Broadberry Sports

The rumor mill was rife this week with expected line ups of Whitecraigs Rugby Club and potential new players for both teams! So who would be playing against us tonight? Well, we had a completely different looking team, as we were missing ‘2-James Singhs’, but we gained Kiwi-Kammy Colquhoun who is back from his travels for an ‘unspecificied’ amount of time!

I’d spent, what seemed like, hours sweeping the courts, clearing all the dust with a broom and wet towel (ably assisted by Amanda, on glass cleaning duties), but it was ultimately worth it, as the newly repaired and painted courts played really well. It seemed like a good warm up at the time, but it was also at the expence of my right shoulder which started to ache! And with ice everywhere outside, it remains ‘always a good day for squash’ – even/especially on your birthday!

Anyway back to the match and first up was the aforementioned Cammy (Colquhoun) against Colin Hutton at No.5. This was a good fun game and although Cammy won it 3-0 there were some really hard and long rallies, where Cammy tried to play the ball as early as possible and Colin was doing his best ‘Monica Seles’ impression when he strained every sinue to get the shots back he was being bombarded with. Cammy was dominant and at one point Monica tried so hard, that he flung himself at the wall (so-much-so that I was actually concerned for his health, rather than just laughing at someone falling over!), anyway Paul Coll would have been proud of that dive and it would have been even more impressive at game ball, but Colin had to limp back on court to finish the game when he realised that the despairing dive only made it 10-9! All the games were hard encounters (11-8 12-10 11-9) but Cammy was too consistent tonight and brought the first 3 team points home.

Next up were the No.1s as Chris Murphy matched up against Andrew Glen. I think everyone in the crowd thought this was going to be a potential 3-0 to Andrew……… everyone apart from Chris that is! Having said that at 10-6 down in the 1st it was looking ominous for Chris, but hang on …… a great winner, followed by a stroke, and another winner…..and then another, changed everything. So a tie breaker in the 1st and the home crowd were really hoping that Chris could hold on, although no one dared believe it! However at 11-10 they did believe and when the winning shot arrived from Chris’s racket, the home crown were extatic!

Andrew dominated the 2nd game with sheer power and pace and in the end Andrew won the match 3-1, but I would be doing a disservice to both players to say that the rest of the game wasn’t exciting! Chris was well in the last two games (11-7 & 11-9) and when he volleyed well, he played well. But Andrew was just too strong tonight and his movement, power and counter-shots were excellent. 3-1 to the Rugby club.

I was on next against Nairn McMaster at No.3, and to say Nairn was struggling in the first two games would be an understatement, but equally when he got warmed up he looked like his old self with shots that were very hard to read, volleys into the nic and drives to a dying length at the back, despite being hit at about 180mph! This must have taken its toll on him as I managed to get a good lead in the 5th and then just held on! (spurred on by a junior I coach – Glyn – and family, cheering me on! No pressure!).  So I scraped home with a 3-2 win only to be told by everyone, that I had to mention that, “I almost lost to someone on one leg,” or, “You nearly got beat by an invalid,” etc etc, none of them mentioning Nairn’s great play. Well played Nairn and much better than our last encounter all those years ago! (by the way has anyone heard the rumour that Nairn took a game off Peter Nicol once at a junior tournament?!?!).

Next on was Flash (Aaah-ahhh) against Allan MacKay at No.2. Allan dominated the game tonight and he read everything Flash-Harry threw at him. In truth I though that Harry was going short too early and letting Allan dictate the rallies, but even when he straightened in the 3rd game Allan was able to react and cling on to clinch the game 13-11 (but if Flash had taken his game ball in the 3rd who knows what may have happened!). 3-0 to Allan.

So, with the match tied at 2-2, Angus (Forster) was on last against Louisa Kaven at No.4. Angus was watching and waiting for his opponent to turn up all night, until he realised that Louisa had been sitting about 2 yards away from him most of the evening! Angus had just the right game to play Louisa as he is very nippy, and he needed to be rapid to chase down some of the great shots Louisa was throwing at him. The pace from both players was lightning quick, but Angus was just too consistent tonight (I know…..consistent …. Angus!?!?) and he brought the match home 3-0 and the bonus points for the team.

MOTM to Nairn or Allan for the Rugby Club and Chris for us I’d say (and certainly shot of the night to Chris’s Mizuki trickle boast, that even Andrew couldn’t help smiling at!).

Both teams retired to the back bar to celebrate another great Wednesday night oot with Davey’s gourmet (veggie) burgers and Erdinger. Chris managed to lose his phone twice last night, but when Flash turned up with it looking sheepish, Chris was a relieved man……. right up until he lost it again! Good chat with the Rugby Club team and I even joined in with the darts – but promised the lads I wouldn’t mention who won between Chris, Angus and myself (I even returned Chris’s phone to him at the end of the night!). You can’t beat a birthday at the squash!

