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League - Division 1 - Season 2009-2010:-

	Team	Pld	Pts
1	Keith	22	245
2	JRM 'A'	22	217
3	Gord 'A'	22	184
4	Buckpool 'A'	22	178
5	Kinloss 'A'	22	164
6	Aviemore	22	135

League reports from January to April 2010:-

JRM 'A' 6-9 Keith

With the end of the season almost upon us it was time for the Div 1 protagonists to face-off in a match that unfortunately couldn't effect the Div outcome.

With such an attractive match a large audience was anticipated. That came in the form of two of the now defunct 'Slightly Mighty Hunters' Team (Sharpie & McClue). Were they here to witness a feast of squash and take home some tips for next season or were they looking to muscle in on an overdue curry? Perhaps the main reason was that at around 1800, Aviemore pulled out of their proposed match with the Hunters, thus handing them a 12 point w/o, their best result of the campaign! Stevie did have a go at working out a formula to turn that 12 points into a big enough margin to pip Keith for the title, but alas he had to admit defeat, realising there is only so far you can shift the goal-posts!

So onto the match.

Tony Loftus and Roy Mackenzie were first out, but lofty was out of sorts on the night and Roy ran out a convincing 3-0 win with scores of 9-4, 9-0, 9-6.

Next up was the 'Battle of the Hoodies' with their BMX and Skateboards laid aside for the night, it was the turn of John Ramsbottom and Mike Stewart. 'Rambo' turned in his best performance of the season with a 3-1 win over Mike, with scores of 9-3, 9-3, 4-9, 9-3. There were no hard feelings as both Hoodies were seen silhouetted against the moon as they rode off on their BMX bikes hand in hand. Ahhh bless.

Neil Riach stretched the Keith Lead with a 3-0 win over Stephen Leggat, who hit the tin, wall, floor and glass back with his racket, foot and even his head. Steve gave away countless strokes and made too many unforced errors, which he could ill afford against an opponent he has always struggled against. Scores were 9-2, 9-5, 9-5. Steve was later heard to say, 'It was the crowd, the pressure was immense'.

Final contest of the night was to prove to be the closest.

Mark Wakeford took the first game convincingly against Gary MacKenzie 9-1. Gary failed to close out the second game when 8-5 up allowing Mark to claw his way back to 9-9 before Gary nicked it with a powerful cross nick. Mark once again forged ahead by taking the third game 9-2. Once again Gary levelled, taking the fourth 9-5. So a five setter it was! The final game saw Mark race 5-1 ahead but Gary once again made his way back into the game and forged 7-5 ahead. Mark however managed to stop the rot and reeled off 4 points on the trot to win the game 9-7, beating Gary 3-2 and making the overall score a 9-6 win for the new undisputed Div 1 Champions.

To Cap it all The 'Not so Mighty Hunters' got their curry, improved their knowledge of Squash and without the trip to Aviemore, saved half a tank of petrol in the process! They are now known as, 'The Mighty Bargain Hunters'.

JRM 'A' 12-2 Aviemore

With the Aviemore Team ariving in three different cars, it was No. 3 Pete Watts who was first on the scene. Pete was up against Steve Leggat who ran up a quick 3-0 win with scores of 9-2, 9-1, 9-3.

The Next Game was a bit longer with slow starter John Ramsbottom playing Emil Mirossy. John actually won the first game 9-4, but then let the ever running Emil take over and win the second 9-2. Emil was still playing well and built up a 5-1 lead in the third. John gave himself a good shake at this point, realised he was going to have to up a gear. This he did and came back to win the third game 9-6 and then seal the win with a 9-1 win in the fourth.

Gary Farquhar and Alistair Lyon served up a tussle with Gary edging the the first game 9-8, after Alistair had called set one, then served out of court to hand advantaged to the 'Doc'. The second game went to Alistair 9-3 and served another wake up call to 'Dr Dolittle' who has not played much squash of late, hence the Dolittle tag !. Gary won the third game 9-7 and then the fourth 9-3, with Alistair making too many mistakes and slack play, handing Gary the opportunity to close out.

The final match of the evening saw the in-form Mark Wakeford hand a lesson to young pretender Chris Brown. Chris has had a good season, but was no match for 'Wakey' who seems to be hitting top form at the moment. Mark won 3-0 with scores of 9-2, 9-4 and 9-0.

Buckpool 'A' 11-4 Kinloss 'A'

With only pride at stake The Hunters travelled to that far off land known to many as Buck 'The Chilly City' pool.

First up was Sandra 'The Power' Farquhar against Sally-Anne Hutchinson. Sandra has been a regular all season and it was apparent early on that Sally-Anne was the lamb to the slaughter in this affair (Stevie chickened out and played at one) as Sandra quickly despatched the first game 9-0 with an awsome display of power and accuracy. Sally-Anne was not about to lie down and scampered about the court in a desperate attempt to try and slow Sandra down and take the power out of Sandra's game, but alas' Sally-Anne wet down 9-3.

So to the third and yet again Sandra showed the Doc no mercy battering the ball and Sally-Anne into submission with more devastating squash.

Stevie was heard to say thank God I never went in there.

Buckpool A 3-0 up. Colin Forbes was up next against Kinloss man Rob Creighton.

This was only Rob's second outing for the 'A' team and he was just a little nervous, he was even more nervous after he saw what Colin was doing to the ball during the warm up, a quick look to the balcony was greeted with, Man-Up this is what it's all about. Colin quickly settled looking to play on Rob's nerves and he showed the gap in class as he took the opener 9-2.

Rob was quick to get off the court and some words of wisdom saw him settle down and take to the court a more confident player. Rob showed more of his own style of squash and looked to rally the Buckpool man instead of going for the quick winners. Colin was clearly rattled and looked to be struggling with his movement. Rob looked to take advantageas the spritely Colin visibly slowed. Rob found himself with 2 match points and looked certain to take the game, however, Colin used his experience and clawed it back to nick the game 10-9. Rob was clearly shaken by the way Colin seemed to up his game at the vital moment, but was still keen enough to get back onto the court for the third game. Unfortunately, this game went much like the first and Colin looked comfortable as he took the with a 9-1 score in the third.

Buckpool up 6-0 and looking for a whitewash.

Next up was Billy 'Mr Billy to his new friends' Montgomery taking on Alfred 'The King' Morrison in what usually throws up a spectacle of a match.

Mr Billy only just back form a hard month off-shore in Singapore was keen to show that the trip had not affected his game. The King was also well fired up for the game, let the battle begin.

It was Alfie that settled the quicker with Billy making more unforced errors, as could be expected, due to his lack of court time. However Alfie didn't get it all his own way as Mr Billy pushed him hard with Alfie nickoing the game 9-7.

That was the contest over as a match as Buckpoool were now 7-0 up.

Pride however was not about to let the Hunters go down to a whitewash and Billy dug deep, stroke for stroke point for point they battled eventually they squared off at 8-8 and The King elected for one point. Billy thought here it comes your majesty and drove the ball hard in at Alfie's feet Alfie could only scrape the ball back, Billy was waiting and punished the loose ball to take the game 9-8.

So to the fourth, not much of a game as Billy had given pretty much all he had in the second and Alfie took it 9-2 and the match 3-1.

So with the match score now 9-1 it was left to the number 1's to finish off the night. badly needing points Stevie McClue wasn't confident as Andy Farquhar proves a tough even nut to crack withouht the niggles form the Glass Back. Stevie settled quickly with Andy perhaps thinking too much about Stevie's injury narrowly losing out 9-7. Andy bounced back in the second, with some good cross courts that saw his opponent struggle to turn and nicked the game 10-8. Stevie was rattled and sore and thought the writing was on the wall. Andy however, seemed to go to sleep, Stevie took full advantage as he rattled off the game in quick time 9-4. Andy was shocked, but with with cross court winners followed with tight drop shots that Stevie just couldn't move for Andy took the fourth 9-1 before you could blink. It looked as if Stevie had shot his bolt and quickly went down 5-0 to 5 tight drops straight off service returns. Andy again eased off on his serve, Stevie managed to get in some tighter returns and finish the point off quickly at the front of the court.

