Now then ... the Sobo report on Surrey v Chichester

Now then…

Back to the PSL and we welcomed the COVERS sponsored Chichester for a good hiding on our home courts in Croydon. Jokes aside, on paper this looked a fairly close encounter. For the home team Peter Barker at the top of the order followed by Wa-Airmiles El Hindi (just in from NYC), Peter (Who?) Nicol, Adrian Waller and thanks to a (er herm!) mix up in dates, a debut Camille Serme.

For the away side, Azlan Iskander at 1, Robbie Temple, Alex Gough, Captain Vail and Dominique Lloyd-Water (http://www.domlloydwalter.co.uk/  shameless plug).

First up, the ladies and this was always going to be a tight affair pitting World nos 18 vs 20. I told Dominique before she stepped on court that she was under strict instructions to lose gracefully but alas, she was having none of it! That said, the home girl started well on what must have been a pretty nervous occasion. The rallies were decent, Camille favouring the backhand volley dropshot. Dominique stayed strong though very much holding her own so it was with much relief that Camille closed out the first 11-8. All going to plan so far….

Next door, Adrian was doing battle with Tim. I’ll never tire of singing Tim’s praises. For us “normal” people, he is an inspiration and living proof that you do not have to be super fit etc.. to play squash at a decent level. That said, Adrian’s no fool with a racket either. Bing, bang, bosh..Adrian goes 1 up.

The evening is looking most rosy. And then…..

Back to the ladies and with Dominique exerting more pressure, Camille has started tinning those backhand drops and Dominique moves into a 4-0 lead in the 2^nd game. Camille regroups to 4-6 but some quality play by the away keeps her just in front to 9-7. Two further tins from Camille and we’re all square.

Next door, Tim is out and firing. Adrian didn’t play badly but perhaps lost a little patience which was enough for Tim to level up at 1-1. Grrr…..

The  third for the ladies was looking like a crucial game. Both working really hard now. The rallies were long with good winners from both. Never more than a point or two between them, Camille was first to game ball at 10-9 but Dominique dug in to save it. Then, in my humble opinion, it seemed to me that the home girl went for a bit too much too soon tinning twice to gift her opponent the 3^rd game. Somebody ‘ave a word!

Mista Nicol (or was it El Hindi…) duly did and the fourth saw Camille re-assert some authority on the game. The drops were going in again (hoorah!) and whilst Dominique didn’t really do much wrong, Camille did just enough to take the fourth to cries of Allez!, Allez Camille! from certain factions of the home support; none of whom I can confirm, speak any French! J

Next door, Adrian has snuck the 3^rd, 12-10 but… Tim has taken the 4^th, 11-4 so 2-2 and all to play for on both courts….

More of the same from the ladies; a really good game of squash this. Camille stayed strong to the end for a good 11-6 win in the 5^th. Well played Camille. Never in doubt! Dominique was disappointed with herself and commented that she felt she could and should have done better. I thought she played well to be honest AND lost gracefully so well done on both counts J

Next door was a different story though. According to the script, Tim should have been reaching for the oxygen at this point but was unfortunately having none of it. I didn’t see much of this one but an 11-7 score in favour of the away player suggests a good final game probably deservedly won by the victor. Both courts now vacated Surrey Team Captain, Pete Smith seen pacing along the corridors muttering to himself, “why can’t these Chichester folk just lose gracefully?!?!?”… or maybe that was me….

Next up, Nicol vs Gough and on the main court, El Hindi vs Temple.

In truth both of these did not necessarily live up to their billing. Peter and Alex had a good tussle in the first; eventually won by the home player 11-9 but not before the crowd were treated to an excellent exhibition of how to hit a squash ball to good length and width from both players.

After that, either Alex got tired or injured…or a bit of both. Either way, Peter retrieved as he always does and when you add to that some excellent dying length, it was soon all over for the loss of not many more points. Good stuff.

On the main court, Robbie played ok I guess but el Hindi was rapid with his movement and got to most things thrown his way. The away player didn’t have the best of days and spent time engaged in debate with the referees.

