HertsSQUASH

Herts County Squash Team March 2008

In November 2007, the Herts team played some fantastic squash to win through to the Harris Inter-County Finals for the first time in the County’s History.  This saw the team pack their bags for a weekend of hard squash and fun in the city of Nottingham on 8th and 9th March 2008. 

We set off rather late on Friday afternoon, mainly because we had to wait for our Number 1, Adrian Waller, to finish school and get his homework checked off before he was given permission to leave.  The car carrying the team captain, Scott Rickard and Adam Fuller experienced some mechanical trouble but we were fortunate enough to have supporter/coach/mechanic/babe-magnet Pete Cheshire on hand to do some running repairs.  With the heating fixed and the alignment repaired we forged forward into the maze of the one-way system in Nottingham in search of the elusive Rutland Square Hotel.

Back row (Left to right): Adrian Waller, Neil Waller, Marc Woolhead

Front row (Left to right): Scott Rickard (Captain), Adam Fuller, Keith Timms.

Roll-call at 8pm in the hotel foyer revealed that the only thing missing was Keith Timms’ tongue but this was apparently due to him using his entire daily word allowance during the 3-hour car journey.  We settled down to a quiet meal in the hotel where we discussed tactics for the match the next day against Shropshire.  The friendly staff at the hotel were forced to send someone out to the 24hr Tesco to buy more potatoes because the potato wedges were under such demand.  The Team (apart from Pete) showed great maturity in not buying into the chef’s practical joke of serving celery and lemongrass soup on the night that the maître d' (who had a terrible lisp) would be reading out the lissst of sspecialsss!

The next morning the team were up early and were ready to take on Shropshire in the semi-finals. Neil Waller was carrying a wrist injury and it was decided to rest him for the match.  As expected, Shropshire had pulled out all the stops to get the bubbly Berk brothers back from Geneva in time for team registration at 11:30am. First on the show court was number 3 string Keith Timms who was up against one of the Berk twins (I’m not sure which).  Keith struggled to find his rhythm in the first two games against the classy youngster but fought back hard in the third.  At one point it looked like Timmsy might just take the game and test the Shropshire lad’s fitness.  In the end, unfortunately he narrowly lost the game 9-7 and the Herts team were one match down.  Over on another court captain Scott Rickard was playing in his first match for the County at number 5.  His opponent looked much leaner and fitter, although that could have something to do with the body hugging shirt that Scotty was wearing.  Scotty overcame his nerves in the first game to go on and notch up a relatively comfortable 3-0 victory.  Herts were on the score board!

Next on court was Marc “Mailman” Woolhead who was trying to live up to his nick name and “deliver” another victory for the team.  Marc’s opponent attempted some impressive blocking to remain competitive in the first 2 games; however Marc was too steady and took a comfortable 2-game lead.  The young man from Shropshire fought back well to take the third before succumbing to the better player.  Marc had once again delivered and had put Herts 2-1 in front.  One more win would be enough to reach the final!  Adrian Waller was next up against the very fit and experienced Jamie Haycocks on the show court.  Adrian got off to a very impressive start and showed why he is one of the best juniors in the world by taking the first game 9-3.  The second game saw some unbelievable rallies, which unfortunately didn’t go Adrian’s way.  Adrian showed loads of character to take the game to his opponent in the third and fought incredibly hard to win that game and go to within just one game of victory.  Haycocks took the fourth to set up a nail-biting fifth game to decide whether Herts would reach the finals.  At 7-7 in the fifth the unthinkable happened; the referee changed his mind on a let decision, which would have given Adrian a match point!  While Adrian showed great composure and maturity, the rest of the team were furious.  Adrian unfortunately lost the fifth game 9-7 which meant that the match was tied at 2-2 with only match to come.

In the decider, Adam Fuller took on the other Berk (still not sure which one) in the 2nd string match. Despite playing some great squash and reaching 7 in both of the opening games, Adam could just not get the better of his opponent.  The Shropshire “Smiler” went on to win the match 3-0, which secured them a place in the final against Surrey.  The Herts team were left to reflect on what could have been, while having a few beers and watching the rugby.

