Evesham Squash

Handicap Tournament 2010 - Comments

Updated on 24th April 2010 by Paul Heneghan

Sunday 25th - Roundup

This was a really good tournament with lots of great games. I know you're expecting some statistics, so here goes:

• 29 players entered the tournament
• 42 matches were played
• 15 went to 5, 11 went to 4 and 16 were won in 3
• In 60% of the matches, the higher-ranked player won (handicaps weren't tought enough - expect tougher ones next year!)
• Dave Potter (despite his 'epic' match against Lady Vic) has come out top scorer of the tournament, with a scoring factor of 2.73. I have a very special handicap in mind for Dave next year!
• George Shorthouse wins the award for 'most improved in a year' with a massive 240% improvement in scoring factor, followed closely by Craig Whiting with an improvement of 214%. Tom Heneghan only managed a measly 75% improvement. Our beloved Vice Captain (and ultimate Tournament Winner), Lady Vic also improved by 75%. I won't embarrass the grown-ups by divulging what their 'disimprovement' factors were!!!

It was great to see so many new faces enter the tournament. Sorry if some of your handicaps were a bit on the stiff side - it's always difficult to gauge it the first year - next year they will be more accurate. Thanks to the prima donna first-team players who entered the tournament, for setting themselves to be knocked down and for throwing everything into their games to try to avoid humiliating defeat (and in most cases except for a certain 'epic' match, succeeding). It really wouldn't be much of a tournament without their presence. Thanks to all the markers for turning up to mark all the matches - much appreciated.

Huge thanks to Lisa, Granthan and Paul for organising this most enjoyable event. See you all next year.

Saturday 24th - Finals

All the spectators agreed that this was a fine finals to a Handicap Tournament. I need to correct some misinformation that I emailed earlier. Ros played in the plate finals not because she was standing in for George (who lost to Wayne anyway, so was out of the tournament), but because she got a walkover against Wayne (who decided flying through volcanic ash was preferable to trying to overcome his handicap against Ros!).

Plate Finals - Ros Porter (3) v Craig Whiting (-4)

Craig won the first game quite comfortably. The second went to 14 all and Ros called three! Of course she won the next point and then wished she’d called 1! In the third game Craig kept piling on the pressure and doing lots of excellent retrieving. Ros kept coming up with some superb drives on her forehand which Craig just could not deal with. But he kept his head and worked hard to win the third game and the match.

Main Event Final - Martin Frangleton (-10) v Vic Jervis (9)

With the handicap of +9/-10 Martin had a large mountain to climb just to get level with Vic. In the opening game on point 3 Vic hit a stunning back hand drive just above the red line which then skidded across the court floor which probably gave Martin an insight of what was to come! A cry from the balcony from Mr Potter could be heard "that's what I had to deal with last night!".

Martin came back in the second game and played some good lengths to keep Vic at the back of the court and played some nice drops to take the second game 15-12. The third game consisted of the same tactics with a lot of long drives from Martin keeping Vic running along the back wall and then dropping when the opportunity arose. At 14 all Vic called for set 3 - she clearly felt she had a chance to take the third game having put Martin under pressure with her forehand drives which had come off on several occassions. Martin settled and took the next three points winning the third game 17/14.

The atmosphere on the balcony became more tense. Could this final become a five setter or would Martin be able to clinch it in the fourth. Mr Potter felt that Vic may have been feeling tired after his "epic" three games with her the night before. Luckily there were clear heads around to confirm he was incorrect and we talked him through his game from the previous night ....

Game 4 and Vic stepped it up a gear, she played several good forehand drives and covered the court well keeping Martin under pressure leading him to tin a couple of easy shots. Vic took the fourth game 15-9.

When both players came back on court for the fifth game Vic was starting to look like she'd been sat out in the sunshine all afternoon! Both players were moving well around the court and throwing themselves at every point. Very quickly Martin found himself at -1/14 knowing that he only had to make one mistake and it was all over. Vic ran for everything and put Martin under continued pressure. At 6-14 mid rally Martin put the ball out of court and Vic took the match 15/0 12/15 14/17 15/9 15/6. A great final!!!

