The Stratford Tennis League has crowned its 2012 champions. The ‘A’ championship was a battle between Physiotherapy Associates and Donkers Agri. The match up opened with Donkers taking the #1 ladies doubles as Linda Doig and Maria Donkers downed Johanna Billings and Annette Garneau 6-2 6-4. Physio responded by winning the #2 ladies doubles 6-3 7-6 (8 points to 6 points in the tie-breaker) as Ginny Smith and Marilyn Leasa defeated Lise Couture and Sandie Ennett. The #1 men’s doubles was a split as Donkers’ Bob Tamblyn and Bill White took the first set 6-1 , but Physio’s Richard Bast and Murray Schiedel won the second set 7-5. Tom Warnock and Todd Chisholm of Physio won the #2 men’s doubles 6-1 6-4 over Brent Hiller and Mike Furlong. Physio took a 5 set to 3 set lead into the mixed matches, meaning Donkers needed to win three of the four mixed sets to have a chance at the title.
Donkers opened the mixed with Doig and Tamblyn crushing Billings and Bast 6-0 to win the #1 mixed. Donkers won the #2 mixed as Donkers and White downed Garneau and Schiedel 6-2. Physio got an important win in the #3 mixed as Smith and Warnock defeated Couture and Hiller 6-2. The championship came down to the #4 mixed. After falling behind early Leasa and Chisholm were able to come back and take the #4 mixed for Physio 6-4 over Ennett and Furlong to secure the title. The 7 sets to 5 victory gave the 2012 ‘A’ championship to Physiotherapy Associates.
The ‘B’ championship saw Jolanda’s Diet Secret face off against SNAP. SNAP took the early lead as Marta Andrekovic and Claire Scott won the #1 ladies doubles 6-2 6-3 over Krista Plociennik and Deb Murphy. The #2 ladies doubles had a split as Jolanda’s Gail Shelton and Monica Eickmeyer took the first set 6-2 and SNAP’s Nancy Chung and Cathy Mowbray won the second set 6-2. The #1 men’s doubles saw Jolanda’s John Noble and Nathan Walsh win the first set 6-3 before SNAP’s Chris Parson and Greg Vivian rebounded to take the second set 6-2. The #2 men’s doubles also split as Pat McCarroll and Cameron Kramer won the first set 7-5 and SNAP’s Jack Watson and Larry Shurrie took the second set 6-4. SNAP took a 5-3 lead in sets into the mixed doubles.
Jolanda’s Plociennik and Noble scored a 7-5 victory over Andrekovic and Parson to take the #1 mixed match. The #2 mixed match also went to Jolanda’s as Murphy and Walsh downed Scott and Vivian 7-5. Jolanda’s continued their mixed success as Shelton and McCarroll defeated Chung and Watson 6-2 in the #3 mixed match. Needing a win in the #4 mixed match SNAP’s Mowbray and Shurrie were able to pull it off as they downed Eickmeyer and Kramer 6-2. This left the match tied at 6 sets each and meant the ‘B’ championship would come down to the games won. SNAP had a 58 to 54 advantage in games won meaning SNAP are the 2012 ‘B’ champions.

Picture 1: ‘B’ Champions – SNAP (l to r) Nancy Chung, Cathy Mowbray, Claire Scott, Marta Andrekovic, Chris Parson, Jack Watson, Larry Shurrie, Greg Vivian  Missing members are Noella Schiedel, Nancy Rheaume, Spenser Trachsel, Gary Henry

Picture 2: ‘A” Champions – Physiotherapy Associates (l to r) Marilyn Leasa, Ginny Smith, Annette Garneau, Johanna Billings, Richard Bast, Murray Schiedel, Todd Chisholm, Tom Warnock  Missing Members are Liz Yundt and Garth Nussey

The Stratford Tennis Club held its annual men’s and ladies doubles championship tournaments this past weekend. The beautiful weather and great play made for a spectacular weekend at the Club.

