Windscale Squash Club

Saturday 15th - Sunday16 th, March 2008

At the recently held County over 35's competition, hosted once again at the magnificent Windscale Squash and Fitness Facility, fifteen competitors from a selection of clubs fought through a series of rounds on the Saturday, to produce the finalists for the main and plate competitions, played before an appreciative audience on the Sunday evening.

In the First Round draw Sean Jenkinson (Windscale) the holder, received a bye, and the rest of the draw was as follows;

Peter Fox (Carlisle) overcame Ian Richardson (Windscale) 3-2, in a tight encounter where court space was at a premium. Both players hitting hard and deep, meant that games were long and close, with Ian getting his nose in front at two games to one. But Peter clawed back the advantage to level, and managed to keep his concentration in the fifth, to win the tie, 10/8, 7/9, 7/9, 9/6, 9/4.

Late replacement Margaret Thompson (Windscale) had an excellent first round win over Mark Frain (Whitehaven) 3 games to 1, indeed the game that Mark won was snatched from the jaws of defeat, as it was match ball to his opponent. However it was a short lived reprieve and Margaret duly wrapped up the 3-1 win, 9/7, 9/7, 8/10, 9/6.

John Crichton (Windscale) was in danger of having the shortest match in the competition, going down 9/1 in his first game against Nigel Stewart (Whitehaven). Undaunted he fought back manfully in the second but still couldn't get on top, losing 9/6. However in the third and fourth games, he tightened up his act, winning by 9/7, 10/8, and forced the tie into a deciding fifth game. Nigel, hitting well placed drives, and un-erring length's, eventually winning enough points, 9/2, to take the match after an hours play 3 - 2.

Linda Winder (Windscale) saw off her challenger Hudson (Tut) Irving from (Windscale) 3 - 0, in a match of contrasting squash styles. Linda's all action, fast and furious, versus Tut's stroking the ball about, no paced game. Linda was too powerful throughout, although not without her problems during the match, and wrapped up the 3 - 0 win, 9/4, 9/6, 9/2.

Phil Gemson (Cockermouth) overcame a determined Ronnie Harris (Cockermouth), in a fairly tight four setter, winning the first two games 9/3, 9/7. However Ronnie dug deep into his vault of 'how to pull matches back from the brink', and won the third comfortably 9/5. Phil then visibly upped the 'ante', to cruise through the fourth 9/2 to win the tie 3 - 1.

Fellow Cockermouth stalwart Vince Todhunter, found Guy Huxtable (Wigton), too much of a handful, with his long reach and relative youth. Guy never allowed Vince to get a foothold in the game, keeping him away from the 'T', and constantly chasing the scoreboard. Vince played well but couldn't dominate, and Guy ran out a clear winner 3 - 0, 9/3, 9/4, 9/6.

The final tie of the first round paired Brian Atherton (Windscale) and number two seed Gavin Scott (Windscale). Gavin playing his 'A' game at the moment, and Brian, a 'never say die' player, battled point for point to eek out a first game advantage, and it was Gavin who eventually broke away to claim the first 9/6. The second, strangely for Brian was a disaster, losing in one hand 9/0, as Gavin brought all his power and positioning to the fore. Brian was staring down the 'barrel of the gun', but undaunted by this through his years in the Army, he re-gathered himself and tried to haul Gavin's game in. Alas Gavin was in determined mood, and mind-full of potentially tougher games to follow, wrapped up the third 9/2, for a 3 - 0 result.

After a short break for lunch, the afternoon session consisted of the main draw running alongside the plate draw for the first round losers.

The Quarter-Final Plate matches and results were as follows;

Mark Frain - v - Ronnie Harris. Mark was quickly into his game, and managed to outmanoeuvre Ronnie with a high tempo couple of games, to reach an easy 9/2, 9/0 lead. But as in his first round game Ronnie dug deepest in the third to take the match further, winning it 9/4. It was to be a short-lived fight-back, as Mark claimed the fourth 9/4, and the match 3 - 1.

