The Hat Club: Peter Howarth: This Saturday: 8pm - Late: What Else Are You Going to Do?

A final reminder about our next 'Hat Club' presentation.
Please be sure to come and support your club's social events...
This is surely one NOT TO MISS... a night of nostalgia is guaranteed from the performance and from the playlist on the club iPod.
We'll be focussing on the 60s and 70s so just wear your usual gear...
This event follows the club Racketball finals, which Lino Gallina is organising earlier in the evening.
Please note that it is a separate event but should guarantee a cracking evening out.

After the excellent exotic exhortations of Brian Lopez, who recently launched the club with an intimately dynamic set of Tuscon Tales, we will be shifting our gaze from that distant horizon, back to our own shores.
Who says nostalgia ain't what it used to be?
Peter Howarth is the lead singer with The Hollies, the combo who were ever present in the 60s charts with such hits as 'Bus Stop', Carrie Ann', and 'Jennifer Eccles' and progressed through the 70s and 80s with such perennial favourites as 'He Ain't Heavy He's My Brother' and 'The Air That I Breathe'.
Peter has been a mainstay with the band for several years; also managing gigs with Cliff Richard and, recently making a bit impression as the West End star of 'The Roy Orbison Story'.
Peter is an engaging northerner (as well as a handy squash player), so we are guaranteed some healthy banter as well as a choice selection of acoustic arrangements of classic hits from all of his back pages...
You are welcome to turn up on the night; but you can reserve a spot by paying your tenner asap and adding your name to that famous club clip board.
Simply ask any member of staff...

The Hat Club: Saturday 21: Peter Howarth

The 'Hat Club' is about to present it's second offering.
This event will follow the Racket Ball Championship Finals.
A reminder to book your space early as numbers are limited.
This is going to be a very special evening.
Just speak to any member of staff.
£10 will get your name on that clip board and guarantee you an evening of quality nostalgia.

John Sizer Night

For those of you who miss John Sizer as much as I do, he'll be at the club tonight at 6pm for a drink and a cheap meal. Come and raise a glass with him and revel in the fact that you're sure not to be the ugliest man in the room...

The Hat Club: Saturday September 21: Peter Howarth

I'm happy to announce our next 'Hat Club' presentation.
This event follows the club Racketball finals, which Lino Gallina is organising earlier in the evening.
Please note that it is a separate event but should guarantee a cracking evening out.

After the excellent exotic exhortations of Brian Lopez, who recently launched the club with an intimately dynamic set of Tuscon Tales, we will be shifting our gaze from that distant horizon, back to our own shores.
Who says nostalgia ain't what it used to be?
Peter Howarth is the lead singer with The Hollies, the combo who were ever present in the 60s charts with such hits as 'Bus Stop', Carrie Ann', and 'Jennifer Eccles' and progressed through the 70s and 80s with such perennial favourites as 'He Ain't Heavy He's My Brother' and 'The Air That I Breathe'.
Peter has been a mainstay with the band for several years; also managing gigs with Cliff Richard and, recently making a bit impression as the West End star of 'The Roy Orbison Story'.
Peter is an engaging northerner (as well as a handy squash player), so we are guaranteed some healthy banter as well as a choice selection of acoustic arrangements of classic hits from all of his back pages...
I'd advise that you book your 'Hat Club' place early as numbers are limited; you can reserve a spot by paying your tenner asap and adding your name to that famous club clip board.
Simply ask any member of staff...

Hat Club Launch Tonight: 8pm: What Else Are You Going to Do?

Trust me, there's nowt on TV, and I know you're not washing your hair...

The Hat Club Launch: This Saturday, 24 August

A reminder to come to the launch of 'The Hat Club' on Saturday.
The excellent Brian Lopez plays guitar with Giant Giant Sand.

He has a solo album 'Ultra' which is cracking.

You can buy it here.

Think Dylan meets Feliciano meets Ry Cooder... if you must, but Brian's voice is incomparable. He does this falsetto thing that is quite unique and spine tinglingly addictive. The ensemble playing on the album has a wide screen twang and drama that is compulsive; horns blare, strings quiver and set the hairs on your neck a dancing. The songs themselves are passionate parables of love lost and found.

