Framboise covers the
Masters Home Internationals
Group B, Nottingham, 16/17 April

Saturday 17th:
Non-stop Action
at Nottingham
Fram follows the Men's O45 competiton
to a thrilling conclusion ...   (* on the results)

So much is going on, on Saturday I decided to stick to my “improvised but efficient” plan, following one team around. So I moved permanently to court 6 where England was playing Scotland.

I didn’t have the chance to even see the English Men's squad on Friday, as they were all playing at the Trent Bridge Squash Club, along with the Welsh.

We started again with the 5th string (may I remind you the order of play, each team playing on 1 court only, 5 – 3 – 1 – 4 – 2). Peter Alexander (C) England was playing Gus McCuaig.

The Scot has a very strange forehand. No, I know he is left-handed, dear, I’m left-handed, that’s not the point. No, he raises and rotates his elbow before every shot. He had a bandage around the elbow, I’m not surprised!

Peter Alexander played most of his shots on his opponent's backhand (right side), and at a good length, that really put the Scotsman in great difficulty. 1st game for England quite easily 9/3.

“I’m really pleased!”, joked Gus to his camp.

The second game started very well for Scotland, who led 6/0, and started pressurising the Englishman to make more mistakes. A lucky nick out of the back wall gave Gus his first game ball, but he needed another one to finish 9/6.

“OK, that’s it”, you could hear Peter Alexander think. “You had your fun, now, let’s take it home”. And he accelerated the pace, lengthened his game, and got in front, 9/2 9/0.

“He got a good start in the 2nd. I struggled to come back, but then, things just got much easier…” said the very smiling Peter Alexander.

“I didn’t even try! I’m saving myself for the Welsh game”, the unlucky Scotsman told me after the game.

Well, I will see that this afternoon then, won’t I?

COME ON DAD!
Ruudi Clark was riveted to the show that his dad, Dave Clarke (England) and Clark Adam (Scotland) were giving us. He was applauding between the points (well, mostly when his dad got the ball to serve really), didn’t say a word, and stood quietly. What a beautiful and clever young man he is! Surely we’ll see him soon on the squash scene….

Clark Adam has a very sharp weapon, his lob serve that allowed him to actually serve an “ace” at 7/7, giving him game ball, and subsequently the 1st game 9/7. Because of that serve, he forces his opponent to return very short, opening the whole court and giving him a definitive advantage on the rally.

Dave Clarke’s weapon is his fitness and his retrieval abilities. He’s got some very sharp drop shots too, they both have. But Dave’s fitness became (in my humble opinion) the key to the match.

After losing the 1st, England came back with a vengeance and took the 2nd and the 3rd 9/4, 9/4. Every time, the beginning of the game would be close, but the Scotsman would start to show signs of tiredness, and, after numerous out of this world retrievals from England, eventually would make a mistake.

In the 4th, England was up 8/1, but the Scots decided that it was now or never, and dared shots he hadn’t tempted before. Gradually, slowly, he accumulated the points to arrive to 8/8. But a tin gave the serve back to his opponent, who took advantage of his 5th match ball to give to England a second victory.

"I switched off mentally in the 4th, and he chose a slow approach that made my life very difficult indeed, I was under a lot of pressure," said a relieved Clark.

Ruudi will be proud!

AND ONE FOR THE ROAD…
England was up 2/0. A victory in the next match between Nick Gatward (England) and Captain Rob Ridley would seal Scottish fate.

The first game was quite easy for the tall Englishman, who probably started to relax slightly, and found himself under a lot of pressure.

“You have to stay concentrated. You only have to lose a few points, and you find yourself with a match on your hands”,  the England number 1 said very rightly.

In the second, the pace was quick, the rallies were short, quickly served, quickly finished. But the pressure was real, and only a few tins from the Scot allowed Gatward to seize the 2nd game 9/7.

The 3rd was a formality, as the Englishman had re-concentrated and re-focused, and ended 9/1.

England was, once again, the winner. The Scotsmen were now moving to meet the Welsh team, who just beat the Irish 5/0. The night before, Scotland had beaten the Irish only in the decider, so, we were bound to have a good match on our hands….

THE DECIDER,
THE FINAL, THE END!
On paper, Wales seemed a stronger team, as they beat Ireland 5/0, whereas it took a decider 3/2 for Scotland to beat them. But it was the last match of 3 in less than 30 hours, and the result was far from being obvious.

