SOUTHMINSTER Tennis Club have had mixed results in their league matches.

The men’s first team managed to play only their second match and were rewarded with another 9-0 victory.

Chelmsfordians thirds, their opposition, were only able to field two pairs.

However, the Southminster pairs, Brett Allan and Michael Campion, Dennis O’Mahoney and Arthur Thurtle and Steve Foster and Jonathan Beale, played well and won their sets fairly easily, the exception being a tough tie-break victory for Foster and Beale.

Unfortunately, the men’s second team could only field two pairs against Ingatestone.

In the end, Ingatestone won all six sets, resulting in a 9-0 victory.

Commiserations to Beale and Patrick Austen-Hardy, who lost an extremely hard-fought match against the opposition’s strongest pair.

Next the team faced Marconi’s second team, who, like Ingatestone, fielded a very strong team.

Foster and Thurtle made it two matches in a row in which they have emerged undefeated, winning their sets 8-2, 8-6 and 8-3.

Unfortunately, the other two pairs, Andy Mottram and Paul Webb and Austen-Hardy and Harry Metcalfe, only managed to add one more point, despite some closely-fought sets, leaving Marconi victorious 5-4.

This was closely followed with a match against Marconi’s third team and the Southminster team of Mottram and Webb, Foster and Austen-Hardy and Thurtle and Tom Kamlow proved too strong for Marconi and won 8-1.

Foster and Austen-Hardy lost only four games all night.

With both the club’s mixed teams playing in the same division, the first of their matches was played with the first team scraping through with a 5-3 win.

It was a tightly-contested match between the first-team pair of Liz Windle and Geoff Burditt and the second-team pair Brett Allan and Caroline Timms, with the first set going to a tie-break.

This was eventually won by the first team, with the second set being won by the second team, 7-5.

Allan and Timms then went on to beat Dennis O’Mahoney and Diana Marshall 6-2, 6-1, giving a lead of 3-1 to the second team.

Unfortunately, the other pair from the second team, Michael Campion and Anne Wodhams, lost their four sets 6-1, 6-0, 6-1 and 6-4.

In their next match, the second team suffered another 5-3 loss, this time in their home match against Hanningfield.

Brett Allan and Timms won three sets 6-1 6-2, 6-3 and lost the fourth 6-3.

Michael Campion and Jacqui Clark only managed to win four games with their set scores 6-1 6-2, 6-0 6-1.

The Southminster ladies played away at Marconi against their third team.

The pairs, Samantha Lonergan and Timms and Wodhams and Liz Windle, only managed to win one set apiece.

This disappointing 6-2 loss was the team’s first of the season.

Their next match was more successful and with a contest lasting over three hours they went on to beat Chelmsfordians' second team 5-3.

This was a good win as the opposition are the strongest team in this division.

Diane Caulkett and Timms had a tight first two sets and, after losing the first three games, went on to win that set 6-3.

The next set proved more of a challenge but the Southminster pair took control and won 7-5.

Meanwhile, Windle and Wodhams won one set 6-3 but lost the next 6-4.

They did well against their next pair, winning the first set 6-2 and then, coming from behind, they also managed to win the next 7-5.

Caulkett and Timms failed to win any more sets.

The senior ladies have also been on court and in perfect weather they played the ladies from Grove.

Caroline Timms and Lesley Hall had a good day and won all four of their sets 7-6 6-4, 6-4, 7-5.

The other pair, Samantha Lonergan and Sandra Kew, lost their four sets but they had long rallies and the score, 1-6, 2-6, 0-6 1-6, didn’t reflect the close play.

Their next match was away against the strong side of Hutton and Shenfield.

Sandra Kew and Caroline Timms lost their first two sets 6-0, 6-0 against a very strong pair but with the second pair they fared better, winning the first set 6-3, only to lose the last set 7-5.

The other pair, Anne Wodhams and Lesley Hall, had close games in their first two sets which they lost 4-6, 6-7.

Equally, they struggled with the stronger pair but did manage to secure one game.

Six of the senior ladies squad are having group coaching at the club so the team are hoping for some success further into the season.