News

New management team elected
Item Posted 28-10-08

At the recent Tennis Club Annual Meeting outgoing President Ross Hukins praised the work of the previous committee and Cr Bob Millar attended to give a run down on the new tennis facility to be constructed on Samford Parklands.

Volker Jahnke was elected the new President with Gary Scaife and Joan Cullen re-elected as Secretary and Treasurer respectively. Other Committee members are Peter Smith, Allan Cullen, Ross Hukins and Howard Nielsen.

Classic Tournament Results
Item Posted 28-10-08

An excellent number of forty players entered the Samford Classic Tournament played last week and there was plenty of action and exciting matches.

The mixed doubles saw some close matches with the experienced pairing of Glenis and Peter McPhee eventually defeating Michelle and Stuart Nielsen in the final.

The mens A doubles was won by Justin Connolly and Graeme Finney who defeated Peter McPhee and teenager Alexander Meale in the final while the plate event (for those who lost first round matches) was won by Grahame Shelley and Don Fraser.

The womens doubles was won by Judy Smith and Joan Cullen after a lengthy round-robin format was played out. Ann Grant and Jenny McKenzie were runners up.

Dave Nicholson and new player James Birminham won the Mens B doubles with Dave Kelly and Rob Panovsky runners up.

Judy Smith again won the womens singles with a victory over Joan Cullen and the improving Jan Nicholson defeated Michelle Nielsen in the final of the womens singles plate..

The mens A singles saw the ever improving David Grey make his way to the semi-finals before being beaten by eventual runner up Justin Connolly. Justin then went down to Howard Nielsen in the final while David Cowie defeated Don Fraser in the final of the mens singles plate.

The mens B singles was rained out.

Tennis players invited to Farmer's Hall birthday event
Item Posted 28-10-08

Members and friends are invited to get together at the special 90th birthday dinner dance being held by the Farmers Hall on Saturday 22 November. The tennis club and the Farmers Hall have been long time community partners in Samford and this is a great opportunity for tennis players to support the Farmers Hall at the same time as having a great night out with fine food, wine and top quality live music.

Please contact Volker Jahnke on 0401 637 080 if you'd like to come along.

New mid-week doubles fixtures
Item Posted 01-10-08

NEXT SEASON WE WILL BE RUNNING A SECOND HOME COURT MIDWEEK DOUBLES COMPETITION
Commencing February (may be at the new courts when finished). Both nights will consist of 3 sets of doubles, teams of two and are played at 7.30 pm.

MONDAY NIGHT DOUBLES
Advanced grade to suit Section One and Two players. We would like to get 4 - 8 more players and one more home court if possible, so we can have a bye or two.

WEDNESDAY or THURSDAY (depending on demand and home court availability) Intermediate grade competition to suit players of Section 2 - 4 standard. We need players and home courts.

Please phone Peter McPhee on 0438 227 999 or email if you are interested

New courts take first practical step
Item Posted 02-08-08

How nice it was to see in last week's Courier Mail a tender notice for the construction of the new tennis and netball courts at Samford Parklands. The opportunity to improve opportunities for tennis players and our counterpart netballers in the Samford Valley is now on the immediate horizon with a completion date to allow the use of the new courts in the first season of 2009.

Cr Bob Millar has informed us that the recent Moreton Bay Regional Council budget has enabled work to start almost immediately on tennis courts and netball courts in the area next to the Bowls club. Roadworks will also be undertaken with the construction of a new clubhouse believed to be possible some twelve months later, pending the allocation of further government funds.

The tennis club looks forward to working with the Netball Club and the Bowls Club to set up a high quality sporting precinct which will better service sporting needs in the Valley.

The Samford Tennis Club's unprecedented growth in participation in the past few years will be enhanced even further by the construction of four new courts with the same surface as the Australian Tennis Open. In particular, an upsurge in the numbers of junior players is expected and is being planned for.

