WOW!!! What a week for the National XXXX Gold Team, in their first road trip of the season they cruise to an easy win, but not after some dramatic events and controversy before a ball had even been served.
The week began in horrible fashion with Jamie being insured in freak circumstances during a training session on Saturday. In what some have been describing as the worst injury EVER seen in a game of ‘arse’, Jamie was some how struck in the eye by an absolute scorcher of a serve from Rowdy. Rumors immediately began circulating that Rowdy hit Jamie on purpose so he could get a crack at being the number 2 seed, however with Rowdy’s serve being about as trustworthy and reliable as ‘cheating Chang’ (week 1 opponent), there is no way Rowdy could have done it on purpose.
Being the tough competitor that Jamie is, he willed his body to recover and miraculously made himself available for selection for Monday nights clash. After a quick meeting between Pete, Rowdy and the medical staff it was decided Jamie was deemed fit enough to play and selected to take his place in the line.
The rain on Monday had the boys anxious as to whether the match would be abandoned, however after a phone conversation with the team captain from Eastlake, it was confirmed the match was still on and the boys piled into the commodore and headed across town to the upper class suburb of Manuka.
Upon arrival the controversy began!!! With another match also taking place at the venue and only 2 courts deemed playable, Ian ‘the rat’ Russell, having heard whispers as to how talented the National XXXX Gold boys were and thus knowing his team would be destroyed, tried to convince Captain Rowdy that their game should be called off. Infuriated by this Jamie and Stinky stormed off to the car and it was left to Rowdy to argue the teams case, which eventually resulted in the toss of a coin to decide which teams got the courts for the night. Much to the boy’s relief they won the toss and were granted the rights to the courts.
Results for Week 3
Singles
Pete v Nick – Stinky got the team off to a great start with a crushing 6 games to 1 win over the big serving Nick. Pete showed his class and touch, utilising his drop shot to great effect over his elderly, much slower opponent. Not sure if this is the most principled tactic in social tennis Stinky, but either way a great result!
Jamie v Ian – In winning 6 games to 0 Jamie set a new WORLD RECORD this week for the fastest singles set in history, defeating the previous mark held by Rowdy from week 2. Jamie lost only 2 points on his way to what can only be described as a demoralizing win over Ian ‘the rat’ Russell. Not even the sight of a tear trickling down Ian’s face was enough for Jamie to stop the onslaught, better luck next week Ian. Tremendous result for Jamie!
Rowdy v Phil – Rowdy had set a bold goal this week not to lose a game for the night and went into his final match of the night on track to do so. However the pressure soon got to Rowdy as he tightened up on serve and faced 3 break points. With his first serve gone walk about Rowdy somehow managed to drop his second serve in, and with the most unreliable ground strokes in the team even more remarkably managed to rally his way to deuce. From here Rowdy’s first serve returned and he powered his way through the game and the remainder of the match, culminating in a triumphant 6 games to 0 win and becoming the first XXXX Gold player to go through a night without dropping a single game. Congratulations Rowdy, a fantastic result!
Doubles
Jamie/Rowdy v Ian/Phil – Fueled with anger at the thought of Ian trying to call the match off the boys were pumped and from the moment Rowdy aced Phil with the first serve of the match it was clear this game was going to be over very quickly. Jamie and Rowdy stream rolled Ian and Phil and marched to a satisfying 6 games to 0 win.
Stinky/Rowdy v Nick/Phil – With Nick serving down some heat early Stink and Rowdy dug deep and managed to break his serve and from there went on to dominate the remainder of the match. The quality of the tennis played by Stink and Rowdy was fantastic, with a number of shots surely to feature in the next addition of the XXXX Gold ‘hot shots’. Stinky and Rowdy remain undefeated with another convincing 6 games to 0 win!
Stinky/Jamie v Nick/Ian – Having only given up a total of 1 game for the whole night Stinky and Jamie went into this match confident they could finish the night on a high and hand Team XXXX Gold their biggest win of the year. Nick and Ian had others ideas however, and with some solid serving from Nick and what can only be described as fluky, bullshit tennis from Ian ‘the rat’ the Eastlake boys caused the upset of the competition so far, with a 6 games to 4 win over the XXXX Gold boys. A disappointing result for Stinky and Jamie as they lose their second successive doubles match together.
