Men’s Tennis 2nds put in an impressive performance as they walloped the Manchester Met 1sts in a 12-0 win at the South Ribble Sports Centre.

James Silson starred in a five-star showing as there were just six games dropped between the side.

Doubles partners Silson and Ryan Forrest started the rout by smashing the Met’s Spencer Bailey and Shu Sim 6-0, 6-1. That was matched by George Tilford and Matt Maloney, who recorded their own 6-0, 6-1 win against a lacklustre James Rogers and Robert Johnson.

Hard-hitting Maloney returned to court right after to dispatch of Sim 6-0, 6-0, with an awesome display of power and precision. And teammate Tilford on the court beside breezed past Johnson with a comfortable 6-2, 6-0 triumph.

There was also a win for UCLan captain Adam Goble, who beat the Met’s Bailey 6-1, 6-1. However, Silson stole the show in the final singles match with some superb serving in a relentless 6-0, 6-0 battering of Rogers.

Goble praised the performance from Silson, who hit more than a dozen aces during the day. He said: “He came through a tough match, against one of their better players, so he did very well.

Silson reluctantly agreed with the comments of his captain.

“I think I played well. I hit some decent forehands and I did not have to hit many backhands. I hit some aces off of my second serve. I would say it is because of much practice over the years”.

The 2nds next opposition is Liverpool Hope University on November 16th, who Goble believes will be their toughest match of the year. “We are joint second and they are top so it is going to be a tough one”, he said.

By Sam Gilliland

By Tom Allen

It’s all change at UCLan Tennis Club this season as three new captains take charge at a unfamiliar home venue. All three sides finished second in their respective leagues last season and now with a handful of departures impacting the teams, a significant re-shuffle has taken place.

James West takes over from Mike Austin as the new men’s first team captain. West who has been a first team regular for quite some time must feel confident about his side’s chances after a great league and cup run last year. With the departure of one or two key names, new faces will now come to fore as the men’s 1^st team aim to go one step further and clinch promotion his year. They begin their league season against a Liverpool John Moores 1^st team who dramatically denied the UCLan 2^nd team promotion last season.

After the departure of Kerry Roberts, Franky Tickle now takes the helm as Women’s 1^st team captain. The somewhat unchanged women’s team will look to kick on from last season and as both of the men’s teams will also attempt, finish one place higher and clinch promotion. The women kick off their campaign against another newly promoted outfit, Bangor 1^st team.

As former 2^nd team captain Andy Hoskins makes his way into the first team, Adam Goble now calls the shots as Men’s 2^nd team captain. The side which features a variety of players, old, new and returning, will aim to improve on last year’s result as they attempt to make a quick start to their league campaign this Wednesday. Their first opponents, Chester 1^st team, were relegated from the men’s 1^st team’s division and Chester will surely be looking to bounce straight back up after a dismal 2010/11 campaign.

Different captains and unfamiliar opponents aside, there is one more new addition to the UCLan set up this Wednesday, the home venue has changed. Last year, the club played on a fast paced carpet surface but this year things are different. In an attempt to cut costs the committee decided they would move to their new home, South Ribble Tennis Centre. A move which may help some players more than others as slower conditions are likely to result in longer rallies.

However, it is not the extended rallies that will be holding players up on Wednesday. All three teams find themselves involved in a frustrating fixtures clash. The teams will have to share the courts in what will prove to be a long day of both playing and supporting as the three UCLan teams begin their 2011/12 campaign.

A top of the table clash away at Bangor saw Tennis Men’s 1sts draw 6-6 with their rivals.

UCLan needed a win against their nemesis; the side who had inflicted the only black mark on their record with a 10-2 win back in October.  The return fixture offered a chance for the side to ensure their destiny was in their own hands with promotion at stake.

The opening doubles pair gave UCLan a dream start.  Mike Austin and James West saw the visitors take an early lead with a 6-3 6-4 straight sets victory that raised hopes of a title-deciding victory.