Junior Fixture Results
Item Posted 02-08-08

Congratulations to the team of Ben Wilken, Maddison Steele and Breeze Lighthart for winning the Friday Afternoon Junior Fixture competition. The runner up team consisted of Sam Milne, Dean Wemberley and Arnijka Larcombe-Wheat. Well done to all players on your improvement in serving and umpiring.

Friday Night Teen Fixtures was won by Thomas Penny and Fiona Herd defeating Jack Penny and Lachlan Raymond by only point 1.I don't think you can get any closer. The other 3 teams were also very close. The new season will commence on 1st August phone Daphne Bale to register (0411 241 557) or (3351 4737).

New Teams List and Draws - Season 2
Item Posted 16-07-08

Season 2 - 2008 kicks off next week (21/07/08). Visit the DRAW page for more info.

Season 1 Results
Item Posted 16-07-08

Group 1: BRETT AND JASON O'HAGAN DEFEATED JUSTIN CONNOLLY AND WARREN MEALE 3 SETS TO 1

Aggressive play by Justin paid off. Ohagans combined well and played smart.

Moday Doubles: PETER AND LACHLAN MCPHEE DEFEATED JUSTIN CONNOLLY AND EVAN WILESMITH 2 SETS TO LOVE 6 5 6 5

Masters Tournament on for the not so young
Item Posted 17-03-08

The 2008 Masters tournament is on for the above 35's very soon. Vistit the tournaments page for more info and entry form.

New Teams List and Draws
Item Posted 31-01-08

Season 1 - 2008 kicks off next week (04/02/08). Visit the DRAW page for more info.

Successful Season
Item Posted 23-11-07

We complete another successful season for the club next week as our groups fight out their respective finals. I look forward to advising our winners in the weeks to come.
Can I please remind current members to liaise with your group coordinators to confirm your intentions for the new season and welcome prospective new members to contact Ross Hukins ( 0419 733 117), Gary Scaife ( 0438 101 537) or Joan Cullen ( 0438 824 044 ) to leave your details.

Continuing with Social Games
Item Posted 23-11-07

While our season officially finishes on the 29th we shall be continuing with social games on Tuesdays and Wednesdays commencing at 7.00 pm. So feel free to take this opportunity to have a competitive hit in an enjoyable social atmosphere.

Xmas Breakfast and Presentation
Item Posted 23-11-07

The tennis club Xmas Breakfast and Presentation event will be held on Sunday 2nd December, 7.45am until around 9am, at the Samford Hotel.  Ross has negotiated a 7.45am start so that we can be at the top of the queue prior to the rest of the public who will have access from 8am.  The cost per breakfast is $15, payable on the day,  although you should feel quite free to come along to join in the festivities without having to buy a full breakfast.  This is traditionally a very relaxed and enjoyable event with a majority of players attending so we look forward to seeing you there.  Could you please RSVP to your Group Co-ordinator by Friday 30 November so we can advise the pub of expected numbers.

Club Memberships Due
Item Posted 23-11-07

Club memberships are now due and should be forwarded to PO Box 162 by 9 December, or placed in the security box at the courts.  Fees are the same as last year.

Downlad form here

Holidays!
Item Posted 23-11-07

Daphne Bale (3351 4737) will be conducting a number of clinics over the holiday period.

The first clinics will be on: December 17, 18 and 19 ( 2007 )

The second clinics will be on: January 21, 22 and 23 ( 2008 ) . 

The format will be as follows:

• 8.30 - 9.15am Prep, Grade 1 ( Ages 5-7) co-ordination program.
• 9.30 - 11.30am Junior Beginners ( Ages 7-10) co-ordination, coaching and learning to play the game.
• 1.30 - 5.00pm ( Players ) Fixture players looking to improve serve and playing skills.

Numbers will be strictly limited so enrol early. Daphne Bale ph: 3351 4737

Team and Group lists for 08
Item Posted 23-11-07

Team and group lists for 2008 will be put together shortly and players should advise their current group co-ordinator if they will not be playing next year.  We will assume that if we have not heard from you by 9 December that you will be available for play in 2008. Player should advise their Group Co-ordinator if they would prefer to play in a different Group in 2008.

