Melbourn lost 3-12

The Seconds opened their Herts Summer League Division 4 campaign with a home match against Nuffield Health (St. Albans) 3rds.

First on Court 2 was the 3rd strings, Melbourn’s James Storer taking on one of the trickiest players around the Herts scene, Julian Craxton.
The opening game was a tight battle. Neither player could take control, with frequent service changes and long rallies. It remained close throughout, with Julian edging it 15–13.
Julian stepped up in the second game, showing the full range of his skills. James tried a few different approaches, but nothing was able to disrupt Julian’s rhythm, and the game went 15–7 to the visitor.
The third game was evenly matched again. James adjusted well and began to understand how to play Julian. His arm relaxed, and his shots became more effective. Despite the improvement, Julian once again edged the key moments to take it 15–13 and close the match 3–0.

Court 2 was then set for the 1st string match, with Moises Estrelles Navarro facing Alexander Craig — a Spaniard against an Aussie, both bringing a similar style of play.
The hot conditions led to long, physical rallies, and a tough battle that lasted 1 hour and 10 minutes.
The first game was very close, staying even right to the end, with the visiting player taking it 17–15. Moises responded strongly in the second, playing his best squash of the match to win convincingly 15–5.
That high pace began to take its toll as the match went on. The third game featured more long rallies, especially towards the end, but once again the key points went against the local player, with Alexander taking it 15–13.
Moises came back strong in the fourth, winning 15–11. He focused on backhand rallies and took the ball earlier, using volleys to keep the pressure high.
The fifth game turned into a mental battle. Both players were clearly tired, accuracy dropped, and rallies were often decided by errors rather than winners. Moises had three match balls but couldn’t convert them. Alexander took his first opportunity, winning 17–15 and sealing the match, with another tie-break going against the home side.

Meanwhile Matt Walker (2) was facing off with Douglas Hudson on Court 1. Sometimes less is more on match reports, so let’s just leave this one with Matt’s post-match comment “I’d forgotten what it’s like to play Squash in a sauna with a Racketball”. Matt lost 7-15, 15-13, 13-15, 8-15 and was last seen heading in the direction of an ice bath.