Great Season Everyone

Mother nature seems determined to curtail the play on our clay courts! It was however, a great Thanksgiving weekend weather wise, and many took advantage of that fact and got out to play. The club is now officially closed.

On behalf of the club members, I want to thank Bill White, for his dedication and commitment towards making our club the excellent facility that it is. Our clay courts are the best around this area, and our increasing membership is an indicator that our club is well managed and a fun place to be.

If you use the courts in the coming days, please use good judgement in determining whether they are playable. Also, if all the courts are in use, please be mindful of any members who may be waiting to play . See you in 2012!

Fall Update

Although the temperature outside has dropped considerably, some fine tennis weather is still to be had. This season has been an outstanding one and morning tennis and the round robins are still going strong, so come on out if you are still keen to play! The clubhouse will remain open until Thanksgiving. After that time the courts will be maintained and play will continue as long as the weather holds out.
A hearty thanks goes out to to Brent and Allison Hiller of Hiller Realty, for sponsoring all the Junior Grand Slam events this season. This event provided a marvelous opportunity for our younger members to play competitively and develop their skills. It was a very successful program and all the participants had a wonderful experience.
The Waterloo tennis club is again offering our club members a 40% discount off their regular winter rates. Some members took advantage of this offer last year and had a great time on the courts. Please contact John Noble or Richard Bast for further details.
Our president, John Noble, extended thanks to Bill for another year of dedication and commitment to making this the best tennis club on the planet. He said, " It sounds grand in scale but I don't think I am far off. Bill on behalf of the board and club members. Thank You!!!! Words alone can not possible describe what you mean to this club. The staff under your direction has been the best we have had since my association with the club. "
John has also made the difficult decision that this will be his last term as Club President. It has become difficult for him to find that healthy balance between work and play and still give the club the attention it deserves. He remarked that It has been a great experience sitting in this position and his passion and dedication to the club remains unchanged. He will still continue to assist in any way possible to keep this the best sports and family facility going.
During his term as president, John has certainly been a very enthusiastic and dedicated president and succeeded in implementing many changes that had a positive impact on our club. We will truly miss the guidance, insight and resourcefulness that he brought to the table. The AGM will be his last formal function as President and he will of course, provide the new President all the resources and assistance to make the transition a smooth one. He realizes that there are some great people at the club that can continue to lead the club in a healthy direction. If you are interested in this or any other board position, please contact a board member.
Bingos will continue to be an important means of fundraising for the club. If you can help out in 2012, please call Steve Fisher at 273 5123.

MASTERS DOUBLES TOURNAMENT

L-R Linda Doig & Nancy Chung ( Ladies Doubles 'A' Champions)
Bill White & Zdenko Andrekovic (Men's Doubles 'A' Champions

The Stratford Tennis Club held its annual Masters Doubles Tournament this past weekend. The perfect tennis weather led to a great day of play and socializing. Eleven teams of men and nine teams of ladies participated this year.

The Ladies Doubles 'A' final saw Linda Doig and Nancy Chung face off against
Johanna Billings and Deb Murphy. The smart and steady play of Doig and
Chung led to a convincing 8 - 2 victory. The Ladies Doubles 'A consolation'
final was the match of the day. Gail Shelton and Cathy Mowbray took the
title by edging Sandie Ennett and Maria Donkers 8 - 7 (8 points to 6 in the tie-breaker).
The Ladies Doubles 'B' champions were Lise Couture and Marilyn Leasa who
scored an 8 - 5 win over Marta Andrekovic and Monica Eickmeyer in the final.
The Ladies 'B consolation' final saw Noella Schiedel and Marilyn Holmes ,edge
Lynn Bast and Julie Drake 8 - 5 for the title.

The Men's Doubles 'A' final saw Bill White and Zdenko Andrekovic battle
Brent Hiller and Murray Schiedel. White and Andrekovic improved their
play all day and saved their best play for the final. White and Andrekovic
scored an 8 - 3 win to take the championship. Larry Shurrie and John Noble
took the 'A consolation' title with an 8 - 3 victory over Mike Furlong and
Paul Barclay.

The Men's Doubles 'B' champions were Chris Parson and Pat McCarroll. They
rallied to take out Gary Henery and Michael Blackburn 8 - 4 in the final. The
Men's Doubles 'B consolation' title went to Stephen Fischer and Brian Arens
with an 8 - 4 win over Todd and Kent Chisholm.

Club Events Update

L-R Sonja Andrekovic (Girls champion), Alexandra Andrekovic (Girls finalist), John Fischer (Boys Under 18 finalist), Jeremy Chisholm (Boys Under 18 champion), Grant McPherson (Boys Under 14 champion), James Wilson (Boys Under 14 finalist), Stefan Andrekovic (Boys Under 12 champion), Ryan Lay (Boys Under 12 finalist)

The fourth and final leg of the Royal LePage Hiller Realty Junior Grand Slam took place this past Saturday at the Stratford Tennis Club. The 'US Open' saw the best tournament weather of the season. The perfect weather allowed the talented juniors at the Club, to put on a display of impressive tennis.

