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| Report: | Maidstone turned up looking for a victory to move out of the relegation spot and they were keen to get going with a former under 17 number 29 on their card tonight!
1st up where Greg and Phil with Greg returning from a two week lay off so it was not that surprising that he made a slow start. What was surprising was how quickly Phil started off as even his team mates could not believe it. The first game quickly went Phil's way and just two handouts meant that it was bagel time. The 2nd wasn't much different until Phil got to 7-0 up and with his 5th serve Greg managed to force a mistake from Phil and get a point on the board. Phil did not let it affect him too much but there was a definite shift in the game so the 3rd was going to be interesting. Greg started well and got the 1st point so for once was in front but Phil kept up his accuracy but it was clear he was tiring whilst Greg was getting more into the game. Phil however strung 4 points together to go back into a solid lead but Greg was now in the game and he pulled it back and at 5-6 down looked likely to overhaul Phil. Phil however grabbed another point so 3-0 looked on the cards now but just at that point Greg picked up his pace as Phil slowed and he went through to game point and after a couple of hand outs took the game. The 4th saw tables turned and Greg swiftly move to 5-0 before Phil managed a mini fight back but 5-3 became 7-4 then game point to Greg and we were then heading for a 5th set which looked all set up for Greg. The 5th started well again for Greg but at 2-0 up Phil dug in and with accuracy returning he moved to 4-2 up. Greg seemed to falter and that gave Phil more confidence and he moved to 6-2 up and the gallery were a little surprised but soon enough Phil had match point and took it 3-2.
Oliver and George where next up and this was hectic stuff but George was the more accurate of the two and he moved ahead quickly to a 3-0 lead. Oliver could not get a handle on George who was taking his chances and putting Oliver under pressure. Oliver rallied a little to get to 2-4 down but a string of winners from George finished off the game. The 2nd was up and down for both players with first George storming to a 4-0 lead then Oliver storming back level then each player had turns in the lead but at 7-7 the game was there for either player and they both had opportunities but it was George who took his chances again to go 2 up. The 3rd was close in the early stages but once George had broken free there was only one winner which made it 2-0 to Maidstone on the night and they were looking good for a much needed win.
The Maidstone boys had been saying all night that they had lost so many matches 3-2 and turned clutching defeat from the jaws of victory into a new art form!
Next up was Dave and Peter which looked to be a competitive match. Dave took an early lead getting to most of what Peter could throw at him and a 4-0 lead indicated Peter was a little slower to get going. 4-2 then became 7-2 so it was heading Dave's way but Peter dug in and got it back to 7-5 only for Dave to pick up the two points he needed to finish things off. The 2nd saw Peter in much better form whilst Dave struggled to keep the ball away from Peter's racket. At 7-0 up Peter seemed to be on course to win the game but the home marker called the score as 1-0 which seemed to prick Dave up who then thought the game had just started and in a flash Peter's form dropped and Dave took 5 points without too much trouble. Peter woke up again and grabbed another point to get to game point but Dave was now fully engaged and he soon had it level. A number of handouts at this stage made it unclear who was going to win this one but it was Dave who stood firm and finished it off to go a surprising 2 up. The 3rd saw Peter determined to get back in to it and built a 3-1 lead which turned into 4-2 and then 6-4. Just at the point when you thought Peter was going to forge ahead Dave had a mean streak which took him all the way through to match point and that was it done.
Maidstone still looked favourites but kept muttering "jaws of victory".
Next up was debutante Victoria against (UK's former under 17 number 29) Mike so both players had something to prove here and they looked in good form at the start and seemed well matched. Victoria held a slender lead and maintained that until the mid way point of the game at which point Mike started to get some success and he moved ahead and through to game point. Victoria was not giving up and her game improved at this point with some accurate drives and from 8-5 down she took point after point to move through to game point. Mike was suffering a little now and desperate not to lose from a winning position but he could only muster a handout before Victoria finished it off to go 1 up. Mike was soon on the baloney grasping for breath telling all that he put everything into that one. Victoria quietly went about her business in the 2nd game and made Mike work hard for everything. Victoria stole a 4-0 lead and only allowed Mike a couple of points as she marched away with the game to go 2 up. Mike returned to the baloney in search of oxygen but all he received was a barracking from his team mates. Victoria was brimming with confidence and she made it even tougher for Mike in the 3rd and just a few handouts was all she allowed Mike before wrapping it up with a bagel.
Oh dear we are now down to the final match to decide the winner.
Andy and John were the final pairing and what a fine tracksuited pair they were with John sporting a multicoloured rainbow affect trainer legging combo whilst Andy went for black all the way. The first was a close one with Andy just a little quicker off the mark whilst John took a bit of time to get going. Andy maintained a slight lead all the way through and finished it off just at the right time before allowing John a sniff. The 2nd saw John much improved and he was picking off Andy quite regularly and smashing the ball around the court putting Andy through his paces. A 5-0 lead was only slightly dented by a couple of points and at 8-2 up it looked all over but that was the cue for Andy to get back into it and once it reached 8-6 Andy seemed to have figured out how to nullify John's game a little but John had enough to finish it off just as squeaky bum time was on the horizon. The 3rd was very much John in charge and Andy seemed to have forgotten what got him almost back into it in the previous game. John walked off with a number of clear winners to grab a bagel. The 4th was an almost reverse of the 3rd but Andy's winners were coming from boasts and drops which John was not too happy about as he wanted it at the back of the court. From 2-2 Andy walked away with it without dropping another point so we were into a 5th set to decide the result on the night. The 5th saw Andy get the first point only to see John return to his form from game 3 but Andy seemed to be playing in to John's hands by playing a softer less attacking game. At 7-2 up to John the gallery thought it was all over - people were thinking of going on to the pitch - but a dubious stroke on the T awarded to Andy seemed to have a destabilising affect on John's game and he started hitting the tin. A number of good opportunities came John's way but each one ended up in the tin and very quickly a seemingly unassailable lead disappeared and 7-2 turned in to 7-7 and 8-7 to Andy at which point John hit the return of serve out of court and a crazy night ended with a surprising victory for Dulwich.
Good luck to the Maidstone boys - hope they find some reserves as they are definitely good enough for this league so hope they stay up. |
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| Author: | Ian Armstrong |
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