Melbourn won 10-3

Melbourn 1sts took on Letchworth this week, subjecting the Division 2 leaders to their first beating of the season.
Aidan Hird went on first against third string Jason Tinsey. In warm conditions and with a sticky new ball, both found the court unforgiving of inaccuracy, the back corners proving elusive. This was to Aidan’s benefit as the less mobile player, and he was frequently able to confine his opponent to the back half of the court using excessive power that might have been disastrous on a different day. Jason didn’t make it easy, hitting back with his signature opportunistic boasts, a promising approach which left Aidan resorting to risky cut kills to close out a tight third on increasingly wobbly legs, giving Melbourn the early lead.
The second-string match saw Kate Bradshaw take on Greg Millhouse, two well-drilled players producing some neat-looking rallies. Kate took a close first game, looking confident. As in the third string match, the grippy ball repeatedly exaggerated any inaccuracy in hitting up the walls and things began to become less tidy. This looseness played to Kate’s characteristic precision short game, but Greg worked to counter this and the second and third gradually crept his way. In spite of a better last game, the fourth also escaped Kate, leaving the fixture tied.
Finally, Chris Shaw took to the court with Matt Egginton. As perhaps foreshadowed by friendly pre-match discussion of the players’ SquashLevels ratings, the outcome of this never seemed in doubt. Chris adopted a high-energy approach, arriving on every ball early and releasing a relentless barrage of accurate and well-selected shots to allow very little time for recovery during rallies, with his deceptive fast cross-court from the front left being notably difficult to handle. Spectators were treated to several long, high-quality rallies before Chris walked off the victor in three.
Kate, skippering Melbourn for the evening, said of the game “It was another great team performance. Aidan played with excellent control against an opponent who often draws others into his style of play, while Chris offered up another textbook win, beating one of the strongest players in the league with his speed, stamina and shot execution.”