Squash

The most obvious comment on the 1973-74 season is that it was predictable. No matches were lost that should have been won, nor were, any won against the odds. In the Premiere Products National Schools Competition, we again reached the Area Final before losing to the eventual winners, New College, Huddersfield, which was the only school to defeat the 1st V during the season. In the Bath Cup Tournament our narrow defeat by Marlborough, the beaten finalists, was disappointing partly because we came so close to a surprise win and partly because, as a result of the quite illogical seeding, the defeat was in the first round.

There is considerable promise for next season, as all the 1st V have ' at least one more year at School and there are several talented younger players close behind.

The Captain, David Phillips, played very well to keep the No. 1 position, despite the ever-present threat of Ian Heddle. His speed and fitness have always been his main assets, and he is working hard to improve his consistency. He certainly has great flair, but still makes too many mistakes in a tight match. Ian Heddle suffers from a lack of competition in School matches. All too often he has an easy match and it is difficult to play well in these circumstances. However, if he is to reach the top, he must avoid complacency and become a more positive player. Jonty Rounthwaite, at No. 3, has become a formidable player in his position. Towards the end of the season, he played with increasing confidence and had some excellent results. Chris Harland at No. 4 is beginning to acquire the physical strength to match his undoubted ability. On occasions he played very well, but he lost several matches by being outhit by a stronger opponent or by making too many errors. Graham Nicholson earned the No. 5 position, but was often a frustrating player to watch. He strikes the ball beautifully and knows what he ought to do. His main problem is that he loses concentration so easily and allows a match to drift away from him.

Of the younger players, Chris Brockbank made the greatest progress. He has always been a tenacious retriever, but he is now developing some attacking shots and he had several good wins. John Taylor, too, showed that he has considerable ability. At present he lacks the application to practise hard and to play consistent match squash, but I hope that this will develop soon.

D.K.

Premiere Products National Tournament

RESULTS 1st Round v Bradford G.S. (home) 2nd Round v Barnard Castle (home) Section Final v Edinburgh Academy Area Final v New College, Huddersfield (home) Won 5-0 Won 5-0 W/O Lost 0-5

✓ ✓Scarborough S.R.C. (home) Squashbucklers (home) ...

✓ Bradford G.S. (home) ✓ York S.R.C. (home) ... ✓ York S.R.C. (away) ... Lost 2-3 Won 5-1 Won 5-0 Won 4-1 Lost 1-4