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The finals are next Tuesday 22nd December, 6.40pm start. Please come along and support the event. Bring your own refreshment since Concordia bar is closed.
A Final Tony Hedley v Andy Dolan B Final Steve Goldie v Peter Archibold C Final Martin Davison v Keith Grey (Robin had to withdraw from the competition despite his win) Beer and curry to follow, let me know if you are eating, just to give the heads-up at the restaurant. Cheers Ian Mc Concordia Closed 2015 semi finals night. Tuesday 15th December.
Things went very much to form in the A competition with the Morton brothers up against the top two in the club, Tony Hedley and Andy Dolan. Both favourites dominated proceedings from start to finish with 3-0 scorelines. In stark contrast, the B competition provided the 2 battles of the night. Steve Goldie and Michael Jones provided much entertainment with long drawn out rallies, both players looking for an opening which didn't come readily, it was hard to see who would come out on top in this one. After going 2-1 down Steve turned things round and took the match 3-2. Peter Archibold and Chris Brock had their own epic on court 1 which unfolded like a book. Peter went 2-0 up but had to work so very hard to do so. At 12-12 in the third you sensed that Peter needed to finish off the match fearing a Chris Brock come back in the fourth and fifth. The anxiety showed and Peter tightened, 3 rushed shots later Chris had taken the game 15-12. As scripted (almost) Chris also took the fourth. Then the twist, Peter came back with some really intelligent squash, slowing down the pace and keeping it high and tight. Peter took the match 15-7 in the 5th. Great to watch. The C competition saw Robin Ritchie make light work of Keith Grey who worked hard but couldn't deal with Robin's consistency, 3-0 to Robin. A similar score line in the other semi with Martin Davison overhauling Mark Knott 3-0 after some unorthodox but entertaining rallies. No shortage of effort or commitment from both players. Thank you to those who came along and supported the match, cheers Dan for the refreshment and thank you to those who marked games. The finals are on Tuesday 22nd December, 6.40pm start. Beer and curry in the village to follow. Please come along and support the event. Players, family and friends are all welcome. Ian Mc Concordia Closed 2015 quarter finals, Monday 14th December.
Before I start can I just say I couldn't see all of the matches so if I've missed out someones 'efforts' worthy of a mention, my apologies. The C competition got off to a flyer with 2 real battles on courts 1 and 3. Once again Roland Smith demonstrated his battling qualities, this time against a dominant Martin Davison. Roland took the first game 15-14, faltered in the second but made life really difficult in the 3rd and 4th. Great game with Martin the victor, 3-1. Mark Knott had to turn around a 2-0 deficit against Peter Irlam. He nearly didn't get the chance, Peter just couldn't close out the game at the end of the 3rd, 2 boasts into the tin were everything. After winning that 3rd, Mark always looked the stronger and managed to take the win 3-2. A good contest. The other two games were slightly more straight forward. Keith Grey showed no mercy against young James Rowe winning 3-0 and Robin Ritchie, playing the more consistent and tidy squash, beat John Ormsby 3-0. In the B competition Dave Hall and Peter Archibold provided the fireworks with a 5 setter worthy of any final. There simply wasn't anything in it. Massive effort from both players from start to finish and 15-13 in the 5th says it all. A battle of the fittest between Andy Lawrence and Michael Jones saw Michael go through 3-0. The score isn't a fair reflection of a match which had many long rallies and great retrieval from both players. Chris Brock managed enough control and played good length to close out his games against Nick Fecitt winning 3-0. Thank you to Elliott Harrison who turned out and gave Steve Goldie a run for his money after Dan Cussack had to withdraw with injury. Steve plays Michael Jones in the semi's. Get well soon Dan by the way. The A competition went with the form book, Tony Hedley controlled everything and beat Mark Livingstone 3-0. Andy Dolan's skill and quality drop shots were too good for Gary Storey however Gary didn't make it easy with some great retrieving. Ian Morton went through with a bye after Simon Long withdrew. Jamie Morton repeated his win of last years semi final over Ian McAllister with an unbelievable number of volley nick shots. This wasn't luck, he played for everyone of them and his eye was in. Nicks aside, Jamie's ball striking was just too much for Ian to handle. 3-2 in the end. Semi's to be played Tuesday 15th December 2015, 6.40pm start. Please come along and support the event. Ian Mc Concordia Squash Players,
