Hello Members,

As the 2012 tennis season draws to a close, we would like to thank you all for a wonderful season. A special thank you for all those who assisted the Club this season; whether by sponsoring a tennis league team, sponsoring the junior tour, making a donation, donating an item for our silent auction, bidding on an item, or just participating in the Club’s activities. The fundraising efforts this season allowed us to replace the clubhouse roof and raise money for other necessary repairs around the Club. Thank you again for helping out your Club.

The Stratford Tennis Club ANNUAL GENERAL MEETING will be held on TUESDAY, NOVEMBER 13 (7:30pm) at the KIWANIS CENTRE.

The annual general meeting is held every November to recap the previous season. The Club’s finances will be discussed as well as what changes to Club programs should be considered. This year we will be updating the Club’s constitution. If you are interested in the proposed changes to the constitution or would consider being a member of the Club’s board of directors contact us through the email on the website or call a current member of the board. If you have any ideas or comments about the Club, if there are any programs you think could be added or subtracted from our season; let us know. It is YOUR Club so YOUR ideas are very valuable to us as we attempt to make YOUR tennis experience the best it can be.

The clubhouse has closed for the season but the nets remain up and many are still getting their tennis fix. The nets will remain up as long as the weather allows. Enjoy the off-season and we hope to see you all again next spring.

BOB TAMBLYN,  Club President

The annual Stratford Tennis Club awards presentation took place this past weekend. The recipients are as follows:

Left: Stuart Arkett (Rebecca Miskin Award Winner

Right: Pat McCarroll (Jerry Johnson Award Winner)                                                 Absent : Ryan Lay (Jerry Johnson Award Winner)    

 The Stratford Tennis Club held its annual “Masters” Doubles Tournament this past weekend. Over 30 of the Club’s ‘veteran’ players enjoyed a beautiful day of tennis and a pot luck social afterwards.

The Ladies ‘A’ final saw former champions Gail Shelton and Nancy Chung face first time finalists Maria Donkers and Marta Andrekovic. Donkers and Andrekovic were able to control play and score an 8-3 victory to take the 2012 championship. The ‘A’ consolation title went to Debbie Murphy and Johanna Billings who downed Lise Couture and Marilyn Leasa 8-5 in the final. Barb Thibeault and Allison Hiller won the ‘B’ championship with an 8-4 triumph over Marilyn Holmes and Annette Garneau. The Ladies ‘B’ consolation final was the closest match of the day with Michele Thomson and Liana DeJong edging Lynn Bast and Julie Drake 8-7 (9 points to 7 in the tie breaker).

For the second year in a row the Men’s ‘A’ championship went to Zdenko Andrekovic and Bill White. Andrekovic and White played better in each round and cruised through the final scoring an 8-1 win over Pat McCarroll and Larry Shurrie. Brent Hiller and Mike Furlong took down Jack Watson and Jagdish Patel 8-4 to take the ‘A’ consolation title. The Men’s ‘B’ final went the distance as Todd Chisholm and Steve Fischer won 8-7 (7 points to 4 in the tie breaker) over John Noble and Arnold Ganzon to take the title. The Men’s ‘B’ consolation winners are Stuart Arkett and Steve Gryba who downed Bill Steele and Mike Murphy 8-4 in the final.

Ladies ‘A’ Master Champions  Marta Andrekovic + Maria Donkers

Men’s ‘A’ Master Champions  Bill White + Zdenko Andrekovic 

The Stratford Tennis Club has crowned its 2012 singles champions. On a beautiful night for tennis, with over 60 spectators packing the clubhouse and the park, the players put on a great display of tennis.

The Ladies ‘A’ singles final was a match up of the top two seeds. Defending champion Krista Plociennik took on Claire Scott in a match that went three sets. Plociennik dominated the first set , powering her way to a 6-1 victory. The second set saw Scott use her exceptional defensive skills to return shot after shot, eventually taking the set 7-5. The third set saw Plociennik change some of her tactics. With Scott playing way back to run down Plociennik’s powerful ground strokes Plociennik started employing some drop shots to great effect. This helped lead Plociennik to a 6-1 victory in the final set and another championship. This is Plociennik’s fifth Ladies ‘A’ singles title in the last six years, cementing her spot as one of the best female tennis players in the history of the Stratford Tennis Club.

The Men’s ‘A’ singles saw defending champion Bob Tamblyn face off against two-time finalist Richard Bast. Bast played his great power game, with big serves and hard hitting ground strokes, but it was no match for the smart and steady Tamblyn. Showing off his remarkable footwork and shot control Tamblyn withstood the attacking Bast, winning the title 6-2 6-3. This is Tamblyn’s ninth Men’s ‘A’ singles championship which is the most in the 44 year history of the Stratford Tennis Club.

The Ladies ‘B’ singles final had 2008 champion Marilyn Leasa facing 14 year old Alexandra Andrekovic. Andrekovic had fought her way to the final with great comebacks. In her quarterfinal match Andrekovic trailed in the third set 4-1 before sweeping the final 5 games to move on. In one of the best matches of the tournament Andrekovic’s semifinal had her once again trailing in the third set before snatching victory from the jaws of defeat by winning 5 games in a row to squeak out a 7-5 third set win. The final did not go as long. Andrekovic out rallied Leasa and won the championship with a 6-4 6-4 victory. At 14 years old Andrekovic is the second youngest winner of the Ladies ‘B’ singles title. (Plociennik was 12 years old when she won this title in 2005)

The Men’s ‘B’ singles final was a battle between long-time friends Brent Hiller and Pat McCarroll. In the previous 14 years that the Men’s ‘B’ singles has been contested it had been won by a junior player 13 times. This year would see the second adult to win the title. McCarroll took the first two games of the first set but didn’t have the energy to penetrate the defense that Hiller displayed. Keeping the ball in play and moving it around the court, Hiller ground out a 6-3 6-1 win to take the 2012 Men’s ‘B’ singles championship. This is Hiller’s first Club championship title.

The 2012 Club championship tournament will conclude this Sunday with the postponed Men’s ‘A’ doubles final, where youngsters Grant McPherson and Travis Hiller will take on Bob Tamblyn and Kurt Eickmeier.

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