April - Sunday 8th April - Day 3

So, we had an uphill battle today with the guys trying to win both matches. A tiny glimmer of good news in the morning though as Rochus puled out injured and was replaced by Goffin.

Jennifer was just hanging out today while Rob and I went to the tennis but she came into the arena around 11 with me to see the guys warm up. I was trying to get the remaining autographs for my t-shirt.

I managed to get Dan to sign my shirt before he went onto court to have a hit and I managed to get Josh to sign when he came off court :) I wished him luck for the match and after a little longer Jen and I headed out to meet Rob.

She then went shopping while Rob and I went in for the start of the tennis.

The giant flag was introduced to the arena by Caro, Gill, Steven and Maureen:

The GB bench were super supportive as Josh started against Goffin:

Now, there had been a theme running through the weekend that I forgot to mention earlier!

We were able to clearly see the am.com gang from our seats and there had been a great deal of waving and signing during the match. The best bit however, has to be the 'mirror bangers'.

Many of you will be familiar with the clappers/bangers supplied by BNP Paribas for fans to use to make noise....well Dave and I struck up a little game whereby we mirrored the actions of the other across the arena during changes of ends to the music....very entertaining for us but less so for those of you who were intrigued by the name!

Some of you will also remember the camera wars....! The tickets now state that no cameras with detachable lenses are permitted....so what does this guy have?

Anyway, back to the tennis.....

Josh was unfortunately broken in the 3rd game of the first set...and the second set.... and the third set :(

The first 2 breaks were decisive and lead to Goffin being 2-0 up but Josh had fought for every single point and the sets were really close. In the third set Josh did manage to get the break back but Goffin was just too good and he took the match in a little under 3 hours :(

This was however, convenient for Rob, Jennifer and I. We had a loooong drive home and had always planned to leave at 4pm...well Josh and Goffin finished at around 3.50 so we headed on home with the giant flag!

We had a better trip home - took 4 hours to Sheffield to drop off Jennifer and then another 4 hours to Dorset so we arrived back at our place just before midnight!

We had a really great weekend due to a combination of tennis and spending time with some friends...and are now looking forward to next year in the hope that we can make the next tie....please not South Africa or Israel....not sure my budget can afford those trips!

As always here is a link to the rest of my photos

Also here is a little video clip which we found amusing - keep an eye out for Treacle (His arms seem quite energetic!)

April - Saturday 7th April - Day 2

After a slightly disappointing day we had high hopes for the doubles. We headed out to grab breakfast whilst Jennifer went to take a look around Loch Lomond....

We were early so we headed into the arena to try and get some autographs. Chris and the girls were already there and Colin and Ross were busy warming up:

Maureen was trying to get her hat signed by the team as well:

I on the other hand was trying to get my top signed (whilst wearing it!):

Today we were forced once again to listen to annoying voice umpire :(

The boys started warming up and we got ready for the match.

A couple of piccy's as I know the boys have a few fans:

The Belgian team were playing in their first doubles match together so we were hopeful that the boys would get the win.

The first set was tense as the boys went down an early break :( They were never able to regain it and so the Belgian pair took the first set.

Possibly nerves had affected the boys in the beginning as they seemed to get a little more comfortable in the second.

Flemchins had several break points which they couldn't convert before eventually making the breakthrough...

Unfortunately the Belgians managed to break back a couple of games later :(

A couple of games on serve and then our boys were 6-5 up. They applied pressure and after getting to deuce they managed to grab the set!

So now we are 1 set all and we all have high hopes that the boys will take control of the match.

There were a few tight games before the guys got the break. We were slightly worried that Ross might get broken whilst serving again...but no Rosco was solid and despite the game going to deuce he got through and now we lead 2-1!

Another tight set follows....Colin and Ross are the more accomplished pair but the Belgian team were very solid and their individual successes in singles were definitely showing.

Our boys take the advantage though to lead 5-4 with Rosco to serve for the match!