The semi finals are to be played tonight (Tuesday 15th December. ) You can read how the quarters went on the website report. It is a 6.40pm start, can players be warmed up and ready to go on court promptly so there is no pressure on court time. The 2 semi finals in each competition (A, B and C) to be played back to back using all 3 courts. In the A competition Tony Hedley plays Ian Morton and Andy Dolan plays Jamie Morton. Can Andy and Jamie play their match first please. In the B competition Peter Archibold plays Chris Brock and Michael Jones plays Steve Goldie. In the C competition Keith Grey plays Robin Ritchie and Mark Knott plays Martin Davison. Please come along and support the event. ASDA is handy for those who want refreshments since Concordia bar is closed. The finals night is Tuesday 22nd December after which we're heading to the village for drinks and a curry. Can you let me know if you are taking up the curry option so we can give the restaurant an idea of numbers. Cheers Ian Mc Concordia Squash Players,
The first round of the C competition 2015 took place on Tuesday evening, 8th December. 4 of our junior players entered reducing the average age of entrants considerably. A lot more than anyone would want to admit ! Roland Smith probably had the toughest task of the night having to work hard against the quick and ever improving Elliott Harrison. The 3-0 result doesn't reflect the battle on court. Roland's consistency made the difference. Great match. Robin Ritchie, Peter Irlam and Don Pattison were the other seniors drawn against opposition at least 40 years younger. (Sorry guys but it's true) All 3 demonstrated their experience and quality but gave their young opponents a good run out. Thank you to them. John Ormsby's power serve proved too much for Alan Bell, Martin Davison put in one of his better performances to over run Steve Lavery, they've have had their battles in the past. Last but not least, Mark Knott beat the always entertaining Bill Johnson in a well humoured encounter, both playing some shots never seen before nor to be seen again. Keith Gray went through with a bye, Rory Whaling having to withdraw with injury. Get well soon Rory. The last 8 play Monday 14th December Come along and support the event. The draw for the last 8 was conducted straight after. This is who plays who on Monday 14th December, 6pm start; Keith Gray v James Rowe John Ormsby v Robin Ritchie Peter Irlam v Mark Knott Roland Smith v Martin Davison. On Monday 14th December all 3 separate A, B and C Competitions will be played, the last 4 in each to play their semi finals the next night, Tuesday 15th. Come along and support the event, you'll need to bring your own refreshment. See you there. Ian Mc I have booked the courts and more or less got this years competition sorted.
As you know there is an A, a B and a C competition this year. The C competition has 16 players in the draw, their first round is on Tuesday 8th December (6pm start) I'm sorry that 3rd team players have a team game the very next night but it has been tricky with all the teams having matches around this period. The 8 first round winners in the 'C' go through to play on Monday 14th December along with those in the A and B competition. I have all 3 courts, so all 3 competitions will progress simultaneously. What are effectively the semi finals are to be played on Tuesday 15th December with the A ,B and C Finals to be played consecutively (all on court) on Tuesday 22nd December, 6.40pm start. For those who want to make a night of it, beer and a curry in the village afterwards. There is much speculation about Concordia Bar and when it might close a s part of the refurbishment, I have no idea how that will pan out, I don't think the management have any idea either ! Hopefully there will be no disruption to the courts themselves. I'll keep you posted. Ian Mc Concordia squash club are pleased to announce that Gosforth exiles have fully integrated into Concordia's club set up with the formation of the Concordia Ladies team. There is also a ladies league now for anyone interested in joining.
