WINE-TASTING AUTHOR

I have received a message from a member who has already published a book on wine called, 'Corkscrewed'. He is American, Robert Camuto, who you may have seen on the courts, when he is not travelling around vineyards in France & Italy, writing about what he is eating & drinking. He also visits Sicily looking for traces of his ancestry. Interesting recitals of his gastronomic journeys are often published in the 'Washington Post', & you may consult these on-line on his website along with the occasional video showing him visiting vineyards & tasting their products.

He tells me has now published another book on his passions for vineyards & wines, but this time in French (His wife, Gelda is French & born in this area.) In case all this whets your appetite to know more, Robert's message to me gives the following details for perusal, & possible acquisition of a signed copy of this latest publication.

The simple ceremony will be held in the nearby bookshop of Pré-du-Lac, next Saturday morning from 9.30 am to 12.30 pm. The event will be all the more convivial by the presence of another member & wine-bibber ; none other than our Michel Piffaretti, who of course will be offering the annual wine-tasting of the Beaujolais nouveau.

If the prospect of having to read a whole book in French seems daunting to some of you, my suggestion is that this may be just the Christmas present the most appropriate for some dear friend.

The bookshop-café in Pré-du-Lac is on the road to Grasse, near a bakery. See you there perhaps.

SMASHES

I promised to write about smashes in your doubles games: so here is a description of the technique, with photos. The demonstrations are kindly provided by the teacher Franck, Captain of the Men's First Team (right-hander); and First Team player & Breton, Yann-Vari (left-hander).

The main points to note are:

1. Immediately in position under the falling ball, with front shoulder towards the net, the racquet head should be well back behind the head.

2. Watching the ball very carefully, the racquet is projected with fully extended arm, to meet the ball.

3. The follow-through of this stroke normally ends on the other side of the body to the hit, with a breaking of the wrist to bring the ball down well into the court.

4. Although this point is not demonstrated in these photos, we lesser mortals are helped in concentrating on the ball, by using the free arm to point directly at the ball until the moment of contact.

In good doubles play, it is a useful tactic with a high ball nearer the net, to smash at an angle, forcing the opponent to have to chase the ball well out of the court. It is often better with lower balls to volley deep down the middle, between the two opponents.

Finally, it is essential to practise smashes during the warm-up, 'to get your eye in'.

Go to it!!

HOW TO PLAY DOUBLES

This morning I was enlisted non-forcibly in the Doubles Jousts of our dear friends, the Ladies Internats (8 different nationalities among 10 last time, American Captain, Judy-the-Tallest). I was against Scottish Loic & Dutch René-la-Grande, as for some reason, I'd asked to play with Jane-the-English. (Can't stand the English in general.)

We started off pretty well, & it seemed we were going to have an easy win: it was me to serve. I noticed, with some consternation, that my dear partner was standing in the best position to avoid all balls that were not in her small quarter of the court. Well perhaps she's just bluffing I thought: she's going to move like greased lightning the moment they lob her. Not on your life! She didn't move a centimetre, and me, anticipating a cross-court return, watched the ball fall far away on the other side. The game went on to a miserable defeat, & I'm pretty sure, if I'd drawn a circle around dear Jane before a point, she would have still been inside that circle after the point was decided.

To tell you the truth, she played very well most of the time this set, & even together with my mistakes, we only lost 3/6; I'm just making my first point :

1. BE MOBILE ! ANTICIPATE WHERE THE BALL IS GOING !

Watching average sociable doubles play, another very common error, is the player who sticks close to the net with partner serving - then remains near to the net - rather like a spare-part.

Moving from one side to another barely helps, & looks rather ridiculous as the poor server runs from side to side recuperating the lobs. Far better to move back to the service line to help cover the whole court! And if the opponents get a good initiative & start smashing...... move right back behind the base-line. Just until you two have returned everything & are ready to move forward volleying. Next rules then......

2. THE CLOSER YOU ARE TO THE NET, THE MORE IMPORTANT IT IS TO HIT A WINNER!

3. MOVE BACK WHEN YOU'VE NOTHING TO HIT! DON'T BE A SPARE PART!

For my second match, I again, without thinking, chose Barbara-the-English! After the first few mistakes, we played pretty well & won our first set 6/3. There was some combined play with quite a lot of volleying & overhead work. This reminds me, that some English are not all that bad, & of further important points about doubles play..........