No issues with this game though and Ross served an ace to seal the match! Rob was attempting to capture the Bryan bump but what we got was this:

After the match we headed back to the hotel and Jennifer timed her visit to Loch Lomond exactly right as she arrived back a few minutes after us :)

We met in the bar for a drink and then went back to Bella Italia again for dinner.

A quick drink in the bar before bed and we met up with this little bunch:

An interesting discussion followed about the flag that I had bought for the tie...which had turned out to be a little bigger than I had imagined! A demonstration  was called for and Caro and Gill were enlisted to display the flag at the match on Sunday!

We went off to bed just before 11 - not sure what time they all left.......

April - Friday 6th April - Day 1 Part 2

So, next up was SuperDan Evans...! This match was always going to be tough as he was playing Olivier Rochus and his ranking had slipped slightly since the last tie :(

Dan got off to a great start and managed to get an early break :) Rochus started off badly and it looked like he was going to turn into a more miserable player than Darcis!

A little shot of the am.com bunch:

Dan continued the good work and took the set 6-3. Not entirely sure when this photo was taken but look at the poses that the Belgian bench were making!

Jennifer and I sent Rob out to get food - ended up almost poisoning her with a chilli but all was fine in the end!

The second set did not start well - Dan was broken twice I think before getting one break back. He was by now peppering the arena with chants of Allez! at strategic moments....the Belgians were not impressed!

Unfortunately, Rochus held on to take the set 6-4.

The third set was tight - Dan faced several break points but managed to save most of them. Rochus managed to breakthrough to go 6-5 ahead, but SuperDan got the break back and we were headed for a tie-break!

This was unbearable....Dan had a couple of set points but couldn't take them. There was an extremely close call which either lead to Dan missing a set point or gave Rochus his set point....I can't even remember anymore!

Rochus did not miss his chance and took the set 7-6 :(

A difficult proposition now becomes even more difficult but SuperDan does not give up!

He grabbed an early break in the fourth set but it was hard work staying ahead. Dan was eventually broken back to go 4-4 which was such a shame but there was still hope.

Dan tried so hard to get the break back but to no avail - and here's where Rochus showed his experience...he managed to break Dan again and take the match in four.

So we ended the day 2-0 down which was not unexpected but it would have been great if we could have won one of the matches :(

For dinner we headed to Bella Italia...we were going to eat with the gang but we were too hungry and couldn't wait!

Colin and Ross up tomorrow :)

April - Friday 6th April - Day 1 Part 1

So, we headed down to breakfast this morning to meet up with Jennifer. Rob had the cooked breakfast while Jennifer and I stuck to the continental selection (important details....!)

After breakfast we got ready and headed over to the arena. We had to collect our tickets as Ticketmaster had not managed to successfully send them to us!

As we were early we then took Jennifer across to Xscape to show her the indoor ski slope....I think I am correct in saying that she was extremely puzzled by it!

We had a look around at the restaurants so that we could try and figure out where to eat later.....Jennifer is vegetarian so we were trying to find somewhere with some variety to the menu :)

Tour of Xscape over so we headed back across to the arena. We went in to check out our seats....we weren't sitting with the rest of the forum due to our indecisiveness and Jennifer's enthusiasm but we did quite like our seats.

Although - there were some downsides!

We got settled and ready for the first match and Rob took a picture of Jen and I wearing my preordered T-shirts!

Thankfully the arena has stopped with the prematch 'entertainment' and so soon enough the players were introduced!

One of the Stirling guys was dressed in an amazing outfit and was running around the arena - I tried really hard to get a picture but none of them are great:

So, first up was Josh Goodall against Steve Darcis.

I have very few photos from this match so I apologise in advance!

Josh started off really well and was really holding his own against Darcis - who by the way was such a bad tempered player....just absolutely miserable from start to finish....not a good advert for the Belgian team!

So there were no breaks in the first set and we end up in a tie break......Josh got the first point and then there was no stopping him! He took the tie break 7-2 and we were all absolutely thrilled!

