NORFOLK SQUASH 1984 July 14
SQUASH CLUB MOVE TO NEW HOME
MARTIN BRAYBROOK on squash
Since its inception, the Burgh Hall Squash Club has been based at — and played all home matches on — courts attached to the Burgh Hall Country Club. This arrangement has now ceased following an extraordinary general meeting. I understand the squash club were informed that if they were not prepared to sign, unconditionally, a lease for the two courts at the country club, then organised and competitive squash at the venue would cease. A unanimous vote among squash club members determined that such a demand was unacceptable without further negotiation. As this request was apparently refused, immediate plans were made to approach the owners of the recently opened Sportsman Club in Gorleston, in the hope that the squash club could find a new home. Initial reactions from the Sportsman have been most favourable, and all Burgh Hall’s remaining home summer league fixtures will now be played on the two glass-backed courts there. NAME CHANGE I understand that on Monday evening, an application will be placed before the Executive Committee of the Norfolk SRA by the Burgh Hall club to change its name to “The Sportsman” and to retain its existing league status. These developments are unfortunate and deeply disappointing to Colin Murgatroyd, who has worked so hard for the Burgh Hall Squash Club. One probable outcome will be the cancellation of the East Norfolk Junior Open Championships this year, unless alternative arrangements can be made. AROUND THE COURTS Division 4 champions, King’s Head II, celebrated in style with a 19–4 maximum win at Barnham Broom, against the home side’s second string, who are struggling at the other end of the table. King’s Head captain, Malcolm Clarke, reports that David Halls and Stephen Plackett finished the summer season with 100% records, while Ashley Page, who recorded a straight-games win over Mervyn Negus, appears to have regained his confidence. This match marked the final appearance for King’s Head by Dave Roberts, who is moving to Reading. He will have been especially pleased to bow out on such a successful note. Barnham Broom’s third string are faring better than their second team. They maintained their challenge in Division Eight with a 17–9 win over North Walsham III, for whom only “Digger” Shaw was victorious. Fellow veteran David Hannant came close to beating young Tim Burrows, but after recovering from two games down, eventually lost 2–9, 9–10, 6–9, 5–6, 1–6. John Thornton won his match in four games, and the home team’s other winners were the experienced duo of Jerry Sutton and Ron Websdale. Cromer, enjoying a successful summer in Division Seven, clinched the title with a comprehensive 18–7 win over their nearest rivals, Oasis. Dave Long and Roy Simpson came in from the second team and both recorded 3–1 victories, as did John Baker and Francis Sanders. Division 11 Champions-elect Ashill took another step closer to the title with a dominant 19–2 win over Cromer’s third string. Cromer III had earlier recorded their second win of the summer — a 17–9 success at Norwich, thanks to wins by Martin Braybrook, Tony Kerry, Tim Payne, and Henry Cooper. Cooper, incidentally, is 65 years old, but still plays with great enthusiasm and often turns out for the team at short notice. WOMEN’S LEAGUE ROUND-UP East Anglia’s hopes of winning the Division One title receded after a 13–10 defeat to Broadland. After losing the first game against Bamba de Prevest, Karen Grearly recovered to win 2–9, 9–0, 9–1. Chris Colman played very well to beat Shelagh Fulcher 9–5, 9–6, 7–9, 6–9, 9–6. Trudy Jones won the deciding match against Paula Fuller 9–6, 9–1, 4–9, 9–7. In Division Three, Aylsham recorded their first win of the summer, overwhelming bottom-of-the-table King’s Head 18–3, with straight-game victories from Sarah Perrett, Dawn Townsend, and Diana Hale. Barnham Broom, leaders of Division Two, lost their unbeaten record in a 17–5 defeat to Dereham, a result which throws the title race wide open. Sarah Murgatroyd was too strong for Julie Pond, and with Barnham Broom fielding a weakened side, only Terry Thornton could manage a win. Penny Butcher, Jackie Stebbings, and Fay Greaves all won for Dereham. SAMUEL SMITHS SUMMER CHALLENGE TROPHY – Semi-Finals Set The semi-final stage of the Samuel Smiths Summer Challenge Trophy has been reached: Lenwade vs. Broadland Gurneys Manor vs. Cromer Both ties will be held at Cromer on Sunday, July 22nd at 6:30 p.m.