4. TRY TO SET UP YOUR PARTNER FOR A WINNER!

This often means returning service as a strong ball to an inconvenient place on the back-line,

so that your partner can advance to make a winning volley. There are many other occasions for you to play as a team!

5. ADVANCE TO VOLLEY & BE PREPARED TO PLAY OVERHEAD BALLS!

The alternative is to indulge in cross-court singles in a doubles match........Ugh!

Much better, more exciting, & more attacking, is to make a first long, high return, & then to advance mid-court to give a first, long volley. The second volley or smash depends on your technique - try to practise smashes in the warm-up. (I'll give some description of classic smashes in a later post.)

6. ENJOY YOUR TENNIS! (as I know we all do!)

SOME BEST PLAYERS

Perhaps some of you would like to recognise the high class players of the Club, so here are action photos of Quentin, Hugo, & Manu, in that order.

Let me include here, photos of two of our younger tennis enthusiasts, Charline & Capucine.

You can find many other photos of Club players, including our three tennis teachers, on my personal tennis website.

Action photos of your own favourite strokes, by special request, & with pleasure!

RECENT EVENTS

Everyone is happy about the continued warm weather, & this is reflected in the attendance at the Club, & in the number of matches played. The most recent events were yesterday afternoon, when three families combined in a series of doubles, & this Monday lunchtime, when a group from the International Ladies, were on the terrace for lunch. The restaurant has lost Rita through lack of sufficient custom, but Jaqueline & Marcello continue to do their best.
Interclub matches with veteran groups (the youngest of these are over 35 years of age, then there are over 45, over 55, & so on); these take place home or away, on Sunday mornings. We hope these games don't interfere with your own arrangements - it is sometimes difficult to accommodate all who wish to play at this time, especially if rain has intervened. Up to now, conditions have not been too bad: overnight rain has been slight, & claycourts have been playable late morning. Junior Interclub matches have started too, & take place on Saturdays.
The Club's leading players are now practising from 1 pm to 3 pm on Saturdays: there were about 10 of them at the last practice - our earlier teacher, Manu Heussner is with them, when he is not captaining Monaco's Davis Cup Team. Play at this speed & with this competence is spectacular & is well worth watching!
You will have noticed that the buttressing work & reinforcement of the corner of number 3 Court has now been finished, & only waits a coat of paint. Well done, our groundsman, Fred! (He has also had time to give more surface to all the 5 claycourts.)
That autumn has arrived, you will see from the above photo; nevertheless we have bluetits singing in the ash trees, & the grass banks above Courts 4 & 5, are covered with daisies today.
Continue to make good use of these beautiful surroundings..................but keep your eyes on the ball!

DUTCH MEMBERS

The Dutch members distinguished themselves on Tuesday, after their usual hours of tennis, by eating together in the Club Restaurant, enlivening this Birthday Celebration with singing to the accompaniment of a friendly accordionist.

A happy event!

Thursday morning saw their 'élite' group of players on court, & in the evening two stronger members in singles matches of a high quality.

I was particularly pleased to watch Ernst Luckerath, absent from the courts for some months, beat our Welshman, Chris Benson, 6/3, 6/3 in a hard-fought battle on No: 2. Ernst's wife, Véronique, & children, Thomas, Caroline & Charlotte saw a little of this play, but above all, were welcome visitors after such a long time away. Three more children becoming trilingual!

On the adjacent court, the long, raking shots of our diplomat (retired), Jacques Barrère were being countered by the astringent, double-handed slicing of Kick de Vries - a formidable opponent.

Beautiful blue skies again in these warm September days; ideal for tennis!

RAIN AT LAST

The barbecue following the tournament was a great success, many more members & friends joined in the festivities than were present on the courts. The orchestra was discreet enough not to inhibit a vivacious conversation during the meal, but lively enough to excite the subsequent 'belly-dancing'.
We entered a rainy period shortly afterwards these happy events, & were lucky that bad weather had kept off for so long. Prolonged drought, followed by heavy rain, often damages villas & other constructions, especially in areas with a lot of clay. The south-east corner of our claycourts 2 & 3, was showing ominous cracks in the containing walls, & it was thought wise to prevent further movement without delay. Although still in the period of Ramadan, our friend Fred worked very hard to prevent further movement of these courts. Here are 3 photos to show the new cement mixer in action, & the resulting concrete constructions to support the wall & the weight of material it has to support. Note that the liquid cement has to be transported from the mixer into the previously prepared wooden framework (coffrage), where it solidifies. It is envisaged to provide support to the north-south wall also.
Some play has been possible on claycourts today, although they are not yet well-prepared: more sturdy members have managed matches on the hardcourts, rejoicing in some bright sun again, so soon after the downpours.

