In their latest match in the East of Scotland Squash League, Gala Squash Club travelled up the M9 to Bridge of Allan. Several key players called off due to other commitments and the Gala team was thin to the ground. So Gala took on Bridge of Allan 3:
RACHEL McALEESE 0v3 KYLE PENMAN
Bridge of Allan’s junior Kyle Penman had a fairly straight forward ride against Rachel; in the first game Rachel underestimated Kyle a bit and Kyle proved his worth by taking it 15-3. The second game was won by the same score line as Rachel was struggling to read Kyle’s shots. In the third game Rachel took the serve fairly quickly and managed to keep the game flowing. But Kyle’s shots were accurate and he won 15-7.
JOHN BARROW 0-3 ROSS WADDELL
Over 40 years separated these players, with Gala veteran John Barrow finding Allan Junior Waddell too much to cope with, In the first game the squash was of a decent standard and the match was close as Ross edged out John 15-11. In the second game Ross’s never say die attitude meant he ran for every ball and despite John finding the corners Ross took it 15-7. In the third, Ross who was going from strength to strength and was getting more and more into the game looked far fitter than John and won convincingly 15-5.
ANDREW DOWLEN-GILLAND 3-2 RICHARD MORRIS The third seeds game was a lot closer and they were very evenly matched. “Sir Andrew” of Gala started off strongest taking a 5-0 lead in the first, the game then became one of wit and intelligence as both players were made to think and vary the game. Sir Andrew lost his lead in the end with a couple of loose shots which Richard jumped on and killed the ball in the corner, he took the first 15-13. The second game was no different, with a lot of rallies reaching 20+ shots and they players waiting for the other to make a mistake, Richard won by the same score 15-13. In the third game, Sir Andrew’s boasts and drop shots were getting higher up the front wall and therefore easy for Richard to return and Richard looked to be heading for a victory at 13-9 up, Sir Andrew dug in and again used his head and came back to take it 21-19. Sir Andrew kept the momentum going in the fourth and never lost focus taking it an emphatic 15-3. Locked at 2-2, The younger Richard seemed to fatigue more than seasoned veteran Sir Andrew and Gala’s Andrew found another gear and took it quickly 15-7 to complete his comeback from 2-0 down to win 3-2.
DEL SHARRATT 0-3 STEWART PENMAN
Gala Captain Sharratt was dominated by Stewart in this match. Usually seeded 4 or 5 , Sharratt played at no2 due to several call offs from key players and was behind from the start. Stewart had good length in his shots and Del found himself pinned to the back of the court while Stewart controlled his shots and made some key drop shots to triumph emphatically 15-10, 15-5, 15-6.
PAT SPENCE 0-3 WALTER McALISTER
Gala’s top seed Pat seemed out of sorts from the start as he seemed to lack that extra yard of pace he is renowned for. Several unforced errors seen Walter take the first 15-8. The second game was closer, both players showing why they were the top seeds with amazing movement and variety of shots, Walter struggled with Pat’s serve as Pat reeled off 5 straight points without receiving a return of serve, but again unforced errors let Walter in to take it 15-12. Pat gave all his energy in the third game and the standard of squash was immense and kept everyone watching intently. A lot of the shots that went one way could easily have went the other but Bridge of Allan’s Walter proved equal to all Pat could throw at him and took the game 15-7 and the match 3-0.
Del Sharratt said of the night, “It was a make shift team, several of my players didn’t seem to fancy the long journey upto bridge of Allan, but the dedication of the players that played is noted. The team can’t be faulted for effort and we will only improve from these kind of games. We have our first home game of the season next and I’ll have some of my top players back so we are looking forward to that.”
LEAGUE 5 RESULTS:
Dunbar 15v6 Collinton Castle 5
Bank of Scotland 15v6 Abercorn
Grange 5 15v2 The Dean 2
Waverley 4 9v11 Craigshill Excite
Bridge of Allan 3 14v3 Gala