An exciting week for not only the National XXXX Gold Tennis but also Andrew Ainger, who had the honour of being welcomed as only the fourth official member of the side. Danger was selected from a large talent pool who battled it out over the weekend for the highly prized position in the side. The position became available when the XXXX Gold side received official invites to the opening of the Crown Metropol, Melbourne's new and largest hotel, and decided they needed to send at least one representative. The team decided the only fair way to select who got to attend was to hold a play off, which resulted in Jamie beating both Pete and Rowdy and heading off to Melbourne to attend the festivities.
From all reports the crowd was buzzing with excitement when Jamie arrived on the red carpet and he was even offered the privilege of being the first person to stay in the penthouse apartment. Im not sure whether this eventuated though as photos realised mid week on facebook picture Jamie at a number of night spots trying to undress women on the dance floor, clearly showing he doesn't need a room to get the job done!!! Good work Jamie
Enough of the weekly gossip, lets move onto the tennis for the week. The boys travelled over to Red Hill to take on the undefeated Red Hill 2 side. Upon arriving the boys worst nightmare came true, they were going to be playing on clay!!! After a quick warm up the boys knew that it was going to be a tough night of dealing with varying bounce and pace. Lets have a look at the results to see whether the boys came through this daunting challenge.
Results for Week 5
Singles
Stinky v Steve - After a number of polished performances and well mannered displays over the last few weeks, stinky finally blew up!!! Leading 4 games to 1 and on his way to closing the match out Stinky some how self destructed and was given an official racket abuse warning. At one stage captain Rowdy looked over and noticed Stinky bleeding and was impressed that stinky was so committed to the team he was willing to shed blood. Later however he was informed that stinky had punched his racket and in fact cut his knuckles open in doing so. No doubt Rowdy would have been unimpressed after working closely with Pete during the last few weeks to eradicate this sort of behaviour. Either way stinky managed to recover and eventually won 6 games to 4.
Danger v Cam - After overcoming early nerves and a few poor unforced errors Danger managed to find his rhythm and produced the quality tennis the side knew he was capable of. His big serving and quality touch at the net were a highlight of the match as Danger closed out the second half of the match in quick fashion to dispose of Cam 6 games to 3. A great way to start your singles career with the XXXX Gold Team, congratulations Danger!!!
Rowdy v Rob - Rowdy's game can only be described as average at the very best. Playing the final game of the night against a bloke old enough to be his grandfather Rowdy produced some uninspired tennis and if it wasn't for Rob appearing to throw some points in order to finish in time to get back to the nursing home before supper finished Rowdy may have found himself on the losing side. Rowdy eventually got the points after winning 6 games to 3, although he will need to improve his performance dramatically over the next few weeks, otherwise Danger could become a regular in the side!!!
Doubles
Danger/Rowdy v Cam/Rob - Danger and Rowdy started the match is horrible, struggling to adjust to the court conditions, and after some horrible bounces and unforced errors found themselves down 4 games to 0. The boys finally won a game with Rowdy holding serve and from this found some much needed confidence. Danger and Rowdy went on to win the next 4 games and found themselves up 5 games to 4. They were unable to finish off the match here though and it eventually went to a tie break to decide the match. The boys eventually won the tie break 7 points to 5 and took the match 7 games to 6.
Stinky/Rowdy v Steve/Rob - This game was by far the most solid display of tennis for the night as Stinky and Rowdy closed out the match in rather quick fashion, winning 6 games to 2.
Stinky/Danger v Steve/Cam - Stinky and Danger mixed some crushing winners with some equally as bad unforced errors and managed to grind out a solid 6 games to 3 win. Stinky again showed some poor manners on the tennis court, often heard sledging the opposition and at one stage after hitting a winner was seen to get in the face of Cam and say "Thats how you play tennis" !! Another incident from the night that im sure team captain Rowdy may after address with Stinky before next rounds matches.
So there you have it, a tough night on the court for the boys which saw them battle their way to a solid 6 sets to 0 (37 games to 21) win. Pleasing to see a solid display from the teams newest member and im sure he will be itching to get another call up in the coming weeks.