The activities on Saturday night allowed the boys to leave their disappointment far behind and enjoy the famous Nottingham nightlife.  Neil even removed the bandage from his damaged wrist so that his style on the dance floor would not be hampered.  It was a great bonding experience for the team as they showed off a few dance moves that were believed to have been lost forever in the 90’s.  Pete was on top form and turned a lot of heads with his excellent rendition of Duffy’s smash hit “Mercy”, followed by his innovative cure to athlete’s-foot in the lobby of the hotel!  Many laughs were enjoyed that night as well as during the “post-mortem” at breakfast the next morning where Marc was still in complete amazement that McDonald’s still sell burgers!

By 11am it was back to business and the team were focused and ready to take on Yorkshire in the 3rd/4th playoff.  Neil’s injury was unfortunately still not quite healed enough for him to play and he was forced to sit out again.  The team were determined to play well after the previous day’s disappointment and set about thrashing Yorkshire 5-0!  This secured the bronze medal for the Herts Team that, up until a year ago, had never even made it into the premier division. 

The team would like to the Hertfordshire Squash Committee for all of their support over the 2007-8 season and we would also like to thanks Alistair Ambrose of Hazard Electric whose generous sponsorship and support were invaluable and greatly appreciated.  We would also like to thank all those who supported us over the last 12 months.  The team have proved their ability against the toughest of opposition and we are looking forward to performing even better in the years to come…..watch this space! 

Results

        SEMI FINAL A

SHROPSHIRE

V

HERTFORDSHIRE

Games
Game Scores

1

Jamie Haycocks

 

1

Adrian Waller

3-2

3-9

9-3

7-9

9-4

9-7

2

Andrew Birks

 

2

Adam Fuller

3-0

9-7

9-7

9-5

 

 

3

Richard Birks

 

3

Keith Timms

3-0

9-4

9-2

9-7

 

 

4

Chris Clark

 

4

Mark Woolhead

1-3

4-9

2-9

9-6

4-9

 

5

Colin Whitney

 

5

Scott Rickard

0-3

4-9

0-9

4-9

 

 

RESULT :           SHROPSHIRE

BEAT

                     HERTFORDSHIRE

SCORE:   3-2
                     

 

        SEMI FINAL B

YORKSHIRE

V

SURREY

Games
Game Scores

1

Neil Guirey

 

1

Neil Frankland

1-3

4-9

9-3

3-9

6-9

 

2

Sam Wileman

 

2

Neil Desai

1-3

1-9

9-5

9-4

9-2

 

3

Chris Rusling

 

3

Jamie Matthews

2-3

2-9

6-9

9-2

9-4

7-9

4

Dave Hymans

 

4

James Simpson

1-3

9-7

2-9

7-9

5-9

 

5

Ian Carthorne

 

5

Michael Hannings

3-0

9-5

9-2

9-1

 

 

RESULT :             YORKSHIRE

LOST

SURREY

SCORE :       4-1
                     


THIRD / FOURTH  PLAY- OFF

HERTFORDSHIRE

V

YORKSHIRE

Games
Game Scores

1

Adrian Waller

 

1

Sam Wileman

3-0

9-7

9-7

10-8

 

 

2

Adam Fuller

 

2

Chris Rustling

3-1

9-6

7-9

9-3

9-2

 

3

Keith Timms

 

3

Dave Hymans

3-2

9-4

4-9

3-9

9-0

9-2

4

Mark Woolhead

 

4

Ian Carthorne

3-0

9-4

9-5

9-1

 

 

5

Scott Rickard

 

5

Luke Butterworth

3-0

9-5

9-3

9-8

 

 

RESULT :       HERTFORDSHIRE

BEAT

                           YORKSHIRE

SCORE:             5-0
                     

       FINAL

SHROPSHIRE

V

SURREY

Games
Game Scores

1

Jonathan Kemp

 