Unbeleivabnly Stevie took the game 9-6 and the match 3-2, however it was only a consolation as The Hunter's went down 11-4 on the night. The evening was finished off with a few sociables and a lovely pot of home made potato and BEEF soup. Luverly...

Kinloss 'A' 8-7 Gordonstoun 'A'

Kinloss A took on Gord A at the home of the Hunters in what was a rescheduled fixture.

First up saw the injured Stevie McClue take on Mori Thompson at rubber 4. Despite his obvious discomfort Stevie still proved too experienced for the younger Gordonstoun man and ran out an uncomfortable 3-0 winner as Mori seemed a little more concerned about who he was playing instead of playing his normal game.

Next door Phil 'The Powerless' Taylor was looking good as he took the opener 9-5 and looked to be having things his own way, however Andrew Twyman is fast showing he is a player to reckoned with as he took the second gameby the same scoreline 9-5. Phil looked rattled and looked for inspiration form his team mates, In stepped Paul Sharp with some good advice on how to move the younger man around the court and wait for the right opportunity before going for the killer drop. Again Phil was powerless to stop Andrew taking the third game 9-5. Again Phil looked for words of wisdom, and as so often this season the words of wisdom seemed only to work against the Kinloss outfit as Andrew took the fourth 9-1 and the match 3-1. This brought the match score to 4-3 in favour of the Hunters, however with the older, and some might say, wiser Masters yet to take to the court things didn't look like staying that way long.

Neil 'The machine' martin floated onto the court alongside the more measured approach from Chris Barton. Chris has been struggling this season with a bad hip ans as such hasn't had his normal movement in the court. Neil was in no mood for a protracted affair and quickly took the first game 9-5 quickly followed with the second 9-3. Chris was obvioiusly toiling with his hip and Neil persisted in good drives followed with tight drops in an attempt to keep the Master moving about as much of the court as possible. Chris dug deep into his reserves and as Neil seemed to ease off slightly Chris took the third 9-2. The Machine was not happy, a quick comfort break and an ear bashing from team Captain Stevie saw Neil fired up ready for the fourth. For the first time this season the pep talk seemed to work as Neil seemed re-invigorated as he closed out the match 9-6 in the fourth.

Last up was Paul Sharp and Richard Devey. Paul was relishing the opportunity to step up as number one and wanted to show he has what it takes to shoulder the immense responsibility that comes with that position.

With the match finely balanced at 7-4 in favour of the Hunters Paul was left in no doubt as to what was needed. JUST ONE GAME PLEASE. Richard got off to a flier and took the opener 9-3. Paul looked shell shocked, however he delved deep within himself and found the resolve, tenacity and skill to take the second game 9-4. Richard looked puzzled, gave himself a good talking to and proceded to take the next two games 9-4, 9-2. Paul was not a happy bunny as the match swung form one extreme to the other with both players not really firing on all cylinders.

This match was decided more on mistakes than winners. Kinloss took the match 8-7 on the night.

Keith 12-1 Kinloss 'A'

Kinloss A travelled to likely champs Keith and although strong on paper that was about as much as could be said for this poor showing form the Kinloss outfit.

First up saw Neil Martin take on Mike Stewart - what can I say, it was like man against boy as Mike showed he is quickly getting back to where his squash was before he took that funny turn and went off running marathons..! Neil went down 3-0 in very quick games.

On the other side of the wall Phil 'the powerless' Taylor was not having much luck with Roy Mackenzie either. Roy is playing some of his best squash just now and he made short work of Phil who struggled to get the ball passed the Keith man who pummelled the living daylights out of the ball. Roy continued where Mike left off with a 3-0 win.

Next saw Paul Sharp and Stevie McClue take to the court against Neil Riach and Gary MacKenzie respectively. Gary got off to a good start and quickly had Stevie running like a mad man, recovering the ball well but unable to exert any pressure of his own Gary took the first game 9-3. Stevie looked to be in some discomfort as his recent run of bad luck with his back seemed to be re-emerging. Stevie somehow managed to scrape the second game as Gary seemed to ease off slightly. So to the third and Stevie was in obvious discomfort although he did try to hide the pain. Gary quickly took the third and an easy fourth as Stevie succumbed yet again to injury. Gary took the match a comfortable 3-1.

Next door was over just as Stevie and Gary finished their first game, Paul just couldn't handle Neil's game as he went down 3-0.

A convincing night for the, Likely Lads, 12-1 Kinloss' heaviest defeat in some years.

Season Round-up so far

Keith have had an incredible season so far dropping just 11 pts all season. With a settled 4 playing some of their best squash they have dominated the Division so far and I cannot see any other team really pushing them during the run-in. Engraving already done lads..!!

JRM A have managed to stay within touching distance with Keith. The only difference between the two teams this year is that Keith have usually taken 12 pts per gae where as JRM A have won their matches with a 10 point average. Losing to Keith 12-4 also shows the Keith lads are a wee bit stronger over-all.

From 3rd to 6th there is not a lot between the teams, with just 13 points covering all four teams, Buckpool A, Gordonstoun A, Aviemore and Kiunloss A and it would be difficult to call what team will finish where.

Here's looking forward to a tight run-in for these teams with bragging rights at the Squash Ball end of season bash to play for. COME ON Kinloss..!!

Aviemore 5-10 JRM 'A'

Tony Loftus was first on court against Aviemore's Emile Mirossay, the Elgin player proving too strong for Emile. Lofty ran out a 3-0 victory with scores of 9-3, 9-1, 9-0.

John Ramsbottom took advantage of this weeks squash venue and killed two birds with the one stone ! Rambo spent the day ski-ing with son Tom, then swapped his Ski's for his Squash Racket to take on Aviemore's Alisdair Cairns. The Speedy slopes of the Cairngorms were a perfect warm up for Rambo, as he to recorded a 3-0 win with scores of 9-2, 9-3, 9-7, thus setting JRM A 6-0 up at the halfway stage.

Such was the form of the opening two for Elgin, Steve Leggat and Gary Farquhar had still not arrived when these games were over. Their opponents Alastair Lyon and Chris Brown were intent in stopping the rot and getting some much needed points on the board for Aviemore. They did not dissapoint. Alastair took the first two games 9-7, 9-7, against Steve Leggat, who was struggling to come to terms with the early form of Alastair. Steve looked to be getting back into the match and went 8-5 up in the third, Alastair however was looking to end the match in this third set and came back and levelled at 8-8. It was the home player who looked to be heading for victory when taking the next point and serving for the match at 9-8, Steve fought back to 9-9, but it was Alastair who once again had the chance to close, out with another match ball, the rallies were long with both players giving all, when Steve, who seemed doomed, found some extra grit and determination to claw his way back and win 10-9, keeping the game alive.

By this time it was all over on the other court. Chris Brown beating Gary Farquhar 9-0, 8-10, 9-5, 9-0.

At this point Alastair and Steve switched courts to conclude their match, as the lights had gone out on the first court.

This Switch seemed to suit Steve more than Alastair, the Elgin Player now rejuvenated and playing much better, recorded wins of 9-4, 9-3, to complete a remarkable turnaround.

Man of the Match Awards - Chris Brown (Aviemore) - Steve Leggat (JRM A)

Kinloss 'A' 8-6 Buckpool 'A'

The Hunters hosted close rivals Buckpool A in what was to prove a very tight affair. First up saw Billy 'The Wolf' Montgomery take on the ever youthful Andrew Coull for the visitors. The Wolf seemed relaxed going into the first game after what seemed like a rather lack lustre knock-up. Things were to move on slightly as Andrew proved he could spank the life out of the ball. The Wolf soon realised he was in for a match as Andrew pushed him around the court with, at times, devastating accuracy much to the delight of the visiting team. However, the Wolf is not to be out foxed as he quickly got the measure of Andres' cross courts and slowly but slighly started to put Andrew to the sword. Taking the opener 9-3. Andrew rallied in the second only to find the Wolf had another gear and closed out the match 9-6, 9-3 to gve the Hunters a great start to the evening. (Hope the trainers fitted your wee lad with size 10 feet Andrew)

Meanwhile on court one Phil Taylor was well up for his return match with Sandra Farquhar for Buckpool. Sandra inflicted Phil's first defeat of the season pre-xmas and he was raring for a bit of male revenge. Sandra was in good spirits before the match after Stevie commented on her dress size or was it her shoe size!! So to the opener and Phil harried, chased played some beautiful drops, drives and recovered some trmendous drives from Sandra, all was in vain however as he finally succumbed 9-0 in the first. Time for team captain to inject some more urgency into Phil's game and as with previous words of wisdom form Stevie he duly lost the second 9-7, however a much improved performance from the Kinloss man. The third game saw Phil put Sandra to the sword as it were as Sandra's mind obvioiusly drifted to the Prince Shoes on offer at a greatly reduced price, or was it the dress size..! Phil seemed to have found his MOJO and rattled the game off in quick fire 9-2. Sandra was not very happy, tat's putting it mildly, out went hubby Andy to give words of wisdom. In came a fired up Sandra with all thoughts now focussed firmly on the job in hand. Once again Phil harried, chased played some beautiful drops, drives and recovered some trmendous drives from Sandra. Heard this before? Yes Sandra again ran out a 9-0 win in the fourth, however it must be stresed that the scoreline does not do the match justice as Sandra really had to work for this emphatic win.