Ian Richardson - v - Brian Atherton. Ian hit the ground running and although Brian was hanging onto his shirt-tail, he couldn't claw back the couple of point's advantage Ian kept up, and later added to, and Ian won the first 9/5. Brian had great chances in the second and third games with good leads of seven three up, and five two up. Ian's years of experience of pulling games 'out of the fire' paid off, and he won both from behind, 9/7, 9/5, to win the match 3 - 0.

John Crichton - v - 'Tut' Irving. Tut's languid style is not the easiest to combat, and John was stretched one way then the other, in his attempt to stay in the first game, and with never more than a point separating them throughout, it was inevitable it came down to 'set two', with Tut winning it 10/8. The second game saw Tut establish an eight four lead, but John re-doubled his effort and pulled it all square, winning 10/8. John's greater fitness saved the day and he kept the best until last winning the next two games 9/1, 9/0, to progress.

Vince Todhunter received a bye.

The Quarter-Final Main draw and results were as follows;

Sean Jenkinson - v - Peter Fox. Sean's first match of the day was a very close affair, with Peter playing much better squash, having 'got his eye in' in the morning. Peter led five love before Sean woke up, but when he did, his best was too good, and he established an un-catchable lead, before winning the first game 9/7. A similar pattern emerged in the second with Sean well behind, this time seven four, before Sean rallied to clear the deficit and power through with another 9/7game. Peter was pushing Sean all the way with the third being a role reversal of the first two. This time Sean was being hunted down from a healthy lead, and it was nothing more than Peter deserved to take the third game to 'set two', before succumbing to Sean 10/8, and losing an excellent match 3 - 0.

Nigel Stewart - v - Margaret Thompson. Having been kept on court for an hour in the morning, Nigel was in determined mood to keep his game with Margaret as short as possible, and playing ruthless squash he quickly despatched Margaret 3 games to nil, 9/1, 9/0, 9/0, to progress to his semi-final tie with plenty left in the tank.

Linda Winder - v - Phil Gemson. Linda's power hitting and quick play was unsettling to Phil, and he was soon well behind in the first game, but with Linda going for her shots Phil was able to pull back a few points, however in the end it was to no avail as Linda won the first game 9/4. Another six one lead in the second put Phil well behind again, and Linda's tenacity saw her through 9/2 in this one. The third and last game being a virtual carbon-copy of what had gone before, and Linda wrapped up the game 9/2, and the match 3 - 0.

Gavin Scott - v - Guy Huxtable. Guy knew that to progress he would have to come out of the blocks 'all gun's blazing', and with a seven one lead he did just that. However like so many before on the day, carrying on to win is the problem. Gavin is too good a player to let back in, and so it proved as he powered through to take the first game 9/7. Somewhat crestfallen, not to mention more tired, Guy couldn't impose himself on the game any more, and Gavin won the second and third games 9/4, 9/1, making it a 3 - 0 score-line, as he raised his game in readiness for a tougher Semi-final round.

The Plate Semi-Finals draw was as follows;

Ian Richardson - v - Mark Frain and John Crichton - v - Vince Todhunter

Ian and Mark had a battle royal in a gruelling five setter, that was probably the last thing that either wanted at the end of a long day. Mark established a handy two game lead 9/5, 9/4, and was probably thinking the hard work was done. That thought was even more prevalent as he eased ahead to match point, leading 8/4. Ian dug deeper than he's had to dig for a long time and surprised Mark with his decision to 'set to one' having levelled the score. Ian won the game 9/8 for one of his classic comebacks. Mentally now the momentum was with Ian, and he levelled the match score, to two games all, by winning the fourth 9/4, game on! Mark re-gathered his thoughts as Ian re-gathered his breath and the decider began, as before Mark was on top, five one, and eight three were handy leads and a state of deja-vu was evident as Ian clawed back Mark's lead. Just when it seemed that Ian would repeat his stunning fight-back, fatigue of mind and body took over, and Mark booked his place in the Plate Final, with a 9/7 game to triumph 3 - 2.

