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| Report: | Dulwich 3 were short of players for the 1st match of the winter season and had to call on the 4th team squad to fill out 5th spot. PL2 seemed to have mixed up their 2nd and 3rd teams but this turned out to be a very close result.
1st up were Harry and Richard and Harry got off the great start whist Richard tried to settle in to his game. At 6-1 up it was looking good for Harry but Richard regrouped and brought it back to 7-4 down then 8-6 only to see Harry close it out to go 1 up. The 2nd saw Richard playing better and he pulled out to a commanding 7-2 lead but at that point his form deserted him and Harry grabbed the chance to pick up some quick points and level at 7-7. Richard fought back to stretch out for game point only to see it evaporate as Harry levelled again and Richard called set 1 which may have been the wrong choice as Harry won the point to go 2 up. The 3rd was tight but Harry was always ahead and frustrating Richard by getting around the court to most of what Richard could throw at him. Harry reached match point at 8-4 but after a lengthy rally Richard staged a mini come back to reach 7-8 only for his form to desert him again and Harry finished off for a surprising 3-0 win. Unfortunately this game was littered with 4 letter words and the obligatory racket throwing from one end of the court to the other at the end of each lost game followed by an outburst of unpleasantness directed at the marker back up on the balcony despite the fact that 5+ unforced errors each game and better play from the Dulwich player had been the real cause of defeat by the PL2 player.
Next up where Steve and Sam and very quickly Sam had Steve working hard just to keep up. Sam built a lead and Steve was unable to stem the tide and from 2-2 Steve was only able to grab the serve a few times before Sam had it won for the loss of 3 points. Steve was more alive to Sam’s game in the 2nd and he was making Sam do all the running and at 6-1 up to Steve it looked like an easy game but Sam shot back in to it with a string of points to almost level at 6-5 down. Steve dug in and made it tough for Sam to win any more points and gradually Steve’s long arm shots pushed him over the line to level at 1-1. Sam seemed to take a break at the start of the 3rd as Steve was 6 up without too much trouble. Sam only managed a couple of points before Steve was in control again and soon he was 2-1 up. The 4th now saw Steve taking a break whilst Sam plundered points and Steve had no answer to Sam’s persistence and 2-2 it was. The 5th set was tough on both players who were both giving it their all. There was nothing between the players and it was nip and tuck all the way to 7-7 at which point Sam stole himself for a couple of points which took him to game point and then the match.
On the other court Jacob was putting Hany to the sword and the 1st game was competitive but only Jacob was picking up points until 6-0 when Hany grab a couple and then a mammoth handout session ensued until Jacob established the earlier patter and moved to a 9-3 win. The 2nd saw Jacob in full control as Hany struggled to compete and with just one handout to slow Jacob’s progress he was quickly 2 up. The 3rd was going Jacob’s way again but at 5-1 down Hany started to play better squash as Jacob’s concentration slipped a little. Hany pulled it back to 6-5 and a few rally’s later it was 7-7 and Jacob seemed to be faltering a little but he held firm and played a few solid rally’s to finish it off for 3-0.
Next up where Sean and Andy and this was a well matched game. The pace was frantic with all corners of the court being covered by both players but it was Andy who shot off to a 5-0 start only to see Sean level up. Another lead was then established by Andy only for Sean to level again at 7-7 but the pattern continued with Andy taking it 9-7. The 2nd saw Andy in sublime form with everything going his way and with no handouts it was 2-0 to Andy. The 3rd was a slogfest with both players battling hard as the lead swapped frequently but it turned Sean’s way just at the right time for him to get one back. Th4 4th was tough but once Andy a lead at 4-3 he refused to let it slip and he forced his way to the winning post with some solid play.
That meant it was 2-2 on the night and last up we had Dave and Ray. Dave was struggling a little to get his game going but he came back from an early deficit to level 3-3 and after a number of handouts both players then took turns in the lead but Dave got to game point first only to see it snuffed out by Ray with cleaner shots. The 2nd saw Dave struggling to hit line and length which made it easy for Ray who volleyed and dropped many winners as he built an 8-0 lead. Dave picked up his game a little to get back to 8-4 down but Ray then finished off to go 2 up. The 3rd was crucial for Dave and he started off a little better but just as he seemed to steady the ship his form let him down and tins or mid-court shots played into Ray’s hands and at 6-5 up Ray looked likely to be heading for a 3-0 win. Dave dug in and managed to force his way past Ray to game point and then the game. The 4th saw Dave playing a little better but he was having to work hard but at 6-1 up it seemed odd on for a 5 setter. Dave pushed on to 8-3 but he then fell back in to a game that suited Ray and he was soon winning point after point but at 8-7 Dave woke up again and managed to finish off with a fluky boast that Ray could not believe had gone up. The 5th looked to be going Ray’s way as he built up a solid 4-1 lead and Dave seemed to be struggling for fitness. Ray was picking off Dave when the ball went stray and at 7-3 up there seemed to be only one winner. Dave however staged a last ditch comeback and as the scores closed there were a number of close calls that went Dave’s way that resulted in lengthy discussions. The penultimate rally was a corker with Dave just managing to reach a drop from Ray to win the point and reach match point and there was only one winner from there.
A hard fought match on the night went to Dulwich but Park Langley seem to be a solid outfit who will be hard to beat.
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| Author: | Ian Armstrong |
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