WATER

A pump was repaired just in time for the claycourts to be watered before the start of the doubles tournament at 3 pm. I was called in at the very last moment to replace Joyce in the first round, & managed 5/3 with the help of Nick Pearch against his 9-year old son Alexander & Gaby - a Belgian lady player. It was pretty hot at that time on hard court, & I was pleased enough to retire on the arrival of the official No: 27.
Matches of 8 games continued between the 28 entrants for 4 rounds, then one more round after a break for apéritif. Partners changed after each round according to each draw - some anomalies in the random results of these draws were noticed: in particular, poor Dawn found herself against Jean-Louis Leboucher for three of the five rounds. This new arrival is a serious opponent, well-versed in doubles' tactics - he arrived, introduced by his Brazilian wife, Monica, a valuable addition to the International Ladies Group.
These exertions seemed to be enjoyed by all, & were followed by a relaxing period of music by a group new to the Club; the barbecue helped the players & friends to recuperate their energies: which were further put into use by the more venturous, in various dances, well-supported by the band, & even by some belly-dancing!
All in all, a most successful day of events & new acquaintainces; the sort of occasion which no doubt will be repeated in the near future.
Sunday saw a few of the braver souls again battling on the courts; the swimming pool welcomed one last swimmer before the closure, & a few hours later, the long-awaited rainstorm appeared. (After record rainfall last year & the early months of this year, our last rain goes back to the last days of June! No rain at all during July, August, & the first 12 days of September!)
Here's a photo of a sky in September: the skies have generally been more colourful in the evenings of November. We shall see.

SUMMER'S ENDING

As the end of a glorious summer approaches, we have had no rain since the end of June. The supply of underground water for swimming pool, grounds & courts held up until a week ago. A depleted source may have contributed to damage to the pumps, but we are now suffering from powdery claycourts - also adversely affected by 3 days of Mistral recently.
Good matches have continued nevertheless, with Matt Frost & son Sacha, Michel Bartholomei, Jacques Barrère, Robert Camuto, Kick Roodhuyzen & family, Pierre Schydlowsky, Chris Benson, Ludovic Haziz, Jean-Philippe Goudeau being prominent in the play from 5 o'clock in the evening onwards.
Our Welsh wizard, Chris, seems to be playing even more than usual, perhaps as a relief after his arduous work as Chef in the newly-opened British restaurant near the Forum roundabout, Valbonne.
We have admired the aggressive style of play adopted by Matt's son, Sacha. Although this has not yet brought adequate rewards against his dad, he has now taken to training with more orthodox opponents. We expect a more rapid improvement from now on.
Mention must be made at this stage of our friend Mike Fiddes, who slowly accustoming himself to a more lowly position than the bridge of his 45 m boat, is proving valuable on court in prolonged training sessions with selected players. He has become the player with the proud boast of being able to keep monster Matt at the back of the court. Pas une mince affaire !
A doubles tournament is now planned for the coming Saturday afternoon, with an evening barbecue: the event promises to be as convivial as usual.

DISAPPOINTMENT

As our correspondent, Rancho found while attempting to book for the next encounter, Celt Matt had suffered a groin injury (while falling out of bed this morning?), & Celt Chris was fully engaged giving his car a push start. I got this disastrous news rather late on, & so did friend Mike. It thus occurred that the Captain arrived at the Club dressed in immaculate white as for the MCC or Wimbledon, (still dilapidated tennis shoes, however - donations welcomed), but with no match. In these days of modern communication methods, this seemed a pity.

I seems unlikely that this proposed meeting will be consummated in the near future, as our resident Yank departs for a 3 week holiday over there on Friday. We expect Ken & Joyce may be back before Rancho. Keep active you others!