Samford Masters Tournament coming up
Item Posted 17-09-07

The annual Samford Masters Tournament is coming up in the first week of October and all the over 35 year olds are brushing off the cobwebs and gearing up for what promises to be an entertaining series of matches.

While members of the club are the usual suspects for this and other tournaments this event is often used by prospective new players to the club as a renewed foray into organized tennis.  People new to the area and those who are trying to free themselves up from family duties often see this as an opportunity to meet people in the club and get back into the swing of tennis in what is a good social tournament.  If this is you, why not take the opportunity to have a game or three at the Masters.

Click here for entry form

Forward focus
Item Posted 17-09-07

The establishment of a new tennis-netball facility alongside the bowls club will be taking up the club’s energy  in a big way over the next two years and with our increasing focus on junior tennis there are some very interesting times ahead for the club and for tennis enthusiasts in the Valley.

I look forward to being a part of that and would like to thank committee members and players alike for their enthusiastic involvement in providing sporting opportunities for the community and for building an atmosphere of encouragement, goodwill and sociability.

Young players to the fore
Item Posted 17-09-07

We have asked Chris Alderson, one of the local Samford Tennis Coaches, to write a short piece on some juniors who are doing well in statewide tournaments. See his article below.  Some insights into his comments on fifteen year old Kieran Thompson who played in the “Old vs New” match at the recent Australian Open at Samford Tournament may be in order. 

Kieran has all the armoury of a successful player and he was particularly impressive with his court craft and soft touches when needed. These abilities can often make the difference at the highest level and its likely that Kieran will be playing in that company in the years to come. Howard Nielsen, his opponent in the cross-generations match said he felt fortunate to take three games from Kiearan in the set he played and congratulated him for the way he conducts himself as a sportsperson.

Samford Juniors doing very well
(This piece invited from Chris Alderson)
Item Posted 17-09-07

Local Junior's and Bounce Tennis student's Lachlan and Kaylah McPhee have tasted tournament success on a number of occasions this year. Lachlan has made 5 tournament finals whilst younger sister Kaylah has made 4.  Most recently, the siblings both made the final of their respective events at the Macquarie Bank Junior Masters tournament held at Nudgee.  Kaylah won the 11/under girls singles title at age 9 whilst elder brother Lachlan came runner up in the boy's 11/under singles final. Lachlan played extremely well challenging the winner all the way.  Also, Lachlan was Runner Up in the 11/under boy's doubles.

At the recent State Level tournament in Gympie Kaylah excelled herself by being runner-up in the Under 10 girls singles, a very high achievement.

Lachlan and Kaylah have recently been accepted into Tennis Australia's Talent Identification day to be held at UQ in partnership with Tennis Queensland on September 14th.

Furthermore, fellow local junior's and Bounce Tennis student's Kieren and Brianna Thompson are making great progress.  Kieren is currently ranked number 19 in the country and number 5 in the state for his age group, 15/under. The tennis community is getting to know Kieren well, as he is an Assistant Coach with local business Bounce Tennis.  Brianna is also ranked in the top ten in Queensland for her age group 10/under.  Both the Thompson siblings are state scholarship holders at the National High Performance Academy.

Also, Kieren participated in the cross generations match against Samford's number 1 ranked player Howard Nielsen at the recent Australian Open in July held at Samford Tennis Club.  This was an entertaining match with plenty of ooh's and aah's as well as applause coming from the 50 strong crowd watching from the sidelines.

Chris Alderson
Bounce Tennis

31 August 2007

Great to see Wayne back on deck
Item Posted 17-09-07

Its terrific to see Wayne Donaldson back into tennis after his traumatic episode while helping out at the tennis club.  Some months ago Wayne suffered an extensive electric shock while trimming weeds at the courts.  He was doing this as a keen and interested club volunteer and his accident could well have been fatal.  Fortunately his burns to hands and arms have repaired sufficiently well for him to get back into night tennis fixtures and its great to see him returning to some of his very consistent old form.  Welcome back Wayne!

