West's return does not alter Guernsey's results

THE return of Rob West could not help the Fortis Guernsey team as they lost 6-0 to Queen's in the Kia National Club League Division One at the Longcamps Tennis Centre yesterday. West recently arrived back in the island after finishing his first year at Cleveland State University in the USA where he is on a tennis scholarship. The 19-year-old, playing number one for the home side, came up against Ned Boone and went down

3-6, 4-6.

'He's the same age as me but he was ranked in the top 10 in Britain last year at under-18,' said West.

'I've come across him before but I've never played him. He's a good player but if I had taken my chances, I could have won.'

In the other singles clashes, Guernsey's Andrew Privett won his first set against Mark Hadley but then went on to lose the next two 3-6, 5-7. Jimmy Wood in his singles match with Richard Ground, also took his first set 6-4, but the wheels fell off for the Scotsman as he went down 1-6, 0-6 in the remaining sets.

The flamboyant South African Stefan Cloete, lost to Per Nordtrom as Queen's took a 4-0 lead into the doubles.

With West and Privett joining forces to face Hadley and Ground, they lost the first set 4-6. On the next court, Wood and doubles specialist Ian Robinson also handed the first set to their opponents Boone and Simon Thorp 4-6.

The second set on both courts were almost mirror images of each other as the two Sarnian pairs rallied back to take a 5-4 lead and then to finally succumb to their London opponents.

The turning point in the Wood-Robinson match was a close line call by Boone that put the Guernsey duo off their stride as Boone and Thorp came home 6-5 winners.

The West-Privett second set went to a tiebreak that their Queen's opponents won 7-6. Privett believes the score did not tell the whole story.

'It's just playing at that level,' said Privett.

'It's coming down to a couple of points. Six-nil looks brutal but in reality we are really close.

'We have improved immensely over the season. Next season could be a really good one for us.'