|
|
 | Fixture Details | |  | | |
Home | Return to Division Fixtures
| Report: | It is time...... a time that Bromley Cricket has been waiting for.... a time where club players become team players....... a time where scores are settled........ a time where rivalries are born, Bromley Cricket 3 vs Bromley Cricket 4 at The Lane.
A very good tactic from BCC4 captain really got into BCC3 heads and applied extra pressure on the favourites. I had to think of my own tactic to cancel the added pressure. It had to be get my 3 4&5 on and close the match out.......... this nearly went wrong.
4 string "Hot Sweeny" vs Jiles. "The tin man"
After training in the week I knew what good form sweeny was in. I like the way jiles plays and if he could eradicate the errors could be very. Dangerous. The first game was nip and tuck at the begging. Lots of hand in and hand outs but Dan capitalised on on his serves scoring points and once in front was not going to be clawed back. 1-0. The second was very similar, Dan didn't play any of his high risk shots hitting clean lengths and sending jiles the wrong way with great holds. Jiles dug and used his speed to keep Dan honest but again Dan used his serves and picked up the points when needed. 2-0. The 3rd Jiles made a lot of unforced errors to give Dan a 7-2 lead and once he saw the finish line didn't take long to cross the finish line.
1-0 BCC3
5 string. "Super" steve (don't call me) Pusey vs Captain Kev.
The free flowing squash that steve had been playing in past weeks wasn't quite there tonight. You could tell that the pressure was on. The first was a nervous affair. Both players making errors. Lots of hand outs. Steve eked out a 7-4 lead on for captain kev to come back to 6-7. Steve then hit a couple of his trade mark drops to take the first 9-6. Game 2. A game where the score doesn't represent how close this was. Some fantastic rallies. These two warriors flying about the court like 2 Doozers from fragile Rock. Kev playing some decent length and when steve dug out a back wall boast kev would put it away with great disguised drop shots. The only difference in this game was steve scored on his serves and took the 2nd 9-3. 3rd game, Steve came out firing, and forced kev into some unforced errors. 6-0. Just when we thought it was done kev, made a come back. 1-6,2-6,3-6,4-6,5-6. Oh gawd squeaky bum time. Steve the rallied and pick up a great boast, which looked like a winner, and played a fantastic drop. The momentum then swung back to steve and he closed the game out 9-5.
2-0 BCC3 (tactic working) but now was the time it could go wrong.
3rd String. Stu "the Jamaican" vs "swearing" Sam &
2 string. Captain Scott vs Tony "the dancer" Davis.
I'll be honest I didn't see Stu and Sam being close. I couldn't have been more wrong. I was on court at the same time so can only give an account from what I've been told.
3rd string started a little before the 2nds. Sam with his trade mark retrieving making Stu play the ball harder than needed and leaving it loose for Sam to capitalise on. Stewart got his game together and get a 7-5 lead. But Sam doesn't give in. He runs and runs and then he's back in it and is 8-7 up. GB. stews turn to dig deep 8-8. Sam quickly gets the serve back and takes the game 1-0.
Word gets to me during my warm up. This isn't the plan. Stew is meant to win 3-0 take the pressure off me. I have to play someone who always has his game head on. A man focused only on winning. I'm far from confident. After finishing our warm up I hear that Sam is 4-1 up in the 2nd and looking good. WHAT IS GOING ON!!!!
First game. I know what I have to do. It's just doing it. Tony gets around the court well. I know I have to play tight patient squash and wait for the loose ball to put away. If I'm not tight I will get punished. All I can do is keep attacking Tony's back hand and keep it away from his trademark volleys. It's a close game but I get a 6-3 lead. It was at this point I hear the cheers from the other court "oh crap stew must be 2 down" I was wrong. Stewart had gone from 4-1 down and charged through to take the game 9-4 3rd string 1-1.
I'm now thinking "no errors" and after a couple of killer rallies I take the first 9-3.
My dad comes and watches most of our matches and came down to tell me to keep doing what I'm doing. He also didn't tell me that stewart had won the 2nd. He did tell me that he didn't look good. "Great" I thought.
Our 2nd game was so close. Neither player more than 1 point in front. Long rallies. Great volleys and reverse angles and a couple of killer drops from Tony. Keep it tight scott. At 7-7 I hear the cheer from the other court for Sam. Lots of banging and clapping. I'm thinking stew had lost. I start hitting my forehand drives harder and get the 2 points 2-0.
Dad again comes down. "How's Stewart doing?"
"Dunno but he's still playing" dad says. Cheers great info lol.
We're back on court.
Stew and Sam have a Mammoth of a game. Swinging too and throw. Sam having 2 match balls@ 9-8 only for stew to fight hard and pinch it 10-9. It's now 2-2.
Meanwhile I go and take a 3-1 lead in the 3rd. Our rallies are long and I'm blowing hard. Then Tony changed his game. Playing lobs and drops. His lobs dying in the corners and drops super tight to the wall. I didn't cope with the change of pace and found myself 8-4 down. I try to lift the pace of the game but it's to late. Tony 9-6.
While our 3 was going on the all important 5th was in flow. I was told by Sam that stews experience then came through. With stew taking the 5th 9-1. I take my hat off to Sam. He never gives up. He was up against a higher ranked player and he nearly beat him. But also, we can always count on stew. He can play some rubbish squash but grinds out wins.
The 3rd had finished as I walked off court and stew tells me the good news. This now takes a bit of pressure off. I go back on court with a bit more energy. I make sure I hit hard and it seems to work I take a 7-1 lead. Tony comes back to 7-4. After killer rally's I close out the match 9-5.
Number 1s. Keeley "the champ" vs John "the long lane"
Keels had once again come up against a higher team player playing down. Last week Gorden McManus. This week an unorthodox, but very experienced player. The first both player hitting hard tight lines. John only needs one stride to get to most places on the court and with that he has a wrist that can bend over 180• making some of the shots he can play seem impossible. This wrong footed keels and John took the first game 9-6.
We talk to keels tell her to slow it down and get it tight. Stop him playing his bendy wrist boasts. Next thing champ is 6-0 down. But this girl is not a European champ for nothing and she fights hard and hits harder. Coming back to take the 2nd 9-7. 1-1. Third game. Keels starts like she ended the 2nd. Playing great squash and making John make the mistakes. Then john starts his come back. Lifts the pace and hits low and hard. The long stride makes it easy to take the ball early and get round keels to get her drops. Always the gentleman playing the ball and not the man (woman in this case). A great fight back from John takes the game 9-7. 1-2. The third game it's evident keels energy levels are dropping and she starts to cramp up. John keeps the tempo high and takes the match 9-4.
Tonight has been great. We had banter all week posters and great support (well the fourths did lol). Kev top man. Top captain. Top friend. See you and your team on the return.
|
|---|
| Author: | Captain Scott |
|---|
| |  |  |  |
|
