Chesham Bois 1A won the league convincingly by 70 or so points, however, interestingly we beat them twice out of our 3 matches and were victorious on all 3 occasions v 3rd place Holmer Green.
So a bit like Spurs we performed well against the top tier but let ourselves down v some of the weaker opposition. If only we were more consistent it could have been a different story….
On to the match itself:
The pre-publicity machine of the Club Newsletter and Club email to members drew a decent crowd of spectators who witnessed a couple of close, entertaining matches followed by a couple of old duffers (me and Nic) romping home afterwards.
Holmer Green catching the GX trend only turned up with 4x players. Unlike last week when we had Napoleon on stand-by, this time Gareth was up for the challenge who whilst disappointed to not be playing topped-up his (beer) belly with beer as he viewed from the balcony.
Paul, back from a strained back whilst campaigning in the Nationals had a closer game than usual v Bucks County no5 Alex Hartley. Both players are incredibly mobile, very fit, and play a simple game with little mistakes. Paul however, always had the edge and controlled the key points to win 3-1.
Mark played James Harley at 2 who is half Mark’s age (25 v 50). Mark was below par claiming symptoms of man-flu and worried about his form as he hadn’t played for a WHOLE 3 days before this match. This was clearly visible as he lost the first two games in 5 mins. Then with CK offering to go on court with his crutches (and be faster around the court) Mark picked himself up went to work winning 3rd and 4th. The 5th was tough. James wanted to claim a notable scalp and Mark was resisting. The first few points were fierce with JH running around in circles chasing MTs shots. The ball kept coming back though and Mark capitulated 2-3.
Nic had a tricky match v Ben S who is 17 and fairly huge but strangely doesn’t whack the ball but regularly tries risky drops from back of the court. When they work he racks up the points but if you keep him moving and under pressure he is not such a force. Apart from a streak in 2nd Nic was on top and won 3-1.
I played Mark ‘Ironman’ Mellett who is like Gildersleeve on an ecstacy-acid combo. Virtually no shots but legs the size of tree trunks, he chases everything down like a hungry dog and quite flicky on the b/hand. I decided pace was the answer and whilst my fitness lasted I out-hit the runner, pinning him to the back and then feathering in a little drop. Three games was all I needed thankfully as I was lagging just as he was getting into his stride. 3-0
So with a forfeited 5th string we won 18-5 and 2nd place was ours.
Thanks to all the players who have represented the Lions this season, our sponsors - Carphone Warehouse for the team shirts, and the spectators who have cheered us on – it does make a difference.
Plans are afoot to enter a team or two in the Berks Summer squash league so let me know if you are interested in playing
Dan
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