John's game with Vince was an altogether more straightforward affair, with John's accuracy and court coverage too telling for Vince. Playing with muscle cramps throughout the match, John never let Vince settle into a routine in the first game and won 9/5, having got himself a five point cushion midway through the game. That same five-point advantage to John, put Vince on the back foot in the second at the start, and before long it was the second game to John 9/2. Pressing on with the match, John needed an early completion to enable him to recover for following day's Plate Final, and although Vince played some excellent well constructed and thought-out rallies, John was too good on the day and claimed the third game 9/4, to wrap up the tie 3 - 0.

The Main competition Semi-Finals draw was as follows;

Sean Jenkinson - v - Nigel Stewart and Gavin Scott - v - Linda Winder

First up were Sean and Nigel, and in a fairly tight start to the first game Nigel was level pegging with Sean. However once Sean raised the tempo, and the endurance of the rallies increased, he started to pull away for a comfortable opener 9/3. Nigel visibly wilted in the second as Sean played an all court game that had Nigel in knots, and the 9/0 score was an unfair reflection on the amount of effort Nigel was putting in. The third game was a matter of Nigel recovering some damaged pride, and that he did with a sterling fight-back from five one down to six three down. Alas it was always going to end predictably, and sure enough Sean wrapped up the game and match 9/4, 3 - 0.

Gavin versus Linda is a match that has been replicated many times this season, due to them often being in the same League's at Windscale. Gavin pretty much has the upper hand at the moment having won the three most recent encounters, and so it was to prove again. Gavin gained the momentum, and at seven one down Linda needed to find plan 'B'. Playing tighter to not allow Gavin's big hitting to have as much of an effect was a good alternative to what had gone before, but Gavin's long reach and early kills, stopped Linda's recovery, and Gavin closed out the first game 9/3. Linda, after a good talking to, played much better squash in the second game and proved to everyone that when she imposes herself on the game and her opponent, then she's in a better 'place'. Points were hard fought, and well earned, and Linda managed to get herself clear, in fact she had three game-balls. Gavin never panicked however, and ground out the points until Linda's advantage had gone, and duly won the second from a position of not much hope, 10/8, to secure a handy lead. Linda was quickly behind at four love, and Gavin was well on top, being tight when required, dominating the 'T', and forcing Linda into errors. The Warrior in Linda comes to the fore in such times of adversity, and she not only clawed back the points difference, but with excellent squash of her own, to lead seven four, forced Gavin into a more defensive, holding type of game, where patience was now the name of the game. This proved decisive for Gavin, and with Linda still pressing on but making errors, and Gavin clawing back a point at a time to recover, this sapped Linda's stranglehold on the third game and Gavin closed it out 9/7, for a 3 - 0 win, although it always looked closer than the final score-line suggests.

Sunday evening saw the Over 35's Main and Plate finals, before a healthy crowd of

the previous days participants, competition organisers, county officials and friends.

The Over 35 Plate Final was between John Crichton (Windscale) and Mark Frain (Whitehaven), having both survived the rigours of the three long matches on Saturday. It was First blood to Mark, in a carbon copy of John's first game the day before, where he was 'blown away' 9/1. Starting the second game much tighter saw John go ahead, only for Mark to play some fine squash to tie the points up. John was in a more determined mood though and quickly pressed on to take the second game 9/6. In the third, Mark was back on top, as Johns accuracy of length let him down and Marks big hitting created trouble for John. Not able to dominate the frontcourt meant that Mark was able to push John round the court, (sometimes physically!) and the third game was Mark's 9/4. Undaunted John fought back in the fourth, and imposing himself on the game, he eked out a nice four-point advantage, only to see Mark chip away at it, until the points were level. John wasn't to be denied however and he pushed the match into a decider by winning the fourth 9/5. Reflecting where his best points had been won, and refusing to commit the 'cardinal sin' of unforced errors, provided John with a winning platform. He was quickly six points to the good, and Mark was hanging onto the match by the skin of his teeth. More good rallies later it was John that triumphed to win the game 9/4, and the match 3 - 2, for his first ever County Competition win.

