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Login: | Bristol & District Premier League Reports 4,5,6,7!Week 4 Workout A flex muscles in Lansdown rout A raucous crowd turned out to see Workout A take on a Lansdown side buoyed by the return of captain Mark Radley. Workout sent out English Senior National Champion Jack Mitterer to take on Mark, a multiple-time champion of Luxembourg in his own right. While the opening stages were closely fought, a key service error by Radley in the first game enabled Mitterer to seize the momentum and he never looked back, taking the victory 3-0. John Welton, Andy Lowe and Oli Harding showcased controlled displays of accurate hitting to secure the bonus points for Workout. Lansdown’s only success came from Shamiel Haezyad’s victory over Jack Alcock. Both players showed an array of fantastic attacking skills and outrageous retrievals but it was the youthful Haezyad who overcame the veteran Alcock in three tight games. Wyvern fielded a much-changed team against Workout B, half-term stripping them of some of their talented youngsters. Luke Bishop started strongly against ex-Wyvern legend Darren Pragasam, winning the first game and taking a commanding lead in the second. However Pragasam is no quitter and he fought back to win in four games. James Snell and Sam Price took victories for Wyvern, but Paul Frost levelled the tie with a victory over Ash Knight. Workout B’s Duncan Higgins took a 2-0 lead in the decisive rubber, but he was unable to complete the job as wily Somerset veteran Shaun Heath romped back to take the victory in five thrilling games. Redland A welcomed Dale Diment back for his first League match in two years, and he won a pulsating tie against the loquacious Ahmed Khan 12-10 in the fifth, sparking wild celebrations from both the player and the packed home balcony. Ameeshen returned to winning ways with a victory over Harry Anderson, both players showcasing their much lauded racket skills. Dave Allman’s return from a hip flexor injury was spoiled by Lukasz Marcinkowski, the Pole winning 3-1 in a typically tetchy affair. Redland A had Oli Costain and Barney Sykes to thank as wins for the duo meant that Redland took the win on the night. Week 4 Results Week 5 Fixtures (Tuesday 31 October)
Week 5 Rhiwbina take maximum points from Redland’s House of Horrors Rhiwbina made one change to their line-up, as they returned from their bye week with a trip to Redland B. On debut, Archie Davies-Clarke moved the ball around the court superbly in an impressive 3-1 victory over fellow Welshman Ian Fenner-Evans. Alex Rowlands and Phil Reddaway engaged in a titanic tussle but it was Rowlands’ endurance that won out in the end. Redland’s Ioan Sharpe put up a brave fight against James Peach, but the current WR98 used every trick in the book - including racy purple undergarments - to take the match 3-0. Lewis Poole and Evan Davies-Clarke made sure to complete the whitewash. Mark Radley was just a couple of points away from the upset of the season as the Lansdown star led Ameeshen by two games to one before eventually succumbing 11-9 in the fifth. Avon West picked up 3-0 wins through Mateusz Marcinkowski, Toby Kew and Ahmed Khan, with Lansdown’s sole success coming from a fit-again Antoine Riehl. Wyvern fielded three more debutants against Workout A; former Shepton Mallet whacker Adam Sindall-White the only one to taste victory. English Senior Champion Jack Mitterer again showed his breathtaking skills in a 3-0 victory over Devon hero James Snell. In a matchup of Bristol League legends, Luke Bishop defeated Jack Alcock 3-1. Club Captain John Welton rubbished reports that Alcock may soon be dropped from the side, giving the current Avon County Champion the vote of confidence - “one point from a possible twelve isn’t what we expect from Jack but we saw positive signs tonight! That and the UWE cupboard is starting to look a little bare - plus I want to stay at #3 for my England prospects”. In the night’s final fixture, Workout B hosted Redland A with both sides looking to move up the table. Marathon man Dale Diment took another five-set victory in a back and forth battle with Paul Frost. Oli Costain and Barney Sykes also won physical encounters to ensure Redland extended their win streak. Dave Allman’s return to form continued in a hard-hitting 3-0 demolition of Indian prospect Kanhav Nanavati. The recent announcement of squash’s inclusion in the 2028 Olympic Games has no doubt provided Dave with incentive to return to the top of his game. At number one, there were surprisingly many traffic issues early in the matchup between slender men Darren Pragasam and Harry Anderson. Fortunately some clear direction from the referee ensured the issues did not continue to the end of the match. Pragasam took a two games to one lead by winning a lung-busting third 16-14, with Anderson unable to rally in the fourth. Week Five Results Week Six Fixtures (7 November)
