Not a junior in sight - Just a team of big boys (no not Trubger), travelled to Stevenage to do battle in the 3rd division, proudly carrying the Stortford banner and upholding the values of our premier Hertfordshire club.
First up was team Captain John Goodfellow, our strong number five was fully charged and ready for action - His opponent was a fit ex fire commander so we knew this was going to be a hot fixture. The match was a tough run, John was on fire but both players put up a smoke screen to disguise the ladder to success. up and down, boast and drive, no easy route to this win as their burning desires were engulfed by the flames of attrition - The match finally went to 4 as John managed to damp down the opposition to deliver the 3rd's first win of the night.
Over on the other court was our feisty number 4, Clive Ticehurst - This go getting success machine was in top gear after a fruitful day on the rat hunt. His opponent, a younger, shorter, less attractive example of a man had had a recent run of success, so Ticehurst had his work cut out in this match. The first went to Clive as he cunningly lured the victim into a trap, the 2nd was less positive as Stevenage poisoned the rallies was a succession of tricky shots. A Calm Ticehurst entered the 3rd and 4th and literally bullied Stevenage into submission, giving Stortford the 2nd win of the night 3-1.
Number 3 was Richard Booth, this wasn't going to be easy, our Boothy has had a demoralising 4 match loss in P1 and was quite obviously anxious about being served up broadside in this fixture - His host, again a young buck, was fit and foaming; he quickly sandwiched our man between rally and boast. The match progressed and at one point Richard looked to be offering it on a platter, but a good spread of shots and plenty of filling quickly showed the young contender that our man knew how his bread was buttered. At 2-1 and fighting in the 4th at match ball our Stortford hopeful suddenly crumbled and we encountered our first loss of the evening at 1-3.
Supporting the troop at number 2 was our steady Mr Adam Grilli - Playing up the order and pressure on, Grilli engaged the enemy with a steadfast determination and seriousness that only a Grilli can deliver. Enduring rallies were the theme (as usual), the rest of the team went and had a massage between points as the ball flew up and down, left and right - Dinner, breakfast, lunch, February, March & April passed and then the 1st went to our man! Into the 2nd and the team slowly aged as Grilli's and his opponent merrily danced around the back of the court. The 3rd and 4th were much of the same, the team exchanged life stories as the subdued thud of ball hitting wall carried on like a ticking clock - The 5th saw Grilli change shirt, out came his little pink Apollo 13 number! A shocked opponent couldn't cope with the new look and quickly (?) faded as our bright star shone. 3-2 to Stortford.
Neil Newbury stepped in at number 1, just back from skiing he was adamant no one was going to take the piste - Straight out of the traps and the game was a gentle green run, flowing precise shots led Neil down the games slopes into a fairly comfortable win. The 2nd and things stepped up, an avalanche of shots were returned by Stevo's young Yeti as Neil snowballed into a loss. The 3rd and 4th drained our man as he battled to cope with the opponents agility and fitness. Into the 5th and Neil slipped on ice as a blizzard of shots ran him off piste to an abrupt end - 2-3
Match Report: Clive Ticehurst (25/2/09)
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