The final match of the competition, the Over 35 County Championship Final, saw Sean Jenkinson (Windscale) the reigning Champion, taking on his good friend and teammate Gavin Scott (Windscale). Both players are currently at the top of their game, and it was no surprise that they were hard to split over a thrilling five set match. A seesaw opener had Gavin in front, only to be pegged back and passed by Sean. Then in a reversal of fortune, Sean's lead disappeared, and Gavin pushed on towards the magic nine points. Yet again Sean produced some great squash to tie the game up at eights, and win a thriller 10/9. Gavin was first to get in his stride in the second and briefly led again, but this time had the guile and skill to carry it through to the end, and won a deserved second game 9/4. Sean upped the 'ante' to some degree in the third and on his way to a seven love lead, played every shot in the book, and some more besides, to show Gavin his class. Gavin played his part in some classic rallies, but the game was up, and he walked off with a 9/2 loss for all his effort. Many others would have been happy with one game off Sean, but Gavin is a proud fighter and was determined to find out just what Sean had left in the fourth game. Sean was trying to pull away early on, but Gavin was having none of it, and the first half dozen points were shared, before Gavin cranked up the pace, and flowing winners, to push the game beyond Sean's reach, taking it 9/3. Two games all, and the final game the competition deserved. Getting a point on the score-sheet was a problem for both of them at the start of the fifth game, as neither could force home the advantage of serve, and it wasn't until the fifth handout that Sean was off and scoring. Gavin couldn't stop the head of steam that Sean built up and was quickly six love down, giving that many points start is very hard against a good player, against someone of Sean's calibre is fatal. And so it proved as Sean went on to win the last game 9/3, thereby retaining his title 3 - 2, in what was a fitting climax to the competition where Gavin pushed him to the limit.

Overall the Over 35's competition, revived last season, and once again hosted at the excellent Windscale Squash and Fitness Facility, was a well ran, well-organised and thoroughly entertaining couple of days squash. Entries once again were very disappointing from the North, South and East of the county, and the County organisers really appreciate the efforts made by the West Cumberland clubs to revive the interest in this Competition. Hopefully 2009 will see an increased entry with a more diverse selection of club players competing, with a few 'younger' faces among the entries.

In the First Round draw Sean Jenkinson (Windscale) the holder, received a bye, and the rest of the draw was as follows;

Peter Fox (Carlisle) overcame Ian Richardson (Windscale) 3-2, in a tight encounter where court space was at a premium. Both players hitting hard and deep, meant that games were long and close, with Ian getting his nose in front at two games to one. But Peter clawed back the advantage to level, and managed to keep his concentration in the fifth, to win the tie, 10/8, 7/9, 7/9, 9/6, 9/4.

Late replacement Margaret Thompson (Windscale) had an excellent first round win over Mark Frain (Whitehaven) 3 games to 1, indeed the game that Mark won was snatched from the jaws of defeat, as it was match ball to his opponent. However it was a short lived reprieve and Margaret duly wrapped up the 3-1 win, 9/7, 9/7, 8/10, 9/6.

John Crichton (Windscale) was in danger of having the shortest match in the competition, going down 9/1 in his first game against Nigel Stewart (Whitehaven). Undaunted he fought back manfully in the second but still couldn't get on top, losing 9/6. However in the third and fourth games, he tightened up his act, winning by 9/7, 10/8, and forced the tie into a deciding fifth game. Nigel, hitting well placed drives, and un-erring length's, eventually winning enough points, 9/2, to take the match after an hours play 3 - 2.

Linda Winder (Windscale) saw off her challenger Hudson (Tut) Irving from (Windscale) 3 - 0, in a match of contrasting squash styles. Linda's all action, fast and furious, versus Tut's stroking the ball about, no paced game. Linda was too powerful throughout, although not without her problems during the match, and wrapped up the 3 - 0 win, 9/4, 9/6, 9/2.

