Melbourn won 11-6

One win and three defeats in their opening four games wasn’t quite the 2nds had hoped for this summer. However, the points totals in the losses had been OK (a marker of the matches having a good competitive balance) meaning the side were mid-table ahead of this game against a Letchworth team slightly above them.

First on was James Storer (3) against Stuart Pyper. James made the early running in this one, looking the stronger and more consistent player in the first two games, which he won reasonably comfortably. However, it was a while since James had won a match in a team game and nerves began to show in the third. Plus Stuart was now reading James’ preference for hitting low crosscourt drives out of the front corners, using the sneaky experienced match-player “stand still and wait for him to hit it to me” thing as an effective counter. Advice from Jan after game three about trying to use sound as a ‘tell’ about whether Stuart was rushing forward proved over-complicated – Colm had the tactical instructions nailed instead with his simple and easy to follow pattern of “deep, then short” delivered prior to the decider. James played the right shots in the last game and that saw him home, 15-11, 15-9, 9-15, 7-15, 15-10 for a win that will hopefully break the logjam on self-belief.

Next match up was Sean Hamiton (2) against Paul Arnold. Over to ChatGPT for a description of this one:
In a thrilling five-game showdown at Melbourn Squash Club, Paul Arnold of Letchworth Squash Club edged past home player Sean Hamilton in a fiercely contested encounter that could have gone either way. The match was packed with tension, momentum swings, and high-quality Squash, ending 3-2 in Arnold’s favour.
Hamilton started the match with flair, taking the first game 16-14in a dramatic tie-break that set the tone for what was to come. His intelligent shot variation – mixing lobs, drops , with attacking drives – kept Arnold guessing and gave the home crowd plenty to cheer about.
But Paul Arnold, known for his incredible reach and court coverage, struck back quickly. Using his wingspan to devastating effect, he retrieved balls few others could have touched and began to dictate the pace. He took the next two games 15-9 and 15-11, countering Hamilton’s creativity with consistency and relentless pressure.
Refusing to fold, Hamilton rallied again in the fourth. A display of clever angles and crisp volleying saw him edge the game 15-13, drawing level at two games apiece and igniting hopes of a Melbourn comeback.
The deciding game was a high-energy diel, with both players digging deep. Hamilton battled valiantly and continued to challenge Arnold with imaginative play but the Letchworth players athleticism and composure in the key moments proved decisive. Arnold sealed the match 15-10 in the fifth, clinching a well-earned victory after nearly an hour of riveting squash.

ChatGPT was take the pen on Colm O’Gorman’s top string clash with Chris Saynor.
In a well-contested fixture in the Hertfordshire Summer League, Colm O’Gorman of the Melbourn team secured a 3-1 victory over Chris Saynor from Letchworth in an entertaining match played in an excellent spirit.
O’Gorman came out firing in the opening game, asserting control early with precise shot placement and consistent pressure, racing to a dominant 15-4 win. Saynor responded strongly in the second, lifting his intensity and showcasing impressive court coverage and retrieval skills to level the match with a well-earned 15-8 game.
With the match finely balanced, O’Gorman found his rhythm in the third, regaining control through improved accuracy and measured pace. Despite Saynor’s continued resistance, O’Gorman edged the third 15-12. The fourth followed a similar pattern, with O’Gorman maintaining a slight lead throughout and closing out the match 15-11.

We will end with a humans eye summary:
Another night of excellent, evenly matched, hard fought Squash. But one that ended breaking the 2nds way. We remain fifth in the table for now, but if we can win games like this we can begin to ponder chasing the teams ahead of us rather than just keeping our noses in front of the ones below.

P.S. Isn’t ChatGPT’s relentless positivity exhaustingly American??

Melbourn won 9-5

Melbourn 2 made the long trip down to Hertfordshire to face Berkhamsted 3 on Tuesday evening, and returned with a well-earned 2-1 victory in a tightly contested match.

