New Mills Squash Club Season 2008-2009
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Match reports by The Webmaster - Malc Hough - unless otherwise stated.

Alderley Break New Mills and the rules 2-3-09

In a very sporting contest New Mills ended the season with mixed feelings after a strong Alderley Edge team gubbed them 17-06. Myself, Ian Johnson and Dave Cartwright all gave gutsy performances but lost to stronger opponents although each managed to take a point. Charlie Bishop played at the top of his game this week to brush aside Rod Ellis with comparative ease winning 3-0. Rick Aldred had the misfortune to play Rod Ellis and although well beaten he can console himself in the knowledge that Rod should not have played in this fixture. Rod the regular number one in the Alderley Edge 5th team was in fact selected to play against AP Club at number 1 tonight with Ben Howell at number 2. AP Club failed to raise a team and Alderley were awarded a walk over with Rod and Ben both named as 3-0 winners.  It's a shame really because this was an entertaining game played in great spirit but let's be fair, if you accept 20 points from a no show team then it's not in the spirit of the game or league rules to drop players down to a lower team, especially if (as in Rod's case) they are ineligible. This isn't the first time this season we have been on the end of rule bending and we will monitor matches much closer next season to prevent the same thing happening. So another season over and the summer league to look forward to. The courts will be booked on a regular basis as long as players use them. Next Thursday they are booked from 8:40 onwards.

Prestbury Feel New Mills Backlash  26th March 2009

Only managing to find 4 players available for the penultimate match at Presbury did'nt stop New Mills completing a quadruple over the Cheshire villages teams in this division. Jan played exceptionally well to overcome Barry Jupp at number one with a combination of skilful lobs and drop shots which he could not come to terms with. So with one game in the bag it remained to be seen if my newfound form would  be enough to put New Mills 2-0 up. Thanks to some sloppy play in the fourth game by my opponent I was indeed able to beat Chris Hollinworth 3-1 and maintain my end of the season points haul. Charlie bishop faced Bob Murray with the chance to win the match for New Mills which he did without too much trouble. Evenly matched and with similar styles Charlie just had that bit more grit to his game and thoroughly deserved his 3-1 success.   So with the match won Rick was the final player on at number two against Gordon Rowlands who Charlie and myself had both beaten in previous matches this season. Rick was always the stronger player and although Gordon as usual made a good fist of it, I don't think anyone thought Rick would lose this one. As it turned out the 3-1 score line was a fair reflection of Ricks effort and so the night belonged to New Mills who were rewarded for a gutsy team effort.

EMAIL FROM IAN : The leisure centre has made a (small) attempt to modernise the place, with signage on all the doors. Have a close look at the squash door signs, which include a Braille message....

Speaking with the staff last night, it seems they are reviewing the 'plans' which includes making Court 1 into a gym with overhead studio, making the current gym into a crèche and making the office/bar/crèche area into another studio. We'd have one court....

Cheers - Ian

Congleton Bear Town Maul New Mills

A defeat at home to Congleton was perhaps a fair result although as Rick Aldred went into the final match with the games poised at 2-2 we were always in with a shout. Rick set off superbly taking a 2-0 lead but Mick Bailey's fitness and power proved too much as the number two  ground Rick to a standstill with some awesome retrieving allied to a flurry of winners. Earlier in the evening myself and Ian Johnson had both shown grit and determination to win both the bottom games but Charlie and Dave were unable to find that extra bite to overcome their determined opponents. Dave went down 3-0 and although Charlie started quite strongly he had neither the luck nor the markers decisions to help him avoid a 3-1 defeat.
With two matches left our season is grinding to a halt and if we are to raise the ante we will have to dig deep to do it next week as Dave Cartwright is unavailable for the trip to Prestbury who are 1 place behind us in the table. A win there would leave us in 7th place, defeat and we slip down to 8th.
(Short report tonight as I stayed up watching a recording of the not so glorious Blues struggle to beat Aalborg in tonight's UEFA clash)