NEXT EVENT

It was during early morning matches & practice sessions, that a further evening doubles match was announced. The victorious Celts are to meet the intrepid partnership of Rancho the Yank & the English Sea Captain, this evening, starting at 7. Court-side seating may be scarce, so please arrive early, & remember to keep your voices down during the play - some of the participants are thought to suffer from a degree of emotional fragility. (We heard of this, just today, as one of the players succeeded in taking our renowned Chris Marius to 7/5, & suggested that he, himself would possess superior stability on the doubles court.)

All this being mere conjecture, until the testing time; we will leave our dear readers patiently to await events..............

CELTS V ANGLICHES

Our Celtic team have not yet publicised any details of any coming match with the challengers mentioned below. They have, however, engaged a well-known English couple of the Club, in a match we have recently witnessed, & will attempt to describe.
This team, experienced in doubles, & still married under the name Hill, in spite of many years of marital & tennistic strife, are the team opposing the dreaded Celts, under the title 'Angliches'.
We must record that the Celts, hearing of various deficiences in their games from recent posts, had made considerable efforts to present more efficient onslaughts against their new opponents, & even to conform more adequately with 'Les Règles du Jeu', de notre Fédération.
(Observers still suggested that the net had, with intent to deceive, been set too low, & that a singles post had been left supporting the net, in such position as to impede long-the-line-balls from recording winning points.) We will refrain from further comment, knowing of the aforesaid propensities of at least one of the Celts concerned.
The match itself proved of a spectacular brilliance otherwise unknown among Club players of this standard. After a first set defeat of 3/6, the Celts imposed their overhead game to such an extent, that they led 4/0, 5/1, terminating the second set at 6/2!
Somewhat troubled, the Angliches, plucked up their inborn skills & aggressivities, to counter the vicious confidence of the Celts: the battle was hard & intense. Volleys followed counter-volleys, & the small crowd of ardent on-lookers shouted vociferously their appreciation. Smashes from all corners were countered by calm, high lobs, interventions at the net were numerous, & often effective.
This entertaining match was eventually won by our ever-improving Matt & Chris at the convincing score of 7/5 in the third set.
We can only express our congratulations to all concerned, & await further matches of this high standard!

PREPARATIONS

Preparations for a future doubles match with the Celtic couple were being made in secret this morning by Captain Mike Fiddes (rtd.) and our resident journalist, Robert Camuto ('rancho' to his friends). Knowing the training capacities of the retired sailor, & the enthusiasm of his partner, this forebodes trouble for all concerned. I was treated to verbal demonstrations of certain tactical plans, which of course I am not able to divulge to those intimately concerned, but about which I issue urgent warning.

CELTS V FROGS

This match, Benson + Frost v Kessler + Pialetto was one more of those exciting doubles encounters on Court 2 at 6 in the evening. Unfortunately, no doubt through lack of publicity, the number of spectators was limited to one. (A great deal of enthusiasm was engendered among the actual participants, & one or two passers-by were momentarily tempted to stay & watch. Yours faithfully, only, showed his fidelity; & duly provided action photos of the encounter, & the following remarks.)

The Celts employed their 'Rush, Crush & Smash' tactics from the outset, & were severely taken aback, to find that a certain 'French Finesse', caused them to lose the first set 6/4. Jérome's accurate services were powerful in reducing the Celtic backhands to a few miserable returns, while his strong topspin ground-strokes pushed them to the back of the court, ready for the Frogs' delicate drop-shots.
The Celts' successes arose from magnificent smashes taken all over the court, providing not only valuable points, but also rest-time from their arduous efforts, while they departed into nearby bushes to look for the balls.
(Another valuable weapon in their armoury, was the Vignal FootFault: well-known throughout competing Clubs in the Alpes-Maritimes, this technique in its Welsh variety resembles the flying start of a ski event, but we will refrain from dwelling on this point, which becomes a little sore, & contributed to a certain number of double faults.)
Happy to relate, through a dogged Celtic persistence, & many more spectacular smashes, the second set went to Matt & Chris. Franck of the Frogs had contributed to their own defeat by showing some reluctance in helping his assiduous partner cover the whole court, by an apparent temporary paralysis. On the positive side, his left-handed service was frequently deadly.
Thus the quartet retired for beers, adjourning the match as a well-fought draw.