Squash Retrospect

The School have had a successful start to the season, having won four matches and losing two, both to strong club sides.

The School were without their second string, V. L. F. Davin, for several matches, but his place was ably filled by P. R. G. Graham.

T. D. Ambler, the captain, has shown good form for the most part, but he has had several lapses, notably against F. Smith, Esq., in the Staff match. On the other hand, he gave M. Hollway an excellent game in the Buxton match.

V. L. F. Davin has also played some good Squash, particularly against J. Hardman in the Devonshire Hall match.

J. M. Rucklidge, the third string, has been very consistent throughout the term, and he finished well in extending the Harrogate third string to 8-10 in the fifth game.

P. R. G. Graham and A. T. H. Wright also showed promise, and it is to be hoped that they will sustain their efforts.

The standard of play amongst the rest of the School is rather low, and only J. R. Walters appears to have much idea of the game.

The School will be represented in the Queen's Club Competition by V. L. F. Davin and J. R. Walters.

SQUASH. CHRISTMAS TERM, 1937. School v. F. Smith, Esq.'s Team. Sunday, October 10th.

The School were without their second string, V. L. F. Davin, who was injured. In the first match, T. D. Ambler met the former Yorkshire player, F. Smith. Mr. Smith was was too clever and experienced for Ambler, who was not on his best form. There were several long rallies with good stroke play, but they nearly always ended with one player or the other hitting the tin.

J. M. Rucklidge played well to beat a former School player, D. Maclean, in three straight games. Rucklidge retrieved well, and he was always far too steady for Maclean, who did not appear to be on his best form. Rucklidge, after winning the first game 9-5, won the second to love, and although his opponent played better in the third game he was not able to recover.

P. R. Graham came in as a reserve for Davin and played J. R. Walters, also a last minute selection. Graham showed promising form in winning in four games after a hardhitting match. Scores:—

T. D. Ambler (School) lost to F. Smith, 5-9, 4-9.

J. M. Rucklidge (School) beat D. Maclean, 9-0, 9-5.

P. R. Graham (School) beat J. R. Walters, 9-4, 9-3. School v. Devonshire Hall. Sunday, October 31st.

T. D. Ambler played some good Squash to beat K. H. Champlin in three games. The first game was very even, Ambler winning it 10-8, but he then improved and only conceded 5 points in the next two games.

V. L. F. Davin had a close and exciting game with the Hall second string, J. Hardman. Both players hit hard and there were many long rallies. Davin was the steadier player, though Hardman retrieved and rallied in a very strenuous manner, and this just carried him to victory in the fifth game.

J. M. Rucklidge had an easy victory over A. N. Reid, who never seemed' to get going. Rucklidge made few mistakes and generally finished off the rallies better than his opponent. Scores:

T. D. Ambler (School) beat K. H. Champlin, 10-8, 9-3, 9-2.

V. L. F. Davin (School) beat J. Hardman, 9-7, 2-9, 9-5, 4-9, 9-4.

J. M. Rucklidge (School) beat A. N. Reid, 9-1, 9-0, 9-4. Esq., 2-9, Esq., 9-5, 9-7, 5-9,

School v. C. R. Yeoman, Esq.'s Team. Sunday, November

7th.

The School sustained their first defeat of the season, but were without their second string, V. L. F. Davin, who was indisposed.

T. D. Ambler lost to M. Hollway, a former School captain, after a close and exciting match. Ambler played extremely well against an opponent who has had considerable experience in club play, and this turned the scale in Hollway's favour. Both players used drop and angle shots effectively and there were many long rallies. 49

J. M. Rucklidge lost to R. Faulkner, another experienced player. The first two games were very close, and Rucklidge reached game ball first in each of them. Faulkner used the drop very effectively, and this enabled him to win the third game fairly easily.

P. R. Graham put up a good show against C. R. Yeomans, although he was beaten in three games. He lost the first game to love, but the second game was very close. Yeomans won) the third game fairly easily, his opponent showing signs of fatigue. Scores :—

T. D. Ambler (School) lost to M. Hollway, 9-10, 7-9. 9-7, 4-9.

J. M. Rucklidge (School) lost to R. Faulkner, 9-10,

8-10, 4-9.

P. R. Graham (School) lost to C. R. Yeomans, 0-9, 9-10, 3-9.

After the match Rucklidge was awarded his colours.

School v. Leeds G.S. Sunday, November 21st.

The School played Leeds G.S. after a lapse of three years. The School were without their second string, V. L. F. Davin, once more.

T. D. Ambler beat R. H. Haworth in straight games in a good match. The first two games were close, but Ambler won the third more easily. He used the drop shot more effectively than his opponent, who tended to rely on hard hitting.

J. M. Rucklidge had an excellent match with D. Warburton, whom he beat in four close games. Both players hit hard, and there were many long rallies, owing to the fine retrieving of both players. Rucklidge used the drop effectively on occasion, but relied chiefly on keeping to a ■ length.

P. R. Graham beat J. Dakin in a close five game match. Graham did well to win the first two games, especially after being led 8-2 in the second. He then lost the next two games but won the fifth to love. Scores :—

T. D. Ambler (School) beat R. H. Haworth, 9-7, 9-7, 9-5.

J. M. Rucklidge (School) beat D. Warburton, 9-6,

7-9, 9-7, 9-7.

P. R. Graham (School) beat J. Dakin, 9-3, 10-8, 3-9, 7-9, 9-0.

School v. The Staff. Friday, December 10th.

The School beat the Staff in their usual 5-string match_

T. D. Ambler was badly beaten by F. Smith, Esq., who was in excellent form. The School player was very nervous and played many careless shots when in a good position.

V. L. F. Davin just lost to G. S. Stead, Esq., in a close five-game match. Both players retrieved well, and there were many long rallies.

J. M. Rucklidge beat H. A. Wrenn, Esq., in a close match, in which both players did a great deal of running. Rucklidge was the steadier player, however, and this enabled him to win in the fourth game.

A. T. H. Wright was too experienced for J. S. Cooper, Esq., and he won in straight games without much difficulty.

P. R. G. Graham had a close match with K. H. Rhodes, Esq., before winning in the fifth game. Mr. Rhodes recovered well after losing the first two games. Scores :—

T. D. Ambler (School) lost to F. Smith, Esq., 0-9, 3-9, 1-9.

V. L. F. Davin (School) lost to G. S. Stead, Esq., 9-3, 5-9, 10-9, 2-9, 7-9.

J. M. Rucklidge (School) beat H. A. Wrenn, Esq., 9-2, 9-7, 4-9, 10-8.

A. T. H. Wright (School) beat J. S. Cooper, Esq., 9-0, 9-5, 9-2.

P. R. G. Graham (School) beat K. H. Rhodes, Esq., 9-0, 9-7, 7-9, 0-9, 9-3.

School v. Harrogate S.R.C. Sunday, December 19th.

Played away.

The School lost to Harrogate S.R.C. by two matches to one. The match was played in the St. George Hotel courts, as those of the Sports Club were under water.

T. D. Ambler played well to beat Dr. G. B. Robinson in a five-game match. The School player used the drop and angle shots well, and he won the first game easily. He then lost the next two, but won the last pair quite easily, dropping only one point.

V. L. F. Davin lost to F. Parkinson, Esq., after a fourgame match. Parkinson hit very hard, and this seemed to upset Davin, who was unable to find a satisfactory length. He played well, however, to win the second game.

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