First on court at third string was James Storer for Melbourn, buoyed by a gritty win the previous week. He started confidently, playing accurate, aggressive Squash that proved too much for Berkhamsted’s Mike Cowan in the opening game, which James took comfortably 15-6. Mike rallied n the second and third games, making things much closer, by James held his nerve. A series of unforced errors from Mike, including a stroke on match ball, ultimately tipped the balance, and James sealed a 3-0 win with 15-11 and 15-12 scores in the second and third games.

Next up at second string was Moises Estrelles Navarro for Melbourn, facing Ian Evans. This was the tightest match of the evening, with both players evenly matched and rallies stretching long into the hot, humid night. Moises, in typically dogged style, retrieved everything and capitalised on Ian’s frustrations and errors in drawn-out exchanges. Ian edged the first 16-14, but Moises hit back with a convincing 15-9 in the second. The pendulum swung again as Ian took the third 15-13, but Moises dug deep and took the final two games 15-9, 15-12 to secure a hard-fought 3-2 win.

The final match of the evening was the first strings. This saw Melbourn’s Mark Oppen, a last-minute call-up due to injuries, taking on Jack Gregory, also a late substitute for Berkhamsted. Mark started strongly, building a 14-10 lead in the first game, but Jack showed real resilience, saving four game balls and eventually winning it 16-14. On a warm court, both players found the conditions demanding, but Jack’s deceptive play and deadly backhand boast gave him the edge. He closed out the match 15-11, 15-13 to secure a 3-0 win for Berkhamsted.

That left Melbourn 2 the overall winners on the night, taking the tie by two strings to one for a 9-5 overall score.

All three Melbourn players were full of praise for Berkhamsted’s excellent facilities and welcoming atmosphere. James even remarked it was “the best court I’ve played on for a long time”, though he added “I wouldn’t want to make that journey every week!”

A solid team performance and a valuable away win for Melbourn 2.

Melbourn won 9-4

The second match of the Summer in Cambs Division 1 sent the Melbourn side to the Uni couts to take on Cambridge 1sts.

Having two courts at their disposal meant Cambridge could open up with two strings playing simultaneously – Colm O’Gorman (2) taking on Russell Lewis and Will Bradshaw (3) making his first team debut against Chris Smith.

Lets start with Colm, who had the upper hand against Russell for most of his match. All bar the majority of game three, really. Colm had breezed through the opening pair, winning each 11-7 as his movement was too sharp for his opponent. However the third looked almost certain to be a game back when Russell got himself 10-3 up. But the last point is the most difficult… and so it proved as Colm somehow saved 7 consecutive game-balls. From 10-all he wasn’t about to let up, winning the next two to complete an 11-7, 11-7, 12-10 victory.

Meanwhile Will found himself up against it with Chris, who, in Will’s own words, “does everything I do… but better”. Will tried an approach of rallying up and down the walls and grinding away, relying on his movement and fitness. This wasn’t winning him points though so he tried to change it up with surprise boasts and angles… and Chris was getting those two. Hmm. Will tried and tried, and the Squash produced by the two players was very clean, good-to-watch stuff, but it all tipped the Cambridge players’ way as Will went down 3-11, 5-11, 4-11.

That meant it was a string all when Mike Herd (1) took the court against Paddy Patterson. The first game featured a series of lung-busting rallies with chances to kill at a premium. Mike, especially, hung tough through these and played on and on until he had earned the chance to step in on a short cut-out, whilst Paddy began to look for more unlikely exits… and only really found those with unforced errors. The second wasn’t quite as clean from Mike because, frankly, it couldn’t be – the opener was somewhere near his maximal level – but it was still good enough to build a 2-0 lead as whenever it was really needed an unforced error appeared from Paddy’s racket, most notably on the last two points of the game. That was simple a measure of the pressure Mike was putting on, which became evident in game three as the Melbourn player eased off ever so fractionally… and the game changed, with Paddy dictating the exchanges to pull one back. Mike processed the setback well though, pushing his court position higher again and upping the foot speed. This once again had Mike in control as he wrapped up an excellent 11-4, 11-9, 7-11, 11-6 win.
And that meant Melbourn had their first summer league win. Hopefully many more will follow.