A sobering 3-6 0-6 defeat for the pairing of Jake Grinsill and Andy Jones ensured UCLan were swiftly brought back down to earth as the extent of their challenge was emphasised.

West and Austin put the away side in a dominant position as UCLan kicked off the singles with impressive poise and ensured that the momentum was with them.  West took his first set 6-1, but shrugged off sterner resistance in the second set to prevail 6-4.  Austin’s consistent 6-2 6-2 victory ensured that the side would return with at least a point and that they only required another win from the remaining singles matches to take all three.

Grinsill and Jones were unable to provide the necessary triumph in their singles games as both slipped to demoralising defeats.  A 0-6 2-6 loss for Grinsill ensured the pressure would be on Jones to deliver the deciding point.  He also failed to make any inroads as he was edged out 2-6 2-6, allowing Bangor to salvage a draw.

Grinsill described his side’s bemusement at their current position; “We are all disappointed that we have to rely on other results to gain promotion.

“It looks as though we will miss out again after being denied in the last game of last season.”

UCLan need to win all of their four remaining league matches to be in with any chance of promotion.  A trip to Manchester 3rds next time out could see the fate of the side’s promotion challenge decided.

By Jake Grinsill and Liam Geraghty

Tennis Men’s 1sts routed their Keele counterparts with a 12-0 whitewash in the BUCS Cup.

The defending champions showed little remorse as they dispatched their opponents with consummate ease, raising hopes of more glory at the season’s end.  With only 12 games dropped in six matches, the side find themselves bang in form as they enter the run-in of their campaign.

Mike Austin and James West gave the side the perfect start with a 6-0 win in the opening set of their doubles match; it was a peak they maintained throughout.  Despite the loss of two games in the second set, the damage to Keele’s fragile morale was already extensive.

Jake Grinsill and Andy Jones repeated the trick in their match to triumph in straight sets, leaving UCLan with a commanding lead with the singles matches still to play.

A draw was sealed as Austin vanquished his opponent with the loss of only a single game to ensure UCLan could be not defeated before West sealed the win.

Although a place in the quarter-final had already been assured, no mercy was shown to the downtrodden Keele side.  Grinsill and Jones completed the thrashing with familiar skill and poise.

UCLan return to league action next week as they entertain Chester 1sts.

By Liam Geraghty and Jake Grinsill

Men’s tennis 1^sts conquered Manchester 3rds in the first round of the cup, as the reigning winners looked to retain the trophy.

In the first doubles tie Mike Austin and James West paired up to produce their best performance of the season as their dominance at the net won the tie for the visitors.

The second doubles tie was less than straight forward for Andy Jones and Jake Grinsill. The UCLan pair took the first set in relatively easy fashion. They we’re forced into a deciding match tie-break for the second, but came out on top clinching the set 12-10.

In the singles, Austin continued his impressive 100% record as he swept his opponent aside with relative ease 6-4, 6-3.

At number two West played out a lengthy match against his Manchester counterpart. West took the first set comfortably but then conceded the second set. The match then went to a match tie-break which West won 10-6 to give UCLan an 8-0 lead.

Grinsill’s opponent then suffered a severe slump in form in the singles as Grinsill increased UCLan’s lead with a 6-1, 6-0 victory.

Jones played out the final match against a tough opponent with the match going to a tie-break. Jones fell behind early on and never fully recovered losing out 11-9 for Manchester to take two consolation points.

Austin’s team will be hoping to maintain their good performance when they face the same Manchester team away in the league.

By Jake Grinsill

Men’s Tennis 1^st team carried on their good form against Lancaster 1sts on Wednesday.

The team romped to a 10-2 victory to maintain their promotion push.

In the opening doubles match, Mike Austin and James West outclassed their opponents to win in straight sets.

Andy Jones and Jake Grinsill then paired up to take on their Lancaster counterparts. Jones and Grinsill wrapped up the first set 6-2. A fight back from the Lancaster pairing saw them take the second set and win the match on a tie-break.