Phil Gemson (Cockermouth) overcame a determined Ronnie Harris (Cockermouth), in a fairly tight four setter, winning the first two games 9/3, 9/7. However Ronnie dug deep into his vault of 'how to pull matches back from the brink', and won the third comfortably 9/5. Phil then visibly upped the 'ante', to cruise through the fourth 9/2 to win the tie 3 - 1.

Fellow Cockermouth stalwart Vince Todhunter, found Guy Huxtable (Wigton), too much of a handful, with his long reach and relative youth. Guy never allowed Vince to get a foothold in the game, keeping him away from the 'T', and constantly chasing the scoreboard. Vince played well but couldn't dominate, and Guy ran out a clear winner 3 - 0, 9/3, 9/4, 9/6.

The final tie of the first round paired Brian Atherton (Windscale) and number two seed Gavin Scott (Windscale). Gavin playing his 'A' game at the moment, and Brian, a 'never say die' player, battled point for point to eek out a first game advantage, and it was Gavin who eventually broke away to claim the first 9/6. The second, strangely for Brian was a disaster, losing in one hand 9/0, as Gavin brought all his power and positioning to the fore. Brian was staring down the 'barrel of the gun', but undaunted by this through his years in the Army, he re-gathered himself and tried to haul Gavin's game in. Alas Gavin was in determined mood, and mind-full of potentially tougher games to follow, wrapped up the third 9/2, for a 3 - 0 result.

After a short break for lunch, the afternoon session consisted of the main draw running alongside the plate draw for the first round losers.

The Quarter-Final Plate matches and results were as follows;

Mark Frain - v - Ronnie Harris. Mark was quickly into his game, and managed to outmanoeuvre Ronnie with a high tempo couple of games, to reach an easy 9/2, 9/0 lead. But as in his first round game Ronnie dug deepest in the third to take the match further, winning it 9/4. It was to be a short-lived fight-back, as Mark claimed the fourth 9/4, and the match 3 - 1.

Ian Richardson - v - Brian Atherton. Ian hit the ground running and although Brian was hanging onto his shirt-tail, he couldn't claw back the couple of point's advantage Ian kept up, and later added to, and Ian won the first 9/5. Brian had great chances in the second and third games with good leads of seven three up, and five two up. Ian's years of experience of pulling games 'out of the fire' paid off, and he won both from behind, 9/7, 9/5, to win the match 3 - 0.

John Crichton - v - 'Tut' Irving. Tut's languid style is not the easiest to combat, and John was stretched one way then the other, in his attempt to stay in the first game, and with never more than a point separating them throughout, it was inevitable it came down to 'set two', with Tut winning it 10/8. The second game saw Tut establish an eight four lead, but John re-doubled his effort and pulled it all square, winning 10/8. John's greater fitness saved the day and he kept the best until last winning the next two games 9/1, 9/0, to progress.

Vince Todhunter received a bye.

The Quarter-Final Main draw and results were as follows;

Sean Jenkinson - v - Peter Fox. Sean's first match of the day was a very close affair, with Peter playing much better squash, having 'got his eye in' in the morning. Peter led five love before Sean woke up, but when he did, his best was too good, and he established an un-catchable lead, before winning the first game 9/7. A similar pattern emerged in the second with Sean well behind, this time seven four, before Sean rallied to clear the deficit and power through with another 9/7game. Peter was pushing Sean all the way with the third being a role reversal of the first two. This time Sean was being hunted down from a healthy lead, and it was nothing more than Peter deserved to take the third game to 'set two', before succumbing to Sean 10/8, and losing an excellent match 3 - 0.

Nigel Stewart - v - Margaret Thompson. Having been kept on court for an hour in the morning, Nigel was in determined mood to keep his game with Margaret as short as possible, and playing ruthless squash he quickly despatched Margaret 3 games to nil, 9/1, 9/0, 9/0, to progress to his semi-final tie with plenty left in the tank.

Linda Winder - v - Phil Gemson. Linda's power hitting and quick play was unsettling to Phil, and he was soon well behind in the first game, but with Linda going for her shots Phil was able to pull back a few points, however in the end it was to no avail as Linda won the first game 9/4. Another six one lead in the second put Phil well behind again, and Linda's tenacity saw her through 9/2 in this one. The third and last game being a virtual carbon-copy of what had gone before, and Linda wrapped up the game 9/2, and the match 3 - 0.