The 5th string from Scotland, Gus McCuaig started well yesterday against Ireland, he was 2 up, and lost the game. So his camp was a bit nervous when he started slowing down 2/0 up 5/0, and left his opponent Mark Davies coming back to 5/5. But the strong, bubbly, slightly over the top Scot didn’t let this one slip away.

“He is very awkward to play”, said Davies after his defeat, “and he is big, it’s difficult to get round him. On top of that, he mixes up your game, you never know what he is going to play!”

Very modest, the Scot declared “Just write that Angus was superb”.

Scotland 1 – Wales 0
The second match was very quick indeed. I saw the 1st 2 games between Wales' Huw Griffiths and Scotland's Clark Adams, won by a very “touch player” as I call them, you know, the ones that lob and drop the ball remarkably well. Clark, I told you about his lob serve, but he knows how to hit the ball as well. But today, Wales was too strong. At the interval, I went and grabbed a cup of tea. By the time I came back, they were shaking hands! Nearly missed the picture I did! 9/4, 9/6, 9/6 in 28 minutes!

Scotland 1 – Wales 1
So now was it the turn of the 1st strings, Rob Ridley, Scotland against Peter Williams, Wales.

We had 2 lunatics on court. Nice lunatics, but lunatics never the less! They were hitting the ball like there was no tomorrow, and running as if they were fresh out of bed after a week of laying in! And a lot of drops, and a lot of lobs, and run here, and go there, and don’t forget that corner over there!

Wales won this one 3/0, 9/3, 9/4, 9/1, but it was a lovely match to see.

“He got all my drops, that was the problem” said a disappointed Ridley. His opponent added ‘It’s a very hard event. 3 matches in less than 24 hours, everything in my body is aching, and mentally, it’s exhausting.”

Well, for an exhausted man, he did a bit of alright, didn’t he?

Wales 2 – Scotland 1
By that time, I wanted to go back to the hotel and sleep for 12 hours. I finished working at 2am and started again at 6.30, so I wanted Wales to win very badly!

But did Scotland think about poor little exhausted me? Que nenni, or as you say over here, not for a second!

George Stewart (Scotland) started by wining the 1st game against Adrian Motson, but it wasn’t that easy, as they were 7/7, but a drop in the tin gave the Scot his chance to win 9/7. In the second, both players made some great returns of serve, but the Welshman eventually won 9/4.

The rallies in the 3rd were very short, they were both serving too quickly, and they were both making a lot of mistakes. But that one was easy for Stewart (Scotland), 9/1.

Were we going to depend on the last leg, like we did the evening before against Ireland?

Well, in the 4th, 6/6, 8/8 and eventually game for Scotland 10/8.

Wales 2 – Scotland 2!
Good bye, little nap before the meal tonight, goodbye bath, goodbye sanity…

And once again, the 2nd string from Scotland, the cheerful Kevin Lawlor was to play the decider for his country, this time against Wales' Mike Phillips.

A few mistakes to start with from Wales gave ‘Mr Boast” from Scotland the advantage. No, it’s doesn’t mean pretentious, if you read my previous reports, I told you that Lawlor won his match against Ireland with his magic boasts. Unfortunately today, most of his boasts went in the tin.

The 1st set goes to Scotland 9/2.

The rallies were very long in the 2nd, good length, good angles, difficult to pick up. The tension was high, and the Scottish team quite vocal. The Welsh were there, but silent, tense and concentrated. A few discussions with the referee, but nothing bad, like:

“He stepped on my foot as I was playing the shot” said one. “Well, you shouldn’t have played the ball then”, retorted Ellis Short, the referee.

Far from the blood on the wall arguments that I’m used to seeing on the main circuit…

When Wales won the 3rd easily 9/2, and was up 5/0 in the 4th, we all thought that “his tea was up”, as the Scottish say. But he is not a tea drinker I guess. 1/5. 2/5. 3/5. 4/5. 5/5. 6/5. The Scottish team was VERY vocal by then. Wales came back to 7/8, but two balls in the tin marked the end of the 4th, and the equaliser for Scotland.

2/2, and 2/2.
By that time, everybody had left, packed, showered, and gone to the hotel. Only a bunch of us remaining. Once again, I chose the longest match of the day!

5/5 in the 5th.
But the Scot now received a taste of his own medicine, as a very composed Mike Phillips boasted his opponent away! By that time, the Scottish legs had gone, and with a last Scottish boast in the tin, Wales grabbed victory 2/9, 9/7, 9/2, 7/9, 9/5.

