Issue 1247 - The Courier

40.sportBUCS
Tuesday 6 March 2012 Th eCourier
Tennis boys lose their
grip on promotion hopes
Owls devour
MEN’S TENNIS
Newcastle 1sts
Sheffield 2nds
By Daniel Carnie
at N’UMBERLAND CLUB
4
8
Wednesday’s clash with Sheffield’s
Seconds was always going to be a
pivotal match in the season but it
grew in significance with Newcastle
laying just a solitary point ahead
of their opponents before the start
of play. Additionally, with Durham’s
Seconds still in sight at the top of the
table, Newcastle harboured hopes of
catching their North-East rivals and
with it, promotion. Due to the ladies’
team playing indoors, the men’s’ team
played on the outdoor courts at home
for the first time this year but a largely
sunny day ensured pleasant conditions.
Unfortunately, proceedings got off
to the worst possible start with number
one Tom Loughran being swept
aside by his Greek opposite number
who looked anything but a tennis
player going by his attire – long shorts
and no socks gave off a Mardy Fish
vibe. He let his tennis do the talking,
however, and wrapped up the win in
double-quick time 6-1 6-2. His use
of the drop-shot, in particular, drove
Loughran absolutely mad and he tested
the durability of the fence with his
racquet more than once.
Number two for the day, Kyle Cowper,
didn’t fare much better as he lost
to his lively opponent 4-6 6-7. Cowper
tried to get himself going with
growls of “come on” after the odd inspired
passing shot but couldn’t string
enough good points together to turn
the match around. To add insult to
injury, the net chord was not kind to
Cowper and lost him three or four
crucial points along the way.
After the first two lost their singles
matches it was crucial that Mike Tang
and Ben Maynard won their doubles
match to keep hopes of a victory alive.
They came up against a sprightly, little
and large combination which helped
ensure a lively first set which Sheffield
edged 7-6 – partly due to some untimely
double faults by Tang. That tiebreak
proved to be the turning point
in the match and the second set was
surrendered far more easily 1-6. The
result meant that a draw was the best
that Newcastle could have hoped for
out of the match.
Newcastle threatened to do just that
as Mike Tang ignited a possible comeback
by beating his stubborn opponent
6-3 6-2 to maintain his unbeaten
singles record for the season. Both
players played their part in a thoroughly
entertaining match with some
superb points dotted throughout the
match. It came down to a couple of
important breaks of serve by Tang as
he served consistently, unlike his doubles
match.
Numbers one and two, Loughran
and Cowper, joined forces to keep
the momentum going as they won a
feisty encounter 11-9 in the deciding
Champions tie-break after sharing
the first two sets. Some neat touches
at the net by Loughran helped tip the
balance in their favour, with an acrobatic
backhand volley providing one
of the highlights of the day.
Those two wins meant that it was
down to team Captain Ben Maynard
to decide if Newcastle would escape
with a draw or go down in defeat, and
in doing so, ending their promotion
charge. Sadly for Newcastle, it proved
to be the latter as he lost 2-6 4-6 to
his steady opponent who took charge
early on and didn’t allow Maynard
much opportunity to reply.
The loss to Sheffield means that it is
now impossible for Newcastle to be
promoted and they will have to wait
another year to get out of the third
division. Now though, the team must
pick themselves up for the most important
fixtures of the year, the Stan
Calvert match against Northumbria.
NURL Firsts made light work of their Quarter Final against Hull, racking up almost a half century of p
Men’s teams embroiled in
promotion and title battles
BUCS IN BRIEF
MEN’S HOCKEY
Men’s Hockey Firsts unbeaten streak
came to an abrupt end last Monday
night as they were humbled 7-3 by
Leeds University Firsts. The result put
a dent into their title charge and left
them trailing Leeds in the table by
two points.
The firsts were able to keep up the
pressure on Leeds on Wednesday
thanks to a comprehensive victory
over lowly Liverpool Firsts, who have
gone the whole season without picking
up a single point. Newcastle Firsts
ran out 5-2 victors and will now be
relying on Liverpool to pull off a massive
shock against Leeds this week in
order to have any chance at the title.
MEN’S FOOTBALL
In football, the Men’s Thirds won promotion
from The Northern 5B BUCS
Division after finding the back of the
net eight times against Teesside in an
8-2 win at Longbenton. The Thirds
are promoted after losing just one
match all season, winning six of their
ten matches.
FENCING
In fencing, victory against Durham
this week ensured promotion for
a strong and consistent Newcastle
Firsts side, who continued their winning
streak and remain unbeaten in
both the league and the cup.
This came as welcome news to all at
the club after the BUCS relegation fiasco
of last year. Despite the injustice,
Newcastle were determined to fight
their way back up, and have done so
in stunning fashion, dispatching all
comers, including their comprehensive
victory over Durham on Wednesday,
who looked to be their toughest
opponents. The Firsts made light
work of their Durham counterparts,
beating them by 135-75.
The Fencing Seconds team had the
chance to guarantee promotions for
the Firsts but they were unable to pull
off a shock result against Leeds, losing
out 129 points to 109.