Nemesis 7 Colbrook Roofing 3

Frid. 21\10\11. 11.15. This week we beat Colbrook Roofing 7-3. We got off to a bad start when Wendy Newman came back from 0-2 down to beat cold-ridden Brian. Yet in the end they only snatched a point with a doubles win.

That doubles was weird: Wendy with her “funny bat”, Andy Watts and his deadly spin serves, and our Dennis with his lobs. I was the only “normal” player taking part! They had just too much guile for us.

Dennis won two singles: off the mark at last. Brian got 2 too. And I took 3 after some more “scares”.

Against Wendy I found the more I “mixed” things and moved her about, the more mistakes she made with that peculiar combination bat of hers. Andy got some nasty serves in on my F\H wing but otherwise I returned well. Jean was just as lively as ever, but doesn't like spin.

Yesterday I played a chap called John Coe (Franklin, D4) at Thursday Practice. He was a steady penholder. Talking of which, Steve Higgins came to practice again. Dave and Tony Roberts (unrelated) were there too! And George Tyler. Ken Harrison was sharp again ahead of our Cup encounter. Nuff Said. Out.

26th October: Right now I'm 2nd in the Division Three Averages to Billy Wong! Have won 8\9. Not all results are in, however. To be honest I expect Billy and his mate Leo Tsang to beat me comfortably next week. They have won 12 points out of 12 so far. Last year Leo defeated me in our one match. Against Billy, I took the first match and he took the second. They are full of energy and improving rapidly.

28th October PS - Well I really set my stall out there^^^^^^^^^^^^^!!! Yet I do not want to bust a gut this time round against those Chinese lads. I will play at a decent level and if that's good enough then fine. If that's not enough then tough.

Before then we have to play Ray Corke's side...

NALGO D 5 NEMESIS 5

Frid. 14\10\11. 15.30. On Tuesday we drew with NALGO D. Brian Ashwell was the nemesis of Nemesis I’m afraid. I played him tight and disciplined but he still got those swiping wide kills in. In fact he took very high risks, but they paid off. I lost 5-11 in the 5^th and wondered what had happened! In retrospect I was beaten by greater mobility and aggression. Next time my own Plan A will have to involve much more movement and attacking. Plan B will be to close things down again.

Mo Kayali tried to contain himself but it didn’t work. He curbed his big left-handed forehand hit. Dennis was 3 good kills away from beating Roger. Mr. Deboick was his usual steady self. However, in his final match Dennis reopened a calf tear! Hope he’s okay for next week. Anyway, Brian and I fought back from behind in the doubles to snatch a draw.

However, I personally had an amazing comeback in my final game against Roger: back from 6-10 down! Overall, our draw felt like a win!

Our next opponents are Jean Ashwell and Company (Colbrook Roofing). I thought we were playing the Chinese lads, but I miss-read the script. In fact our match with “Urban Juice” has been put back a week owing to half-term.

Highlight of Thursday Practice was another doubles lesson from wheelchair users Colin Woodford and Kath Fisher. Nice to see Aaron Chaplin practising again. Nuff Said. Out.

From My Journal

Frid. 7\10\11. 14.35. Yesterday I took a game off Steve Carter and generally pushed him close. I 1) returned his serves well and pushed them about effectively, 2) varied my service placements to good effect, 3) blocked well. There is no need to do flicked returns except maybe against topspin. What matters is placing those returns where the opponent least expects them. I'm learning!

Will have to get my F\H drives going more, if my back will allow this! It is still a good idea to practice flicked topspin returns: another weapon for the armoury. But it’s what you do with all your returns that counts.

Also spent lots of time working on Dennis’s backhand drive. Actually Dennis has a good attack on both wings but is loath to use this. He prefers to lob. His drives and hits are wild too, but that can be corrected. See how we do on Tuesday against Brian Ashwell and company. They surprisingly lost to Jean’s team last week. A wounded animal... Nuff Said. Out.

Sat. 8\10\11. 15.50. Been thinking. Back in the good old days my team-mates Dave Wagstaff and Richard Wilson played a very solid push\chop game. I followed suit but with slightly less consistency. I was more of a flair player. Anyway, it was enough to give us a couple of 2^nd Division titles. Perhaps I need to revert to some push play, at least as my opening gambit in the lower divisions.

On reflection I was maybe too gung ho last week. Sometimes you have to play within your limitations. I’m not exactly a spring chicken. Indeed I’m still carrying a nagging back injury. Last week was generally difficult too. Mum had had an acute illness (thankfully she is okay now). There were many distractions. Just the right time to ease my way in. As it was, my play was very patchy. Regular Thursday practice can unfortunately get you into bad habits if you are not careful. Duly noted. Will be much steadier this coming Tuesday. Nuff Said. Out.

Nemesis 7 Clee Sports H 3 (Grimsby League)

Wed. 5\10\11. 22.30. Last night we beat Clee Sports H 7-3. I won all 3 but only just! Dennis and I took the doubles from 0-2 down! All in all it was a tough match.

Clee’s new man Alan Walton proved quite a handful. I couldn’t cope with his serves! His all-round attacking game was very good too. Having fought back to 2-1 up in games, I let the 4^th game slip 15-13. Then I was 6-1 down in the decider but came back myself to steal it 14-12!

Pete Dyson and Keith played well too. I noticed for the first time, however, that Pete runs his finger down the middle of the bat. That gives him extra power but reduces his flexibility. Keith Farmery is a left-hander with a big F\H hit – so just be ready for the unexpected! Serving to his B\H did not work much!

Brian took his 3 convincingly but Dennis could not find his lobbing-range, until the doubles!

BTW “Urban Juice” are those Chinese lads: they must be strong favourites for the league title. Good to see John Hancock back in D1. Mike Bailey is also back, alongside Sean. Nuff Said Out.