So to Paul Sharp against the ever improing Colin Forbes. Colin is one of the most improved players in the Division and his regular MOM awards are fully justified. Out of the blocks quickly Colin pushed the taller Kinloss man around the court with some hard hitting drives followed by accurate cross courts. Paul pushed as hard as he could and showed some lovely control to keep Colin at bay for the first half of the opener. With the game locked at 5-5 for what seemed an eternity until Colin rattled off the points required to nick the opener 9-5. Paul was not amused as he made a few too many mistakes in the run-in. The second went much the same way with Colin again narrowly taking the game 9-7. The old 2-0 up scoreline had its usual effect in the 3ed as Paul rattled it of 9-1 in quick time, a rather timely reiminder to Colin that you have to finish the match off. The fourth was to prove the best game of the match with both players seeming to tire. Again locked at 7-7 for a host of hand-outs and again it was Paul who cracked letting Colin in with a couple of mistakes to take the match 3-1.

So to the number ones and with the scoreline sitting at 6-5 to the visitors Stevie and Andy new that the match was still there to be won or lost. The first started cautiously with neither player looking to give easy points. With the score at 2-2 Stevie found a chink in Andy's armour and managed to get a run of 7 [points to take the opener 9-2. Andy seemed bit shell-shocked with how the first game seeemd to turn and the second game was over before he new it with a 9-0 win for the Kinloss man. So to third and yet again Stevie took a 7-0 lead before Andy could react. Andy only managed to get the one point on the board befoe Stevie took the game 9-1 which secured a much needed win for the Hunters 8-6.

After a few refreshments and lots of banter the Buckpool team left in good spirits for the long drive east with Andrew the happier of the bunch with his buy of the century.

JRM Elgin 'A' 10-5 Buckpool 'A'

The Evening got underway at blistering pace with Tony Loftus taking on the Superfit Sandra Farquhar. The first 2 points went the way of Sandra, although this might have given Lofty' an early warning that he was going to have to work extremely hard to prevail. 'Lofty took heed and won the first two games 9-4 and 9-7. Sandra gave 'Lofty' a sharp reminder by storming back to take the third game by 9-5, and then continued at blistering pace in the fourth game to surge to an 8-1 lead. However the game was to take another twist, with a mixture of grit, determination and good fortune, 'Lofty' clawed his way back into the game and recorded a 10-8 win. This was a bit harsh on Sandra as she had done little wrong and fully deserved at least a fifth set. 'Lofty on the other hand was quietly happy that it didn't go that far. Overall a brilliant opener!

Next up were John Ramsbottom and Colin Forbes. The first game was quite open with both players having chances to forge ahead. It was Colin who eventually came through to win 9-6. The second game served up a bit of confusion, with John building an early lead, before there was a halt in play with the marker and both players having differing thoughts on the scoring. This had perhaps a more unsettling effect on John, Colin coming through to take this game 9-7. John fared much better in the third game building up a 7-1 lead. John eventually took this game, although Colin did come back, the score 9-6. The fourth game saw the early rallies going both ways and the scores tied at 3-3 for quite a while.

It was Colin who came through once again though, by making better use of the chances that came his way. John was left to rue missed opportunities on a night where the warm court saw a 'Lively Ball'.

With Stephen Leggat having a night off, Alfie Morrison thought there might have been a chink in the armour of the Elgin Side. However waiting on court was Mark Wakeford. A welcome boost to JRM A, Mark being available now on Thursday Nights and providing the team with a five man squad. Alfie put up a good fight and made Mark fight all the way for his 3-0 win, the scores being 9-6, 9-6, 9-5.

The final encounter of the evening saw 'Light Weight' versus 'Heavy Weight', 'The Battle of the Farquhar's '!. Gary got the better of the first game 9-3 and Andy coming back to take the second 9-7. There were one or two collisions in this encounter, which were more atoned to WWF, although the super slick frame of Andy was going to be no match for the 'Curry Munching Doc' in that department. The 'Doc' also proving too good for Andy at the Squash too, winning the next two games 9-4 and 9-5 with Andy making too many unforced errors during these games.

JRM 'A' 10 - 5 Kinloss 'A'

Tony Loftus set the ball rolling for JRM A with a 3-1 win over Billy 'The Wolf' Montgomery. 'Lofty' wasn't firing on all cylinders to start with and 'The Wolf' took the first game 9-6. Tony started to play better in the second game and eventually ran out 9-2, 9-6 and 9-1 wins to defeat the man from Kinloss. Monty put up a good fight but the Elgin Player took advantage of his rusty opponent. Too much time in the jungle or was it the ORCHARD..!

Next out were Stephen Leggat and Phil Calvert. The Kinloss Player was to prove no match for Steve as the Elgin Player reeled off three quick games 9-1, 9-2, 9-1 pushing JRM A 6-1 ahead.

Gary Farquhar's poor form of late has seen him demoted to number 2 this week. He started poorly against Paul 'Chocolate Boy' Sharp. Paul Took the first game 10-8, however this match was to be a carbon copy of the Lofty - Monty Game 'The Doc' took full advantage of Paul who, as always, felt the twainges that come with age. Unfortunately for the Kinloss outfit 'The Doc' ratled off the next three games to take the match 3-1. coming back to win the next three games 9-7,9-3, 9-3 thus setting Elgin ahead now by 9-2.

The final game saw Mark Wakeford against Stevie McClue. Stevie won the first 9-5 and also took the second 9-2. Mark was playing quite well and went 7-3 ahead in the third game, only for Steve to come storming back to lead 8-7 and serve for the match. Mark dug in and turned it round by winning 10-8 to keep the match alive. Stevie got back in the groove in the fourth game, running out a 9-2 win, to clinch this tie 3-1. Mark however had put up a good show and in earning 1 point ensured that JRM A came away with a 10-5 win over the Slightly 'Mighty Hunters'

Kinloss 'A' 12 - 4 Aviemore

With a recurring injury to Paul 'Chocolate Boy' Sharp, Phil Calvert was drafted into the Hunters A team for this clash with Aviemore at number 4.

Phil took on the ever youthful Alisdair Cairns in what was to prove the battle of the evening. Phil looked to be in the mood for a battle and took the match to the veteran early on with some devastating length and accurate volleys that seemed to catch Alisdair on his heels. Taking the first game 9-3 things looked comfortable for hte RAF PTI. However Alisdair was merely probing for weakness in the younger mans armoury. The weakness found Alisdair pounced and took the second 9-6, much to Phil's dismay. Fortunately 'Chocolate Boy' was on hand for some words of wisdom.

So to the third and Phil seemed to be on fire, pouncing on all loose shots with authority, he commanded the 'T' and took the game 9-2.

Unfortunately 'Chocolate Boy had left to watch Newcastle Utd play in the Ryman League, 'Highland Lge' equivalent for us Scots. So in stepped team captain Stevie 'Jona' McClue and as has been the case with previous words of wisdom from Stevie, Phil duly lost the fourth 10-8. So to the fifth and with Stevie tight lipped Phil played his own unique style of squash to which Alisdair had no answer and went down 9-3. However it must be said that the PTI was pushed hard by the older, wiser Alisdair.