1

Tom Richards

1-3

9-2

8-10

5-9

3-9

 

2

Jamie Haycocks

 

2

Neil Frankland

0-2

5-9

2-9

 

 

 

3

Andrew Birks

 

3

Joe Lee

0-3

8-10

4-9

7-9

 

 

4

Richard Birks

 

4

Phil Nightingale

0-3

8-10

2-9

1-9

 

 

5

Chris Clark

 

5

Neil Desai

0-3

8-10

5-9

4-9

 

 

RESULT :      SHROPSHIRE

LOST

                           SURREY

SCORE:   4-1

 

 

FINAL POSITIONS

 

1

SURREY

 

2

SHROPSHIRE

 

3

HERTFORDSHIRE

 

4

YORKSHIRE

 
                       

Invitation

2007-8 Senior Men’s Inter-County Squash Finals
 Sat 8th & Sun 9th March 2008
Venue:
 Nottingham Squash Club, The Park, Nottingham

Come along and support the Herts County Men’s Team as they take on England top Counties Shropshire, Yorkshire and Surrey

Saturday 8th March - Herts vs Shropshire - 12pm

Sunday 9th March - 3rd/4th Playoff - 11am

Sunday 9th March - Finals - 2pm
 

The Herts Men’s Team is proudly sponsored by Alistair Ambrose of HAZARD ELECTRIC

Captain's Report

Herts County Squash Team
The Herts team played exceptionally well in March to gain promotion to the premier division of the County Championships for the 2007/8 season. Hertfordshire had the added privilege of hosting stage one of the Championships at The Berkhamsted Lawn Tennis and Squash Rackets Club on 17th and 18th November 2007. With one glance at the draw we knew it was not going to be an easy task. Grouped with Kent, Surrey and defending champions Sussex, Herts needed at least 2 wins over the weekend to get enough points to make it to the finals.

On Saturday afternoon Herts were up against Kent and it was up to the Waller brothers, who were first on court, to get us off to a good start. Adrian was far too strong for his opponent and demolished him in record time only dropping 8 points in the process. Neil was successful in upsetting his younger opponent in more ways than one as the youngster’s racket gained airmiles in the second game. After a slight lapse in concentration in the third, Neil won the fourth convincingly and put the Herts team 2-0 up. Next on match court saw Adam Fuller taking on an experienced James Robbins in what promised to be a tough match. Adam was in devastating form and cruised to victory 9-4, 9-4, 9-1. Adam’s victory secured a win for the Herts boys but we couldn’t rest on our laurels because it was points that would decide the final placing.

Keith Timms got off to a pretty average start by losing the first game 9-5 to a younger and (dare I say it) fitter player. The second game was very long and Keith was unlucky to lose it 10-9. Timmsy left himself with a lot of work to do in the 3rd when he found himself 8-5 down. After successfully defending 5 match points, Keith proved that he was a fighter and took the game 10-9. Keith easily took the 4th 9-1 but just couldn’t hang on in the fifth, eventually losing 9-7 in a match that lasted 1 ¾ hours. Chris Ryder demonstrated why he is in the top 60 in the world by beating Ben Ford in 4 games. This result was just what the team needed and they took valuable points into their next match against Sussex.

In a tricky Captain’s decision, Keith Timms was asked to play first in the next fixture and unfortunately lost to his giant of an opponent in 3 straight games. Adrian Waller was up against his England U/19 team mate Olly Pett in the 3rd string match. Adrian was simply too good for the Sussex man and this time only lost 7 points on his way to another white-wash. Chris Ryder was up against a very strong and experienced player in Pete Genever. Chris played the steady squash we’ve come to expect from him and dispatched of his opponent 9-6, 9-3, 9-6 to put the home team 2-1 in the lead. By this stage Neil had swapped his racket for a calculator and was hard at work going through all possible permutations in order to determine what was needed for a trip to the finals. The outcome…..one more match victory would be enough to see the team through!