“The brain stopped working” confessed a still smiling but heartbroken Kevin Lawlor. “I lost my length and my boasts!”

When I told the Welshman how impressed I was with his composure and calm, he said “I know myself, I know that if I get excited, I just get all over the place. I needed to keep my calm and just play the game.”

On a personal note, I was extremely impressed by the behaviour of the Welsh team. They were discreet but present, willing but not overpowering, fit, distinguished, and… I don’t know, there was something about them. A sort of… strength I suppose. Don’t expect me to explain, it’s just a question of feeling… Can’t explain that, I’m afraid.

Wales 3 – Scotland 2.

But if you think that the Masters ended this afternoon around 6.30, you are gravely mistaken ... roundup from Nottingham
 

Masters
Photo Gallery

Roundup from Nottingham
Fram concludes a hectic trip

Susan & Matilda Pynegar (O45)
 

Final positions
for the Men's O45:

1st: England, 2nd: Wales, 3rd: Scotland, 4th: Ireland

Roundup from Nottingham
Fram concludes a hectic trip

What they all came for ...

  MASTERS PHOTO GALLERY

Friday 16th:
HOME INTERNATIONALS
DAY ONE @ NOTTINGHAM

Like I said to start with (a lot of racquets), it was a bit overwhelming. So, like I do when I’m lost, I find a court where I can sit comfortably, and enjoy the show!

Today, court 10 seemed the most appropriate, plenty of seats there, near the Tournament desk. It was on that court that the Men's 045, Scotland vs Ireland, was played

As usual, I missed the 1st game of the 5th string, and arrived with Scotland's David McAleese up 2-0 against Ireland's TJ Mullins. The Scot went up 3/1 and we thought, oh well, that’s going to be ending soon. But the Irishman didn’t see it that way at all. He didn’t come all this way to lose in 3 sets. So he came back at 3/3, and never looked back. McAleese became less precise, run a lot though, but Mullins just wanted victory that little bit more. And from 0/2 down, Ireland claimed its first victory 2/9, 4/9, 9/6, 9/5, 9/4.

I left the court to rush on court 6, where the Ladies O40 from England were facing Wales. Why, you may ask. Because Wimbledon assistant manager, Claire Baker, was playing Rank 3 against Kath Horler. And if by now, you don’t know that I play at Wimbledon Squash and Racquet Club, it’s because you never read my articles!

“It was a good match, but she was just too good for me”,  the Welsh lady said very simply. Yes, simply said. Baker was planted on the T, hit lethal cross court and drives, and lengths that put Horler under a lot of pressure. She had the heart and the will, but the task was too hard. England won their second match 9/0, 9/1, 9/6.

“In the 3rd, I eased off a bit”, declared a smiling Claire Baker after her match. “It gave her the opportunity to start dropping a lot, and I found myself under a lot of pressure. So, I started to lengthen the ball, and it felt easier when I got in the front”.

Claire got a lot of support from family and friends who drove up from Wimbledon. Rebecca Colthup, who also works at Wimbledon, stated “If Claire hadn’t won, she was not getting back in the car, and was walking home. No pressure really…”

Bullied. That what she is, the poor Claire. Bullied!

Back I went to court 10. Of course I missed the second game, string 3, that saw an easy Scottish victory 9/1, 9/3, 9/0 (Clark Adams, Scotland vs Eamonn O’Keeffe, Ireland).

We were one all.

In came the number ones. A tall Irishman, Martin McDonnell, grey beard, against a very fit Scotsman, Rob Ridley.

Actually, Ireland played the Todd Martin trick. For those who do not follow tennis, it’s a player slightly over 30, but who arrives with a greyish beard, who does his very best to look really old. So the other players think “oh, I’m going to exhaust the old man”, and ends up losing a 6 hours five setter! And don’t think for one minute that I exaggerate! Well, nearly all the Irish had a greyish beard, trying to look as old as possible to deceive the enemy. Did it work? We’ll see…

The 1st game was very close: 5/5, 7/7, but the Irishman was in front nearly from the start. He eventually won 9/7. In the second, the Scot picked up the pace, used his strength and speed to play some beautiful kills that left the tall man in the wind. 2nd game to Scotland 9/5.