The second set was a bit more difficult - Darcis had several break points and Josh did well to save quite a few but Darcis did eventually get the break and took the set 6-3 :(

Unfortunately Josh was then broken immediately in the third....the remainder of the set was solid and he was always trying to get the break back and if I remember correctly he had several break points....including one immediately prior to losing the set 6-4 :(

Now we are 1-2 in sets and in the past this would be the time when our players would give up.....but Josh was fighting for every point!

Sadly, he was broken again in the first game of the fourth set :(

I am proud to say that this did not change his approach....he was absolutely brilliant and an example of this was the fact that when serving at 4-5 he faced a couple of match points....but he saved them and forced Darcis to serve out the match.

Obviously he did this - I think to love but Josh can look back on this match and truely say he lost to the better player. He fought till the very end!

Next up:  Evans vs Rochus

April - Thursday 5th April - A really long drive!

After the last trip in February I really wasn't sure if we would make it to this tie for a variety of reasons but money plays a big part in any decision making process!

I got some money for my birthday in February and that started me wondering.....and then I asked Jennifer if she might be interested in a trip to Braehead.....talk about snowballing from there - before I knew it she had booked tickets and off we go!

Unfortunately I didn't manage such a good hotel deal - but the Campanile was the same price as the travelodge and apparently much better so we decided to give it a try.

We left home around 11am on Thursday and headed off to Sheffield to collect Jennifer.

We had a number of issues - roadworks near Bristol, an accident on the M1 causing huge queues and then we managed to get lost in Sheffield as the satnav wanted to go a really odd way to Jennifer's house!

We eventually picked up Jennifer at 5 - an hour later than originally planned :(

This then meant we had to deal with rush hour traffic in Sheffield on Maundy Thursday which was not the best move but we made it out of there and the rest of the journey was less difficult.....until we got to Braehead!

The satnav refused to find the hotel so I used the airport as a substitute for most of the journey then attempted to navigate the last section (using google maps).....Rob decided that he would ignore my instructions and somehow we ended up back on the M8 - heading back towards Glasgow.....!

Luckily we then found the hotel - Jennifer will confirm that it was more luck than judgement that eventually got us there!

We checked in and headed off to bed...!

February - Sunday 12th February - A detour on the way home!

We had to slightly adjust our plans for today - despite having tickets for the tennis.

I had to start my final phase of tuition on Monday and as a result we decided that we should head home on Sunday morning (and sacrifice the day of tennis) to make sure I got home in time and wasn't too tired.

Additionally, a friend had just moved to Sheffield from Florida - some of you might remember Seabreeze - and we decided to pop in on the way home to say hello :)

So, we left Braehead at 7am (after a poor night as some idiots in the travelodge had been running up and down the hallway in the middle of the night) and headed off on our long journey!

Thanks to the early start we made good progress and had crossed the border by 8.30!

We had expected the SatNav to take us down the M1 but for some reason it decided to take us down the M6 and then across - using a route called the 'snake pass'!

Now you will remember that there had been some snow over the weekend - this is the view from the car:

This section slowed us down a little but we were still on target to arrive at our destination about 11.30.

We arrived and took Seabreeze to a pub near her place and she had her first carvery (although meat free as she doesn't eat meat). I had the honour of trying to explain Yorkshire puddings to her!

We had a nice meal and then took her to Meadowhall - a large shopping centre nearby - so that she could see a little more of the city :)

We found this character in a shop - which was amusing for Seabreeze:

We spent a few hours in Sheffield and then dropped Seabreeze back home before heading towards home.

I had been monitoring the tennis on my phone and by this point James had been beaten by Lacko and so I was desperate for Dan to get the win for the team.

I must admit that I had been a little disappointed by James' performances over this weekend :(

Whilst we were driving out of Sheffield we saw this odd building:

The photos are not great - taken on my phone...but the building doesn't seem to be straight :-/

The rest of our journey went relatively smoothly...I was preparing a job application on my laptop which must have looked odd to drivers of passing vehicles!

I was also monitoring the tennis - and was thrilled when Dan took a 2-0 lead in the match. As we all know his opponent pulled the score back to 2-2 but Dan did eventually come through and get the win!

