2009 Handicap
Tournament
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Plate Schedule
Saturday, 28th February - Finals
Two great matches tonight.
Plate Final - Ben Salcedo (-11) v Lisa Hobbs (10)
We started off with the plate final between Ben and Lisa. Ben won the serve and
then took the next 11 points. There were some good rallies, but Lisa couldn't
put Ben under enough pressure to force a mistake. Eventually Lisa hit a drop
that was just too good and got her first point to the accompaniment of wild
cheering from the balcony. Ben then took the next 11 points to get to a pretty
safe 11-all. Lisa then produced a winner - Ben's concentration disintegrated
allowing another winner from Lisa, a mistake from Ben and then a final winner
from Lisa to take the first game 15/11. Well, I never ...
Ben had a much worse start in the second game, allowing Lisa to get a 14/0 lead. But then, he reeled her in with a great display of concentrated squash to get back to 14-all. Lisa had to decide set-1 or set-3. She found this a very easy decision as she wanted it all to go away, so she set one. It nearly worked as she hit an outright winner, and just as Granthan was about to say, "Game to Lisa", Ben scraped it up with an even better winner of his own take the second game 15/14. I think it was during this game that Ben scared himself with how low a couple of his drops were, and he settled into a routine of long rallies, moving Lisa from side to side. Some of the spectators who arrived late and were standing at the back claimed never to see Lisa throughout the entire match as she spent so much time running along the back wall.
Lisa seemed to tire in the third and Ben seemed to be settling in. He had a few scares whenever he put the ball on Lisa's racket as her volleys had really good width, and her volley drops were very attacking. Ben took that game with a convincing 15/13 and was looking good for the next game.
However, in the fourth, Lisa changed her tactics. She still didn't venture much in front of the T, but as Ben seemed to have lost a little confidence in his drops, that wasn't causing too many problems. The main difference was Lisa's volleys. She now volleyed whenever she could, and this had the desired effect of putting a lot more pressure on Ben. At one stage, she matched Ben point for point over a space of about eight rallies, and Ben couldn't recover from that. Lisa took that game 15/4.
So, yet another match to go to five! Ben still looked quite fresh, whereas Lisa looked a little 'hot and bothered', the result of all the volleying she had done in the previous game. However, she kept up the volleying (with sound effects) and Ben had to do a lot of retrieving. When Lisa got to 13/2, it looked like she had the match in the bag. However, Ben upped his concentration, stepped up the pace a little and kept the ball in play doing some great retrieving along the way. Lisa was hungry for the last couple of points, but despite throwing in some really good volleys, Ben seemed to have an answer for everything. Lisa played some really tough and extended rallies and eventually got another point to give her match ball at 14/6. Ben got himself back in gear and started winning point after point. Once he'd got past 10/14, we all thought he had a good chance as Lisa was very tired, but she kept going for her shots and at 14/13, she got her final point and the match.
This was a great Handicap Tournament games, as good as any I've seen over the years. What made it especially enjoyable to watch was the effort put in by both players, and the sporting nature in which it was played.
Lisa won the match 15/11 14/15 13/15 15/4 15/13.
Main Event Final - Ian Jervis (0) v Craig Whiting (0)
Just to show how fair the handicapping system is, in a previous year, we've had
the club champion in the finals - this year we had two Group M contestants. They
didn't find it easy getting there either as they both needed to take full
advantage of their handicaps to squeeze through some earlier five-setters.
In the first game, it was neck and neck all the way. Craig found it surprisingly difficult to deal with Ian's unorthodox shots, and Ian in turn had to work hard as there was no handicap to help him. Ian got to 14-13, Craig pulled it back to 14-all, and Ian bravely went for 'set-1' and took the point. This turned out to be a crucial point, as it gave Ian a safety buffer in the later games.
At the very start of the second game, Craig hit a loose high shot down the middle of the court, but cleared it, allowing Ian full access to the front wall. Ian didn't feel comfortable playing it so asked for a let. The marker had no choice but to award a 'no-let', which quite upset Ian, and he was unable to play properly for another five or six rallies giving Craig a 6/0 lead. By the time Ian started playing properly again, it was far too late and Craig took the second 15/9.