So there you have it folks, a resounding 5 sets to 1 (34 games to 7) win for the National XXXX Gold Team, keeping them firmly a top of the competition ladder. The boys have a week off now due to Easter, which will give them plenty of practice time and a chance for Stinky and Jamie to work on their doubles combination.
Round 3 sees the XXXX Gold boys back at their home courts on the 12th of April and pitted against a strong Red hill side. All supporters are encouraged to come along and support the team, perhaps enjoy a cold beverage from the bar facility provided and get treated to some quality tennis.
Monday, March 29, 2010
Tuesday, March 23, 2010
Week 2 Results
Week 2 of the competition saw the team presented with their new uniform courtesy of the signing of our inaugural major sponsor for the year XXXX Gold - beer of champions!!!
So fitted in the latest high performance and trendy clothing team XXXX Gold marched into Lyneham tennis center high on confidence and suitably prepared for battle.
This week saw team XXXX Gold pitted against a strong all male Kaleen side, who had dominated their first round opponents as well. The initial introduction was filled with small talk and hesitation as each side tried to give little away as to how they performed first week, in order to keep in tact the element of surprise. As was the case in the first week team XXXX Gold watch intensly as the Kaleen side warmed up, it certainly appeared as if these boys possessed a few more skills then the team from the first week.
The sly acts continued on in the warm up as each side hit casually back and forth across the net trying not to give too much away about their strengths and weaknesses. It certainly appeared the Kaleen boys had come to play and team XXXX Gold were in for a tougher week!!!
Results from Week 2
Singles
Peter vs Pysey - Pete started his singles game strongly breaking Pysey in the opening game to take an early 2 to 0 lead. From here the game was neck and neck, as both players cranked up their massive first serves. In the next 6 games barely a rally was seen as both players struggled to control the speed of serves produced. Eventually Pysey was able to break Petes serve and put the game on even terms. From here however Pete rattled off a number of blistering backhand winners and took the match 6 games to 4. A gallant effort by Pysey however in the end Pete reigned supreme and took home the win.
Jamie vs Pottsy - Armed with a cracked tennis racquet sounding more tinny then the heartless Tin Man himself Jamie proceeded to do battle with pottsy, a hard hitting top spinner born and bred in the slum lands that is Charnwood. Not to be out muscled Jamie used his consistent strokeplay abilities to run old pottsy around the court and triumph 6 games to 2, a terrific result for the team XXXX gold number 2 seeded player. Following the game this reporter was able to gain a brief but insightful interview with Jamie, where Jamie showed he too is ruthless and heartless by saying that he simply "gave it to him (pottsy)", when asked how he would describe the win.
James vs Josh - From the moment this game started it appeared as if a whitewash was on the cards. Rowdy controlled his first serve brilliantly and gave Josh, the car dismantler from Queanbeyan, little chance to even think about having a rally. To Josh's credit he battled bravely but equipped with a serve that could only be described as lacking in caliber, and ground strokes that possessed less power then my grandma's forehand he certainly appeared to be out of his league in this match. Rowdy screamed through the set, serving and volleying at will and after a quick 15 minutes Josh had finally been put out of his misery. A resounding 6 games to 0 win to Rowdy the team XXXX Gold's number 3 seed.
Doubles
Jamie/James vs Pottsy/Josh - The boys from team XXXX Gold got off to a cracker of a start running out to 3 games to 0 lead in the opening 5 minutes. It wasnt until Pottsy pulled his finger out and rattled off some quality first serves that the boys from Kaleen even looked like getting on the board. Both XXXX Gold boys served superbly and backed this up with some quality touch at the net and ended up wining the match 6 games to 3. Highlight of the match however belongs to Josh, who finally managed to crank some heat onto his first serve, much to the dislike of his partner pottsy, who wore the serve right in back of his head!!! Brilliant result on that one Josh, you keep plugging away at your game mate, im sure it'll take off shortly.
