In another exciting climax the 8 club squash tournament finals were played over two days in April; reports follow below.

Ladies' Open

Sue Giles had to fight tooth and nail to retain her ladies' title for the ?th consecutive time. Her adversary in the final would again be the resilient Ann Butler and this would be the closest she has come to knocking Sue off her customary perch as the leading lady down at The Grove.

The match lived up to all expectations going all the way, Sue winning 3-2 in a seesaw encounter. After a hard fought first game which Sue took 9-4, Ann struck back to nick the second 10-8 as the two ladies traded point for point. Ann then maintained her form and went on to take the third game 9-5 as her ability to take the ball early and pull off tight winners from virtually anywhere on court had Sue struggling. However, the effort required took its toll and Sue hit back to win the fourth to level at 2-2, winning 9-5.

Sue then sensed victory, took control and eased home 9-0 in the decider as Ann ran out of steam, having pushed her rival all the way in a stirring and entertaining meeting in front of an enthralled audience on Court 1.

Men’s Open

The men’s competition was once again dominated by the youngsters and it was perhaps no surprise to find the No. 1 & 2 seeds facing each other in the final. Sean O’Donovan started as slight favourite after winning the premier trophy at HCSC for the last two years and he began confidently, racking up a 4-0 lead in a single hand. Then Ollie got into his stride and drew level as the pair launched into long, punishing rallies with some fearsome hitting. As points became harder to come by, it was Sean who pulled away to take the first game 9-7.

The second game seemed to be destined for more of the same until Ollie suddenly became totally dominant and surprisingly eased to a 9-2 success. Then, when the third went the same way with Ollie daringly taking eight points in one hand to claim the third game 9-2 again, the spectators wondered if the pressure of being favourite had got to Sean.

And so, as Ollie raced into a 5-0 lead in the fourth game, many heads were shaking, doubting whether there was any way back for the defending champion. When that lead became 7-1 there seemed to be little resistance as Ollie galloped towards his first title. But champions are made of sterner stuff and making a huge effort, refusing to accept defeat, Sean dragged himself back into the match. Pulling back to 6-7, the crowd prepared to witness a storming comeback. Ollie tried to regain his composure and a titanic struggle for control ensued with some great rallies.

Ollie got to game point and it was here that a seesaw battle of immense proportions commenced as serves were swapped and points became so precious and difficult to come by. Sean got it back to 7-8 but Ollie wasn’t to be denied and he gratefully won the last point he needed to claim his first Men’s title and deservedly so. The applause rang round the gallery as an appreciative audience gave the players due credit for an excellent match.

Ladies' Plate

The Ladie' Plate competition was won by Ali Belcher after an entertaining match with fast-improving Patti Mills.

Patti started the better and looked in control as she won the first game 9-5, Ali looking very nervous. After a tense opening in game two, Patti built up a small lead but Ali got into her stride and fought back to level at one game all, 9-7, and settling down began to play quality winners as Patti got loose and Ali started to dominate the middle of the court.

Ali then surged through the third game in one hand to lead 2-1 and although Patti managed to recover her composure to extend the fourth game, Ali stayed cool to clinch it 9-5.

Men’s Plate

The Men’s Plate competition was won once again by John Good in a repeat of last year's final. He made it two in a row after a great game with Andy Williams in a friendly encounter. Both players gave it their lot, sacrificing any finesse and craft for good old-fashioned blood and guts with John outstaying battling Andy to claim it 3-1.

The tone was set from the outset with some frenetic rallies as the two traded serves with points hard to come by. Both players were really going for it in some punishing exchanges, the first two games being shared; both went to the wire as John stole the first 10-9 after facing three game balls and then Andy stormed back determinedly to win the second 10-8 after trailing 6-8.

The crowd settled in for a five setter, expecting more of the same but John then took the match by the scruff of the neck to take the next two games 9-9 & 9-3 to triumph. Both players deserved the ovation from the crowd they received at the end of a thrilling match.

Veterans

The veterans' final was played out in front of a packed gallery with Steve Gore overcoming Andrew Butler in straight games. With identical handicaps of –40 points meaning a scratch start and using the American scoring system ensured an exciting finale.

The 3-0 score line suggests an easy win for Steve but that was far from reality as the first two games went his way, both 15-12, after some gruelling rallies. Andrew made uncharacteristic errors at critical stages of each of the first two games after pulling off some fine short winners and going in front early on. Steve gratefully took full advantage to lead 2-0 with some measured, controlled squash.

The two well-matched opponents were well aware of each other's capabilities and dug deep in the third as tiredness led to mistakes (remember, this was the vets!) and Steve used all his experience to pull away to win 15-7 and claim the trophy with an assured performance.

Minor Leagues

Veteran Hythe racket master Len Maris took the honours in the Minor League final after a comprehensive victory over last year’s winner, Geoff Orman. But Geoff gave Len a scare in the third after Len seemed to relax after opening up a two game lead.

A close first game ended with Len edging it 9-7 after trailing, but he showed all his trickery in the second as he seemed determined to finish the match quickly, racing to a 9-0 score line and having his younger opponent baffled with some majestic winners.

Geoff pulled on all his reserves in the third and dug deep to stay with his older and more experienced adversary, retrieving well and extending the rallies, putting away some excellent winners as Len allowed himself a breather; the game went to Geoff 9-7.

The fourth started in the same vein, Geoff not prepared to give it up and Len trying to raise his game again. It seemed to be going Len’s way and Geoff put in one more big effort before finally capitulating 9-6 to go down 1-3 in a match that was a credit to the lower leagues of the club.

Handicap

With a two shot advantage in the Handicap final Ray Semadeni gave a good account of himself before going down 3-1 to Phil Hoyland. Both players had to overcome the disappointment of bowing out in the semi-finals of the Men’s Open competition and a close match was expected.

It was Phil who took the early initiative as his strong driving and at times superb retrieving seemed too much for a subdued Ray, and the first two games went 15-5 and 15-9 to Phil. Just when it seemed that the predicted strong challenge from Ray wasn’t going to materialise he found his touch and a new lease of life to canter through the third game for the loss of only 3 points.

The atmosphere changed as everyone wondered if Ray could maintain this new found momentum and force a decider. The fourth started with Ray still scoring well but then Phil came back, refreshed after his ‘rest’ in the previous game and the players traded points all the way up to 14 all. As the game was set to two, the crowd were enthralled as the players battled for control, Ray to take the match to five games and Phil for victory and it was Phil who held his nerve to nick it 16-14 and take the crown 3-1.

Doubles

The Doubles final took place at the end of a long finals night, with most people expecting the strong pairing of Russ Mason and Sean O’Donovan to overcome the Steve Gore and Mel Booth partnership, and all seemed to be heading in that direction as the all male duo eased to a 15-9, 15-7 opening two game lead.

Some of the rallies were excellent and with the usual high quota of lets due to the restricted space available on court. There was no shortage of action, and despite the prestigious title at stake the match was played in a very sporting manner.

Just when it seemed the match was heading for a comfortable victory for Russ and Sean, however, Steve and Mel raised their game to push them all the way in the third. Scoring was fairly even and eventually the game reached 14-14 with Mel refusing to be fazed by the all male opposition. The gallery willed the mixed twosome to spring a surprise and take the match into a fourth but it was not to be, as the guys made a big effort and edged it 16-15 to take the match 3-0.