Manchester denied chance of victory after close match.

Sportcity’s Regional Tennis Centre was the venue for an exciting tie between Manchester and the University of Central Lancashire. The contest was the quarter-final of the Conference Cup. The UCLAN side proved to be no pushovers as a place in the semi-finals hung in the balance. The tie consisted of four singles matches, the team leading overall across the matches being crowned the winner.
The first of these four matches was an entertaining clash between Manchester’s Dan Shiner and Ian Montgomery from UCLAN. There was a contrast evident in each player’s style of play; Shiner preferring a controlled basleine approach whilst Montgomery looked to use powerful, explosive play. The first set impetus swung towards Shiner; Montgomery appeared to lose focus and the former went on to win the set 6-2. The second set was a tighter affair with both players matching each other stride for stride; 6-6 and a tense tie break. Montgomery, with renewed vigour, stormed into a seemingly unassailable 6-2 lead. However, another apparent loss of concentration and the contrastingly calm and collected Shiner hit back. Despite Montgomery’s seven set points, Shiner battled to an 11-9 tie break victory, which also sealed a first win for the Manchester team.
The second contest was between Nathan Sinclair for Manchester and UCLAN’s James West. Sinclair and West employed similar styles, using the baseline and long powerful strokes. The athleticism and technique on display resulted in long rallies which tested endurance and concentration. The opening exchanges reflected this parity and a single break from Sinclair was enough to edge the first set 6-4. Both Sinclair and West made it extremely difficult to hit winners, though each was raising their game to counter their opponent, finding the very corners of the court with increasing accuracy. In the second set, in a fashion typical of the match, West rallied to win the set 6-4. With the stakes high and tiredness seemingly setting in, mistakes became more frequent but final set still required a tie-break. To the delight of the UCLAN team, it was West, having battled from a set down, who was triumphant by a narrow 7-5 margin which left the match tied at 1-1.
The third match saw Manchester’s Sam Wheatley pitted against UCLAN’s Jake Grinsill. Wheatley’s game play was strengthened by a powerful serve and backhand. Wheatley used this to his advantage and managed to secure a straight sets victory 6-3, 6-4. Although it may look on the outset as the most straightforward of the ties, this was by no means an easy win for Wheatley. Grinsill caused problems for his Manchester opponent throughout and often held his own serve comfortably. The match seemed to balance on certain moments, and the break points often came from deuce situations. However, Wheatley came through as the superior player and assured that Manchester entered the final match with a 2-1 lead.
It was Manchester’s captain, George Mowles-Van Der Gaag, who was last to take to the court alongside his UCLAN counterpart James Silson. Mowles-Van Der Gaag displayed a diverse and confident style, having no difficulty switching between baseline and serve and volley play. Silson, meanwhile, was energetic and agile and responded well to Mowles-Van Der Gaag’s probing play, using a surprising amount of power as well as placement when necessary. The Manchester captain managed to secure the first set 6-4 after a cagey opening, only for Silson to respond magnificently by claiming the second 6-4. As the final set ensued, each player explored new techniques in an attempt to surpass the other; Mowles-Van Der Gaag’s net play being thwarted by Silson’s excellent placement, while The UCLAN player’s sheer forehand power was not enough to counter the Manchester captain’s ability to control the rally. With the final set tied at 6-6, the seemingly inevitable tie-break began. With nerves jangling and the match on a knife-edge, it was Silson who eventually asserted a 9-7 win. This meant that the overall contest stood at 2-2, a creditable account of a closely-battled match.
Unfortunately an administrative error meant that the tie could not conclude with the usual pair of doubles matches. This was regrettable as the brilliantly balanced contest clearly deserved this worthy finale. As such, Manchester were reluctantly forced to concede victory to their UCLAN opponents who now look ahead to an exciting semi-final clash. However the level of tennis and sportsmanship that had been shown meant that nobody went home disappointed. After an impressive display, Manchester will look once again to the league which they currently lead, though they stand just a point above the now familiar UCLAN challengers.