Ian Taylor watches Edgbaston's raid on TVS Broxbourne ...
THEY came, they saw and unfortunately for Geoff Long's TVS Broxbourne side, reigning National Squash League Champions Edgbaston Priory conquered at Mill Lane Close on Tuesday night, writes Ian Taylor.
Trailing 4-1 from the semi-final first leg, Broxbourne required a miracle to progress to their second Final in five years.
Predictably, it proved to be a bridge too far, as the visitors ran out 4-1 winners, to secure an 8-2 aggregate success.
"It was always going to be a huge task to turn around a 4-1 deficit, and although we failed to do so, I can't knock the players in terms of their work rate and passion,'' said Long.
If anything, Tuesday night's defeat showed just how much TVS rely on their two star names, Gregory Gaultier and Natalie Pohrer.
Gaultier, who clocked up Broxbourne's only point in the first leg two weeks ago, was resting in his homeland in France, after an energy sapping few days at the Windy City Open in Chicago.
World number two Pohrer meanwhile has opted to take a lengthy break from the game for personal reasons, and she was sorely missed throughout a spellbinding two legs.
"Replacing a person of Natalie's calibre is almost impossible,'' said Long.
"Her and Greg are both class acts and we never quite recovered from losing them.''
Indeed, Broxbourne struggled from the outset on Tuesday, with the visitors 'banker' Sarah Fitz-Gerald as good as sealing the tie with a comfortable three game win over Alison Waters.
The five-times former World Champion chalked up her 27th successive win since joining the West Midlands club in October 2000, winning 9-1, 9-5, 9-4.
The result was put beyond all doubt moments later, when on court four, the evergreen Danny Meddings succumbed to a four game defeat against Priory newcomer Peter Barker (8-10, 9-5, 9-4, 9-4).
With just pride to play for, 24-year-old Alex Stait again came to the fore.
The crowd favourite salvaged a deserved consolation point, coming from behind to beat Priory veteran Del Harris 9-4, 7-9, 9-11, 9-7, 9-5.
South African number one Rodney Durbach, normally a gutsy and steely player, failed to produce his best, losing 6-9, 9-4, 4-9, 3-9 to Adrian Grant, before Mark Chaloner, who like the absent Gaultier had spent last weekend participating in the USA, looked jaded in his 3-0 (9-2, 9-6, 9-0) reversal to David Palmer.
