BSF Winter tennis league

This year, there is a full house of 30 teams in three divisions, largely made up of familiar faces but with two new outfits in Leigh C. and David Lloyd D, the latter precursors, one suspects, of David Lloyds E, H, S etc.

There are some notable individual newcomers in the form of Leigh's players; Rachel Branagan, snapped up by David Lloyd A; Alice Settle, latest in a famous tennis line who graced the courts for Allsorts alongside Chris Gamble and Rob Lister and for Holcombe A, another highly- promising youngster in Hope Thorley. Also involved in close-season transfer activity were the Longsight pair, Paul Nicholson on a free and Ilona Glamourgran Kilburn, each of whom has moved to the Monton team. Monton, in fact, began proceedings with a match against Bolton CC in which Nicholson and Cricketers' Jimmy Topping providing the talking points. A shy, retiring soul, the former seemed nervous and slow to get going with his new, posh team-mates but steadily improved and while still some way short of his best, will clearly strengthen the team. After a decade of making figurative rude gestures to the tennis code of dress, he marked his up-market debut with an outfit which almost conformed -- a vision in blue: singlet, shorts and what looked, at a distance, like a pair of blue bootees ( a long-lost Xmas gift perhaps.)

Cricket Club were beaten but unbowed. In particular Topping and his partner in time, Howard Davies produced some some startlingly sizzling serves. Topping was also the cause of some accidental controversy when the best volley he has hit for many a decade was initially called out before being discussed. "Take two" was a fair compromise but little consolation to Topping with another long wait ahead.