It's all Change at Crewe as rules are challenged

Sometimes it's not the losing that counts it's the way you lose that sticks in the mind. Losing sometimes becomes a habit thus the losing mentality becomes a huge problem. I think being a Man City fan that this is foremost in my psyche and away days are becoming a similar problem at New Mills Squash Club. Without a win away this year this fixture looked likely to reverse the trend after a comfortable win in the reverse fixture back in November. How wrong can you be? Very wrong is the answer. Myself facing Rich Inocent, the number one back in November at number four should have been a clue but as I am in serious form decline it went more or less unnoticed as I crumbled under the youngsters skilful onslaught. Phil Wheatcroft looked a likely winner against Ian Edwards at number five with the best display of the night from a New Mills player but failed to win the deciding game after a very even and entertaining five setter. Phil certainly looked the part and played with great style which also earned our only points of the night in an otherwise disappointing all round effort. Charlie, Rick and Dave were all well beaten by sharper opponents and like myself were left somewhat shell shocked. Rick in particular was faced by a seriously improved Mike Roberts who Ian Johnson had defeated at New Mills. Mike looks to be a very good young prospect and Ian will no doubt be quite proud in the near future to say, I once beat that lad. Charlie had to play his match on an enclosed court against a player who has only featured in two previous games, one of which was in this division and the other a 4th division game, both in 2009, which is actually against league rules as you have to play at least 4 matches in the division before you can play in the last four league fixtues for that team (rules 7.6 7.7 and 7.8) - naughty naughty Crewe Vagrants.
Having said that, this was a match played in very sporting spirit and a very pleasant evening was enjoyed by all.....

New Mills cruise past Knutsford Services 5th March 2009

This was a close encounter of the "he who dares" kind. After losing the bottom two rubbers for a gain of only one point, things looked pretty difficult for the top three players in the team. Jan Butler certainly had no fears facing Guy Hill and made short work of completing a 3-1 win which was almost as impressive as the excellent supper she provided for the players after the match.
Dave Cartwright was paired against Mark Buckley who wasn't impressed by Dave serving for the first two games with a 7 point lead in each. Mark pegged away to take both with some strong retrieval play. Dave as we know is made of stern stuff these days, he didn't complete the "Iron Man" biathlon thingy without being able to weather a set back or two. Signal turn on the style as he took the next three games for the loss of only two points to bring the match to an exciting conclusion. Rick Aldred had the opportunity to demonstrate his ongoing rise in form when he met Geoff Dalton to decide the match result. The first two games were cagey and but after losing the first Rick began to take the inititive to level at 1-1. This looked all the more conclusive in the third as Rick really opened up and went for broke winning 9-0. We all sat back and waited for the rotund one to finish things in the third but Geoff wasn't part of the script as he dug in to level at 2-2. It wasn't long before Rick started to breath through the wrong orifice as the long contest with his fitter opponent began to take it's toll. The game swung either way point by point but it was Geoff who managed to gain a chance to serve for the match at 8-7. Rick stove off 3 match points before nicking a leveller with a glorious drop shot into the corner to force Geoff into calling a set two decider. Completely missing Rick's first serve allowed the New Mills number two to take the set and match after a furious rally ended with Geoff tinning an Aldred drive. So that reversed the first half result and gave New Mills a valuable and well earned win.
One strange anomaly raised a few eyebrows this evening when both myself and Ian were soundly beaten at number five and four by two opponents who had previously only won one game each this season. Now I'm quite aware that the aging process has cruelly robbed me of my past abilities in this sport but I can still compete at this level. I regard Ian Johnson as a strong and skilful player with only two defeats behind him this season before tonight but, the manner of our defeats  left us both quite frustrated. I have not lost to a better opponent this season and found Graham Thompson more than a handful as he literally demolished my feeble attempts to compete. Ian on the other hand took the first game 9-6 before Kynan Massey took him to the cleaners with a fine display of aggressive percentage squash. Maybe they both hit form on our warm courts but I am tempted to demand a drug test :-)   or maybe me and Ian were just crap :-( 
Next week we are off to Crewe (our flights and hotel are booked) for an encounter with the Vagrants with a team lacking our leader Jan but seeing the return of the Bishop of New Mills.

