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 | Fixture Details | |  | | |
Home | Return to Division Fixtures
| Nom | Home Player | Nom | Away Player | Result | Games |
| 11 | Steve Shapiro | 1 | Ted Jeal | 0 | 3 | 3/9, 5/9, 6/9 | | 16 | Ben Grinnell | 3 | Andy Crispin | 3 | 2 | 8/10, 9/4, 5/9, 9/0, 9/6 | | 17 | Steve Harsum | 4 | Shaun Astell | 1 | 3 | 2/9, 9/7, 5/9, 5/9 | | 20 | Olly Ruff | 5 | Rob Shaw | 0 | 3 | 8/10, 4/9, 8/10 | | 22 | Ravi Dogra | 12 | Ian Hammerton | 3 | 0 | 9/3, 9/6, 9/0 | | | | | | | | | | | Games: | 7 | 11 | |
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| | | Bonus: | 0 | 5 | |
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| | | Result: | 7 | 16 | |
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| Report: | Venimus, vidimus, vicimus Bromley LTC could legitimately claim.
This was the match which in all probability has decided the top two in this division. The Bromley army took the two essential rubbers, one of which Dulwich needed for an elusive victory. Astell who is difficult to read beat Harsum and Shaw beat Ruff in the surprise of the evening. New boy Shaw seems to have speed and stamina in abundance. Against Ruff he also showed that he has a good touch, counter dropping and volley dropping efficiently having taken over the middle of the court. Ruff and his attacking game have led separate lives at times this season and the sooner they are reunited the better for Dulwich. Harsum decided to choose this match in which to gift his opponent with drop shots into the tin, boasts that resembled slow lobs onto the front wall and a volley that looked like it belonged to an English tennis player at Wimbledon - crap!
Ted Jeal showboated and won. Now there is a surprise. The advantage of Ted playing first is that we get to watch him which is helpful from a coaching perspective. Get into position early, racket up, hold the shot and then punch through the ball. Vary your game making it difficult to read. Easy game squash.
At number 5 Ian Hammerton who last played at number 1 for the Bromley Army showed some of that talent that made him a competent number 1. But injury is a terrible opponent, Ian having been out of the game for a considerable period. Ian has not reached his full fitness yet and lost this match but will soon be reversing that trend.
That left Grinnell versus Crispin. A five setter. Nothing surprising about this match. Crispin played his shots and Grinnell got them back. Crispin played a few more shots and Grinnell got those back. Crispin became frustrated, Grinnell won the match. McEnroe said that what is important in sport is the result. The maestro declared that if you were not playing well then you should win by playing ugly. That was from one of the most skillfull players the game has seen. By "ugly", of course he was not referring to cheating but referring to running everything down and making your opponent play an extra shot in each rally by keeping the ball in play and frustrating him into defeat. Grinnell embodies that philosophy in his never say die attitude which is to be applauded. If that was the approach we all had Bromley may have been beaten.
Good luck to them in the title chase. |
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| Author: | Ravi Dogra |
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