In the singles, captain Austin led by example winning his match in straight sets. Austin’s triumph put the team in a commanding position leading the match 4-2. The home side’s captain carried on his good form to maintain his impressive 100% record in singles so far this season.

West put in a man of the match performance at number two. What could have been a potentially difficult match for the UCLan player turned out to be anything but as West took control from the off and cruised to a 6-2, 6-1 victory.

At number three, things were a lot more difficult for Grinsill. Grinsill found it hard to get to grips with his opponent’s serve in a very tight first set. Eventually, Grinsill managed to break serve and take the first set 7-5.

The second set didn’t go as planned for the UCLan man. Grinsill fell behind early on in the second set and never managed to pull it back losing it 6-2. The third set was also a tight affair which Grinsill managed to claim 6-4 to take the match.

In the final match for the team, Jones wrapped up the points in style to secure the 10-2 victory. The fourth seed completely dominated his opponent in a match which saw a big gulf in class between the two players. Jones started strongly and didn’t let up never giving his opponent a chance to win the match 6-1, 6-0.

By Jake Grinsill

The Men’s tennis 1^sts lost out to Bangor 10-2 in their second match of the season.

After an impressive 12-0 win in the opener, UCLan seemed to struggle without regular Number two James West.

The scoreline did not tell the full story as UCLan put up a brave fight, taking three of the five rubbers to three sets.  

The number one doubles pairing of Mike Austin and Dave Steers narrowly lost out in the opening match of the tie 6-3, 2-6, 10-8.

Jake Grinsill and Andy Jones went down to the other Bangor doubles pairing 7-6 (7-4), 7-6 (7-5).

Team talisman Austin notched up the only points for the side as he eased to a 6-4, 6-2 victory which never looked in doubt. This brought the score to 4-2 with the other three singles still in play.

Grinsill was defeated at number two despite a promising start as he took the first set 6-4. A comeback from his Bangor counterpart soon extinguished any hope as he rallied to win the next two sets 6-2, 6-2.

It was a similar story at number three for the UCLan team with Jones taking the first set 6-3. Jones looked to be playing well and had the better of the opening exchanges, but was then pegged back in the second set losing it 6-1. Jones’ opponent proved too strong in the end, taking the final set 6-1 to guarantee the Welsh side victory.

Steers stepped up to make his first-team debut at number four with West absent. Steers put in a brave effort but went down 6-2,6-0 in the end.

Captain Austin will be keen to welcome back West for the next match in an attempt to get the season back on track.

UCLan second team continued their impressive start to the campaign with a 10-2 victory over Keele University.

Captain Andrew Hoskins led by example cruising to a 6-1, 6-4 victory with Matt Maloney following in similar fashion with a 6-2, 6-1 victory.

Ash Phillips lost out at number three 6-4, 6-1 giving Keele the only two points they gained in the match.

Tom Allen came through a tough match winning in the third set 6-4, 2-6, 6-2 while Hoskins teamed up with Maloney and Phillips with Allen to wrap up the doubles and the points for the second team.

By Jake Grinsill

Men’s 1st Team Captain Mike Austin admitted that complacency cost his side promotion following yet another impressive campaign that faulted in the final furlong.

Unlike last season they did come away with a trophy, securing the BUCS Cup in devastating style defeating Durham 9-1 in the final, but the skipper believes this was little consolation for a season full of regret.

 “It is disappointing for me as we put the league ahead of the cup but you cannot win them all.” said Austin.

Once again their league promotion was decided on the final game of the season and once again they failed to muster the crucial win to pull through, drawing 5-5 to Manchester thirds.

However Austin confessed that the league was lost a month earlier when they unforgivingly arrived to their promotion decider against Manchester seconds a man short.

“It was a silly mistake as we only turned up with three men instead of four, so we lost a few rubbers just for that, which was obviously gutting because that should never happen especially in big matches,” said Austin.