NORFOLK SQUASH 1984 January
STUART’S HARD WORK REAPS RICH REWARD
MARTIN BRAYBROOK on squash
IT SAYS much for the dominance of established junior players in the county that three of the finals in the 1983 Temples (Estate Agents) Norfolk Closed Junior championships were contested by the same players as last year and no fewer than four of the girls retained their titles. The main event, the boys under-19, was one of the three same again finals but defending champion and No. 1 seed Robert Wright failed in his bid to become the first player since Richard Le Lievre, in 1977, to retain his title when he lost in four games to the No. 3 seed Stuart Windsor. Windsor has made rapid progress since taking up the game only four years ago and is another tribute to the coaching of 1967 county champion, Malcolm Clarke, who has now coached nine junior champions including four of the last five. Not blessed with exceptional natural ability, Windsor has worked tremendously hard to achieve a highly successful technique and playing standard and thoroughly deserved his win in the final. Having defeated No. 2 seed, Simon Rogers, in straight games in the semi-final, he never gave Wright a chance to settle and opened up leads of five points in the first game and four points in the second which helped him establish a 2-0 lead. Wright came back to take the third 9-3 but when trailing 0-2 in the fourth he suffered a severe attack of cramp which effectively ended any resistance he might have had and Windsor took the game 9-1 and with it the title. In his semi-final Wright had defeated the No. 5 seed David Youngs 3-1. This was a good performance by Youngs, who was the beaten finalist in the under-16 event last year and has two more years in which to make his mark at under-19 level. Last year’s under-14 champion, Alan Gordon of Dereham, was this year’s No. 1 seed in the under-16 event. After defeating the unseeded Sean Wright of North Walsham in the semi-final he came up against Wright’s club mate David Campion, who for the past two years has been the Yorkshire under-12 champion, in the final. With an age advantage of two years the physically stronger Gordon won comfortably in straight games 9-6, 9-4, 9-5, leaving Campion to concentrate on the under-14 title. Campion was No. 1 seed in this event and he made no mistake against the diminutive Jonathan Edwards of Lenwade, taking his third county title in three years, 9-4, 9-2, 9-7. He was always in control in the final although Edwards did have a chance to take a game when he led 7-5 in the third. Another of the seemingly inexhaustible supply of talented youngsters from North Walsham, IT SAYS much for the dominance of established junior players in the county that three of the finals in the 1983 Temples (Estate Agents) Norfolk Closed Junior championships were contested by the same players as last year and no fewer than four of the girls retained their titles. The main event, the boys under-19, was one of the three same again finals but defending champion and No. 1 seed Robert Wright failed in his bid to become the first player since Richard Le Lievre, in 1977, to retain his title when he lost in four games to the No. 3 seed Stuart Windsor. Windsor has made rapid progress since taking up the game only four years ago and is another tribute to the coaching of 1967 county champion, Malcolm Clarke, who has now coached nine junior champions including four of the last five. Not blessed with exceptional natural ability, Windsor has worked tremendously hard to achieve a highly successful technique and playing standard and thoroughly deserved his win in the final. Having defeated No. 2 seed, Simon Rogers, in straight games in the semi-final, he never gave Wright a chance to settle and opened up leads of five points in the first game and four points in the second which helped him establish a 2-0 lead. Wright came back to take the third 9-3 but when trailing 0-2 in the fourth he suffered a severe attack of cramp which effectively ended any resistance he might have had and Windsor took the game 9-1 and with it the title. In his semi-final Wright had defeated the No. 5 seed David Youngs 3-1. This was a good performance by Youngs, who was the beaten finalist in the under-16 event last year and has two more years in which to make his mark at under-19 level. Last year’s under-14 champion, Alan Gordon of Dereham, was this year’s No. 1 seed in the under-16 event. After defeating the unseeded Sean Wright of North Walsham in the semi-final he came up against Wright’s club