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| Report: | The ‘playing up’ system has advantages and disadvantages. On the one hand, clubs are tending to nominate the majority of their players in the bottom side, so they can play a few games in the lower divisions before they become team tied. This can occasionally result in some extreme mismatches – when, for example, the higher teams don’t have a Tuesday fixture and the stars all descend on an unsuspecting Division 6 side.
On the other hand, when both teams are able to juggle their resources it can provide some cracking matches. Not quite like the old days of comparing team sheets beforehand – respect to Sly Fox (AB) and Chicken Legs (ML) – but that was fun, wasn’t it?
So it was last night, as Bexley 5 bolstered their strength with some ‘Tuesday only’ talent and Knole were able to bring in an idle floater who was not required for higher duties. The result was a fairly even match all the way down, where there might otherwise have been an imbalance.
Jolly John and Tiger Tim set the bar. Both Lee and Vic were short of their normal sharpness and in spite of a winning run of 7 points for Lee in the first (down to some harsh but fair marking getting under John’s skin), both KP players had comfortable wins. Guest ref Mark Johnson is taking the new guidelines on ‘no letting’ very seriously btw.
Pete is still struggling from early season rustiness and found ‘Tuesday’ Thompson a handful.
Mark ‘Tin Man’ allowed Rob to run rings (around himself and the court mostly) and found enough trade mark cut drops, nicks etc from the back of the court to steal both of the second and third games from losing positions. A confused Rob probably didn’t help himself by chatting to himself about tactics and strategy during the games.
The best was saved for last, though. Mike in search of practice after a couple of weeks away found himself up against an equally dogged fellow Saffa in Christo. There were already two pools of blood sweat and tears on the floor at the end of the marathon slugfest first game – edged by Christo. Christo then took a breather in the second and in losing 9-1 made us think it was all over. However, he dragged himself up off the floor and for two more games both players traded 110% effort (and even occasionally some skill). Mike edged the third and slightly more easily the fourth but the result was never clear. One memorable drive/lob by Mike off the back left corner wall facing away from the front into the opposite dead nick front right corner which left Christo slumped in a heap. A match worth the entrance money, even though the pub supper was delayed by an extra half hour or so.
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| Author: | JJ |
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