In the third, it was neck and neck up to 10-all. Ian was winning lots of shots with his volley reverse-angle return of serve. Craig was hitting winning returns of serve on the other side with some powerful volley kills. Ian then hit a few short shots, which Craig got to, but attempted to to do block-shot drops from - because of the lack of pace on the ball, these just never made the front wall. This allowed Ian to pull ahead a few points to take the thrid game.
The fourth game was very similar to the third, but Craig looked to have the advantage at 12/10. Then he repeated a couple of those block-shot drops instead of a much safer drive. This let Ian equalise and then move on to a euphoric 15/12 to take the match.
This was another enjoyable match to watch. It was particularly good to see one of our improving juniors come through and show such improvement throughout the week. In fact, a quick analysis of Craig's results show that he started the week off as a Group M, improved up to a peak of a Group K in his match against Tom Heneghan, and played a solid Group L game against Ian in the finals. Incidentally, Ian got 54 points to Craig's 53 in the finals. So that set-1 point in the first was the turning point in the match.
Ian won the match 15/14 9/15 15/12 15/12. Well done boys!
Roundup
Write-up to follow
Friday, 27th February - Semi Finals
David Preedy (-3) v Ian Jervis (3)
15/6 15/6 7/15 8/15 15/3
Craig Whiting (7) v Tom Heneghan (-8)
15/9 12/15 15/1 15/8
Granthan Speake (0) v Ben Salcedo (0)
15/8 17/15 10/15 12/15 15/10
Lisa Hobbs (7) v Pete Bolshaw (-8)
15/-4 13/15 15/0 15/9
Thursday, 26th February - Quarter Finals complete
Announcement:
The time of the finals on Saturday has been changed to 15:45 (should fit in
with the rugby). Please come along to support it and bring some nibbles.
Kevin O'Donoghue (-6) v David Preedy (6)
Kevin found the going much tougher tonight with his adjusted handicap, but he
rose to the challenge and took the first game fairly comfortably 15/13 making us
wonder if we'd still got the handicap wrong. Dave fought back strongly in the
second and third with lots of winners, and helped by the odd stroke in his
favour, leaving Kevin with a lot of work to do. Dave also started the fourth
really well getting to 12/4 fairly quickly, but Kevin didn't give up and
produced some of his best squash to overtake Dave and go 14/13 in front. Dave
saved the game ball, Kevin called 'Set 3', and then it was neck and neck getting
to 16-all (match point to Dave, game point to Kevin). The next point was a
really good rally which Kevin eventually won. So, yet another match to go to
five! Unfortunately the effort of his big comeback in the fourth took a lot out
of Kevin, both physically and mentally, and he just wasn't as sharp in the
fifth, giving Dave the match
Dave won the match 13/15 15/10 15/8 16/17 15/4
Rupert Kinder (-12) v Ian Jervis (11)
I only saw a little of this match, but the bit I saw had Rupert playing some
good concentrated squash, and had Ian going through 5 emotions in 5 rallies
(determination, resignation, depression, optimism and euphoria). Ian was making
it difficult for himself by not getting good enough width, giving possession of
the T to Rupert, but no matter what Rupert threw at him, Ian tried everything he
could to return it. In the second game, Rupert managed a tournament record of 22
points in a row and took that game convincingly 15/12, but in the other games, a
couple of mistakes from Rupert along with a couple of winners from Ian made the
end result inevitable.
Ian won the match 15/-2 12/15 15/3 15/11
Bob Speake (-9) v Craig Whiting (8)
Bob got off to a really good start in the first game and at one stage achieved a
run of 10 points with some accurate drops and boasts. Craig however is improving
with every game, and his Group M handicap is now giving him a real advantage in
these matches. I think we could well see him in the finals.
Craig won the match 15/10 15/6 15/3
Tom Heneghan (-5) v Vic Seymour (4)
What a match! The match opened with three tough rallies, all of which Tom won -
he meant business. Vic, although ahead in points, felt under pressure throughout
the game and when Tom got to 13/11, she had to really raise her game to get back
to 14/13. Tom got it back to 14-all and then Vic had the most difficult
decision of her life - set-1 or set-3. She looked imploringly at the crowd for
inspiration, but none was forthcoming - Ian was having palpitations and was
temporarily unable to speak. After what seemed like minutes of deliberation, Vic
went for 'set-1' and there followed a really good rally which Vic won with a
good tight drive. In the second game when Vic was 12/8 up, it was anybody's. Tom
then won six points in a row to make that game safe - 1-all in games. Vic lost
her edge a bit in the third, and Thomas got all fired up by a couple of
decisions that (quite rightly) went against him, so Thomas rocket to a 15/9 win.
