The New Look Chamber Squash Club

Some stunning work has been done on both the outside and the inside of the courts lately. On the outside the trees have been trimmed allowing for more light and warmth to stream into the court. So far the results have been very impressive. The outside has been painted and looks stunning against the backdrop of the new gardens. Paving was also put in to great effect.

Inside, all the courts were sanded and re-painted. Unfortunately for the scribe, his request to make the 'tins' a few inches lower were not entertained.... Court 1 has been painted in a nice chilling baby blue colour in line with the "Ice Chamber" nickname of the courts. However this is now contrasted nicely with the bright yellow court right next door. The viewing area has also been re-done and looks very impressive. Overall Courts 1 and 2 are of a really high standard.

Even the main entrance to the court has been jacked up. Gone are the blinds allowing for some fresh sunlight to stream through like never before. All the accolades the club as gathered over the past years have been put up on the wall and area has been repainted.

Well done to all that were involved.

10th LEAGUE vs Edenvale

Match report for 10^th vs Edenvale on 5 May.

1. Gabrielle won 3-0

2. Doran won 3-0

3. Roger won 3-1

4. Phil Piper won 3-0

Result 16-1 win.

Rgdr Roger

Final result :16 - 1

8th league “B” vs. Wits

Herewith the match report for the Chambers 8B versus Wits 8A game;

We travelled to Wits to take on the much vaunted Wits A side (the Chamber A teams only loss to date). So it is with great pride that I can report that we had a very convincing win, and only one game (15-17 fifth game loss by Digby) separating us from a full 16 point haul.

First on was Digby, playing at No 3, against Roy the wily Wits campaigner. A ding dong battle with Digby losing a very close 5^th. Nevertheless an entertaining game.

Next on was captain Fillmore who proceeded to deliver his best performance of the season (not counting the hiding he handed out to George Bowen in an early season game). He was looking very tired after losing the 4^th, but upped his game to take the 5^th in convincing style, winning 3-2.

So all square at 5 apiece. Le Roux on next a No 4, knowing that he could take the pressure off Vermaak if he had a good win. The team player that he is, he proceeded to clean up his opponent with a solid 3-0 win.

On last were the No 1’s, Graham against an up-and-coming young student. Graham was never really in trouble. Although he dropped the 2^nd game, he played well and was a comfortable 3-1 winner.

Final Result: 14-6

So after an excellent performance on the court, we moved on to Gino’s and enjoyed and a few good pizzas and beers.

Kind regards

Peter

Match result : 14 - 6

8th League “A” vs. JCC

What a lot of lolly Johannesburg Country Club has. Great lighting, well painted squash courts and under floor heating; but wait, with the renovations that the Chamber are undertaking, CCJ beware!

The upper-class (they somehow just looked more posh and classy!) yuppies tried, but failed and were thrashed by a far superior team; no, not the England soccer team; but the 8^th league Chamber A squash side. The Greek, who appears to be the only one that has money (your country needs you!) graced the boards first. On for a 3 egg win and oops Nic fluffed the third obviously saving himself for the last and went on to win 3-1. An abundance of courts allowed parallel matches and Gary acted his way to a workman like 3-0 win. Mike followed and eased the first, not breaking sweat, oozed arrogance that went to his head and found himself 2-1 down. Spurred on by encourager Gary, he pulled level and attempted to motivate himself to win for the team! Last game, evens to 5, then Mike 5-10 down, then 9-13 down. “Oh no!” plus some other unprintable, epithets from the other doctor, Lyal, whispering George and the rest of the team save Paul who was grinding out a five setter win, were heard from the gallery. Mike, too scared to come off court with a loss, used his ample years of experience (it turned out that he had been playing squash longer than the number of years his opponent Mark had been on the planet) won the next point, got to 10, still serving got to 11………. to cut a long story short…… went on to win 15-13. A superb win from this weeks MVP and a second 16 pointer in a row for the team. An extremely successful and enjoyable evening was rounded off in the well appointed, but hellish expensive drinks-wise, bar.

The team finds itself 10 points in front of the second place team Old Eds. Two tough matches follow in consecutive weeks, Edenvale (without this week’s MVP) and old Eds. The depth of talent, as can be seen in the picture, including Stephan will hopefully come to the fore and thus continue their winning streak.

The triumphant team that beat Johannesburg Country Club. L to R: Nic, Paul, Mike, Lyal, George, Gary

Squash Tip of the Week

Never give up till the fat lady sings or in Chamber 8^th league terms; the grey, fat man sings!

