Another hard week for our Men’s Winter League teams with just Team 6 & 7 managing a win in their sections! Some very close results in all Classes and on another day the results could have been so different! Most teams were impacted by mid term break with an average of 2 subs per team needed to complete the line ups. Indeed it was the Super Subs in many of the teams that helped earn valuable points! With 3 games played, Teams 3, 4, 6 & 7 are in the hunt for qualifiers with the remaining teams battling to stay up.

Once again, best of luck teams for success this weekend. Teams playing at home this Sunday morning 3 & 6 with all seven teams playing at 11am if you are interested in seeing some of the action, whether home or away!

Good luck to all

Liam

Week 3 Match Reports

Team 1 – Home to Donnybrook 1 (1-2), Points to Date: 1

In the highest of standards Team1 were very unlucky not to record their 1st Match Win of the campaign against very strong and internationally acclaimed opposition! Mark Griffin & Harry Owens were 1st off recording a comfortably with in 2 sets, while Steve & Reon lost in the closest of margins in 2 sets. This left Ronan & Rob giving punch for punch against the much acclaimed international duo. In the end Donnybrook scraped through in a 2 set thriller. A few more points in the last few games and we can stay up!

Team 2 – Home to Templeogue (0-3), Points to Date:2

Another tough defeat for the seconds this week coming up against a solid Templeogue team. Brian and Colin lost in a very close game succumbing 6-4 7-6. Jocelyn and Roy’s delayed match also resulted in a Straight sets defeat against a strong pair at second doubles but special thanks to Roy for playing his second match of the day. Finally Oisin and Liam were unlucky to lose in a very close 3 set match having won the opening set eventually coming out second best 6-2 in the final set.

Team 3 – Home to Trim (1-2), Points to Date: 4

The Men’s third team had an early 9.30 am home fixture versus Trim 1 which unfortunately resulted in 1-2 defeat. Roy Bailey and Ken Browne won again in 2 sets. JP Begley and Keith O’Byrne lost in 2 long sets and Paul Kilduff and Paul Ivory lost in 3 long sets. Thanks to Paul Ivory for subbing and to Roy Bailey for playing immediately afterwards for the second team.

Team 4 -Away to Laystown/Bettystown (1-2), Points to Date: 7

Sandycove 4 travelled to Laytown/Bettystown minus three of our team but grateful to Harry Wall, Michael Butler and Dermot Ennis for subbing in. A difficult task made all the harder on a blustery cold day on what we all agreed were very slow courts. It’s days like this that you appreciate home advantage being the overriding feeling before and after the match! David Hanley and Mark Cunningham played at 1 and steadily won in 2 sets. Unfortunately Frank and Harry and Michael and Dermot both lost out in 2 sets, all three matches finishing within 5 minutes of each other. A return of 7 out of 9 points, and, top of the section so far still keeping the team on track before our next encounter.

Team 5 – Away to Naas (0-3), Points to Date: 3

Impacted by the loss of Chris Daly & Greg Mc Dowell we assembled our resources and headed for Naas. A big credit to our Subs for coming straight off court and race down to Nass. Talented and all as the lads are, the team went down 3-0 on the day to a very strong Nass side. Burke and O’Higgins lost 3 and 3, while Gill and Bennett went down to a similar score, leaving our 2nd pairing to slug it out for a point, but, despite going a set up, we came undone, losing a very tight 3rd set. Much work to be done over the coming two weeks for this side!

Team 6 – Home to Glenageary (2-1), Points to Date: 7

Another 2 points hard earned last Sunday positions Team 6 in 2nd place in the section, 1 point behind Terenure (next week’s Opponents) and 2 points ahead of Templeogue (opponents on the last weekend). Missing 4 starters , with Joe, Liam and Sean absent through injury and with Harry on loan higher up, we ploughed on and at 1st Doubles where Philip Craig and Gary Byrne got out of the blocks early in both sets to take the first match 6-1, 6-1.

The super-sub combination of Pat Giles and Larry Staines at 3rd Doubles delivered a great 7-5, 7-6 win in the Third match and secured our 2nd point of the day. At 2, Tim Mc Nichols & Simon Hugh-Jones won the first set but their opponents dug in to take the second 7-6 and subsequently the third, 6-4. The section is delicately poised and a win on Sunday should set us up for qualification to the knock out stages. A big thanks to our Subs Larry & Pat.

Team 7 – Away to Lansdowne (2-1), Points to Date: 6

The team recorded an important 2-1 victory on Sunday which sees them lying second in the table with two matches to play. Stephen McGoohan and Declan Keane secured a point with 3-6, 6-3, 6-3 win. Pat Leamy and Rory O’Hagan were off court very quickly, winning 6-4, 6-1, as Rory had a flight to catch! Many thanks to Rory for subbing despite his hectic schedule that day. Tom O’Higgins and Fred O’Neill lost narrowly in three tight sets. Many thanks also to Fred for subbing at the last minute..