Next up was Phil Taylor for the Hunters against Peter Watts. Yet again we saw the youth of Kinloss against another elder statesman from Aviemore. Peter, however, raced out of the blocks with a convincing 9-4 win in the first. In steps 'Jona' for Kinloss with words of wisdom. You can see where this might be leading, but no, Phil Taylor unlike Phil Calvert, heeded the words offered and took the second game comfortably, 10-9..!! The second game seemed to take the sting out of Peter and Phil duly ran out the winner thaking the third and fourth games 9-5, 9-4.

Yet again the Hunters had a PTI in their ranks, Neil Martin another injury returnee took on the running machine that is Emil Mirosbay. Emils' unorthodox style took Neil by surprise and Neil lost the opener 9-7. In steps 'Jona' and wih a few pointers, to which Neil responded, 'Stevie how do I know where he's putting it when he hasn't a clue either'. However Neil is a slow starter and warmed to the task in the second. Concentrating on his own game Neil managed to pinch a tight second game 10-8 after Emil serving for the game on three occassions. This took the wind from Emil and he lost the third and fourth games 9-1, 9-0.

So with the Hunters looking to take 12 points it was down to the number ones to enter the arena.

Stevie McClue and Alistair Lyon started their match at a ferocious pace that took Stevie by surprise. Alistair raced into to a 6-1 lead and looked as if he may upset the form book, however, Stevie settled into his own game and looked to push Alistair around the court with solid drives and accurate drop shots to take the opener 10-8. Alistair certainly made things awkward for the Kinloss man and showed that he is quite capable of performing well at this level. Unfortunately for Alistair Stevie is in good run of form and closed out the match 9-3, 9-5 to give the Hunters a much needed 12 points.

Man of the match awards went to Phil Calvert and Alisdair Cairns.

Keith 12 - 4 JRM Elgin 'A'

Tony Loftus was first to arrive at Keith and was half way through his match with 'Knod' before the rest of his team mates arrived! The score at this point was one game each. 'Knod' was playing really well and took the next game to lead 2-1. The fourth game saw 'Knod' in control again and had Tony on the ropes at 8-6 and serving for the match. Tony was on the back foot during this rally but managed to make a couple of amazing recovery shots to claw his way back and win the game and set up a decider ! 'Knod' however managed to keep his nose in front and win an entertaining match 3-2.

Mike Stewart and John Ramsbottom had a good game. Rambo started brightly but eventually lost the first game 9-7. Mike also took the second game 9-5. Rambo managed to claw his way back in the third and level the scores at 8-8, but put an easy drop down and let Mike finish the match and a 3-0 Win.

Steve Leggat also started brightly against Neil Riach by taking an early 6-2 lead. Neil managed to come back and serve for the game at 8-7 and 9-8, Steve was determined to take something from the game and came back to win this game 10-9 with a welcome 'Nick' off the Serve for the winning point. The Next game was another close affair, Neil levelling the match with a 9-7 win. Neil's reach was starting to trouble Steve and he raced to a 7-0 lead in the third game. Steve was a bit bewildered by the fact that he played some shots that would have been winners on any other night, but Neil's Reach cut them out ! Steve did fight back but Neil took the game 9-5 and the next 9-4, to complete a 3-1 victory.

The final game saw the battle of the Gary's. Early exchanges saw them take a game a piece, but it was the home player who was to prevail in the next two games which were reasonably well contested but Gary MacKenzie proved to be that bit fitter and sharper than 'The Doc'.

JRM 'A' 10 - 8 Gordonstoun 'A'

With the winter break now over it was back to business in the squash leagues. For John 'Rambo' Ramsbottom it was time to swap the Ski's for the racket and get back out on the court. 'Rambo' had his skates on to start with though and built up a 5-0 lead in the first, against Andrew Twyman. However Andrew slowly got himself back into the game and staved off 2 game balls to take the first game 10-8. Andrew was now moving well and playing some of his best squash of the season and extended his lead by taking the second game 9-5. John came storming back to take the third 9-2, but Andrew was playing well and made sure there was to be no comeback from 'Rambo', by taking the fourth game 9-6.

Chris Barton started well against Stephen Leggat by punishing Steve for some slack play, Chris dominated the 'T' and took the first game 9-3 with ease. Steve started to play a bit better in the next game but with the scores edging up evenly it was Chris who forged ahead 7-4. Steve came back to 7-7, only for Chris to get to game ball chances at 8-7 then 9-8. Steve however fought back to take this game 10-9. With this contest now locked at one game each it was Steve's turn to dominate and he took the third game 9-1. Steve continued this form into the fourth and rattled off 5 Straight points to build up an early lead. Chris fought back and with Steve stuck at five Chris turned the game round to lead 7-5. Steve however got back into the groove and pulled of a 9-7 win, thus levelling the match at 4-4.

Mark Wakeford and Richard Devey fought out a tight five setter with Richard taking the first game 9-5 and Mark reversing the trend by taking the second by the same score. Richard once more took the lead by winning the third 9-4. Mark came back with a 9-2 win in the fourth game and was starting to make Richard run a bit. This eventually took it's toll on Richard as Mark won the fifth 9-0, to win an entertaining contest 3-2, edging the Elgin Side ahead 7-6.

Entertainment was the order of the day in the final match with 15 year old starlet Fergus Richards taking on the Fifty (ish) Gary Farquhar. Fergus showed what youth can do by taking the first game 9-0 ! Gary, who was showing slight signs of over indulging in Turkey & Pudding over the last few weeks, fared better in the second game by winning 9-2. It was Fergus who went ahead again taking the third 9-6. Gary fought back once more by taking the fourth 9-6. Fergus was in command of the final game leading at 5-0 and 6-1. The Doc however was not to be outdone by the young gun and produced a great come back to win the fifth 9-7 and give JRM A Victory.

League reports from September to December 2009:-

Fraser Appliances 'A' 4-12 JRM 'A'

Elgin made the short journey through to the capital of the Highlands for the league fixture.

First up Kirsty Lobban vs Tony Loftus. Tony started well taking the first game 9-0. Kirsty fought hard but the experenced Tony took the next two games 9-5, 9-5 to win 3-0 and give the Elgin team a great start.

Next up the no.3s Scott Fraser vs John Ramsbottom.

A very below par Scott was no match for the league sponsor John and lost 3-0.

The no.2s Allan Lobban vs Stephen Leggat produced the longest and closest match of the night. Allan took the first 9-5, Stephen the 2nd 9-4 and the 3rd went to a tie-breaker with Allan edging it 10-8 to take a 2-1 lead. The long rallies continued with both players giving their all in an energy sapping game but it was Stephen who came out on top taking the next two 9-6, 9-2 to win 3-2.

Next up the no.1s Bob Kass vs Gary Farquar. Bob started well taking the first two games 9-2 9-1. Gary raised his game and took the 3rd game to a tie-breaker which he edged 10-8. Bob just back from a nasty shoulder injury fitness was starting to show and Gary upped the pace and took the next two games 9-0, 9-7 to win 3-2 and the Elgin side a comprensive victory.

M.O.M - Fraser Appliances, Allan Lobban - JRM 'A' - Gary Farquhar.

JRM 'B' 6-9 MRG Inverness

Kriss Bradshaw played against Andrew Anderson at no.4, Kriss dominated from the start and won 3-0 (9-1, 9-0, 9-2)

At 3 Euan Christie played Graham Mackay, Graham quickly getting to the speed of the court and winning 3-1 (1-9, 9-3, 2-9, 2-9)

Best game of the night was played at no.2 - Ian Maltman and Alex Blake had a ding dong battle, Alex coming out a 3-2 winner. Some excellent squash played by both men, each game swinging one way then the other. Alex eventually sealed the match 9-7 in the fifth with Ian coming back and saving 4 match balls, (9-6, 5-9, 9-4, 1-9, 7-9).

Another good game played at no.1 - Brian McAuley going down to a 3-0 defeat. Brian was unlucky not to convert a couple of game balls in the second but playing some of his best squash this year. Jamie played very consistently (4-9, 8-10, 3-9).

Man of match both from no.2's - Ian Maltman and Alex Blake.

Gordonstoun 'A' 9-5 Kinloss 'A'

The Hunters travelled to Gordonstoun in an attempt to capture enough points that would secure their status in the 1st Div for the post x-mas run-in.