Annual General Meeting
Item Posted 17-09-07

Members and players are invited to the Samford Tennis Club Annual General Meeting which will be held on  Wednesday 19 September.  The meeting is at 7pm and will be preceded by a sausage sizzle starting at 6.30pm.  The meeting will go from 7pm to 8pm.  The construction of our new court facility will be discussed as will some proposed changes to the playing schedule for 2008.  Nominations are called for all positions.  We usually like to rotate our committee membership somewhat and as there are at least two people taking a break from committee duties there’s even more of a need for fresh faces.

Great day  for the Australian Open at Samford

The 1980’s themed Australian Open at Samford  enticed some classic hairdo’s, moustaches, shorts and skirts the like of which haven’t been seen since, well, the 1980’s!

A great time was had by all with over forty players turning out to play a variety of doubles matches with players accumulating scores during the day.  The Top Tournament score for the day went to brand new player Paul Brennan with the rest of the top dozen being made up of Scott Andrews, Joan Cullen, Wayne Woods, Sue Frewin, Ed Tucker, Maureen de Groot, Peter Kearney, Howard Nielsen, Judy Smith, Kym Woods and Rod Growder.

There was a bit of good natured competition in the fastest serve event where Peter McPhee just topped Scott Andrews in hitting the fastest serve of the day at almost 150kph.  Kate Nielsen won the “closest to the lucky speed” prize with her 76kph serve.

The big prize of the day -  lucky draw prize of a trip for two to the real Australian Open in Melbourne in January 2008 went to Peter Rhind.  Which just goes to show that good luck often finds its way to deserving people.  For those who don’t know, Peter is the player volunteer who records and reports all the scores, rankings and playing schedules for the year…. a mammoth job in anybody’s language!  So there’s plenty at the club who will be wishing Peter and his wife all the best as they take off with their two return air fares, two nights accommodation and tickets for three days – to a value of $1,000!

Many thanks to Peter Smith and Sue Frewin who did most of the preliminary organizing along with Kate Nielsen and Scott Andrews from Caboodle Web Design and Joan Cullen, Gary Scaife and quite a number of others from the committee and the club playing group who helped out in some way.

This story ‘demanded’ by the club president in Volunteer Week
Item Posted 28-05-07

If you haven’t had a good look at the Samford Tennis club’s website then you’re missing out on a treat.  As far as club tennis websites go its one of the best around ….. admittedly the Wimbledon Tennis Club site is pretty good too ….  but then again they have plenty of time on their hands with having to organize only one event all year!

Its timely in the tailend of Volunteer Week to acknowledge the terrific volunteer website work of two of our youngest players, Scott Andrews and Kate Nielsen. The Samford Tennis Club’s website experiences a huge number of hits each week and is testament to the professionalism of Scott and Kate.

Backing up their volunteer contribution is  the excellent work done by Peter Rhind and Nev Jewell in recording all scores from more than 100 sets of tennis played each week.  Thanks to all four its possible to go to the website to find out all the details on Samford Tennis Club action.

Australian Open Tennis in July Nears!
Item Posted 07-05-07

Most people expect to have to wait until January 2008 for the thrill of the Australian Tennis Open.  The hot news is that  Samford Tennis Club is pleased to announce that the “Australian Open in July” will be held on 14 July this year, at Samford.

Yes, we know, a whole tournament in one day …. so this Aussie Open will be a bit different.  Actually, a big bit different.  The theme will be !970’s-1980’s so out with the tight shorts and short skirts, the Pat Cash-John McEnroe headbands and the old metal or wooden racquets. And the females can check out Martina’s garb, not to mention Yvonne Goolagong-Cawley and Chris Evert .

It will be a great day for all with plenty of fun and humour if our recent similar event… Wimbeldon at Samford (in 2005)…. Is anything to go on.

So, go straight to the calendar and mark it off   - 14 July.  Visitors welcome.

More details in the next Pump and also on www.samfordtennis.net shortly.