Saturday 24th - Finals

Today starting at 16:00, we have the following two matches:
Plate Final - Ros Porter (3) v Craig Whiting (-4)
Main Final - Martin Frangleton (-10) v Vic Jervis (9)
I predict two close matches full of entertainment.

After the matches, there will be prize-giving and nibbles in the bar. There might even be a speech from your vice captain. It will be interesting to see what adjectives spring to mind. In the case of Brian Ireland, it was 'scintillating'. In the case of Richard Avery, it was 'brief' (hard to believe I know!). Maybe Vic will go for 'strict' or 'racy' ... Sorry - getting carried away!

Please support the finals, and remember to bring some nibbles. I can't be there unfortunately, but I look forward to all the submitted match reports!

Friday 23rd - Semi Finals

Four more epic matches tonight with three going to five.

Martin Frangleton (-4) v Tom Heneghan (4)

This match exhausted two markers, and a video of it should be an essential part of any marking course! Tom squeezed through 15/6 12/15 13/15 15/9 15/11, but can't make it tomorrow, so Martin has volunteered to stand in for him against the winner of ...

Vic Jervis (10) v Dave Potter (-11)

This was epic in the sense that it was short and Dave didn't score that many points ... OK, it wasn't epic at all! However, I reckon that somebody who can limit Dave to so few points (Vic won 15/1 15/8 15/7) is in with an excellent chance tomorrow. Then again, Martin Frangleton has got to be the best retriever in the club at the moment - it's going to be close!

Ros Porter (6) v George Shorthouse (-6)

This match looked pretty one sided until Ros got going in the third, which rattled George into lots of mistakes. George pulled through in the fifth, winning 17/14 15/9 4/15 9/15 15/8. George can't be there tomorrow, so Ros has kindly volunteered to step in to play the winner of ...

Dave Pritchard (-5) v Craig Whiting (4)

Dave played a blinder in the first, and it looked like we'd got the handicap wrong. He drove perfect lengths, hit really low volley drops, did great retrieving, etc. Craig showed us what a quick learner he is by doing an uncanny imatation of Ben (who he played in the first round) complete with great retrieving, lots of shouting, and a generous quantity of racket abuse. Once he's mastered advanced swear words, we won't know the difference. All the ranting and roaring seemed to work, and helped by a complete disintegration in Dave's concentration, Craig got 11 points in the next game to Dave's 4. Dave had another magnificent third game, but then he tired and Craig took the last two, but not without a struggle. This was a good performance from both players. The score was 11/15 15/-1 12/15 15/9 15/8.

Thursday 22nd - Quarter Finals

Lots of good squash tonight with a couple of really tough five setters courtesy of Martyn & Tom and Granthan & Vic.

The match between Martin Frangleton (0) and Paul Heneghan (0) was a bit of a disappointment as it was a bit loose and messy with plenty of contact. Martin took the first 15/11. Paul made a comeback in the second to go 10/4 up, but squandered it, and when Martin pulled it back to 14-all, the momentum took him through. In the third game, Paul hung back and didn't seem interested in trying to get through to play the ball, and Martin put the match out of reach with some drops to the front left.

Match of the Tournament?

The match between Martyn Whiting (-5) and 'Big' Tom Heneghan (+5) was definitely in the category for "Match of the Tournament". There was some really high quality squash on display here with rallies where the ball seemed glued to the sidewall and both players were striking the ball well and moving superbly. Tom showed he meant business by winning the first couple of points, extending his handicap to +7/-5, and then Martyn had the unenviable task of pulling it back. Martyn reached 8/10 and thought it was safe, but then made a couple of errors, Tom hit a few winners including some really good volley drops off serve, and he matched Martyn point for point over the next 10 rallies before extending his lead and taking the first game 15/12

Tom stormed into a 14/8 lead in the second game, and Martyn had to dig deep to stay in the game. But he played some of his best squash here with lobs, drops and drives to move Tom around and force errors from him. Martyn saved eight games balls to take the second 15/14.