First on court was Andrew Twyman for the home team and Paul Harris for the Kinloss outfit. Both players seemed edgy at the start and there were several unforced errors, unfortunately for Kinloss' aspirations Andrew just edged it 9-7.

The second game saw Paul settle down after some words of wisdom from Paul Sharp. Paul looked far more at ease and semed to stroke the ball around the court, to the great delight af the packed balcony (four teams there that night). Paul took the game 9-6.

Unfortuntely for the Hunters that game took its toll on Paul and he seemed a little jaded during the next 2 games as Andrew swept him aside 9-1, 9-1 to take the 3-1.

Not a great start but things were going to get worse.

Chris Barton's recent return did not bode well for Kinloss' Phil Calvert. Phil is a 24yr old RAF PTI, known as the machine, who prides himself on his all round fitness. Chris proved to Phil it is not the legs but sometimes the, 'head', that gets the job done. Phil gave his all and nearly snatched the first game rallying back from 8-4 dwn to just lose it 10-8. However the machine was in need of lubrication, unfortunately no amount of go-go juice could replenish his tanks and Chris proceded to punih Phil with some power drives from all over the court. Phil had no answer and lost the next two games 9-1, 9-1. The machine was blown!

Next into the court was Richard Devey taking on the consumate professional, Paul Sharp. Again Paul looked composed taking to the court in confident manner. Richard was in determined mood and on the back of some good results recently closed out the first game 9-2. Paul was shell shocked, not to mention a wee bit bruised. The second game saw the 'consumate professional' back in form and looked more comfortable although he was still being worked very hard by Richard. Paul took the game 9-7 to level the battle. The latter stages of the next game saw both players expend what go-go juice they had left in what were energy sapping rallies.

Again, Kinloss suffered by the odd point and Richard took it 10-9. So, to what was to be the final curtain for the 'consumate professional' in this match. Richard looked the stronger but Paul was not about to lie down and 'TAKE IT FROM THE REAR' (not my words) he showed true grit and a wee bit of his stomach on his cheek as he chased every ball. But alas it was not to be and the Hunters again went down 3-1.

So to the final match of the evening with young Fergus Richards and the ever youthful Stevie McClue taking to the court. Fergus has had some good results of late that has seen him propelled into the number 1 slot. Fergus seemed to find the pace of the 'ever youthful' Stevie a bit of a surprise as he gave Stevie the front of the court on a few too many occasions. Stevie ran out a comfortable winner on the night 3-0, however, he was heard to say, 'don't fancy playing him in a couple of years'.

Gordonstoun took the spoils on the night 9-5.

This result leaves the Hunters needing a convincing display against Total Fitness to secure their polace in Div 1.

I would like to take this opportunity to pass on Gordonstoun's thanks and appreciation to all teams that have re-arranged matches to allow them to catch up on their outstanding games. This again illustrates the sporting nature of this Div. Hats off to all teams concerned.

JRM 'A' 11-3 Gordonstoun 'A'

With John Ramsbottom running late, it was Stephen Leggat and Andrew Twyman who took to the court first. Andrew was first out of the blocks and built up a 5-1 lead. Steve then started to get in the groove and won the next nine points to take the first game 9-5. The next game saw Steve continue where he left off and run out a 9-1 win.

Andrew played much better in the next game and kept in touch, playing some good shots to win some of the long rallies that were taking place. With The score at 4-3 to Steve, it was the Elgin player who once again pulled away to lead 8-3 and serve for the win. Andrew managed to stave of this match point and pulled back another point. Steve made the most of his next match point opportunity and closed out a 9-4 win to set Elgin 3-0 ahead.

Next game saw Mark Wakeford in his first outing of the season, take on Chris Barton. Mark was too much of a handful for Chris and won his games 9-6, 9-2, 9-5.

With the score now 6-0 to Elgin it was the turn of Gary Farquhar and Richard Devey. This contest was much the same as the previous with Gary winning 9-5, 9-3, 9-3.

Gordonstoun were now banking on young Fergus Richards to put some much needed points on the board. He was up against late arrival John Ramsbottom. Fergus Raced to a 7-0 Lead in the first but John dug in and ground out a 10-8 victory. The next game was the reverse with John 6-0 ahead and Fergus comming back to win 9-7. The third game went to Fergus 9-6. Fergus looked like finishing the contest in the fourth when he found himself serving for the final game at 8-3. John pulled 3 points back, then Fergus had another game ball at 8-6. John once again fought back and took the game 10-8. Fergus finally got the win by beating John 9-3 in the fifth game. Both Players winning M.O.M. for there efforts.

Kinloss 'A' 6-9 RAF Lossie

The Hunters travelled to Lossiemouth in an attempt to reverse recent scorelines that have seen the Kinloss outfit falter by the odd point in close matches.

First on was Phil Taylor taking on Luke Sayers from Lossie. Phil has played Luje on a few occasions and as such seemed comfortable to allow the hard hitting Luke to blow himself out in the early exchanges. Phil's faith was justified as Luke duly faded in the latter phase of the first game. Phil ran out a comfortable 3-0 winner.

Good start for the Kinloss mob. However things were quickly to revert to normal.

Next up saw Paul Harris take on Mike Dewhurst. Paul was a last minute replacement for a late call-off and with a serious shoulder injury is to be commended for his commitment to the team. Unfortunately, Mike proved too powerful and Paul came a valiant second on the wrong side of a 3-0 loss.

Lossie based Neil Martin was drafted in at 2 for Kinloss and took on the ever youthful Pat Crichlow form Lossie. Pat is now 51 yrs young and I'm sure he won't mind me sharing that little fact. Neil however is 35 and one of the RAF's fittest PTI's, a fact he prides himself on. However it was Pat that set the pace in this encounter from which Neil was to struggle to get to grips with. With Pat 2-0 up Neil pulled on all his reserves and won the 3rd game, but only just.

Time for a chat from the skipper. Neil's reply was, 'It's OK Stevie I think I've got him now'. Hmmm we all know what happened next. Neil duly ran out of legs and the ever-youthful Pat took the match 3-1.

Stevie was heard to say, 'Got him have you, look out the window Pat's off for a 3 mile run'. So yet again it was left to the skipper to try and scrape a draw from the embers of another poor showing form the Kinloss outfit.

Ryan Davis stood in Stevie's way and what with his recent bad luck from injuries poor health and a few more ailments it was probably Stevie's best chance to take some points from Ryan. The first game was a scrappy affair with neither player showing any real form. Stevie scraped over the line 10-8. The next was a more one-sided affair with Ryan running away with it 9-4. back to some great recovery work from Stevie nicking the 3rd 10-9. So 2-1 to the good and 8-5 up in the 4th Stevie felt confident that the match was in the bag and a draw overall looked on the cards. However Ryan had other ideas and after some really good rallies and clinical finishes Ryan levelled the match at 2-2. Stevie was gutted as he threw away no less than 7 match points. The 5th seemed a tired affair and Stevie lost it 9-5.

JRM 'B' 0-12 JRM 'A'

It was an all Elgin battle last night with both JRM teams looking for points at different ends of the table, given that JRM B get coached by the A team it was a test of how well the more 'senior' players were doing in helping the youthful B team.

First up was Brian Macaulay versus JR. The tone was set early on by JR when after an initial bout of rallying, followed by a vicious bout of coughing by Brian, JR took the first game after almost throwing away an 8-1 advantage. From there on the game resembled more of a social meeting on court than a game of squash and after several long chats JR, the spring chicken of the A team, took the first match 3 -0 and set the tone for the evening.

Next up was Mr T vs Iain Maltman who until this point had been the B teams most consistent player this season. Despite constant on court coaching from Tony, Iain struggled to make an impact, getting sucked into playing Tony a his own game, a tactic that was never going to work. In the end Tony destroyed poor Iain leaving him with no points for the first time this season.

Game three was a grudge match between Alan Melrose and Steve Leggat, with the latter sporting a new go-faster hairdo for aerodynamic efficiency. In the end he needn’t have bothered, Steve played some of his best squash of the season (or so he says) covering the court in a fashion that suggested he was younger than the 60 odd years he was carrying. The end result meant that the level of consistency shown by the B team was maintained, Steve running out a 3-0 winner.

