Murrayfield

• Charlie Ellis 3
• Alex Asiounkin 3
• Nazmi Okan 2

• Steve Kirk 1
• Robin Copeland 0
• Gary Woodhouse 0

Team 6 continued their run of comfortable wins with a 9-1 victory over HPO II, the most unorthodox team in the league (though the match was tighter than the 9-1 score line would indicate). With Ian unavailable, Naz came in for his first game in several weeks and did well.

Charlie began brightly and overcame Steve’s defensive play in three (11-1. 11-4, 11-7 ) . Alex also began well (11-3) before lapsing into some more passive play which allowed Robin to strike some of his unorthodox shots and take the 2nd end (6-11) and lead the third till Alex found his game and took it 11-8 and then closed it out in the 4th (11-5)  .
Naz then took on Gary (with his near-hardbat) and played fairly conservatively but took it with some comfort (11-6, 11-8, 11-4).
Alex almost suffered his 2nd Div 2 loss of the season in a 5-setter with Steve. Alex was unable to find his strokes against good chopping and deep pushing from Steve and found himself 2-1 down . Eventually his game picked up and his strong FH’s eventually proved enough (6-11, 11-6, 5-11, 11-9, 11-5)
Though neither was at their best, Charlie and Naz beat Gary and Robin respectively-both in three ends)

Alex and Charlie again produced a disappointing doubles performance; losing the 1st end but taking a scrappy match in 4 (8-11, 11-5, 11-6, 11-9).

In the final set of singles Alex found Gary’s pimpled bat and play tricky but (after an opening point of 40 odd strokes!) took it in three (11-9, 11-9, 11-2), while Charlie struggled initially (playing some poor FHs) but also beat Robin in straight sets (11-9, 11-1, 11-3). In his final game, Naz suffered the only loss: he got caught up in a number of lengthy pushing rallies and-when he tried to change the pace of the points- his FH misfired (11-8, 8-11, 5-11, 6-11).

 match played: 12th March 2010, at Murrayfield.

Edinburgh University

• Andy McDougall 0
• Tony Fowler 1
• Mei Lye 0

 Murrayfield

• Alex Asounkin 3
• Charlie Ellis 3
• Ian Robertson 2 

match played at the Pleasance, March 9th 2010.

Match Report Written By league president and Edinburgh International 3 player Ken Benjamin:

In the first half of the season, Murrayfield 5 had won the match 9-1. For that match Billy and Jim were absent, and Brian Bridson (who had our only victory) and Alan Ward played up. On Wednesday, Billy was again unavailable and so big praise to Allan Black of Edinburgh International 4 for playing up at only 10 hours' notice! Before play started I feared another bad defeat, if not so heavy a defeat as in December.
 
Jim beat Roger in match one, then in match 2 I came back from 10-6 down in the second end against Derek to win it 14-12. In the third end I was 10-6 up, so four match points. Which I blew, and several more in the deuce section to lose 17-19. Luckily I managed to pull myself together in the fifth end to win my first match, at the tenth attempt, against a Murrayfield player this season. Allan then reversed a previous league defeat to Colin to this time beat him in four ends, slightly unexpectedly and much to our delight. So we were 3-0 up!
 
Jim beat Derek in match 4, and Allan beat Roger in a tight encounter in match 5. We had at least halved the match overall! Allan had thought that individual match was his best chance of a win, so he had wanted to play it as his second individual match and the plan worked! In match 6 Colin hit many winners with his spectacular inside-out flat forehand hits. When on song that is the best forehand smash in Division 1. However, I managed to also coax him into making just enough errors, and a few less spectacular winners of my own, for me to win in four ends, and at that stage the win overall, after six matches!! It was so unexpected a win that I had not even thought of it earlier in the evening!!
 
We lost the doubles, but improved on last week in at least winning an end. Then Murrayfield 5 hit their stride, Derek's forehand working very well against Allan in ends 2, 3 and 4. Despite stout retrieving by Jim in match 9, Colin crashed enough big forehand smashes past Jim to win in four ends, so Murrayfield had won three in a row. In match 10 Roger never really got going against me.
 
So a completely unexpected and very welcome 7-3 win for us. For me it was the first time that I have won all three of my matches for a month, it reversed my losing all my matches to the same three players in December, and also it was the first time this season that I have won more matches than Jim Grahame! But the team is everything, and we could not have won without Allan Black, to whom every grateful praise once again.
 
Ken Ben

Edinburgh International IX

Dave Cartwright 0
Jim Lee 0
Ian Walker 0

Murrayfield VI

Alex Asyunkin 3
Ian Robertson 3
Charlie Ellis 3

 While hardly on top form, team 6 were to strong for EI IX. Alex play lacked energy but he did enough to win his three in three. After having difficulties with Ian Walker's unorthodox style and rubbers (but winning in three), Charlie found some form in beating Dave and Jim with some fluent play.

Ian played three entertaining matches: beating Jim in 4 in a match with several fine rallies. Against Ian Walker, Ian lost the 2nd end 11-1 but recovered well to take the third before Ian W levelled it at 2-2. In a tense 5th set, Ian played several good FHs and took it 11-8

In another close match, Ian won the final game beating Dave in a good 5-setter.

Despite  some confusion over signals (!) Alex and Charlie were fairly comfortable winners over Dave and Jim in the doubles.

team 6 play next Tuesday and Friday.

If they can secure wins in these matches and another versus EI X then -as has always looked likely-where they will finish up will depend on their results in their final two games: versus West Lothian 3 (probably- home 25th March) and Corstorphine 2 (Home April 2nd). 

match played 2nd March, at North Merchiston.

Murrayfield VI

• Charlie Ellis 3 
• Alex Asyunkin 3
• Ian Robertson 3

Corstorphine IV

• James Grant 0
• Alistair Grant 0
• Geoff Gardner 0 

Team 6 closed part of the gap between themselves and West Lothian 3/ Corstorphine 2 with a comfortable win over Corstorphine 4.
Charlie began solidly enough against James who played some fine shots but was typically overambitious with his big FHs. After losing 7 of the 1st 8 points, Alex lost just 5 more in overcoming Alistair.

Ian and Geoff then played out the best match of the afternoon (8-11, 15-13, 11-9, 11-7). Despite a bad knee (Geoff was in filling in for the injured Alan Grant) , Geoff took the first game, repelling some good attacking play from Ian. Ian then took a highly entertaining 2nd end, with both players having several game points; before he took games 3 and 4 as he played some of his best stuff this season.

Ian also had an entertaining clash with Alistair, winning the 4th end 13-11. In his final game -and despite a bizarre ‘juggling’ fault serve and his opponent’s skilful lobbing- Ian beat James in three.
The other games were somewhat one –sided, including Alex and Charlie’s doubles win over James and Geoff, and Alex’s 11-3, 11-2, 11-2 win over Geoff.

match played 28th February, 2010 at Corstorphine -though officially a Murrayfield home match-but

shifted due to postponement and consequent difficulties in finding a slot at Murrayfield. Thanks to Corstorphine TTC for hosting the game.