Recap

Brewers Sweep Lions in Tightly Contested Match

Brewers Women’s Doubles Escape with Win Over Lions

In a harbinger of things to come for Montreal, the Southwestern Ontario Brewers women’s doubles pair of Christina Chin and Susan Pound stole one here. Down for pretty much the whole game, Chin and Pound rallied late against Grace Thomas and Kim Layton to nip them 15-14.

The Brewers trailed 2-0 early on unforced errors, when Pound and Chin fired winning shots for points to tie it. That would be a recurring theme until the Brewers took a timeout down 7-5. Among the highlights at the point were Thomas dropping a nice shot down the line and Layton setting up the Brewers for a return into the Selkirk net to take a 4-2 lead.

The break helped the Brewers who knotted things up courtesy of two straight nice shots by Chin. But the Lions answered with a slew of well-timed shots of their own to go ahead 12-10. However, the Lions made several unforced errors of their own, leading to a 13-13 tie and another Brewers timeout. What followed were six consecutive freezes, until Pound rifled a signature crossing shot for the winner.

Brewers Hold Off Late Charge by Lions for Key Men’s Doubles Triumph

You could almost call this one a “master class in dinking.” The Brewers team of Mark Cleminson and Jeff Elwood got out to a lead and then stemmed a late rally by the Lions Cam Rich and Eric Gagnon to win this pivotal game 15-13.

In terms of dinking prowess, the Brewers scored the first point on brilliant dinking shots and then a Cleminson backhand laser made it 2-0. Rich tied it up with a sweet backhand set-up and net cord shot, but unforced Lions’ errors led to the Brewers pouring it on and taking a 7-4 lead.

Rich would redeem his team with a blazing forehand and backhand to get within one, however, the Brewers rallied nicely, forcing more Lions unforced errors to grab an 11-7 lead. Rich and Gagnon, though, were up to the task, forcing the Brewers into bad returns, tying it up 12-12. Rich, then, would make the shot of the game with the Lions down 13-12, ripping an ATP just down the line to tie it. But the Brewers were too strong, winning it with back-to-back offensive rallies.

Brewers Cap Match Victory with Domination of Lions in Mixed Doubles

There was no solving the Brewers Christina Chin and Player of the Match Jeff Elwood in this mixed doubles contest. Chin and Elwood were excellent defensively and offensively, dispatching the Lions Kim Layton and Eric Gagnon by a count of 15-10.

The Brewers got off to a slow start, allowing Layton to set them up for an unforced error and a Lions 4-3 lead. That was the last time, though, that Montreal would be ahead and two plays later and some great Elwood dinking, the Lions took a timeout down 5-4. The break, however, benefited the Brewers, as Chin and Elwood baffled the Lions with great shots to go up 8-4.

After a foot foul on Chin, Elwood forced a timeout with consecutive sneaky set-up shots to push the lead to 10-5. Gagnon would assert himself after that, keeping the Lions in it, albeit briefly, with two great overhand shots. However, the Brewers answered with defense and upped the lead to 13-7. An Elwood forehand scorcher got the game to freeze, and the Lions then played well enough for six consecutive freezes before succumbing on an unforced error.

Brewers Complete Match Sweep in Tighter Than Needed Victory

With nothing on the line and the match already won, the Brewers Mark Cleminson and Susan Pound combined business with pleasure in this one, even smiling the odd time on the way to a 15-11 victory over the Lions Grace Thomas and Cam Rich. The score, though, shouldn’t have even got that close, as the Brewers built very healthy leads and looked in command.

The Brewers kicked things into high gear early, with Cleminson putting an exclamation point on this game with a flying cross that gave his team a 7-2 lead and forced a Lions timeout. The break over, the Brewers continued the onslaught as Rich and Thomas couldn’t solve their counterparts, leading to a freeze at 14-5 and a sure loss.

However, Rich and Thomas refused to fold, gamely forcing the Brewers into bad shots with great set-up shots of their own, leading to a Brewers timeout and the score then 14-11. That little wake-up call got Cleminson going, as the Brewers got serve back and then he ripped an unreturnable ATP for the win.