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| Away Report: | '‘Away’ match reports are rare, if not unknown. However, in honour of the long (and sometimes bitter) tradition of KP v Hartley (formerly Fredericks), Jolly John is writing this epistle. New Knole Captain Will has nobly assumed the Ole Gunnar Solskjaer role of super-sub and interim winning manager – although he has yet to find a new match report striker.
‘Ole’ Tindall has a wealth of talent at his disposal – just like the ‘Special’ Falconer before him. And on paper Will’s cup was overflowing. There’s always a catch, though, and superstars are susceptible to injury just like normal people. So, Will found himself without David Falconer (the new SAV – ‘PJ’ fans will remember him from 2005/6) and the old Chris ‘Sambucca’ Sayer (newly returned from exile, but a veteran of these clashes).
Hartley do incredibly well to field such a strong side week after week – with only a skeleton squad (small, perhaps rather than bony) – so JJ was hoping that they would be equally stretched by the Winter’s ravages. It was not to be – so with the ‘best #4 in the league’ Matt P lining up alongside his smarter brother Dave (The Brain), Knole’s supporter feared a banana skin that could derail Knole’s thrust for promotion.
Hartley’s Captain Dan dared to go on first with Captain Will (see what I did there?). And it looked like being a close encounter. When backhand driving, both players looked capable of taking it. The first two games, though, went to Will, who perhaps played fewer of his risky ‘drop and block’ shots than Dan did his cross-court flicks from the back court. Dan’s touch came back to him in the third and fourth games, which he deservedly won. Will’s concentration wavering, he was looking (to the untrained observer) the less likely winner.
Over on the bottom court, Matt was busy frustrating Mike as he dredged up tricks and flicks from his firm anchorage on the ‘T’. Mike ran his heart out – usually in circles around the Mattleship – and pulled out a few classic shots of his own. But they were not quite enough to snatch the second and Matt was able to do just enough to take it in 3. All watching agreed that Matt will soon be restored to loftier heights at the top of the order.
At this stage Knole looked like they might be going 2 down. And with new cap Jon Winter yet to draw blood for the team, squeaky-shoe time was looming. Needless to say, Skip Will has been there before – and his grit has been grittier since his new mantle of responsibility arrived from the club outfitters. At 2-2 and with the ‘mo’ firmly blowing against him, he got his head down and started playing the way he had at the beginning of the match - ultimately grinding out a relatively comfortable finish 9-6 to relight the KP fire.
Niall at #5 started sharp and fresh against Nick. He raced to a 9/0 first game before Nick had even got his skates on. And in spite of Nick running and running to chase down as much as he could, the next two games went almost as quickly and one-sidedly. Nick was better than the score line suggests.
With the pressure eased on Jon Winter’s shoulders, he showed us some of his class, and why he has risen rapidly to Knole 2nd string (after such a short Kent career). Oh – he was available, I forgot. He has a long reach and a big stride which enables him to reach a lot of balls that even Hartley’s spritely Will might not have. And Jon has a good straight drop and a lovely cross-court flick (from near the front, Dan) that will have been the envy of the many less skilful KP players watching. 3-0 to Jon is a fair reflection of how well he played, but maybe a bit harsh on Will.
The 1st strings Dave and James have had some fine battles in the past. James is on fine form these days – having just become the first ever Knole team player with a 5000 Squash levels ranking. He doesn’t seem to worry about the early stages of a match – imho, a sign of confidence and ability. So when he lost the first, there was less cause for panic that expected. He was reportedly unhappy with his performance, although even when behind, he did look well in control. Dave on the other hand, having very narrowly failed to secure the 2nd – again a very close game - seemed to hit a small wall to go 0-6 down – and then a bigger wall in the fourth. Is it James’s change of shirt after each game that makes him look so fresh? Anyway, it’s working James – keep it up.
A super curry (no poppadoms or mango chutney, sadly) and lively conversation followed, largely about an unmentionable dietary subject - mustn’t keep carbing on about it.
Hartley are clearly valued by their Club – who seem to be happy to refurbish their courts even with a small membership. Let’s hope they can keep it going as we enjoy these lively encounters.
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| Author: | Jolly John |
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