In the final match Gary pitched himself against Euan Christie in what was probably the best match of the Evening. Euan battled well in the first two games before Garry had a quick glance of the clock and realised it was time for a curry and took the third game to zero giving him another 3-0 victory and rounding up a perfect score for the A team.

Words like encouragement, compassion and motivation seem out of place to describe this encounter and the attitude of the A team to their colleagues is better summed up by Steve Leggat, who at the end of the evening said 'Mel, it wasn’t that you played badly, it was just that I had made you look **** !'

Fraser Appliances 7 - 9 Alchemy Plus

The two Inverness teams met for the league fixture at ITSC.

First up was Kirsty Lobban vs Derek Rudkin.

Junior International Champion, Kirsty was becoming a regular in the Inverness team and proved herself once again with a 3-2 victory. Big Del took the first 9-3,then Kirsty the next 2 games 9-5,9-6 to lead 2-1. Big Del uped his game and won the 4th 9-2 and then Kirsty the filth 9-7. Both players gave their all in a highly entertaining five setter.

Next up the no.3 Dave Humpage vs Ewan Fraser.

Ewan got off to a great start winning the first two games 9-1 9-2. Ewan's tight back hand length putting Dave under preasure. Dave raised his game and took the third to a tie breaker but Ewan nicked it 10-9 to win 3-0.

Meanwhile on the opposite court Scott Fraser played Dave Masie. Dave won the first two games 9-4 9-3 with the trade mark Masie low hard drives seemingly proving to much 4 Scott. Scott changed tactic in the third and slowed the game down a bit to take it 9-5. Scott continued in the fourth and took an 8-0 lead, but Dave started to lift the tempo again and although Scott served 5 times for the game Dave took it to 8-8 and a tie breaker, which Dave won 10-8 and 3-1 overall.

Last up Allan Lobban vs Ian Innes.

Allan won the first 10-8 tiebreaker, Ian responded and won the 2nd 9-3 and Allan then lifted the pace and took the next two games 9-4 9-0 and won 3-1.

JRM 'A' 12 - 0 RAF Lossiemouth

RAF Lossie travelled to Elgin with only three players, the fourth was to arrive later en-route from Glasgow.

Tony Loftus and Luke Sayers got the match underway with the JRM A man recording a 3-0 victory. 'Lofty' proving too slick for Luke, who was hitting the ball well but was overrun losing 9-1,9-0,9-0.

Next up were John Ramsbottom and Alex Blackstock. John started well and won the first 9-4. Alex was quite a handy player, moving well and getting to the ball early, but perhaps hitting the tin too much. The next game was closer, this time 9-7 to John. Alex put up his best showing in the third game, managing to tie the scores at 8-8, before losing set two and thus a 10-8 victory for 'Rambo'.

Pat Critchlow was now left to salvage something from the night. Pat was pitched in at No. 2 against Stephen Leggat. Pat struggled to match the running of Steve and lost out 9-4, 9-2, 9-4.

With no sign of the fourth player for the RAF Team, Pat returned to the court to give Gary Farquhar a much needed work out in order to build up an appetite for the forth-coming curry. Pat played a bit better in his run-around with Gary but still lost by the same 3-0 scoreline.

JRM 'A' 9 - 7 Kinloss 'A'

Tony Loftus set the ball rolling for JRM A with a 3-0 win over Phil Calvert. 'Lofty' wasn't firing on all cylinders but still had too much in his tank for the rookie from Kinloss. Phil put up a good fight but the Elgin Player was never in any danger of losing this one.

Next out were John Ramsbottom and Paul Harris. John notorious for being a slow starter, kept the trend going with Paul taking the first game. John however blamed the ball for him losing the game and it seemed to work. Rambo reeled of the next three games with the new ball to win 3-1, win the vote as Elgin man of the match (For the first time this season), and set JRM A 6-1 ahead.

In-form Steve Leggat was next to the court for the Elgin Side, Paul Sharp in opposition. Steve struggled to find the form he has been in since the start of season and Paul took the first 9-4. Steve hit back by taking the second 9-2 but once again slumped to a 9-4 defeat in the third.

The next game saw Steve take the lead only for Paul to come back and lead 6-4. The score stayed that way for what seemed an eternity with neither player taking advantage when serving Paul eventually edged up to 8-4. Steve came back with a couple of points but could not sustain his comeback and Paul clinched the game 9-6 to bring Kinloss back to within 3 points overall and earn man of the match for Kinloss A.

Enter Gary Farquhar and Steve McClue. It was the Doc who drew first blood by winning the first game. Steve hit back to take the second. Gary nudged ahead once more taking the third game 9-6 and then started the fourth game well by racing 3-0 ahead. Now to the turning point of what was a really close contest. Steve Rattled off 9 points to take the game 9-3. Steve kept the momentum going in the deciding game and rattled 8 points in a row catching Gary out with loads of boasts from all over the court. Gary was clearly done although he did sneak a consolation point before Steve ran out a 9-1 win, to clinch this tie 3-2. Gary however had put up a great show and in earning 2 points ensured that JRM A came away with a 9-7 win over the 'Mighty Hunters'.

JRM 'B' 9-9 Alchemy Plus

JRM B travelled through to Inverness to fight with traffic for the firework display and to take on the magic of Alchemy Plus.

The first two games to be played were the number 4 and 2's as we were all keen to try and catch some of the fireworks but sadly for us, that was not how it was to be!

There was some good close squash to be seen as David Massey took on the youth of Iain Maltman. Iain took an ealy lead over David by taking a relatively easy first game 9-5. David faught back to take the next two 9-4 and 9-5, the scores do reflect the length of the games. Iain was not going to give up and took back the 4th game 9-7. David and Iain returned to the court for the 5th game with Iain taking a quick and comfortable game off David at 9-4 before the two players went to watch the end of the game between the number 4s.

Derek Rudkin took on Brian MacAuley on the much warmer number 2 court, Brian took a similar first game lead over Derek 9-4. Derek on the other hand came back to take the next three games 10-9, 9-1 and 9-5 to make his second win in two weeks and adding much needed points for the team, not bad for an man in his 50s! This was going to turn out to be a lengthy evening but there was plenty good squash to be seen and played without the woosh and bang of the fireworks!

Next up were the number 3s and 1s. Ian Innes took to court with Alan Melrose and winning the first game 9-8. Ian's hamstring went in the 2nd game with him struggling to keep going, he conceeded the match to Alan.

Ewen Fraser took on Kriss Bradshaw and trying to not follow in David's footsteps on the same court. Kriss took the first game off Ewen 9-7 but Ewen faught back taking the next 2 closely contended games 9-5 and 10-8. Kriss was not going to give up without a fight and tied the match two all with a 9-7 win in the fourth. It was all to play with in the 5 games between Ewen and Kriss as Ewen needed to win to finish the match 9 all and he did not disappoint with a 9-4 win.

Kinloss 'A' 7-9 Buckpool 'A'

Yet again Kinloss A suffered at the hands of an East Moray outfit.

This week saw Buckpool A travel to the Hunters home turf and give a very impressive account of themselves running out 9-7 winners on the night. Ian Kerrigan (Kinloss A) took on Colin Forbes (Buck A), Colin raced to a 9-1 win in the first game that saw Ian reeling from some accurate, powerful driving. Ian rallied in the second and through pure tenacity came out 9-6 on top. This seemed to galvanise the Buckpool man as he reverted to powerful drives to keep Ian from the front of the court and took the third 9-3. Ian took a deeep breath and prepared for a hard game and it was to prove just that. With some tremendous rallies and with both players giving their all it was Colin that took the reward and the match 3-1.

Next up saw Phil Taylor (Kin A) and Sandra Farquhar (Buck A) this was to prove a difficult night for Phil as only half an hour before he was flat out on his sofa with a tweeked muscle in his lower back. After some begging Stevie managed to get him onto the court.

(Sorry Phil) Sandra used to hit the ball very hard but you could rely on the fact that she didn't get forward, well now Sandra hits the ball harder and gets all over the court thanks to her new fitness regime. This game had few rallies to mention as Phil was always looking for the quick kill due to his injured back, unfortunately he made too many errors and Sandra was able to capitalise on any and all half court shots with devastating accuracy. Sandra took the match 3-1.