#1: Paul vs. Someone, 3-2: 15-8 13-15 15-9 11-15 15-8

#2: Nic vs. Marc, 3-1: 15-13 15-9 8-15 15-12

#3: Michael vs. Mark: 3-2: 15-10 12-15 11-15 15-11 15-13

#4: Gary vs. John: 3-0: 15-9 15-7 15-10

Match score: 16 - 5

7th League vs. Wits

Thought I had a full team organized, but fate intervened in the form of a hockey ball and a slave driving boss. Phil Alves managed to save a certain goal in his friendly hockey game over the weekend by diverting the balls flight with the immensity of his noggin. Although the game was won, he has 8 stitches for his trouble. It’s this kind of dedication to his sport that we want to see brought back to the Chamber courts. And Mark was whisked off to a business meeting in some confidential location at short notice. Current speculation is that he is being plied with cognac, cigars and a harem of women. With a bit of help from Lyal though, a team was raised at the 11^th hour.

No.2 Brennan vs Dhiren: Fresh back from the volcanically charged flight paths of Finland and with a lurgy caught en route, though not the dreaded SARS and Brennan was shoved into the second spot. This was more out of spite though – Brennan has one of the first iPads in the country and has to test run it for demo purposes. So he had to be punished and took the court first. It was a bit of a ho-hum game in the first – some god shots mixed up with some bad. The bad shots won out and he went down. The second game was much the same with his flu bug starting to affect his game and mistakes were made where they shouldn’t have been. Third game followed suit and it was a tough start for the team. 0-3

No. 4 Lyal vs Jonathan: Lyal promised an exhibition of his new ’magic’ shot during the game. This immediately had the rest of us pretty worried. Lyal’s opponent was a lanky looking lad with an air of fitness about him. This was no pressure for our Lyal ‘cause he’s been known to teach Billy Banks a thing or two about fitness. And this was proved as he got a come from behind victory in the first. Still no sign of this magic shot though. It wasn’t needed in any case and Lyal took the second by a mile (15-13). Next game went badly for our boy and he needed a pick-up. Didn’t get it in the fourth, despite a spirited fightback from 0-8 down. Alas, it was not to be. The magic was gone and Lanky Jonno used all of his height to his advantage and played some tight shots to finish off an entertaining match.

No. 3 Tom vs Moneeb: Pressure was now on and Moneeb looked fit and handy with the racquet. This proved to be the case and the first couple of games were fast and ferocious. Tom fought hard and played some sharp shots, but gave away too many points at the back end of the games. The third game was our last chance at retrieving the evening. But Moneeb was on form and sealed it for Wits in style.

No. 1 Bruce vs Steven: Old man Bruce was still fighting off a niggling back strain and only agreed to play because we were short of players. The first game was inauspicious and there were more errors than we’ve come to expect from him. In the second game he came alive – the length, boast and drops were all precision engineered. The accountant in him came through and embellishments were axed in favour of efficiency. In short, he played a great game. As much as Bruce shone in the second game, his opponent did likewise in the third. It was t1t-for-tat and Bruce wasn’t going to be the t1t. He bounced right back in the fourth to set up a grand finale. Bruce’s stats show that 60% of his games are five setters. In this one his oppo pipped him despite Bruce running after them two yellow dots in earnest.

Ouch. A whitewash for the 7ths. Not our best evening and hopefully we can turn it around on the return leg. We’ll blame this loss on the ‘funny’ courts at Wits that put us off our collective games. The remainder of the first half of the season is unlikely to be any easier though with the two top teams on the table still to be played.

Summary

1. Bruce lost 2-3: 11-15; 15-8; 8-15; 15-7; 10-15

2. Brennan lost 0-3: 12-15; 12-15; 9-15

3. Tom lost 0-3: 10-15; 10-15; 11-15

4. Lyal lost 2-3: 15-13; 15-13; 8-15; 12-15; 8-15

Match score: 4 - 16

6thth League A vs Pirates

Good win for Chambers (12-6)

Court:1 Winner:Pirates PR03
MIKE,EMSLIE- vs. George,Palmer-
15-13 15-5 15-13

“Tiny” G just couldn’t get into the game and should have nailed the first and 3^rd game, but alas it was not to be………

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Court:2 Winner:Chamber Exiles CH04
John,Shannon- vs. Graham,GORDON-
15-12 16-18 15-11 12-15 15-11

Foxy still digesting the pork pie from his UK trip and could have done it in 3 but only catching a bit of a wake up in the last against a f#$^$ determined Ginger.

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Court:3 Winner:Chamber Exiles CH04
Gerhard,Botha- vs. Anthony,ILLING-
9-15 15-13 15-6 15-8

All it took was a change in game plan tactics after being 1 game down…..from hard hitting to softly, softly. Anthony is still waiting for the ball at the back!!!