Pete/James vs Pysey/Josh - The XXXX Gold pairing of stink and rowdy looks destined to destroy all before them in this competition as they ran through another set of opponents 6 games to 0. The boys never backed off after Rowdys initial service game which took 10 minutes and included 6 double faults. Not even a few killer serves from Pysey were enough to secure the Kaleen boys a game in this match, as josh continually proceeded to hit volley after volley long or wide. Pysey initially laughed all this off, however this reporter could clearly sense some frustration from Pysey with his laugh barely resembling a chuckle by the end of this match. All in all a solid display of tennis from both XXXX Gold boys and they should certainly be looking forward to teaming up again next week.
Pete/Jamie vs Pysey/Pottsy - With the Kaleen boys finally not having to carry the added weight of Josh on their shoulders they came out in this game swinging freely and the results showed. Pysey cranked up his serve to a new level that the boys from team XXXX Gold hadnt seen before, whistling two second serve aces past the racket of Jamie. This reporter would like to say that Jamie took this well, however it was left to Captain Rowdy to give his team mate an official misconduct warning for the use the C bomb, which im told has never been heard before in the pennants tennis competition. This seemed to spur the Kaleen boys on as they ran out to 5 games to 1 lead, the scoreline clearly getting the better of Stinky as he threw his racket around in disgust. After an order by Rowdy for the boys to fight harder they lifted their games and rattled off three consecutive games. It was not enough however, as Pysey once again cranked his jet serve up to finish the match 6 games to 4 and hand team XXXX Gold their first set loss of the competition.
So there you have it folks, team XXXX Gold march into round three still undefeated, after crushing the Kaleen Boys 5 sets to 1, 34 games to 15. Although the loss of their first set in the competition would have been a bitter pill to swallow. The boys all put in a great performance and will not doubt be eager to show up next week and make amends for it. Round three sees the boys take their first road trip of the season out to Eastlake, a daunting task for any new side!!!
Once again thanks for your continued support of the National XXXX Gold team, stay tuned for further updates and news.
Cheers
So fitted in the latest high performance and trendy clothing team XXXX Gold marched into Lyneham tennis center high on confidence and suitably prepared for battle.
This week saw team XXXX Gold pitted against a strong all male Kaleen side, who had dominated their first round opponents as well. The initial introduction was filled with small talk and hesitation as each side tried to give little away as to how they performed first week, in order to keep in tact the element of surprise. As was the case in the first week team XXXX Gold watch intensly as the Kaleen side warmed up, it certainly appeared as if these boys possessed a few more skills then the team from the first week.
The sly acts continued on in the warm up as each side hit casually back and forth across the net trying not to give too much away about their strengths and weaknesses. It certainly appeared the Kaleen boys had come to play and team XXXX Gold were in for a tougher week!!!
Results from Week 2
Singles
Peter vs Pysey - Pete started his singles game strongly breaking Pysey in the opening game to take an early 2 to 0 lead. From here the game was neck and neck, as both players cranked up their massive first serves. In the next 6 games barely a rally was seen as both players struggled to control the speed of serves produced. Eventually Pysey was able to break Petes serve and put the game on even terms. From here however Pete rattled off a number of blistering backhand winners and took the match 6 games to 4. A gallant effort by Pysey however in the end Pete reigned supreme and took home the win.
Jamie vs Pottsy - Armed with a cracked tennis racquet sounding more tinny then the heartless Tin Man himself Jamie proceeded to do battle with pottsy, a hard hitting top spinner born and bred in the slum lands that is Charnwood. Not to be out muscled Jamie used his consistent strokeplay abilities to run old pottsy around the court and triumph 6 games to 2, a terrific result for the team XXXX gold number 2 seeded player. Following the game this reporter was able to gain a brief but insightful interview with Jamie, where Jamie showed he too is ruthless and heartless by saying that he simply "gave it to him (pottsy)", when asked how he would describe the win.
James vs Josh - From the moment this game started it appeared as if a whitewash was on the cards. Rowdy controlled his first serve brilliantly and gave Josh, the car dismantler from Queanbeyan, little chance to even think about having a rally. To Josh's credit he battled bravely but equipped with a serve that could only be described as lacking in caliber, and ground strokes that possessed less power then my grandma's forehand he certainly appeared to be out of his league in this match. Rowdy screamed through the set, serving and volleying at will and after a quick 15 minutes Josh had finally been put out of his misery. A resounding 6 games to 0 win to Rowdy the team XXXX Gold's number 3 seed.