 League Leaders too strong for New Mills 19th February

The Bollington team was slightly stronger than on the home match, and before Rick arrived, Jan volunteered (sacrificed) herself to play at 2 against John Capper who hasn’t lost a match for many seasons, and must surely be one of the top over-60 players in the country. Sure enough, John controlled the first two games with accurate drops and lengths while Jan was complaining the courts were too cold (John kept the ball cool). Donning a top for the third, Jan was able to put up slightly more resistance, but was never going to win. Maybe Rick would have had a chance to put John under a little more pressure, but it was not to be.
After Dave and Ian had studied the National Champs finals on Sunday, and knowing the Bollington courts would be hot, they were confident that their new found strategy would help them. So the two reformees went on adjacent courts at 1 and 5 respectively, and while David was put to the sword 1-3 by journeyman Nick Shatwell, who plays rarely, but has seldom lost in this league, Ian was up against Steve Baggley who had a close game against Tony at 4 in the home game. The courts must have heated up quickly and were not at all cold (Jan), and Steve was quick at retrieving any overhit lengths and was mobile enough to cover the court to play accurate boasts and drops. It was hard to adjust, but once Ian realised that most shots could be reached, with a little extra effort, and the benefit of experience, Ian’s range of winners proved too much for Steve who eventually capitulated 3-0.
Tony was up against Andy Barber at 4, Andy only having lost twice this season and, on a hot court, the Italian Stallion was always going to be under the cosh. And so it proved, with Tony rapidly losing the first game to love before realising that he could actually compete with some additional hard work. On this occasion, the additional hard work was just not hard enough and Andy ran out an easy winner. Rick on last against Ron Newton, who had beaten Charlie after a hard game in the home match. Rick looked uneasy with the court and was intimidated by Ronnie’s cool style, high soft lobs and accurate drops. Once Rick raised his game, Ronnie’s volleys became less effective and Rick was able to grind out two sets to play for the decider. On the ascendency, Rick was in with a real chance to take the match, but Ronnie was also keen to win, and raised his game too. Despite some assistance from the marker (Ian) on a couple of close let calls, Rick was unable to sustain the quality squash he had played in game 4, and slipped too far behind Ronnie to be able to pick up the winner.
So, a disappointing match with only one win and 6 points, while Bollington rumble on as potential league winners. We need to keep our standard up to keep our mid table place, but we’re not defeated yet. An enjoyable evening with the usual banter, at Jan’s expense, over lets, pizza and salad supper. No game this week, so hopefully a good turnout for Club Night on Thursday (some of us need the practice!).
Many Thanks to our Guest Reporter

Radbrook Revenge 5th February 2009

After losing heavily to Radbrook Hall in the first half of the season New Mills turned on a fine performance to reverse the result. With a somewhat weakened side missing Jan and Charlie our three regular number 5's  were drafted in. This is where the result would be decided as Radbrook's players are basically at the same standard, around the number three level. Ian Johnson was a good choice to play in the number five slot and rewarded us with a fine 3-2 win after conceding the first game. Raising his game came as a great shock to John Davies who had looked to be the stronger all round player in that first game. Ian started to move with great purpose and play more than a fair level of classic winning shots.  After taking a "rest game" in the fourth Ian absolutely mesmerised Jon to take the match 3-2 in the decider without conceding a point. My own contribution at number four was a little short of woeful. My equally rotund opponent found me in my worst possible form and took advantage with a 3-0 win without too much trouble. Decision time for me as I must either make a bigger commitment or hang up my bat. Dave Cartwright was next on at number one to play Neil Howarth who gave Rick Aldred a torrid time in the way leg back in October and before tonight had only tasted defeat twice. Dave played as well as I have seen him play this season to dominate the rubber in a very well controlled three games. It's good to see the game played in such a laid back and sporting manner  with aggressive play restricted to the racquet, a good example to all of us. So two one up and Rick Aldred to face John Shaw the regular number two. This was a cracker of a game with neither player giving any quarter. Rick was struggling to find his touch a little as those soft drops failed to find their mark. The games see sawed until we arrived at 2-2 with Rick clearly showing signs of fatigue. Starting the decider with a couple of long rallies didn't help Rick although he never gave up the cause and was rewarded for his efforts with a 9-5 win although in fairness, we all thought the oxygen bottle would be needed at any time. Arriving late Tony Gaeta was never going to trouble Mike Sharman at number three who incidentally played at number one last week for his team. Tony had little to offer and actually spent more time eating his supper than he did on court.
No game next week due to the Nationals but a session at the Leisure Centre will be arranged for a club night.

