Sidmouth 3 (16pts), Crediton 2nds 2 (7) Sidmouth Squash Club continued their winning run with a narrow victory.

Club captain Rob Cann got the team off to a winning start with a straight games victory over fellow fifth string Jon Rattenbury. Cann won the opener with ease but, had a tougher job in the second until Rattenbury was upset by a foot fault call which halted a run of six points when leading 11-9. The call completely played on his mind and by the time he did manage to forget about it, Cann had taken that game and the third to complete a routine win 15-8; 15-13; 15-10.

On the adjacent court Paul Symington got off to his usual slow start and as appears customary lost the opening game to fellow fourth string Gerald Abdoll. There was little between the players in the second, but Symington managed a run of three points at the death to seal the game. Now in full flow Symington completely dominated games three and four only losing four points in securing victory 13-15; 15-11; 15-3; 15-1.

Crediton got a point on the board when third string Joss Baldwin won the battle of the seventeen-year-olds to defeat Sidmouth’s Elliot Kingsley 15-7; 18-16; 13-15; 9-15. Apart from the opening game, when Kingsley made too many errors, the rubber was very even and had luck been on his side he may well have won rather than lost. There were signs however of Kingsley’s potential and when he returns to full match fitness the results will surely follow.

Crediton levelled the match with a narrow 3 – 1 victory for their second string Mike Trick over Sidmouth’s Chris Marriott. Following the even opening game, which Trick, CMarriott played some of his best squash of the season to dominate game two to level at 1-1. There was little to choose between the players in games three and four but crucial errors from Chris and opportunities taken by Trick was the difference the eventual 11-15; 15-6; 13-15; 12-15 score line testament to the closeness of the contest.

The match decider was a marvellous advert for squash and was full of quality, shot making and boundless energy. Home No 1 Chris Woodruff, making only his second start of the season, understandably started slowly and found himself 7-12 down due in the main to some miraculous retrieval play from opponent Pete Harvey. Woodruff responded by constructing a series of excellent rallies to eventually level before going on to win 15-13. The second game followed a similar pattern but was much more even throughout, but again, Woodruff showed his match play prowess and with an audacious backhand boast saved game ball before winning the tie-break. Harvey’s resolve was diminishing and Woodruff opened up a 9–1 lead in the third and, despite a spirited revival from his opponent, went on to seal the game and with it the overall team win 15-13; 16-14; 15-10.