I hope that Tarantino has his number.

Brian is now in Britain, staying with Di and I: he's here to play some gigs with KT Tunstall as her support and as a member of her band.
Excuse the gush but we had the privilege of a private performance in our lounge the other night.
Di was blubbing and blowing snot. Our neighbour Louise used the word 'exquisite' ten times before I stopped counting. Maybe it was the tequila that fueled her enthusiasm but she was right of course. Her husband Des was rendered speechless, unusual for him, reduced to chuckling, whooping and whistling so loud that, well, he'd have woken the neighbours if... they hadn't been the neighbours. Up close, inside the guard, you get to see the mechanics of a performance and there was definitely something special going on. Brian is both powerful and sensitive in the same sweet breath; dexterous and deftly adroit on his nylon stringed guitar. He had some choices to make because he can take a song anywhere he wants to and, although he'd drunk deep from the same bottle as the rest of us, he didn't misstep once.
Brian knows what he wants; he's grounded yet ascendant, seemingly heaven sent, surely glory bound.
Don't miss this chance to see him up close...

Di's Photography

I'm sure that many of you are aware that Di is fast developing a reputation as a fine photographer; particularly in the world of Rock and Roll.

Her latest venture was a jaunt to the 'Les Escales' festival at St.Nazaire in North West France.
The festival celebrated the best of the Tuscon music scene, featuing Brian Lopez, Gabriel Sullivan, Chicha Dust & Tom Walbank... with Geoff Hildago, Vicki Brown, Mona Chambers, Jason Urman, Jon Villa, Efren Cruz Chavez, Winston Watson, Connor Gallaher, Jack Sterbis & French Cumbia Ambassadors, Laurent Allinger, Jean Patrick Cosset, Ronan Daniel & Yvan Tamayo.

Please click this link to have a look at Di's blog on the event and see some of her stunning photography.

Berkshire League: Warriors at Nuffield

Here's Joe's match report.

I'm happy to print it as it gives me a chance to republish this photo of The Warriors' dragarse Mike Atkinson who seems to be unsuccessfully resorting to violence again.
Btw, is anyone else troubled by Joe writing about himself in the 3rd person? 
Who does he think he is; Mike Tyson?

After the prior match result with a reduced number of team members, the Warriors lost their top spot in the table by a small margin. However, reviewing the overall table boosted team morale when it showed they had a match in hand. If only a full team could travel to the distant town of Newbury for this week’s match against Nuffield Health and come away victorious, surely the top of the table could be regained and held for the remainder of the season.....

Match 1: Jez Harrop v James Storey

Having played his first team squash match of the summer just two weeks prior, Jez couldn’t wait to get on court again. Playing at the number two position this week, he had a tall order to fill. First game was very close to start, but then Jez pulled away for a 9-5 win. In the second,  Jez seemed to have a good hold on the game by working out a lead to 7-3, but then James was able to collect himself and pull back to win at 9-7. For the third game and fourth games, it seemed that Jez had lost his squash legs as James was able to command the T and win out the match with scores of 9-2 and 9-4. First match to Nuffield.

Match 2: David Tecke v Rob Weighill

It had been well over a month since David’s last appearance for the team, but as a dedicated team member he had not only committed to travel for the match but was the team chauffeur! Showing on court that he was in top form, David easily won the first two games with scores of 9-2 and 9-3. However, he then took his eye off the prize and found himself down 7-2 in the third game. Finally flagging down the proverbial taxi to bring him back on court from la-la land, he took charge and stormed back for a 9-7 win. Second match to Beaconsfield.