This put some pressure onto Marc “The Postman” Woolhead in his first match of the weekend. Marc was quick out of the blocks and went 2-0 up with some furiously paced squash. The third game saw Marc tire slightly which allowed his opponent to edge his way back into the match with a hard-fought 9-5 win. In the fourth game, Marc reached 8 without too much trouble but then made a number of unforced errors which led those non-believers in the crowd to think that he may not “deliver” this time. Fortunately, Marc proved them wrong and he clinched the 4th 10-8 which was enough to give Herts a victory over Sussex.

Adam Fuller was last on court against the experienced Tim Vail from Sussex. Tim made some unbelievable shots in the first two games which left Adam wondering what he needed to do to get into the match. Adam soon found the solution and started to outplay and outrun his opponent with some amazing pick-ups. In the last game the two players were neck and neck all the way to 7-7 but in the end Tim just had enough experience to take it 9-7. The Herts team had had an extremely successful day notching up 35 points which, regardless of the results on Sunday, would be enough to see us into the finals in Manchester in March.



From Left to Right: Adam Fuller, Neil Waller, Adrian Waller, Scotty Rickard, Chris Ryder, Marc Woolhead.
Inset: Keith Timms

Keith Timms was given a well earned rest for the Sunday which he took full advantage of, sleeping so late that he missed the team photograph. Surrey were by far the strongest team on paper but the players were keen to prove themselves. Unfortunately they proved too strong for us and took the fixture 4-1 with only Chris Ryder claiming a victory over his “injured” opponent. Regardless of this, the team spirit was sky high and there were lengthy debates about who we would meet in the finals in March.

The team would like to thank the Berkhamsted Lawn Tennis and Squash Club, the Berkhamsted squash committee and all of the volunteers for all their help in hosting, what was by all accounts, a very successful weekend. Many thanks also to all of the spectators who took the time to come down and support the team.
Well done Boys!

See you in March 2008.

Scotty Rickard
'Skipper'
Herts Mens Squash Team

ENGLAND SQUASH INTER COUNTY CHAMPIONSHIPS 2007/2008
Stage One: Sat 17th & Sun 18th November 2007

Hosted by: Berkhamsted Lawn Tennis & Squash Rackets Club  Map & Directions

CATEGORY:   MEN
DIVISION:    PREMIER SOUTH

Herts Win Through to Semi-Final Playoffs!

The Hertfordshire County Men’s Squash Team has gone from strength to strength in the past few seasons. In the 2005/6 season the young Hertfordshire team gained promotion to Division 1 for the first time in 5 years. Last year, boosted by the return of full-time professional Chris Ryder and under the guidance and experience of captain Jason Foster, the team managed to gain further promotion to the Premier Division for the 2007/8 Inter-County Championships.

Scott Rickard (Captain)

County: HERTS

ES Mem no.

V

County: KENT

ES Mem no.

Games

Games Scores

1

CHRIS RYDER

 

Bt

1

BEN FORD

 

3-1

9/3

9/5

5/9

9/6

 

2

ADAM FULLER

 

Bt

2

JAMES ROBBINS

 

3-0

9/4

9/4

9/1

 

 

3

ADRIAN WALLER

 

Bt

3

ISSA KAMARA

 

3-0

9/2

9/2

9/4

 

 

4

KEITH TIMMS

 

Lt

4

STEVE LONDON

 

2-3

5/9

9/10

10/9

9/1

7/9

5

NEIL WALLER

 

Bt

5

TED JEAL

 

3-1

9/4

9/4

1/9

9/2

 

RESULT

 

 

SCORE: 4-1

POINTS: 19 - 5

 

County: SURREY

ES Mem no.

V

County: SUSSEX

ES Mem no.