Sorry to bash on about these but after some disappointment with 'wrong fit' I am about to place an additional order for shirts and/or hoodies. If anyone would like additional kit let me know. Our previous order was of limited colour and style.
There is some scope if you wanted a different colour ! Bear in mind the 'fit' is generally on the small side, large is not really large. Let me know ASAP if you want anything. I can't help thinking at £8 a T-shirt ....it's a steal. Cheers Ian Mc Concordia's junior section started in earnest in April 2014 and after their first full year there is much to be excited about.Of the original line up one or two have found other interests or decided squash was just not for them, however with those who remained and with new players giving it a go, the junior section is at 15 strong, all very keen to improve.Aaron Dunwoody, Josepth Oeting, James and Adam Rowe, Callum Garland, Luke Fecitt, Curtis Pogson and Dean Fitzpatrick have all made tremendous progress and have taken part in several County 'Dunlop Challenge' events around the region.There is no doubt that the competitive environment and the knowledge they were representing their club lifted their efforts and all gave very good account of themselves.Some of our juniors are now in the senior leagues and it's only a matter of time before they begin to climb the ladder as they improve.Saturday morning coaching will continue until the end of June with a break during July and August primarily because of holiday commitments. The 4pm Wednesday session will also continue, again breaking for July and August. Ian McAllister. May 2015
Concordia Squash Players,
The Handicap Final will take place on Tuesday 19th May 2015. 6.40pm start. Gary Storey (-12) will try to take the spoils from Tony Hedley (-20) who hasn't looked too troubled so far ! Please try and make it to the event. The bar is open. I nearly have sufficient numbers to place an order for both T-shirts and Hoodies. Please get in touch if you haven't already ordered. Black T-shirts are by far the most popular and Grey has just sneaked it for the Hoodies. Ian Mc Concordia Squash Players,
Oh what complicated lives. Due to circumstances beyond my control (nothing to do with court availability) the Handicap final scheduled for Friday has been postponed. On that note there are two courts going spare at 6.40pm and 7.20pm on Friday 1st May if anyone wants to use them, first come first served. This is how the competition panned out. On Monday Rob Owen continued his streak of length nicks this time against Keith Grey and off the forehand drive. He was too strong for Keith and won 2-0 to earn a match against Mr Hedley. Joe Race had a marathon with Robin Ritchie who put up a strong fight. Great match with Joe coming through 21-19 in the third. Tony Hedley eased through his quarter against a plucky Peter Edney, never short on effort. Gary Storey's fitness and speed overturned Ian Morton's racket skills, a good match to watch. Tuesday saw 2 straight forward semi finals, Tony Hedley beat Rob Owen and Gary Storey beat Joe Race with a solid length game. The final with Gary Storey v Tony Hedley is to be arranged. Cheers Ian Mc Normally I would give an over view of how the competition unfolded and include some of the highlights. I have a dilemma here since there were so many, in fact I can’t think of any low lights.