The Ladies ‘A’ doubles final had two-time defending champions Krista Plociennik and Claire Scott face off against Johanna Billings and Debbie Murphy. Plociennik and Scott once again proved they are the top ladies doubles team in Stratford cruising through the draw without losing a set. In the final the domination continued. Billings and Murphy played great tennis but could not overcome the impressive defending and superior offence of the defending champs. Plociennik and Scott took the final 6-0 6-2.

The Ladies ‘B’ final was a match up of first time finalists, as Sandie Ennett and Monica Eickmeyer took on Gail Shelton and Lise Couture.  Shelton and Couture have won multiple Ladies ‘B’ doubles titles over the years with different partners but this is their first teaming together. Ennett and Eickmeyer also have championship experience as Eickmeyer won the Ladies ‘B’ singles title last season and Ennett took the Mixed ‘B’ championship last week. After knocking off the defending champions in three sets in the semifinals Ennett and Eickmeyer continued their stellar play taking the final, and the 2012 Ladies ‘B’ championship 6-4 6-1.

The Men’s ‘B’ final went the full three sets. Jagdish Patel and Mike Furlong advanced to the final by beating the defending champions in the semifinal in straight sets. In the final they took on Pat McCarroll and Jim Wilson who were teamed together for the first time. The final was a physical affair as the rallies were long with many lobs and drop shots making each player do a lot of running. Patel and Furlong took a close first set 6-4 but McCarroll and Wilson rebounded to take the second set 6-4 setting up a third and deciding set for the title. With many long rallies and long games the third set held a lot of drama. In the end it was Patel and Furlong who prevailed winning the final set 6-3 to take the 2012 Men’s ‘B’ championship. This is Patel’s second ‘B’ doubles title and Furlong’s first.

 The Stratford Tennis League has completed the first week of its playoffs. The first semifinal saw Physiotherapy Associates face SNAP in the early game. The #1 ladies doubles had a split of sets as Johanna Billings and Annette Garneau of Physio took the first set 7-5 and Heather Henke and Claire Scott of SNAP won the second set 6-1. The #2 ladies doubles went to Physio as Ginny Smith and Liz Yundt scored a 6-3 6-2 victory over Cathy Mowbray and Noella Schiedel. Physio also took the #1 men’s doubles as Richard Bast and Murray Schiedel downed Chris Parson and Spencer Trachsel 6-3 6-3. The #2 men’s doubles was an easy 6-0 6-2 win for Physio’s Tom Warnock and Todd Chisholm over Larry Shurrie and Gary Henry. 

 SNAP took the #1 mixed doubles as Henke and Parson beat Billings and Bast 6-4. Scott and Trachsel gave SNAP another victory taking the #2 mixed doubles 6-2 over Garneau and Schiedel. Physio got back into the win column as Smith and Warnock took the #3 mixed 6-2 over Mowbray and Shurrie. The match concluded with Yundt and Chisholm of Physio winning the #4 mixed 6-2 over Schiedel and Henry.

 The 9 sets to 3 sets victory for Physiotherapy Associates sends them on to the ‘A’ championship final next week. SNAP will play in the ‘B’ championship.

The second semifinal had Jolanda’s Diet Secret and Donkers Agri facing off. The #1 ladies doubles saw Donkers’ Linda Doig and Maria Donkers win the first set 6-4 before Jolanda’s Krista Plociennik and Gail Shelton rebounded to take the second set 6-1. The #2 ladies doubles went to Donkers as Sandra Darby and Louise Lever downed Jolanda Vandereigt and Ivy Chung 7-6 (7 points to 2 in the tie-breaker) 6-2. The #1 men’s doubles had Bob Tamblyn and Bill White of Donkers defeat John Noble and Nathan Walsh 6-4 6-4. Donkers’ Brent Hiller and Mike Furlong took the #2 men’s doubles 6-3 6-4 over Cameron Kramer and Stuart Arkett.

The mixed doubles began with Doig and Tamblyn of Donkers scoring a 6-4 win over Plociennik and Noble in the #1 match. Jolanda’s took the #2 mixed as Shelton and Walsh steamrolled Donkers and White 6-0. Jolanda’s took the #3 mixed 6-2 as Vandereigt and Kramer beat Darby and Hiller. The #4 mixed was a 6-3 win for Donkers as Lever and Furlong defeated Chung and Furlong.