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Court:4 Winner:Chamber Exiles CH04
Stuart,Vey- vs. Stephan,Beal-
15-13 15-10 15-9

Stu playing last “I don’t have to win, hey?” mmmmm Yes Stu it is 6 all….and what a champ (leaving his skirt at home for the night) pulling off a 3 zip win, chasing every ball like a Pirate chasing a stash of gold!!!

Finished off with Hamburgers and beer at the club.

Ciao

The Scribe

5thth League vs Winchester

5^th League travelled south to Winchester.

First on was CvH at number 1 against Neil Buckle who had been brought out of retirement. After a close first game, Neil hurt his hamstring in the second and it was plain sailing from there for a 3-0 win

Next up at No.3 was Gavin who had to play Hans Mordt! Despite a valiant effort from Gavin, Hans was too strong for Gavin and won 3-0.

Next on at No.4 was Richard against Albert Lumley, who I thought was too strong for a No.4 in 5^th league. However, the “long arm of Richard” put Albert under pressure, and by the third Albert’s legs (knees) were no good and Richard secured a good win 3-0.

Last on was Flip who needed a game against Alan Eve to secure the win. First was close , but Alan won 15-12. Second was as close, with Flip getting to 12-10 up, but losing 15-12! Slight panic amongst the Chamber team, but fortunately Alan had worked hard, and Flip managed to win the next three games to secure the win.

Result 3-1, 12-5. Winchester retired to Ginos, but the hard working Chamber Exiles made their satisfied way back north. Always nice to beat Winchester, especially at Winchester

Match result : 12 – 5

4th LEAGUE vs Randburg

4^th vs Randburg

It was like a Master’s game. Chamber brought 4 Master’s players who play at Randburg every Thursday, Randburg brought only 2. Sneaked a couple of youngsters in.

Ryan played first against Roy Plumstead. Was a close match with the master teaching the youngster what happens if you don’t play tight. In the 5^th, Ryan ran back for a shot placed in the left back corner, tripped and hit his face on the back wall. Luckily Sven was the marker who started his stop watch and gave Ryan the full 5 minutes allowed to recover. We weren’t sure he was going to continue. Ryan played great squash until the fuzziness cleared in his head but managed to hang on and win 15-13.

Gary played next against Eugene. Gary made hard work of it and only won in 5.

Phil then played against Sven and although the first was close, Phil was never really in the match and Sven won 3-0.

Vevek played last against Ryan Cooper. Vevek started strong and managed to go 2-0 up, but then looked a bit tired and Ryan clawed back. Ryan won the 3^rd and looked like he was going to win the 4^th. Vevek came back from 12-14 down to win the 4^th.

Jeff chose to sit out but came down to support and was the team coach – gave all the players good advice between the games.

1) Gary 3-2

2) Phil 0-3

3) Vevek 3-1

4) Ryan 3-2

Jeff chose to sit out but came down to support and was the team coach – gave all the players good advice between the games.

Match result : 12 - 8

2nd LEAGUE vs Bryanston

Francis: won 3-1

Mwansa: won 3-2

Stanley: won 3-0

Mike lost 2-3

Match Result: 14-6

Ladies 4th LEAGUE 02 vs Randburg

Alma lost 0-3

Pat won 3-0

Belinda won 3-0

Chrisna won 3-0

Overall result:12-3

Ladies 3rd LEAGUE 01 vs Pirates (Or Pirates Old Girls vs Pirates)

Joanne won 3-1

Audrey won 3-1

Josephine lost 0-3

Julie won 3-1

Overall result: 12 - 6

10th LEAGUE vs Wanderers

1. Nusrah Cassiem won 3-0
2. Gabrielle Meenehan won 3-0
3. Mario Fourie won 3-0
4. Roger Johnson won 3-0

A good 16-0 win!

Regards Roger

Final result :16 - 0

8th league “B” vs. Wendywood

We hosted Wendywood last night and it turned out to be quite a humdinger.

First on at No 2 was Peter le Roux, playing against the same opponent he played last year and lost. After a slow start Peter picked up his game but still managed to lose the first game due to a few unforced errors. Games 2 and 3 went according to the script and easily won. The 4^th was a bit tougher but a few delicate drops late in the game clinched a 3-1 victory for Chambers

Next on at No 3 was Big G. After a great opening game, Gavin met with a bit of resistance in the second, but managed to hold on to win it 17-15. So 2-0 up and looking good for Chambers. The third was another close encounter and at 14 all a 3 duck victory was still on the cards. But it was not to be. Gavin’s opponent seemed to find some form and clinched the 3^rd game and then went on to take the next two games for a good come-from-behind 3-2 victory.