It was now looking a bit lopsided, but Vic rallied magnificently in the fourth
and put Thomas under huge pressure with some great kills. She got to
14/12, Thomas pulled it back to 14-all and then Vic had another difficult
decision to make - set-1 or set-3. You could almost see her saying to herself,
"do I feel lucky, punk?" As set-1 had worked so well for her in the
first she tried it again. A great rally followed which unfortunately ended with
Vic not clearing a forehand drive and giving a stroke away. It was a shame
to end such a good match with a stroke call, but the marker had no choice.
Thomas won the match 14/15 15/12 15/9 15/14.
Granthan Speake (-1) v John Kurk (1)
The theme of this game was that John whacked the ball at Granthan, and Granthan
hid ridiculous winners off them.
Granthan won the match 17/14 15/4 15/11
Ben Salcedo (0) v Richard Avery (0)
Richard's Red Bull wore off in the fourth.
Ben won the match 15/9 10/15 11/15 15/9 15/7
Clare Heneghan (-6) v Lisa Hobbs (5)
Lisa played consistently in this match whereas Clare blew hot and cold, pulling
out all the stops at crucial moments. Unfortunately Clare can't make the next
round, so Lisa will go through in her place.
Clare won the match 9/15 15/10 13/15 17/15 15/13
Pete Bolshaw (5) v Neil Healey (-6)
Neil showed us a glimpse of what he is capable of in the first, but wasn't able
to sustain it, allowing Pete to go for his winners.
Pete won the match
14/15 15/11 15/6 15/10
Thursday, 26th February - Quarter Finals Day
Should be some cracking matches tonight. The order of play is:
Main Tournament
18:00 Bob Speake (-9) v Craig Whiting (8)
18:45 Kevin O'Donoghue (-6) v David Preedy (6)
19:30 Rupert Kinder (-12) v Ian Jervis (11)
20:15 Tom Heneghan (-5) v Vic Seymour (4)
Plate Competition
18:00 Clare Heneghan (-6) Lisa Hobbs (5)
18:45 Granthan Speake (-1) John Kurk (1)
19:30 Ben Salcedo (0) Richard Avery (0)
20:15 Pete Bolshaw (5) Neil Healey (-6)
They should all be close matches.
The computer is still picking Rupert and Tom, closely followed by Vic and Kevin.
Wednesday, 25th February - Round 2 complete
Wayne Hooper (-3) v John Kurk (3)
John must have played well to stop Wayne in his tracks like this.
John won 15/14 15/12 15/10
Lisa Hobbs (8) v Neil Thorneywork (-8)
Even though these two athletes had the advantage of a rest day, it appears that
they were both still not fully recovered from their Monday night effort.
Although Neil was clearly warming up by the third game, he'd left it far too
late, so Lisa is now through to the quarters.
Lisa won 15/1 15/4 15/6
Tuesday, 24th February - More match reports
Kevin O'Donoghue (9) v Richard Chinn (-10)
Kevin was a bit of an unknown quantity to us as no one had seen him play a match. We guessed his handicap as Group J which put him on +10 with Chinny on -11. Chinny got the first three points and then Kevin hit a winner. Chinny worked hard to get the next point and then Kevin hit winners off the next two rallies. Chinny and Kevin then more or less alternated points giving Kevin the first game 15/0. In the second game Chinny stepped it up a bit and got to +1. In the third game Chinny threw everything he had at Kevin and got to +7. Hard luck Chinny - great effort. Well done Kevin - unfortunately too well done, so we've got to move you up a few groups!