 With the  9 sets to 3 sets win Donkers Agri advances to the ‘A’ championship final. They will face Physiotherapy Associates in the title match in next weeks early game. The late game will have Jolanda’s Diet Secret face SNAP for the ‘B’ championship.

The Stratford Tennis Club began its Club Championship tournaments with the mixed doubles event. Play began on Saturday but the rains forced most of the play to be held on Sunday.

The ‘A’ final was a great match that went the full three sets. After surviving close semifinal matches Marta Andrekovic and Bob Tamblyn faced Krista Plociennik and Nathan Walsh in the championship match. With smart and steady play Andrekovic and Tamblyn were able to take the first set 6-3. The second set was all Plociennik and Walsh. They hit with power and purpose and took the second set 6-1. The third set was another close set with each team making some big shots at important times to keep the teams even. With Plociennik serving at 3 games to 4 games, Andrekovic and Tamblyn were able to secure a break of serve to take a 5-3 lead. Tamblyn held his serve to take the set 6-3 and give the 2012 mixed doubles ‘A’ championship to Andrekovic and Tamblyn. This is Tamblyn’s seventh mixed championship in his long and storied career, while it is Andrekovic’s first ‘A’ mixed title.

The ‘B’ final also went the distance. Playing their third matches of the day, mother and son team of Sandie and Jerry Ennett took on husband and wife team of Noella and Murray Schiedel in the final. Both teams gave it their all making for many long rallies and long games. The Ennetts were able to take the first set 6-3 before the Schiedels rebounded to take the second set 6-4. The third and deciding set saw the Ennetts jump to a quick lead but the Schiedel came back to close within 4-3. Sandie and Jerry held strong and eventually scored a 6-3 win to give the ‘B’ mixed championship to the Ennetts. This is the first championship for the Ennetts.

Picture 2 : (l to r) 2012 ‘B’ mixed doubles champions Jerry Ennett and Sandie Ennett, 2012 ‘B’ mixed doubles finalists Noella Schiedel and Murray Schiedel

Picture 1 : (l to r) 2012 ‘A’ mixed doubles finalists Nathan Walsh and Krista Plociennik, 2012 ‘A’ mixed doubles champions Marta Andrekovic and Bob Tamblyn

The Stratford Tennis League played its final game of the regular season this week. The early game was a battle for first place. Physiotherapy Associates held a 1 point lead over Jolanda’s Diet Secret heading into play.

The night started with a split as Richard Bast and Tom Warnock of Physio took the first set in the #1 men’s doubles 6-2, but Jolanda’s Nathan Walsh and Pat McCarroll took the second set 6-3. Physio’s Todd Chisholm and Garth Nussey won the #2 men’s doubles 6-3 6-1 over Cameron Kramer and Stuart Arkett. Jolanda’s #1 ladies doubles team of Krista Plociennik and Deb Murphy scored a 6-4 6-2 win over Johanna Billings and Annette Garneau. The #2 ladies doubles match saw Jolanda Vandereijk and Monica Eickmeyer of Jolanda’s win the first set 6-1, while Marilyn Leasa and Marilyn Holmes took the second set 6-1.

Week 8 play in the Stratford Tennis League saw the league’s top two teams score impressive victories. In the early game Physiotherapy Associates doubled up on Donkers Agri with an 8 sets to 4 sets win. Physio got things started with its #1 ladies doubles team of Claire Scott and Marilyn Leasa scoring a  6-3  6-4 win over Maria Donkers and Lise Couture. Donkers’ #2 ladies doubles team of Sandra Darby and Louise Lever took their two sets 6-3  6-1 over Liz Yundt and Marilyn Holmes. The #1 men’s doubles saw a split as Donkers’ Bob Tamblyn and Bill White took the first set 6-4 before Physio’s Richard Bast and Murray Schiedel came back to win the second set 6-4. The #2 men’s doubles went to Physio as Tom Warnock and Todd Chisholm downed Brent Hiller and Gary Henry 6-1  6-4.

