouard earned a solid straight sets win over Gill as well as a 4 set win over Barker, whilst Connor Powell defeated Barker in 4 sets. For the defeated Panthers side, Cohen earned a 4 set win over Brouard and a straight sets win over Powell, whilst Gill defeated Powell in straight sets.
Division 2
The strong title favourites, Whistlers D, already hold a commanding 3 point lead after just 3 fixtures, following a surprise slip by one of their anticipated title rivals, Whistlers C.
The Whistlers side are missing Keith Opie for a number of matches early in the season, however they have Craig Dunning and Kay Chivers, both of whom are able to steer them on the right course. In addition the reserves used thus far have also been very effective, winning all but 4 of the 9 contested. This week a comfortable 9-1 win over Ravenscroft Panthers D was obtained. Dunning and Chivers won all of their matches, however each was tested by junior Xavier Ingrouille. Chivers was first up and won in 4 sets in the opening game of the night, whilst Dunning needed to fight back from a 2-1 deficit before edging through in 5 sets. The duo were comfortable straight sets winners in the doubles game over Brandon Ferbrache and Peter Vivian. Division 3 reserve Sekao Nwako stepped up well with a straight sets win over Vivian and a 4 sets win over Ingrouille, however despite leading Ferbrache 2-0, he was ousted in 5 sets, which prevented the whitewash.
Whistlers C’s dropped point came at the hands of 5-5 draw with a 6th placed St Pauls A side in an encounter that had it all. The St Pauls side will come away reflecting on what could have been, as they lost 3 of the 4 matches that went the full 5 set distance on the night. Maurice James was the player involved in each of these 3 lost clashes as he was edged out by Martin Sarre, Kenedy Chepkor and Paula Le Ber. His closest loss was to Sarre, in a match which he had led 2-1. Not only was he edged out 13-11 in the 4th, but he lost the match 11-9 on a cruel edge in the decider. Terry Trustum was however in electric form for the St Pauls outfit and went unbeaten. He was an emphatic straight sets winner over both Chepkor and Sarre, however he was made to work hard by Le Ber in his first match and needed to fight back from 2-1 down to emerge as victor, 11-5 in the deciding end. He also combined well with Trevor Bourgaize in the doubles where they impressively earned a 4 set scalp of Chepkor and Sarre. Bourgaize was the player to earn the vital 5th rubber and he did this courtesy of a strong straight sets win over Le Ber.
Division 3
Ravenscroft Panthers G maintained their perfect start with a 4th consecutive victory, this time a narrow 6-4 win over Lions H, which leaves them 1 point clear at the top. Their strong start has been largely thanks to the form of Phil Harris, who tops the averages having lost just 1 singles match of the 12 contested thus far. He was once more instrumental in this result and was unbeaten again. This included a tight 5 set win over another strong player in this Division, Steve Potter. Harris trailed 2-1, but fought through to a deciding end which he ever so narrowly clinched 14-12. His other wins came over Ella Le Ber and reserve Paul Finn in straight sets. Mark Windsor added wins over Finn in 5 sets and Le Ber in 4 sets, whilst it was young Thea Cummins that earned the crucial 6th win for the league leaders when she defeated Le Ber in 4 sets, having lost the opening set.
Division 4
Lions K made it 4 wins out of 4 and have a 3 point lead at the top. This week it saw them earn a 10-0 whitewash over Whistlers M. Val Guilbert, Diane Le Page and reserve Cheryl Wingrave all defeated Mark Finn, Daniel Petty and Sabato Folmi in singles action, without the loss of any sets. The same outcome was recorded in the doubles match where Guilbert and Le Page beat Finn and Petty.