Some surprises in the Samford Classic!
Item Posted 12-05-07

The annual Samford Classic Tennis Tournament unearthed a few surprise results that just goes to show that there’s very little that is certain in life…. or at least in tennis matches anyway!

In the Womens B Singles new player Jan Nicholson played three players above her in the rankings and won all matches to take out the Womens B Singles event, defeating Felicity Deane  6-4   in the final.  Her very consistent play was enough to outlast her opponents and she will doubtless be playing in a higher group during the next night fixture season.

The Womens Doubles saw a win in the semi-finals by Joan Cullen and Sue Frewin over their more highly ranked opponents Judy Smith and Glenise McPhee.  Their 6-5 win was a very tight tussle and preceeded their finals match which saw them go down 6-4 to the very persistent pairing of Jenny McKenzie and Ann Grant.   It was great to see Julie Kempton and Kym Woods having solid games in the final of the Womens Double Plate where they went down to Michelle Nielsen and Felicity Deane.

Mens B Singles winner was newcomer Mal Heseltine who had a very solid 6-3 win over Geoff Turner and in the Mens B Doubles Gary Midgely teamed with the Flying Dutchman Arie Menken  to defeat experienced pair Gary Scaife and Brian Sullivan.

The Womens A singles resulted in yet another win by Judy Smith  who defeated  Glenis McPhee in the final after surviving a mammoth 75 minute 6-5 win over Jenny McKenzie in an earlier round.

Glenis and Peter McPhee proved too strong and consistent in the Mixed Doubles winning both their semi-final and final 6-5, defeating Shelly and Stuart Nielsen in the final.  Meanwhile Maureen and Gus de Groot won the Plate Final in the Mixed Doubles.

Meanwhile in the Mens A Singles Stuart Nielsen won the final against Wayne Melling after Wayne, a new player to the club,  had cut a swathe through highly ranked players such as Peter McPhee earlier in the tournament. Wayne looks set to play in Group 1 fixtures in the new season due to start in July.

In the semi-final of the Mens A Singles Stuart had a milestone win over his father Howard Nielsen in a semi-final match that ebbed and flowed toward a 6-5 tiebreaker.  Nielsen the Older eventually succumbed to some smart and persistent play and some strong forehand winners by Nielsen the Younger.  All was forgiven in the Mens A Doubles when father and son combined to win the final 6-2 over Allan Cullen and Mike Ormiston in a repeat of last years final.

Scott Andrews recovered from a slow start to his singles campaign to have good 6-4 wins over both Geoff Foley and Allan Cullen to win the Mens A Singles Plate event.

This was the largest entry yet for the Samford Classic and many thanks to the players for their participation and to Gary Scaife, Peter Kearney, Neil Lossberg, Joan Cullen, Sue Frewin and Peter Smith for their time and effort in organizing the tournament.  Their efforts are appreciated.

Our apologies to the Samford community, we tried hard to make it rain by organizing a tennis tournament for the week and by having an outside barbecue at our traditional Saturday lunch interval … but to no avail.  Perhaps we’ll have better luck at our special Australian Open in July day on July 14

Samford Classic on this Week!
Item Posted 07-05-07

DOWLOAD DRAW

The annual Samford Classic tennis tournament is being held during the week 7-12 May.

Samford Classic coming up!
Item Posted 30-03-07

DOWLOAD DRAW

The annual Samford Classic tennis tournament is being held during the week 7-12 May  and registrations are due by 25 April.

All levels of play are catered for with A and B divisions in all events and a "plate" event is conducted for those who don't win their first round match .. so everybody gets plenty of tennis.

The entry form is available on the website www.samfordtennis.net and also at the clubhouse.

Entry fees are low and the social side of things is well catered for.  Also, most players will be required for only one or two nights of the tournament week and then on Saturday morning if they make the semi-finals or finals.

Intending new players may like to use this event as the opportunity to ease into play at the club.

Click here to download form

MIXED DOUBLES SOCIAL TOURNAMENT
Item Posted 23-01-07

As a warm up for the year of tennis ahead the Samford Tennis Club is conducting its first ever Mixed Doubles Social Tournament.

