We have traditionally played some sort of tournament on the run up to Christmas usually orchestrating the finals night on a December Friday before the Christmas break. Beer and curry always a follow-up.
This year we drummed up a one night only quick fire Round Robin tournament whereby every game went to 7 and no more.
The plan was that all players got to play all the others but time was not on our side, didn’t matter, we managed to make the cut off point at 11 matches per player. Sound complicated ? it wasn’t.
16 players turned out, some managed to arrive early (it was a 5.20pm start) and got things under way immediately. With all 3 courts at our disposal match results flew in.
It was a hap- hazard affair but it kind of ‘worked’.
Winners of their first match stayed on and played the next player,
they then came off win or lose and the next players joined in. Who played who was in no particular order and one or two managed to get many of their games in pretty quickly.
Andy Lawrence was the stand out front runner with 4 wins and only 5 points dropped in three if his other matches.
Peter Edney was another who caught the eye. He played some excellent shots in terms of outright winners and some intelligent placement putting opponents under pressure and making them work so very hard. Tim Gorman, another of the early runners had to put in a great effort to pip Mr Edney to the post, an entertaining and intriguing match to watch.
Peter Archibold and Paul Blakely found themselves at a disadvantage, detained at work they arrived a little late and found their first opponents had their ‘eye in’ and were well limbered up. Even after only 3 matches played it looked impossible that they could make any inroads on the leading pack.
Jonnie Woodhouse had a good night, some good wins and only dropping a few points in the ones he lost.
Ian Mc had played 6 won 6 but as the court time was running out, the opportunity to get 11 games in faded away. Perhaps just as well, he had to push a lot harder than he wanted to to beat Andy Lawrence who would not stop. 7-6 and only just but the joints were creaking.
The game which decided the night was actually an early encounter between Tim Gorman and Bruno Gaultier. 7-1 to Bruno was wholly unexpected but as Tim said afterwards, Bruno’s plan was a simple one, “just go for everything” and it paid off. Bruno’s winner’s were just that, high risk maybe ? but they were all up on the night and Tim could do nothing about it, no one could have.
Peter Edney continued to play good squash but in his latter games couldn’t maintain momentum and tired. The results fell away.
As all the players logged 11 games it was clearly a 2 horse race.
Andy Lawrence will have his name on the trophy for 2019 with 72 points from a possible 77 and Tim Gorman second with 71 points.
(a nearly 100% record for Tim but for an inspired French intervention)
The competition was only half the story, 14 aching soles then made their way to the village for beer and a curry and of course some Brexit Election Banter.
Keith Grey took time out for a hot bath, such were his efforts.
The burning questions of the night were ‘who’s cellar has Diane Abbott been hidden in ? will she remember her name ? and is she to be the new Labour leader. The world was also put right.
A great night all round, it would be good to see some of the lower league players get involved in the future, watch out for the Individual Handicap in January 2020, I need entries ASAP.
Ian Mc
This year we drummed up a one night only quick fire Round Robin tournament whereby every game went to 7 and no more.
The plan was that all players got to play all the others but time was not on our side, didn’t matter, we managed to make the cut off point at 11 matches per player. Sound complicated ? it wasn’t.
16 players turned out, some managed to arrive early (it was a 5.20pm start) and got things under way immediately. With all 3 courts at our disposal match results flew in.
It was a hap- hazard affair but it kind of ‘worked’.
Winners of their first match stayed on and played the next player,
they then came off win or lose and the next players joined in. Who played who was in no particular order and one or two managed to get many of their games in pretty quickly.
Andy Lawrence was the stand out front runner with 4 wins and only 5 points dropped in three if his other matches.
Peter Edney was another who caught the eye. He played some excellent shots in terms of outright winners and some intelligent placement putting opponents under pressure and making them work so very hard. Tim Gorman, another of the early runners had to put in a great effort to pip Mr Edney to the post, an entertaining and intriguing match to watch.
Peter Archibold and Paul Blakely found themselves at a disadvantage, detained at work they arrived a little late and found their first opponents had their ‘eye in’ and were well limbered up. Even after only 3 matches played it looked impossible that they could make any inroads on the leading pack.
Jonnie Woodhouse had a good night, some good wins and only dropping a few points in the ones he lost.
Ian Mc had played 6 won 6 but as the court time was running out, the opportunity to get 11 games in faded away. Perhaps just as well, he had to push a lot harder than he wanted to to beat Andy Lawrence who would not stop. 7-6 and only just but the joints were creaking.
The game which decided the night was actually an early encounter between Tim Gorman and Bruno Gaultier. 7-1 to Bruno was wholly unexpected but as Tim said afterwards, Bruno’s plan was a simple one, “just go for everything” and it paid off. Bruno’s winner’s were just that, high risk maybe ? but they were all up on the night and Tim could do nothing about it, no one could have.
Peter Edney continued to play good squash but in his latter games couldn’t maintain momentum and tired. The results fell away.
As all the players logged 11 games it was clearly a 2 horse race.
Andy Lawrence will have his name on the trophy for 2019 with 72 points from a possible 77 and Tim Gorman second with 71 points.
(a nearly 100% record for Tim but for an inspired French intervention)
The competition was only half the story, 14 aching soles then made their way to the village for beer and a curry and of course some Brexit Election Banter.
Keith Grey took time out for a hot bath, such were his efforts.
The burning questions of the night were ‘who’s cellar has Diane Abbott been hidden in ? will she remember her name ? and is she to be the new Labour leader. The world was also put right.
A great night all round, it would be good to see some of the lower league players get involved in the future, watch out for the Individual Handicap in January 2020, I need entries ASAP.
Ian Mc
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