Next on court were the No 1’s. This was a good match up with Graham playing a strong opponent (only beaten by Old Eds this year). Both playing a similar running game. The first game was very close with Graham’s opponent winning 15-13. Graham was game point up in the second, but he managed to come up with great tin shot at the most inappropriate time, which contributed to his demise. The wind was out of his sail during the third game as his opponent raced ahead and a late rally was too little too late for Graham. Nevertheless an entertaining game, but defeat for Chambers 0-3.

So the game count was 5-7 and we needed to win the last game 3-0. Chris took on a wily old campaigner and did the team proud. Although there were a few nervous moments during the game when his opponent briefly snuck ahead, Chris rallied well and always seemed to be in control of the game. He eventually swept his opponent aside with an emphatic 3-0 victory to clinch the rubber for Chambers.

Match result : 10 - 7

8th League “A” vs. Wits

This Wits team at least looks like a bunch of students (unlike the other Wits 8^th league team who have no association beyond squash with that fine institution). They seemed a bit wary of these old dudes they had to play, especially since there seemed to be so many of them and more arrived as the evening progressed. Mike H and Whispering George came along for drinks, eats and so that they could encourage and verbally abuse their team mates and Gary was there hoping to play socially. That meant the entire team pitched up (and not by accident). How’s that for team “gees”?

Dr Lyal went on first against Ryan and had an easy time of it, not allowing the youngster any leeway. (Only an old fart like me can use the term “youngster” and get away with it!) Lyal and Gary then had a 5 setter so that Lyal could feel like he had run a bit.

Dr Paul then took on Lauren, the young lady who gave Pete Fillmore carrots a few weeks ago. Maybe she was somewhat off her game but she offered only token resistance (that just doesn’t sound right, but you catch my drift).

Steph then faced Alan, who seemed a pushover in the warm-up, but performed much better in the game. Consensus is that this was the toughest game of the evening. Steph gets this quite a lot, seems his style of play makes the opponent look good. Especially, when in the third game, on match point, he was presented with a sitter and proceeded to mash it and then lose the game!

Finally Nic the Greek (MVP*) played Ruben, who offered stern resistance in the first game but then faded. Nic did play better length in the later games, probably due to the polite support (and jeering) from the support crew, Mike and George.

All the kids then went home and the adults went off to Lapa Fo for light refreshments. (Gino’s was briefly considered, but this time we all agreed with George that it was too far).

Results: Chamber Wits

Dr Paul Lauren 3 – 0

Nic Ruben 3 – 0

Steph Alan 3 – 1

Dr Lyal Ryan 3 – 0

16 – 1

(MVP* = Most Valued Player and star – at least in his own mind)

Match score: 16 -1

7th League vs. Southern Suburbs

So, we played Suburbs, at home, and smashed them. Overall 14-6 (I think).

Bruce: 2-3 (I think). He was up against Boris Becker's squash-playing cousin from Mulbarton, who was diving all over the show and playing some crazy squash. Bruce's efforts to match him earned him a muscle strain in his back, poor bugger.

Mark: 3-1 (I think). Mark's opponent Ocki was big and capable, and keen on playing a borderline game all night. Marking was no fun at all. After losing the first mark managed to force enough lets and shout at the marker enough to put Ocki off. Mark also did a bit of diving.

Phil: 3-1. Lost the first game when I shouldn't have, but managed to grab the next three as my opponent's concentration slowly disappeared in favour of self-deprecating jokes (at which we all obligingly laughed).

Tom: 3-1 (I think). Tom's game (read fitness) is improving every week, and his class eventually shone through against an akward-yet-surprisingly-effective opponent. Our Tom is turning into a bit of weapon at no. 4.

Dinner at Doppio after was delicious as always.

Match score: 14 - 6

6thth League B vs Parkview

The B team did twice as well as the a team against Parkview

Duncan won 3-2

Gavin lost 2-3

Helena lost 1-3

Manie lost 2-3

Match result : 8 – 14

6thth League A vs Randburg

6^th A won against Randburg

9-7 (Points count by 3 !!!)

ATS sports mail system reports (we all played against I. Substitute??? Something funny going on at that club……..)

Court:1 Winner:Randburg RB05

I,Substitute (AKA Sven- vs. John,Shannon)
15-10 15-13 15-9

Foxy did not come out of his hole tonight and the jetsetter lifestyle and worldwide travels getting to him. Next time John…..

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Court:2 Winner:Chamber Exiles CH04
Fergus,Macleod- vs. I,Substitute (AKA Raphael “Nadal”)
13-15 15-9 15-10 15-7

A bit rusty at first but when the knees got warmed up he was like a CAT D9 (brul net as hy stoot) and there was no stopping Fergus!!