A bye as a result of the ANZAC day public holidays this Monday means the XXXX Gold boys wont be playing again until the 3rd of May. Round 6 sees the boys travel to ANU to take on the old foe, it what will no doubt be a firey encounter. Supporters are encouraged to get to the courts early as a big crowd is expected and seating is minimal.
Thursday, April 22, 2010
Tuesday, April 13, 2010
Week 4 Results
Team National XXXX Gold have continued their dominance of the Canberra Pennants Tennis Competition recording a moral boosting win over Red Hill in freezing cold conditions at their home courts in Lyneham.
Upon arriving at the courts this reporter was shocked to find Jamie Glenn sitting upstairs at the bar watching the footy polishing off a schooner, XXXX Gold of course!!! Lets hope this doesnt put him out of favour with captain Rowdy, although it must be said it certainly helped his tennis, maybe the beer helped take away the nerves???
After this initial shock I ventured to the playing courts to find Pete and Rowdy being introduced to what i later found out were their opponents for the night - initially I must admit i thought they were some kids from the local preschool there to meet their tennis idols and offer support!!! Turned out the boys had been pitted against some young up and comers from the AIS Acadamy squad, ranging in age from 13 to 15.
After watching the 'Hot Shot' kids warm up for a while and taking notice of their consistent stroke play the boys took the courts for an interesting night of competition.
Results for Week 4
Singles
Stinky v Michael - This young 14 year old took it to Stink from the out set, serving well and hitting some quality ground strokes and volleys. After four games the scores were locked at 2 all, however Stinky began to pull apart the kids game and steam rolled through the remainder of the match to secure a crushing 6 games to 2 win. Another solid performance from the number 1 seed!!
Jamie v Annie - For the first time in the competition Jamie found himself playing with a female, and after a few nervous moments managed to grind his way to a satisfying result. Jamie seemed preoccupied at times, often seen scanning the ground looking for the teams number one supporter for encouragement, although they failed to show. At 4 all and down 0-40 on serve Jamie dug deep and came up with 5 big first serves to win the game. This appeared to break his opponents back as Jamie sealed out the match 6 games to 4. A pleasing result, although Jamie will be searching for that crowd support next week to help lift his game to the next level!!
Rowdy v Sabrina - Like Jamie, Rowdy saw himself matched against a female also. Rowdy was less kind than Jamie and although having some quality rallies with the young tennis star, he sailed easily through the match winning 6 games to 0. Another strong performance from the number 3 seed!!
Doubles
Jamie/Rowdy v Annie/Sabrina - Playing against two girls together was something the boys didnt expect to encounter until their post season party at sensations, however the boys took the most of the opportunity to post a stunning 6 games to 1 win. No highlights to speak of, although the boys did get a good laugh out of looking over to the court next to them and seeing old Cheating Chang, an opponent from round 1, up to his old tricks again and blatantly cheating against his opponent for the night. Good to see Chang is continuing to show quality sportsmanship!!!
Stinky/Rowdy v Michael/Sabrina - Going into this match the XXXX Gold boys had not dropped a game together and were full of confidence. The confidence took a quick backseat as the boys lost the first game when 13 year old Sabrina held serve. From here the boys lifted their intensity and screamed through the rest of the match winning 6 games to 1. Highlight of the match was Rowdy pulling off an almost impossible backyard winner after chasing down a lob and running into the back fence. Just goes to show the determination these XXXX Gold boys display every week!!!
Stinky/Jamie v Michael/Annie - After having their colours lowered in their previous 2 doubles matches together the boys were determined not to lose a third - with Jamie even being bold enough to state that he would walk home in the cold if him and Stinky lost tonight. True to their word the boys played some quality tennis to emerge victorious 6 games to 2. Captain Rowdy was ecstatic with the victory as it gave the boys full points for the night and ensured the National XXXX Gold Team stays firmly on top of the competition ladder.