The Girls event saw the usual pattern. Sonja Andrekovic dominated the Grand Slam season and the 'US Open' was no different. Sonja completed her sweep of the four Grand Slam events by defeating her sister Alexandra 8 - 1 in the final. Sonja had previously swept the four Grand Slam events in 2009.

The Boys Under 18 final had John Fischer face Jeremy Chisholm. Chisholm proved too strong on this day and took the title with an 8 - 2 victory. The consolation title went to Ben Nelson. Nelson downed Steven Schwartzentruber in the final by an 8 - 3 score.

The Boys Under 14 category was won by Grant McPherson. McPherson won his second Grand Slam event of the season with an 8 - 2 drubbing of James Wilson in the final. Collin Rose doubled up Matthew Vanderweil , 8 - 4 , to take the consolation title.

The Boys Under 12 final was a rematch of the French Open final between Stefan Andrekovic and Ryan Lay. Andrekovic avenged his 'French Open' loss to Lay by taking the 'US Open' championship with an 8 - 4 win. Andrekovic also won the 'Wimbledon' championship earlier this summer. The consolation final saw Michael Vanderweil take out Luke McCarroll 8 - 2 to win the title.

The Stratford Tennis League completed its 2011 season last week. After the 'A' championship game, where Physiotherapy defeated Donkers Agri for the championship, rain postponed the 'B' title game. This weeks 'B' championship saw OCCUPATIONAL THERAPY take on THE FLASHING PEARLIES.

The Ladies #1 doubles went to the PEARLIES as Marta Andrekovic and Heather Henke downed Nancy Rheaume and Annette Garneau 6 - 2 , 6 - 2. The Ladies #2 doubles had a split of sets with Marilyn Leasa and Sandra Darby of the PEARLIES winning the first set 7 - 6 (7 points to 1 in the tie-breaker) before OCCUPATIONAL's Cathy Mowbray and Monica Eickmeyer rebounded to take the second set 6 - 4.

The Men's #1 doubles was dominated by OCCUPATIONAL's Bob Tamblyn and Murray Schiedel who scored a 6 - 0 , 6 - 2 victory over Zdenko Andrekovic and Pat McCarroll. The PEARLIES Jeremy Chisholm and Todd Chisholm shutout Gustavo Garcia and Paul Barclay in the first set of the Men's #2 doubles but Garcia and Barclay took the second set 6 - 2. This made the score 4 sets each heading into the mixed doubles sets.

The #1 Mixed doubles set went to OCCUPATIONAL as Rheaume and Tamblyn edged Andrekovic and Andrekovic 6 - 4. Garneau and Schiedel upped OCCUPATIONAL's lead by winning the #2 Mixed doubles 6 - 2 over Henke and McCarroll. The PEARLIES hopes were kept alive in the #3 Mixed set as Leasa and Jeremy Chisholm easily topped Mowbray and Garcia 6 - 1.

Trailing by one set heading into the #4 Mixed match the PEARLIES team of Darby and Todd Chisholm held off Eickmeyer and Barclay, winning 6 - 4. This tied the match at 6 sets each and meant the total games won would determine the winner. When the scores were added up it showed that each team had won 51 games. So the 'B' championship match ended up tied in sets and tied in games. A draw was declared and the 'B' title will be shared by OCCUPATIONAL THERAPY and THE FLASHING PEARLIES.

JUNIOR CLUB CHAMPIONSHIP RESULTS

Throughout the month of August the Stratford Tennis Club held junior championship tournaments in 4 age groups. With the calibre of junior play at the Club the highest it has ever been, each event saw great competitive matches. The singles' finals tended to be dominated by one side but the doubles' finals saw many 3 set nail biters.

The Under 18 events saw the biggest upsets. In the girls singles, defending champion, Krista Plociennik, was unable to fend off Claire Scott. Scott withstood Plociennik's power and with her smart and steady play, took the final by a 7 - 5 , 6 - 1 score. The boys singles also had an upset in the final. Defending champion, Nathan Walsh, faced Travis Hiller in the final, where Hiller outlasted Walsh scoring a 3 - 6 , 6 - 3 , 6 - 3 victory to win the championship.

The doubles events in the Under 18 category saw close matches but the defending champions were able to retain their titles. The girls doubles championship went to Plociennink and Danielle Chisholm who squeaked out a 6 - 4 , 3 - 6 , 7 - 6 (7 points to 5 in the tie-breaker) over Marley Hiller and Sonja Andrekovic. Walsh and his partner Jeremy Chisholm, defended their title in the boys doubles, downing John Fischer and Luke Fischer 6 - 2 , 7 - 6 (7 points to 1 in the tie-breaker) in the final.

2010 Mixed Doubles champions Plociennik and Walsh faced the players who upset them in the singles finals, Scott and Hiller, in this years' final. Plociennik and Walsh got some revenge for their singles losses by taking the Mixed Doubles title 3 - 6, 6 - 0 , 6 - 3.