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Court:3 Winner:Chamber Exiles CH04
Gerhard,Botha- vs. I,Substitute (AKA Mike)
15-11 15-6 15-13

A bit too experienced for this youngster on the night.

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Court:4 Winner:Randburg RB05
I,Substitute (AKA Chris??- vs. Henrik,Kruger-)
15-9 15-7 13-15 15-11

Henrik waking up in the third but to no avail….. Keep chipping away Boet!!

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Night was ended off with Pizza’s and beer at Doppio’s

Ciao

The Scribe

Match result : 11 - 9

5thth League vs Parkview

Parkview Team are leading the log in 5^th league, and Captain–my-Captain had a cunning plan to rotate one of my stronger players

Flip vs David Paella. Despite David playing with a knee brace and Flip having all the legs, David managed to outsmart Flip and won 3-1.

Chris vs David Sauerman. Dave got quickly to a 2-0 lead before yours truly managed to get back into the game taking the next two to level the scores at 2-2. Got ahead in the 5^th and led 12-9, but could not finish and lost 15-12 for a 3-2 loss.

David Peacock vs Chris Naidoo. Dave was just too good with his boasts, so even though Chris managed to scrape one game, Dave won 3-1.

Last but not least, David Cilliers vs Hano v.Zyl. Richard managed to win 3-1, with a little wobble in the second game.

Team won by a game, but all in all a good night for “Davids” and Richard.

Result Chamber won 11-8, to close the gap on Parkview.

Match result : 11– 8

4th LEAGUE vs UJ

Mike played 1 against Simphiwe, first game going to 21/19, and other 2 quite close but Mike managing to win in 3.

Jeff played against Sean. Jeff started slow losing the first but managed to win the next 3 comfortably.

Phil played a girl (Kathryn) and won in 3, although the games were fairly close.

Ryan played Jared, lost the first, came back to win the next 2, lost the 4^th narrowly and won the fifth.

Good result, although UJ are bottom of the log.

Mike: 3-0

Jeff: 3-1

Phil: 3-0

Ryan: 3-2

Match result : 16 - 3

2nd LEAGUE vs Alberton

Francis: won 3-1

Mwansa: lost 2-3

Stanley: lost 0-3

Willem won 3-0

Match Result: 10-7

Ladies 3rd LEAGUE 01 vs Old Eds

WOMEN LEAD THE WAY. HOME TO OLD EDS (By Whispering George)

Now if anyone wants good post weekend free entertainment, you can do no better than come down to the club on a Monday night and check out the ladies in action.

Actually I'm talking about womens's 3rd league. What a gas.

On first went Audrey and had a good game but just couldn't pull it through at the end and went down 1 -- 3.

This other Chamber chick called Heather someone was next. Probably her career best game ever, or so I'm told. Yeah I have to agree though, it was actually pretty good. Against an excellent young grade 10 black kid who pulled out all the stops. It fluctuated both ways throughout but the youngster with darker pigmentation stuck to her task and eventually closed it down 3 --2.

Followed on by reigning club champ Joanne. Nothing wrong here either I can tell you. Another titanic battle leaving spectator Claude Klopper gasping over his amstel. Just a great game pure and simple. And she pulled it off 3-- 2 to boot. Pretty cool.

Last came Josephine. The most unlikely of athletes you would think. So think again. I reckon she'll outrun Brian Swiegers and Gavin Martin any time. Also plays the best frame shot in town. Chamber up again in another 5 setter 3 -- 2.

So no less than 3 five setters in one night whch ended it 2 a piece. And down to a points count down.

I hope we won but I couldn't stay any longer to find out. Was very late. What a gas.

Overall result:9 - 12

11th LEAGUE vs UJ

11^th League played last night the 31^st March at home against Old Edwardians.

Another resounding win for the 11^th league. Old Eds were knocked out 13 – 5 by the Champions.

1. First up was Johan Mare playing Warren Saevitzon. Johan took a big knock in the first game but fought back bravely to take the second but couldn’t hold on to the advantage, eventually going down to a skilful opponent. Score 1- 3.
2. Des playing No. 2 against Yoav Leviner showed his true form with a comfortable win in the first and second games. Appearing to relax too much he suddenly woke up when he lost the 3^rd 11-15 coming back with a vengeance in the 4^th with another comfortable win at 15-9. Score 3-1
3. Paddy was up next playing No. 3 against Justin O’Brien, who at 2 metre plus is probably one of the tallest players in the league. No problem for Paddy though, this bloke doesn’t drive a new car for nothing, he got into top gear and cruised home with a comfortable 3-1 win over his opponent. Score 3-1
4. John playing Patrick was the real champ of the night and showed everyone what an almost 70 year old can do with a squash ball – he put it away in 3 games to win 3-0. Score 3-0

Final Result Chambers win 13-5.