Sorry for the lack of a report last week, but I was away ‘dan-saaafff’ with work; some people said to me why didn’t you just make up a squash report! …………………. I thought that would be a great idea, because let’s face it Flash is Flash, and every match is as entertaining as the next and no one would ever know!

Guess who was first on this week!?!!! Yup – Flash Harry Anderson! Well, we were missing our No.1 this week, so we all had to step up! However, when the other ‘2 James Singhs’ turned up for Newlands against our 3rd team, I was thinking of getting him to play for us just for a laugh (!), but I suppose that would be a step too far, so ‘The Flashman’ went on first at No.2 against Dave McCormack from SSRC 2. Dave was looking pretty steady at the start of the 1st game, so I was worried that Harry may get a bit frustrated – but then, out of nowhere, Flash sprang into action and didn’t let Dave settle in any rally. Dave said after that he found it hard to read where Harry was putting the ball, but if Flash doesn’t know where it’s going, how the hell is anyone else supposed to know! So the change of pace and attacking shots worked a treat and although it was a tough encounter Harry won 3-0.

I went on next and there was a sudden change of team order, when the SSRC lads found out I was at No.3! So, I matched up against Sean Kelly, who struck the ball beautifully on his backhand, and this made me nervous! There were a few contentious decisions in the 1st game, which, I felt, all went against me – much to my annoyance, but after I got over that, I was even more motivated me to concentrate on the task in hand (actually that’s a lie – I didn’t really get over it! 😂). I snuck the 1st game and took charge in the 2nd, thanks to some good motivational advice from Chris in-between games, when he basically said “Don’t start playing like a fanny and you should be OK”. The 3rd game was much tighter, and it looked like we were headed to a 4th or 5th – but after retrieving a game ball, I went on the win the match 3-0 and I was relieved to get off with the win.

Angus (Forster) went on next at No.4 against Jack Fenton and again this looked like a tight one, with both guys hitting hard and moving fast. Angus, however, looked like he had slightly better match play experience and he was able to tweak a few things as the match went on to keep his nose in front. Having said that, it was anyone’s game at 1-1 (when Angus declared that “all my boasts are dog **** – but I can’t help playing them anyway!), but as the match went on, Angus did the simple things much better and eventually won the match 3-1.

Ollie (Millen) was on next and was looking like he’d been playing a bit, as he took on Grant Irvine at No.5. This was a great match and I think Grant’s style of game suited Ollie down to the ground. Ollie was able to use his tricky boasts and holds to get a real foot hold in the game and Grant used good retrieving and movement to counter. The match went one way and then the other until we reached the 5th and final game. Unfortunately for us, Grant took control of this one and won the match 3-2, but not before Ollie hit the best roller of the night, to the delight of the crowd!

Last on were the No.1s, as Chris (Murphy) played new man Richard North. I’d heard a lot of good things about Richard (not least than he’d won against the SSRC 1st team No.1 last week!) so this was going to be very interesting. I missed the first game as I nipped away for a (cold) shower, but was back in time for the 2nd game. Richard was well in control of the early skirmishes, and I couldn’t see how Chris was going to get back into this game, but to say Chris timed the come-back to perfection would be an understatement! I think many people playing Richard would be fooled by his ‘hard-to-read’ shots, and he certainly sent me the wrong way a few times ………… and I was only watching! Chris, however, has seen it all before and this didn’t seem to phase him! A more solid start to the 3rd game meant that Chris was in much more control, and he ultimately brought home a very tricky match 3-0 .

The Back Bar was rammed with returning teams, football watchers and other teams, but we managed to squeeze in and enjoy a magical buffet of mini-burgers/pizza/pakoras/samosas/sausage rolls/chips (to name just the things I recognised!). This went down a treat with the teams as we celebrated not only a 17-4 win, but the last match of the half! (Chris gave MOTM to Ollie, which is fair, but I’d say Chris himself was worth a shout for the award).

Now we only have the team Christmas Night Out to negotiate, as we hit Glasgow this Saturday! I say ‘night out’ but we’re meeting at 1pm in the Horseshoe, so this has got disaster written all over it! (well, if you let the youngsters organise the night-oot, then you get what you get I suppose!). A real fun first half of the season and a great team spirit – bring on 2024!

Newlands came calling last night and on paper it looked like this could be a close match up, it was certainly the longest match we’d had this season.

