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| Report: | 1st match of the season against the div 2 summer champs was always going to be a tough start for Dulwich.
1st up where Dave and youngster Jack who is improving all the time. Dave fresh from nappy changing duties looked a little tired but he started off well and was in charge in the 1st managing to close it out for the loss of just 2 points. The 2nd saw Jack playing more composed squash and Dave was struggling a little to keep up with the youngun and it was soon finished with the same score as the 1st. The 3rd was tighter with both players having a number of surges starting with Jack.Dave kept closing the gap only for Jack to open it up again and eventually Jack had a final surge to take him over the line and grab a 2-1 lead. The 4th took a while to get going but Dave was putting in a shift and he managed to get ahead from a 2-2 stalemate then he sped off to a commanding lead at 6-2 then closed it out to take the match to a 5th set. Both players where having to work hard and the 5th was tight but Jack managed to sneak a 5-2 lead. Dave did his best to close the gap and as he got back to 4-6 then 5-6 it seemed that he may be about to move ahead Jack stood firm and managed to finish it off with a string of points to win the match 3-2.
Next up where Ban and Andy and these two turned out to be quite well matched. Points where hard to come by early on but Ben just had the edge and gradually opened up a lead at 5-2. Andy was working hard and started to claw it back but at 5-5 there was still no clear winner emerging. However Ben's form seemed to dip a little at this point and Andy took charge with a number of winners that pushed him through to a 9-5 win in the 1st. The 2nd saw Andy continued with a confident start whilst Ben was trying to work out where he was going wrong. Andy marched away to a commanding 7-1 lead but at that point it seemed Ben had realized what he needed to do and he began to grab the initiative back. Andy was determined not to allow Ben back into the game and once he had stopped the surge he swiftly finished it off to go 2 up. Ben needed some guidance at this point to stop the rot and in the 3rd he played a little less of the softer stuff and a more forceful game and this did the trick. Ben was always ahead in this one and 6-1 became 7-2 and although Andy staged a slight comeback Ben finished it off to get a game on the board. The 4th saw Ben in full charge of things with Dave dropping his game a little and Ben now feeling more confident about how to beat Andy. Ben raced away to an 8-1 lead and although Andy again staged a mini come back Ben soon finished it off to make it another 5 setter. The 5th saw Ben continue were he left off in the previous game and another commanding lead was built up with Andy finding the tin or the frame of his racket a little more frequently. Ben was again in a commanding lead at 3-0 and 5-1 and 7-1 and again Andy staged a mini come back to bring it back to 7-3 but Ben then finished it off to win 3-2.
Next up where new boy Mike and Mark. Mike has not played enough of late and was struggling to recover from a match earlier this week so it was always going to be tough against Mark. The early stages of the 1st where tight and Mike seemed likely to get some early points. There were numerous handouts but it was Mark doing all the scoring and once he got a solid lead he was not going to allow Mike a lookin. The 2nd was again tight in the early stages with Mike have a number of chances to put points on the board but again Mark played his usual tight and forceful game and moved to a clear 5-1 lead. Mike added one more point but he was struggling with fitness and then had to come off due to an injury so Mark took this one.
Next up were old rivals Ian and Ray and this one often goes to 5 at Dulwich. Ray surprisingly started off the better with Ian struggling to get going. Ray saw an early 3-0 lead wiped out but Ray was having none of it and was regularly making Ian pay for anything not tight enough. Ray quickly moved to a commanding 7-3 lead and Ian could not prevent Ray from taking the 1st. The 2nd was similar to the 1st but Ray was even more in charge whilst Ian continued to struggle to get his game going and very quickly Ray was 2 up. The 3rd saw a more determined Ian and the game had changed it seemed as Ray was struggling to keep up with the pace and Ian's at time wacky shots. Ian sped off to a 3-0 lead and that became 4-1 at which point Ray seemed to falter a little and Ian finished it off quickly to get a game on the board. The 4th saw Ian continue his determined and fast paced game whilst Ray struggled to keep up. The early stages where close but as the game progressed Ian was having more and more of the game and it showed in the score as it moved from 3-0 to 4-1 to 6-1 and 8-1 at which point Ray managed a mini fight back but Ian finished it off to take the match into a 5th set. Ian continued his pacey game into the 5th and it was clear that Ray was struggling to keep up. Ian moved to a 3-0 lead and despite a number of handouts that became 5-0 then 6-1 at which point Ray seemed to be suffering to get his breath but he carried on and staged a fight back to get it back to 6-4 at which point Ian forced his way through to the winning post to compete the comeback.
The final match between Greg and Simon was therefore the decider on the night. We had to check if Simon had turned up at the correct match as he usually plays for the 3rds - was not sure if he had been promoted or demoted! This was a tricky one to call as they have quite different styles and Simon had beaten Greg 3-0 in the summer. The 1st saw Simon take an early lead which is surprising as Simon is renowned as a slow starter. Greg kept in touch but as Simon stretched the lead out to 7-4 it seemed he was about to take the game. Greg staged a fightback and managed to sneak past Simon and through to take the 1st game just as it seemed Simon was about to take it. The 2nd saw Greg in confident mood whilst Simon struggled to accept the loss of the 1st game. Simon had no answer to Greg in this one and Greg was soon 2 up. The 3rd was a tight one with 1st Greg ahead then Simon who was determined not to let Greg take it. At 6-6 however it was Gregs for the taking but Simon was just too determined to let him have it and it finished 10-8 to Simon. The 4th saw Simon starting to take control as he sped off to a 4-0 lead. Greg hit back and at 5-5 it seemed he might be on his way to a win but Simon dug in and Greg was now starting to feel the pace. Both players where having plenty of handouts but it was Simon winning more of the points and he moved to game point only to see Greg do the same to him and claw it back level. It seemed that Greg needed to win this one as he was tiring but it was Simon who finished the stronger to level things up and take it to a 5th set. The gallery were loving this as the match result rested on this match. The 5th set saw Greg start off well and take an early lead. Greg seemed on course to take it as he played some tight squash and he moved to a commanding lead. Despite numerous handouts Simon could not add to his score as he saw Greg move close to match point at 7-1. Simon was not going to allow that to happen and he struck back and brought it back to 7-6. Greg pushed through to game point only for Simon to level up at 8-8. Greg stole himself for a couple more rallies and managed to finish it off to take it 10-8 and win the match for Dulwich.
Great night of squash and the food from our new sponsors Dulwich Tandoori went down well. |
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| Author: | Ian Armstrong |
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