Kevin won 15/0 15/1 15/7
David Preedy (8) v Chris Pryer (-9)
This was a match worth watching for two reasons. The first is that Chris played the entire match without ever taking his eyes off the front wall. Now, we all know you can't play squash like that, but Chris can. His reactions are so fast that he intercepts anything loose, has a great turn of speed to either front or back of court, and generates lots of pace to keep his opponent behind him (where he can't see him?!). In the first game, Dave got three points early on with some nice little winners taking him to 11/-6. It really should have been all over for Chris at that stage, but he dug in and got the next 15 points in a row. A few rallies later, he was actually 13/12 in front, so he did what so many players have done before in these tournaments - he thought the game was his and took his foot off the gas. Needless to say, Dave won the next couple of points to get to game ball, and Chris had to work hard to squeeze in a 15/14 win. Chris now thought he knew what he had to do, but Dave had other ideas, and chipped away going for winners off every loose ball. Chris tried to keep the ball away from him, but the percentages were in Dave's favour and he took the next three games. The
second noteworthy point about this match was that Dave (who is famous for taking
his squash very seriously) not only smiled, but actually laughed!
Dave won 14/15 15/11 15/9 15/4
Dave Potter (-2) v Rupert Kinder (2)
I didn't see much of this match, but the little bit I did see consisted of Rupert whizzing round (surprise, surprise) and Dave tinning some reverse angles (also not unknown).
Rupert won convincingly 15/6 15/10 15/7
Tony Rowland (0) v Ian Jervis (0)
Again, I didn't see this, but those that did said that Tony played like a man possessed. This tactic worked well until he took on a wall and the wall won (being tougher than Tony's shoulder), so he had to retire. Bad luck!
Ian won 9/10 (Tony retired)
Bob Speake (3) v Jonathon Bomford (-4)
There was probably about 80 years' experience on display on this court. It's interesting how different the two styles were. Bob attacked everything, even things that weren't attackable. Jonathan defended even when there were balls to be attacked - a game plan that has worked so well for him in the past. In the end,
Bob's attacking game was just too good, and although Jonathan rallied in the third game, it was only a monetary blip in Bob's progress through to the quarter finals.
Bob won 15/13 15/11 15/17 15/11
Paul Heneghan (-12) v Craig Whiting (11)
Now, I did see this match as I played in it, but I don't remember much as I was too tired! I soon worked out that Craig could hit
intentional and mis-hit winners in equal quantities off forehand volleys, so I had to keep the ball away from him.
This was really difficult, as he loped around the court effortlessly in the
early games. The only shots that caused him trouble were hard serves aimed
at the backhand wall, and low hard drives into the same corner. When Craig got
to 14/4 in the first, I presumed that was it, but I managed to get back to
14-all and then nearly blew it with a very risky low backhand volley of a
difficult ball. Craig played very well in the second game and had a couple of
volleyed winners and one ball too tight to get a racket on - I never even got
into positive numbers! I got to 0 in the third game - it wasn't looking good.
Craig seemed to tire in the fourth and managed only one point to my 27. In the
fifth, we were both tired. This meant I lost a bit of pace and had to lift the
ball, feeding shots for Craig to volley - not my plan at all. I managed a good
run of 10 points towards the start of the game and then just couldn't keep the
ball far enough away from Craig to prevent a couple of nice winners to take him
to 14/3. I saved another five match points before bowing to the inevitable. It
was a good match, and I still ache 24 hours later!
Craig won 14/15 15/-2 15/0 12/15 15/8
Mary Boyle (-2) v Tom Heneghan (2)
I saw very little of this, but the score sheet shows an interesting match. Tom
had a tremendous start and extended his 2/-2 start to 11/2. Mary then came back
strongly and got back to 14-all. Tom called '1' and got the next point. Same
pattern in the second game - Tom got to 11/1 this time, and again let Mary back
in for a few points before finishing it 15/7. Mary found her form in the third,
and at 10-all pulled away to take it 15/11. The fourth similarly started well
for Mary. She used the lob to great effect and punished Tom whenever he played a
loose shot from the back. At 9/4, she looked certain to take the game, and Tom
had even given up on volleying his returns of serve - he seemed to have lost all
the energy he had shown in earlier games. However, it all turned in a few points
as Tom won a couple of rallies which built his confidence back up. He started
playing the right shots again and moved Mary backwards and forwards. This took a
lot out of her and she made a few unforced errors allowing Tom to get from 4/9
to 11/9 in a single hand. Mary pulled back a point, but Tom could see the
winner's podium and there was no holding him back as he claimed his final four
points.