Phil thanks for your efforts and a point was more than I hoped for given the circumstances, well done.

Next on and needing a big win was Paul Sharp (Kin A) and Alfie Morrison Buck A). Paul was reeling from his last match and showed early on that he was here to show last week was just a bad week. Racing ahead 6-0 in the opener the Kinloss man seemed to have gor his MOJO back, however, Alfie with "George" in his corner had other ideas, with these immortal words " Out of my way Hunter I have work to do" Alfie rattled off 8 points in a row and took the opener 9-7. Paul was shell shocked. Into the second and again Paul rattled off 5 straight winners, again Alfie looked to 'George' duly spun a web that Paul could bnot escape from and took the game 9-6. Paul was looking for inspiration and got it from Stevie in the form of 'pull your finger oot' big yin. This seemed to work and Paul took the next two 9-5, 9-2. The writing was on the wall for Alfie and George, however, the Buckpool man was not done yet. With Paul struggling with a leg injury Alfie looked to close out the match with simple 'keep the ball alive tactics', it worked a treat and Paul ran out second in what was an enthralling match lasting nearly 50 mins.

Well done both players.

Last on saw Stevie McClue (Kin A) and Andy Farquhar (Buck A) both players are returning from injuries and fortunately for, Chocolate Boy Stevie, Andy has not recovered as quickly. Stevie ran out a comfortable 3-0 winner on the night unfortunately, it was not enough to affect the overall result.

Elgin 'B' - Aviemore

Elgin B hosted Aviemore for the first time and they proved to be too strong for the home side.

In the first match Kris struggled to make any impact on Aviemore number 4 Allistair, with the away side starting with an excellent 3-0 vistory. Match two was closer than the scoreline suggested which went 3-0 in favour of away captain and man of the match Peter against Brian, this was Brians first game of the season after returning from injury and he managed not to hurt himself for once which can be considered a victory in itself.

The final two matches proved a closer affair but Aviemore still came out on top. Match three was a titanic struggle between elgin man of the match Alan and Aviemores Allistair (MKII). Allistair got of to a flyer winning the first game 9-6 before Alan pulled his socks off and levelled the match at one all. The next two games proved to be just as close with each player winning respective games 9-7 to put it to a decider. The final game proved to be to much for the home player, (perhaps its time for him to get patches instead of Malboro) and Allistair came out top with a well deserved vistory.

The final match saw Elgin B's newest edition, Steve Leggat, who had been quite rightly relegated from the A team. Steve used his anger at being dropped to great effect racing to a 6-0 lead in the first, unfortunately for him Chris woke up and took the first match 9-7. The second game proved another close affair but this time Steve held his nerve taking the game 9-5 to level the match. The next two games were unbelievably close with Chris just edging the third 10-8, and the last 9-8 after Steve, in an act of bravery/stupidity/desperation opted for a single point when tied on 8-8. Steve then spent his time working out that Chris only actually won one point more in the match than he did, perhaps someone on the A team should explain the rules and he might get to play for the next week.

Buckpool A 4 - 11 JRM Elgin A

With Andy Farquhar still recovering from a pulled muscle from their last match at Keith 2 weeks ago, the home side were reduced to 3 players for this match.

First on court was Colin Forbes against Tony Loftus. Colin started the match well and won the opening game 9-2. Tony battled back in the next and using every inch of his raquet won it 9-1. Colin took the 3rd game 9-7 and Tony then battled back again to take the next 9-7. This was a very close match with both players running well and making every effort to play the ball. The last game was also very close, but Colin eventually closed out a well deserved 9-7 victory.

Next up was Sandra Farquhar against Steve Leggat. Sandra started at lightning speed and raced to an early lead. Just as she looked like taking the first game, Steve gradually edged his way back to sneak it 10-8. The next game was very similar, but Sandra held out this time to take it 9-7. Both players were playing good squash with Sandra killing off many shots on her favourite backhand side. However, Steve managed to up his game to take the next 2 games 9-2, 9-4 for the match. Both players won the best player nominations for the evening.

Last on Court was Alfie Morrison against Gary Farquhar. Alfie started well, but the first game was won 10-8 by Gary. Although he was hitting the ball well, Alfie was unable to keep the ball tight enough to the wall and Gary was picking him off with some clever boasts at the font of the court. Alfie was covering the court well, but he eventually lost the next 2 matches 5-9, 6-9 to give Gary a 3-0 victory. Not a good end to what has been a bad week for Alfie, so it was off home to get some comfort from his new best friend 'George' the spider.

Keith 9 - 4 Kinloss A

Keith dealt a hammer blow to any thoughts Kinloss A may have had of honours this year. Paul Sharp and Neil Riach took to the court first. Neil's badminton shots had Paul troubled in the opener, which Neil took 9-5. Paul rallied in the second and looked to keep Neil away from the front of the court, this tactic proved successful, however Paul pressed the self destruct button as he served out on game point. Neil needed no further invitation and closed out the game 10-9, much to Paul's disgust. Paul struggled to get back into the match in the third and again Neil used his shot variations to great effect closing out the match 9-5 in the third. Phil Taylor was up against the impressive Mike Stewart. Mike recently returned to squash following a long spell in the running world. Although not quite court sharp, Mike showed technically, he is still one to watch. Mike's superior striking of the ball left Phil scrabbling for the odd loose shot to get in with his trade mark drop shots. Unfortunately for the Hunters Mike proved too strong for Phil and ran out 3-1 winner on the night. Next on was Ian Dodd taking on the ever youthful and energetic Gerald 'Knod' Angus. Although Ian put all he had and then some into this match Gerald proved once again how much a part of the game is based on fitness levels. With Ian literally on his knees in the third game Knod secured 3 vital points that saw Keith safe on the night regardless of how the number ones got on. So with the match over as a contest it was down to Stevie McClue to restore some pride for the Hunter's. Gary McKenzie and Stevie normally have some epic games with both players pushing each other all the way. However, gary seemed a little off form and it was Stevie who took the honours on this occasion 3-0.

JRM A 8 - 9 Keith

Tony Loftus and Roy MacKenzie were first up and it was the Keith player who started the brightest taking the first game 7-9. Tony however reversed the trend by taking the next three games 9-5, 9-7, 9-6, to establish a 3-1 lead for JRM A. Next match saw Stephen Leggat and Mike Stewart lock horns in what was to prove to be a real tussle. Steve took the first 9-5, but Mike came back to level, taking the second 9-3. Steve again went ahead, taking the third 9-5, but Mike once again drew level, taking the fourth game 9-3. So it was to be a "Five Setter". The deciding game swung back and forth with the lead changing a few times. It went to 7-7 and 8-8 before Steve managed to find the shots to close out a 10-8 win and set JRM A further ahead at 6-3. Neil Riach raced into a 2-0 lead over John Ramsbottom, with wins of 3-9 and 4-9, but John was to fight back from 2-6 down in the fourth to win 9-6. Neil, however came back with a 2-9 win in the next game to win 1-3 and take Keith back to within a point of JRM A, with one match to go. In the Battle of the Gary's, Gary Farquhar drew first blood against Gary MacKenzie with a 9-5 win. It was the Keith Player who took control of the next three games and ran out a 1-3 win. (3-9, 4-9, 3-9).