An amazing victory from Dan and a real shame that I missed it but I had a fun day and got to meet up with a friend so a good compromise :)

See you next time on the blog - whenever that is :)

Rest of photos here

February - Saturday 11th February

So, we got to see Ross and Colin in the doubles today.

But first, we got a demonstration of wheelchair doubles - in the form of an England vs Scotland battle :)

They played tie break scoring but without the change of ends and it was really entertaining :)

I am also amazed at how these guys manage to move around the court and still get the ball back....!

By the way, thankfully this time we were not forced to listen to some terrible 'entertainment' before each match....hope this trend continues :)

So, onto the main event - Ross and Colin.

The boys started off well enough and got an early break in the first. The took the set 6-3 and we were all pretty pleased.

The second was much closer but the boys took it on a tie-break! Yay!

Spirits were generally high in the group - Dave decided to take this as a hint to keep hitting people (mostly Rob and I) with the clappers supplied by BNP Paribas. Cue another photo of Dave and Fiona:

The third set did not start well however, the boys were broken straight away :(

We all hoped for a quick response but unfortunately it just went from bad to worse - another break and soon the set was gone 0-6!

So, we were all hoping they could get back on track in the fourth and thankfully they did!

The boys got their act back together and managed to get the break in the fourth and soon enough we were looking at match point!

The guys were so happy - they both said how amazing the support was from the crowd and how it had helped them get past the difficult third set :)

So, the day of tennis over we headed out again. Xscape was really busy and in the end we headed to pizza hut for dinner.

February - Friday 10th February Part 2

I forgot to mention earlier - Dave and Fiona were unfortunately running a little late and so missed the start of Dan's match....not entirely sure if they were to blame for this: Glasgow disturbance news story ;)

Anyway at Dave's request here is a photo of them after they arrived :) 

Moving on.....

After Dan's win, I had high hopes that James might be able to take us into Saturday witha 2-0 lead.

Unfortunately, that hope was dashed pretty quickly :(

James was not playing well and didn't seem to have any idea how to trouble his opponent...and given that the rankings were a lot closer this was disappointing.

The match was rather dull I have to say and apart from a brief glimmer of hope when James took the third set and went a break up in the 4th...but it was not to be :(

He got broke back and eventually lost the 4th on a tie break.

This was a very disappointing end to what had been a good day.

By this point Rob was about ready to chew his arm off and so we headed over to xscape to get some food.

We were going to join the rest of the gang in Bella Italia but Rob wanted Nando's and as he had sat through all that tennis....off we went :)

So, 1-1 at end of day one - what about day 2?

February - Friday 10th February Part 1

So, we were a little disappointed that Andy was injured and not able to play at this tie...but we were all ready to cheer on Dan and James.

I was hopeful that we could get one win out of the two matches today - this would leave Colin and Ross in a good position for the doubles and then...well who knows?

So, Dan was up first against Lukas Lacko - there was a huge gulf in the rankings...and so I am not afraid to admit that I didn't hold out much hope that Dan would win (sorry Dan!)

Dan had never won a DC tie and so we were all quite nervous as he started the match. He was really holding his own against Lacko and got a break in the first set.

He kept going and sealed the first 6-3....I will admit I was stunned and in the back of my mind wondered how long it would be before Lacko came through....?

Anyway, the second set was quite close and both players were under pressure on their serve at times....Dan came through a few games which I would have expected him to lose (again, sorry!)

He sealed the second set with a break 7-5 and now we were all starting to hope that he could pull off an unbelievable win!

Another close set followed and I was on the edge of seat. I was sat next to Pabbers today and I was attempting to channel our collective positive energy to help Dan.

Pabbers had a different approach - sending negative vibes to the opposition....trying to make them serve double faults and hit bad shots!

We also had some issues with the line judges - some of them just didn't appear to understand which shots they should be calling out (Lacko's) and which were clearly in (Dan's)...!

Eventually though our collective good vibes (!) won through and Dan sealed the set 7-5!

I was so thrilled for Dan and he seemed really pleased to get the win!