It’s a tournament with a difference though! Go to the tournaments page to find out.

Any other intending new players may be included in the list of reserve players if they contact either Howard Nielsen on 0407 190162 or howard@nielsenco.biz or Gary Scaife 0412 119700 or Joan Cullen 0438 824044 by Friday 26 January.  Reserve players usually have the opportunity to play every second week so if you’re keen to play but left it a bit late to let us know in time to include you in a starting team please make contact.

Teams and times finalised soon
Item Posted 23-01-07

Final team pairings and weekly playing schedules will be posted to the website by 30 January.  The season of night fixtures starts in the week beginning 5 February.

New and current players need to sign up soon
Item Posted 15-12-06

New players are invited to join more than 112 current players to be a part of the new season starting in the second week after school holidays conclude – that is, the week starting 5 February. Already a number of new players have indicated they’d like to join in the fun of night-time fixtures. Teams are put together on the basis of people playing pretty much at their own level and the players who are currently playing their first season with us are acquitting themselves very well….. and having a good time in the traditionally friendly Samford atmosphere.

New players planning to start playing in the next season should contact either Gary Scaife 0412 119700, Howard Nielsen 0407 190162 or Joan Cullen 0438 824044 as soon as possible so we can organize for teams for next season.

Social tennis over the holiday season
Item Posted 15-12-2006

Players wanting to have a hit of social tennis over the holiday period may like to come to the courts on Tuesday (6.30pm) or Wednesday (7pm) evening.  New players are more than welcome to join current members.  We'll be having the week off over Christmas-New Year otherwise we will go through from December until the end of January.  Otherwise, contact Neil Lossberg (3289 7346) to book your own court time for a hit.

END-OF-YEAR TENNIS CLUB BREAKFAST
Item Posted 12-11-2006

All players are invited to the end-of-year Tennis Club Breakfast.  This is
where we have breakfast in a festive way together and also present prizes for all manner of things that have happened throught the year.

Its not just for those who've won the odd grand final or tournament .... its for all of us ...... with 'special' presentations and citations for those who have added entertainment value and otherwise worthwhile pursuits through the year.

In short, its a date not to be missed!

See you there .... rsvp  and other details below.

Date:    Sunday 3 December
Time:    8am for a 9.30am departure.
Location: Samford Pub (special section undercover near the playground)
Cost:    $15 per person, $10 for children
RSVP:  Confirm with your Group Co-ordinator by 29 November, or by email to
howard@nielsenco.biz

MASTERS TOURNAMENT DRAW NOW ONLINE
Item Posted 06-10-2006

Go to the 'Tournament' section for the playing schedule for the Masters Tennis Tournament which starts next Monday evening, 9 October. Although not all members are playing in the tournament (some of our members are actually younger than 35 years of age!) I thought others may appreciate seeing the schedule so they can come down to see some matches if they so desired.

Also, our Annual General Meeting is on Saturday 14 October (12-1pm) at the courts and we welcome all members. The meeting is on in a one hour lunch break between finals matches in the tournament so why not come on down to meet a few people, watch a bit of tennis and take part in the meeting?

INVITATION TO MEMBERS OF SAMFORD TENNIS CLUB
Item Posted 12-09-2006

Every Annual General Meeting is important I guess but our upcoming one is perhaps more important than most. We are entering a critical stage of progress toward a new Tennis Facility and your input and show of support at the AGM will help demonstrate our depth of insight, not to mention strength of need, to government funding groups.

The latest drawings regarding the facility will be available for perusal at the AGM. We will also be discussing possible changes to the playing schedule and type of fixture competition for 2007. As these decisions affect all players we'd verey much like members to participate in these discussions.

The meeting will be held at the Courts during the lunch break of the Masters Tennis Tournament on Saturday 14 October 2006 from 12.00-1.00pm. You may like to come a little earlier to see some of the finals of the Masters Tournament..... a barbecue lunch and refreshments will be available. As all committee positions will be open for election I have attached a nomination form that will need to be returned to PO Box 162 Samford Q 4520 by Wednesday 11 October 2006.