Match 3: Andy Wright v Chris Sparks

Another first-timer team appearance recorded for the Warriors during this summer league, Andy was interested to see what this whole team-squash thing was about. Showing no signs of nervousness, Andy promptly made it known he was taking no prisoners with an authoritative win at 9-4 in the first game. The second game went much as the first, with Andy operating on a different level to his opponent and winning again at 9-4. However, Chris was not to be muscled off home court without some level of respect and brought Andy back to earth by winning a very close third game on a score of 9-8. Mentally shaken, Andy continued digging a hole to bury himself in as Chris built a 6-0 lead in the fourth game. But, showing confidence and mental toughness, Andy was able to climb out of his hole with a comeback 9-7 win, taking the match for Beaconsfield. Two matches against one, Beaconsfield in the lead.

Match 4: Joe Budzynski v Simon Bottomley

Knowing a match win would seal the overall team victory for the Warriors, Joe concentrated on doing just that. A slow opening saw the players trade serve multiple times up to 3-3, but then Joe was able to pull away for a 9-6 win. Similar to the first, the second game had several changes of serve with few points available for the taking. A couple strings of points put together by Joe ended up being the difference as he won 9-7. Third game now and Joe seemed to be showing some unusual signs of fatigue, which Simon took advantage of to build a very healthy 8-3 lead. But, Joe then caught a second wind as he worked the scores back to 8-8. Two points later and the match was his....fourth match to Beaconsfield, and the overall team victory in hand.

Match 5: Mike Atkinson v Jamie Crawford

Having gone on court while Joe’s match was still in progress, Mike was looking forward to a tough contest as he had won a very tight match during the Nuffield visit to Beaconsfield earlier in the season. Unfortunately, his opponent did not seem keen on making it close at all as he earned a commanding lead by winning the first two games on scores of 9-5 and 9-6. Down two games, Mike had read of John Bullard’s tactics in the last match at Bracknell and decided that might work for him as well....an injury timeout was the result as Mike caught Jamie on the forehead with his racquet. Feeling no sympathy for his opponent, Mike then finished the game off by winning 9-6. In the fourth, Mike relied on his fitness and some crafty shotmaking to fully reverse the trend of the first two games and draw even with a score of 9-1. Fifth and final game, with both players tired and feeling the pressure. Some ill-advised boast attempts by Mike resulted in amplified confidence for Jamie, which he used to dictate a final score of 9-3. Fifth and last match to Nuffield.

Final Match Score

Beaconsfield Warriors: 12 Games, 3 Matches won

Nuffield: 7 Games, 2 Matches won

Overall winner: Beaconsfield Warriors

Scores, fixtures, and table can be found on the club notice board and at:

http://www.berkshiresquash.org/leagues/summer/

The Hat Club: Relaunch: Brian Lopez: August 24

Summer Squash: Warriors at Bracknell

Having had a four week break since their last match, the Warriors were keen to get back to action against Bracknell 4. Well....some of them were. Ok, only two. Three cancellations from the scheduled team members resulted in some last minute recruitment, with only one spot able to be filled by Jez Harrop. Lucky to have managed to get at least three players, the team headed out to try and maximize on available points...

Match 1: John Bullard v Craig Gilbert

A rematch from the first fixture at Beaconsfield, John and Craig started the evening with an exciting first game. Craig seemed a bit out of sorts to begin with and John took full advantage, jumping out to a 8-0 lead. Craig, however, was not going to give up and decided to make it a fight. Slowly working his way back into the game, the mental anguish for John came when scores drew level at 8-8. After coming that far, Craig kept his momentum going to win at 10-8. The second game started more evenly, but John managed a win to equalize with a score of 9-4. In the third, John led the way but a short break was required for injury when John’s tactics suddenly included ‘hit your opponent in the face with a racquet.’ A quick inspection revealed no lasting damage to Craig, and the match continued. John, feeling no sympathy for Craig, won the third at 9-4 again. The fourth game was a bit closer, but John sorted a win at 9-7 to take the first match for Beaconsfield.