Week 7 Rampant Redland A continue winning run Redland A won for the fourth consecutive week, winning four of the five ties against an in-form Workout A. Oli Costain lost the first game against Oli Harding, but some stern words from half-pint swilling skipper Barney Sykes saw Costain up the pace and take the next three games with relative comfort. Rhiwbina starlet James Peach turned up to scout future opponents, although shared the league-wide bemusement that his team didn’t have a game that night due to Avon West’s seemingly unique ability to rearrange matches just because their number one isn’t around. Harry Anderson and Jack Alcock put on a veritable smorgasbord of attacking squash, both players taking it in turns to string together points but it was the svelte Anderson that took advantage of some well-timed mishit winners in every game to get the 3-0 victory. Alcock can consider himself unfortunate not to take something from the match. Dale Diment’s unbeaten run to start the season continued with a 3-1 victory over George Keeble, Dale playing the more fundamentally sound squash throughout the second half of the match. Avon stalwarts Dave Allman and John Welton wrote another chapter in a storied rivalry that dates back to 2015. Allman, looking to avenge losses in their last two meetings, got off to a fast start and looked to have the match won at 1-0 and 7-2 up in the second, but Welton found his range and fought back to take the second on a tie-break. Both players showed great skill, tenacity and hunger to win from this point on, but it was Allman who held his nerve to win from 9-9 in the third and maintain a narrow lead throughout the fourth to close out the 3-1 win. County captain Allman was asked about rumours that a pair of Egyptian-born brothers may be available for Avon selection this season and he responded “they’re definitely interested and we’re definitely interested. They won’t be taking MY spot in the team though. I’m looking at trading Jeremy Harris back to Cambridgeshire, perhaps we can get a dozen double yellow dots for him? I think that’s the move to make.” To the surprise of almost everyone, Isaac ‘Sid’ Rawcliffe turned up for the second match in a row to take on Andy Lowe. Rawcliffe showcased his incredible shotmaking skills at times during the match but Lowe used his high-level squash IQ to extend the rallies beyond Rawcliffe’s comfort zone and took the match 3-0. Over in Bath, Lansdown hosted a Wyvern team that were again forced into a couple of last-minute changes. Jake Vickery continued his impressive campaign with a 3-0 win over debutant Sam Cory. Vickery is quickly becoming Lansdown’s talisman with some big wins this season. Andy Marsh and Andy Ewings took convincing victories over Shepton Mallet alumni Isaac Milford and Adam Sindall-White to ensure Lansdown took the bonus points. Match of the night was fought out between Andy Killey and Ian Thomas. Killey was pegged back from two games up by a resilient Thomas, but managed to find the extra gear in the deciding game. The Lansdown crowd were treated to an exhibition-style main event between former teammates turned rivals Mark Radley and Luke Bishop. Every game was hotly contested but it was the visiting captain Bishop that managed to eke out a victory in four to prevent Lansdown taking a clean sweep. In the ‘Battle of the B Teams’, Workout B defeated Redland B by three ties to two. Ioan Sharpe continued his rapid ascent with a very impressive 3-0 victory over Kanhav Nanavati. Colin Wilson took Redland’s other win, but victories for David Palmer and James Page left the tie all-square. Paul Frost and Ian Fenner-Evans fought out a lengthy five-setter, but it was Frost who kept his composure to win the all important fifth match. Week Seven Results Week Eight Fixtures (Tuesday 21 November)
Week 8 Cheeky Peach flashes brilliance as Rhiwbina remain undefeated WR99 James Peach returned to the Rhiwbina lineup as they travelled to face Workout A. His opponent Jack Alcock was treated to Peach’s wonderful array of straight drives and drops. Whilst Alcock will have been happy to sneak the second game on a tie-break, Peach was victorious 3-1. Alcock’s winter of discontent continues, but no doubt his form will surge after the winter break as he seeks to retain the County Championship he won so spectacularly last season. Andy Lowe remained in good form, taking the first two games against Peter Berkley before Berkley was unfortunately forced to withdraw with an injury in the third game. Lewis Poole recovered from dropping a close to first game to John Welton to win 3-1 before Evan Davies-Clarke secured the points for Rhiwbina. George Keeble took an impressive 3-0 win over Alex Rowlands to make sure Workout salvaged 8 points from the evening. This week’s Wyvern team featured a large ex-Shepton contingent with Sam Price, Adam Sindall-White and Dave Cox all featuring. They were unable to win a match between them however with Avon West’s Toby Kew, Ahmed Khan and Tom Gartner each winning - Kew particularly impressive as he won the decisive tie 11-7 in the fifth game. Luke Bishop and James Snell each defeated a Marcinkowski twin to keep Wyvern firmly entrenched in the upper echelons of the table. Wyvern have used a staggering eighteen players through their first eight ties with only captain Bishop an ever-present. Jake Vickery’s ascent to super-stardom continued with another tie-clinching victory for Lansdown away at Redland B. Vickery took the first two games against Ian Fenner-Evans before the Welshman showed his experience and guile to take the third. Vickery was able to make the necessary adjustments to close out in the fourth. Antoine Riehl recovered from illness to defeat Cameron Haddow and Andy Ewings’ resurgence continued with victory over Phil Reddaway, both matches going 3-0 to the away player. Redland’s victories came through Colin Thomas defeating Tim Jones and Ioan Sharpe continuing his campaign for Young Player of the Season with victory over Mark Radley. Week Eight Results Week Nine Fixtures (Tuesday 28 November) |