Author: Sara Phillips

Open Finals Day July 17th

Posted on by Sara Phillips
Our Open Finals Day was held this past Sunday and as usual it was well supported. Four fantastic finals with some exciting rallies and great tennis in some very hot and sunny conditions.
It was nice to see new finalists plus finalists looking to increase their tally.
We also raised £150 for the Boathouse charity beating last years total.
A big thank-you to all fundraisers, organisers, umpires, supporters and bar staff for a well organised afternoon.
Our winners of the trophies
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Mens Singles
Steve Riley
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Ladies Singles
Steph McPheeley
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Mens Doubles
Simon Keelan and Anthony Mulligan
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Ladies Doubles
Judith Buckley and Steph McPheeley
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Mixed Doubles
Jonathan Ash and Steph McPheeley
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Weeks 8 & 9 League Update

Posted on by Sara Phillips

Week 8

The Men’s 4ths had a great start to the week earning a well earned 2 2 draw with league leaders Thornton.  They celebrated with pizzas afterwards, returning the hospitality offered by the away team in the reverse fixture.

The 3rd team had a bit of a damp day.  Roy couldn’t see Berrettini on Court 1 as he pulled out and the 3rds got rained off just after the Bowerham boys arrived.  How frustrating!

The 2nd team got rained off due to sporadic monsoon-like showers.

The first team clearly wanted to make the Lewis Capaldi show as they won 40 and both pairs were done by 8:25pm.  The first pair finished at 8pm.  Pure domination!

The fifths had a fabulous evening away at St Chad’s.  The Noblett brothers plus dad Paul and Dave Wright (no relation)  had a 4 0 win, finishing off the match in near darkness.

Week 9

The week started off with a fabulous 4th team vs 5th team extravaganza.  The 4th lost 1 due to illness and 1 rubber was split but the 5ths got 2 brilliant wins, thanks to their dynamic father and son duo.

The first team got a great 3 1 win away at Wrea Green, keeping them in the promotion hunt.

The 2nd team went to league leaders Moorland and ran them close but sadly lost 4 0.

The 3rd team got a 2 2 draw on the bright blue courts away at Fairhaven in Roy’s final league match as Lytham Club Captain.

The 4th team got a well earned 3 1 win away at Ansdell, on the multi-sport astro court in the middle of a building site!

Bravo!

Weeks 6 & 7 League Update

Posted on by Sara Phillips
Week 6
A quiet week for our teams this week.
Our 2nd and 3rd team had a week off.
Our 5th team had a tough trip to Penwortham but came away with a well earned point.
Our 1st team got a 31 win which moves them further up the table.
Our 4th team won 31 away from home in a fabulous performance on a warm day in sunny Leyland, including another win for our father son duo – Pat and Leo!
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Week 7
Most teams were on the road this week.
The 5ths were rained off just as Barton arrived, which was unfortunate.
The 4ths had a 40 loss against South Shore in some very close games.
The 3rd team had a tough draw away at Hambleton and came home very tired.
The 2nd team also had tough opposition and sadly came away with no points.
Our 1st team continued their upwards momentum with a 31 win away at Fulwood.

Weeks 4 & 5 League Update

Posted on by Sara Phillips
Week 4
The fourths had a week off so challenged the 2nds to a friendly, and although they lost they gave them a run for their money. The 2nds sadly had a tough 40 loss against a strong Fairhaven side.
The 5ths had a tough match away at Thornton losing 3 1 although fun was had by all
The 3rds had a tough 3 1 loss at home to Fulwood
Due to the jubilee festivities the firsts game was cancelled this week.
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Week 5
The fifths had a 31 win vs Garstang including a debut for one of our juniors who then also debuted for the 4ths the very next night.
The fourths had double matches this week. A 22 draw and a 31 win sending them flying up the table.
The firsts managed a 22 draw away at Leyland.
The 3rd team channeled their inner Nadal mentality and got a 22 draw on the clay courts at Broughton
The 2nd team got a 22 draw vs Norbreck, swapping their home and away matches around.
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So where does that leave all the teams
The 1sts are 3rd out of 7
The 2nds are 5th out of 7
The 3rds are 3rd out of 7
The 4ths are 5th out of 7
The 5ths are 6th out of 11.
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It’s been a fun and enjoyable start to the season.

