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| Report: | Where do I begin with this one ☹ Sadly our beautiful club was victim to vandals over the weekend and we are now down to just 1 court as Navy Gloss Paint was thrown all over court 1 rendering it un-playable for the foreseeable.
So it’s over to the colder, wetter court 2 for our match against New Brighton.
NB was without Karl so the Whitby boys were 1-0 up from the off and wanting to take advantage of New Brighton’s disposition. Early starters were John and Chris. On paper this is a one-sided battle and Chris perhaps gave John a little too much leeway after taking a commanding lead in the first sat off and took the foot off the pedal a little bit too much and John pounced on his opportunity, avoiding being dragged into the rallies and taking the winning shots to get his nose in front 1-0. Chris quickly put John in his place in the 2nd game which warranted a finger wagging from his coach which seemed to work as the 3rd game had everything from long rallies, patient play and some great takes from both players but John was the more consistent and Chris made a few mistakes so John with a very unexpected 2-1 lead. I would love to say this had a happy ending for John but it wasn’t to be. Chris always had another level to go to should he need it, I’m just glad he needed it. Chris got the job done with great holds, tight lines and some very well disguised backhands and earned the early pint in hand. 1-1 on the night.
Up next was Hemmo and a rematch against Jase.
Jase was already warmed up after trying to catch his dog and Hemmo was warmed up after running his lad (and Whitby’s new young starlet) around the court and it showed in the 1st game as there was nothing to split the two with a tie break to decide it. If you thought the first game and the 3-2 result from the beginning of the season was an indication as to how this match was going to go you’d have been mistaken as for the first time this season our most consistent player went AWOL on court. His body was there but there was no one behind the wheel as Hemmo looked completely out of sorts and Jase turned the screw with some unbelievable back hand cross courts. Struggling to get a handle on the match Hemmo decided to smash the ball into the floor rather than the tin and Jase was only too happy to put it to bed and get off court for his next intake of protein which we would all feel the effects off later in the bar.
So 2-1 and our best chance of getting a win gone it was up to Charlie to take on Nick to get some pride back. Game started well and as you’d expect from these 2 was played at a frantic pace. Charlie was trying to make up for his out of sorts performance last week and looked like he was back but Nick was not helping and played some amazing retrievals to clinch the first. The less said about the 2nd game the better as Charlie found himself 2 down and a mountain to climb. The Charlie of old appeared in the 3rd game which was a great spectacle for the watching balcony, lots of clapping some superb squash from both players and Charlie giving himself a fighting chance to make it 2-1. We all thought this was the kick up the arse Charlie needed and that the writing was on the wall for a sensational comeback but sadly Nick also found another gear when needed and held off a resurgent Charlie to see the match out 3-1.
Depressing times for Whitby but a return of our smiling Irishman Joe was a much needed and welcome sight, just a shame he was up against Ian after being away from the courts for 6 weeks, not what you need to get back into it. Absolutely no mercy from Ian who must have been thirsty and gagging for a pint as he cleaned up for New Brighton giving them a very convincing 4-1 win. I’m surprised we won the walkover game.
So, no heaters, wet walls & only 1 court, its time to show our hosts what we’re good at and that’s food and drinking at the bar with plenty of both on offer. Homemade Shepherds Pie with Lamb chops and plenty (too much ☹ ) red wine to wash it down with, plus a cameo appearance from Lilly Philips saved the night for us and put the poor performance on court to the back our minds, this half term break has come at a good time for us, only Chester 2 waiting for us on the return. Some advice for those that need it, don’t drink 3 bottles of red wine and come home and use dishwasher tablets in the washing machine, it doesn’t really clean the clothes and your wife gets angry with you.
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| Author: | John Hamilton |
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