We have also had Teddy Bennett join us this season which has undoubtedly strengthened the squad and for the first time in a number of years actually posed selection problems.

April 28 vs WOODSIDE -  who had just come down from division 1 so in many way this would be a good benchmark for us to see how we would compete. Teddy teamed up with Paul Mannion, Paul Clarke with Mark Bailey and Simon Jones with Neil Cutler- the unfortunate one to miss out was Dave Sadler who has been a mainstay of the team the past 2 seasons. After the opening round we found ourselves 4-2 down, Paul and Mark winning but Teddy and Paul losing (Paul said it was one of those events- you just want to forget about and his volleys werent their usual solid self). Neil and Simon had a close one but lost a tight tie break.

Anyway into round 2, Paul and Teddy back on winning trail, Paul and Mark sharing a set each with the first couple and Neil and Simon just coming up short against a strong 2nd pair. Paul and Teddy also had time to get a last single set in winning 6-0 but with these early season matches finishing before 9pm the match rarely gets completed. At finishing time we had narrowly lost 7-6 and discussion afterwards was what might have been (from both teams!!). Although we started with a loss, putting into perspective meant that such a close match shows we should be able to compete well in the division.

May 12 vs PRESTBURY - On the windiest night ever, Prestbury came to Mersey. With Mark Bailey on Holiday, Dave Sadler was back in the frame. The pairings were discussed right up until start of the match, in the end decided to leave as the previous game with Dave joining up with Paul C. A great start by all with 2 wins and a half saw us take a 5-1 lead into the second round. Its always important to get a good start, particularly in these matches that will finish early at this time of the season. The wind kept on coming, balls all over the place however another solid 2nd round with Paul and Teddy winning comfortably, Dave and Paul getting a good half against the first pair and likewise for Neil and Simon who got a 2nd half of the evening and looking very solid. Overall a 9-3 win and off the mark. Considering the wind and the fact that Dave has the highest throw for his serve, he played pretty well overall and it would be a difficult decision on the team for the next match.

May 19 vs HEYES GROVE - the wind had died down for this one although it had been raining all day long so there was some concern whether we would play however by 5.30 rain had stopped and courts were in ok shape to play. Heyes Grove finished 4th in the division last year so again this would be another match to gauge progress by.  In the end it didn’t prove that however, Heyes Grove evidently were a couple of players under strength but that allowed us to take full advantage. Winning all our sets in the opening round 6-0 was a fantastic start. Mark Bailey back from holiday to return the pairings to same as the first match (Dave unfortunately being the unlucky one to miss out). Into the second round and things got better with all 3 couples again winning all 6 sets. Simon Jones and Neil Cutler then whitewashed the first couple 6-0 6-0, without losing a point, pretty impressive (although its fair to say that as one of their guys was ill and had to go home Heyes Grove did have to concede these sets!!), but nevertheless a great performance from Simon and Neil that night- losing only 11 games and winning 6 sets.

With Paul and Mark, Paul and Teddy both also winning it meant that all 3 couples had won all their 3 events and that’s a pretty rare occurrence these days so well done to all the team- a great 18-0 result. This means we have won 2 from 3 so far, are nestled in the top half of the table which is where we want to be and on track for our minimum aim of a top 6 finish. We have some tough matches coming up ahead.