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TONIGHT'S LINE-UP
Manchester/Pontefract lost to
Wolverhampton 2/3
Lee Beachill lost to Anthony Ricketts
9-2, 9-3, 9-1 (26min)
James Willstrop bt Alex Gough
9-3, 9-7, 9-6, (33 min)
Marcus Berrett lost to Scott Handley
10-8, 5-9, 13-11, 10-12, 9-5 (61min)
Nick Taylor bt Mark Cairns
3-9, 10-8, 5-9, 9-7, 9-4(68min)
Jenny Duncalf lost to Shelley Kitchen
10-8, 9-2, 10-8 (51min)
Underdogs Wolverhampton triumph
In an enthralling opening Shelley Kitchen
beat Jenny Duncalf 10-8, 9-2, 10-6 in 51 minutes in a match that could have
gone either way. Kitchen was in the ascendancy with more powerful driving
and once the lively ball had settled established a 7-3 lead in the first
which was immediately threatened in a fractional lapse of concentration -
perhaps she thought the game was won - and then a tense mistakes as Duncalf
came back. Six unforced errors, perhaps Kitchen's achilles heel, kept
Duncalf in the game and with her little improvised drops that her
opponent struggled to get down to she levelled at 8 all. Kitchen
however deservedly finished it off with three winners one a
fortunately crosscourt that dead nicked.
The second game was hard fought at 3-2,
when Kitchen guessed wrongly for the first time but Duncalf was running out
of ideas under the constant pressure and ventured shot too frequently to let
Kitchen smash it away to take a 2/0 lead 9-2.
Duncalf, upped the pace in third,
surprisingly got away to 8-4 and, as Kitchen had earlier, thought she had
won it and impatient to finish wasted two points on speculative shots.
Suddenly with two fine volley Kitchen was level and a little counter drop
excepted went through to win a game her opponent had all but won and put
Wolverhampton into the early lead.
Duncalf was dismayed. "I should have had
it but I went for a couple of silly shots, she said. It went so quickly. It
was diabolical."
"I'm disappointed for the team. Hopefully
the boys can sort it out."
Nick Taylor helped. Against Mark
Cairns he was 2/1 and 5/3 down and came back to win it 3-9, 10-8, 5-9, 9-7,
9-4.
"He is so consistent", said Taylor on his
opponent. "It takes a long time to break him down. He played a good third
and when I went on in the fourth I said to myself 'This is your last
game of the year. Dig in.' In the fifth it was adrenalin and crowd that saw
me through."
James Willstrop helped too. With a
powerful display he dominated Alex Gough finding the winners on the warm
court to confound his speedy opponent 9-3, 9-7, 9-6 and give
Manchester/Pontefract a 2/1 lead.
Then in a simultaneous finish it was all
snatched away from Manchester/Pontefract. Scott Handley came through a
highly competitive and seesawing battle against Marcus Berrett 10-8, 5-9,
13-11, 10-12, 9-5 in 61 minutes.
Handley pitched his racket in the
fourth in a restrained gesture at the most inconsistent of refereeing Peter
Blackmore but his volley drops, counter drops and low drives just prized the
initiative in the fifth.
Ricketts meanwhile was wasting little time with a below par Lee Beachill
winning 9-2, 9-3, 9-1.
“I got momentum, got my length and he struggled. He seemed to be struggled
with his movement,” said Ricketts.
Handley came off court to be greeted by Ricketts in jubilant scenes with a
delighted team and ecstatic Wolverhampton supporters.
“It was brilliant to have two games finishing at the same time. We have had
some wonderful wins this season against the odds. It is an individual game
but it has been a team effort this season. Everyone played for each other.
They have done us proud,” said a delighted Wolverhampton team manager
Stephen Russell.
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