Do not attempt to play on Court 2 until Saturday morning!
Build a better floor - Part 1
Slugfest Plate Final to End All
The tranquility of a Bank Holiday Monday morning was shattered by a slugfest between basher Chris Ivey and smasher James Woodman. The Plate final (for Open Championship first match losers), closed out the Winter tournaments.
Both players were not prepared to give any quarter and both showed excellent speed and reactions to make the three games far from one-sided. In spite of taking his frustrations out on both his legs and his (former) racket, James was unable to stay with the furious pace set by Chris.
James borrowed a spare racket from the Club's stock for the last game, in vain. The third game about the same as the first two. So Chris took his third trophy of the Winter 3-0 (9/6, 9/5, 9/6).
All On Board?
The Final Major Final of the 2017 Winter competitions offered the intriguing prospect of a new name on the Honours Board. If Chris Shepherd-Barron could defeat Chris Ivey in the Veterans (Over 45) Open, would the board be wide enough to accommodate all of the new winner's letters?
The omens were not good after the toss though:
These two had never played before in their many years at the club. However, this did not stop either of them from playing their natural games - smash it and run was the order of the day for the first couple of games, which Chris Ivey won comfortably 9/4 9/5. Chris S-B (as he is known to editors and typesetters all over the world) seemed content to trade blows until some variety was required - before a tinned shot ended the rally.
Surprisingly in the third and fourth games, CS-B rallied his pride enough to reverse the trend with a few solid winners of his own and even the occasional sky-high drop shot. All a stunned Chris Ivey could do was query a couple of marking decisions (while at the same time admitting that he had no knowledge of the rules - not a wise tactic).
The effort of squaring the match at 2-2 was too much for CS-B though. In spite of taking a swift 3-0 lead, he meekly conceded the fifth 9/5 and had to settle for the Runner Up goblet. Sign writers all over Sevenoaks breathed a sigh of relief.
Staffurth Rolls on Joles
Playing his 5th final of the Winter, Jerry Staffurth had to fight back from the brink to take his second Winner's trophy in the Open Handicap Final
Jolyon, who is fast improving, was up for it and sharp from the off. Needing only a few winners or some errors from Jerry to take him over the line, with a 12 point start, Jolyon pounced on anything loose from Jerry. And with Jerry obviously stiff and tired from his exertions of the previous finals, it was not long before the first game was history - 15/1 to Jolyon - and further away than at the start.
The second game looked like being a similar runaway win for the highly-handicapped Jolyon, as he swiftly gained a 13-0 advantage. Jerry had almost warmed up by then, though, and was making fewer unforced errors. He pulled back 10 points before Jolyon buried a winner off the return of serve to clinch it 15/11.
So the third game would be the one that left the handicapper with egg on his face, or the proving of the system. Either Jolyon would continue to prove the doubters right by cruising to a 3-0 victory, or he would tire and the usually steady Jerry would overhaul the deficit. The result was in doubt until the middle of the game, as Jerry pegged back the lead to 11/12, and as Jolyon's error rate increased. Needing only a few points to close it out, Jolyon could not find enough winners and the game slipped away 15/13.
In the fourth, a run of 12 straight points saw the handicap gap again closed and Jolyon making the classic mistake of sitting back on his heels hoping for errors and even a small streak of points. They didn't come and Jerry levelled the match up at 15/11 2-2. The final game went a similar way, as a tiring Jolyon again couldn't get any run of more than two points going at a time. At 10-10 Jolyon realised that the game was up and the writing on the wall. Quickly 15/11 to Jerry and a second Winner's plaque and mug for his efforts. Jerry now takes a well-earned six week break.
Jerry Gets A Rocket
At the fourth attempt, Jerry Staffurth has finally made it to the Winner's Circle this year.
In a gritty encounter, he overcame a stubborn Gary Mitchell in the Final of the Seniors' Open (Over 55s).
At 8-1 up in the first game, Jerry was having it all his own way, before Gary pulled him back to 5-8 and Jerry eventually gained the point for the game. 7-2 up in the second, which again seemed to be going Jerry's way. However, a determined series of hand-in accumulations, saw Gary come back to 6-8, followed by four straight points to take the game 10-8.
The third was more of a ding-dong; Gary gaining a 5-2 advantage until Jerry was able to slow him down and equalise at 6-6. A scrappy point followed, which ended in a controversial 'Let' call by the marker. Sadly, believing that he had been on the wrong end of several marking decisions, Gary felt unable to continue and retired.
'Foinavon' Final - Favourites Falter
A new, less-fancied name will be added to the Champion's trophy this year, as most of the top seeds and recent winners fell by the wayside. In fact, so painful was the roll of injured and absent stars, that many of them stayed away from the Final last night.