mate David Campion, who for the past two years has been the Yorkshire under-12 champion, in the final. With an age advantage of two years the physically stronger Gordon won comfortably in straight games 9-6, 9-4, 9-5, leaving Campion to concentrate on the under-14 title. Campion was No. 1 seed in this event and he made no mistake against the diminutive Jonathan Edwards of Lenwade, taking his third county title in three years, 9-4, 9-2, 9-7. He was always in control in the final although Edwards did have a chance to take a game when he led 7-5 in the third. Another of the seemingly inexhaustible supply of talented youngsters from North Walsham, Craig Aldred, was very impressive as he added the under-12 title to the under-10 title he won in 1981. He comfortably beat the cheerful Seamus Hunn who, incidentally, was proudly wearing a King’s Head T-shirt with the message... “I’m coached by Clarkie,” 9-1, 9-2, 9-3. Aldred also did well in the under-14 event as, unseeded, he reached the semi-final before losing to Campion. In the under-10 event Stuart Cowie, who was runner-up last year, looked as though he could be following in his mother’s footsteps, as he went one better, beating seven-year-old Robert Hammond 9-6, 9-1, 9-1. He also reached the semi-final of the under-12 event before losing to Aldred, and to complete a family double his six-year-old brother Marcus collected the trophy for being the youngest competitor in the tournament. The girls’ tournament was very much “as before.” Sarah Murgatroyd completed a hat-trick in the under-19 event as, in a repeat of last year’s final, she beat Sarah Winup in straight games with surprising ease. The under-16 final was the third final to feature the same two players as last year and again the result was the same. Last year, however, Sarah Winup beat Julie Pond for the loss of only three points but this year was made to work hard for her victory as, at one stage, the talented Barnham Broom youngster led 2-1 and 7-1 in the fourth game. Julie Pond made no mistake in the under-14 event as she, too, retained her title defeating 11-year-old Cassandra Jackman of North Walsham in straight games in the final. REPEAT Cassandra, however, won her third title in two years when she retained her under-12 title defeating Helen Stockdale in a repeat of last year’s under-10 final in straight games. There were only three entrants for the girls’ under-10 event but this should not detract from the performance of young Alison Bye who defeated Elizabeth Carman 3-2. The generous sponsorship of Messrs. Temples enabled plate events to be held in each age group and in the boys under-19 Sean Wright beat Gerard Tilley 3-2 in an all North Walsham final. Jonathan Brooks took the under-16 plate and Seamus Hunn took some consolation for his defeat in the final of the under-12 main event winning the under-14 plate. In the under-12 and under-10 plate events Howard and Nigel Catherall completed a family double. Joanna Winup, surprisingly beaten in the first round of the girls’ under-16 main event, took both the under-16 and under-19 girls’ plates whilst Helen Stockdale took her consolation in the under-14 plate and Julie Eagle won the under-12 event. A reminder to all clubs of the Norfolk SRA committee meeting which will be held at Lenwade House Hotel on Monday, January 9th, at 7.30 p.m. The three Balmforth Junior Leagues have reached the half-way stage and each age group still boasts one unbeaten team. At under-14 level Greshams are firmly in control, not having dropped a point in their five games, and Barnham Broom look likely winners of the under-12 league. Although King’s Head beat a below strength North Walsham side in the under-16 league, they are only four points ahead and the championship will probably be decided by the result of the return fixture. BALMFORTH LEAGUE TABLES UNDER-12 MIXED LEAGUE | Team | P | W | L | Ps | | Barnham Broom | 3 | 3 | 0 | 35 | | North Walsham | 3 | 2 | 1 | 28 | | Burgh Hall | 2 | 1 | 1 | 11 | | Dereham | 3 | 1 | 2 | 9 | | Cromer | 3 | 0 | 3 | 7 | UNDER-14 BOYS LEAGUE | Team | P | W | L | Ps | | Gresham's | 5 | 5 | 0 | 90 | | Barnham Broom | 5 | 4 | 1 | 71 | | North Walsham | 4 | 2 | 2 | 39 | | Hunters | 5 | 2 | 3 | 37 | | King's Head | 4 | 0 | 4 | 21 | | Burgh Hall | 3 | 0 | 3 | 2 | BOYS UNDER-16 LEAGUE | Team | P | W | L | Ps | | King's Head | 5 | 5 | 0 | 80 | | North Walsham | 5 | 4 | 1 | 76 | | Dereham | 5 | 2 | 3 | 42 | | Barnham Broom | 4 | 2 | 2 | 30 | | West Norfolk | 5 | 1 | 4 | 25 | | (Illegible) | 4 | 0 | 4 | 12 |