It has been a hard start to the year for the Blues tennis team who find themselves in a very strong Northern Premier League.  Loughborough, Leeds Met and Stirling have proved to be far superior to the division’s other three teams, but after a first draw of the season against Manchester last week, Cambridge travelled up to unbeaten Loughborough on Wednesday in reasonable spirit.
Both Blues doubles pairs could, and perhaps should have, won their ties but despite some promising tennis John Western (Selwyn) and Kirill Zavodov (Magdalene) went down to the number two pair, while captain Rob Blythe (Emmanuel) and Cameron Johnston (Christ’s) lost to the top two.
In the singles, the opposition’s class began to show as Western and Johnston were defeated without too many problems by the Loughborough numbers 2 and 3.  Yet for Zavodov and Blythe it was again a case of “what might have been” as chances came and went. 
Blythe in particular will feel disappointed not to have claimed the scalp of Loughborough’s number 1, currently ranked in the top 800 in the world.  Despite only losing his serve once in each set, returning well and having numerous break points, none were taken and eventually a 6-3, 6-4 victory was claimed by the ATP tour player.  As an example of Loughborough’s depth, their number 2 was also a former member of the ATP tour.
The team defeat was nothing but comprehensive in the end - to lose to love is often demoralising.  However, considering last week’s result against Manchester, and a general upturn in form since the beginning of the season, Blythe will be confident of maintaining the Blues squad in the top division despite the impressive array of high calibre players they will inevitably come across.
For their part, next week’s opponents, Nottingham, look easily beatable having just lost to Manchester.  Blythe obviously errs on the side of caution to avoid complacency, but nothing less than a victory should be accepted.
The captain himself is riding high since his dramatic 3-6, 7-5, 6-3 victory in the Manchester match against a Cypriot Davis Cup player.  What’s more, it is to be hoped that the superior quality of Cambridge’s opponents throughout the year will leave the Cambridge side in good shape to defend yet another Varsity crown.  Oxford, it has to be said, are competing in the significantly weaker Southern Premier League.

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