I was on first at No.4 against Damien Whelan, all the way from Carlisle and I have to admit I didn’t fancy my chances against Damien’s pace – and when James ‘helpfully’ turned on the two extra heaters, I was even less sure! However, I was able to slow the pace down and get some height and action on the ball, and this helped me to accumulate points one-by-one. Having said that I was down at the end of the 1st game and was lucky to sneak home 12-10 and conversely I was up in the 4th and was lucky to hold on 12-10. Damien was obviously frustrated at losing to an old yin like me and the racket got the full treatment (send it back to Technifibre and say it’s a ‘manufacturing fault’?!?!?!).

Next on was Harry (Anderson) at No.3 v Vicky Bell (also up form Carlisle). Harry had some success against Vicky the last time they met so we were hopeful of some points from Flash, but unfortunately it wasn’t to be tonight. Vicky was ruthless on the volley and used all her match experience to keep Harry at arm’s length for the first two games. It looked like The Flashman was back in the 3rd game as Harry started to get into his stride and zip about the court, entertaining the crowd with multiple reverse boasts, that no one had the brass-neck to applaud (they were funny though)! However, Vicky shut the door in the 4th game, to bring the tie home 3-1.

Next up was ‘2 James Sings’ v Matt Bedwell at No.1 – now James and Matt play/train regularly and they generally have a tough hit, but on the other hand, have you seen Matt’s results this season! He’s flying!! (beating Andrew Glen and John Meehan). No one was anywhere to be seen when a ref was needed, so muggins here had to take the board! I needn’t have worried though, as although there were a couple of testy moments, I was able to negotiate them with the goodwill of both players. Matt was dominant tonight and although it was an exhaustive match with lots of excellent shots and great recovery from both men, ultimately Matt added James to his list of scalps 3-0.

The No.2s stepped up on court next, as Chris (Murphy) took on Fraser McCann all the way from Edinburgh (this team don’t half put the miles in!). This was the match of the night with Fraser going two nil up and Chris evening things up in the 3rd & 4th…….. and so to the 5th! Well, both players were looking a bit white-around-the-gills from all the hard work they’d already done – Chris had to retrieve the relentless pressure and Fraser had to retrieve all the holds and volleys (although he didn’t get the backhand Mizuki boast!). The last game was 12-10 to Fraser with an uncharacteristic tin from Murph at the end, but both men were burst and both thoroughly deserve MOTM tonight.

Last up was our new man Angus Forester (so new, he’s not even on the SSq system yet!) against Carrie Hallam, who is now doctoring in Glasgow (why didn’t you join Whitecraigs Carrie? Probably just as well as I’d have been in the 2nd team!). Carrie was dominant tonight and Angus wasn’t really able to get into the match as Carrie is lethal at the front and difficult to shift off the ‘T’. So an impressive 3-0 to Carrie and the latest finish to an evening’s squash so far this season, with lots of really competitive matches.

A quick shower and then straight into the back-bar for (veggie) chili and a pint or 2 of Erdinger! It was a good atmosphere last night as most of the players stayed for food, exactly as a Wednesday West League Match should be (unless you have to travel home a hundred miles!).

How often does a 1st division standard player turn up at your club and just join! Well, this is the first time I can remember that happening to us since…………… well, since I just turned up at Whitecraigs in 1988! Welcome to the club and the 1st team Angus; I reckon he’ll soon be climbing the ranks. Well Angus (Forster) was first on this week as we travelled to Giffnock to get out bi-annual chat about how all our team are Giffnock players! (Angus is from Newcastle!)

As I said Angus was on first against Naill Morris at No.5 and this was a great game with both players ‘at it’. Angus is a hard-hitting, fast-running player who gets far more back than he should, and my hamstrings were twitching just watching him lunge into some of the shots tonight. The result was 3-1, but all the games were tight, and it was an entertaining match to watch; Naill was hitting the better length and making Angus do a lot of retrieving, but Angus was able to wear Niall down and when he turned & held him, he was even more effective. The game flowed one way and then the other, but eventually Angus came out on top (first 3 points on the board to us!). Niall’s pint glass & racket bore the brunt of his wrath after the match (hope the racket survived as the Pint glass didn’t – fortunately, there wasn’t any beer in it!).

I went on next against Owen Hadden and this one was much more straight forward, as Owen won 3-0. He was dominant tonight, although I don’t think I was terrible, just not quite at the same level. I had my moments, but if it wasn’t Owen’s good volleys, it was his tight drops or decent length. Anyway, I lost 3-0!

On next was ‘The Flashman’ as Flash Harry (Anderson) took on Neil Bennett at No.3. This was another very entertaining game, because Flash can’t help but be entertaining! Neil was moving well and kept the ball tight on the backhand especially – and in return we saw Harry speed around the court, showing just how agile he is. To be honest I thought this was Harry’s game to lose, but he did try and lose it a couple of times!! Anyway, the whole team were on hand to give him advice in-between games and help him make the most of the esoteric player he is! The up shot to all this was that Harry flashed more into the nic than he did into the tin and so brought the win home 3-1.