Match 2: Jez Harrop v Peter Webb

A new recruit to the team, and having not played in recent months due to injury, Jez was very keen to get on court and see if he could remember how to hit a squash ball. A good start to the match saw some long rallies and Jez seemed to get the feel back quickly, but in the end the first game went to Peter at 9-7. Mentally strong, Jez shook off the first game loss to work his way to a 6-0 lead in the second game. But, then disaster struck and Peter was able to work his way back to 7-7 and continue to a 9-7 win. Jez did well to make the third game competitive, but yet again fell on a score of 9-7. Second match and overall match win to Bracknell 4.

Match 3: Joe Budzynski v Matt Morgan

Another rematch from the first fixture, Joe was confident he could pull out a win. The first game started slowly, with a very warm court making it difficult to end points....serve was going back and forth for the first five or six long rallies. However, a few strings of points and mistakes from Matt ended the game in quick and unusual fashion, 9-0 to Joe. The second game started with Joe pushing to a 5-0 lead, but ended much closer at 10-8 as Matt seemed to collect himself. But, keeping the pressure up, Joe then took the third game on a score of 9-2. Third and final match of the evening to Beaconsfield.

Final Match Score

Beaconsfield Warriors: 6 games, 2 matches won

Bracknell 4: 10 games, 3 matches won

Overall winner: Bracknell 4

Scores, fixtures, and table can be found on the club notice board and at:

http://www.berkshiresquash.org/leagues/summer/

Beyond Chutzpah: Beaconsfield v Booker 1

Tim Westall writes:

Beaconsfield 1 vs. Booker

On a beautiful summer’s evening, what better way to spend a few hours than chasing some bloody stupid mega-bouncy blue ball around a fetid racketball court in High Wycombe?

 Yes, this was our last match of the interclub racketball tournament, and after last week’s wimp-out from Wycombe, this was a double-header we had to win.

 With squad members thin on the ground we called upon Phil Collings and Richard Cottrell from the second team to bolster numbers.

Proceedings got underway with me playing Dave, a lanky ex-squash player who looked like he knew his way around the court. I was still quite jetlagged from my shenanigans in Asia last week so was a bit concerned about being able to focus. Luckily I needn’t have worried as the match quickly zipped past with a 3-0 win in 15 minutes.

Next on was Phil against an awkward leftie (aren’t they all?) and 2 games up in 15 minutes. Phil then had a bit of a wobble (he’d been playing squash earlier in the evening) and was 10-6 down in the third. After 4 game points, Phil rallied and put the match to bed. Another 3-0

Then Richard played Gary – both wearing a fetching combination of red shirt and blue shorts. Very nice boys. Richard was quickly 2-0 up before suffering a similar attack of the Phils, tinning shot after shot and conceding games 3 and 4. Focus returned in game 5 for an unexpectedly tight 3-2 win.

Ches then went on against bandana-wearing Grahame for a very tight match. Ches was suffering from lurgy and the runs – so had conserved energy with just one match earlier in the evening against Lino. He managed to hold it together well for the first couple of games but thereafter was struggling against a determined oppo for nailbiting 2-3 result.

Going against recent form, we then managed to win both doubles matches, leaving us with a satisfactory 15-6 win. That should at least lift us from the relegation zone.

Thanks to all who’ve played over the past couple of months. The schedule and organisation have been horrible but we’ve had some fun.

Beyond Chutzpah: Beaconsfield v Chesham, Booker & Berko 1

Dan writes:

With Capt Tim off to Manilla for a week of work commitments, I took the arm band for the above matches.

The season has see-sawed from several severe thrashings at the hands of Aylesbury A & B, Berko and Tring and a few close matches vs the lower teams, so as the business end of the season approached we were perilously close to the relegation zone.

Cometh the hour cometh the men….

We had drawn 10-10 with Booker earlier in the season when Chez went AWOL to Cyprus so surely with a full team of 4 we would take the victory? With a strong team of Dan, Chez, Trev, Mike we were confident and rightly so as we all won through the singles 12-1. Chez was up against a spiky Bok at 2 who was their best player but despite his protestations he was well marshalled by Chez’s all -court game and Mike as ref. The doubles was another story however…  Quality singles does not translate into guaranteed doubles wins. Chez and I losing 0-2 and Mike Trev 1-2. So a satisfying win 13-5 but more was expected.

