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| Report: | This was billed as the fight for a top 2 spot so on paper it seemed likely to be close but alas Bromley turned up without their usual number 1 and it was all downhill from there.
1st up were Paddy and Chris and early on this was very competitive with Chris taking an early lead and then cementing it with a string of points to go 7-3 up. Unfortunately Paddy's solid game enabled him to get back into it and a string of points took him from 3-7 down to a 9-7 win in the 1st. The 2nd saw Paddy in control and Chris finding it hard to keep pace. Paddy went swiftly to 4-1 then 8-1 without too much trouble but Chris then hit back with a string of points but Paddy wrestled the serve back and then he was 2 up. The 3rd had Chris digging in and working hard to put Paddy under a some pressure and it told as Chris went 8-3 up with a string of winning rally's. Paddy tried hard to get back in to it but Chris finished it off at the 3rd time of asking so it was now 2-1 to Paddy. The 4th was all Paddy however and he was in no mood to let it slip and at 6-0 it seemed likely to be over quite soon. Chris tried to get going and did snatch a couple of points but Paddy finished it off with some solid play.
On the other court Dave was up against Scott and Dave was determined not to play out another 5 setter. Scott however started off better and at 5-2 up was looking good but Dave sharpened up and stopped the rot and took the 1st 9-5. The 2nd was tight going one way then the other until the mid point when Dave again played the sharper squash and again stopped Scott on 5 to go 2 up. The 3rd saw Scott getting some control on proceedings although an early 4-0 lead was then brushed aside as Dave battled back to lead 5-4. Dave began to falter a little with a few tins and Scott took advantage to take the game and make it 2-1 to Dave. This was the point in the last two weeks when Dave started to yield control to his opponent so he was determined not to do that again. Scott started off well in the 4th so Dave was worried but concentration was the key and Dave had it this time around although at 8-3 down Scott pulled a few points back to make it a little edgy but Dave saw it off to get a well earned win.
The Bromley number 1 was at this point at the Herne Hill Veladrome wondering if squash in Dulwich was played differently to everyone else in Kent.
Consequently it was time for Tom and Stuart to get going and Tom seemed to be in good form thanks to back to back wins in recent weeks. Tom got an early lead in the 1st and although Stuart pulled the odd point back here and there that early lead was not going to be relinquished by Tom and he took it 9-4. The 2nd again saw Tom get an early lead but Stuart pulled it back so at 4-4 it could go either way. It went Tom's way with some solid play and he began to develop a handy over the top serve that kept Stuart having to play boasts from the back of the court and many of these either did not reach the front wall or gave Tom the upper hand for the remainder of the rally. The score in the 2nd was the same as the 1st but it seemed that Tom was more in charge. The 3rd had Tom feeling confident and he was playing clean shots and soon went 4 up. Stuart pulled a few back but Tom kept up the pressure and another string of points had Tom on the brink of match point. Stuart again pulled a few points back so at 7-5 it was getting tight but Tom held out to finish it off in 3.
With the Veladrome wanderer finding his way to the centre of squash in Dulwich it was Antonio V Michel up next. The 1st point took a while to be registered so it seemed this might be a long one but once the points started flowing they were flowing in Antonio's direction and it was unexpectedly soon 1 up to Antonio. The 2nd was a bit too and fro with Michel leading 1st then Antonio and again Antonio seemed to be storming off with it until he got to game point at 8-2 up, This was the cue for Michel to start a major comeback and point after point went his way so at 8-8 it was Michel who seemed likely to take this game. Antonio however was not going to let that happen and he promptly finished it off to go 2 up, The 3rd followed the same pattern as the 2nd with Antonio dominating play enabling him to get a solid early lead only for Michel to claw it back and then forge ahead to reach game point at 8-6. Antonio again had other ideas and was not going to let Michel have it easy. Antonio played some sold squash to level things up and was just too good and went straight through to a 10-8 win to take the match.
Last up where Ian and Andy who had a secret weapon which he let rip during the warm up - silent but deadly this was not but it had the adverse effect as Ian stormed off and quickly reached game point. Andy was however playing well and he ground out a bunch of points to get back into the game and it took Ian 4 attempts to finally finish it off and go 1 up. The 2nd saw Andy playing better still hitting nicks at will and volleying well. Andy was ahead for most of the game and reached game point 1st only to see Ian grasp it back at the death to get a much needed 2nd game. The 3rd saw Ian in confident mood playing better and rushing to a 5-0 lead. Andy however was not going to let it go and he gradually closed the gap but as the two then started to go point for point it was Ian who got to game point 1st and at the 2nd time of asking it was all over.
Bromley certainly missed their usual number 1 and deserved more points but this win moves Dulwich 3 back up to top spot putting pressure on Dulwich 4 to keep winning - should be an interesting finish to the season! |
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| Author: | Ian Armstrong |
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| Away Report: | Bromley having let a couple of matches slip away to 2-3 losses having been top for a while needed a good result here but it wasn't to be, with our 1,3and 4 out. Good evening all the same with Scott do really well playing in Div II for the first time after a long absence |
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| Author: | Big Andy |
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