After Round 3 all Men’s team are in a solid position in their groups with 6 of the 7 teams still in contention for a play-off position. Below are the match reports from Round 3.
Team’s 5, 6, & 7 play at home this weekend with 5th playing on Friday night, 6th on Saturday 2pm, and 7ths Saturday 4pm. All other teams play away on Saturday. With some good results this weekend we may have some teams qualified for the play-offs or save from relegation by Saturday evening.
Best of luck to all teams for Round 4.
Liam
MEN’S SUMMER LEAGUE MATCH REPORTS, ROUND 3
Team 1, Class 2 – v Leopardstown 1, Score 4-1, Points to Date = 14
Sandycove 1 took on Leopardstown 1 in a clash that would decide the top of the table. The highlight of the match was the convincing win of Ronan Sweeney over the No.1 from Leopardstown, a former touring professional from England. Whilst trying to see the score on court 1 my opponents said “he rarely loses any games” following which my eyes focusing and I said “well he’s lost the first 5” – Ronan was up 5-0. This was a convincing display from our club champion and the highlight of the night.
On court 2 Rob Neiland went down in a very tight match and a match the crowd was willing to go to 3 sets to increase bar turnover. But alas rob lost a tie break in the second set. Mark won convincingly at number 3 singles and the old men (Stephen, Ivan, Brian and Colin) won both doubles. Thanks to Colin for subbing. We are now top of the table by a considerable margin.
Team 2, Class 2 v Fitzwilliam 2, Score 1-4, Points to Date = 5
The 2nd team lost 4-1 away to Fitzwilliam 2nds. Liam Reynolds had another good straight sets win at 2nd singles. We lost out in the other games in straight sets against a stronger team. Oisin O’Hanlon and Roy Bailey came closest in those matches losing 6/1 7/6 at 1st doubles against Ben Dillon and partner. Many thanks to Roy, Gary Byrne and Dermot Bennett for subbing.
Team 3, Class 4 v Glasnevin 2, Score 3-2, Points to Date = 12
Sandycove Men’s third team hosted Glasnevin 2 at home and enjoyed a 5 nil victory without the loss of a set. Andy Ward, Keith O’Byrne and Will Fitzgerald won their respective singles. Ken Browne and Mark Cunningham won at first doubles and Paul Kilduff and Paul Fitzgerald won at second doubles. Thanks go to super sub Will who enjoyed a 6-0 6-0 win, following on from his 2 set singles win for the fourths on the prior evening. The third team now has 12 from 15 points and are well placed for a playoff spot in Class 4.
Team 4, Class 4 v David Lloyd 3, Score 1-4, Points to Date = 7
The 4ths travelled to the top of the group, David Lloyd, on Friday evening for a tough challenge against a very strong 3rd team. First singles, JP Begley, and first doubles, Tim Eaton and Steve McGooghan, were first off court with 2 straight sets defeats, after all struggling to get used to the pace of the new indoor courts. Next off court, the only outdoor match of the night, was Philip Craig, who moved up into 3rd singles and did a great job but was just edged out in 2 very tight sets. Harry Wall and Sean Cronin subbed up into 2nd doubles and put in a stellar performance but again found the courts challenging. The outstanding match of the night was Will Fitzgerald in 2nd singles, who beat a very strong player convincingly 6-4 6-2. We will enjoy Will’s company for now, as this young man is destined to be playing at a higher level in the not too distant future.
Team 5, Class 6 v Ratoath 3, Score 5-0, Points to Date = 15
The 5th team had our first home game of the campaign. Our opponents were Ratoath. We had a comfortable 5-0 victory without dropping a set. Many thanks to sub John F for adding his considerable skills and experience to the team on this occasion. We now have full points after 3 matches which sets us up nicely for the remaining 2 matches which are against stronger teams in the group
Team 6, Class 7 v Castleknock 8, Score 5-0, Points to Date = 15
Seal Team 6 traveled to Castleknock for a top of the table clash. The singles were played indoors in almost unbearable heat, where Stephen McGooghan and Pat Leamy put in two heroic performances. Stephen won (7-5, 0-6, 6-1) his opponent was a lot tougher than last week and wasn’t phased by Stephens appalling shorts. Pat after being on court for several hours, used his superior fitness to come through a grueling match and won (5-7, 6-3, 6-4). Tom O’Higgins opponent made the mistake of informing him pre-match that he was a Leinster born Munster supporter, that was enough of an incentive for Tom to win (6-2 ,6-0).
The doubles pairing of Liam Hurley and Tim McNichols continued their good form and won (6-1, 6-0). The young guns Sean Cronin and Harry Wall were 1-4 down in the first when one of their opponents had to retire injured, speaking to the chaps afterwards they seemed confident that if the match played out they would come back and won (6-4 ,6-0). Well done lads another 5-0 win and back in time to watch Leinster win the pro14!
Team 7, Class 7, Rest Week, Points to Date = 5
Rest Week for Team 7, campaign begins again on Sat 9th.