For the last 4 years the 1st round format has been the 3 man round robin group stage primarily introduced to get everyone in the club together irrespective of standard. In an ideal world I would have liked to see more players from the lower leagues taking part but I understand not all can commit so much time to a squash tournament. Despite this there was a large entry and the 1st round was split over Monday and Tuesday evening. On a personal note it was good to see some juniors entrants, I’m sure their experience in the competition will hold them in good stead for the future. All gave good account of themselves. With all players having to play 2 games on the night and fighting for the maximum points tally (84- see results table below) there was much toil. Monday saw all the higher handicapped players going through although non of them had an easy time of it. Bill Johnson provided the entertainment on the lighter side with good humored banter during his encounters with top handicapper Tony Hedley and Ian Rowe who has just returned to the game after a few years, I won’t say how many. It seemed the best was saved until last on Monday night with a great battle between Dave Hall and Rory Whalling. No shortage of effort or ability with a closely fought contest and many long rallies. (In fact Dave went on to provide what was the contest of the tournament so far when he played Gary Storey in the last 16.) Really entertaining squash. Tuesday caused some logistic problems for the organiser when we ran out of court time. My error in failing to factor in an additional group late on. Thank you to Keith Grey and Dave Hall who saved the day with a ’spare’ court and to the players who had to play way more squash on Wednesday to catch up, they were Robin Ritchie, Mark Coxon, Martin Davison and particularly Keith Grey and Peter Archibold. Just like the previous night, it was late on when 2 real battles unfolded. Robin Ritchie was up against a much improved Mark Coxon while Peter Archibold had a monumental battle with Martin Davison. Martin then had another battle with Keith Grey. 2 games were left unfinished at 1-1 with the game between Keith Grey and Peter Archibold not played at all. With an early Wednesday start these matters were resolved and the last 16 started in earnest. 1st Round Points Tally Joe Race 84pts John Ormsby 70pts Adam Rowe 74pts Tony Hedley 84pts Bill Johnson 65pts Ian Rowe 81pts (unable to play the next round) Ian Morton 84pts Derek Railston 74pts Dave Barlow 71pts Gary Story 84pts Mark Knott 72pts Steve Lavery 73pts Dave Hall 84pts Rory Whaling 75pts Jonny Woodhouse 79pts Andy Lawrence 84pts Bruno Gaultier 61pts James Rowe 82pts Dan Cussak 84pts Rob Owen 82pts Luke Fecitt 74pts Nick Fecitt 62pts Peter Edney 84pts Elliott Harrison 77pts Peter Archibold 75pts Martin Davison 77pts Keith Grey 84pts Robin Ritchie 81pts Mark Knott 65pts Mark Coxon 84pts Thank you to Mark Knott who selflessly stood in at the last minute to ensure the group stages stayed honest on both Monday and Tuesday night. The last 16. Robin Ritchie proved too strong for Jonnie Woodhouse although Jonnie is showing he too is improving. Joe Race beat the young James Rowe. Andy Lawrence lost to Rob Owen who served strongly on the night, never seen so many nicks off Rob’s serve ! You don’t get the nicks for nothing, clever squash. Ian Morton beat Dan Cussack. Tony Hedley was far too strong for Mark Coxon despite a -20 handicap. Mark worked very hard but was beaten by an immaculate length game. Keith Grey beat Elliott Harrison- another junior who shows great promise. Never short of effort, Peter Edney put in a great performance to beat Martin Davison. Entertaining stuff. Last but not least, Gary Storey beat Dave Hall in what was the match of the tournament so far. At one all and after many many long rallies it looked like youth would be the deciding factor with Dave looking tired. Not so. Dave played some great squash, found a new source of energy and kept a 5 point lead until the mid teens. Gary was showing signs of pressure with the odd unforced error but continued to keep the rallies going. It paid off in the end, Gary took his last 5 points in succession. 21-14 in the end. A great game of squash. Please support the event, the quarter finals are on Monday 27th April, 6.40pm start. Ian Mc Concordia Squash Players,
A combination of factors had meant it has been a bit tricky trying to fit in our Handicap competition this season. I'm looking at organising it for the week AFTER the Easter break. W/C Monday 20th April. The end of season 'Closed' will be put back to the early part of the 2015/2016 season. With 3 men's teams and a hectic fixture list in March, a number of our players entering several county competitions and an Early Easter this year this seems the best course of action. Can I have entries ASAP for this the 'individual' Handicap Competition. Don't forget this is all about involving club members from all the leagues, the handicap system hopefully evening things out. Entry is free and you are guaranteed at least 2 games. The format and schedule will be sorted once I have an idea of numbers but should be as previous years. (Round robin 1st round and knockout thereafter) Cheers Ian Mc I now have the printed tickets for the Exhibition night on Friday 13th February 2015.
