Back after a long, hot Summer, Peter Crabtree is impressed with Chichester's start , but The Vole doesn't half come in for some stick ...
I know it is hard to believe, but the summer is now officially over as the Chi massive gets the show back on the road. After too many months of enjoying the Mediterranean climate and probably a sherbet or two too many (judging by Vole’s waistline anyway) it was time to get back to the business of winning the Southern Division again, but this time we intend to go all the way and bring the coveted pot back to Sussex by the Sea.
Local rivals UniS Guildford were likely to put up some stiff resistance after last season’s disappointment, and no doubt Head Coach Ian Robinson would have them highly motivated for the match. The absence of No.1 Steve Meads was a bonus, and with Sarah Kippax filling in for Fiona “Gappy” Geaves, the boys were in for a big treat!
The match got under way with the aforementioned treat, and the boys in the gallery were loving every minute of the match, but none seemed able to recall the score at any point – what were they concentrating on, I wonder? Unrest grew as the match was swiftly over, depriving the crowd of more time with the rather splendid Miss Kippax. Looking fit and strong, Linda has obviously not followed the same summer training regime as the Vole, and her condition bodes well for the season with an emphatic 27-1 victory getting the team off to a good start.
Tommo the cool was up to his usual stuff, flicking the ball away with a casual elegance that belies his advancing years. Chris Hall was impressively quick about the court, but needs to learn to make use of the side-walls against experienced hands like the cool one. When he managed to get to one of the shots, he invariably left Tommo in with a comfortable end to the rally, and the 3-0 outcome was pretty much inevitable. So 2-0 up and getting down to some serious stuff.
Azzi stepped up for a “Lion vs Tiger” confrontation that should have been fairly comfortable for the youngster. In the end it was Tony’s ailing hamstring that decided the match in the second game, but it only prevented the inevitable! Meanwhile, Captain Vole met Scottish International Neil Frankland to set up the whitewash for Jelly in what was likely to be a game of winners and nicks – neither player being shy of the spectacular rather than the energetic. In Vole’s own words, he prefers the point-a-rally to 9 with the lower tin as he can slot a few winners before getting too puffed! So guess what?
Having just competed for Scotland in the World Team Championships, Frankland was full of tough match practice, and likely to present a stiff challenge to the post summer Vole. However, the Vole’s match plan was working, and a comfortable 1st game was soon under his not inconsiderable belt. The second was following the same pattern, and a 7-2 lead looked to be comfortable enough, but the Scot got stuck in and ground out 2 rallies to set off the red cheeked puffing that we have grown to love! After a bit of nip and tuck, Vole edged it to look fairly comfortable. The 3rd proceeded in the same fashion (puffing and nicks) to 6-4, then a combination of Vole tins, Frankland nicks and what may be described as an interesting decision in the visitor’s favour saw the Chi Captain lose his cool, his concentration, and the game.
One thing about the Vole though is that he is capable of taking it out on anybody if he is in the mood, and by golly, he was! 6 straight rollers took him into a 6-0 lead, a couple of odd rallies were followed by some more nicks to give Guildford their first game of the night but a 4-0 lead for the Chi.
Nobody likes a dead rubber, although Bozz and Jelly at Edgbaston was quite impressive, but pride and points were up for grabs, and with the start made by the Brox, a 5-0 was crucial.
Some sloppy play by Stacey gave Jelly some target practice, and he basically drove the spirit out of Stacey taking the 1st 2 games fairly comfortably. An early night at the Bar then? Nope – Stacey doesn’t lack guts these days, and changed the pattern of the game, slowing things down, floating the ball and not giving PG the pace that he enjoys. Lobs became the norm, and Jelly was dragged into some scrappy squash, losing the domination of the game that he had enjoyed up to then and letting Stacey get to the T and exert control over the play.
The frustration became evident, with some pretty poor shot decisions producing a flow of errors, and letting Stacey take the game. The 4th followed the same pattern, and PG didn’t seem to have any ideas as to how he could change things around, and he didn’t, the match then standing all-square at 2-2. The 5th was pure Chi theatre with PG picking up the pace again, and testing Stacey’s fitness with some cracking rallies.
When he kept Stacey off the T he invariably gained control, as you would expect, and either forced the errors or hit some great winners to gain the upper hand. But Stacey wasn’t finished, and when PG gave him an opportunity he also hit some superb shots, winning rallies that he hadn’t looked to be in. After 70 minutes, the pressure told, and Stacey disappointingly cracked, hitting 3 consecutive tins to set the home favourite up with match point, which he took with some aplomb with a brilliant backhand drop to take the match, and secure the 5-0 drubbing of Robbo’s Raiders that was needed.
So back to business as usual, and the Chi tidal wave flows in again next week with the visit of SWSA – tickets already getting scarce you visiting spectators so book now!
