Chairman’s Report, North
West of England Masters, Grove Park, Stockport,
27th Feb – 1st March 2015
The sixth and final Regional Tournament at Grove
Park, Stockport attracted 126 entrants, a little bit
down on normal, but expected as a lot of International
places had been decided.
For 2016, all Regionals including Grove Park, will be
scheduled before the British Closed in February to offset
this problem.
In the M070/75, missing a host of top players, Adrian
Wright, Mike Clemson Graham Fisher and Brian Hardcastle,
William Wilson had it all to himself, losing a mere
12 points in three matches.
MO65 – Big play off situation, lots of politics, as
five players were eligible for the last International spot
including late newcomer Ian Graham.
Plenty of people still think it’s the top six in points.
It’s not. The rule is, top four in points and then the
‘selectors’ have a cherry pick as long as the players
involved have played in two events, including an Open or
Closed. This applies across the board.
In the event, Ian Graham beat Rod Boswell and Martin Pearse
came back from a heavy deficit to outlast Alan Hendry 4/9
9/7 9/4 9/7. The playoff saw Graham lead 2-0 and 4-0 before
Pearse led 7-5, but Graham closed it out for his cap.
Terry Norman just dropped Aubrey Waddy to death, but Aubrey
doesn’t understand the word ‘losing’ and sneaked in 10/8
10/9 9/10 9/6. Norman broke, just!
Barry Featherstone was all at sea, losing the first two to
Graham, but eventually his conditioning , paid off with a
very hard fought 9/4 9/5 9/4 finale. The Final saw Waddy
sneak the crucial points over his long standing rival,
winning 7/9 9/5 9/0 9/7.
MO60, missing Alexander, Cowley and Drysdale from the
Top 4 saw Stuart Hardy easily record victories over Paul
Vale and Geoff Walton, but in the bottom half a big play off
for sixth place between Geoff Redfern, Paul Reader and
Alistair Niven.
Reader beat Niven to go head to head with Redfern who won
9/3 0/9 9/5 9/1 and then for good measure, beat Ian Holmes,
ruby faced as ever, 9/1 2/9 7/9 9/5 9/4. The Final was nip
and tuck but Hardy scraped in 3/9 10/8 9/6 10/8.
MO55 - With players missing in this group as well,
Neil Harrison cruised through to the Final, whilst in the
bottom half, Ian Bradburn took out George Kousseff, an
outside bet for a reserve spot in the Home Internationals
9/1 9/1 3/9 9/2.
Then he beat Kevin O’Neill 3-1 and played himself back into
the England team after not only total ankle reconstruction,
but recovery from a very serious illness. Well done!
MO50 - Very tight here with the non playing Captain
orchestrating his troops from his Mayfair office.
The top four in points are Messrs Parkes, Withey, Burke and
Gray. Then in contention for an England spot are Colin
Payne, Murray Scott, Mark Hildred and Peter Lonsdale.
Selectors choice. All will be revealed later...
In the event itself, a massive match saw Parkes, court
coverer supreme, just nudge David Gray 9/7 in the fifth.
Stuart Wardle beat Peter Lonsdale 7/9 8/10 6/9 but went down
0-3 to Ray Burke. The Final was a lengthy very fast affair
with Burke edging through 9/3 1/9 4/9 9/7 7/9.
MO45 was a small draw, but some great matches. Glen
Ragou, as amazing as ever considering his chemotherapy, is
subject to a BBC documentary about his incredible courage
and resilience, and he beat Steve Dodridge 6/11 13/11 11/6
7/11, before taking the British no 2, Andrew Cross, to 9/11
11/8 14/12 6/11 1/11.
All in one day! And these courts are hot, so unless it is a
direct nick, all is retrievable. Well for them anyway!
The Final saw the National Champion Yawar Abbas and Andrew
Cross, with the latter gaining some revenge for his National
loss, winning 9/11 11/4 8/1 9/11.
MO40 - Two newcomers contested the Final as the top
four were all away so to speak, and Masambo Selisho, as last
year, won 11/9 13/11 11/5, against Jonathan Davies.
MO35 – A strong draw here with National Champion,
Darren Lewis on show for the first time at a Regional. He
was a tiny kid when I left Leicester but doesn’t time fly?
And what a player (as a famous England Masters
International’s fan club used to call out after every rally
he played in South Africa).
Lewis, 35, beat James Goodrich (much older now) 11/3 10/12
11/7 11/7, whilst for an England play off, Tim Richards
overcame Ali Coker 1/13 11/4 11/4, in a match littered with
some controversial decisions. But Richards deserved it, as
on the day he was the better player. He lost to Nick Wall,
another refugee from the 40’s, 8/11 8/11 11/7 7/11.
The Final was a great match to watch, both top 100 circuit
players at one time or another, Wall, consistently
professional and Lewis, unbelievable length and back hand
volley kills... In the end, Lewis won through 6/11 11/4 11/7
9/11 11/6 – a great match played in a friendly competitive
spirit.
WO55 saw a quad draw, playing off for two
International places. Lesley Sturgess beat Sue Pynegar 9/7
in the fifth, but both beat Karen Hume and Jane Law, so
Sturgess and Pynegar it is for the 3/4 places (in a 3 Woman
Team).
WO50/45/40 combined. Rachel Woolford shaded Pippa
Green the new O50 captain, 11/6 11/6 5/11 12/10 and Kay
Fallows beat Alison Gray 12/10 11/7 11/0. In the Final,
Woolford cemented her England spot 11/4 9/11 8/11 11/6 11/8.
WO35 – Judith Allgrove needed to beat Natalie
Townsend to secure her place, and she duly delivered, 13/11
11/4 11/5 and also won 3-0 v both Kate Bradshaw and Krissy
Burkin. Well done!
Many thanks to Roz and Brian for all their work and
organisation plus at Grove Park ... Chairman Andy Light,
Paul Vale and Dudley Bostock, Noel Gill, Dave Cochrane,
Alistair and Sean, Maggie and the catering and bar staff.
The referees: Steve Eccles, Tony Parker, Joss Garvey,
Dave Easton, Ged Shields.
The Sponsors: Best Western Pinewood Hotel (John
Scott), Total Fitness for their courts (Michael Pennington),
Mark Davenport, Bar Code recruitment (Ben Harris), Ipro
Sports (Andy Murray), Courtcare (Richard Ingle).
Martin Pearse |
Masters Photos from the British Nationals
Masters Photos from the British Nationals
Masters Photos from the British Nationals |