Tom won 15/14 15/7 11/15 15/10
Vic Seymour (10) v Richard Leedham (-12)
I only saw a few seconds of this match, but I heard most of it due to the
crowd's roars of delight whenever Vic hit (or was it mis-hit) a nick winner.
Richard must have played really well to take it to five, in particular in the
second game where he allowed Vic only two points. At 14/-4 down in the fifth, he
staged a magnificent comeback, but could only save 13 match balls out of the 20
required. If there were prizes going for the sweatiest t-shirt and the reddest
face, I reckon Richard and Vic would have carried away a prize each (you work
out who got what!).
Vic won 14/15 15/-2 12/15 15/2 15/8
Tuesday, 24th February - 2nd round (nearly) complete
Again some really close games tonight. Four 3-2s, five 3-1s, two 3-0s and one retirement through injury. There were a couple of people playing off the wrong handicap. Renat was one group too low and did pretty well to take a game of Richard despite this. Kevin was two or three groups too low, and Chinny had no chance despite giving it his usual 110%. Kevin's handicap will be shifted up a couple of groups for the later rounds.
Could any markers/players/spectators send in some match reports? I'll do a few for the matches I saw if I get time tomorrow.
I've put in all the results of the matches played so far into the spreadsheet that I use to calculate all the handicaps. It thinks that based on performance so far, Tom Heneghan and Rupert Kinder are the names to watch.
There are only two matches tomorrow:
18:45 Wayne Hooper (-3) v John Kurk (3)
19:30 Lisa Hobbs (8) v Neil Thorneywork (-8)
Come along and support.
Monday, 23rd February - 1st round complete - lots of really close matches
Brilliant handicapping led to seven 3-2s, four 3-1s and only two 3-0s.
Highlights (and lowlights - you decide) of the evening:
- First we had Chinny (-2) against Granthan (+1). You'd think as organiser, Granthan would have given himself a better handicap! It was almost enough, but Chinny at 2-1 up played a really tough fourth game to take the match.
- Wayne Hooper (-12) produced a valiant (but ultimately unsuccessful) effort against Dave Preedy (+11). Dave stuck to his match plan, and even three runs of 15 or more points in a row against him didn't phase him. He also demonstrated some winning frame shots reminiscent of Mary Boyle in her early years!
- Chris Pryer (0) played his regular sparring partner John Kurk (0). You wouldn't think it was off scratch as it was played in true Handicap Tournament style with magnificent effort from both players.
- Dave Potter (-2) as last year's winner was determined to put in a good performance against Ben Salcedo (+2). Good handicapping here lead to a really tough five setter in Dave's favour.
- Rupert Kinder (-11) had a baptism of fire against the improving George Shorthouse (+10). Not only could George whack the ball, he could also dig them out from the back and soak up huge punishment. Rupert went 2-1 up, but George rallied in the fourth, got to game ball while Rupert was still at 0. Rupert never gave up and clawed back point after point, and George did really well to take that game 15/13. The Herculean effort from George in winning the fourth took its toll on him, as not only did he get sick in the 90s interval - he also had no legs left for the fifth. It still wasn't easy for Rupert, and he showed great concentration to take the fifth game 15/13.
- Renat Fleming (-8) never really got going against Ian Jervis (+7). By the time he had worked out what he needed to do (i.e. 110% effort with no mistakes), Ian had won the match 3-0. I'm sure we'll see a different performance from Renat in his next plate match.
- Next, Jonathan Bomford (-5) played Clare Heneghan(+5). This was a very interesting match, which swung backwards and forwards. Clare won the first 15/2 and the fourth 15/4, but the all-important fifth was a fascinating affair. Jonathan got to 14/10 and then relaxed thinking the last point was a formality. However, this let Clare back in and the went 11/14, 12/14, 13/14, 14/14. Jonathan was feeling the pressure, but in an inspired moment called 'set 1' putting all the pressure on Clare, who obligingly served out! What a match!
