Martin Pearse reports

 

The second Regional of 2011/12 was at a new venue – Devon and Exeter Squash Club, run by Adam Lings. A very nice little club with everything integral, rather like a mini Pontefract. The club is obviously extremely well run and popular, and the newcomers were very well treated, great food and hospitality.

Only downside was that Exeter was probably too far away for a lot of regulars and the entry was 40/50 short of the normal. Plus Exeter’s Town Planners and Council obviously hate motorists as there were road works blocking off sections  with intricate one way systems - - and Lord Stahl of Malta’s Sat Nav, not used to planners changes,  caused him to circumvent Exeter three times on the Sunday morning causing him to miss his match and sweat more in his wrath than he does on court....

The Women’s section was merged into the 35/40 and favourite, Beverley Mackay, unfortunately won’t be playing squash again for a few weeks/months as she badly tore ligaments on her ankle early on against Isabelle Tweedle. Sarah Parr, very powerful, beat Tweedle to win the group.

Amazingly, there were no 45’s entered and the 50/55 section were combined with the winner being Helen Gould who beat Sian Johnson, Jane Law and Lynne Davies. Winner of the O55 was Jan Ellis.

In the Men’s 70/75, Lance Kinder caused an upset beating Andrew Beeston 3-0 and with Adrian Wright in the draw the outcome was inevitable. As it was, Wright beat Stahl and Roger Middleton and then local George Aplin, in the Final.

In the Men’s O65, played on a Round Robin, Chris Ansell beat newcomer David Jones and then Mike Clemson 9/5  9/2  9/5, whilst in the other group, Martin Pearse eased through 3-0 against Jimmy Evans, Nigel Belle and David Hughes. The Final saw Pearse lose an 8/5 lead for Ansell to take charge and the usual comeback never materialized as Ansell was too sharp on the day – 10/8  9/3  9/5.

In the O60’s, there are quite a few of the same standard fighting for International recognition. Geoff Howes, always dangerous, first of all took out Nigel Giffin and then No 3 seed Howard Cherlin 10/8 in the fifth. Peter Smith then removed 4 seed newcomer  Mark Benyon 3-0 and the still perennially injured this time, his right leg, Phil Godfrey. In the bottom half, Jersey based Alan Brown easily progressed to the Final, his non stop retrieving and length seeing off Terry Norman and Smith, whilst Larry Grover will be kicking himself for snatching defeat from the jaws of victory over Barry Featherstone. The Final saw Featherstone stroll the first 9/0, always a bad sign... and  so it proved, because Brown, full of gourmet food from a visit to Abode, Michelin Star, come back strongly and mentally  proved the tougher as he recorded his second Regional 9/2 in the fifth.

The O55’s saw at least five players chasing a lone International place with Cowley, Alexander, Johnson, Adihetty and Bativala, already shoe ins.---- in by far the strongest grouping this season. Out of the five, Ronnie Bell, Ian Holmes, Peter Reeve, Colin Shields and Stuart Hardy, both the latter pair fell early to Reeve and O60 No 1 Keith Jones. Bell also found Jones too strong as did Reeve against Bativala. Holmes, after his customary ten  pints of various local real  ales on the Friday night was even redder than usual, as Johnson plied his trade 3-0. It is truly amazing that Holmes can play International quality squash on such a diet, but he does. So the Semi’s saw the World Champion Jones start brightly against the seven year younger Johnson and go 1 up, but that was it (hard to see anyone taking the title off him next year in Birmingham). In the other Semi, Cowley was too forceful and proved his mojo is back with an emphatic 3-0 against Johnson, sweet revenge for Pontefract, in the Final.

The Mens O50 has had a raft of injuries and non-availabilities, Millman out probably for the season with a dodgy knee, Woodliffe  away, Bradburn usually detained at a friend’s 50^th, so the draw was truncated. Still, a noisy battle between Jeremy Goulding and  James Ockwell ensued with all the noise coming from the former:  as the Ref was World O60 Champion Chris Ansell---- all the very vocal  pleas were treated with player experience.... In the end Ockwell  sneaked through 9/7 in the fifth.

In the other half Super Strine Dermot Hurford over hauled Chris Harland against all the odds and then in the Final in a superb match come back  from beyond, to record a 10/9 in the fifth  against  the super fit Ockwell. 

The O35’s saw Christian Donelan just defeat newcomer, local player Paul Johnson, 11/8 in the fifth, but fall to Devon No1 Mike Gregory, 6/11  10/12  5/11 in the Semi. In the other half, ESR Rep Matt Baker (a  John White look a like!) took out 3 seed Chris Stanley 3-0, but then fell to the ever moving all action Barny Elworthy 0-3 in the Semi. The latter, however, found Gregory a class act with superb delay a big advantage and Gregory recorded a  Regional at his first attempt.

Ditto in the O40’s as Hampshire’s Stuart Summers lost a 2/0 lead to be edged out by Steve Mc Loughlin 7/11  8/11  11/6  13/11  11/3, but the latter found John Hansen too tight. Hanson, previously had had  a ding dong with Courtney Downing 14/12  11/1  8/11  11/7. In the bottom half, Glen Ragou gets a freebie next time as Bruce St Leger didn’t appear, and in his only match lost 2/11  11/5  6/11  8/11 to Andrew Murray. The Final saw Murray just  edge a thriller 9/11  7/11  12/10  11/8   8/11. The difference? Probably Murray’s cross court volley nicks off serve. Hardly ever failed.

The O45’s saw Murray Scott progress serenely to the Final, taking out Nick Shepherd Andrew Eilfield and Peter Lonsdale 3/0. The latter was only just off court after his 80 minute marathon with Martin Geear 9/7  7/9  9/1  1/9  8/10.

In the other half, Marc Aldridge removed a quiet Rob Watkins 9/1  9/6  9/0 and then was given a dose of the same medicine by a fired up Frank Ellis, 10/9  9/0  9/6. Ellis, looking very fit and fast, has lost a lot of his ‘puppy fat’(!!) and  as  a consequence was too good on the day for the No 1 seed Scott, winning 9/2  9/7  9/2, a case of a  Scot beating a Scott....

Finally, thanks to Exeter, the markers and Brian and Ros  Brock for all their hard work at the desk, everything running very smoothly.

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