Date: Mon 9th February
Venue: O&C Club
Result: Swans 5 – Escorts 1
Match Manager: Andrew Clark
Dear Richard, Escorts and Swans,
I am pleased to say that we saw a vast improvement in the Escorts’ performance last night vs the Swans. I would even describe it as a “Triumph” compared to the Escorts’ recent past. Unlike last few times a total whitewash was avoided and the Escorts only went down only 5/1. Please see results and Match Report below.
Swans Escorts
Ryan vs Andvig 0/3
Simpson Wildy 3/0
Curtis Warner 3/0
Jefferies Howard 3/2
Burrett Raju 3/2
Wall Carlisle 3/1
First on Carlisle vs Wall. Carlisle had travelled all the way from Chesire eager to take part in this encounter. He took the first game with his trickly boasts and volley drops. However, Wall was too good. He asserted himself in the 2nd game and proved too strong for Carlisle in the end. Burrett vs Raju was a cracker. Superior technique and strategy meant Burrett took the first 2 games with ease. Raju’s mid-court balls were dispatched with ruthless front corner kills on both sides and Raju’s wafts across the T received similar treatment from the Burrett volley. In a major surprise to the gallery, Raju then staged a comeback. First class rallies down both the sidewalls combined with Raju’s athleticism seemed to take their toll on Burrett who noticeably started clipping the top of the tin. Was Burret tiring? Raju levelled the match at 2/2. Raju then proceeded to snatch defeat from the jaws of potential victory by gifting her opponent 5 early points in the 5th. Burret needed no further encouragement. She regained her dominance and won deservedly. Meanwhile, Jefferies and Howard may be slightly faded from past stature (not the only ones) but when pitted against each other their competitive spirit was reborn. Jefferies confided that in the 4th he was desperate to get the contest over at any cost. However, he stuck to the task and closed Howard out in 5. Curtis is quite useful nowadays despite his years and was too much for a Warner recovering from back complications. The 2nd strings match, Simpson vs Wildy was interesting. It is the first match I can think of where neither player played a decent length for a full 2 games. Actually, Wildy managed this for a full 3 games. Both players engaged in Simpson’s usual “Dash and Bash”. A good deal of energy was spent but little thought or strategy seemed on offer. Simpson took the first 2 games although they were close. Remarkably, in the 3rd game, amongst the “Dash and Bash” Simpson also incorporated some sensible shots. Judicious drops, great attacking boasts and 2 blistering backhand volley kills at last gave the gallery something to remember. Last on, the best, Ryan vs Andvig. The first game was gruelling and very close. Ryan played with beautiful variety, drops, attacking boasts and some delightful lobs. Unfortunately, to win a single point versus Andvig one has to hit 5 winners in a row. To make matters more difficult, Andvig also played some tight drops and counter-drops. The second game was as tough as the first and I felt glad for Ryan when the match ended without injury. Ryan had played very well but Andvig is simply relentless.
Best regards,
Andrew
