MATCH REPORTS...

One that got away ?

We took a 4 v 1 lead in the opening set only for Kent to battle back to 6 v 5. The second set was nip and tuck with Kent shading it 5 v 6. 11 v 11 at half time.

We pulled 3 frames clear at 15 v 12 but Kent fought back again, 17 v 16 going into the final set. We now pulled 5 frames clear at 22 v 16 but remarkably Kent came right back at us once again, taking the last 6 frames for the draw!

Two points dropped for sure but with Surrey beating Berkshire this may on reflection turn out to be a crucial point gained as we're now back in with a realistic chance of defending our regional title.

Good 3 out of 4's for Dave Fernandez, Dave Rawlinson, Alex Lawrence, Chris Hobbis and Jack Pople. Dave Rawlinson gets the nod for Man of the Match having made the journey at very short notice and playing some really good stuff to keep the match tilted in our favour around half time when it could so easily have swung Kent's way.

Stats:

Dave Fernandez 3/4
Dave Rawlinson 3/4
Alex Lawrence 3/4
Chris Hobbis 3/4
Nigel Clarke 2/4
Nigel Smith 1/4
Jack Pople 3/4
Jerry Tickell 0/4
Robbie Robb 0/4
Andy Breen 2/4
Rupert Ward 2/4

A really good away win and our best score line of the season so far.

We shaded the first set 6 v 5 having trailed 1 v 5! The second set was much better, we won that one 8 v 3 for a 14 v 8 half time lead. Sussex never looked like recovering the deficit and we traded frames in the third (lost 5 v 6) and fourth (won 6 v 5) sets to run out comfortable winners, Rupe securing the points with 6 frames to spare.

Good 3 out of 4's for Joe Prince, Jerry Tickell and Jordan O'Connor and excellent 4 out of 4's for Dave Fernandez and Rupert Ward (both with a little good fortune thrown in), Man of the Match on this occasion going to Dave, opening for us for the first time and generally making the game look very easy.

Stats:

Dave Fernandez 4/4
Dave Rawlinson 2/4
Alex Lawrence 1/4
Chris Hobbis 2/4
Joe Prince 3/4
Nigel Smith 0/4
Jack Pople 1/4
Jerry Tickell 3/4
Robbie Robb 2/4
Jordan O'Connor 3/4
Rupert Ward 4/4

We had to win for London to stay in contention, and with a lot of absentees this was going to be difficult to win and also to manage. We had to beg borrow and steal players from the seniors and the Boys and they did us proud, but this meant there was a fair bit of disruption.

We led from the start and managed to stay ahead despite a late surge by Sussex in the last set to Win 24 – 20, and with the added news that Kent beat Surrey it meant that London C team was again at the top. Now can we stay on top by beating current 2nd place Kent this Sunday… Lets hope so.

Stella performance from all the team, and a special welcome to Man of the match Carl Speller who returns confidently with a 3/4 including a break dish.

Sussex C (Home) v London C Match synopsis

Set 1: Sussex C 4 – 7 London C
Set 2: Sussex C 3 - 8 London C
Set 3: Sussex C 6 - 5 London C
Set 4: Sussex C 7 - 4 London C

Stats

Jordan Kennedy 3/4
Pete Thomas 2/4
Jasper Bacon 0/1
Dave Hall 2/4
Olly Lawrence 3/4
Carl Speller 3/4
Chris Pan 1/4
Peter Panayiotou 3/4
Kulvinder Bath 1/4
Dan Heinink 3/4
Kieran Osbourne 2/4
Jeremy Ruffer 1/3

This was a must win match for Surrey to stay in the running for the title and they certainly put on a great performance winning to win at 23 -21, placing them in top spot, but could they hold on to it? Very close match but they just pipped us to the finish line. Boy of the match was Jasper.

London C (Home) v Surrey C Match synopsis

Set 1 London C 5 - 6 Surrey C
Set 2 London C 5- 6 Surrey C
Set 3 London C 7 - 4 Surrey C
Set 4 London C 5 – 6 Surrey C

Stats

Dean Daley 1/4
Bruno Silva 2/4
Glen Hargreaves 3/4
Dan Heinink 2/4
Matt Holroyd 1/4
Jasper Bacon 4/4
Shane O'Reilly 0/4
Jordan Kennedy 1/4
Steve Burke 1/4
Kulvinder Bath 3/4
Peter Panayiotou 3/4

It was touch and go whether I would be able to attend as I was flying to Manila the following day, but just about fitted it in.
We were short a couple of players and lucky for us Emma and Olly stepped in and did us proud with a great performance. It was a close match from start to finish but we edged it with a great 24-20. Man and women of the match goes to Dan and Emma for a wonderful 4 /4.