 The mixed doubles had Donkers take the #1 match up as Donkers and Tamblyn defeated Scott and Bast 6-4. Physio took the #2 mixed doubles set 6-4 as Leasa and Schiedel downed Couture and White. Yundt and Warnock won the #3 mixed for Physio 6-3 over Darby and Hiller. The #4 mixed was won by Physio’s Holmes and Chisholm 7-6 (7 points to 4 in the tie-breaker) over Lever and Henry. The eight sets won by Physio have them 54 total sets for the season standings.

The late game had Jolanda’s Diet Secret take out SNAP 9 sets to 3. Jolanda’s #1 ladies doubles team of Krista Plociennik and Monica Eickmeyer scored a 6-2  6-4 win over Marta Andrekovic and Nancy Rheaume. SNAP’s  #2 ladies doubles team of Cathy Mowbray and Noella Schiedel took out Jolanda Vandereigt and Ivy Chung 6-3  6-2. The men’s #1 doubles match saw Jolanda’s John Noble and Nathan Walsh win the first set 6-4 while SNAP’s Chris Parson and Greg Vivian took the second set 7-6 (7 – 3 in the tie-breaker). Jolanda’s Pat McCarroll and Cameron Kramer swept the #2 men’s doubles 6-1  6-4 over Jack Watson and Sing Chung. 

Jolanda’s Plociennik and Noble won the #1 mixed match 6-2 over Andrekovic and Parson. Eickmeyer and Walsh of Jolanda’s scored a 6-3 win over Rheaume and Vivian in the #2 mixed. Jolanda’s also took the #3 mixed as Vandereigt and McCarroll scored a 6-4 victory over Mowbray and Watson. Jolanda’s  completed the sweep of the mixed matches as Chung and Kramer downed Schiedel and Chung 6-2. Jolanda’s 9 sets moved them to within one set of Physiotherapy Associates as they now have 53 sets won on the season.

 Week 9 will see a battle for first place in the early game as Physiotherapy Associates and Jolanda’s Diet Secret face each other. The late game sees Donkers Agri take on SNAP

Bill White

 The rain delayed week 7 of the Stratford Tennis League has been completed and caused a major shake up in the standings. The early game saw Physiotherapy Associates dominate SNAP. Physio took the #1 men’s doubles 6-3 6-3 as Richard Bast and Murray Schiedel downed Chris Parson and Spencer Trachsel. Tom Warnock and Garth Nussey of Physio won the #2 men’s doubles over Jack Watson and Sing Chung 6-2 6-0. SNAP rebounded in the #1 ladies doubles as Marta Andrekovic and Claire Scott scored a 6-1 6-3 win over Johanna Billings and Annette Garneau. Physio’s Marilyn Leasa and Sandie Ennett defeated Cathy Mowbray and Noelle Schiedel 6-2 6-4 in the #2 ladies doubles.

The #1 mixed doubles went to Billings and Bast of Physio 6-2 over Andrekovic and Parson. SNAP won the #2 mixed doubles as Scott and Trachsel  defeated Garneau and Schiedel 6-3. The #3 mixed doubles went to Leasa and Warnock of Physio as they downed Mowbray and Watson 6-2. Physio’s big night concluded when their #4 mixed team of Ennett and Nussey scored a 6-1 victory over Schiedel and Chung. The 9 sets to 3 sets win for Physio gave them 46 points for the season.

The late game had Jolanda’s Diet Secret take it to Donkers Agri. The #1 men’s doubles went to Jolanda’s as John Noble and Nathan Walsh won 6-4 6-2 over Bill White and Grant McPherson. The #2 men’s doubles was won by Donkers as Jim Wilson and Gary Henry took out Pat McCarroll and Stuart Arkett 6-3 7-5. The #1 ladies doubles was won by Jolanda’s as Krista Plociennik and Deb Murphy edged Linda Doig and Lise Couture 6-3  7-5. Gail Shelton and Ivy Chung gave Jolanda’s another win as they defeated Sandie Ennett and Louise Lever 7-5  6-2 in the #2 ladies doubles.

