by Clayton Vaughters

• Josh Dodgson (CHI) def. Mike Gooding (NE) 6-3, 6-2
• Camden Riviere (CHI) def, Nick Howell (NE) 6-3, 6-2
• Gooding & Howell def. Dodgson & Riviere 8-4

With the ominous date of Friday, the 13^th looming overhead, fans can be forgiven for expecting something unlucky to happen during the USCTA National League match pitting Team New England vs Team Chicago. But happily, Mr. Josh Dodgson and Mr. Camden Riviere, representing Team Chicago, and Mr. Mike Gooding and Mr. Nick Howell, representing Team New England, provided a standard of tennis rarely seen at the National Tennis Club, delighting players and fans alike.

The first match of the night saw the Head Professional at the National Tennis Club and world # 16, Mike Gooding, take on world #15 Josh Dodgson. The match was a heated exchange throughout, which saw Dodgson playing solid tennis, making few, if any, racket errors and using his tight railroad to great effect. Gooding tossed the kitchen sink at Dodgson, throwing in a variety of spin serves as well as mixing up his returns well with a combination of forces and shots to lengths. But finally, no matter how hard the crowd tried to pull their hometown man through, Dodgson prevailed with a solid 6/3, 6/2 win to give Chicago the first point of the night.

The second match promised to be a stellar affair, matching world #1 Camden Riviere against the Senior Professional at the National Tennis Club and world #6, Nick Howell. The standard of tennis these two men produced did not disappoint. Nick forced extremely well, bringing fastball after fastball right at Riviere. But Camden, with his ability to absorb pace and quickly turn defense into offense, made it clear that he was ready for the challenge. The contrasting styles of the two players made for an incredible viewing experience for the crowd, who sat enraptured as they watched quality point after quality point unfold. Ultimately though, Riviere, despite breaking two rackets in the process, prevailed, winning the match 6/3, 6/2 but that match was closer than the scoreline.

After a grille competition which saw approximately 50 average joes do their best to imitate their idols, the pros were back out on the court and ready for doubles. Gooding and Howell came out of the blocks fast and raced to a 5-0 lead in the first-to-eight game pro set. Gooding was a brick wall up at the net and Howell was able to win points with his driving forces and on-target shots. But Riviere and Dodgson were not to be deterred. They clawed their way back into the match as Dodgson began to play some clutch tennis on all-important deuce and ad points, even throwing in a few between-the-leg shots, and Riviere simply looked as if he simply could not miss. But overall, the power and precision of Gooding and Howell won the night, seeing them to a crowd-pleasing 8-4 victory.

Even though the visitors took the overall point tally for the night 2-1, the fans were nevertheless ecstatic to have witnessed such world-class tennis. The combination of wonderful tennis and good-spirited competition made it so that each fan left with a smile on their face, eager to put their own skills to the test in the season to come.

• Barney Tanfield (NY) def. Leon Smart (NE) 6-2, 6-0
• James Stout (NY) def. Nick Howell (NE) 6-1, 6-2
• Smart & Howell (NE) def. Tanfield & Stout (NY) 8-7

On Thursday, October 17th The Racquet and Tennis Club played host to New England in the USCTA National League. A group of supporters took to the court beforehand to compete in a grille competition. After a host of close calls and near misses from members and guests alike, James Stout took the prize in the skills competition.

A large contingent of New York members and guests including former World Champion Pete Bostwick, were on hand to support New York’s first league match of the season. The first matchup of the night featured Leon Smart, World #13, playing New York Head Professional, Barney Tanfield. The pair had contested several closely fought matches over the past couple of seasons and looked set for another tussle after splitting the first four games. Tanfield’s strong forcing game was being countered effectively by the volleying of Smart. As the first set wore on it was Tanfield who began finding his targets, and a flurry of grilles allowed him to close out the first set 6-2. The second set followed the same pattern with Tanfield imposing himself despite the best defensive efforts of Leon. Barney was able to keep the momentum going at take the match 6-2 6-0.

The spectators, hungry for more top-level tennis, welcomed World #5, Nick Howell and the currently unranked, multi-racquets sports connoisseur, James Stout. James, making the most of his home court advantage, raced to a 4-0 lead and stunned the crowd with his unbelievable retrieving ability. After the initial onslaught, Nick found his length, began hitting more targets and looked as though he might edge his way back into the set. Following a well contested game, the pressure proved too much and the first set finished 6-1 in New York’s favor. In a similar fashion the idiomatic James Stout controlled his way to a 5-1 lead and then an eventual 6/1 6/2 victory.

The Racquet and Tennis Club professionals were in an obvious driving seat position as they entered the final match of the evening. While the match was won by the home side, the often critical doubles point was still at stake. Both sides were eager to claim it and the level of play attested to this. Very impressive tennis was on display and the match went back and forth, leaving the crowd in constant suspense. Mid-way through the match New England won some very timely points and looked as though they might pull away. New York fought back and retook the lead briefly. “Seven games all” was announced by the marker and everyone in attendance leaned forward in the seats, pressed their faces against the glass and braced themselves for the final game. Opportunities arose for both sides but New England’s prevailed, salvaging a well-earned point.