John F.

Final result : 13 - 5

10th LEAGUE vs Jeppe

We took the long road (unnecesarily longer for some) to Jeppe in Bedforview in a thunderstorm of note making navigating the badly marked and busy roads tough! The 1st of us arrived their at 19:15 due to various reasons (Lets just say I know the roads around there much better now and if there are roadworks at an intersection with no boards, that will ultimately be the road you are looking for! Boeing road east in this instance) and to our surprise their 10th league guys (and girl) were still sportingly waiting for us. Well if we thought getting there was tough our opponents were even tougher.

As they say in the classics ' We came, we saw AND THEY KICKED OUR BUTTS!'.The 10th league unbeaten run came to an abrupt end in week 4. Not the scoreline we expected for our 1st loss! 0 - 16 (and the games werent even as close as the scorline suggested!)

So not much to comment about the games as we were all significantly outplayed by a very decent side that would probably end up very high on the log at the end of the season if they manage to field this team regularly.

The results for the record:

1) Phil Piper vs Robbie Coetzee 0 - 3 (11,11,10) - Phil played well and had some chances but Robbie well in control

2) Doran McKay vs Mike Haylat 0 - 3 (15,11,7) - Doran almost had a chance in the 1st but said he found it increasingly difficuilt reading this blokes game

3) Mario Fourie vs Greg Brumme 0 - 3 (6,6,12) - I was beaten in the warm up already as I was amazed by this oak warming up aka Willem Ras style by himself of the front and side wall! No recovery after that!

4) Paul vd Bijl vs Christine Lowe 0 -3 (12,10,14) Pauls 1st match of the season being the closest match of the evening, but sometimes good is just not good enough and we were just not able to get at least 1 game.

So back to the drawing board to prepare for the return leg to see if we can improve on this disapointing result.

!

Final result :12 - 4

8th league “B” vs. Edenvale

Graham lost 1-3

Peter F lost 1-3

Digby lost 0-3

Peter Le R won 3-1

Match result : 5 - 13

8th League “A” vs. Winchester Hills

Results: 1 Mike lost 2-3

2 Nic won 3-2

3 Lyal won 3-1

4 Gary won 3-2

Match score: 14 - 8

7th League vs. Parkview

Summary

1. Bruce won 3 – 0:

2. Mark lost 0 – 3:

3. Phil lost 2 – 3:

4. Tom lost 0 – 3:

Match score: 5 - 12

6thth League A vs Chamber B

A very close affair with A winning on a points count (7 points)!!!

George vs Duncan 2 3

Tiny “get down” G losing out on the last game at 16-14. But what a comeback after 2-0 down and Stu telling him to pick up the pace or ship out. Georgie then moved into overdrive with some well rehearsed brake dance moves and nearly upset Duncan on the night.

Gerhard vs Gavin 3 1

Not sure who made more mistakes but managed to keep Gavin at bay on this one.

Hendrik vs Graeme 3 2

Hendrik WON!!!!

Against a very confused Graeme….. he was not sure if he is playing for our team or the B side. Then telling him that we are the 5^th league and he is playing for Chambers at Braynston did not help either…had to stop him at the car just before he left for Bryanston. Henrik,one way of winning your game by confusing the hell out of your opponent!!

Stuart vs Helena 1 3

Two ladies playing….one with a skirt and mmmmmm…the other one also!! Helena just ran our Stu to ground and picking up every shot in every corner!! In Stu’s own words… “sy het nou my mieliepit pap gehardloop”

Games 9 9

Points 243 236

Ciao

The Scribe

Match result : 11 - 9

5thth League vs CCJ

Chris won 3-1

Gavin lost 1-3

Dave won 3-1

Richard won 3-0

Match result : 13– 5

4th LEAGUE vs Southern Suburbs

Jeff played Brian, had a good run but managed to win 3-1. No 5 setter!

Phil had a close one with Richard, last game going into the twenties, but clever Richard prevailed.

Vevek had a very hard 5 setter against Kurt, started strong but Kurt proved to be the fitter one.

Ryan had a 5 setter too against Mohamed, and managed to win.

Went to a points count and thankfully Chamber won (Vevek lost but had more points than Kurt.)

