Nottingham manager Phil Songhurst reflects on defeat in the final ...
After a season of thrills, spills and captivating squash, the English National League came down to a showdown between two of the Midland’s greatest clubs.
Both former champions, the match between Nottingham and Birmingham’s Edgbaston Priory looked to have the makings of a classic encounter and the potential to go to the wire and thus keep the expectant crowd on the edges of their seat to the bitter end.
However, in reality, it wasn’t to be – and indeed the outcome was determined in a little over the hour.
The simple fact is that Nottingham’s lower order, since Tania Bailey has been unavailable through illness, has been vulnerable, except for fleeting glimpses of Jason Nicolle’s old self in a couple of matches.
Jane Fletcher, deputising in the ladies position, managed to salvage a couple of points from World Champion Sarah Fitzgerald – but was off court in 16 minutes.
On the packed show court, Frenchman Renan Lavigne didn’t get into his stride until late in the third game and was comprehensively beaten in three by Adrain Grant. Lavigne saved several match points in the third and could have taken this game, but generally loose play let his young opponent dominate the court and the pace of the rallies to run out a 9/5 9/4 11/9 winner in under 40 minutes.
Team captain, Jason Nicolle, possibly playing his final regular match for the team, was up against old adversary, Paul Lord. Lord has always been a tenacious player and he, again, controlled the pace of the game. The first was always going to be crucial, Lord taking it on a stroke, much to Nicolle’s annoyance – but the call was correct. The second and third were both tight also but Lord always managed to keep ahead and rode out a 10-8, 9-6, 9-7 winner in 36 minutes.
With the vast majority of the crowd already packed onto the show court for the No. 2 string game, little did they know that the decisive win of the evening had been gained by Lord and thus the cup was going back to the West Midlands.
News soon filtered through, not only to the crowd but also to Del Harris who failed to put up and real defence against the awesome Simon Parke. It may have been a dead rubber but Parke still showed resolve and determination to blast his opponent off court in under 30 minutes to run out a 9/4 9/4 9/0 winner.
The Edgbaston team support ran off to put on their pre-prepared champions tee-shirts to display for the final encounter of the season – a showdown between World 4, Stuart Boswell and World 5, John White.
As it meant little, White put on a great exhibition for the disappointed Nottingham support, mesmerising all with his stunning array of audacious winners and retrieving that defied belief.
The clowning around totally confused Boswell and the officials, but was maybe just the thing to lift the evening to a fitting climax of what has been a magnificent National League Season.
Boswell won 9/7 in the fifth!
Due congratulations were given sent to the champions, presentations made and, as always, plenty of chat in the bar afterwards.
The Nottingham support has been its best ever this season and we all now look forward to rebuilding a stronger team for next season and hopefully going just that one little step further ...