Doubles
Jamie/James vs Pottsy/Josh - The boys from team XXXX Gold got off to a cracker of a start running out to 3 games to 0 lead in the opening 5 minutes. It wasnt until Pottsy pulled his finger out and rattled off some quality first serves that the boys from Kaleen even looked like getting on the board. Both XXXX Gold boys served superbly and backed this up with some quality touch at the net and ended up wining the match 6 games to 3. Highlight of the match however belongs to Josh, who finally managed to crank some heat onto his first serve, much to the dislike of his partner pottsy, who wore the serve right in back of his head!!! Brilliant result on that one Josh, you keep plugging away at your game mate, im sure it'll take off shortly.
Pete/James vs Pysey/Josh - The XXXX Gold pairing of stink and rowdy looks destined to destroy all before them in this competition as they ran through another set of opponents 6 games to 0. The boys never backed off after Rowdys initial service game which took 10 minutes and included 6 double faults. Not even a few killer serves from Pysey were enough to secure the Kaleen boys a game in this match, as josh continually proceeded to hit volley after volley long or wide. Pysey initially laughed all this off, however this reporter could clearly sense some frustration from Pysey with his laugh barely resembling a chuckle by the end of this match. All in all a solid display of tennis from both XXXX Gold boys and they should certainly be looking forward to teaming up again next week.
Pete/Jamie vs Pysey/Pottsy - With the Kaleen boys finally not having to carry the added weight of Josh on their shoulders they came out in this game swinging freely and the results showed. Pysey cranked up his serve to a new level that the boys from team XXXX Gold hadnt seen before, whistling two second serve aces past the racket of Jamie. This reporter would like to say that Jamie took this well, however it was left to Captain Rowdy to give his team mate an official misconduct warning for the use the C bomb, which im told has never been heard before in the pennants tennis competition. This seemed to spur the Kaleen boys on as they ran out to 5 games to 1 lead, the scoreline clearly getting the better of Stinky as he threw his racket around in disgust. After an order by Rowdy for the boys to fight harder they lifted their games and rattled off three consecutive games. It was not enough however, as Pysey once again cranked his jet serve up to finish the match 6 games to 4 and hand team XXXX Gold their first set loss of the competition.
So there you have it folks, team XXXX Gold march into round three still undefeated, after crushing the Kaleen Boys 5 sets to 1, 34 games to 15. Although the loss of their first set in the competition would have been a bitter pill to swallow. The boys all put in a great performance and will not doubt be eager to show up next week and make amends for it. Round three sees the boys take their first road trip of the season out to Eastlake, a daunting task for any new side!!!
Once again thanks for your continued support of the National XXXX Gold team, stay tuned for further updates and news.
Cheers
Player Profile - James Walsh
Name: James Walsh
Nicknames: Rowdy, Walshy, Jimmy, Pinchy
Team Rank: 3
Favourite Food: Lasagne
Favourite Beer: XXXX Gold
Favourite Movie/TV Show: Shawshank Redemption/ How i met your mother
Karaoke: Kenny Rogers, Gambler
Tennis Idols: Andre Agassi and Rod Laver
Biggest Influence: mum
Greatest Tennis Achievment: Winning the Narrandera Mixed Doubles Championship with my mum
Pre Game Ritual: snapping one off prior to driving to tennis
What would you spend your last $20 on? cold beers
Three people you would invite to dinner? Jennifer Hawkins, Shane Warne & Andre Agassi
Superstitions: Bounce the ball twice before serving
Most annoying habit of each team mate: Stinky - placing the second ball at his feet during his first serve
J Glenn - his foul language on the court
Three things you would want on a deserted island: fishing rod, matches and sunscreen
2010 Season Goals: Go through the season undefeated without dropping a set and become division champions
Player Profile - Jamie Glenn
Name: Jamie Glenn
Nicknames: Jamie, J Glenn, cheesebob, jim bob
Team Rank: 2
Favourite Food: ham, cheese and tomato toasted sandwiches
Favourite Beer: XXXX Gold
Favourite Movie/TV Show: Gladiator/House
Karaoke: Kenny Rogers, Gambler
Tennis Idols: Marat Safin and James Stanley
Biggest Influence: Team mates
Greatest Tennis Achievment: Beating Rowdy in the play off for the number two seed of the XXXX Gold Team
Pre Game Ritual: Take out $100 from the ATM at the Lyneham Tennis Centre
What would you spend your last $20 on? $1 on the paper, $19 on the first race at Randwick
Three people you would invite to dinner? Shane Warne, Charlie Sheen,
Superstitions: rowdy cant pick up when we go out cos he has red hair
Most annoying habit of each team mate: Rowdy - not letting me and pete warm up with the new tennis balls
Stinky - temperamental second serve
Three things you would want on a deserted island: Miranda Kerr, set of handcuffs and a camera
2010 Season Goals: Division champions
Player Profile - Peter Szczepanowski
Name: Peter Szczepanowski
Nicknames: Stinky, Pete, Pistol, Sheb, Nick
Team Rank: 1
Favourite Food: Will eat anything!!!