The third game followed a similar pattern, with Tom taking the early advantage to go 7/14 in front. Martyn experimented with a few different ideas and started doing some real damage with some lob/drop and lob/boast combinations. He saved another six game balls with these tactics, but it was too late, and Tom eventually got the couple of points he needed to take the game 15/12.

In the fourth game, Tom won the first point, but Martyn's experience showed itself and he moved Tom around making him play the ball at full stretch. This prevented Tom from getting any real pace on the ball and stopped him hitting any winners, and Martyn took the next nine points in a row to get to 4/6. Martyn then relaxed, but Tom changed into a higher gear and upped the pace. This caught Martyn a bit by surprise and he found that he just could not pull away - Tom was matching him point for point all the way up to 11-all. Tom then threw caution to the wind, and went for a few nicks that didn't come off and this allowed Martyn to sneak the fourth game 15/13. The spectators were delighted as this match was destined to go the distance.

Tom's supporters were a bit worried, because Tom has a reputation for tiring towards the end of tough matches - did he have the energy to keep playing at the required pace? As soon as the fifth game started, we could see that both players were tiring a little, and the rallies were a little shorter. For the first half of the game, Martyn was getting the required number of points to give him a chance of taking the game. Then with Martyn serving at 3/10, there was a monster rally. Martyn controlled it right up to the end with drives fading into the back folled by drops. Tom ran from front to back time and time again, and kept scraping it up. At last, one of Martyn's drives popped out a little from the sidewall, and Tom attempted a low drive from it, but all the running had taken its toll, and he tinned it. So, big psychological advantage to Martyn, having won the point to get to 4/10, and run his opponent ragged at the same time. Tom again threw caution to the wind, and started going for his shots. Whenever the ball was away from the sidewall, he played an attacking shot. Against all odds, he took five of the next six points to take the game 15/5 (effectively matching Martyn point for point throughout the game) and with it, the match.

This was one of the best matches I have seen at our handicap tournaments. It was really clean squash with both players clearing the ball really well making an easy job for the marker. Both players gave it everything they'd got, but in the end, Tom's risk taking paid off.

Granthan Speake (-10) v Vic (+9)

I saw very little of this match, but it was a real humdinger. As often happens in these cases, Vic (the lower ranked player) got off to a really good start and took the first two games comfortably 15/4 15/9. Granthan then got into his stride, and kept Vic pinned to the back with powerful straight and cross drives, occasionally throwing himself across the court to retrieve the ball. Granthan got up to 14/11 (winning 22 points in a row in the process), and then assumed the game was his and sat back, only to watch Vic take the next three points in a row to level it at 14-all. Granthan called "Set 3", and to his relief won the next three points to take the game.

With the bit now between his teeth, Granthan piled on the pressure in the fourth and kept the ball flying around the court. He allowed Vic only three points in this game! In the final game, Granthan got off to a shaky start. Vic was matching him point for point, and he didn't really get going until Vic reached match ball 14/-4. He then demonstrated his flair for lost causes by saving 11 match balls before succumbing to the inevitable - Vic took the game 15/8. An excellent performance from both players

Any commentaries from anybody else?

Jimmy's Report

I've just received a match report from Reuters' International News Agency for Jimmy's match against Richard Avery. It's a little bit understated, but gives an indication of the awesome talent on display that evening!

Here is the true version of Jimmy's match ...

Game 1

Richard won this to the great surprise of the world's press. Jimmy, as usual, played some wonderful shots, much to the delight of the crowd, but Richard's steady approach meant that Jimmy (a notoriously slow starter) conceded too many points by going for some extraordinary angles. Game to Richard.

Game 2

Jimmy produced one of the games of the tournament here, perhaps in the club's history. Flamboyant skills, precision play and downright magical shot making had Richard nonplussed. He could only stand and admire the wonder of it all. Game to Jimmy.

