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Home | Return to Division Fixtures
| Nom | Home Player | Nom | Away Player | Result | Games |
| 1 | Chris Sayer | 1 | Mick Izidurou | 3 | 1 | 9/5 10/8 7/9 9/8 | | 3 | Jerry Staffurth | 2 | Andy Redfern | 3 | 2 | 6/9 5/9 9/7 9/5 9/5 | | 4 | Gary Mitchell | 4 | Simon Malcolm | 0 | 3 | 6/9 4/9 6/9 | | 5 | Mark Fleming | 7 | Paul Thomas | 3 | 1 | 4/9 9/3 9/4 9/4 | | 6 | Chris Morgan | 8a | John Flavell | 3 | 0 | 9/4 9/5 10/8 | | | | | | | | | | | Games: | 12 | 7 | |
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| | | Bonus: | 5 | 0 | |
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| | | Result: | 17 | 7 | |
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| Report: | Knole Park entertained their old friends Waterfront. Some familiar faces in an alien league are always welcome. A hot topic of conversation was expected to be 'how had they beaten Acacia Hall, the early front runners in Div. 3 and brought them back towards the chasing pack?' The answer seems to have been a special number 1, imported for the day. Luckily for Knole, he had been left behind on this occasion.
Chris Sayer was back at no. 1 for Knole. His two week lay off had reportedly slowed him down by half a stone. It showed briefly as he laboured against one of Waterfront's new faces - Mick Izidurou - who warmed the evening up with some hard running and a colourful pair of Bermuda shorts. A steady 9/5 first game was followed by three very close ones; with Chris mixing errors with some typical showboating. One full-length dive followed by a one-handed press-up to sweep up a dying ball had the gallery gasping. Games two and three were shared and Mick looked to be well back in contention. At 8-all in the fourth he called one - a gamble which seemed to have paid off when Mick hit a winner off his forehand. But two incredibly hard rallies followed and Chris proved the stronger.
Perhaps he was miffed at losing his number 1 spot - anyway, PJ had reported in from hospital with an alien growth on his chest. So Jerry Staffurth stepped in against his old sparring partner Andy Redfern. Early on, Jerry looked out of touch. Andy took a 2-0, 7-0 lead and was looking sharp. Then a sudden change, as Jerry reeled off 9 straight points. Andy looking the one out of touch; Jerry steady and producing the touch winners. At two-all and 7-1 to Jerry it looked all over. Then a few close decisions, a broken string and a loss of rhythm let Andy back in to 5-7. Justice was eventually served as Jerry managed to hold his nerve and find the two points he needed. A great game to watch - (and a fair result in the end - Ed).
2-0 to Knole and the first two strings played already!
Gary Mitchell had a rough time against Simon Malcolm at 3. Simon is a clever player, the court was cold and Gary could not buy a winning shot. Without really breaking sweat, Simon ran out a comfortable 3-0 winner and the match was back on.
At 5, another new face in John Flavell showed that he is a valuable addition for Waterfront. Clean shots and fitness made him a tough challenge for Chris Morgan. However, Chris raised his game and proved the steadier, particularly in the long backhand rallies. The first two games, though fairly even, went to Chris. Then a brief hiccough in game three as John went up 8-6. Chris - looking a little tired - hauled himself up and with solid driving came back to wrap it up 10-8 with four straight points.
For the second week running, at 4, Mark Fleming reminded the gallery that there was supper waiting for them. He took a game and a half to find any touch against Paul Thomas as the hungry spectators began to anticipate the worst - a fluctuating five setter in a dead rubber. Again, to much relief, Mark starting to put together runs of winners in his usual inimitable fashion and the 3-1 win did not keep the diners waiting much past closing time. (Knole Park has a 10.00 p.m. bar closing - not much help for Tony Blair's 24 hour binging policy).
The win should keep Knole's noses in front - at least until the back-to-back Cup and League visits to Acacia Hall in the next two weeks.
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| Author: | John Creek |
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