Favourite Beer: XXXX Gold
Favourite Movie/TV Show: Matrix Trilogy/ Southpark
Karaoke: Oasis, Wonderwall
Tennis Idols: Pat Rafter, Pete Sampras & Marat Safin
Biggest Influence: Mark Pritchard (junior coach)
Greatest Tennis Achievment: Undefeated Division 1 Champion, Shoalhaven Tennis Comp
Pre Game Ritual: Drive to Lyneham, then put on my shoes
What would you spend your last $20 on? lap dance
Three people you would invite to dinner? Megan Fox, Nick Riewoldt & Barrack Obama
Superstitions: When there is a fly in the room, if you go to get the fly spray he will always be gone when you get back
Most annoying habit of each team mate: Rowdy - blinding skin
J Glenn - ridiculous slice serve
Three things you would want on a deserted island: case of XXXX gold, pilot and a plane
2010 Season goals: become division champions
Monday, March 22, 2010
Week 1 Results
week 1 saw the XXXX Gold Team pitted against the other Lyneham team, and the reigning premiers from last years competition.
After getting over the initial shock of seeing a girl on the other team (we were of the impression it was an all mens comp) team XXXX Gold began their warm up. We watched intensely as the other team belted balls back and forth across the net to each other and wondered if perhaps we may have been a bit out of our league??? Needless to say i think all members of the XXXX Gold team were a little nervous once the matches started.
Results for the Night
Singles
Pete V ??? - Pete stamps his class on the competition with a comprehensive 6 to 0 drubbing of his 'mystery' opponent. There isnt much else to say about this h=game other then Pete was on fire and im pretty sure his opponent often wished he hadnt bothered showing up!! Congratulations Pete a great way to start the season!!!
Jamie V Chang - After a flying start that saw Jamie take a commanding 3 to 0 lead Jamei tightened up and the momentum of the game changed. The cagey chang seemed often confused by the rules of the game and at one stage had to be reminded by his own team mates that if the ball doesnt bounce within the court then he had lost the point. Jamie managed to hang in there and after a few somewhat dodgy line calls he managed to overcome what he described as 'boredom' and eventually close out the game 7 to 6 in the tie break.Congratulations Jamie, once again a pleasing way to start the season.
James V Blondie - After getting past the shock of having one of his first serves rocketed back past him James dug deep and finished the match in relatively quick time to secure a 6 to 1 win. James maintains he allowed Blondie to win a game in order to keep the 'spirit' of social tennis alive, however this is about as likely as Chang not being a cheat. This reporter is willing to bet that Blondie just simply got the better of him in that game!!! Either way a fantastic result to start the season!
Doubles
Jamie/James - Jamie and James started their campaign in blistering style with a 6 to 1 win. no real highlights to the game besides Blondie getting the better of the boys to hold serve and claim the only game of the set for her team.
Pete/James V ???/Blondie - The boys took their games to a new level and gave their counterparts a lesson in tennis to record a staggering 6 to 0 win. No highlights spring to mind in this game, other then perhaps the boys breaking the world record for quickest doubles win in history!!!!
Pete/Jamie V Chang/??? - After a long wait for Pete whilst Jamie took an hour to dispose of Chang in the singles game the boys finally started the final doubles match of the night. The game was over almost as quickly as the previous doubles match with the boys winning 6 games to 1. Once again Chang seemed somewhat confused at times, calling a ball that bounced almost a foot inside the line out. Upon looking up and seeing all the bewildered faces on the other players Chang wisely changed his mind and decided the ball may have bounced 'just' in.