Game 3

Again Jimmy showed off his fantastic array of skills here. Yet again Richard was in awe. However Richard brought out a new weapon, Boris Becker style diving to retrieve lost causes. In the final third of the game, this tactic surprised and weirdly unsettled Jimmy. Game to Richard.

Game 4

Jimmy regained his composure in this game. Again he looked completely at ease here with another dazzling display of magical shots. However Richard produced an admirable display of bulldog spirit by hanging on to Jimmy's coat tails. Points went nip and tuck throughout this crucial game and at 11-10 to Jimmy, as he prepared for his victory speech, Richard produced some fantastic do or die retrieving. This again unsettled Jimmy as all and sundry were expecting Jimmy's superior fitness to prevail at this stage. Jimmy looked surprisingly hesitant in these last few points. Richard brought off an amazing run of fluked shots to secure the game and match. Match to Richard.

The worlds press were stunned. Jimmy was extraordinaly gracious in defeat and Richard couldn't believe it! Cough, cough.

Reuters International News

Wednesday 21st - Second Round of Plate

Just two matches tonight - both 3-0. Craig beat Kevin 15/13 15/6 15/9. Ros beat Paul 15/13 15/13 15/10.

Tuesday 20th - Second Round

13 matches tonight. Six matches went to five. Two went to four. Five were won in three. No time to write any commentaries at the moment - contributions from other spectators gratefully received).

Monday 19th April - Epic First Round

Superb handicap competition tonight! Four matches went to five (two of which were won 15/14 in the fifth). Six matches went to four. Only three matches were won in three.

Martin Frangleton (-11) v Ros Porter (+10)

I only saw the last few minutes of Martin Frangleton (-11) against Ros Porter (+10). It was 2-all in games, and in the fifth, Ros got up to +14 very quickly. Martin had to save 11 points in a row. He did some magnificent retrieving to save five or six, then hit a ball down the middle which would have given Ros a stroke (and the match). In the heat of the moment Ros, decided to play the ball and eventually lost the rally. Martin carried on up to 14-all, Ros called 'set 1', and a tense rally followed which Martin won with a good drive that faded away into the back. Match to Martin 9/15 15/14 5/15 15/13 15/14.

Wayne Hooper (-5) and Thomas Heneghan (+5)

There was an excellent match between Wayne(-5) and Thomas (+5). They'd had a practice go at this handicap a week ago, and each player fancied his chances. Wayne did his usual performance - volleyed everything, hitting the ball really low on the frontwall. Thomas took a leaf out of Wayne's book and started hitting the ball hard as well, occasionally getting the ball past Wayne. Wayne won the first 15/12, but in the second started making a couple of mistakes - often off easy balls. Thomas was retrieving so well that Wayne was forced to lower his margin for error, and he froze on a couple of drops and boasts tinning them. Thomas took that game 15/11.

In the beginning of the third game Thomas gave an awesome display of squash. He served down the middle for many serves so Wayne never got into a rhythm of returning serve. Whenever Wayne hit a loose shot to the back, Thomas would kill it in the front corner. Thomas took four points in a row to go 9/-1 in front and there was no way Wayne could come back from that. Wayne did try, but the pressure affected his short shots and he tinned a few. Thomas took that game 15/5 meaning he got the same number of points as Wayne. The fourth game repeated the same pattern. Towards the beginning of the game, Thomas got four points in a row leaving Wayne with far to much work to do. Wayne pulled back a few points, and Thomas did seem to be tiring a little, so he resorted to attempting to hit nicks of any shot he could volley. He got a half nick off one volley that Wayne couldn't quite get to, and a couple of points later, Wayne gave a loose serve from the left hand court, and Thomas hit the ball as hard as he could into the crosscourt nick - the ball just rolled out and there was nothing Wayne could do.

This was an excellent match, played in good humour. Wayne played well, but Thomas played superbly to win it 12/15 15/11 15/5 15/11.

Friday 16th April - Draw done

Just done the draw. Please contact Granthan or Lisa if you have a problem with any of the scheduled times.