Newport's debut appearance in the PSL last night ended in disappointment for the welsh wizards beaten comprehensively by the Oxford side 4-1. Esporta Oxford's debut in the competition 4 years ago ended in an away 0-5 defeat at the hands of Birmingham University.
That season like every other since has seen fortunes of teams change from match to match with the eventual winners and runners-up from each division not obvious until the latter stages of the competition. 3 players previously squad members of Oxford were in the Newport line up last night (Francomb, Sutherland and Saffery), but despite improved world rankings by each they all lost last night! Some fantastic squash was watched by a modest crowd last night with arguably more vocal support for the away team than the home.
The crystal ball was correct last night and after these initial encounters it would appear that Newport might struggle and Oxford might challenge for the play-offs. The crystal ball has been wrong on many occasions but if I we had to vote now (maybe controversially) I would bet on Oxford finishing 3rd and Newport finishing 5th.
First on in the evenings play was Madeline Perry against Deon Saffrey ranked some 45 places lower to Madeline. On paper it look like being a one sided affair but Deon certainly had other idea's. Whilst Madeline took control of the early exchanges Deon simply wouldn't go away playing some superb attacking shots especially down the backhand. Madeline scrapped through the first game 14/12 and we all thought that after the punishing retrieval Deon had had to put in the next game would surely be more comfortable for Madeline. Deon dug in really well though and narrowly lost the next 11/8. In the third Deon continued attacking and mixing up the pace really well to take the third 9/11. In the final game Madeline proved a bit too strong for a tiring Deon who had one of the best games of her life.
On the other court we had a fairly new addition to the Esporta Oxford line up in Anthony Graham (British Closed & European Junior Champion). The first game was played at a really high pace with both players looking to take control and push forward. Anthony stepped in really well with some great volleying and with Jethro Binns making a few unforced errors took the game 11/6. Jethro showed his experience in the second by cutting out the mistakes and focusing on making Anthony work extra hard for each point. Jethro took the game 11/6 and continued in the same vain in the third and the forth taking the game 11/5, 11/4
One of the games of the night was Simon Rösner wr 40 and Newport local Rob Sutherland wr 71. On paper it looked like a home win would in materialise. Simon took the first game 11/4 with some excellent drop work and a few errors coming from Rob. We all thought it might be over in three but Rob really dug in and found his range and rhythm playing some exceptional stuff (particularly forehand volley drops). Rob took the game 12/10 on the tie break. The next game followed the same pattern with both players cancelling each other Rob eventually taking the game 17/15. Simon had to really dig deep in the next two and somehow managed to stem the flow of Rob's attacking squash taking them 11/8, 11/7. What a match though Rob simply played a blinder and Simon had to dig deep to come up with a fantastic win in his first match for Esporta Oxford.
Next on saw Chris Ryder wr 35 and Campbell Grayson. The opening exchanges were simply breathtaking with sharp angles being hit from all over the court and some superb retrieval work. Campbell made a few costly errors in the first and Chris took advantage to take the game 11/7. Campbell really came out firing in the second attacking the ball at every opportunity. Chris though was not not going to let the game go that easily coming through to take the second 12/10. The third was similar to the first with Grayson making a few unforced errors and it was match 11/5.
The all Australian affair was the final match of the evening between Cameron Pilley wr 17 and Aaron Frankcomb wr 39. Aaron seemed distracted by some tight refereeing calls which probably did not affect the overall result on the night but which broke down the natural flow of the game. Cameron has been a stalwart in the Oxford line up in his 3 seasons with the club, featuring in most of the matches each year. It is rare that Cameron has been beaten by a lower ranked player in the PSL and the difference in world rankings showed the edge beaten the players. Cameron moves gracefully and efficiently for a big man and with reach and great touch this gave him a distinct advantage in this match. Aaron fought a good game and each game was well contested but he succumbed 11/8 11/8 11/6
Nottingham away next for Oxford with a result to build on and Newport must rebuild at home to last year's winners Chapel Allerton which looks like a tough task.
Jason Martin and Ross Gore
No comments:
Post a Comment