1) Jeff: 3-1

2) Phil: 1-3

3) Vevek: 2-3

4) Ryan: 3-2

Match result : 11 - 9

2nd LEAGUE vs Randburg

Francis: won 3-0

Mwansa: lost 3-0

Stanley: won 3-2

Mike lost 0-3

Match Result: 12-5

Ladies 4th LEAGUE 02 vs Old Eds

Alma lost 0-3

Pat lost 1-3

Belinda won 3-0

Chrisna won 3-0

Overall result:9 - 6

11th LEAGUE vs UJ

11th League results. Not pretty we played U.J. And these students never stop running. Keith played for us last night after a 3 month injury and played well for 2 games and the legs packed in for the 3rd. Des was a star last night and probably played the best squash I have ever see him play. He won't tell us his secret. Johan and myself both ran out of legs and conceded tamely.
Results:
Brian lost 3-1
Johan lost 3-1
Des won 3-0
Keith lost 3-0

Final result : 5 - 12

10th LEAGUE vs Edenvale

After a Storming start to the season (29 points from 2 matches) the 10th league felt Bullish about their Super 14 chances for week 3 at home vs.. Edenvale. Surely the home court, travelling required from opponents, altitude, very strong team on paper and all those things will be to the home teams advantage!

So 1st up at 4 was myself (Mario) against a guy (Joe) that I immediately thought how am I ever get the ball past this oak! So ended up playing a couple of decent drops and running him around and went up 2-0. So early in the 3 the dreaded F word entered my mind... Yes, Fitness I battled in the 3rd and lost it and at 8-8 all in the 4th I thought it was lights out but fortunately my opponent was starting to breathe harder than I and managed to pull it through in the 4th.

On next was our lefty Paul at 2 standing in for our other lefty Gabrielle, whose injury required a bit of rest, against Theo who wasn't sure if he was playing 2, so my guess was probably a regular 1 dropped to 2 to bolster their team. Me was rights as Paul soon found out that this oak seem to be at the end of every single good shot Paul played and managed in the end to frustrate Paul tremendously leading to more mistakes and a 0-3 loss. (OK so not a 16 pointer on the cards - but lets not be too greedy!)

Phil Piper, another stand in, played at 1 and steadily overcame Toby with consistent squash and good running to deservedly outplay a tiring Toby, handing Chambers another 3-0 victory.

So al we needed was at least 1 game in the final match as we looked ok in the points section. Nusrah played a very decent no. 3 (Mark) who managed a couple of very decent fetches and some neat angles - fortunately Nusrah started working them out and worked Mark over taking a hard but deserving 3-0 victory.

The 10th thus managed to hold onto their unbeaten record against a very good side taking the match 12 - 4. Go the 10th!

Final result :12 - 4

8th league “B” vs. Wits

Graham won 3-0

Peter F lost 1-3

Digby won 3-0

David won 3-0

Match result : 13 - 3

8th League “A” vs. Pirates

For the first time this season, we arrived at a match with the comfort of knowing our playing positions. Nice change and it shows in the results.

First up was Nic the Greek against Rob, apparently back after a bit of a layoff and fortunately for Nic still a bit rusty. Nic took the first game at a canter, but in the second game it became clear that he was not going to have everything his own way. Rob can retrieve and Nic accommodated by playing short (yeah I know he is, but I mean his game). At 2-1 down Nic looked out of it, but he found some better form and Rob looked a bit weary. Then, a few points into the 5^th, Nic pulls funny faces and hobbles around clutching his calf. After a short time out and application of some strapping he returned to seal the deal. Great sighs of relief from our team.

Next up was Gary, looking appropriately piratical sporting a bandanna sweatband and ear-ring. He played Justin and made light work of the match. We were a bit concerned when Gary offered his opponent a let after the marker had awarded a stroke to Gary. Justin, of course, capitalised on this generosity and took the next couple of points as well, but normal service was resumed and no real harm done.

Mike then took on Simon and quickly lost the first game. There went any notion of an early night (with two other home matches and some social players all the courts were being used!) Mike responded by taking the second but dropped the third. Simon at times looked like he had figured out Mike’s game, but Mike was too cunning and ground out a win. Somewhere along the line, Mike also reversed a marking decision in his favour, but he won the resultant let, maybe he was just messing with Simon’s mind.

Finally, the courts now empty due to the late hour, Steph played the other Rob. No disputed decisions or funny stuff, the pressure was on to finish quickly.

None of our opponents stayed for food but we celebrated the victory at Doppios anyway.

Results: Chamber Pirates

1 Mike Simon 3 – 2

2 Nic Rob 3 – 2

3 Steph Another Rob 3 – 0

4 Gary Justin 3 – 0

Match score: 16 - 4

7th League vs. Jeppe

Always a bit of a lottery with the traffic when travelling to the east – this time we were lucky and hit relatively smooth flow. And we got two courts to play on, no less so things were looking promising before a foot had even been set on court. Most of the Jeppe 7^th league was familiar to most of our 7^th league team with players from both sides having been in the 9^th league last year.

