As 2010 gets underway, a number of our members who have faced major challenges in 2009 continue to battle difficult circumstances. Your pros are happy to be able to provide a program where, in instances where physical limitation isn't an issue, playing our favorite game offers a temporary distraction. In cases where physical limitation is present, we hope that watching teammates and friends play can be a diversion from some of the more stressful elements of life. With that in mind, let's take a look at the happenings around your tennis courts.
Tennis Events
The 2009- 2010 Tennis Club Championships Men’s and Women’s Singles events are underway, with Maxwell Thompson winning the first match played in the Men’s Ball Basher division yesterday by a score of 6-1, 6-3 over Brian Hammermeister. However, the true ball bashing was done today in the Women’s Ball Bashers division.
Joy Jones squeaked by Sharon Bock in a 7-5, 3-6, 6-4 thriller, and shortly thereafter newcomer Angela Mitrisin closed out a hard fought battle, edging Anna Pitts by a score of 1-6, 6-4, 6-3. The semis (Saturday) and finals (Sunday) are scheduled for this weekend, but the weather is threatening to bagel the entire event. Players may want to get their semifinal matches in tomorrow if possible.
The Men’s and Women’s Doubles component of the Club Championships event will be held on February 5 – 7. Members can register online or on the bulletin board at the Tennis Center. Soon thereafter, on Saturday February 20, the tennis component of the Gulf Harbour Memorial Foundation will be held. Check online and with the tennis pro shop for details.
Before we get to those events, next up on the tennis agenda is the Tennis Family Night Dinner, one of the best opportunities for new and established members to mingle, and to catch up after being away for the holidays. On Wednesday, January 13th at Johnny Browns, tennis members, spouses, staff, and guests will be gathering at 6pm for cocktails with dinner to follow at 7pm. I certainly enjoyed the most recent tennis Family Night and look forward to the next.
Gulf Harbour Tennis Teams
Gulf Harbour's teams have been very successful to begin the season, but before we delve into the success of our teams, we would like to announce to all LCWTL players and would be players, that a new Captains Council for our LCWTL teams has been formed, and the Council has published some Guidelines that will assist with the formation of LCWTL teams in the future. You can review the Guidelines by clicking here and logging into the Club website.
Now for our stellar team results: Gulf Harbour’s tennis teams continue to excel moving into the 2010. Among the top performers is our 3.0-Minus team, which carried a commanding 17-point lead into the new year. Jenny King and Darlene Mattcheck’s ladies have swept their opponents in three of the seven matches they have played, and have lost only one individual match in the other four matches.
Also serving notice that they intend to reclaim the title they held two seasons ago is Effie Parker and Marianne McElroy’s Bronze team, which has swept its last three matches en route to a 19-point division lead. After a relatively slow start due to some key absences, the Bronze Ladies have reached full strength and will be hard to catch the rest of the way.
Sally Mellendorf and Linda VanWyk’s 3.0 Double Trouble team, which was in the hunt right down to the wire last year for the division title, holds a nine-point lead in its division at the half-way point of the season. To claim the division title Double Trouble will have to overcome some injuries to key players such as Pat Nolan and Linda VanWyk. Yet, having managed to sweep a number of their early matches without Captain “No Mercy” Mellendorf in action, Double Trouble should continue to be a quadruple threat.
Judy Jones and Judy Manzella’s 3.5-Minus Sure Shots have clawed their way into second-place, just one point behind the division leaders. After a bit of heartbreak last season, we can expect the Sure Shots to be in the hunt all the way through the season finale. Due to the team being less than full-strength, Marcia DeVries and Mary Harrington’s 4.0 ladies have slipped from first to second behind a strong Paseo team, and there are five teams within six points of second-place. The team will need to be at full strength if it is to finish among the top teams in one of the LCWTL’s elite divisions.
Also holding on to the No.2 spot in their division are Norma Schuyler and Carlotta Clark’s Golden Girls. A number of factors leading to the unavailability of key players have hurt our Gold team’s effort to repeat as Division Champions. However, despite the 41-point deficit they face (having played one match fewer than the leaders); this team has plenty of talent and grit, so a repeat isn’t out of the question by a long shot.