All in all a great start from the XXXX Gold Team, they have really stamped their authority on this years competition and sent out a clear message ot the others teams that they are here to DOMINATE!!!
Stay tuned for further news and results!!!
After getting over the initial shock of seeing a girl on the other team (we were of the impression it was an all mens comp) team XXXX Gold began their warm up. We watched intensely as the other team belted balls back and forth across the net to each other and wondered if perhaps we may have been a bit out of our league??? Needless to say i think all members of the XXXX Gold team were a little nervous once the matches started.
Results for the Night
Singles
Pete V ??? - Pete stamps his class on the competition with a comprehensive 6 to 0 drubbing of his 'mystery' opponent. There isnt much else to say about this h=game other then Pete was on fire and im pretty sure his opponent often wished he hadnt bothered showing up!! Congratulations Pete a great way to start the season!!!
Jamie V Chang - After a flying start that saw Jamie take a commanding 3 to 0 lead Jamei tightened up and the momentum of the game changed. The cagey chang seemed often confused by the rules of the game and at one stage had to be reminded by his own team mates that if the ball doesnt bounce within the court then he had lost the point. Jamie managed to hang in there and after a few somewhat dodgy line calls he managed to overcome what he described as 'boredom' and eventually close out the game 7 to 6 in the tie break.Congratulations Jamie, once again a pleasing way to start the season.
James V Blondie - After getting past the shock of having one of his first serves rocketed back past him James dug deep and finished the match in relatively quick time to secure a 6 to 1 win. James maintains he allowed Blondie to win a game in order to keep the 'spirit' of social tennis alive, however this is about as likely as Chang not being a cheat. This reporter is willing to bet that Blondie just simply got the better of him in that game!!! Either way a fantastic result to start the season!
Doubles
Jamie/James - Jamie and James started their campaign in blistering style with a 6 to 1 win. no real highlights to the game besides Blondie getting the better of the boys to hold serve and claim the only game of the set for her team.
Pete/James V ???/Blondie - The boys took their games to a new level and gave their counterparts a lesson in tennis to record a staggering 6 to 0 win. No highlights spring to mind in this game, other then perhaps the boys breaking the world record for quickest doubles win in history!!!!
Pete/Jamie V Chang/??? - After a long wait for Pete whilst Jamie took an hour to dispose of Chang in the singles game the boys finally started the final doubles match of the night. The game was over almost as quickly as the previous doubles match with the boys winning 6 games to 1. Once again Chang seemed somewhat confused at times, calling a ball that bounced almost a foot inside the line out. Upon looking up and seeing all the bewildered faces on the other players Chang wisely changed his mind and decided the ball may have bounced 'just' in.
All in all a great start from the XXXX Gold Team, they have really stamped their authority on this years competition and sent out a clear message ot the others teams that they are here to DOMINATE!!!
Stay tuned for further news and results!!!
Welcome aboard
Welcome to the National XXXX Gold Tennis Teams blog page, where you will find all the latest information on the teams progress and upcoming events.
As you will have learnt from our facebook page the team consists of Peter Szczepanowski, Jamie Glenn and James Walsh, and together we are striving to achieve glory in the local Canberra pennants tennis competition. Player profiles are currently being organised and these will hopefully appear in the coming days.
We have recently signed XXXX gold as our inaugural sponsor for the 2010 season and as their first official duty the have provided us with team uniforms, photos of these to follow shortly!!!
The season officially began on the 15th of March and will end on the 7th of June, hopefully culminating in the team holding aloft the premiership cup! (We have no doubts this will happen)
Each round will see us pitted against a team from another Tennis Club, which will provide for some great rivalries to develop, especially against the old enemy that is ANU.
We encourage you to jump aboard and come along and support us in our quest to become the greatest tennis side that the Canberra pennant Tennis Competition has ever seen!!
Weekly text messages will be sent to supporters with a brief outline of the rounds results and each week the website will be updated with a comprehensive review of the rounds matches. This is to allow those of you who cant get to the games to keep up-to-date with the teams progress.
The draw for the season can be found on our facebook site and brief weekly results will also be posted there.
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