27/09/2005
GUILDFORD OFF TO WINNING START
Ian Robinson reports as Guildford take the Varsity Cup against newcomers Birmingham ...


Round ONE, 27-Sep:

UniSport Guildford  beat University of Birmingham  4 - 1
    Stacey Ross 3-1 Jon Harford                  7/9, 9/3, 11/9, 9/3
   Stephen Meads 3-2 Joel Hinds               9/5, 9/3, 4/9, 6/9, 9/2
   Jesse Engelbrecht 3-1 Jaymie Haycocks  7/9, 9/3, 9/3, 9/7
   Neil Frankland 3-1 Chris Tasker-Grindley   9/4, 4/9, 9/4, 9/6
   Alison Waters 2-3 Laura Lengthorn        9/3, 6/9, 6/9, 9/4, 9/10

VARSITY CUP FOR GUILDFORD'S EXPERIENCED CREW
Ian Robinson reports

UniSport Guildford scored hard earned winning points when they overcome the spirited challenge of newcomers to the Premier Squash League, University of Birmingham, to take the Varsity Cup in its inaugural year.  The Varsity Cup has been presented by the University of Surrey for the winners of the inter-university match taking place within the hallowed confines of the Premier Squash League.  As is often the case early season, the evening was long on drama and short on real quality squash for the enthusiast.  Nonetheless UniSport were happy to make a solid start to the new season.  Both teams were sporting kit presented by the new kit sponsors, Sports Discount, and made it difficult to tell the players apart as blue and black were nearly one and the same colour.  Equally there was not much more separating the two teams on the night.  In the end this was a triumph for experience over youth, but the effervescent University of Birmingham side are going to be a force in the very near future.  Their average age is 20 and when added to the experience of the man with the experience and the famous squash name, Joey Barrington (himself no old timer) will ensure a bright future.  Barrington, unavailable on the night, would have made this match too close to call.


 
Laura just good enough
   Alison Waters 2-3 Laura Lengthorn        9/3, 6/9, 6/9, 9/4, 9/10

Alison Waters was first into the fray for UniSport and after her great successes last season and a world ranking of 18, the home supporters were looking for a good, safe and secure start.  This was not to be.  Waters was unsteady in her touch and looked short of matches.  Winning was only ever going to be by grinding out some hard rallies, limiting the damage from her mistakes.  This was not to be and as hard as she tried to put her game together, the defence of her opponent Laura Lengthorn was just good enough not to allow the necessary leeway.  In the end by the margin of only 1 point and having had her chance with a match ball, Alison went down to another bright up and coming young player who had travelled all the way down from Manchester to make her debut for the University of Birmingham.  Alison never really put her game together after a bright opening game and will go back to the drawing board for immediate repair work.  In the overall scheme of things, Laura is ranked 20 in the world so this match was always going to be close.   It was much to the disappointment of the home supporters that the result went against recent rankings. 

Frankland levels it
   Neil Frankland 3-1 Chris Tasker-Grindley   9/4, 4/9, 9/4, 9/6

On the outside court Neil Frankland in his seventh season with the team clashed with the very young Chris Tasker-Grindley.  Frankland, looking suntanned and relaxed, was still in coaching mode when he bagged the first game.  Frankland received his wake up call in the second game when Tasker-Grindley overcame his initial nerves and settled to level the scores at 1 game all with a 4 - 9 margin.  Frankland collected himself together again and struck the ball more cleanly, finding better depth on his back corner shots, which proceeded to open up the front court for him to conclude matters in his own inimitable style.  This was perhaps the most comfortable result for UniSport on the night, but young Tasker-Grindley will have taken much encouragement from this his first outing at this level, as he by no means disgraced himself.  Match scores were now level at 1 match each.

Jesse drags himself back
    Jesse Engelbrecht 3-1 Jaymie Haycocks  7/9, 9/3, 9/3, 9/7
 
The bedraggled Jesse Engelbrecht spent pre-match enjoying a quiet rest laid up on the nearby M25 car park - a full 30 minutes by all accounts - sufficient anyway that when he awoke he barely had time to shave.  Looking like a tramp and playing marginally better he set about the task of laying to rest the challenge from Jaymie Haycocks.  An edgy first game saw the advantage swing Birmingham's way at 7 - 9, but by now Engelbrecht was stirring himself and using a full of range of strokes to all four corners started to gain the upper hand.  The pattern remained the same in the second game and third games as the home player moved clear with a 2 - 1 lead.  In the fourth game Haycocks' fighting qualities were clearly in evidence and he made Engelbretch fight all the way to the finish.  Again promising signs from a new young talent, which will no doubt be more productive for Birmingham on another day.  Engelbrecht will be happy to take the result from this match but it was far from an ideal start to his new season.  Nonetheless, the result is the priority and that was duly delivered to send the UniSport team into a 2 - 1 match lead.