Prestbury's men fail to halt New Mills 22nd Jan 09

It may have been a blank night for Prestbury's male players but I felt the wrath of their lady player, Jane Mackay who was on top form. Failing to take game ball in the third left me the only loser on the night going down 3-0 to the Edinburgh lass at number four. This after Ian Johnson had a fine win at number five against Jane's hubby, Roddy. Ian showed all his old style cruising to a 3-1 win. Rick has rediscovered his old form for the second week running as he demolished Bob Morgan at number three. Poor old Bob couldn't get near Rick as the drop shots and drives left him floundering. Charlie Bishop also had one of those nights as he completely out run and out thought Gordon Rowlands at number two. Gordon and Bob only managed 9 points between them which was a fair reflection on how well Charlie and Rick played. Good to see Dave Cartwright back this week and playing a very spirited game at number one against the deceptive Barry Jupp. Dave's fitness is a major weapon and tonight although perhaps a few percent down he was to agile in the important rallies which made the difference to the end result. Perhaps the final point summed was a good example as Barry played his shots all round the court but Dave's lung busting retrievals were rewarded with a wonderful return from deep in the back corner, much to Barry's amazement and our delight. Good match against a nice set of guys, and gal with one of Jan's excellent suppers to finish off.
Next week it's of to Winsford for a chance to complete our second double of the season. No game for me and Charlie next week but Wheatie and Jan return for our longest trip to the outer limits of Cheshire.

Zenica gain revenge  8th January 2009

The New Year saw the Millers defeated by AZ Club III in a well contested match. Jan was the first to take to the courts for the first game of 2009 but had to play Simon Perry. The hard hitting Simon just had the edge on Jan who clearly wasn't comfy on the coldish court. With an unusually high number of errors with her serves Jan was always going to struggle to keep in the game. Simon took his chance to put his team in the lead. Meanwhile "Wheatie" was making his comeback on the next court at number five and looked like he had never been away. Although he wasn't taking any risks with his dodgy feet hit stroke play was excellent. Mark Hardey won the first game but once Phil got into his stride he made short work in winning the next three for a well deserved victory. My own game was at number four was a closely fought match played in good spirit against Patrick Socket who started slowly but once he got his eye in proved to be a difficult opponent. The match went to five after I had taken a 2-0 lead but thankfully I got my third wind and managed to close the game out with a welcome 3-2 win. Charlie for once was unable to conjure up that never say die spirit against the experienced William Laird at number one. All the usual effort was there but too many unforced errors cost him dearly. Much the same for Rick Aldred playing at three against Simon Perry who Rick beat in the home leg back in September. Since then Rick has added a few pounds to the old waste line which affects his fitness somewhat and this was the only difference between to closely matched players.
So it's back to the drawing board for us next week when hopefully Dave Cartwright will have shaken of his man flu. We have a couple of scores to settle with Club AP II.