A determined 4.0-Minus team has worked its way back into the top-five, but is some distance behind the top team, Bonita Bay, which has dropped only three of their 36 individual matches played. However, if our 4.0- ladies can keep everyone healthy and ready to play, they should finish among the top-five teams in this very deep division. Closing out the report of our ladies teams that are lodged among the top-five of their divisions is Teressa Crocker and Wennie Johannes’ 60-Plus team, which sits in fifth-place despite being short-handed through the first five matches of the season.
Gulf Harbour’s men’s teams have also been representing the Club with distinction. Leading the way is Tim Baldwin and Rich Fox’s White-A team, which has opened up a four-point division lead after having been tied for first-place for several weeks.
Tony Cupaiuolo and Bill Crouch’s Blue-B team continues to hang on to the No.1 position by a single point in a very competitive division. Only four points separate the top five teams, but consistent performances by our boys of blue (they’ve won at least three of four individual matches in four of five team matches played) are keeping them one step ahead.
Tony Cupaiuolo and Bill Crouch’s Blue-B team continues to hang on to the No.1 position by a single point in a very competitive division. Only four points separate the top five teams, but consistent performances by our boys of blue (they’ve won at least three of four individual matches in four of five team matches played) are keeping them one step ahead.
George Kane’s Red-A team is second by two points after four matches, and John Hess’ White-C has usurped the second position after winning three of four individual matches in its most recent team match. Jim Masiello and Dave Russ’ Blue-C squad has dropped from third to fifth position as a result of being swept in its last two matches. They will have to pick up the pace if they are to remain in the top-five, because two teams are breathing down their necks, only one point behind.
Demonstrating that Gulf Harbour is competitive at all levels and ages, Terry Brady’s 69-ers of the 70-Plus league begin 2010, and only their second season of play in third position, just three points out of first. If the team stays healthy, they should be able to improve upon their third-place finish in 2009.
Men’s Singles Ladders
The Inaugural season of the Men’s Singles Ladders will be history on Monday, and a historic match was played today for the No.1 spot in the Group-B Ladder. John Hess, who came into the final battle for supremacy with a 5-0 record, faced off against Frank Kaplan, who carried a 4-0 record himself. When the final shot had been struck, Frank, a decided underdog, had claimed honors in Group-B’s inaugural season of the men’s ladder.
It appears as though Geoff Negin, our defending Club Champion, will claim the same historical position in Group-A as he came back from knee surgery to finish with a 3-0 record. Group A played approximately half the matches played by those in Group-B, and this first season just may be the only season for Group-A.
Your Pros
Your pros will be back in USPTA Pro League action at Heritage Palms on Friday, January 15, at 4pm. Joel’s team, Key Private Bank, leads the League by a slim 1 ½-point margin; Mike’s team, Boston Retirement Advisors, are in third-place, trailing the leaders by 8 points; and T. A.’s team, Johnny Malloy’s (AKA Team Geritol) is bringing up the rear, trailing the leaders by 11 ½ points. Yet, with a little more than half the season yet to be played, the outcome is far from decided.
Key Private Bank may be without Joel’s undefeated racquet next Friday, because Joel is scheduled to play in the USTA’s Men’s 4.5 Team Sectionals in Daytona Beach next weekend. Joel’s travel schedule hasn’t been made, however, so he may be available to terrorize the opposition (Mike’s team).
Facilities
Quarterly maintenance of the tennis courts has been completed by Ritzman Tennis and the courts are playing beautifully. Ritzman also found the problem that has short-circuited our water coolers and ball machine use on courts 1 – 4. We should have that problem fixed in the near future.
Game, Set, Match
Well that's about all for this edition of your Gulf Harbour Tennis Blog. We hope that the new year is off to a great start for you and yours, and please keep an eye out for February's Soundings, where Jim Rollero will recap Admiral Bill Casey's luncheon.
Game, Set, Match
Well that's about all for this edition of your Gulf Harbour Tennis Blog. We hope that the new year is off to a great start for you and yours, and please keep an eye out for February's Soundings, where Jim Rollero will recap Admiral Bill Casey's luncheon.
No comments:
Post a Comment