Games

Games Scores

1

STACEY ROSS

 

Bt

1

PETE GENEVER

 

3-1

7/9

9/4

9/7

9/8

 

2

JESSE ENGELBRECHT

 

Bt

2

TIM VAIL

 

3-2

6/9

6/9

9/0

9/0

9/0

3

NEIL FRANKLAND

 

Bt

3

OLLY PETT

 

3-0

9/7

9/3

9/7

 

 

4

JOE LEE

 

Bt

4

BRANDON HANLEY

 

3-0

9-4

9/6

10/8

 

 

5

PHIL NIGHTINGALE

 

Bt

5

BEN HUTTON

 

3-0

10/8

9/4

9/3

 

 

RESULT

 

 

SCORE: 5-0

POINTS: 20 - 3

 

County: SURREY

ES Mem no.

V

County: KENT

ES Mem no.

Games

Games Scores

1

STACEY ROSS

 

Lt

1

BEN FORD

 

1-3

5/9

9/1

4/9

4/9

 

2

JESSE ENGELBRECHT

 

Bt

2

JAMES ROBBINS

 

3-1

10/8

9/3

8/9

9/6

 

3

NEIL FRANKLAND

 

Bt

3

ISSA KAMARA

Conduct game*

3-1

7/9

10/8

9/5

7/5*

 

4

JOE LEE

 

Bt

4

STEVE LONDON

 

3-0

9/2

10/8

9/1

 

 

5

PHIL NIGHTINGALE

 

Bt

5

TED JEAL

 

3-1

4/9

9/3

9/4

9/0

 

RESULT

 

 

SCORE: 4-1

POINTS: 18 - 6

 

County: HERTS

ES Mem no.

V

County: SUSSEX

ES Mem no.

Games

Games Scores

1

CHRIS RYDER

 

Bt

1

PETE GENEVER

 

3-0

9/6

9/3

9/6

 

 

2

ADAM FULLER

 

Lt

2

TIM VAIL

 

2-3

3/9

8/10

9/5

9/6

7/9

3

ADRIAN WALLER

 

Bt

3

OLLY PETT

 

3-0

9/3

9/2

9/2

 

 

4

KEITH TIMMS

 

Lt

4

BRANDON HANLEY

 

0-3

5/9

1/9

7/9

 

 

5

MARC WOOLHEAD

 

Bt

5

BEN HUTTON

 

3-1

9/3

9/1

5/9

10/8

 

RESULT

 

 

SCORE: 3-2

POINTS: 16 - 7

 

County: HERTS

ES Mem no.

V

County: SURREY

ES Mem no.

Games

Games Scores

1

CHRIS RYDER

 

Bt

1

STACEY ROSS

Retired hurt*

3-1

7/9

8/1*

 

 

 

2

ADAM FULLER

 

Lt

2

JESSE ENGELBRECHT

 

0-3

2/9

3/9

1/9

 

 

3

ADRIAN WALLER

 

Lt

3

NEIL FRANKLAND

 

1-3

8/10

8/10

9/2

8/10

 

4

MARC WOOLHEAD

 

Lt

4

JOE LEE

 

0-3

3/9

9/10

2/9

 

 

5

NEIL WALLER

 

Lt

5

PHIL NIGHTINGALE

 

0-3

0/9

5/9

4/9

 

 

RESULT

 

 

SCORE: 1-4

POINTS: 4 - 18

 

County: SUSSEX

ES Mem no.

V

County: KENT

ES Mem no.

Games

Games Scores

1

TIM VAIL

 

Lt

1

BEN FORD

 

0-3

2/9

4/9

1/9

 

 

2

OLLY PETT

 

Lt

2

JAMES ROBBINS

 

0-3

7/9

4/9

1/9

 

 

3

BRANDON HANLEY

 

Lt

3

ISSA KAMARA

 

0-3

0/9

5/9

2/9

 

 

4

BEN HUTTON

 

Lt

4

STEVE LONDON

 

2-3

 

 

 

 

 

5

ALEX PETT

 

Lt

5

NEIL BAKER

 

0-3

0/9

0/9

5/9

 