The mixed doubles saw domination by Jolanda’s. The #1 mixed doubles had Plociennik and Noble of Jolanda’s pound Doig and White 6-1. Jolanda’s #2 mixed team was just as dominating as Murphy and Walsh whipped Couture and McPherson 6-1. Shelton and McCarroll took the #3 mixed doubles for Jolanda’s with a 6-3 win over Ennett and Wilson. Donkers finally got a mixed win as Lever and Henry took the #4 mixed doubles 6-2 over Chung and Arkett.

With the 9 sets to 3 sets victory Jolanda’s jumped past Donkers in the standings leaving Donkers who has lead the standings all season in third place.

The standings after 7 weeks of play are :  1. Physiotherapy Associates  46 points ; 2. Jolanda’s Diet Secret  44 points ; 3. Donkers Agri  43 points ;  4. SNAP  35 points. The week 8 match ups see Physio face Donkers in the early game and Jolanda’s face SNAP in the late game.        

Week 6 of the Stratford Tennis League took place this week. In the early game SNAP had their three week winning streak snapped as Donkers Agri doubled up on them winning 8 sets to 4. Donkers #1 men’s doubles team of Bob Tamblyn and Bill White dominated the SNAP team of Grant McPherson and John Fischer 6-0  6-1. The #2 men’s doubles also went to Donkers as Travis Hiller and Jagdish Patel edged Paul Barclay and Gary Henry  6-4  6-4. SNAP took the #1 ladies doubles 6-2  7-6 (7 points to 3 in the tie-breaker) as Marta Andrekovic and Nancy Rheaume downed Maria Donkers and Sandie Ennett. Donkers got back in the winning column with Sandra Darby and Louise Lever taking the #2 ladies doubles  6-0  6-2 over Stacey Wlson and Monika Andrekovic.

The #1 mixed doubles went to SNAP as Marta Andrekovic and McPherson took out Donkers and Tamblyn  6-3. Rheaume and Fischer won the #2 mixed doubles for SNAP 7-6 (7 points to 5 in the tie-breaker) over Ennett and White. Donkers’ Darby and Hiller scored a 6-2 victory over Wilson and Barclay in the #3 mixed doubles. A tie-breaker decided the #4 mixed doubles as Lever and Patel of Donkers edged Monika Andrekovic and Henry 7 points to 3. The 8 sets to 4 sets win for Donkers keeps the team in first place in the standings.

The late game was a battle between Jolanda’s Diet Secret and Physiotherapy Associates. In the #1 men’s doubles Physio’s Richard Bast and Murray Schiedel took the first set 6-3 , while Jolanda’s John Noble and Nathan Walsh took the second set 6-4. Physio breezed in the #2 men’s doubles as Tom Warnock and Gary Henry drubbed Cameron Kramer and Stuart Arkett 6-0  6-2. The #1 ladies doubles saw Jolanda’s Krista Plociennik and Deb Murphy rout Johanna Billings and Ginny Smith 6-2  6-0. The #2 ladies doubles was split as Jolanda’s Monica Eickmeyer and Jolanda Vandereigt won the first set 7-6 (7 points to 4 in the tie-breaker) and Physio’s Marilyn Leasa and Marilyn Holmes took the second set 6-4.

The #1 mixed doubles went to Jolanda’s Plociennik and Noble 7-6 (7 points to 4 in the tie-breaker) over Billings and Bast. Physio took the #2 mixed as Smith and Schiedel defeated Murphy and Walsh 6-2. Physio also took the #3 mixed doubles as Leasa and Warnock scored a 6-2 win over Eickmeyer and Kramer. The #4 mixed doubles went to Jolanda’s as Vandereigt and Arkett took out Holmes and Henry 6-2. The teams ended the evening winning 6 sets each meaning that Physiotherapy Associates maintained its 2 point lead over Jolanda’s Diet Secret in the standings.

