Young Langlois stars as leaders show strength

WHISTLERS B maintained their lead at the top of the Doric Insurance Senior League Division One with an impressive 7-3 victory over their A side. The victors did not have it all their own way, though, as Alice Loveridge opened impressively with a tight straight-sets victory over Adam Langlois to give the A side a 1-0 lead.

From there Whistlers B stormed into a 4-1 lead, with Oliver Langlois beating both Mark Pipet and Alice Loveridge 3-1, Jez Powell beating Phil Hunkin in straight games and the Langlois brothers teaming up to beat Hunkin and Loveridge.

Adam Langlois made up for his earlier defeat to Loveridge by edging out Hunkin in five tight games to move Whistlers B to within one match of the victory.

Pipet delayed that with a straight-sets win over Jez Powell, but Oliver Langlois wrapped things up for the B side with his third four-set victory of the evening, this time over Hunkin.

Loveridge picked up her second win with a straight-sets victory over Powell and Adam Langlois did likewise against Pipet.

Title rivals Lions A got back on track with an impressive 9-1 victory over Whistlers C following their 5-5 draw with Specsavers A last week.

Phil Ogier and Garry Dodd each won their three singles matches, but were tested by the Whistlers side.

Ogier dropped just one leg during the evening to Andy Gill.

Dodd was pushed to four games by Dawn Morgan and was also tested by Matthew Stubbington, who was unlucky to lose in five having held a 2-1 lead.

Peter Bretel beat Gill in straight games and also Stubbington in four.

However, he lost to Morgan in four as Whistlers C prevented a whitewash.

Lions A remain one point behind Whistlers B at the top and their clash next week is highly anticipated. Both will be looking for the victory after their first meeting a few weeks ago ended in a 5-5 stalemate.

In the remaining Division One game, third-placed Specsavers A followed their impressive draw last week with a tight 6-4 victory over Lions B.

Current Channel Island champion Scott Romeril was on good form for the Specsavers side and won all three of his singles without dropping a single leg.

He also combined with James Lesbirel to beat Paul Hainsworth and Martin Sarre in the doubles, also in straight games.

All three of Lesbirel's singles matches went to a deciding game. Luckily for Specsavers, though, it was he who came out on top in two of them.

He beat Sarre 11-7 in the fifth and reserve Liam Robilliard 12-10, but he lost to Hainsworth despite having been 2-1 up.

Hainsworth, Sarre and Robilliard all gained a victory over Specsavers' Neil Hastie.