Essex Junior Squash broke new ground last week when the county’s boys took on the players from Lloyds of London Squash Club.
After previous match-ups between the Essex’s girls’ teams and Lloyds, it was the turn of the boys to test their skills on the courts at the Reuters building on the Isle of Dogs.
Ten players from Essex, along with friends, family and coaches, headed for East London full of hope and expectation. We are grateful for Jamie Brown for supplying the match information and some of the photographs from the day.
Match 1: Jamie Brown vs Bob Sherlock. Playing seventh string and with most parents watching, this see-saw of a match saw the Lloyds player take the first game 11-9 with Jamie responding in the second winning 11-5. Bob stormed the third 11-0 but the Essex junior dug-in in the fourth winning 15-13, saving two match-balls in the process. The deciding fifth game was tense but Jamie held his nerve to take it 11. The thunderous applause was great to hear and served as a confidence boost for rest of team.
Match 2: Alex Banhidai vs Will Murray-Willis. Playing ninth string, tough left-hander Alex really showed his class and it was clear to see why he is ranked fourth in the England Squash listings. Alex was always in command coming through with an excellent 3-0 win to put Essex two nil up.
Match 3: Stan Sykes vs Andy Samuel. This third-string match produced some amazing squash but proved a little too tough for Stan. His opponent was a class act who used his experience and athleticism to good effect. Stan fought for every point but had had to settle for applause over victory this time around.
Match 4: Charlie Broad vs Alex Bates. Charlie knows some of the Lloyds players and he used his inside knowledge to good effect carving out an impressive 3-1 win. In a great atmosphere, Charlie hit the ball cleanly, delivered a hatful of crosscourt nicks and claimed the win in a highly entertaining match against a good opponent.
Match 5: Palmer Deville vs Tom Hazzard. Hazzard is young and fast, but so was our fifth string player, Palmer. In a hard and competitive match full of energy and guts, the match went Lloyds’ way 3-0 but the result belies the closeness of the encounter.
Match 6: Harry Martin vs Matthew Hazzard. Harry took on the Matthew, the brother of Tom, clearly a talented family. This was always going to be tough match for Harry but he dug in and gave the stronger player a good run for his money. But Hazzard’s fast-paced game was the key with the Lloyds man winning 3-0.
Match 7: Daniel Caton vs Tom Hazzard (substituting for Matt Crosby). This was a fascinating game of squash with the ball being continuously played down the backhand wall. Every point was keenly contested and every game was incredibly tight. Daniel narrowly lost, but in truth the match could have gone either way.
Match 8: Jenson Deville vs Darren Vickery. Ball never in the same corner twice in a row, fast game, flexibility of Deville against the street-smart of Vickery, Deville got onto ball early, taking time away from opponent, quick speed too much for Vickery, Deville coming out 3-1 in a good match.
Match 9: Travis Tatum vs Robbie Maycock. There was very little difference in the ability of the two players with the key factor being patience and consistency. Travis knew he was in for a battle and gave everything for the team. Unfortunately, Maycock’s experience and court craft won the day giving Lloyds a 5-4 lead going into the final match.
Match 10: Antony Yip vs Simon Durkin. With the gallery packed to capacity, Anthony gave everything he had for the Essex cause. The match swung one way and then the other as the two players went toe to toe in a fabulous game of squash. The Lloyds man was on a mission but he looked shaken as Anthony carved out match-ball in the fifth. Sadly though for Essex, Durkin survived that point and came back to take the match 3-2 to a thundering round of applause aimed at both players.
So the final scored ended: Lloyds of London 6 – Essex Junior Boys 4. Another fabulous battle between the teams in what has become a brilliant match up involving our junior players.