Kinloss A v Alchemy

The Hunters were back at there home roost but could they find the right chemistry to neutralise the golden boys from Inverness? First up for Kinloss was the ever energetic human squash dynamo that is Phil Taylor, recalled for team duty to great effect against the more senior Duncan from Alchemy. Phil’s energy, retrieval and dynamism proved too much for his erstwhile opponent and his deft match play soon saw him record a very satisfying 3 - 0 victory. On the opposite court Billy (The Wolf) Montgomery for Kinloss was taking on the youthful thrust of aspiring squash player Euan Fraser for the Alchemists. Unfortunately the young chemist came up against a fully focussed neutralising element in the 'wolf'. Some fine serving and good length shots from Billy kept Euan on the back foot and chasing the game and soon a second 3-0 victory was recorded for Kinloss. Next up was Paul Sharp facing the fearsome hard hitting Dave of Alchemy. Paul looked a might jaded from his two day 'camping' trip to Aviemore and the lads just hoped his squash would prove better than his weekend pool play! Shell shocked from Dave’s hard hitting onslaught Paul had his work cut out in this match. However Paul soon got the measure of Dave’s rockets and his more varied game gave him the edge in a crowd pleasing 3-1 victory. And so to the number one seeds, Steve McClue against the alchemist Ian. Could Ian work some magic and bring a golden glow to the end of Alchemy’s evening? It appeared the answer was yes as he raced to a 1-0 lead with some brilliant text book squash which left Steve bemused and struggling despite a tactical racket grip change! Had Steve met his chemical demise or could he find the required chemical reaction? The answer was elemental; Steve’s superior fitness began to give him the edge. Blowing hard, Ian’s dogged determination kept him in touch in every game of this enthralling battle. However Steve was not to be denied and he closed out a hard fought match 3-1 to record a fourth victory on the night for Kinloss.

A special thanks must go to Kate for provision of a superb after match spread enjoyed by hosts and guests alike. Stevie saved Kate a nice Blueberry Muffin.

Gordonstoun A 8 - 6 Fraser Appliances

Fraser Appliances made the journey through to Gordonston private school near elgin for their league fixture. First up was Dave Humpage(Humpy) vs Richard Devey, Richard got Gordonston off to a flyer with a 3-0 win. Meanwhile on the opposite court Scott fraser played Fergus Richards. In a close game Fergus played the better squash and won 3-0.

Next up Allan Lobban vs Andrew Twyman, Allan restored some pride for the travelling Inverness team with a well played 3-0 win. Last on court the no 1's. Bob Kass vs Chris Barton. Bob and Chris fought out a close and at times very entertaining game. Chris took the first game, then Bob the second, the next two games went to tie breakers with each player taking 1. Finally the last and decisive game was close but Bob just edged it with his unpredictable shots and experence from the Premier Division pushing him over the line, winning 3-2.

Aviemore 12 - 7 Aviemore

The Hunters found themselves on their travels once more and apart form a couple of wrong turns arrived pretty much on time for what was a real test for the Kinloss boys. First up saw Paul Harris take on Emil for the home team. Unorthodox is one way of describing Emil's squash style and it seemed to upset the more traditonal style of Paul as he duly lost the opening game. A bit of advice from Stevie quickly got Paul back on track as he took a tense second game to level games. The next two games were shared and Paul needed some inspiration, in stepped Paul Sharp totry to lift the embattled Kinloss man. Paul duly wrapped the match up 3-2 with a good show of power hitting in the 5th. Meanwhile, on court two Billy 'the wolf' was back for the Hunters and looking eager to show that his recent, Hair Cut, would not affect his strength or desire to win. up against the ever youthful, Peter Watts, Billy enjoyed a hard fought, hard hitting match that saw both players extremely tired from their efforts. The Wolf eventually running out 3-1 winner on the night. Next up was Paul Sharp against Alistair Lyon again his match could've swung either way with both players putting everything and then some into trying to secure the points for their team. Yet again the game swung in the favour of the Hunters with Paul running out 3-2 winner in what was the match of the night. Next door the number ones were also hard at it, thanks t some amazing recovery work from the young Chris Brown. Stevie McClue raced into a 6-0 lead in the first game and just as hethought he was in for an easy night Chris duly thrashed 9 poinjts off without reply to take the first game 9-6. This seemed to rattle the Kinloss player nd he managed to take the second game after some long and tiring rallies. Chris bounced back in the third and shocked Stevie with a controlled 9-4 scoreline. Yet again the Kinloss man had to dig deep and scraped a scrappy 4th game 9-7. All to play for as they headed for the deciding 5th game. Stevie raced ahead of what looked like a tired Chris, not surprising given the recovery work Chris had put into the earlier games, Stevie closed the game out 9-1 and took the match 3-2 on the night giving Kinloss a hard earned 12-7 win.

RAF Lossie 9 - 6 Fraser Appliances

Fraser Appliances travelled to the second RAF camp in three weeks, this time facing Lossiemouth.

First up for the Inverness team was Dave Humpage. Dave found himself in a tough and tight match against the experienced Tony Goodman and just lost out in each game to lose 3-0. Next up all eyes turned to the youngest member of the team Scott Fraser who was starting to hit some form. Scott was up against Murdo McIntosh and was to prove too strong, taking the first 9-2, losing the second narrowly 10-8. Scott was always in control and won the next two 9-6,9-2. Allan Lobban playing at 2 was to have the toughest match of the night playing an ex-Welsh junior Ryan Davis, Allan put up a good fight but Ryan won 3-0 in the end.The number one players ended the game as it started. Bob Kass played Mark Fireman in a five set thriller. Mark took the first game 9-3, Bob found his feet in the second and third playing some good stuff winning 9-5,9-7.Credit to Mark he came back and took the 4th in a close 9-8. The fifth and final game was again close but Bob's shots were precise, often sending Mark in the wrong direction and he took the game 9-6 winning 3-2.

JRM A 10 - 5 Aviemore

A lacklustre John Ramsbottom Started the nights play by taking the first game against the strong running Alisdair Cairns, 9-5, The Away player came back and won the second 3-9, John won the next 9-6 but Alisdair showed great determination to claim the next game 7-9, thus forcing a fifth. John pulled his socks up and ran out a 9-4 win to take this Contest 3-2.Alisdairs Play won the vote for the Aviemore M.O.M. Stephen Leggat was next out and won the first two hard fought games against Peter Watts 9-6, 9-6. Peter showed the Elgin Player that he was a handy squash player, Steve took note and upped the tempo to take the third game 9-0 and win 3-0 plus the vote of M.O.M. for the Elgin Side. Tony Loftus proved to strong for Alistair Lyon, racking up another 3-0 win for JRM A, 9-3, 9-2, 9-3. The final contest of the evening saw Gary Farquhar take on Local Lad Chris Brown, now working in and playing for Aviemore. The Youthful Chris proved to much for Gary and recorded a 1-3, win for Aviemore.

Nairn B 2 - 12 Kinloss A

Nairn played host to a Kinloss team still suffering the ravages of injury and availablitiy worries. With the ever present Paul Sharp heading up the Kinloss outfit. First up for the 'Mighty Hunters' was Paul Harris still smarting formhis opening game defeat Paul looked hungry for success. Brian took to the court for Nairn and gave Paul a fright in the opener paul just edging it 9-6. The second game was over much quicker with Paul finding his length in the away court taking the second game 9-2. The third went much teh same way and Paul secured a good 3 points haul for the travellers. Next saw the match of the nigt between Ian Dodd and Bill Geddes. Ian was quick off the mark and comfortably took the opening two games, however, Bill wasn't quite ready for the showers and decided to take this match all the way, much to Ian's disgust. Fortunately for Ian, Bill ran out of breath in the fifth and went down heavliy 9-0. A very close fought affair that saw two players eager to win and willing to give their last to try and secure the win, this effort was well deserving of man of the match nominations for both players. Phil Taylor took on Steve Jack for the home team at number two. Phil well known for his droop shots at Kinloss took Steve by surprise with the accuracy of these shots and Steve seemed to struggle to come to grips with it. Phil raced into a 2-0 lead. After some words from his team captain Steve seemed to get to grips with Phil's tactics, drive then drop. However, the canny Phil looked to change tactics just as steve started to come on strong, Phil finally takikng the third and the match 10-8. Time for teh number ones to show their stuff and it was Paul Sharp for the visitors against Stewart Morrison. Unfortunately for Stewart Paul is on fire this year and never looked to trouble the rangy Kinloss man. Paul ran out a comfortable 3-0.

 

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End-of-Document

Date	Event	Link
--- 2010 ---
July
23	HISA AGM at Inverness Tennis & Squash Club - 7.30pm.	-
July & August
-	SUMMER SQUASH CAMPS 2010 These Camps will run for 3 weeks during the school holidays and players should choose which week most suits their ability. Most of the activity will be Squash related but there will also be strength and conditioning sessions and other group activities. The sessions will run from 10.00 a.m. to 4.00 p.m. each day and lunch is included. CLICK 'GO' to the right for more info or Contact Robin - dancenamix@hotmail.com.	GO