With no matches on this Tuesday other than Warrington’s postponed match against Wrexham Brymbo, this was the opportunity to establish a handy lead at the end of the first half. It’s a bit of a schlep to Wrexham but there is always a warm welcome and they are passionate about their squash. Unfortunately for Wrexham, the revised timing meant that Warrington had good availability and was able to put out one its strongest teams while Wrexham had a few injury problems to contend with.
First on were the number 3’s – William Silvester vs Lewis Doughty. Lewis was in charge from the outset, stroking the ball around the court and seemingly having all the time in the world.
On the other court, John Ashton took on Ollie Hudson. Ollie got off to an uncharacteristically fast start winning the first game 11-2. John rallied a bit in the next game but was always outclassed by some superb hitting from Ollie.
Robbie Evans against Josh Owen followed the number 3’s. Josh looked in control but then mysteriously let the first game slip away from him. You could tell he was inwardly annoyed with himself because he came out and smashed the next game 11-1. This was followed by two more controlled games.
Meanwhile Tesni Murphy faced super kid Jonah Bryant. Jonah has been flawless since he joined Warrington, winning every match and dropping only 3 games in total. So the World Ranked No.21, Tesni, had her work cut out. But Jonah was at his most dazzling. Despite hitting what would normally be winners every day, the ball just kept coming back usually with interest added on for good measure. After losing the first game 1-11, she came off court and said she had no idea what to do! She lost the next game 2-11 but managed to find a few more points in the third. The result was no reflection on Tesni’s ability but a show of absolute brilliance by Jonah.
Finally, it was the No.1’s. George Thomas taking on World No.6, Joel Makin. George tried his best but there was no mistaking the gulf in abilities. With the tie decided and Joel in festive mood, the match was played out in good spirit and the crowd.
So the first half ended with Warrington 25 points ahead of Bowdon. Liverpool’s early challenge faded a bit in November due to availability meaning they now lie in third place. But both have a strong teams capable of producing upsets, so we need to remain consistent in the second half.
This will commence on 7th January with a visit to Fairways Lodge. Can’t wait.
Richard Bradbury