Jubilee Celebrations

Posted on by Sara Phillips
An amazing turnout for the intersection Jubilee event on Thursday 2nd June. 22 teams entered the rounders tournament from the tennis section along with cricket, hockey and football across 6 pitches and 3 hours of play. A great atmosphere and the weather was kind with the rain holding off until the matches and presentation were finished. Thanks to all who took part. Following the success of the day we intend to make it an annual event.
The “Oaces” tribute band provided excellent entertainment into the evening.
The Big Picnic on Sunday saw Flip entertain us once again as we produced our “posh picnics” and huddled under gazebos , although once again, although it was cooler, the rain held off.
All in all it was a great long weekend and a lovely way to celebrate the occasion.

Fylde Men Match Reports Blog

Posted on by Sara Phillips
Beautifully written by Ed after the 3rd week of matches!
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Rain rain go away
The Fylde men want to play.
Stormy showers, grass slippy,
Having a game would be silly
The 4ths rained off before the open draw
The 3rds cancelled as Fairhaven arrived at the door
The 2nds got wet, but finished just in time
The firsts and fifths got glorious sunshine,
The 2nds got 2, the firsts got 3
The fifths got 1, allons-y !
Watching the firsts was pristine,
Utter dominance against Wrea green,
The rallies and games went under the lights,
The crowd watched with drinks and clapped with delight.
The 2nds only had one pair, so Roy joined in,
Playing division 5 a natural home for him!
The 5ths had to navigate a building site,
Just to find their game that night.
Bring on the sunshine, bring away the rain,
I don’t fancy rearranging a rained off match again.

American Tournament May 22nd 2022

Posted on by Sara Phillips
On Sunday May 22, we hosted another well attended American tournament. 28 participants, even numbers of men and women! We had to use the mini court as two sharp showers left the grass slippy.
However, the grass soon dried up and we could use more grass as the afternoon went on.
Rachel Smith and Jonny Miller got the much sought after Wooden Spoon/Fruit Shoot prize which just shows how competitive American tournaments are as both players finished higher last time with Jonny actually gaining a silver medal on opening day!
The tournament winners were Sue Hudson, who won most points overall, and Chris Wilson who won the men’s side, adding another title to his collection after last winter’s singles league. Silver medallists Pat Booth and Tobias Morris gratefully shared his prize. A J20 and a Twix were the prizes given as a way to celebrate Novak Djokovic’s Birthday (Novak Djokotwix?!)
An enjoyable afternoon from all! Looking forward to the next one.

Opening Day Lunch May 1st 2022

Posted on by Sara Phillips
On Sunday May 1st we had our first opening day lunch for 2 years.
The Jacob Join was opened by Paul Finnerty and then we all sampled each others amazing home cooked dishes.
The winter ladder champions were announced. Graham Lanigan and Sally Cottam were the new winners of the Michael Waite trophy. Congratulations to Graham, Sally and all participants.
And in a big shock, the Avril Ruby Ô Donnell trophy for Mens and Ladies doubles were awarded to winter ladder organisers Ed Sawer and Linda Haworth by winter ladder creator Avril. Both Ed and Linda thought that those trophies were being awarded to other members!
We then followed with an American tournament organised by Roy and Becca Lunio. Always good fun after a delicious meal. The grass was too wet but the turnout popular so we decided to use the mini court. Mini court doubles was played with the opposite hand which made for great spectating.
The winners were Mark Taylor, Catherine Rogerson and Michelle Buckley who each get a brand new can of balls.
The day was ended by an exciting junior match between the U17s vs the U14s which was a thrilling display of our junior tennis. Some have already entered the open tournament. The club has a bright future.

Race For Life – Blackpool July 6th 2022

Posted on by Sara Phillips
Pam French has set up a “Lytham Tennis Ladies” Race for Life team, running/ strolling/crawling 5 km on 6th July 2022, in Blackpool.
It is to raise money for Cancer Research which, unfortunately, affects all of our lives at some point.
Please feel free to join the team, or to sponsor us at  fundraise.cancerresearchuk.org (look for Lytham Tennis Ladies).
Thank you for your support.
Lytham Tennis Ladies