Chris (Murphy) was on next against the new Giffnock Club Champ Stu Pitt and this was going to be an important one. It was soon clear that Stuart was in top form and Chris was struggling with the pace; Chris tried to impose his style on the match, but Stu was having none of it and was quick to chase every attack down. One game became two and although Chris started well in the third game it was just a matter of time until Stuart closed this one out – so 3 points to Giffnock and the match was tied at 2-2.

Last on was ‘2 James Sings’ against a formidable opponent in Martin Ross, originally from Inverness (PSA World Ranking of No.394 & No.2 in the Scotland ‘Order Of Players’ ranking). So a tough day at the office for James as he tore about the court after Martin’s shots! Martin has got that ‘great length’ and speed you get if you train and compete at that level, and the pressure he kept putting on the ball was very impressive. James was down 2-0 before he could really get a foothold in the game, but then he started to make inroads. There was a point at 9-5 where James just missed a lose volley, to get to game ball and this was ultimately as close as he got, but Martin was just too good tonight.

A pint of Erdinger and a very nice chili for dinner tonight at Giffnock and Niall had to drink from a plastic beaker in case he broke another glass!!    

So away to SSRC tonight and the main question was would they have their No.1 player Ali Prott (World PSA Ranking 108) from Edinburgh? I hope not or this would be another long night! (sorry for the lack of a report from last week, but I was snowed under and, as ever, it was absolutely nothing to do with the fact that we got horsed! (they’re a good team Strathgryffe with John Meehan – PSA 318 – and Harry Barron at No.1 & 2 – could finish in the top 2 if they can get those players out every week).

Anyway, back to tonight and James, Chris and I, along with our team manager (!) Bruce battled the traffic, and storm Ciaran, across town to Maryhill to SSRC, the oldest private members’ club in the country. First up was Chris (Murphy) v Jesse Mills. Well, there is still a lack of reporting, as I didn’t see this one, as I was on court at the same time. However, it was over pretty quickly as Chris was playing really well and Jesse had a back issue, but a good 3-0 to kick the evening off for us.

As I said I was on at the same time, against Chris Holt a No.4. I’d seen that Chris had won a Masters Tournament at Inverness last weekend, so I knew I’d have to play well to get anything tonight. And I did play well (I know! I was surprised as well!) – actually, I was pleasantly surprised to feel really good tonight and when I took a 2-0 lead, I was delighted that my plans were working and many of my shots were coming off (must be a leap-year!). In-between games Chris got some great advice from his teammates and started to drag me back by winning the 3rd game. The 4th game was also really close, but fortunately for me, Chris made a couple of errors just at the right time, and I sneaked home 3-1.

Next on was Ollie (Millen) against Andrew Roberts and I missed the early skirmishes, but I did see from 1-1 and both players were making a few errors, but unfortunately for us, Ollie was making a few more (this was high risk/high reward squash!). Andrew won the 3rd game, but at 8-9 in the 4th game, could Ollie take it to the 5th? Well the answer was ultimately ‘no’ but he did well to get so close and so it was 1 more point to the team total.

The No.1 clash was up next as James (2 James Singh’s) took on Dan Wearing. Well, this was the tie of the night and both players probably deserve MOTM for the exhaustive 3-2 performance. Dan had a great start, by winning the first 2 games and James was equally magnificent at coming back to get the 3rd and 4th! And so to the 5th!! All of our team were down in-between games to support James and hopefully give the odd golden nugget of “in-between game advice”. At the start of the 5th game, Dan took a great 3-0 start which ultimately gave him a platform to go to 8-6 up and now it was anyone’s! Dan is a great competitor, but then so is James and at 11-11 it could have gone either way. And it did, as Dan kept the tempo high and brought the tie home 13-11 (3-2).  

So with the match tied at 2-2, it was all down to Flash Harry (Anderson) v Brian Robertson at No.4. Well, this was a bit one-sided with Harry playing really well to win the tie 3-0 and there was really nothing Brian could have done tonight. Brian did play well, especially in the last game getting to 8-9 before Harry nicked the last couple of points. The Flashman was in exuberant form with all the right shots…………………….. but not necessarily in the right order! (the oldies will enjoy that gag!)

So some really nice food at SSRC (courtesy of my old team mate Rob McMillan from DLWE) and then it was back across ‘rain town’ to celebrate the win in the Whitecraigs Back Bar – we even got a second dinner and some onion rings!