After missing the last two weeks and getting a few “slack captaincy” comments, I decided to get on court first and restore the natural order of things. I was up against Anton “the Deceptor” and to tell the truth, I don’t remember much about the match apart from his backhand crosscourt drops off the high shots that completely undid me. After I stopped lobbing to his backhand, things turned in my favour and I settled the match 3-1.

Next on was Phil vs Graeme “the Runner”. Graeme is training for the Comrades (when I played him last year he made me run a marathon one corner of the court at a time) and is generally not an opponent who you can outlast. Luckily, he’d finished a 50km training run over the weekend and Phil capitalized on his gammy ankles with some accurate squash. Good length and well timed drops were too much for Graeme and Phil took first place on the podium after a minor glitch in the third game which he lost despite a comeback from 0-8 down. So 3-1 to Phil.

Tom took on Detlev “the Grey” on the other court at the same time. This was a closely fought contest with the important points going to Tom. Despite doing his knee in the first game, he used some classic boasts befuddle his opponent and then dominated the T well to cut off anything loose. Detlev bobbed and weaved some to win the third game. Tom then cut down on his mistakes to close out the match. He tells me it’s the influence of fresh mountain air from the long weekend. I’m thinking we should bottle the stuff and use it in lieu of creatine. 3-1 to Tom.

Mark on for the finale against Paul. I made a squash faux pas by letting Mark know the evening had already been won before he played. Apparently he prefers the high pressure situations. Can’t accuse him of letting his guard down though because this was the best game of the evening and Mark wasn’t helped by the calls of the marker (me). The first game was impressive with never more than 2 points difference in the score. Unfortunately those crucial 2 points went the way of Paul who finally took the game 20-18. Next game saw Paul surge ahead to 14-8. Never-say-die Mark inched his way back in to 14-14. Again the crucial 2 points saw Paul go up two games. Mark was firing in the third game and was 12-7 up when dodgy tactics came into play. Paul “the Destructor” obviously needed a break ‘cause he snapped the head of his racquet. After a breather, Paul won 3 quick points to take the score to 10-12 before he needed another break and snapped the strings of the second racquet. Strangely, no-one seemed willing to lend him a third racquet and it was several minutes before one was tentatively volunteered. As far as delaying tactics go, this was proving an expensive one. By now Mark’s concentration had been obliviated and Paul went on to take the match 3-0.

Supper and drinks were downed at the local Primi amidst discussion on Graeme’s single handed effort to make the World Cup a financial success – he’s got tickets to 14 games and counting. The gauntlet for the return game was thrown down with a challenge by way of an interesting variation of a tequila shot, complete with tomato, tobasco and black pepper.

Summary

1. Mark lost 0 – 3: 18-20, 14-16, 13-15

2. Phil won 3 – 1: 15-8, 18-16, 11-15, 15-8

3. Nigel won 3 – 1: 16-14, 13-15, 15-11, 15-10

4. Tom won 3 – 1: 17-15, 15-13, 7-15, 15-12

Match score: 12 - 6

6thth League B vs Bryanston

Duncan lost 2-3

Gavin lost 1-3

Manie lost 0-3

Helena won 3-0

Match result : 6 – 12

6thth League A vs Parkview

Foxy against Brice – Lost 1-3

On the night, this guy was just too good for our Foxy and maybe his mind was already on the 2 week trip to the UK eating cold Pork Pie………

Tiny George P against Gie – Lost 0-3

TGP SOBWE (means…. Tiny George P still on big weekend !!) Did not see the ball, hear the ball or speak to the ball. Complained about the “funny way” the ball is bouncing on the Park View courts. Too much tequila does that to you Georgie…..

Gerhard against Ronaldo (Bruce Lee’s other brother) – WON 3-2

Tough one on the night and should have finished it off after the 4^th but decided I need the exercise and won 17-15 in the 5^th.

Hendrik against Howard – Lost 0-3

Hendrik being warned beforehand that the oke is left handed did not help and also commenting afterwards that he doesn’t know WTF his doing. Hendrik you are playing league squash Boet and yes, plenty of games left to sort out the mind…….

Ciao

The Scribe

Match result : 4 - 14

5thth League vs Bryanston

Flip lost 0-3

Gavin lost 1-3

Dave/Chris won 3-1

Richard won 3-1

This match was remarkable for the fact that the P………hen hit himself in the eye with his own racket – had to retire and sportingly the Bryanston guys agreed that Chris could play the match for him.

Match result : 7– 10