Low Cost Airlines, Late Starting Trains and Exorbitant Taxis!

Oxford's Jason Martin reflects on the start of the season ...

Hot off the heels of Oxford's fantastic 5-0 triumph over Nottingham, the Esporta club plays host again this time to newcomers Chapel Allerton. Just some thoughts and impressions on this fantastic league from a manager's perspective and about our amazing win 2 weeks ago.

David Coughlan (Nottingham manager) will rightly feel a bit miffed at the whitewash although the victory for me really highlights the difference it can make to try and field your best team when it is available. The key to a good PSL season will almost certainly be trying to field a consistently good side. This is not as easy as it sounds. Firstly you have the Under 23 rule.

Great in theory, encouraging your local up an coming players and giving them valuable PSL experience. Oxfordshire is a relatively small squash playing county. A good base of county leagues but no "big" clubs producing up and coming players. Kristen Johnson never counted as an "English" Under 23 due to playing Scotland despite the fact he has always lived and played all his squash in Oxfordshire. Tom Phipps (Bucks - although closely linked with Oxon), Anthony Graham (Gloucs - but now training full time at Esporta), and Deon Saffery (Yorkshire) are our only english under 23 qualified players.

With only 8 games it is tough to know when to play them and who to "drop" from the line up for that match.

Last year we lost Madeline Perry for the whole of the first half of the season (5 games) this year we have got the Irish superstar for all four first half games. Having a really good female player helps but increasingly the second and third ranked players get crucial games and anyone outside the top 50 in the world seems have a tough time.

For a relatively new club as Esporta Oxford are (now officially named "The Oxfordshire Health and Racquets Club") the tradition of developing home grown players will take a lot of time before it reaps any rewards. Kristen is partly a product of the coaching set up but realistically there is only one players capable of making the grade over the coming 2-3 years Jon Geekie, training full time at the club. Wanting to support local Oxfordshire and neighbouring county players has lead to a decent competitive side Mark Cairns (2006/7 season) Scott Handley, Kristen Johnson, Kerri Shields (all Oxon) Tom Phipps & Chris Ryder (born Bucks).

This has been sensibly complemented with top overseas players. Australian Cameron Pilley lived in Reading during our first 2 seasons but now is based in Holland, as is Dylan Bennett. Borja Golan gets flown over from Santander, Spain. Madeline Perry (Irl) lives in Yorkshire, as does Deon Saffrey. Jaymie Haycocks is fairly locally based - Birmingham. And at the end of the list is me, 8 years service at the club as Squash Pro or Racquets Manager (Kent born but Oxon adopted county.

Sponsors, regular supporters, officials and fellow players alike would probably all agree the blend of youth, experience, local and overseas players gives an exciting mix. But how does a PSL manager actually decide who to play and when. There's no doubt player availability has its limitations for all teams. Against Nottingham Borja Golan was desperate to play at home in front of home sponsors and spectators, hence his inclusion.

Cameron Pilley and Madeline Perry are first names on the team sheet - if available. For that night we had our strongest side possible - rules allowing. The headline grabbing 5-0 win was a brilliant reward for the calculated risk of fielding a strong side. Anyone who has seen the film "Planes, trains and automobiles" will appreciate my sentiments about bringing players over from abroad. Cameron is a firm favourite at Oxford and well worth the trouble of flying him over. Borja on the evidence of his first match will excite the crowd, put 100% in and get great results.

My only problem here was co-ordinating a flight and transfer from Holland via Birmingham for Cameron and a flight and transfer from Spain via Stansted for Borja. Oh and then the return trips for 8.00am and 6.30am the next day! Public transport takes ages and doesn't run early morning but taxis do. It's safe to say we used a few different types of transport and I am debating the need for a transport manager next season.

I think the previous reports from the Nottingham match say it all. Cameron was on fire, he looks even fitter and pumped up this season. A player who must keep rising in the rankings. It was a very tight game against One Beng Hee but arguably he just deserved to nick it. Borja looks a brilliant addition to the squad and despite some muscle soreness from his epic journey over, had enough in the tank to keep on top of Renan Lavigne. Chris Ryder, Scott Handley and Madeline Perry all put in him very competent professional performances to secure the headlines. As stated in the England Squash brief the Pilley/Hee final match was the best game of squash I have ever seen at Esporta Oxford.

As to the next back to back games coming up. At home on Tuesday 4th v Chapel Allerton, the squad is depleted due to players away at tournaments Pilley and Golan (in Spain), Bennett (Canada) and Haycocks (India). In come local superstars Kristen Johnson and Tom Phipps. Both players have got favourable PSL records and having provided some really entertaining squash. On paper this is going to be a one way scorline as Madeline Perry takes on world no.5 Jenny Duncalf, all the men are equally up against players with higher rankings. The highlight will almost certainly be the number ones (both winners of the Esporta Oxford Graded Event held in December).

Chris Ryder and Ali Walker are only a few places apart in the world rankings (33 and 27 as at 31st Oct). Scott Handley will have his hands full with South African champion Steve Coppinger, whilst Kristen Johnson will also face a tough opponent in Scott Arnold. Tom Phipps may well bring points if Adam Murrills plays at four but this again will be tough. My verdict (if I can get the crowd well and truly behind the home crowd) will be an away win 3-2.

For Duffield away a week later, there should be a mouthwatering line up as Oxford again will be full strength will Pilley, Golan, Ryder, Handley and Perry. I'm not going to predict that scoreline though... not just yet anyway.

Jason Martin, Esporta Oxford