Bloomin' cold tonight, both outside (one or two degrees depending on whose car you believe) and in the heater-free upstairs hockey club venue. At least the spectator friendly sofas were a comfort.

Four on our side -- me, Andy & Kev playing, Arvind observing -- versus three of them. They numbered two blokes and a lady, and she was scary: quick, aggressive and with a formidable forehand. Took a game off Andy before he recovered, looping his returns ever higher and securing his usual quota of nets and edges. Kev coulda shoulda beat her though, landing some fantastic backhands before going down in the fifth.

She so nearly had my scalp, too. Out of the blocks before I'd got going, she easily won the first (helped by three, count 'em, nets) and ought to have got the second too. I finally scraped my way back into it, limping past the post in the deciding end. So that'll be me and Andy clinging on to 100%.

Should mention Kev's fine five set victory over Happy-As-Larry. Best not to mention his out-of-ideas loss to What's On John. Nor the joke about the girl in the church with the shiny green shoes.