The 2 last games were still close, with long rallies with great retrieving from both players, but the Irishman showed his cleverness and his wit. He played with great intelligence, delaying his shots, watching his opponent’s moves, lobs, drives, keeping him in the back, and dropping the ball at the most appropriate moment. The Scotsman had some very good answers, but at 3/4 in the 3rd, his fitness started to show some signs of weakness, and even if he never gave up and went on running like me trying to escape the Inland Revenue, the Irishman won the 2 last games, 9/6, 9/3.

"In the 3rd, I changed my tactics, started playing to the front more, and lost my length,"  said Ridley.

His opponent added: “He started making mistakes, I think he probably ran out of steam. He has some lethal shots, and it makes him a very dangerous man to play!”

So, the overall score was now 2/1 for Ireland. A walk in the park from there?
NOT.

The readers who followed my covering of the Inter Counties Finals at Lamb’s, in the City, earlier last month, may recall I mentioned a lady called Jill Campion (Middlesex), who used to dominated the French Parisian League for years.

Well, there she was again, playing number 2 for England O45, meaning that she was playing last. But as England was doing very well, I could only manage to see the 3rd set of her game against Hilary Buglar (Wales).

The first 2 sets were pretty quick I was told, 9/0, 9/0, and led Jill to relax slightly. And Bulgar only needed a bit of space to start playing beautiful backhand drop shots which left  Campion frustrated and wrong footed. 4/1 to Wales. But Jill readjusted her length and came back with a vengeance to 4/4 and started to display nice length and drop shots combination that shifted frustration on the Welsh side. Jill won eventually 9/5.
 
“In the third, I played really well, and at some points, I thought I could get through there, but she just found her rhythm again”, said the fighting Welsh Lady.

Back to my Scotland/Ireland match.

By the time I came back from Campion/Buglar game, Scotland (George Stewart) took the 1st set against Ireland (Niall O’Sullivan).
 
The second game was very close, and took a lot out of the Irishman, maybe not as fit as the Scotsman, who eventually took the game 9/7. They gave us some very good rallies, but Stewart was always directing the event, and the 3rd was quick 9/4.

So, here we were, 2/2. The tension was high, and as it was the last match on (as usual, I pick the most disputed matches around….), we had quite a lot of spectators from both camps with their respective ladies (well, it looked they were, but how the heck should I know…).

And the decisive match between the second strings lived up to expectation. Kevin Lawlor, Scotland, vs Alf Kavanagh, Ireland.

4/4. 6/6. 7/8. 8/7. 7/8. 8/8. 8/8. 8/8. 8/8. 8/8. 9/8. 10/8. That gives you a good idea of how the 1st game went! Both players were precise and motivated, but the Irishman stayed a bit more concentrated on the last points and took the first one.

The second one went to the Scotsman 9/6. And so did the last 2 games. Sorry to be cheeky, but he virtually “boasted” his opponent away. He got at least 5 points on a backhand front court boast, two or three on the same shot forehand, and another few decisive ones from the back of the court in the last game, giving him back the serve at 2/5, then offering him his first match ball at 8/2, and finally the match 9/4.

The Irishman was always dangerous, and surprised his opponent more that once, leaving him standing there, cursing silently (or not) his inattention, and the match could have turned the other way several times, as in the 2 last games, Lawlor was up 8/2 game or match ball, and Kavanagh tip-toed back slowly but surely.

A good fight from both players, let me tell you.

Overall, England and Scotland are the big winners of the day, and they are actually playing each other tomorrow morning … at 9.30 am. 9.30 AM! God, means that I will not have much sleep. Not, you cheeky, not partying the night away, writing!!!!

Lets get ready for the second day, then. It’s now 9.32 am, I’m sending you the report from last night, and off I go watching some more great squash.

God I love this job!

MASTERS :
A LOT OF RACQUETS
Nottingham. About 200 miles from my flat, and a bit more than 3 hours drive. But it’s worth it. A beautiful club it is. And soooo much space. God, what a change from London’s clubs. So many rooms, and courts, and open space. Beautiful really…

The Masters. Blimey. I think that everybody should see an International Masters Event in their life.

A lot of different colours, teams shirts, people, racquets, bags everywhere. No time to ask ANYTHING of the tournament desk people. When I came down to write these words and send the 1st photos, the Irish Team hadn’t arrived yet [but they did arrive on time, Ed].

I’m a bit overwhelmed, and not sure of where to go (do not answer that, not sure I want to hear it), or what to see.

So, let’s improvise, and go where seats are available….

Speak with you later…

Recording the moment

Tournament referee
Peter Kramer enjoys a brief respite

MASTERS PHOTO GALLERY