When all was said and done, the home player strolled off court after a 3-0 win having performed his duties for the evening and more importantly, with the Surrey team having taken an unassailable 3-1 lead.

Last but not least, Peter and Azlan stepped on court. The story of this game was that Azlan played very, very well. The first was tight; very tight with no more than a point separating both players. Peter seemed to be the one making all the moves but Azlan just stuck with him playing some excellent tight squash. It was good to watch.

The home player seemed to be getting frustrated at his inability to pull away score wise from the Malaysian but Azlan stuck to his for his first game ball at 10 -9. A long rally ensued and ended with Peter appealing to the referees that Azlan had blocked his path to the ball. A no-let was awarded much to Peter’s frustration.

The second saw Peter getting more and more frustrated and his head seemed to “drop” just a little. Enough for Azlan to sniff out the opportunity and take the game 11-3 for a 2-0 lead. Oh dear.

To his credit, Peter came out for a fight in the third and managed to get his nose ahead for most of the game. However, possibly a slight injury or Azlan’s dogged determination and excellent play…probably all of the above actually allowed the Chichester No 1 to claw his way back and eventually take the game and match 11-8. A very well deserved win.

And so once the dust settled, the home team came away with the result, Squashsite’s dodgy crystal ball proved to be correct in its score prediction but….. Daryl Selby and his mates down the road hammered Guildford 5-0!

So…10^th Nov has us on a sojourn down to Bristol also hoping Exeter take points of the St Georges crew and then…the (hopefully still!) top of the table clash to look forward to.

It’s getting interesting….


David Sobo

Chichester fall short at Surrey

Covers Team Chichester made the trip to Croydon, for Round 3 of the PSL, to play 2008 Champions, Surrey Health and Rackets Club.

On paper it looked an interesting tie and Covers Team Chichester was determined to erase the 0.5 whitewash at the same venue last season.

First on court Dominique Lloyd-Walter, world 22, faced world 18, Carmille Serme, who was making her debut for the Surrey side.

A fascinating match ensued.   Lloyd-Walter struggled to find a length in the first game and Serme’s volley drops, particularly on the back hand, won her several points to ensure an 11/8 win.  Lloyd-Walter fought back in the second; her length of shot slightly better and, aided by a few mistakes from Serme, she went on to win it 7/11.  The 3rd game was nip and tuck all the way.  Serme’s front court game was superb whilst Lloyd-Walter hustled to stay in the contention.  Lloyd-Walter found herself 8/10 down but she rallied well to force errors from her opponent and eventually won it 10/12.  Serme always had a slight upper hand in the 4th and played good squash – floating the ball around the court and going in short well, to take it 11/6.

The 5^th followed in the same manner.  Serme had, by now, cut out her mistakes.   Lloyd-Walter’s ‘plan B’ game of just gritting it out and running everything down began to falter.  Her shot length had never been consistent throughout the match and Serme ran out an 11/6 winner to give the Surrey side first blood.

On the adjoining court Chichester’s Tim Vail, playing at 4, took on Adrian Walker.  The first 2 games were shared.  Vail took an early lead in the 3rd but squandered opportunities and eventually lost it 10/12.   “As all good ‘voles’ do, Vail managed to dig himself out of a hole!”   His experience and skill proved too much for Walker and Vail took the next 2 games 4/11, 7/11 to kick-start his winning PSL campaign.  1-all

The eagerly awaited next match was between the over 35s, Alex Gough and the squash legend that is Peter Nicol.  For those who witnessed the match, it was a joy to watch.  Mike Phillips, Team Manager, said after the match, “I was hoping that Alex could pull something out of the bag but Nicol’s general all-round play was awesome.”