After 6 weeks Donkers leads the standings with 40 points. Physiotherapy Associates are in second place with 37 points , while Jolanda’s Diet Secret has 35 points. SNAP sits in fourth place with 32 points. Week 7 will see Physiotherapy Associates take on SNAP in the early game and Donkers Agri faces Jolanda’s Diet Secret in the late game.  

Bill White

The Stratford Tennis Club held its annual Super Set Tournaments this past weekend. The singles events were played on Saturday, with the doubles events scheduled for play on the Sunday.

The men’s ‘A’ singles proved once again that Max Besworth is the city’s best tennis player. Besworth defended his Super Set title cruising through the draw losing only 2 games in his four matches. Besworth is the two time MVP of the University of Western Ontario tennis team and will compete in the university national championships in Montreal this August. Facing Besworth in the ‘A’ final was Spencer Trachsel. Trachsel was the talk of the tournament as he scored upset after upset to reach the final. Trachsel took out the #2 seed John Noble in the second round 8-7 (7 points to 3 in the tie-breaker), then downed the #6 seed Greg Vivian 8-5 in the quarterfinals, and in the semifinals Trachsel overcame a 6-2 deficit to score an 8-6 win over #3 seed Richard Bast. But in the final Trachsel was no match for Besworth as Max scored an easy 8-1 win to take the ‘A’ championship. 

The men’s ‘A’ consolation title went to Murray Schiedel. Schiedel, the crafty left hander, took down teenager John Fischer 8-4 in the final. Jim Wilson won the men’s ‘B’ title with a convincing 8-3 win over Michael Blackburn. The men’s ‘B’ consolation final was a battle of youngsters, with Ryan Lay taking the championship 8-4 over Leam Hughes.

The Ladies ‘A’ singles final was a battle between the city’s best two female players. #1 seed Krista Plociennik cruised through her side of the draw, and #2 seed Claire Scott was just as dominant on her half of the draw. In a great final that featured some spectacular shot making and brilliant winners Plociennik was able to edge Scott in a tie-breaker. The 8-7 (7 points to 4 in the tie-breaker) win for Plociennik was one of the best ladies matches in years at the Stratford Tennis Club.

The Ladies ‘A’ consolation title was won by Marta Andrekovic 8-3 over Sandie Ennett. Monica Eickmeyer scored an 8-3 victory over Erma Weernick to take the Ladies ‘B’ title. The Ladies ‘B’ consolation final saw Maria Donkers double up Gail Shelton 8-4.

 The doubles events were well on their way when the rains put a halt to play. The teams will resume play when they can arrange the time. A full recap will follow when play is completed.

The third leg of the Royal LePage Hiller Realty Junior Grand Slam was held at the Stratford Tennis Club this weekend. The “Wimbledon” event saw the junior girls compete against the boys in the Under 14 event. The Boys Under 18 event was once again dominated by Grant McPherson. McPherson had won the Boys Under 14 title in the opening Australian Open event, and took the Under 18 title in the French Open. The Wimbledon final was a rematch of the French Open final as John Fischer faced off against McPherson. Once again McPherson proved too strong for Fischer as he downed Fischer 8-3 in the final. The consolation title went to Tim Clay. Clay unleashed his powerful forehand all day and rolled to the Under 18 consolation title with an 8-3 win over Collin Rose.

The Boys Under 14 champion is Evan Moorehead. Moorehead played steady tennis all day and continued his fine play in the final where he took out Ryan Lay 8-5. This is Moorehead’s first Grand Slam title. The consolation final saw one of the girls take on one of the boys. Nicolle Crowley lost her main round match to eventual champion Moorehead, but could not be stopped in the consolation. Dropping only 2 games in her three consolation matches Crowley cruised to the title with an 8-0 win over Zach Misener.

The fourth and final Royal LePage Hiller Realty Junior Grand Slam event, the “US Open”, will be held on Saturday, July 28.

Bill White

Picture 1 (l to r)  Ryan Lay , boys under 14 runner up  +  Evan Moorehead , boys under 14 champion

Picture 2 (l to r)  John Fischer , boys under 18 runner up + Grant McPherson, boys under 18 champion