Melbourn won 20-2

Melbourn's first team travelled to Cambridge University's Squash Centre to play their third from last match of the season with the hope of retaining the full house of wins and to not miss out practicing the letter W in calligraphy.
As Melbourn arrived to meet and greet with the opposition, it was evident the five courts at Cambridge were jam-packed with players. This was a positive spectacle to behold, however there was an air of unusualness to this new landscape as we approached (in retrospect looking wee sheepish) our opponents. It soon all became clear that there had been some over optimism of available courts-to-players-ratio, so we all hovered about in anticipation as calls and discussions were made by our hosts, another venue was being sought out pdq - during which we witnessed some eye watering return shots from some of the keen improving players in action, clearly learning the hard way about why the 'stroke' rule came into place. Meanwhile, Matt who had not seen the rush hour scenes with the courts had already commenced changing into his squash gear to get his obligatory pre match warm up, unaware of the ongoing hiatus. As Cambridge's contacts came good, we were offered not one but two alternative venues to play our matches and shortly after Trinity was chosen - Matt appeared at the similar time and who was then quickly having to reapply his trousers and we were all off on an adventure to visit new courts, for most of us it transpired had not experienced these courts, including the opposition.     
Once acquainted with the very impressive Trinity courts and changing facilities, Ed Aspelling finally started the team's night of squash off. Ed's opponent, Daniel Jensen, who Captain Oppen had played in the first half, is a good player if you let him loose. It was a similar story for Ed, as Daniel’s speed around the court and tight and lengthy returns meant Ed needed to focus on his shot selection. The first two games were competitive, Ed working hard to win them. It was noticeable that Ed was particularly flushed, reporting back that the courts were 'incredibly' warm before going back on to play the third game. Daniel showed a little more control in the third and Ed had either lost some concentration or was recovering from the first two games and although it was close, Ed lost the third game 16-18. The fourth game saw Ed regain his shot control and at times the rallies were constructed so well that it produced either the drop shot or open court drive to win the rally. Thankfully Ed's efforts paid off and he won his match at string 4, 3-1 (15-10/15-12/16-18/15-5).
Next up at string 5 was our latest team member, Mike Herd. Mike started well but found opponent Dougie Dolleymoore was not quite in his groove and the first game was a reasonably straightforward affair. The second was similar but Mike sensed that if Dougie was given the opportunity to find his groove, the match outcome could be in the balance, maybe. Mike continued unabated with his playing level to reduce the chances of the match turning, thankfully Mike won the third and so his match 3-0 (15-11/15-5/15-5) and in a very quick time too.
Captain, Mark Oppen at string 3 was on next to a very focused opponent, Hannah Blythe, who came on court clearly meaning business. The warm-up gave Mark an indication that her playing standard was also looking competitive and the opening game was a confirmation of these early insights. Mark had to work hard to control the ball and as it turned out to check where his opponent was; nothing it seemed was going to stand in Hannah’s way of returning a shot. However, the standard of play was good and Mark's shots were tight and although the courts were very warm he was able to play the ball in shorter at times to disrupt the flow and win the points with a tight return or interception. Mark won the first 15-11 but in the second lost concentration and missed out on the 2-0 lead, losing that game 8-15. Regrouping for the third and fourth games, Mark played much tighter and controlled his shots better that handed him the match win 3-1 (15-11/8-15/15-9/15-12)
Vinod Duraikan at string 2 was next on and his opponent, Jai Matharu, was looking extremely skilful in the warm-up. Once play commenced, the warmup signals from Jai were not coming through into the game play and Vinod found he was able to control the ball well, finding his targets to win the first game 15-11. The second and what would be final third games were also similar, although Jai worked hard in the third to keep in the rallies, Vinod always had an extra gear or two up his sleeve to keep up. The final match score was 3-0 to Vinod (15-11/15-10/15-13)  
With the team result already in the winning bag once Mark had won his match, Matt Sampson was playing to close out the evening’s squash. His opponent, Ellie White, was a good player, playing calmly and accurately. This however may have played to Matt's forte as his excellent racket control and shot selection added to Ellie’s qualities and the rallies were very clean and flowing. With the courts playing at record temperatures, Matt was seemingly able to make the court conditions look ten degrees cooler from his excellent touch and racket skills. The first game was competitive but Matt was able to dictate play to take it 15-9. The second game was closer but still it looked like Matt had it under control and this game was won 15-12. The third and final game of the match was perhaps looking more like a practice routine but entertaining all the same and Matt took this game 15-10 and his match 3-0 (15-9/15-12/15-10)
After our games, we were hosted on at the Churchill college bar for some excellent pizza, drinks and discussions.
Skipper Oppen commented on the evening, saying, "It was an excellent win (20-2) for us again, and with just two matches to play before the end of the season our position is very good. It was also a pleasure to play against Cambridge University II who were excellent hosts"