by: Mike Dunk
BUNDES LEAGUE
Well, the round robin matches have been completed and the semi final line up sees Bedfordview B, winners of the Hewitt Group, take on their A side who finished as runners up in the McMillan Group. Fairlands, who won the McMillan Group, meet Killarney in the other semi final. Bedfordview B side is comprised of the juniors who are coached by Earl Grainger. What a pleasure it is to see that a side comprised of the future of our Province has competed so well, and they won the Group with 57 points, 11 ahead of the runners up. Sadly, they will be without Damian Hume, their number one, who leaves this week to campaign on the ITF Futures Circuit in Indonesia. They comprehensively beat both Sandton Sports and the German Club and then edged out a plucky Killarney 15 – 8. In the last round of matches, Bedfordview beat the German Club but victory for the German Club would have seen them finish in the last four but they were surprisingly stream rolled by the youngsters. Earl Granger and his staff must take a lot of credit for the success achieved by this team. In winning the other Group, new comers Fairlands met with stronger opposition and only finished 3 points ahead of Bedfordview A side. That Fairlands really only came into the league “by default” at the eleventh hour, shows that the depth of tennis in the Province is deep. That a side can come into Bundes League and win their section, says a lot for the strength in depth and proves that the difference in standard between Bundes League and the next level, is very small. This can only be good for the future of tennis in Gauteng and other teams can take heart that after winning 1.1 and getting promotion to Bundes League, the gap can be bridged. The support for the teams has, at times, been very good with the German Club and Bedfordview having the strongest clan. With what is effectively the semi finals this Saturday and the finals on 15th, we look forward to greater support for the Provinces top teams from their clubs. All the results and log tables have been posted on the website with the full fixture list for this Saturday. On 15th, all teams will again be playing to determine the final positions from 1st to 8th. In the Ladies League the match on 15th between Bedfordview A and Marks Park A will, in all probability, determine the outcome. Both are unbeaten so far.
The champions of last year, Rivonia, have surprisingly lost twice and it looks as they their crown has slipped, if not fallen. Sadly, there has not been the quality of play in the ladies section compared to the men and this is an area that the Province will have to address. Something has to be done to improve the quality and depth of womens’ tennis, especially if we wish to compete at Inter Provincial level.
EVENTS COMING UP
The next two leagues are the Night League and the Mixed League. The Night League starts on 27 September and runs through until 25 October. Entries close on 17 September and the Mixed League begins on 7 October and ends on 4 November. Entries close on 27 September. All clubs should have received the application forms for entry, so please get them into the office before the closing dates of the respective leagues. Talking of leagues, those clubs who won their section in the recent Combined League and have not claimed the Club Pack of balls as their prize, please contact Wendy at the office (0114025615).
BON VOYAGE AND GOOD LUCK
As said in the report under the Bundes League, Damian Hume has left for the ITF Futures Circuit. This is his first attempt at playing on the Tour and will compete in three events with prize money of ten thousand US Dollars. He is seeded in the first qualifying event but with withdrawals common place, there is a chance he could get directly into the draw. This would be a huge bonus for him. His success on the Junior Tour has convinced him that he is ready for the next step up and we wish him well as he treads into uncharted waters. Hopefully his results will be sent back to us and then we can put them on this site.
INTERNATIONAL NEWS
The last Grand Slam of the year is well under way and congratulations to Rick de Voest in winning his first round match before losing to John Isner. Rick came through the qualifying draw to gain his place whilst Wesley Moodie fell at the last hurdle in qualifying. The US Open saw the final tournament for Tim Henman. The great debate will continue as to whether he under achieved or over achieved in his career. A career that has seen him carry the British flag for a number of years, almost single handedly. A true serve and volley player and one of what has become a dying breed these days such is the proliferation of clay courters. Tim even refused to sacrifice this style even on the clay. Remember that he reached the semi final of the French by employing these tactics. No doubt the surprise element so confused his opponents. He reached six semi finals of Grand Slam events; was annually “tipped” to win at Wimbledon, by the British press admittedly, and won a Master Series event. With that record one must err on the side of him having over achieved in relation to many players careers and for this he gets an A+. But his “one dimensional” play perhaps stopped him from achieving more. When matches were turning against him, he seemed to lack Plan B. His most memorable achievement at Wimbledon was his so near and yet so far semi final against Goran Ivanisevic in 2001, a match that was played over three days. Up by two sets to one before rain and bad light forced them off court, yet again, he was a shadow of himself the next day when he failed to capitalize on the foundation he had laid. A series of injuries, especially to his back over the past 12 months, has hastened his retirement. His nickname of Gentlemanly Tim was well earned and his demeanor on the court was a role model for any young player. He will be missed, especially by the British crowds at Wimbledon, and it is fitting that he has chosen that Centre Stage (although it will be Court 1 and not Center Court) for his final bow, in the Davis Cup tie against Croatia later this month.