All members are encouraged to put themselves forward for election onto our Committee.

Nomination form here.

The AGM agenda and committee nomination forms here.

PLAYER PROFILES WANTED
Item Posted 02-06-2006

We're really keen to make sure players from across all grades get to know each other and this is one way of doing it.

The survey questions are pretty basic and are aimed at a bit of light entertainment as well as a bit of interesting information.

We'll need a photo too!

If you would like to be one of our featured 'Player Profiles' please click here to download the form.

Once you have filled it out eMail it to admin@samfordtennis.net and send us a pic of yourself : )

The next tennis season will now start in the week staring 17 July (rather than 10 July) so any prospective new or returning players have until 1 July to confirm they wish to participate.  Already seven new players have signed up so please feel free to contact Gary Scaife on 0412  119 700 or send an email via the website at www.samfordtennis.net . Last seasons results are in the 'Fixtures' page.

Finals washed out
Item Posted 20-06-2006

Due to some welcome rain in the Valley most finals matches are yet to be known so a full rundown will be included later this week.

At last weeks Tennis Club Committee meeting the concept plan for the new bowls/ netball/ tennis precinct in the general area around the bowls club was endorsed. Following a meeting at which all players were invited to attend, the Committee gave unanimous endorsement to a plan that was drawn up by architect and Samford tennis player Grahame Shelley, in consultation with other members of committee, Tennis Queensland and representatives of the bowls and netball clubs.

The annual Samford Masters Tennis Tournament will be held during the week of 9-14 October with events being played nightly and semi-finals and finals on Saturday 14th.  There will be age categories from 35-50 and 51 and over for male, female and mixed events.  Prospective entrants should not be at all intimidated by the “Masters” title because, with due respect to all our players, it refers to age rather than playing capacity!

Entry forms will be available on the website soon.

The 2006 Samford Junior tennis tournament will be held 16th-18th June. More information in the tournament section.

With the season now four weeks old there’s a bit of form emerging that may tell some stories of what is to come for the season that finalises in June. It’s great to see the number of new players featuring in quite a few teams leading their respective Groups.

Monday night’s competition has seen Maureen De Groot and Catriona Larcombe-Wheate clearing out on the Group 5 field while Lenize Panovsky and Gaynor Thearle have edged ahead of new player Sue McKeegan and her partner Jenny Jewell in Group 6.

Mike Ormiston and Allen Cullen have stormed to the front in Group 1 on Tuesday night and are well clear of second placed Anders Boman and Don Fraser and double the score of those coming in equal fourth out of the eight teams.

The new team of brother and sister combo of David and Melissa Clarke are nosing out the wily veterans Warren Meale and Gary Scaife in Group 2 with John Rooney and David Gray matching Warren and Gary in equal second spot.

On Wednesday night the Group 3 newcomer combination of Rod Growther and Peter Gale are heading off the recovering Mark Waugh and the persistent Jenny McKenzie while in Group 4 brand new pairing of husband and wife team Lindell and Gary Midgley are showing the field how its done.

There was action aplenty at the recent Samford Tennis Classic Tournament with a feature being the number of new players and players from all fixture grades taking part. Judy Smith again won the Women’s Singles and partnered Glenis McPhee to win the Women’s Doubles.

Glenis then teamed up with husband Peter to win the Mixed Doubles in a hard fought match against Allan and Judy Cullen. Peter McPhee had what was seen as an upset win in the early rounds of the Mens A Singles with a win over highly ranked Anders Boman. However, Peter has since proven that the win was no fluke with another win over Anders in the Samford Group 1 night fixtures.

Nev Jewell proved his consistency with a win in the B Mens singles while Peter Kearney and Wayne Woods were too strong in the Mens B Doubles.

Howard and Stuart Nielsen had a win in the Mens A Doubles with Howard overcoming David Cowie in the final of the Mens A Singles after being level pegging early in the match.