There were mixed fortunes for Westcliff Hardcourt's ladies and men's teams in their opening National Singles League games.

The men pulled off a 5-1 win over strong Essex rivals Frinton but the ladies suffered a 6-0 reverse at the hands of Newmarket.

Hard put out a strong men's line-up consisting of John Phillips, Vince Ranson, Simon Bonham and Richard Barham to contend with Frinton's team.

But they arrived at the courts in The Ridgeway a player short which meant that Richard found himself receiving a walkover.

John went 6-1 down to Nick Gould, who has a world ranking and has been performing well in the satellite tournaments, before the Frinton player was forced to concede after retiring in the second set with a back injury.

Vince came a cropper to Philip Fowler, who won 6-2 7-5. Philip was last in action in Southend when he represented Durham and Cleveland in a county tournament held at Southend Leisure and Tennis Centre in 1998 before moving south.

Simon got Hard back on track with a 6-1 6-3 defeat of Rob Twyman.

John and Richard then won their doubles game and , with the other doubles rubber being a walkover, Westcliff got a 5-1 win.

There was no such joy for the ladies team of Vanessa Irvine, Sophie Cockell, Gemma Garvey and Tracey Chesher.

Vanessa was the first casualty when she lost 6-3 6-1 to Nicola Payne, who is ranked 415 in the world.

Sophie suffered a 6-2 6-1 reverse against Ruth Barnes, while Gemma went down 6-1 6-0 to Andrea Cooper.

Tracey won her second set against Karmara Herron 6-3 but lost the first and the third 7-6 7-6 on tie-breaks.

"It was a good result for the men because this is the regionals and Nick Gould has a world ranking - these are class players," said a spokesman for the Hardcourts.

"Newmarket were too good for us because they are one of the best teams in the division. When you have a girl with a world ranking then you know you are playing fairly good people."

Thorpe Bay travelled to Great Baddow in the National County Singles League and won 6-0. The Bay team was Simon Cuthbert, John Lee, Graham Bloomfield and David Tubbs.

Westcliff Lawn lost 5-4 away to Loughton-based Avenue in Division One of the Essex League. Lawn's team was Roger Peters, Dave Lamb, Bryan Rivers, Steve Wynn, Paul Mower and Tim Willcock. Avenue's team included Peter Burgess and Dave Lazarus.

Lawn's veterans, in the shape of Lesley Pitt, Hazel Wynn, Sarah O'Sullivan and Helen Broadway, played Upminster-based Cranston Park and enjoyed a 7-1 sets victory.

There was a 4-4 draw when Westcliff Hardcourts' veterans - Graham Stone, Bob Hammond, Franklin Hartle and Terry Hooper - played Brentwood Lawn in the Essex Veterans League.

Up and coming Westcliff player Johnny Tremain, 14, will be contesting the 16 and under age group at the National Junior Champion-ships at Telford this weekend.

It is effectively a move up in class for the teenager, who is currently being coached at the LTA elite training centre at Cambridge.

Triumphant duo make it a hat-trick of titles

Mandy White and Dawn Collins made it three in a row when they won the Leigh and Westcliff LTA ladies' doubles winter finals.

The Kent Elms pair took on clubmates Mary Moxom and Gail Webster in a tight final.

Mandy and Dawn took the first set 6-4 after leading throughout. They took an early lead in the second set before Mary and Gail made a comeback to force a tie-break. But Mandy and Dawn eventually clinched it 7-5 to win the second set 7-6.

Westcliff Hardcourt's Bernard Horwood and Caron Fuller appeared in their first winter mixed doubles final and beat Southend Lawn's Tim Padbury and Heather Bell 6-4 6-3 to lift the crown.

After a break for the ladies' doubles finals, Bernard was in action again when he partnered Darren Bertola in the men's doubles.

They were facing Pat Taylor and Terry Savage from Kent Elms and took the first set 7-5.

But the Elms duo claimed the next two sets 6-4 and 6-2 to take their third men's winter title, having previously won it in 1995 and 1998.

The ladies' doubles plate went to Westcliff Lawn's Sue Blainey and Wendy Bristow after a 6-0 6-2 victory over Westcliff Hardcourts' Gaye Caulkett and Jeanette Fozard.

Alan Kitson made his first ever final partnering Invicta clubmate John Matthews. But they lost 6-2 6-3 to Thorpe Bay's Tim Padbury and John Blackman.

Hockley's husband-and-wife team of Terri and Eric Skinner put up a good fight in their mixed doubles plate final against Mary Moxom and Tony Phillips from Kent Elms.

Mary was in her second final of the day and the established playing partnership proved too strong for the Hockley duo, who went down 6-0 6-3.

Hard defy rain to lift Cup for first time

A late switch of venue to beat the rain was needed before Westcliff Hardcourts lifted their first Leigh and Westcliff LTA Men's Winter Cup.

Hard beat Thorpe Bay three sets to one in the final but only after the match was switched from the Hardcourts to Southend Leisure and Tennis Centre.

Westcliff's second pair of David Bishop and Keith Brohl started well and comfortably won the first set 6-1.

Thorpe Bay's John Blackman and Tim Padbury clawed their way back into the rubber in the second set before two tight games saw them lose 7-6.

There was nothing to choose between Hard's first pair, Bernard Horwood and Darren Bertola, and Bay's Graham Ray and Keith Palmer.

In the first set a tie-break was eventually settled 7-5 in Thorpe Bay's favour to give them a 7-6 result.

The match continued until it was 4-4 in the second set when, after two hours of play, rain forced a halt.

The two pairs transferred from The Ridgeway to the Eastern Avenue centre at 10pm in a bid to get a result.

If Bay had won the second set it would have forced a play-off set and the possibility of a midnight finish.

But Westcliff won the tie-break 8-6 to give them a 7-6 second set win and make them the cup winners.

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