Gavin Scott - v - Guy Huxtable. Guy knew that to progress he would have to come out of the blocks 'all gun's blazing', and with a seven one lead he did just that. However like so many before on the day, carrying on to win is the problem. Gavin is too good a player to let back in, and so it proved as he powered through to take the first game 9/7. Somewhat crestfallen, not to mention more tired, Guy couldn't impose himself on the game any more, and Gavin won the second and third games 9/4, 9/1, making it a 3 - 0 score-line, as he raised his game in readiness for a tougher Semi-final round.

The Plate Semi-Finals draw was as follows;

Ian Richardson - v - Mark Frain and John Crichton - v - Vince Todhunter

Ian and Mark had a battle royal in a gruelling five setter, that was probably the last thing that either wanted at the end of a long day. Mark established a handy two game lead 9/5, 9/4, and was probably thinking the hard work was done. That thought was even more prevalent as he eased ahead to match point, leading 8/4. Ian dug deeper than he's had to dig for a long time and surprised Mark with his decision to 'set to one' having levelled the score. Ian won the game 9/8 for one of his classic comebacks. Mentally now the momentum was with Ian, and he levelled the match score, to two games all, by winning the fourth 9/4, game on! Mark re-gathered his thoughts as Ian re-gathered his breath and the decider began, as before Mark was on top, five one, and eight three were handy leads and a state of deja-vu was evident as Ian clawed back Mark's lead. Just when it seemed that Ian would repeat his stunning fight-back, fatigue of mind and body took over, and Mark booked his place in the Plate Final, with a 9/7 game to triumph 3 - 2.

John's game with Vince was an altogether more straightforward affair, with John's accuracy and court coverage too telling for Vince. Playing with muscle cramps throughout the match, John never let Vince settle into a routine in the first game and won 9/5, having got himself a five point cushion midway through the game. That same five-point advantage to John, put Vince on the back foot in the second at the start, and before long it was the second game to John 9/2. Pressing on with the match, John needed an early completion to enable him to recover for following day's Plate Final, and although Vince played some excellent well constructed and thought-out rallies, John was too good on the day and claimed the third game 9/4, to wrap up the tie 3 - 0.

The Main competition Semi-Finals draw was as follows;

Sean Jenkinson - v - Nigel Stewart and Gavin Scott - v - Linda Winder

First up were Sean and Nigel, and in a fairly tight start to the first game Nigel was level pegging with Sean. However once Sean raised the tempo, and the endurance of the rallies increased, he started to pull away for a comfortable opener 9/3. Nigel visibly wilted in the second as Sean played an all court game that had Nigel in knots, and the 9/0 score was an unfair reflection on the amount of effort Nigel was putting in. The third game was a matter of Nigel recovering some damaged pride, and that he did with a sterling fight-back from five one down to six three down. Alas it was always going to end predictably, and sure enough Sean wrapped up the game and match 9/4, 3 - 0.

Gavin versus Linda is a match that has been replicated many times this season, due to them often being in the same League's at Windscale. Gavin pretty much has the upper hand at the moment having won the three most recent encounters, and so it was to prove again. Gavin gained the momentum, and at seven one down Linda needed to find plan 'B'. Playing tighter to not allow Gavin's big hitting to have as much of an effect was a good alternative to what had gone before, but Gavin's long reach and early kills, stopped Linda's recovery, and Gavin closed out the first game 9/3. Linda, after a good talking to, played much better squash in the second game and proved to everyone that when she imposes herself on the game and her opponent, then she's in a better 'place'. Points were hard fought, and well earned, and Linda managed to get herself clear, in fact she had three game-balls. Gavin never panicked however, and ground out the points until Linda's advantage had gone, and duly won the second from a position of not much hope, 10/8, to secure a handy lead. Linda was quickly behind at four love, and Gavin was well on top, being tight when required, dominating the 'T', and forcing Linda into errors. The Warrior in Linda comes to the fore in such times of adversity, and she not only clawed back the points difference, but with excellent squash of her own, to lead seven four, forced Gavin into a more defensive, holding type of game, where patience was now the name of the game. This proved decisive for Gavin, and with Linda still pressing on but making errors, and Gavin clawing back a point at a time to recover, this sapped Linda's stranglehold on the third game and Gavin closed it out 9/7, for a 3 - 0 win, although it always looked closer than the final score-line suggests.