Ready for match on Friday 5^th I scrabbled around for players for the re-arranged fixture v Booker. Out of courtesy I put in a call on Thurs lunch just to check the match was on and Booker’s capt very abruptly told me they could ‘never get a team out on Fridays’. Thanks for the notice!

For Berko at home on Mon 8^th (who had stuffed us in the away fixture) Jonny Machin dusted off his short bat, and together with Dan Chez and Mike we were up for it in the 30’ heat. Berko turned up slightly weaker than expected and as we were slightly stronger a close match was anticipated. Jonny played a young buck at 1 whose reputation was fearsome but in practice he was not up to much – more of a no4 than no1. JM coasted to an easy 3-0 victory. I played Mark at 2 who had been playing 1 most of the season and had a humdinger. After an hour we were at 2-2 whilst the other players had already completed both their singles and doubles. Despite letting a 2-0 lead slip I reduced the error count in 5^th to win a close game 11-9. Chez had another great game against Dave their racketball coach who is as broad as he is tall but Chez showing great control and athleticism to win 3-2. Mike at 4 also had a close game, playing Nick who moved well and hit the ball with great aplomb. At 1-1 Mike pulled his calf and the errors crept in losing a tight match 1-3. So at 10-7 on to the doubles. Thankfully Berko were as unco-ordinated in the doubles as we were. Jonny and Chez winning 2-1 and Mike and I scrapped through a close match 11-9, 12-10 : 2-0. Finally a doubles win plus the match victory 14-8.

Last match v Booker (if they bother to turn out!) on Weds 10^th and a win should see us finish mid-table.

Dan

The Hat Club:

We had a bit of a false start with The Hat Club last night... 

Mid afternoon our talent Brian Lopez developed a throat problem that we hoped would clear; it eventually led to him pulling out of the gig at around 7pm... he is currently considering a future in mime...

We carried on regardless with a witless busker and an iPod and still had a great night... about 35 of us in total.

Brian is keen to put right this unfortunate misfire asap.

I really want him to be our first presentation; he's a unique talent and the opportunity is too good to miss. 

I'll be chatting with Brian, Val and Kevin and get back to you as soon as we have a date for your diaries.

Thanks to Alex and Natalie for working the bar so efficiently and for the understanding of all of those who gave up a perfect BBQ evening to be there...

There will obviously be full refunds for those who pre paid. 

Just approach the bar if that's you.

Or... you could leave your money in the hat for next time.

A special 'thank you' should be extended to Paul Austin who provided the PA, doing the 'set up' and 'break down' too...

Onwards!

The Hat Club Launch: Tonight: Brian Lopez: Perfect Music for a Summer Evening

Introducing Brian Lopez, from Tucson, Arizona.


The boy's in town and warming his pipes as we speak.


He's here to kick start 'The Hat Club'.


Have your dinner then head on down to the club.


Doors: Tonight, July 6th, at 7.45pm.


There will be a great selection on our digital jukebox.


And a late bar...


Brian's first set should be at around 8.30 pm.


Get those leather pants out of the attic.


Pull on your dancing shoes.


Don't forget to stretch...

See you there... catch him now before he takes the last train home...

Here's another musical taster of what you can expect.

This is 'Montjuic'.

It's the first track from Brian's debut album 'Ultra', copies of which will be available tonight.

The Hat Club Launch: This Saturday: Brian Lopez

A reminder that we launch the club's musical night 'The Hat Club' this Saturday, July 6.
Fresh from Glastonbury, Brian Lopez from Tucson, Arizona will take time out of his current tour with KT Tunstall to perform an intimate acoustic show.
You will be able to pay on the night but our numbers are limited so...
Book your place in advance by paying at the bar.
- £10 admission
- The evening starts at 7.45pm
- Brian will play two 30 minute sets, the first of which will be at 8.30pm.
Best hat wins a prize...

Click here to see some footage of Brian playing recently at the Pepper Cannister Church in Dublin, followed by an exquisite Lopez original, 'Love Comes Over You'.