“We got complacent, we just thought we were going to go and win the league and basically we thought we had the league rapped up. We didn’t and we figured after the game that losing that had actually lost us the title.”

Austin took total responsibility for this mistake and is looking to put things right next season: “I was pretty indecisive on whether to step down and give the captaincy to someone else but I am going to carry on and hopefully win the league and go out with a bit of a legacy.”

There was further disappointment for UCLan as the men’s seconds team were relegated to division three, meaning they will have a chance of facing the thirds, who managed to consolidate fourth place.

Meanwhile, Kerry Roberts’ women’s side narrowly survived relegation after crucially securing their only win of the season against rivals University of Liverpool 2nds.

By Geoff Berkeley

UCLan 9-1 Durham

Another trophy will be heading to UCLan, as the Tennis Men’s 1sts won the BUCS Cup, beating Durham 9-1.

Having lost last year’s final, UCLan won all four singles games against a Durham team from the division above, to ensure history would not be repeated.

In the opening doubles game, Captain Mike Austin and Matt Parsons comfortably beat their opponents, winning 8-2.

Tom Luke and Andrew Hoskins in the other doubles match had a much closer affair, both teams struggling with their serve.

It stayed tight all the way through, until Durham secured the vital break in the 12^th game, taking the match 8-5 and leaving the scores level going into the singles.

Parson was first up, taking the first set 6-2 whilst next door Austin also dominated, winning 6-3.

Both players then broke early in the second, however Austin was pegged back as the first five games of his second set all went against serve.

In the end it was a race to who could get the victory first, both being a set and 4-2 up.

It was Austin who got there first, breaking twice more to seal a 6-3, 6-2 victory with Parsons quickly following suit.

That meant that a victory for James West would secure the trophy for UCLan, however Durham were not giving up.

The visitors’ big serving left hander fought back, securing the crucial break in the second set to send the match into a deciding set.

When West was broken early in the third, it looked like Durham’s slim hopes would be kept alive, but the UCLan man fought back brilliantly to win four games in a row to set up match point.

The Durham player saved the first one, but in the next game West made no mistake to win 6-4, 4-6, 6-3.

Although there was no way back for Durham, there was still the matter of the final game which Luke won comfortably, 6-3, 6-0.

Activities and Participation Officer Tom Bailey was there to present the winners medals to the victorious UCLan team, who will attempt to add league promotion to the cup win in their final league game next week.

Captain Mike Austin was glad to be able to put last year’s final defeat behind them:  “It was a great effort from the lads, especially after coming runners up last year.

“We’ve done well to bounce back from that to go on and win it this year.”

Words and photo by Ciaran Thomas

UCLan 7-3 Sheffield

The BUCS Cup final beckons for the UCLan Men’s Tennis 1sts for the second year running, after a comfortable 7-3 victory over Sheffield 2nds.

With a four division gap between the teams, an easy victory could have been expected.

Sheffield however had already knocked out three teams from higher divisions, and wuickley took the lead, defeating the doubles partnership of James West and Adam Maddock 8-5.

The visitors lead was brief though, as Captain Mike Austin, and Matt Parsons won their doubles match 8-6.

West recovered from his early defeat to bounce back in the first singles match, thrashing his opponent 6-1, 6-0.

Austin was also in a dominant mood, winning 6-0, 6-3 to leave UCLan in a commanding position at 5-1 up.

The third singles match was an up and down affair for Parsons. After losing the first set he responded by winning the second to love, but was unable to carry the momentum into the third and was just edged out 6-3, 0-6, 7-5.

This meant it was all down to Maddock in the final match.  He won a tight first set, before running away with the second to win 6-4, 6-2 and secure the teams place in the final.

They will meet Durham 2nds, who knocked out Sheffield 1sts in the other semi final.

Captain Mike Austin was delighted with the performance: “We played really well. The confidence going into the final is very good, and hopefully we can go one better than last year.”

By Ciaran Thomas