So there you have it, another solid display of tennis from the XXXX Gold Team this week, cruising to a 6 sets to 0 win and only dropping 10 games for the night.
Next week sees the boys heading on their second road trip for the season as they take on the second Red Hill side, who currently sits in second place on the ladder and also undefeated. A great opportunity for the boys to test their skills against some good opposition, and open up a handy lead on the competition if they can come out victorious.
Upon arriving at the courts this reporter was shocked to find Jamie Glenn sitting upstairs at the bar watching the footy polishing off a schooner, XXXX Gold of course!!! Lets hope this doesnt put him out of favour with captain Rowdy, although it must be said it certainly helped his tennis, maybe the beer helped take away the nerves???
After this initial shock I ventured to the playing courts to find Pete and Rowdy being introduced to what i later found out were their opponents for the night - initially I must admit i thought they were some kids from the local preschool there to meet their tennis idols and offer support!!! Turned out the boys had been pitted against some young up and comers from the AIS Acadamy squad, ranging in age from 13 to 15.
After watching the 'Hot Shot' kids warm up for a while and taking notice of their consistent stroke play the boys took the courts for an interesting night of competition.
Results for Week 4
Singles
Stinky v Michael - This young 14 year old took it to Stink from the out set, serving well and hitting some quality ground strokes and volleys. After four games the scores were locked at 2 all, however Stinky began to pull apart the kids game and steam rolled through the remainder of the match to secure a crushing 6 games to 2 win. Another solid performance from the number 1 seed!!
Jamie v Annie - For the first time in the competition Jamie found himself playing with a female, and after a few nervous moments managed to grind his way to a satisfying result. Jamie seemed preoccupied at times, often seen scanning the ground looking for the teams number one supporter for encouragement, although they failed to show. At 4 all and down 0-40 on serve Jamie dug deep and came up with 5 big first serves to win the game. This appeared to break his opponents back as Jamie sealed out the match 6 games to 4. A pleasing result, although Jamie will be searching for that crowd support next week to help lift his game to the next level!!
Rowdy v Sabrina - Like Jamie, Rowdy saw himself matched against a female also. Rowdy was less kind than Jamie and although having some quality rallies with the young tennis star, he sailed easily through the match winning 6 games to 0. Another strong performance from the number 3 seed!!
Doubles
Jamie/Rowdy v Annie/Sabrina - Playing against two girls together was something the boys didnt expect to encounter until their post season party at sensations, however the boys took the most of the opportunity to post a stunning 6 games to 1 win. No highlights to speak of, although the boys did get a good laugh out of looking over to the court next to them and seeing old Cheating Chang, an opponent from round 1, up to his old tricks again and blatantly cheating against his opponent for the night. Good to see Chang is continuing to show quality sportsmanship!!!
Stinky/Rowdy v Michael/Sabrina - Going into this match the XXXX Gold boys had not dropped a game together and were full of confidence. The confidence took a quick backseat as the boys lost the first game when 13 year old Sabrina held serve. From here the boys lifted their intensity and screamed through the rest of the match winning 6 games to 1. Highlight of the match was Rowdy pulling off an almost impossible backyard winner after chasing down a lob and running into the back fence. Just goes to show the determination these XXXX Gold boys display every week!!!
Stinky/Jamie v Michael/Annie - After having their colours lowered in their previous 2 doubles matches together the boys were determined not to lose a third - with Jamie even being bold enough to state that he would walk home in the cold if him and Stinky lost tonight. True to their word the boys played some quality tennis to emerge victorious 6 games to 2. Captain Rowdy was ecstatic with the victory as it gave the boys full points for the night and ensured the National XXXX Gold Team stays firmly on top of the competition ladder.
So there you have it, another solid display of tennis from the XXXX Gold Team this week, cruising to a 6 sets to 0 win and only dropping 10 games for the night.
Next week sees the boys heading on their second road trip for the season as they take on the second Red Hill side, who currently sits in second place on the ladder and also undefeated. A great opportunity for the boys to test their skills against some good opposition, and open up a handy lead on the competition if they can come out victorious.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)