New Mills take Alderley over the Edge 11th December 2008

In a closely fought match at the Cheshire club the Millers edged it with a last match decider from the Bishop of New Mills. This was Charlie at his best against a very tricky opponent in Julian Yates. At 1-1 it looked like it could go either way but, Charlie is the man for these occasions and his decision to play Julian to the back of the court paid off handsomely as he took the next two games and the match. Early doors I drew the short straw when Alderley brought in Richard Hedley down from the team above and for some reason chose to play him at number five. From the outset I was going to struggle against a player who had played the previous games this season in the division higher so therefore should have played at number 1. Certainly not in the spirit  or rules of the game but the score thankfully didn't affect the match result.
Young Josh Rathbone made his first appearance for the club and what an impressive performance he put on. Tim Wynn made a better fist of it than the score suggested but Josh was so dominant that Tim was never able to put any pressure on Josh and could only muster two points in the final game. Well done Josh for helping out his home town team when a higher platform was probably more deserving of his skills. Rick had one of those nights, struggling with a nagging back problem (too much sitting on his arse in his job as a driving instructor if you ask me) he couldn't contain a very lively and competitive Alex Hislop. Jan Butler like her son Josh was equally dominant in her match against veteran Charles Slade. Choosing to play the ball to the back of the court was a good enough tactic to stop Charles getting into a one sided game.
So that's it for the first half of the season and I must say that although the travelling has increased somewhat it has definitely been a pleasure to see some fresh faces and different venues. Roll on the second half. 

Prestbury give New Mills an early Xmas present

A comfortable victory for New Mills tonight as Prestbury felt the backlash of last weeks embarrassing defeat at Congleton. Prestbury were in all fairness quite a weak side and only Dave Cartwright and Charlie Bishop were given stern workouts. Charlie was unable to contain Barry Jupp who had a rich armoury of cross court boasts and drop shots which proved too much for the Bish in the end. Dave benefitted from Kevin Wynne's rib injury picked up earlier this week as the Prestbury number one struggled in the last two games in what had been a very even contest up to that point. So a very satisfactory night the only disappointment being  Prestbury's lack of players at the after match supper namely only Gordon Rowlands who enjoyed a fine Chinese banquet.
Tomorrow night we have squash at 7:40 to 9:00 followed by a trip to the Indian for some more traditional English fare and a few Tiger Beers, thanks to Dave Cartwright for organising this. Next week see's us taking to the road again for a trip to Alderley Edge to complete the first half of the season.

New Mills Mauled by Congleton Bear Town Nov 27th

I returned to the fray this week only to lose 3-1 to Stuart McGreath at number 4. Things looked and felt quite bleak as I struggled to get into the game and only managed my first point towards the end of the second game. Things got a little better as I took the third and with a little luck could have levelled the match but lost 10-8 in the 4th. Jan also had a slow start losing her first two games gaining only three points in the process. Things had to improve and after dragging herself back to 2-2 lost the decider  to Alistair McAdam 9-6. Charlie set off like a man possessed taking a 2-0 lead against a strong hitting Mick Bailey. Sadly the Bishop of New Mills peaked too early and slowly but surely Mick ground out the next three games to take the rubber 3-2. Dave Cartwright was left to try and salvage a win for the team and looked on course as he deservedly took a 2-1 lead against Lee Hall who up to tonight had only lost 1 match. Sadly Dave lost his way in the last two games and Lee added another notch to his impressive list of victims this season winning 3-2
Overall a very good nights squash although for the second time this season we failed to find a fit and willing number 5 so started a game down before we even hit a ball in anger. An excellent cold supper and a pint or so of the best bitter I've tasted in a good while was a pleasant ending to a very enjoyable evening, bar the result. Next week see's Prestbury back in town and the following night (December 5th)will be a club night followed by a trip to the Indian Restaurant on Market Street for some good food and an Xmas get together - it would be nice to see all player turn out for this one so come on you lot, shake off all those bugs and stuff and get your arses down on Friday.....