I'll probably catch up with everyone during the lead up to Christmas, I have a note of those who expressed interest from the outset and have their tickets 'allocated in kind'. (I just need the money in exchange for the actual tickets) Dave Barnet playing Gareth Lumsdon supported by Dan Wearing taking on Michael Mattimore at Concordia. Many are bringing their partners along, perhaps it's the appeal of Concordia's Pie and Peas ! Ian McAllister Concordia Squash Club's Christmas Bash 2014 took place on Friday 5th December where many players took the opportunity to team up and fight for their name on the Handicap Trophy.
A new team in the event took the spoils with a magnificent effort dropping just 2 points throughout. Walton's Wanderers get their name on the trophy, they were Andrew Walton, Findlay Mclean and Kelvin Duffy; all 3 gave 100% commitment up against strong opponents and they never gave up. I can't repeat what was said when they were told of their win, needless to say they were surprised. Mustang and Hacks were a close 2nd with 123 points (Sally 'Mustang' Faulkner, Andy Dolan and Ian McAllister) Other scores were Roland's Old Un's- 119 points, Hit for Brains-114, Cunning Stunts- 103 and the Miss Hits-102. There was a great turnout and the night was a success I think. Thank you to those who marked games whether they played or not and special thanks to Andy Dolan and Keith Grey who spent much time on court covering for injured players ensuring everyone had a bash. The squash was followed by a few beers in Concordia bar and then across to the village for some more with a lively curry to finish. Look out for the next Team Handicap competition early 2015. The draw was pulled on Tuesday evening in Concordia bar. The names were drawn by Julie (behind the bar) adjudicated by Peter Mcourt. This is how the names came out;
Andy Lawrence v Kelvin Duffy Jamie Morton v Finlay Mclean Paul Blakely v Gary Story Peter Mcourt v Peter Archibold Michael Jones v Ian McAllister Derek Railston v Dan Cussack Peter Edney v Tony Hedley Chris Brock v Andrew Walton Mark Knott v Keith Grey Joe Race v Mark Livingstone Neil Allen v Nick Fecitt Lachlan Daalman v Andy Dolan Sally Faulkner v Roland Smith Teams as follows 1A Peter Archibold 1B Neil Allen 1C Paul Blakely (Slim-fast and Allen) 2A Roland Smith 2B Derek Railston 2C Lachlan Daalman (Roland's Old Uns) 3A Peter McCourt 3B Peter Edney 3C Michael Jones 4A Dan Cussack 4B Mark Knott 4C Andy Lawrence (Cunning Stunts) 5A Keith Grey 5B Gary Story 5C Joe Race (Hit for Brains) 6A Chris Brock 6B Tony Hedley 6C Mark Livingstone (The Miss-Hits) 7A Sally Faulkner 7B Andy Dolan 7C Ian McAllister (Mustang and Hacks) 8A Findlay McLean 8B Kelvin Duffy 8C Andrew Walton 9A Nick Fecitt 9B Dave Buckle 9C Jamie Morton. I have 12 court sessions and 13 matches to fit in. I had to start at 4.40pm to maximise courts. I need 3 of the above matches to start At or as near to 4.40pm as possible. I appreciate some people simply can't get up early because of work commitments therefore I'm relying on the goodwill of a few to get there early and ease the pressure on court time. 
 Ian McAllister, Coach The junior section had it's early beginnings in April of this year and despite the summer break has been running most Saturday
mornings since then. We have a group of enthusiastic young players who have already shown much improvement in the short time they have been playing and look forward to the new season. The junior leagues at Concordia have begun as of 12th September with a few weeks in that month for the players to get used to the format. The first competitive league session will be from 1st October. Looking ahead, we hope to field a junior squash team in the monthly Northumbria County leagues where they will get the opportunity to play against other clubs. Junior coaching starts at 10am on Saturday mornings and is open to anyone over the age of 9 years who wants to give it a go. Please Contact Ian McAllister 07748653489 or emaiI [email protected] befocoming along. It's always useful to have an idea of numbers to plan the sessions. The 2014/2015 season is just about upon us. Can I invite all to pay their annual subscription ASAP. It's £25 for the year, this includes £7.50 which goes to England Squash.
