Match Report Week 6
Penmaen A continued their surge at the top of the Yates & Greenhough Division One with another resounding victory, beating Graves Park A 10 -0. To be perfectly fair the Park haven’t made a poor start to the season either, winning two and drawing one of their first three fixtures, so this result was something of a wake up call.
Alan Ashberry and Jake the Pegg were in unstoppable form, both of them sweeping aside the Park trio in straight sets. Brett Heppenstall although winning his three had his work cut out, being taken to five by the big hitting Phil Brooks, Brett winning the fifth end of a riveting game 12-10. Rob Smith also pushed him hard, Brett needing four sets to inch home, whilst against Nick Langley, albeit in three sets, it was just as close Nick going down 6-11, 11-13, 10-12. All in all the Park can count themselves unlucky not to have picked up at least one game and if luck had been with them, maybe more.
Graves Park B who have had a less than an auspicious start to the season although they have played two of the top teams, ground out their first victory of the season with a 6-4 win over stablemates the B team.
New signing Peter Munch (in place of Dave Graham) showed what an asset he will be, beating Dave Walters and Paul Matschull fairly comfortably but he had a hard fight on his hands from Mick Dodes, Peter edging home 11-9. Mike Freeston had a difficult evening coming from two down against Paul Matschull to win the fifth 11-7 and going the distance to beat Dave Walters 12-10 in the decisive end. Mike although beating Mick Dodes 11-7 in the first end, faded in the second and despite a brief flurry in the third, fell away in the fourth to lose 9-11. Mike Maltby’s disappointing season continued although he almost got off the mark in a five ender against Matschull. Against Walters he was slightly unlucky losing the vital fourth 16-18 but against Dodes he was never in the hunt. The decisive doubles was very close Freeston and Munch steamrollering Walters and Dodes 11-1 in the first. The D regrouped winning the second 11-7 but it was all to no avail the B pairing grinding out the next two to guide their team to a 6-4 victory.
Graves Park A meanwhile showed that they were not suffering a hangover after their mauling by Penmaen A when they met their B team a few nights later winning 8-2 to move them into 3 rd slot..
The A team seemed to be buzzing Rob Smith opening the scoring beating Mick Maltby, Nick Langley beating a lack lustre Mike Freeston, while Phil Brooks put and end to Peter Much’s winning run, beating him 11-9, 14-12, 4-11, 11-6. Langley gained his second of the night beating Maltby, with Smith piling on the pressure to beat Munch and Brooks and despite losing 2-11 to Freeston in the first end and struggling to win the second he won the next two comfortably enough. 6-0 and the B were looking down the barrel of the gun but Munch came to the B’s rescue beating Langley while Maltby recorded his first win of the season beating Brooks in four. It was in the bag for the A though and Smith crowned a successful evening beating Freeston and to put the icing on the cake combining with Brooks to win a close fought doubles.
Lodgers A moved into second place in the table hammering their B team 10-0, Graham Lacey and Pete Evans showing some great form, both of them winning their singles in straight legs. Ian Stones although winning his singles looked at times to be less than convincing, dropping sets to both Tim Day and Pete Truepenny but beating Vic Clements in three, The doubles looked to be the closest game of the night and it seemed that the B were going to make sure that they were not going to be whitewashed Clements and Day winning the first two. However the A woke up to the fact that the doubles were slipping away, got their game together to win the next three to ensure a 10-0 victory.
The title race in the A D Dickinson Division Two seems to be bubbling nicely, Wrangle A forcing their way into the top three. This week they met second placed Graves Park Nomads who in the last week or so have seem to have lost that killer instinct.
Wrangle started off strongly winning the first three, Sam Cooper beating Harry Paul, Dave Coulson getting the better of Tris Clow while Dennis Pattrick in a game that could have swung both ways narrowly defeated Dean Clow 11-6, 4-11, 12-10, 13-11. The Park who could see defeat looming hit back, Dean Clow getting his name on the board comfortably beating Cooper but having to work hard to overcome Coulson, Brother Tris put the game back into the melting pot beating Pattrick in a nerve jangling encounter 11-7, 8-11, 12-10, 11-8, 14-12. Wrangle though refused to panic Pattrick beating Paul while Cooper made the game safe with a straight set win over Tris Clow. The doubles like so many in this division was a close affair and the game could have gone to either team but the Park pair of the Clow brothers held out narrowly winning 15-13 in the fifth putting a bit of a gloss on the score.
Lodgers F are still struggling to get out of the doldrums and this week fielding a full team for the first time, had the misfortune to meet high flying Wrangle A.
Even with new signing Ian Gorrie, it wasn’t all plain sailing David Kime playing with a cracked rib whilst Steve Harker is carrying a back injury.
Despite a solid opening Kime beating Sam Cooper in five, Wrangle quickly equalised, Dave Coulson making short work of new signing Gorrie. Lodgers re-took the lead, Steve Harker in a close game seeing off Dennis Pattrick only to see Wrangle draw level, Cooper getting his name on the board beating Gorrie. Wrangle then took the game by the scruff of the neck taking the next three to put themselves in a strong position, Pattrick beating Kime and Gorrie quite convincingly, whilst Coulson made short work of Harker. Lodgers hit back with a brief flourish Harker beating Cooper but Coulson made sure of a Wrangle win beating Kime in four ends. Even so it wasn’t over, Kime and Harker battling to a consolation 11-8, 12-10, 11-8 doubles win to give the score line a more respectable look.
Lodgers E might just have entered the promotion race, Mark Vere making his first appearance of the season when they entertained stable mates Lodgers H. Vere although not having had any practice, never looked in trouble, winning his singles in straight sets Colin Bell gave him excellent support also winning his singles but he was extended to five by Boyd Smith, Colin having to use all his experience in the last two ends thus enabling him to win. With Pete Bell failing to register it was left to Colin Bell and Vere to coast home in the doubles giving their team a 7-3 victory.
Graves Park F and Wrangle B two evenly balanced teams met, the Park taking an early lead, Alan Davy beating Cliff Davey in a five set thriller. Wrangle however quickly levelled Tim Sampson beating Kit Calvert and then took the lead, Tony Hall after a second set hiccup, making short work of Barry Frankish. With team captain Tony Sharpe sitting this one out, Wrangle extended the lead even further, Davey beating Calvert in straight sets and with Hall comfortably beating Alan Davy, things were looking pretty. The Park however pulled one back, Frankish narrowly beating Sampson but their hopes of a revival were quickly dashed, with Hall beating Calvert without too much trouble. Despite Frankish picking up his second of the night, all hopes of snatching a draw quickly vanished, Sampson making sure of a Wrangle win beating Davy in a game where the result was never in doubt. The doubles were keenly fought the Wrangle pair taking the first end 11-7 but the Park duo hit back to narrowly win the next three giving Wrangle a 6-4 victory their first of this campaign.
With Wrangle winning 6-4 the question to be asked is will Captain Tony Sharpe gain back his place as we all know you don’t change a winning team.
R E S U L T S
Yates & Greenhough Division One
Penmaen A 10 Graves Park A 0; Graves Park B 6 Graves Park D 4; Graves Park A 8 Graves Park B 2; Lodgers A 10 Lodgers B 0.
A D Dickinson Division Two
Wrangle A 6 Graves Park Nomads 4; Lodgers F 4 Wrangle A 6; Lodgers H 3 Lodgers E 7; Graves Park F 4 Wrangle B 6.