UCLan 10-0 Lancaster

A 10-0 demolition of Lancaster 2nds saw UCLan’s Tennis Men’s 1sts into the quarter finals of the BUCS Cup.
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UCLan 1sts 7-3 Manchester 3rds

Manchester’s Tennis 3rds were taken apart by UCLan’s 1sts as they stamped their authority to win 7-3 and keep them top of Northern Conference 2A.

When top seeds Mike Austin and Matt Parsons got UCLan in front with a dominant 8-1 victory the match looked to be heading in the same direction as their 10-0 demolition of Manchester’s seconds earlier on in the campaign.

However Manchester’s Iain Brittain and Jack Knight sent the message that UCLan were in for a battle as they frustrated Tom Luke and James West with an 8-4 win.

Once again though, Austin and Parsons produced strong performances giving UCLan the upper hand. Firstly, Austin swept past his opponent with ease only conceding the one game: 6-0, 6-1. Parsons then followed that up with a commanding 6-4, 6-4 victory against a battling Knight.

With UCLan holding a 5-1 lead it was James West’s encounter with Paddy Aling that was to decide the outcome. The match witnessed some blockbuster tennis with both men embroiled in some magnificent rallies. Manchester’s Paddy Aling took the first set but West stepped up his game to capture the final two sets, winning 3-6, 6-2, 6-3.

The surprise of the day came in Tom Luke’s match as he lost for the first time in two years, losing in three sets to an inspired Brittain. Luke struggled early on losing the first set in disastrous fashion: 6-0. He did however gather himself in the second set, taking the tie break, although it was Brittain who found something extra to secure the final set 7-5.

Apart from Luke’s blip Austin was happy. He said: “It was impressive. Manchester are a strong team, with both the seconds and the thirds just behind us, so we did well to get through, comfortably as well.”

By Geoff Berkeley

UCLan 2nds 0-10 Manchester 2nds

UCLan’s Men’s 2^nd Tennis team suffered a whitewash at the hands of Manchester seconds as the away side eased to a 10-0 victory.

It was strong service and consistence that was the difference between the two sides as UCLan struggled throughout.

Both the doubles matches saw similar patterns in defeat as early breaks of serve were enough to see their Lancashire rivals move away. Even with 1^st team player Jake Grinsell moving down a level to partner Andy Jones, Manchester were too strong winning 8-3. Meanwhile, Ben Macleod and Neil Dorrien could not find a way through Alfonso Echazarra and Yannic Lukes losing 8-1.

First seed Dorrien was then once again tormented by the big serving Echazarra in the singles, seeing off the UCLan player in two dominant set, 6-0, 6-0.

Captain Joe Boast also found life hard losing 6-3, 6-1 against a compact Lukes. The skipper competed, producing some great shots at times, however this was not enough against the consistent Lukes.

Andy Jones went down in similar style as he fought bravely but lost in straight sets 6-2, 6-3.

It was the performance of Andy Hoskins that stood out as he battled through illness to take his match into a final set. After a close first two set his illness clearly took effect in the decider as his opponent Ben Watson completed a 6-3, 4-6, 6-1 victory.

Dejected captain Joe Boast said: “It was a good effort but to be honest we expected to lose, they are just far better than us.”

However Boast remained confident on next week’s clash against the 1sts: “I’m disappointed by today but I’m hopeful of better a performance next time”.

By Geoff Berkeley

UCLan Men’s 3rds 5-5 Lancaster Uni 2nds

UCLan Men’s 3rds secured a 5-5 draw against Lancaster 2nds to keep their long unbeaten record intact.

After going unbeaten last season, it was left to Liam Pryszlak and Captain Ash Phillips to see their proud record continue.

Ultimately though the match hinged on a tense tie-break victory in the doubles, as Phillips and Andrey Podrezov edged past Lancaster’s George Korbas and Matthew Barnes.

It could have been made a lot easier if the pair had built on a 6-3 lead. However Lancaster upped their game to force the match into a tie break. Luckily they found an extra gear to pull through 10-3 in the breaker.

The victory was made even more significant as UCLan’s top doubles pairing Pryszlak and David Steers were comfortably beaten by Nathan Worrell and Chris Whalley 8-3, levelling the match at one apiece.

Lancaster’s top seeds looked to be the difference especially in the singles as big serving Whalley swept past Steers 6-1, 6-2.

Worrell then added to the score with a highly impressive 6-2, 6-1 victory against a battling Podrezov. The two were continually embroiled in thrilling rallies however it was Worrell’s huge ground strokes that paid dividends.

With Lancaster only needing one more win the match boiled down to UCLan’s lower seeds to pull a point out of the bag.

Firstly, Pryszlak dealt with his match in convincing style, winning in straight sets 6-2, 6-3 against Barnes.

Phillips had to produce a captain’s performance, securing a 6-1, 6-4 against Korbas, earning his side a well earned point.

The skipper admitted: “I thought we played well. They just had two really good players so we had to battle it out for a draw rather than go all out for the win.”

By Geoff Berkeley

UCLan’s Tennis Men’s 1sts convincingly swept past the university’s 2nds 8-2 at the David Lloyd Centre in Chorley.

The match failed to live up to its billing as a grudge match although there were some impressive performances from the 1st team.

The absence of the 1sts third seed Tom Luke due to injury handed newcomers James West and Jake Grinsill a chance to impress.

This was an opportunity West grasped with both hands as he demonstrated some great shot making in his 6-0, 6-3 trouncing of 2nd team captain Joe Boast. Continue Reading

There may still be a long way to go in the season but another successful day for UCLan tennis shows signs that all four teams stand a great chance of promotion this season. Continue Reading