The tempo, pace, speed shot-making and accuracy were all on display from the great man.  Although Gough competed well in the first game, Nicol got stronger and stronger as the match progressed.  Gough suffered a minor hamstring injury in the 3rd but by then the writing was on the wall and Nicol won 11/9, 11/4, 11/1.  2.1 to Surrey

Surrey’s Wael El Hindi, world 13, must be the strongest No. 2 string in the PSL and Chichester’s Robbie Temple, world 65, had a tough task ahead.  Although Temple competed well in the first 2 games he found himself 0.2 down.  In the 3rd Temple struggled and El Hindi comfortably took it 11/2 to give the Surrey side a winning 3.1 margin.

The last match between the No.1 strings, Mo Azlan Iskandar (world 20) and Surrey’s Peter Barker (world 9) proved to be an exciting battle with Iskandar giving a superb performance and playing one of his best matches.  Iskandar, after the match, said,” The 0.3 defeat last season, on the same court in last season’s fixture, was still fresh in my mind and I intended to make amends.” Make amends he did.  After a close opening game, which he took 9/11, Azlan took control and displayed the world-class squash which, in recent months, gave him victories over Thierry Lincou (world 8) and David Palmer (world 6).  Azlan continued to pile on the pressure and took the next 2 games and match 3/11 and 8/11.

3.2 to Surrey; an excellent evening’s entertainment all round but still no win for Chichester.   Surely on November 10^th, at home to Guildford and fielding the same squad, fortunes will change.  We shall see!

Mike Phillips - Team Manager

Chapel A 2 Duffield 3

As the preview said Duffield were out for revenge after last season’s final defeat. The crystal ball was spot on but Chapel A gave Duffield one hell of a fight.Once again the music and lights were in place and the crowd packed in.

At 5 making her debut Fiona Moverley took on England Team player Tania Bailey. Fiona was a bit slow to start, maybe debut nerves, losing the first. Then she came out in the second and really acquitted herself to the task and played some great squash and tried her heart out. At one all the crowd were willing Fiona on, however the experience of Tania counted in the end and she took the match 3-1. The crowd were impressed with Fiona’s efforts.

At the same time Shaun Le Roux was having a physical battle with Joel Hinds. Both have big frames and there was not much room given but still some fantastic attacking squash was played. Joel took a break in the first game with a blood injury after being hit in the nose. This made Joel look a bit meaner but didn’t help in the first game as Shaun pushed through 11-6. The second was very similar Shaun winning 11-7 Joel pushed hard in the third but Shaun pulled out some outrageous shots to take the third 12-10.

One all.

Laurence Delasaux then went on against Whippy at 3 and Chris Simpson took on ex Chapel A player Steve Coppinger on the other court.

Dela and Whippy were trading shots and were locked in a fierce battle. There were some dubious decisions for both players causing a few shrieks of despair. Whippy took the first. Dela stemmed the attacking shots by Whipp in the second and levelled the game. Whipp then went 2-1 up again commanding the T and going berserk with constant attacking volleys. Dela looked to be feeling the pace after arriving back in the UK from Canada the same afternoon but again controlled the tempo in the fourth to level 2-2. Whipp again came flying out the blocks in the fifth and took it convincingly.

On the other court it was essential for Simpo to win to keep the match alive. He did not disappoint. In recent head to heads with Coppinger it is 1-1. Chris played superb squash defending and attacking at the right time. His excellent 3-1 win did not go un-noticed by his “groupies” that he brought with him. This made the match 2-2 and Ali vs Nick to go.

Ali was feeling under the weather but had nothing to lose as many of the crowd did expect Nick to win. However the crowd turned the volume up and really got behind the local favourite and he put everything into the match. Ali went 1-0 up, the crowd were getting edgy. Nick came back strong and took a 2-1 lead, it all looked over. Ali didn’t give in and played fantastic squash and with the crowd boiling over he levelled at 2-2. Fifth game all to play for, Nick 10-9 match ball, Ali comes back with a monster rally, crowd again going wild. Nick, British Open Champion, just had that bit extra to finish the match 12-10. Another thrilling night at Chapel A.

Thank you to Aegon Scottish Equitable for sponsoring the night and their staff for cheering throughout the night, and also that a major tennis sponsor is sponsoring squash!!!!

