Melbourn won 17-6

Playing away last Thursday to St Neots, Melbourn 1st team are in a very strong position in the league. However, matches still have to be won and Ed Aspelling got the team off to a fine start at 5 string with a 3-1 win. A competitive first game (15-7) then gave way to an outstanding bagel from Ed, taking the second game 15-0! Following this error-free game, Ed’s concentration must have wandered and he lost the next 9-15. Fortunately, he regained his focus for the fourth and final game taking it 15-6. Meanwhile, skipper Mark Oppen was battling his very tricky and experienced opponent next door. Although viewers never thought Oppen was really going to lose, well-executed drops and excellent retrieval from the St Neots player made each game a challenge. Oppen came through to win 3-0: 15-9, 15-10, 15-13.
Kate Bradshaw was somewhat outsized by her very tall opponent, but made an excellent start, going 13-7 up in the first. However, another slip of concentration let her opponent back in and she let the margin slide to a 15-17 loss. Bradshaw wasn’t able to take control of the next game which she also lost 12-15 and, although she had game point in the third, much like the first, she was unable to convert that opportunity. What could have been 2-1 to Bradshaw ended up as a very tight 3-0 loss.
Vinod Duraiken had one of the toughest matches of the evening – an epic 3-2 battle with a former Welsh masters international player. With huge amounts of skill and high quality of shot play from both players it came down to tenacity, fitness and will to win. Vinod always has these three attributes in spades, and won a fantastic match 13-15, 15-5, 15-17, 15-3, 15-6.
Matt Sampson at 1 string was up against a familiar opponent who can prove very difficult to play. Sampson didn’t feel he ever got into the match and that it was a bit untidy, but this still resulted in a 3-0 win for the Melbourn player, 15-12, 15-11, 15-8.
Skipper Oppen summed the evening up, saying, ‘St Neots are a difficult side to beat, but the team delivered another excellent win that maintains our league position.’
There was also good news for the 1sts from elsewhere in Division 2 after title rivals Ely suffered a shock defeat at Cambridge. Those results put Melbourn top of the table by four points, and with a game in hand. All with not very much of the season left.