The Under 16 events saw some familiar names and some new names take the titles. The girls singles champion is Sonja Andrekovic who defeated Marley Hiller 6 - 1 , 6 - 2 in the final. The boys singles had new club members battling for the championship. After a draw full of upsets, the final came down to a match between brothers PJ Conlon and Alex Conlon. Older brother PJ was too much for his younger sibling, winning 6 - 4 , 6 - 1. The boys doubles final was a classic match. Grant McPherson and Jeremy Chisholm edged out John and Luke Fischer 6 - 7 (7 points to 2 in the tie-breaker) , 7 - 6 (7 points to 5 in the tie-breaker) , 6 - 4 to win the championship. Andrekovic and John Fischer were able to hold off Hiller and McPherson 4 - 6 , 6 - 4 , 6 - 3 to win the mixed doubles title.

The Under 14 division had some dominating performances in the singles' finals. Alexandra Andrekovic won the Girls Singles event with a 6 - 0 , 6 - 2 victory over Caitriona Buckley. John Fischer avenged an earlier loss to Grant McPherson in the Under 16 singles quarterfinal by pounding McPherson 6 - 0 , 6 - 0 to win the Under 14 Boys Singles title. Appearing in their third age group boys doubles final, John and Luke Fischer finally took a title by downing Jared Nash and Tim Clay 6 - 4 , 6 - 3. Andrekovic and Leam Hughes teamed up to win the mixed doubles championship scoring a 2 - 6 , 7 - 6 (9 points to 7 in the tie-breaker) , 6 - 3 win over Nicolle Crowley and Luke Fischer.

The 2010 singles champions defended their titles in the Under 12 division, while new champions were crowned in the doubles events. Nicolle Crowley took her second straight girls singles crown with a 6 - 0 , 6 - 0 win over Ashley Humphrey. Luke Fischer repeated as the Boys Singles champion beating Evan Moorehead 6 - 1 , 6 - 1 in the final. Crowley and Humphrey took home the girls doubles title with a 6 - 0 , 6 -0 win over Michaela McKay and Tasia Reynen. Luke Fischer and Moorehead won the Boys Doubles crown by defeating Bradley Kraemer and Will Thibeault 6 - 2 , 6 - 3.

Club Champioships Singles Results

The Stratford Tennis Club completed their Club Championship singles tournament. Two themes played out during this season's events; rain delayed finals and the junior players making their presence felt in the club. Familiar names took the 'A' titles while first time winners took the 'B' titles.

The Ladies 'A' final was a match up of eighteen year old defending champion Krista Plociennik and fifteen year old first time finalist Sonja Andrekovic. Plociennik had cruised to the final without losing a set, though she was pressed in her semifinal against Marta Andrekovic (Sonja's mother).

Sonja upset the #2 seed Claire Scott in the second round and also had yet to lose a set heading into the final. No one was beating Plociennik on this night. With her power strokes on full display, Plociennik crushed the ball all night. Her 6 - 0 , 6 - 0 victory confirmed her status as the top female player in Stratford. This is Plociennik's fourth ladies 'A' title in the last five years.

The Ladies 'B' final was contested between Monica Eickmeyer and junior Vienna Wilson. Both were in their first final and put on a great display. Eickmeyer won the first set 6 - 2 before Wilson rebounded to take the second set 7 - 5. A third set was needed to determine the champion. Eickmeyer regained her advantage and took the third and deciding set 6 - 2 to claim the title.
The Men's 'A' final saw seven time champion Bob Tamblyn take on first time finalist Kurt Eickmeier. Tamblyn, ranked 43rd in the province, showed off his steady game and kept the pressure on Eickmeier all through the match. Tamblyn's masterful footwork allowed him to get to almost every ball and make Eickmeier hit an extra shot time after time. In a match that was much closer than the score would indicate, Tamblyn won his record eighth 'A' singles title, 6 - 1 , 6 - 2.
Juniors battled it out in the Men's 'B' final. Eighteen year old Nathan Walsh, who won the 'B' title in 2009, matched up with John Fischer who is weeks away from turning fourteen years old. Walsh was regulated to the 'B' division after losing his first round match to Morgan Davis in three sets in one of the highest calibre matches of the tournament. Fischer had earlier this week won the Men's 'B' doubles title with his younger brother and seemed to relish the championship night atmosphere. Playing one of his best matches of the season Fischer took down Walsh 6 - 3 , 6 - 3. Fischer is now the youngest winner of the Men's 'B' singles title in Club history.

L Bob Tamblyn
( Mens 'A' singles champion )

R Kurt Eickmeier
( Mens 'A' singles finalist )













L Nathan Walsh
( Men's 'B' singles finalist )

R John Fischer
( Men's 'B' singles champion )











L Sonja Andrekovic
( Ladies 'A' singles finalist )

R Krista Plociennik
( Ladies 'A' singles champion )













L Monica Eickmeyer
(Ladies 'B' singles champion)

R Vienna Wilson
(Ladies 'B' singles finalist)















L-R
Bob Tamblyn (Men's 'A' singles champion)

John Fischer (Men's 'B' singles champion)

Monica Eickmeyer (Ladies 'B' singles champion)

Krista Plociennik (Ladies 'A' singles champion)