Match report

Stroud A travelled away to CLC A for a 7pm start time, Simon Boucher (5) going on first against youngster Will Heys. The first two games were won well by Simon, but Will put up a fight in the third only to lose in a 13-11 tie break. Seamus Parker (3) went on next against Lawrence Barraclough, with some lengthy exchanges making each game tight. Lawrence reported that this was his best match for a long time, but ultimately Seamus was able to finish points off when given the opportunity and won 3-0. Dave Norton (4) played Will's twin Sam Heys next on the end court, losing the first but gaining concentration and momentum to take the next three. The second string match was a rematch of Sacha Cooper v Leon Mason, with the match swinging one way and then the other in a closely contested match. The deciding game was taken by Leon after a strong 7-1 start; he was happy to avenge his two previous losses to Sacha. Last up, Tony Richmond (1) took on Andy Gayler, hoping not to lose his victory streak. Again, the match swung either way and was played at a high intensity, Tony crucially taking the second game tie break and playing well in the third, before an unfortunate drop in level in the fourth game leading to a fifth game decider. At 9-9, a tinned drop by Andy gave Tony match ball, which he managed to sneak with a forehand drop volley after following up on a tight length. 18-6 on the scorecard, and a lovely curry and beer at B-Ten Balti, with discussion of yesterday's Gloucestershire Squash AGM and a possible annual dinner in May... looking forward to updates on that!