New Mills Back on Track 2nd October

After last weeks set back New Mills came back fighting with a convincing victory against Prestbury VII. In fairness this was a quite weak Prestbury team who have lost a number of players to the teams above as happens at many clubs but, you can only beat the players you're faced with and the team did just that in the main. I say in the main because Dave Cartwright had the misfortune to be paired with a Division Two player, Mike Perry, who has had a break from the sport. You would never have guessed this as it became apparent as early as the warm up that Dave was in for a tough test. In spite of losing 3-0 Dave stepped up to the mark and made Mike work hard for every point including some excellent retrieval shots against a very classy player. The other four games were all very much one sided affairs against players who tried hard but fell short against more experienced opponents. Rick and myself both dropped games but at the end of the day were never in danger of losing.
Sadly it is going to be an uphill battle for Prestbury to keep this team going for the full season which is a shame because they are a very pleasant set of lads and can only improve with more games. The supper provided by our hosts was very good indeed and rounded off another most enjoyable evening.
It's a break for a couple of weeks for me so the site will be updated after I return from my trip to Turkey. next week will see Winsford at the leisure Centre and faced with a 73 mile round trip they could well be travel weary!!

Déjà Vu all over again     25th Sept

In a repeat of last season's form we fell at the second hurdle to a half decent team from Holmes Chapel. Having to play first after arriving quite late wasn't ideal for me. Suffering from a bad bout of travel sickness I wasn't best pleased to have to try and play a very average opponent when clearly I wasn't in a fit state to compete. The inevitable result probably pleased Jim Toole but left me quite disappointed by a very unsporting gesture by Club AZ, I like to think our club would have reacted very differently if the boot were on the other foot.
Moan over, I think the result was a fair assessment of the match although Dave Cartwright certainly deserved something in a more than competent duel with the opposing number one Khaled Balabil. A very good effort for little reward. Charlie Bishop battled gamely with Arthur Choice the unconventional AP number two. The problem Charlie couldn't overcome was being drawn into a slogging match. On another day I would back Charlie to win this one quite comfortably. Rick turned on the best show of the evening beating Nikki Bywater 3-1. Nikki is quite an impressive player which forced Rick to use all his skills and a considerable amount of energy to gain a valuable win. Jan like me has had better nights and struggled to contain a very tricky and fit number four. The courts didn't suit Jan's game at all and surely she will get back into winning ways on the more conventional Prestbury courts next week. While on the subject of courts, I can't remember seeing so many shots ending up in the tin from all players during an evening....
 

New Mills open in style    Sept 18th

Just like last season, New Mills opened the season with a thumping good win. Unusually the number ones played first and set the pattern for a fine evenings squash. Dave Cartwright looked to have got the better of his opponent when he fought back from a game down to take a well deserved 2-1 lead. Sadly unforced errors started to appear as William laird battled back to win the fourth game to level at 2-1. Dave never looked too confident and finally had to admit defeat in a closely contended decider. I was on next at number five and had a very comfortable 3-0 win over newcomer Mark Hadley. Not so easy for Ian Johnson at number four though as he took on another newcomer, Patrick Socket who was a very competent opponent. Ian had to dig deep into his bag of tricks to win this match 3-0. I'm sure we'll see a totally different Patrick in the second half if he's given the opportunity to progress.
So at 2-1 up it was on Charlie Bishops shoulder to have a crack at closing the match out at number two. Charlie as you would expect ripped into hard hitting Andy Phillips with great passion. It was all there, diving for lost causes, lung busting retrievals and the odd spat with the marker, everything  and a little bit more from the Bishop of New Mills. A great match which see sawed both ways but was decided in the last three points after Charlie had pegged back what looked like a winning lead by Andy. Andy though had no answer to Charlie's astonishing energy and succumbed to the New Mills man after giving away two strokes.
With Rick Aldred to follow, the match as a match was all over but, Rick wasn't about to take things easy.  Playing Simon Perry, a quite skilful stroke player he was about to show us he will be a strong challenger for his old number two spot. Simon could only watch in awe as Rick picked him off with a flurry of excellent drop shots from all areas of the court. However, when Rick started to show signs of fatigue in the second game it seemed the Zenica mans superior fitness would edge Rick out. Rick stepped up to the mark and wore the Simon down with a seriously gutsy last two games to win 3-1.  Things look good for  New Mills although it's only one match so far so we mustn't get carried away. A very enjoyable evening both socially and sporting topped by a superbly cooked supper by club captain Jan Butler. Next week hopefully will see Jan's son, Josh Rathbone making his New Mills debut at AP Club in Holmes Chapel.