A last minute torn calf muscle meant we left the Squash Club car park without skipper Lennox, an experienced anchorman and (more importantly) the only player who knew the way to Letchworth!
To cut a long journey short, the team car relied heavily on Tom Tom until a new road layout and a closed High Street in Baldock proved too much for it. As luck would have it, James 'routefinder' Morris then stepped up to the plate. Turns out his granny (who he clearly doesn't visit often enough!) lives in Letchworth, so he managed to pieced together the remaining few miles for us.
On to the squash...
First up were the Smith twins: Ian (string 4) and Jeremy (string 3) playing Chris Coulson and Dave Lloyd respectively.
I did not see Ian's game. The scoreline suggested a close fought contest but the result was a 3-0 loss. Ian took the loss well but was clearly shaken by the experience - he left before the food, forgot his fleece and forgot to pay his match fee! Luckily his fleece appears to be worth more than £10 so we have a fair chance of recovering the fee.
Jeremy and Dave's contest was all a bit 'nip and tuck', with Jeremy getting his first match point in the 4th game, only to lose it and the game, bringing the match to two games all. The final game was pretty even to 11 points, after which a last surge by Jeremy saw him take the game 15-11 and the match 3-2.
John Beattie (strung 5) played next against Ian Kane. Again, I missed most of the game but from all reports John was frustrated by an experienced opponent who played a very good 'lob and drop' game. The result was the same as Ian S's above (except, of course, that John took all his clothes with him and paid his fee).
2-1 and two matches to go.
Jake (string 2) was paired with Mark Slaney, a big hitter with an uncanny resemblance to Peter Kay. Jake dealt well with the pace and kept his game sensible and measured to send his opponent on his way to a 3-0 defeat (......at least it was a change from Amarillo). Well done Jake.
2-2 and one match to go.
James (string 1), drafted in at the 11th hour to replace Ian Lennox, played Mike Broadbent for the overall match. Mike's almost leisurely style hid a very precise and consistent game. James kept his opponent moving around the court, running his own socks off in the process to notch up a match winning 3-0 victory. An excellent performance - even his gran would have been proud (despite the lack of visits!).
So a 3-2 victory for Stortford 5 - well done team!
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