1. Adrian Waller
2. Neil Waller
3. Jonathan Fuller
4. Oliver Dixon
5. Ben Andrews
6. Rhys Thomas

THE GRAND FINALS !!!!

The mere fact we got to the Grand Finals was impressive enough - but to win our semi final against Devon on the Saturday, before going head to head against Nottinghamshire, who beat Yorkshire in their semi, was a truly marvellous team result. The story unfolds in more detail below.

We were scheduled to play Devon at 3:00pm but arrived early to size up the opposition and prepare. Yorkshire were battling it out in their semi final against Nottinghamshire and in the finish only picked up one rubber at number 5. Both teams looked impressive so we knew we would have a tough match on Sunday either in the final or for third/forth place. First we had to take on Devon though.

Ben and Jonathan were first on at numbers 5 and 3. Jonathan came up against Mike Harris, ranked in England at number 9, who Devon team manager admitted he was “on fire and not making all the unforced errors that is typical of his game”. Jonathan lost a very convincing 3 – 0 for a few points. Ben struggled but after losing the first two games dug in and took the third. Encouraged that he had turned it around we were ultimately disappointed as he ran out of steam in the fourth to go down 3-1. One more loss and we would be playing for third / fourth place.

Adrian went on next against James Snell and, with England rankings of 3 and 8 respectively, on paper at least, we were favourite in this tie. However, it was not looking good when Adrian lost the first two 9/6, 9/6 although the Waller fighting spirit surfaced and Adrian took the next three games for the loss of 7, 4 and 6 points to a thoroughly exhausted Snell who have given his all. Excellent match.

Oli had a tough match too but remained in control despite contending with the annoyance of steamed up goggles. After a slight lapse in concentration in the third that he lost 10/8 Oli re-focused and closed out the match 9/5 in the fourth for a 3-1 win. Suddenly the prospect of being in the final was back on with Neil well in control against Jim Bristow. Neil has a lot of natural talent but likes to hide it under a cloak of showmanship, which is very entertaining for the crowd and very frustrating for his opponents. Neil won comfortably in 3 taking us through to the final against Nottinghamshire.

Herts beat Devon  3 ties to 2

On Saturday night we were very upbeat and could see victory against Notts as both Adrian and Neil were quietly confident on winning their ties and we needed one more from the other three, which, having seen them play against Yorks, we felt was entirely feasible.

Jonathan again had a nightmare against England ranked number 13, Eddie Chalton losing 3-0 and Ben lost 3-1 in another hard match to leave us relying on our three stars from Saturday: Adrian, Neil and Oli. Adrian’s game against Lewis Walters lasted at least 80 minutes and we witnessed some incredible rallies with both the first games going to 10, Lewis nicking the first and Adrian the second. Adrian followed up by taking the third 9/5 but losing the next 9/4. Two games all and Oli was struggling on the next court against Richard Underhill. Despite some terrific rallies and neck-and-neck scoring Lewis pulled away to take the fifth 9/6 and the championship title. Oli lost 3-1 which set Neil up for an exhibition match against the number 19 in England, Jonathan Underhill. He won in his usual style entertaining us all in the process and picked up our only win.

Herts lost to Nottinghamshire 4 ties to 1

Hertfordshire were therefore runners up in the U19 2005/6 Inter County Championships which is a fantastic achievement we should all be proud; not just the players but all those involved in Herts Squash including the parents, coaches and members of the committee.

Rhys Thomas was our sixth man, or reserve, and whilst his games did not count towards the scores he had three matches over the weekend which will benefit his game and provide valuable experience for next season when I fully expect him to play higher in the order. Neil Waller is the only player out of age for next season so roll on next season.

WELL DONE HERTS !!!

Report by: Dudley Fuller, U19 Team Manager.