Mike Dickens

Surrey Storm get blown away!!

Graeme Williams reports

Last night saw Surrey Storm suffer there heaviest defeat of the season by top of the league TWP St Georges Hill.  The result highlighted where Storm need to be and showcased St Georges Hill’s faith in youth.

Harriet Ingham Making her first appearance if the season against Rachel Willmott started well losing a tight first before losing her way in the second losing it 11/2 and staring down the barrel 2-0 down.  Harriet showed great pride and ability in clawing her way back into the match taking the next two with strong attacking squash.  Momentum was with her and the decider went point for point before Harriet tried to force the issue to much making 3 mistakes given Rachel a hard earned win 3-2.

Sibling Alex was up against close friend and in form Joe Lee.  The first saw Alex happy to rally with Joe and react to his tactics meaning Joe looked comfortable before a few errors let Alex back in and gave him the belief that perhaps he could cause an upset.  Joe composed himself and closed out the game 11/9.  The second saw Alex hitting with more purpose and playing a more attacking game but Joe was moving well and producing some great attacking shots of his own winning it 11/6 before taking the third and putting St Georges 2-0 up.

Steve Meads was back playing at number 3 against Hungary number 1 Mark Krajscak.  Mark looked strong and hungry against the unbeaten Steve and although as always Steve made Mark work for every single point he was unable to really push on and Mark won in 3 making the score on the night 3-0.

Another unbeaten record was put on the line as Stacey Ross was up against Tom Richards.  Tom was moving and playing well where as Stacey after a hectic week of squash, travel and climbing out of ditches  was slightly off the pace.  Stacey got off to a flyer in the first but after that it was one way traffic as Tom controlled the rallies, and ran out a comfortable 3-0 winner.

Last up was Jesse Englebrecht against Daryl Selby.  This was an entertaining encounter played in a fantastic spirit with both players opening up the court at every opportunity.  Daryl won the first but the second saw Jesse earn 3 match balls which Daryl duly saved before concerting his first and opening up a 2-0 lead.  The third was just as competitive but Daryl always had the edge and he closed the match out 3-0 sealing a comfortable 5-0 win for TWP St Georges Hill.

Again thanks to Danny and St Georges for their hospitality and also for showing us what is needed to be a top side in this competitive league.  We will be back!

Diamonds dent Bristol's hopes

Adam Ling reports

Temple Murray 3-2 Ellie Epke 6/11 11/6 11/7 9/11 11/3 30 mins

The opening match was a fantastic display of up and coming squash. Both girls played out of their skin. The 170 strong crowd supported both players but in the end Temple Murray's superior power proved too much for the 11 year old, who flagged a little at the end. Both players should be proud of their performance and they are both names to watch for the future.

Clinton 2-3 Hardian Stiff 12/14 11/8 8/11 11/5 15/17 97mins

One of the epic battles of the psl season, you could not ask for more from the players, it was played in a great fair spirit. The crowd were in two minds, should they cheer for the Devon legend or should they  support their new boy. A supportive crowd watched a great match which Hadrian pip Stiff won in the end.

Jonathan Kemp 1-3 Mohamed El Shorbagy 11/5 9/11 4/11 10/12

Joey Barrington 3-0 David Evans 11/6 11/7 11/7 32 mins

A great match, David showed moments of magic but Joey was too consistent and and was the better player. Joey stuck to his task well and didn’t try to be too clever. He worked hard and deserved the 3-0 win

Stewart Boswell 3-1 Adrian Grant 11/4 7/11 11/8 11/6 64 mins

Boswell proved once again he is one of the best league players, after last year's disappointment with Grant spioling Exeter’s party with a defeat of Palmer, the Devon side did not want it to happen again. With the support of a 160 strong crowd, Boswell was too strong in the front corners and time after time punished Grant with the straight drop.

Exeter Happy 3-2 winners… and the crystal ball was good for once!!

Adam Lings