25 Nov 2014

Round 3 preview of Tawa Glen Cafe Thursday Premier League, Rotokare 6pm-10pm

Team Koch v Team J.Fleming
Another big win looks likely for the competition leaders (Team Koch) as they are further reinforced by the availability of their team captain for his first start, at the same time as Team J.Fleming find themselves under-strength with Jordan Fleming out with a shoulder injury.  Cameron Koch will now face off against Andrew Powell, David Geange will play super-sub Jacob Gopperth and David Lace competes against Nicole Koch.  D.Lace and Nicole Koch are both unbeaten in singles play but expect Lace to win by a narrow margin.   Cameron Koch faces an unusual situation when he plays doubles against his sibling, Nicole.   Expect Team Koch to extend their competition lead even further. 

Team Bloor v Team Mitchell
Hamish Mead makes his debut in Premier League when he takes over the No.1 spot for bottom-placed Team Bloor when they meet 3^rd placed Team Mitchell as Frayne Bloor has also had to withdraw through injury sustained during practice this week.  Mead (Tennis Central 16s Team member) will come up against Graeme Mitchell in the No.1 spot.  Mitchell won the last time these two met on the court.  Mead has added height and strength since the last battle but Mitchell is in great form, coming off a 7-0 drubbing of former No.1 Jordan Fleming last round. The No.2 match pits Mike Lace against Andrew Sangster, making his debut.  On paper, this should be a win to Sangster.  Nicola Irvine matches up against Brady Simpson and this could go either way.  Expect Team Mitchell to be too strong in the doubles combinations, especially where their captain is concerned and they will rack up a sizeable win.

Team M.Fleming v Team Pollard
2nd-last placed Team M.Fleming takes on 2nd placed Team Pollard in the remaining match.  In this tie, we have a captain making his first appearance in the form of Mike Fleming and he will face Ben Pollard in the No.1 slot; Fleming expecting to get his team out of the blocks with a win.  This tie promises even matches and suspense until the end of the evening as the remaining matches look to be very close.  The No.2 match pits the flamboyant youth of Jaime Simpson against the super-fitness and experience of Chris Jury, whilst the No.3 match also sees a generational gap with Beauden Fleming playing Greg Hareb.  This tie may be a draw at the end unless Mike Fleming is able to exhort his young charges to victory in the doubles.