UniSport Guildford saved their best result for the last match, when playing for a respectable mid table position to finish the season ...
Week TEN - Tue 04 Mar
TVS Broxbourne 0-5 UniSport Guildford
Rodney Durbach lost Stephen Meads 5,9, 5,9, 11,9, 6-9
Danny Meddings lost to Stacey Ross 7-9, 14-12, 6-9, 9-6, 7-9
Paul Carter lost to Neil Frankland 7-9, 6-9, 7-9
Adam Long lost to Tom Richards 1-9, 1-9, 2-9
Caroline Heal lost to Fiona Geaves 4-9, 2-9, 0-9
UniS save the best for last
Ian Robinson reports ...
UniSport Guildford saved their best result for the last match, when playing for a respectable mid table position to finish the season. It has been a long and arduous season deprived of the services of number 1 player and former World Number 4 Paul Johnson, but this was a just reward for some hard working performances by the remainder of the squad. Admittedly TVS Broxbourne who have already qualified for the end of season semi final play offs were deprived of the services of their regular first team players. Nonetheless this match still needed winning and was not a foregone conclusion.
Youngster, Tom Richards, got UniSport off to the best possible start overcoming Adam Long son of team manager and sponsor Geoff Long at TVS Broxbourne. Richards wasted no time in disposing of his opponent in a mere 14 minutes, in which he displayed great pace around the court and too much experience for his opponent, who in fairness deputised at the eleventh hour. This was Richards' first win for UniSport and was a great boost to the team to find themselves 1 - 0 in front so soon.
Fiona Geaves was next on the outside court and her task on paper seemed like a mismatch, a world top ten player against the local girl making good, Caroline Heal of TVS Broxbourne. Time was when the Broxbourne player appeared in Guildford colours, but that did not find any sympathy with the current Guildford player. After a promising start the Broxbourne player found some parity in the rallies but as the first game wore on Geaves established her authority and she made her class tell in losing only 6 points in all to clinch the match. Heal is an athletic player who hits the ball well, but Geaves is a different class and controlled the ball, ultimately creating too much pressure for the home player to resist. The travelling Guildford supporters were delighted to be 2 - 0 in front, believing that it surely was not possible to lose the match from here.
The signs were less promising on the championship court where Stacey Ross was engaged in a fierce struggle with former world top 20 player and Surrey team mate, Danny Meddings. Ross managed to steal the first game 9 - 7 narrowly, while Meddings got into his stride. But this was to disguise the battle that raged in the second where the match went to 14 - 12 in favour of the home player. This was proving to be a huge but rather messy match between 2 players who were desperate to win. There was not much daylight between the 2 players and what daylight there was went largely unnoticed by the match officials, who were playing far too prominent a part in a match between 2 very skilful players that should not have needed such a level of interference. The 3rd game saw a resurgence of Ross's control and he always had his nose in front, but despite a big effort to peg him back UniSport were back in the lead again. Still there were too many collisions between the winners that were now flowing from the rackets of both players. Meddings hit back in the 4th game establishing a lead and never really being threatened for it. Ross had lost the initiative and it looked like he was taking a rest, but with the match poised at 2 - 2 all and against such an experienced opponent that looked a foolhardy strategy. At the start of the 5th, Ross increased his hitting and suddenly found some winners to take him clear, but was pegged back by losing 2 points in one rally - one for hitting the ball down and the other for a conduct violation as the frustrations of the refereeing boiled over. He was undaunted and used that as motivation to press forward to take the game, but by the narrowest of margins. In the end it was appropriate that the match seemed to come to an unsatisfactory end when it should have been one of the many glorious winners that ended the contest. There was some great skill on show for the cognoscenti, but sadly there were also a lot of traffic problems as well.
This set the mood for the UniSport supporters to relax and enjoy the squash for the rest of the evening knowing that at least winning points were already in the bag. Neil Frankland was soon into his stride against veteran National Coach and former British National Champion, Paul Carter who was making a rare appearance as a player in the League. To his credit Frankland stuck to his task as Carter unleashed his bag of tricks on the match. Surprise winners off the service into the front court, guessing and volleying from obscure court positions and winners that were outrageous in their selection as much as improbable in their execution. Frankland stayed resolute and was quick enough if he needed to be to hunt it all down. He managed to build a lead in each game and give himself a platform to clinch it with a little to spare despite the resolve of Carter to contest strongly. This was an enjoyable match with the result never seriously in doubt.
At 4 - 0 Guildford supporters were deliriously happy even contemplating a 5 - 0. This was not going to be easy as Meads had earlier in the season been given a severe lesson in the first leg match. It was not going to be as one sided this time but it was not going to be easy either. Whereas Meads was full of bounce, Durbach was not. The Broxbourne man had journeyed back from America looking like it had been the 'red eye' not business class. Meads was quick to seize his chance, hitting the ball crisply he drove deep and wasted no opportunity to finish in the front court. By contrast Durbach was missing shots that he would normally take for granted and was laboured in his movement. The first game looked like the warm up game for Broxbourne, but Meads was happy to bank it and start again. The second followed a similar pattern. Meads was full of squash and Durbach still looked laboured. The score was the same as the first and it now seemed like this match was not going to become a contest. South Africans are tough competitors and Durbach is made of stern stuff and in case there was any doubt Meads found a revitalised man against him in the 3rd. It was very close, the rallies were lengthening and Durbach was finding his range coinciding with a loss of quality in the shots from Meads and the game was lost 11 - 9. However good order was restored for the Guildford man as in the 4th Durbach ran out of steam and Meads swarmed all over the court harrying him to defeat. This was a good performance by Meads and was just reward for a season spent chasing the tails of some of the world's best ranked players in the League. A 5 - 0 victory represented a terrific night's entertainment for UniSport Guildford even if it was at the expense of TVS Broxbourne who had already booked their place and were more concentrating on the semi finals.
At the end of season UniSport Guildford finish a creditable 4th position in the table with UK Packaging Connaught and Lee on Solent below. As we sign off for this season to check on Paul Johnson's long term injury problems, thoughts turn to next season. It still remains, however, for me to thank all those who have supported the cause this season and hope to see you all again in October.