London C (Home) v Berkshire C Match synopsis
Set 1 London C 5-6 Berkshire C
Set 2 London C 6-5 Berkshire C
Set 3 London C 6-5 Berkshire C
Set 4 London C 7-4 Berkshire C

Stats

Dean Daley 3/4
Ross Dawkes 0/4
Jordan Kennedy 1/4
Matt Holroyd 2/4
Glen Hargreaves 2/4
Dan Heinink 4/4
Olly Lawrence 2/4
Peter Panayiotou 2/4
Emma Cunningham 4/4
Kulvinder Bath 2/4
Dave Hall 2/4

The London seniors chalked up their second win of the season, with a reversal of form in the return leg against the veterans from Sussex.

It never looked in doubt as the London Boys cruised into 10 - 5 lead after the third set.

The fourth was a little shaky losing 1 - 4 bringing the Londoners on the winning side of 11 - 9.

It was a good rally from Sussex lads but the writing was on the wall from the off and London again stamped their authority in the final set winning 3-2 for a 14 - 11 win.

The London A team player Rupert Ward joined the senior ranks for this one and his contribution was obvious adding extra depth and quality to the squad and also chalking up a fantastic 4/5 on first appearance for a well deserved man of the match!

Pete Thomas and Paul Dawson also made solid 4/5 contributions.

stats

Paul Dawson 4/5
Paul Gafa 2/5
George Hutchinson 0/2
Martin Storey 0/3
Pete Thomas 4/5
Rupert Ward 4/5

An immediate return to winning ways although we were made to work hard for it by a Surrey side who were missing a few of their best players.

We won the first set 6 v 5 and the second set by the same margin, to give us a 12 v 10 lead at half-time. Surrey took the third set 6 v 5 to reduce our lead to a single frame and when they won the first 3 frames of that set another home defeat looked a distinct possibility. However we dug deep and showed some "bottle" to take 6 of the last 8 frames to secure the win.

We'll need to up our game again if we're to get anything from the trip to Sussex this Sunday.

Good 3 out of 4's for Dave Rawlinson and Jerry Tickell and an excellent, composed 4 out of 4 from man of the match Nigel Smith.

Stats:
Dave Rawlinson 3/4
Joe Prince 1/4
Alex Lawrence 2/4
Chris Hobbis 2/4
Rupert Ward 2/4
Dave Fernandez 2/4
Nigel Smith 4/4
Jack Pople 2/4
Jordan O'Connor 0/4
Andy Breen 2/4
Jerry Tickell 3/4

Wembley, London, 30 July 1966. Old Trafford cricket ground, Manchester, 17 August 1981. Telstra Stadium, Sydney, 22 November 2003. Super Saturday, 4 August 2012. The All-England Lawn Tennis Club, Wimbledon, 7 July 2013. And now, almost 50 years to the day since Geoff Hurst’s hat-trick heroics, a new chapter of equal – if not greater – significance has been written in the annals of British sport: Spots & Stripes, Southwark, 10 July 2016.

It began modestly enough, as British summer days are wont to do, with grey skies and melancholy drizzle that bore no hint of the golden wonders that were to follow. North of the capital, in torrential rain, Lewis Hamilton romped to a famous victory at Silverstone to reignite his challenge for the Formula 1 driver’s championship. A mere hour or so later, Andy Murray lifted the Gentlemen’s Singles trophy at Wimbledon for the second time in four years. As England’s favourite Scotsman prepared to give his victor’s speech, the crowd on Centre Court dutifully fell silent. Not out of respect, as many observers wrongly assumed, but rather dumb-founded astonishment as the news filtered through to SW19 of an even greater drama that was unfolding a few short miles to the north-east.

Shortly before Murray and Raonic had emerged from the locker room, the first frames had begun in the hotly-anticipated top of the table clash between London and Surrey in the EPA Region 7 Men’s B division. In the reverse fixture on the opening day of the season, a new-look London side had raced into a commanding lead against their more experienced opponents. Buoyed by the vigour of youth, with several new recruits freshly promoted from the juniors’ squad, London had eagerly sprinted towards the finish only to be gripped by white-line fever. A four-frame lead was surrendered with only six frames left to play, the match ultimately ending in a draw that would feel like a bitter defeat.

This time round, led by the irrepressible Declan ‘Ginger Dre’ Kelly, London charged out of the blocks into a 1-0 lead and swiftly opened up a three-frame advantage by the end of the first session (scoreline: 7-4 to London). A minor Surrey revival ensued in the second session as the visitors never allowed London to get more than three frames clear, with the half-time score reading 12-10 in London’s favour. Wins for the Ginger Dre and Danny ‘Motormouth’ Moffatt at the start of the third session looked to have struck the knockout blow, as London stretched the gap to four frames and threatened to open an unsurmountable lead. At this stage, none could have foreseen the drama that was to follow. Like a boxer rising from the canvas, Surrey found a second wind and promptly took four of the next five to close to within a single frame. Were London destined to suffer the same fate as before? Had the mental fragility been replaced by steely determination, forged in the heat of battles fought since, or would the psychological scars be reopened anew? A nation held its breath.

