Squash inter-county report
By Tony Briscombe and Matt Terrell
With a busy Saturday on the squash courts, East Glos hosted both the O35s and O55s inter-county matches with teams visiting from Wales, Devon, Somerset and Wiltshire.
There was a great buzz in the club and a welcome return for Jonathan Gallagher who used to be our club professional, he was playing in the Devon O35 team. Jonanthan left the club almost ten years ago and after a long stint abroad sunning himself in the Caribbean, New Zealand and finally Australia, he has returned to work as a club professional in Plymouth.
Over 55s – Gloucestershire v Wiltshire – 4-1
Gloucestershire kicked off the day against Wiltshire. A tight start to the match saw East Glos member Tim Edwards narrowly losing 3-1 in his first match, while Dale Curtis won his opener 3-0. Dale’s first game finished 21-19 after saving multiple match points. His opponent Mark Skull struggled to recover with Dale winning the next two games with relative ease. East Glos member Tony Briscombe won his match 3-0, while Mal Hayne’s opponent pulled up injured after just one game. Mike Critchley who also plays in the over 65’s beat his opponent 3-1 showing that experience beats youth!
Somerset vs Wiltshire – 5-0
Although one-sided on paper, it was Somerset who pulled back from 2-0 in two of their matches which made the difference. Wiltshire played some excellent squash, but struggled to close out the important games.
Somerset vs Gloucestershire – Somerset 4-1
Gloucestershire were hopeful of going into the last tie. After a strong start to the game Tony Briscombe ended up losing 3-1, while another overs 65s team player John Turner won a hard fought match 3-2. Dale and Mal worked hard to hold off some aggressive play, but both ended up losing their matches 3-1 and 3-0. Tim Edwards was last on and put in an immense amount of effort, but unfortunately lost 3-2 losing 15-10 in the 5th.
Over 35s – Gloucestershire v SE Wales – 1-4
Gloucestershire were competing against the Stage 1 winners for a place in the national O35 finals. Gloucestershire got off to a disappointing start with Damien Smith (Cotwolds) and Matt Terrell (East Glos) both losing 3-0. Craig Webb (Riverside) played excellently, pulling a match back and winning 3-0. However, SE Wales were too strong and won both their final matches against Rob Brady (Cotswolds) 1-3 and Tom Elgood (East Glos) 0-3.
Devon v SE Wales – 4-1
Devon went on to beat SE Wales comfortably despite losing the first match.
Gloucestershire v Devon – 3-2
Devon needed to beat Gloucestershire to win the stage but the hosts got off to a great start with East Glos members Tim Morphew and Matt Terrell both winning their matches 3-1. Awesome performances by Mike Healay (Riverside) and Rob Brady saw both winning the first games of their respective matches, boosting the hosts’ hopes that East Glos could still win the stage. But despite long and arduous battles in both games, Devon eventually won, tying the overall match at 2-2. Tom Elgood (East Glos) fought hard in the final match but was beaten 3-0 by the Devon no.1 seed, leaving Devon the stage 2 winners.
Special thanks from the players – it was a hard day on the courts, but working equally hard were Michelle and Theresa in the background providing catering and bar for the day. East Glos shone as a host club with players from all counties commenting on the quality and personality of the club. Good support from club members contributed to this excellent day of squash.