Sunday evening saw the Over 35's Main and Plate finals, before a healthy crowd of the previous days participants, competition organisers, county officials and friends.

The Over 35 Plate Final was between John Crichton (Windscale) and Mark Frain (Whitehaven), having both survived the rigours of the three long matches on Saturday. It was First blood to Mark, in a carbon copy of John's first game the day before, where he was 'blown away' 9/1. Starting the second game much tighter saw John go ahead, only for Mark to play some fine squash to tie the points up. John was in a more determined mood though and quickly pressed on to take the second game 9/6. In the third, Mark was back on top, as Johns accuracy of length let him down and Marks big hitting created trouble for John. Not able to dominate the frontcourt meant that Mark was able to push John round the court, (sometimes physically!) and the third game was Mark's 9/4. Undaunted John fought back in the fourth, and imposing himself on the game, he eked out a nice four-point advantage, only to see Mark chip away at it, until the points were level. John wasn't to be denied however and he pushed the match into a decider by winning the fourth 9/5. Reflecting where his best points had been won, and refusing to commit the 'cardinal sin' of unforced errors, provided John with a winning platform. He was quickly six points to the good, and Mark was hanging onto the match by the skin of his teeth. More good rallies later it was John that triumphed to win the game 9/4, and the match 3 - 2, for his first ever County Competition win.

The final match of the competition, the Over 35 County Championship Final, saw Sean Jenkinson (Windscale) the reigning Champion, taking on his good friend and teammate Gavin Scott (Windscale). Both players are currently at the top of their game, and it was no surprise that they were hard to split over a thrilling five set match. A seesaw opener had Gavin in front, only to be pegged back and passed by Sean. Then in a reversal of fortune, Sean's lead disappeared, and Gavin pushed on towards the magic nine points. Yet again Sean produced some great squash to tie the game up at eights, and win a thriller 10/9. Gavin was first to get in his stride in the second and briefly led again, but this time had the guile and skill to carry it through to the end, and won a deserved second game 9/4. Sean upped the 'ante' to some degree in the third and on his way to a seven love lead, played every shot in the book, and some more besides, to show Gavin his class. Gavin played his part in some classic rallies, but the game was up, and he walked off with a 9/2 loss for all his effort. Many others would have been happy with one game off Sean, but Gavin is a proud fighter and was determined to find out just what Sean had left in the fourth game. Sean was trying to pull away early on, but Gavin was having none of it, and the first half dozen points were shared, before Gavin cranked up the pace, and flowing winners, to push the game beyond Sean's reach, taking it 9/3. Two games all, and the final game the competition deserved. Getting a point on the score-sheet was a problem for both of them at the start of the fifth game, as neither could force home the advantage of serve, and it wasn't until the fifth handout that Sean was off and scoring. Gavin couldn't stop the head of steam that Sean built up and was quickly six love down, giving that many points start is very hard against a good player, against someone of Sean's calibre is fatal. And so it proved as Sean went on to win the last game 9/3, thereby retaining his title 3 - 2, in what was a fitting climax to the competition where Gavin pushed him to the limit.

Overall the Over 35's competition, revived last season, and once again hosted at the excellent Windscale Squash and Fitness Facility, was a well ran, well-organised and thoroughly entertaining couple of days squash. Entries once again were very disappointing from the North, South and East of the county, and the County organisers really appreciate the efforts made by the West Cumberland clubs to revive the interest in this Competition. Hopefully 2009 will see an increased entry with a more diverse selection of club players competing, with a few 'younger' faces among the entries.