There are membership forms behind reception if there is a need to update contact details otherwise just leave cash or cheques in an envelope with your name on so I know who's paid. We have 3 men's teams in the Northumbria League this season, home games will be played on Wednesday and Thursday evenings so watch out for the fixtures list and come along and support their matches. The Exiles at Concordia ladies team play Tuesday's, look out for their fixtures also. As a result of a recent league scoring issue we are experimenting with a change to the allocation of points this season. Any points system, no matter how complicated we make it can be manipulated and we have to rely on the good will and common sense of all who play. The new points system has been introduced to 'encourage' players to play all their games. On the odd occasion that un-played games are 'disputed' Roland and I will adjudicate. Hopefully that will not happen very often. In essence another point has been added for a played game so a 3-0 result would yield a 6-2 points allocation. I'm assured from the centre management that the court walls will be plastered soon ! Enjoy your squash. Ian Mc I have recently completed my level 2 qualification and am available now to coach one to one or small groups. Coaching small groups help to keep costs down. Cheers Ian McAllister  Concordia Squash Players,
The latest team Handicap final took place on Wednesday 23rd July 2014. There was going to be a new name on the trophy after Gangnam Style were beaten in the semi finals. The Mishits, also former winners were up against a very determined Bruno's Mob. A battle for 3rd and 4th places was also enacted with Bill's Bashers up against Roland's Old Un's. Andy Wally put in a great effort to hold off a very fit and speedy Mark Knott who very nearly overturned a hefty handicap. With two of the games ending 21-20, Mark only dropped a single point for his team. Well done to both players who provided some great entertaining rallies. The young Joe Race for the Bashers was just too strong for Peter Brewis winning 21-15, 21-16. Finally the 2 captains went head to head. Roland had a huge task in overturning Bill Johnson's +11 handicap. A good humoured but competitive match saw Bill take the win and secure the 3rd place for his team. In the final itself Peter Irlam showed grit and determination to beat Dave Hall. First blood to Bruno's Mob. Chris Brock leading the Mishits was up against Bruno himself and lost 2-0 in a closely fought match with many long rallies which could have gone either way. Last on was one of our up and coming stars for the future, Mark Coxon who played Ian McAllister. With +7 against -12 handicap Mark needed to finish the rallies without errors while Ian played very conservative squash to slowly eat away the backlog. Ian won 21-20, 21-15. Bruno's Mob with a 3-0 win (Vive la Resistance) have their name on the trophy. Look out for the next team event September/October time, get yourself a team of 3 and enter, it's a great way to see everyone in the club and play different players on level terms. Don't forget the club AGM on Thursday 31st July, 7.30pm at Concordia Bar. Please come along. Ian Mc Update from Roger Biggs
[email protected] Comment Update for those interested in Mick Biggs progress on the masters circuit. Mick learnt to play squash at Concordia and is grateful for all the help and encouragement he received as a youngster. Over 35 Masters 2 England international caps Semi-final British Closed 2014 Final British Open 2014 Semi-final World Championships Hong Kong This is how the teams came out:-
Gangnam Style v Bruno's Mob The Mishits v Bill's Bashers Cunning Stunts v Roland's Old Uns. A good turn out produced some good squash when 6 teams battled for the privilege of playing in the final on Wednesday 23rd July 2014. The Mishits went through with 119 points with outright wins by Chris Brock turning over his mentor Bill Johnson and Dave Hall proving too strong for an up and coming star for the future Gary Storey. Mark Coxon fought well to secure the other 35 points for the Mishits. Bruno's Mob were only 1 point behind to take the other final spot with wins by Ian McAllister and Bruno with Peter Irlam contributing a valuable 34 points. It was really good to see some new faces in the club, all with potential to strengthen our leagues and our teams. There will be a play off for 3rd and 4th place to run alongside the final on 23rd July, that means an encounter between Bill's Bashers and Roland's Old Un's. 6.40pm start. Come along and support the event. Enjoy your squash Ian Mc |
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