- Paul Heneghan (-11) played Lisa Hobbs (+10). In the second rally. Lisa unveiled her secret weapon - a winning forehand drop return of serve. Just to show she meant business, she hit the same winning shot again five rallies later, and numerous others throughout the match. Paul had to step up the pace and experiment with serving angles to try to cut out this particular shot. This tactic, along with saving 10 game balls in the first game let him sneak in a 15/14 win in the first game. I don't know what drugs Lisa took in the 90-second gap, but she crushed Paul in the second game - he never even got into positive numbers due to a couple of mistakes and some fine winners from Lisa. In the third game, Paul was more focussed, but he needed to be as Lisa hit some early winners to go 14/2 in front and Paul had to save another 13 game balls to take it 15/14. The fourth game was all Lisa's as she managed a couple of tight shots and Paul made another couple of mistakes. In the fifth, both players were looking a little tired, but Paul now produced his secret weapon - the loose boast. Lisa would have put these away in the earlier games, but she wasn't that keen on running forward any more, and Paul had a run of 8 and then 15 points to go 14/12 up. It still wasn't over as Lisa pulled it back to 14-all. Paul kept his concentration to take it 17/14. Good handicapping again!
- Neil Thorneywork (-10) had his work cut out for him playing young Craig Whiting (+9). This was classic Handicap Tournament stuff, with Neil never even getting into positive numbers in the first two games, and then taking the third and fourth 15/14 to set up an exciting fifth game. Neil did everything right in the fifth by getting back to 10/12. However, then he lost the next two points, and at 14/10, Craig needed just one more point, which he got a couple of rallies later. Good handicapping again, as the slightest shift in handicaps would have resulted in a 3-2 win for Neil.
- Mary Boyle (+2) and Tom Richardson (-2) played next. This match was everything we'd hoped for except for the famous frame shots the crowd had gathered to see spinning off the edge of Mary's racket. Where were they? Surely she wasn't going to try to play witht eh strings? Not only did she use the strings throughout, she hit some really accurate shots, and seemed to thrive on the pace that Tom placed on the ball. Tom should have had the first game as he went 14/13 in front and did the right thing by calling 'set-3', but the wrong thing by losing the next three points to give Mary the first game. Mary took the next easily, and then there were two close games - one to Tom and one to Mary, giving her a 3-1 victory. Was there a victory dance? Someone will have to let me know.
- Pete Bolshaw (-2) never really got going against young Tom Heneghan (+2). Tom's speed about the court surprised him, and by the time he had worked out what he needed to do, it was all over.
- I didn't see much of the Martyn Whiting (-1) versus Richard Leedham (+1) match, but I believe it was a close affair with Richard winning 3-1.
Roll on tomorrow!
Check the times of the next matches, and always make sure your opponent knows about the time on the schedule.
Sunday, 22nd February - and they're off ...
First match was played a day early between Tony Rowland(+11) and Richard Avery(-12). With Richard being heavily handicapped and stamina not in his armoury this was always going to be a tough match.
The first game went to Tony as he managed to get an early couple of points which put Rich under a lot of pressure although he kept plugging away, first game 15-11.
Second game was more of a stroll for Tony as Rich seemed to lose his way somewhat, was the Red Bull wearing off ! Game to Tony 15-4.
Rich came out all guns blazing in the third, he had two long stints of serving and smashing the ball to the back of the court, too much for Tony to cope with, game to Rich 15-13
Likewise in the fourth Rich went from -12 to +8 in one long barrage, Tony was now looking worried, game to Rich 15-12.
The final game all went wrong for Rich as he lost 2 very quick points early on, he then put a run together and got his score back to zero. He then blundered with an easy shot and hit the tin. Tony was now sat on match point, could Rich save it ?He tried hard for two more points even diving to retrieve the ball! No chance with the next point as Tony brought out his secret weapon, the frame! what a top edge, it left poor old Rich with no chance. Score 15-2. Game and match to Tony.
Result : 15/11 15/4 13/15 12/15 15/2
Saturday, 21st February
One late entry - Renat. Renat will play Ian sometime on Monday evening.
Several games have been rearranged - check website for latest information.
Thursday, 19th February
We've got 28 entries, and the draw is now done. We reserve the right to alter any handicaps that are obviously wrong.