 

RESULT

 

 

SCORE: 0-5

POINTS: 2 - 20

FINAL POSITIONS

COUNTY

TIES WON

POINTS

1st

SURREY

3

56

2nd

HERTFORDSHIRE

2

39

3rd

KENT

1

31

4th

SUSSEX

0

12

The Hertfordshire County Men’s Squash Team has gone from strength to strength in the past few seasons. In the 2005/6 season the young Hertfordshire team gained promotion to Division 1 for the first time in 5 years. Last year, boosted by the return of full-time professional Chris Ryder and under the guidance and experience of captain Jason Foster, the team managed to gain further promotion to the Premier Division for the 2007/8 Inter-County Championships.

The Herts team are appealing to all squash enthusiasts in the County to make the trip to Berkhamsted and support the team, playing against Surrey, Kent & defending Champions Sussex.

Fixture times are as follows:
   Saturday 17th November 13:00pm
   Saturday 17th November 17:00pm
   Sunday 18th November 11:00am

The team are extremely motivated to make an impression in the Premier Division this year and they have the added advantage of hosting the first round of the Championships. The two-day event will be held on the weekend of 17th/18th November 2007 at Berkhamsted Lawn Tennis and Squash Rackets Club. The Berkhamsted based club boasts excellent courts and viewing facilities as well as a large club house to accommodate the crowds. The Berkhamsted Squash Committee has been working hard in preparation for the weekend and is very excited about hosting this top event at the club.

This is an excellent opportunity for squash enthusiasts to watch some of the country’s best players battle it out for the coveted title of Inter-County Champions. The young Herts team, although being labelled as underdogs, are extremely motivated to cause an upset or two at the event in November. The lads, who have been playing together for most of their lives are a force to be reckoned with and should not be underestimated. The squad is comprised of the following players (in no particular order):

Chris Ryder (Wolverhampton Lawn Tennis and Squash Club & Berkhamsted Lawn Tennis and Squash Rackets Club):
World Ranked No. 57
Current World University Champion
Former British University Champion
3 PSA World Tour Victories (incl. Kuala Lumpur, June 2007 and OHL Canary Islands Open 2007) and a further 8 Final appearances

Adam Fuller (Berkhamsted Lawn Tennis and Squash Rackets Club, Hazelwood Squash Club & Yellow Dot – Bundesliga):
World Ranked No. 333
British Professional Squash Association Ranked No. 26
Top 5 Ranked English Junior U13/U15/U17
Regional Junior Champion U13/U15/U17
Hertfordshire County Junior Champion U13/U15/U17

Adrian Waller (Potters Bar Squash Club & Hazelwood Squash Club):
England Ranked No. 1 (U/19)
4 times British Junior Champion U13/U15/U17/U19
Represented England in 4 European Junior Championships and 1 World Junior Championship
Hertfordshire County Champion 2007
1 PSA World Tour Victory (July 2007)

Keith Timms (Broxbourne Squash Club & Hazelwood Squash Club): Hertfordshire County Champion 2003
Hertfordshire County Championships Runner-up 2004
Former Eastern Region U/23 Champion
Represented Bishop Stortford in the National Club Championships 2006/7

Neil Waller (Hazelwood Squash Club and Loughborough University): Top 5 Ranked English Junior U13/U15/U17
Loughborough University Number 2
Top 10 ranked player for British Universities
Represented Hazelwood in the National Club Championships

Marc Woolhead (Energie Squash Club Stevenage):
Hertfordshire County Champion 2006
Former England Junior International

The Herts team are appealing to all squash enthusiasts in the County to make the trip to Berkhamsted and support the team.

Fixture times are as follows: Saturday 17th November 13:00pm
Saturday 17th November 17:00pm
Sunday 18th November 11:00am

Food and drink will be available throughout the weekend.
For directions to the club go to http://www.bltsrc.co.uk/page/about/find_us_google
Hope to see you all there.

Scott Rickard
Men’s Captain