Triage Broxbourne  2

Mark Chaloner  2
Rodney Durbach  2
Danny Meddings  3
Alister Walker  3
Alison Waters  0

3  David Evans
3  Simon Parke
0  Tony Hands
2  Lee Drew
3  Rebecca Macree

Evans clinches title for Lexden
After six months of competition it all came down to a one-game shootout between Mark Chaloner and David Evans, with the Welshman holding his nerve to give Lexden the National League title in only their second season in the competition. Well done Tony's Tigers ...

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Brian Hargrave reports on the Final

Lexden's Peter Jones' reaction

From Ian McKenzie at Lambs
Photos from Gary Sherman  www.gsherman.com

Walker Comeback levels it at Lambs
5. Rebecca Macree beat Alison Walters  9-3, 9-4, 9-1
4. Lee Drew lost Alister Walker  9-6, 9-4, 6-9, 2-9, 8-10

Lexden drew first blood when Rebecca Macree proved just too strong for Broxbourne's late stand-in Alison Waters, Sue Rose having been diagnosed with chickenpox earlier in the day.

A brilliant comeback for Broxbourne from the junior Alister Walker when 2/0 down in games and then again in the fifth when 7-3 and then matchball 8-6 down, levelled the scores when he deservedly clinched the match 10-8 in frantic scenes. The Marker could be rarely heard as rival bands of supporters drowned each other out and urged on their players. The referee seemed to be involved in every rally near the end and several harsh decision when he was clear penalised Walker. On the hot Lambs court 3 the ball kept rebounding as he squandered a 3-1 lead with some over ambitious shots - two drops from the back. The match seemed to be in the bag for Lexden when a harsh stroke gave Drew matchball but  his opponent smashed a volley that hit the front wall nick and went sideways at pace, then he slammed another volley.

Walker was safe temporarily and then two magnificent volley kills so fast that Drew was not there, and even his despairing dive through his opponent could not convince the referee it was a let and Walker had sneaked it 10-8.

Parke levels it at two-all
3. Tony Hands lost Danny Meddings  6-9, 6-9, 12-14
2. Simon Parke beat Rodney Durbach  5-9, 9-1, 7-9, 9-4, 9-5

On court 3 however Danny Meddings weaved his skilful magic to stave off a Tony Hands comeback at 8-all in the third and as the winners and some bizarre decisions seesawed to and fro two harsh strokes, in this observer's opinion, gave it to Meddings 14-12. Two-one to Broxbourne.

The matched levelled again and in controversial circumstances.
Parke was in all sorts of trouble against Durbach but came back to take the fourth 9-4 and get away in the decider. Durbach's recoveries were brilliant but the match rolled away from him and referee Mosarella received much advice from the crowd. Winners gave Parke the edge when Durbach put it short but he would have known that it was not his night when a harsh not let on a gettable ball, and a let for  his opponent on a winner, penalised him and then when he had Parke under enormous pressure, corner to corner, his opponent's despairing lunge with his racket out at a ball that was flicked past him and it went for a winner. At 8-2 in PAR scoring Durbach got a few back but the inevitable winner came from Parke, a forehand volley boast, to the cheers of Lexden supporters as the roof came off Lambs.

David Evans and Mark Chaloner watched nervously. It  had all come down to the last match. Two-all.

And then, the final game ...
1. David Evans beat Mark Chaloner  5-9, 10-8, 6-9, 9-6, 9-7

In a match of the highest quality and drama in which the ascendancy swung back and forth David Evans held his game together under the severest pressure from Mark Chaloner to finally slot in the last two unplayable winners - from 7 all in the fifth - a backhand drop off the back wall and a forehand crosscourt drop dead in the nick and rolling that even Mark Chaloner's game but tired legs could not run down, to give him the match 5-9, 10-8, 6-9, 9-6, 9-7 after 92 minutes of high intensity action. Those last two shots climaxed not just a game or match but the tie, and in effect the whole season.

Chaloner had taken the first, squandered game balls for a 2-0 lead and then taken the third to put Broxbourne one game away from the title. But from then on it was Evans who took control.

Evans' superb reach, volleys, touch and deception had Chaloner willingly sprinting corner to corner and although he never faltered, perhaps at the end he was not as sharp in his recovery, allowing Evans to follow up on the volley and punish him some more. Chaloner soaked up the punishment, smashed the ball back and fought back from 6-3 in the fifth but it just sneaked away from him in the end.

So, as predicted in David Bank's cartoon for the final, Lexden's big guns held back the Broxbourne charge ...

Congratulations, Tony ... 
 

Paul & Brian Hargrave receive the Group A trophy for Duffield
(and a big hand for superb organisation of the League!)

Brian Hargrave reports on the Final

Tiger's Tales

Isn't there anyone out there who wants to take Andy's money - he's got lots of ready cash after raiding the one-armed bandits of every National League club this season ...

Tony was touched by his team's "Tony the Tiger" tribute before the semi-final 2nd leg, and the saga obviously inspired the team.

Is over-confidence beginning to appear though - Tony admits to planting the spoof result in the Express to test out the mechanism for getting blanket coverage of Lexden's expected victory ...

War of words on the message board