Cometh the hour, cometh the man. As the drama looked to be building to a thrilling denouement in the final Act, one man stepped forward to tear up the script, and Surrey’s hearts with it. Playing in the unfamiliar No.8 position, Andre “the real Dre” Cox taunted his opponent with the casual arrogance that comes naturally to all great champions. As Dre deliberately missed a simple black to the middle pocket, London and Surrey players alike thought the game was up as his opponent laid a simple snooker. Was this the moment that the match would turn, that Surrey would pull level and that London’s resolve would finally crumble to be revealed as no more than a flimsy façade?

Not a chance. Where lesser men might have accepted the inevitable, succumbed to defeat and passed the burden of responsibility on to their teammates, not this man. Not Dre. The crowd watched in silence as the London player lined up an audacious treble. Moving seemingly in slow-motion, drawn inexorably towards the final target not merely by the laws of physics but by sheer force of will and determination, the cue ball followed the path plotted by Dre to millimetre perfection. Once, twice, thrice across the table, coming within a hair’s width of the jaw of the opposite pocket, the crowd held its breath as the cue ball drifted ever onwards to finally persuade the 8-ball to drop with the gentlest of nudges. A moment’s silence followed. Then, pandemonium as the home crowd erupted in glee. The noise that only London can make. The noise of twelve men (‘Motormouth’ Moffatt counting double) united in triumph. The noise of victory.

The brief comeback snuffed out, from that point on there could only be one conclusion. London powered remorselessly onwards, extending their lead time and again to emerge victorious, 25-19. A seismic result that would not only send shockwaves through Region 7, but would create ripples capable of reaching the farthest corners of the Earth. We lucky few were there to witness it first-hand. This truly is a golden era for British sport, and we shall cherish every minute.

Man of the Match: Andre Cox.

A disappointing result and our first defeat of the season.

We won the first set 7 v 4 but Berkshire quickly responded, taking the second set 7 v 4 to level the scores at halfway, 11 v 11. From then on we were always second best, Berkshire played pretty well and took the third set 8 v 3 and the fourth set 7 v 4.

A few of us didn't play anywhere near as well as we can and team spirit was strangely lacking throughout. Hopefully we can get back to winning ways at home to Surrey next Sunday.

A good 3 out of 4 for Nigel Smith and an excellent 4 out of 4 for man of the match Andy Breen.

Stats:

Dave Rawlinson 1/4
Joe Prince 1/4
Alex Lawrence 2/4
Nigel Clarke 2/4
Rupert Ward 1/4
Jordan O'Connor 1/4
Nigel Smith 3/4
Jack Pople 2/4
Andy Breen 4/4
Robbie Robb 1/4
Jerry Tickell 0/4

A massive well done to all the London Seniors for finally getting the monkey off their back this season by getting a first win under their belt. And not only a win but a win that resulted in a defeat to last years winners!

After winning the first set 4-1 things were looking optimistic, however a whitewash reversal after the second meant the visitors edged ahead at 4-6.

The third set was respectable with London winning 3-2

7-8 it was close

The fourth set put the nail in the coffin of Berkshire's hopes as London forged on with a massive 5-0 result.

12-8

Going in the final set we only needed one for the win with Paul Gafa and Paul Dawson both providing a contribution.

It wouldn't be right to single out a man of the match for this one it was simply a fantastic team effort, which after all is what it is all about.

Paul Dawson 3/5
Paul Gafa 4/5
George Hutchinson 3/3
Joe Kane 1/2
Pete Thomas 2/5
Peter Wells 1/3

London B 25 - 19 Berkshire B June 12th bought top of the region Berkshire to London for our next county game which London were looking to bounce straight back into the race for top spot after a disappointing away defeat to Hampshire last month and boy did they do just that without a few key players to. As usual we started slow losing 7 out of 9, but with the great team support and group of players London have we fought for every frame then on winning a massive 13 frames to take a well earned 15-7 lead at the end of the second set which included winning that set 10-1 with some great finishing from everyone. The 3rd set Berkshire then came back at us winning 7 of the next 8 to close the gap again with some good clearances from their top order players but back came London again as the back order stood strong and won the last 3 of the set to take a 19-14 lead into set 4. Set 4 started with London knowing they were on the verge of a big win against a good Berkshire side, but they was not going to give up easily as they yet again managed to claw it back to with in a couple of frames which in all honesty London couldn't do anything about, but like earlier in the match we fought hard for every frame possible and we got what this great team of players deserved by winning 5 of the last 6 to give us a massive 25-19 victory which also takes us above our opponents in the region standings. A few players could of got man of the match, Rob Cork and Ryan Francis for their 4/4 or even Adam Coppen, Dec Kelly and Connor Hewson for 3/4 but personally I think every one deserves it especially the players who came back to the B's today because each and everyone of the team supported each other win or lose and kept the morale up when we could of easily lost it in that first set so well done everyone great team performance. Another special mention for chris Hobbis who was our stand in captain and done a very good job in the absence of captain and vice captain Michael Clayton and William Gaylor and I'm sure him and every one else done them proud with this great win, let's keep it up now boys and get ready for next month.