A special thanks to the Racquet and Tennis members and staff, who supported the event with a great turnout and fantastic appreciation of the high-class tennis played.

John Lumley (PHL) def. Nick Howell (NE) 6-3, 6-2

Leon Smart (NE) def. James Asher (PHL) 6-1, 6-1

Howell & Smart def. Lumley & Asher  8-4

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• Camden Riviere (NY) def. John Lumley (PHL) 6-0, 6-2
• Adrian Kemp (NY) def. James Asher (PHL) 6-1, 6-1
• Riviere & Kemp def. Lumley & Asher 8-4
• New York wins 8 points, Philadelphia 1 point

We had a packed house for the National League match hosted by The Racquet Club of Philadelphia with well over sixty people in attendance. Philadelphia vs New York with Camden Riviere filling in at the #1 spot. With the grille competition to kick off the evening, Tommy Shields won the night with two out of three grilles (lefty on his backhand)!

James Asher vs Adrian Kemp was the first match of the evening with both players looking fired up. James with some spooky pace was finding the dedans to give him the first game. Adrian getting comfortable on the court, started to retrieve lots of balls and putting James under a lot of pressure. Adrian took the first set 6/1 closing out the set with a nice backhand into the grille. Adrian kept his momentum going, taking a 3/0 lead. James had some fantastic gets out of the backhand corner to take it to 3/1 before Adrian closed out the match 6/1 6/1. 

Up next we had John Lumley vs Camden Riviere with New York 1-0 up in the overall match. Camden quickly out of the gate took an early 2/0 lead hitting 5 grilles! With the next two games going to 40 all game point John needed to gain some momentum but alas, Camden took it to 4/0. With some fantastic retrieving from both players rallies were long and exciting but Camden closed out the first set 6/0! Camden took the first game of the second set before John crushed a main wall Dedans to get on the board at 1/1. Camden being very aggressive off the return found some impressive main wall Dedans to take the next two games. John hit a great volley off the tambour finding the top corner of the Dedans to get to 2/3. Camden on fire closed out the match 6/0 6/2 with a very impressive performance. New York lead 2-0 in the overall match. 

With the doubles to close out the evening the crowd was still staying strong and upbeat for their team Philadelphia. Camden & Adrian flew out to an early 4/0 lead with solid play as well as good returning. John & James stepped up by serving tighter and allowing James to be aggressive at the galleries. With some great pace and some superb volleying by both teams New York closed out the match 8/4! James played some fantastic stuff up at the galleries under extreme pressure from Camden & Adrian. Adrian was very consistent all match with very few errors. A great match and display of top-level doubles. 

New York won the evening 3-0 with some very impressive Court Tennis. A big thanks to Robbie Whitehouse for marking all of the matches and to the RCOP crowd for supporting the event! 

• Barney Tanfield bt Josh Dodgson 6/3, 6/3
• James Stout bt Steve Virgona 6/4, 3/6, 6/3
• Dodgson & Virgona bt Stout & Tanfield 8/6

The 2019 National League final took place Wednesday, November 20th at the Racquet and Tennis Club. Without dropping a singles match throughout the season, Chicago and New York came to the finals tied for first place. 

The first singles match saw two frequent adversaries, Josh Dodgson (Chicago) and Barney Tanfield (New York). With both players striving for some scoring consistency, the early going was a cat and mouse game but Tanfield began finding fortune with some timely shots deep into the rallies. After a late first set surge, Tanfield continued the momentum into the second set, pushing his lead up to 5/2 and the brink of victory. A missed force gave Barney an ideal match point opportunity which was rejected viciously by the net cord. Dodgson fought back and, at 5/3 down, produced some spectacular play that had the gallery murmuring and Tanfield panicking. Fortunately for Tanfield, some luck and opportunistic play yielded him that game and the match (6/3, 6/3).

Two talented lefties, Steve Virgona (Chicago) and James Stout (New York), took to the court for the second singles match. With both players opting frequently to boast when under pressure, the opening exchanges were fast and frantic. Stout deployed frequent changes in both pace and spin, unsettling the rhythm of his Australian opponent. Stout’s retrieving skills prevented Virgona from hitting his usual complement of winners; and, the New York professional took the first set 6/4. At the start of the second set, Virgona found better length with his serve and was able to pin Stout on the receiving end. Several close games followed but Virgona edged his way to a 6/3 second set victory. With the deciding set beginning at 3/3, both players knew that the initial game or two would prove crucial. Stout came out slightly sharper and he was able to press home his advantage to clinch the match 6/3 in the third. As a result, New York took the title of National League Champions for the first time since 2010.

Though the match was already decided in New York’s favor, both teams came out for the Doubles looking fired up. The crowd was wowed by some fantastic retrieving and spectacular face-paced volleying from both teams. It was the Chicago pair who always seemed to have their noses in front, clinching the match 8/6. 

Many thanks are due to the R&TC membership, who faithfully supported both of our home matches. The players would also like to acknowledge the massive support of the USCTA, Eastham Capital, the National League Sponsorship Program (Hank Smith, Dinosaur Capital & an anonymous supporter of the game), and Temple Grassi.

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