Meads eases the nerves
    Stephen Meads 3-2 Joel Hinds               9/5, 9/3, 4/9, 6/9, 9/2
 
Veteran Stephen Meads neatly slipped into action against the tall angular Joel Hinds and according to Meads all 6' 4" of him.  Meads, as usual, looked well organised, neat and precise with his shots and moved into a comfortable 2 games to love lead, whereupon he momentarily took his foot off the gas and Hinds took the opportunity with open arms.  Moving further up the court, volleying hard and with increasing precision, Hinds ripped the next 2 games off Meads.  This was most uncomfortable for the older man and as hard as he tried in the third and fourth game he could not regain the initiative which had been surrendered in a casual moment.  There was some good skills close to the wall from the youngster, some nice touches on the drop shot and some screaming volleys all packaged up to make the Guildford player's life hell.  Fortunately old age brings with it experience and at the start of the decisive fifth game Meads restored good order.  He placed his shots a little further out of reach, became more precise in his hitting and generally left nothing on offer from which the younger man could engineer winning opportunities and with a little tiredness becoming apparent, UniSport were left to feel somewhat relieved as Meads cruised to a 9 - 2 win in the deciding game.  This gave the match in results terms to UniSport - 3 - 1, but the number 1 string match meant that there was still another point on offer.

John & Graham of R A Robertson & Sons present
'Player of the Match' Steve Meads with' a magnum of Champagne.

Ross wraps it up
    Stacey Ross 3-1 Jon Harford                  7/9, 9/3, 11/9, 9/3
 
This was not an easy evening and there was still much work to do before Stacey Ross could subdue the challenge from Jon Harford.  Clearly benefiting from a summer training regime and racket work, Harford was fast away at the start and Ross was always chasing the lead.  Harford is also tall and rangy, an intimidating presence on the court seemingly needing only one stride to get from the front to back.  After a tough first game in which Ross made mistakes mainly forced from him by the withering attack from Harford' racket, Birmingham again took the lead.  This time Ross re-organised himself and gaining more control over the ball and therefore the rallies started to enforce a session of court sprints from the taller man.  Ross has the habit of placing his shots consistently close to the walls and frustrates his opponents with his degree of accuracy.  Harford conceded the second with all of these skills on display from the UniSport man.  The third game was made into a good scrap with some good counter-attacking by Harford after Ross found his concentration less than perfect, but at the end of the game Ross regained his control and accuracy just when he needed to in order to finish the game.  Clearly Harford had covered a lot of court and at an uncomfortably quick time as well and in the fourth he visibly slowed against the constant barrage of shot making that Ross threw at him.  It was a valiant performance by the Birmingham player, matched only in its professionalism by Ross who was determined to put recent disappointments behind him. 

This gave the match and the Varsity Cup to UniSport Guildford.  The cup was presented to UniSport Guildford by Zena Wooldridge, the Director of Sport at the University of Birmingham and also Board Member of England Squash, the sports governing body.

Zena Wooldridge  presents  the Varsity Cup to Dave 'Paintbrush' Glossop, 
University of Surrey Student Union  VP Sports.

 
A good start to the new Premier League squash season for UniSport Guildford but they will know that for the next local derby tie away at Chichester they must step up a notch.  University of Birmingham played very well on the night and their positive young player approach under the keen stewardship of the smiley Keir Worth will reap huge rewards further down the line.  With more luck, they could well have enjoyed more success on this particular night.  UniSport will bask in the temporary glory of being PSL league leaders for a week and then it is time to reconvene at Chichester to see if that lead can be turned into something more substantial this season.  It is too early to tell but points on the board is always a good thing.      
 
See you all in Chichester next week, Tuesday 4th October 7.00pm start.

Ian Robinson

 Contributor: Ian Robinson
Club: Guildford

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