On the last available date before the official end of Winter, 2007 Champion Jerry Staffurth (bidding for his third trophy of the year) took on relative newcomer Mike Wright in the battle of the outsiders.
On form, Mike should have won at a canter, with Jerry clearly tiring after a long campaign (two losing finals to date out of five he will contest). Early exchanges bore this out, as Mike raced to an 8-2 lead in the first game - only to be pegged back to 5-8 by Jerry's more consistent returning. [Mike prefers to showboat for the crowd occasionally, when the court is at his mercy.] But inevitably, the last point came along just when a Jerry comeback looked to be possible. 9/5 to Mike.
The second game started even more in Mike's favour 6-0 in no time - before Jerry again hauled himself back to 5-7. Time for another switch back on for Mike, which saw him close out the second 9-5 for a 2-love lead.
The third proved a fence too far for Jerry though; Mike steadily accumulating points to 7-2, only for the expected Jerry clawback to unseat its rider. Third and final game 9-2 to Mike, who becomes the fourth different name on the trophy in as many years.
Winter Finals Ring In the Old
The first two Winter Finals of 2017 had a familiar ring to them.
In the Seniors (over 55) Handicap Final, the holder Chris Morgan (+3) beat Jerry Staffurth (-3) 3-0 (15/14 15/13 15/11)
In the Veterans (Over 45) Handicap Final the next day, the holder Chris Ivey (+2) beat Jerry (-2) 3-0 (15/12 15/13 15/10)
Next week, Jerry will have several more chances to buck the trend, as he has 2 or possibly 3 more finals to contest.
Closest Ever? Division 2 Finale - 21 March 2017
Knole’s 1st team having gained promotion to Division 2 last Winter, were keen not to yo-yo back down again this year. So, when we found ourselves at the last week of the season, in danger of doing so, there were a few squeaky moments.
It didn’t help that there were four teams vying for one relegation spot; nor that Knole were missing three of our top players and one more carrying a long-term injury.
It boiled down to needing 6 points from our last match at fellow strugglers Bexley 2; or a 3-0 victory from one of our heroes. And with all of the regular reserves called up or on standby, there was very little margin for error.
On the day of the match, miraculously, two of our friends from the Spencer Club, who had in previous seasons supported us with long treks from their base in Surrey, became unexpectedly available. Crucially, this allowed Mike Wright to drop down from 2nd string to 4th string.
With one of the Bexley regulars having emigrated to Australia, the match (or at least the vital 6 points) now looked within reach. Mike seized upon the opportunity first up to produce one of his best displays, taking down the tricky Paul Sellery 3-0. Job done.
The rest of the team did their bit to provide insurance points, and perhaps to prove that they could have done it anyway. Chris Shepherd-Barron dug deep to take the 3rd game off the talented Luke Grindle, in spite of being on the wrong end of heavy losses in the other 3 games. Alex Mackinnon (Spencer guest) took another point for Knole; and his Spencer teammate Dan Wells made light of Chris Sellery 3-1 after a slow start.
James Hall, having risked further damage to his knee twinges just to play, was content to ease through his game against a very strong Bexley Captain Scott Shergold, knowing that plenty of points were in the bag.
After all the other Division 2 results were in, Knole have finished bang in the middle of the table - 5th, after what may have been the closest ever end to a season.
Will Tindall sent a post-event message from his workplace:
Thanks, Will!
And David Falconer (injured) was there to provide support and encouragement after a frustrating end to the season for him. We wish him a speedy recovery from his various ailments. Knole’s walking wounded now have a couple of months to rest and recuperate before the slightly easier challenges of Division 3 Summer.
Summer Finale - Could Argentina-England team prevail?
The surprise international pairing of Fernando Carti and John Creek (0) emerged from the lengthy round robin stage to take on the orthodox left-right England-England combination of Jerry Staffurth and Tim Handel (-5) in the Handicap Doubles Summer final.
Mike Wright kindly stepped in as referee and point counter, and after a short acclimatisation period getting used to the scoring system and lenient let conventions, he performed his duties passably well.
Fernando's agility and touch at the front of the court, allied to John's flat-footed, laid-back but vastly experienced style, blended well in the first two games which they took 15/8 15/9. The handicapper was looking a touch red-faced.
Tim and Jerry spared some of his blushes in the third as they took advantage of a lapse in concentration by the Arg-Eng pair. From 11/14 three match balls were saved and the sudden death point went to the all-English boys - just as their opponents were preparing to climb the stairs to the packed gallery presentation.
With the momentum in their pockets, Tim and Jerry quickly overturned the 5 point deficit in the fourth and raced to a 7/3 lead. It looked to be going to the wire, when Fernando and John woke up. A few lucky nicks, some errors from their opponents and a return of the Carti touch saw Creek & Carti over the line to cap a most enjoyable climax to the season's tournaments.
No Summer Double for Chris
Chris Ivey attempting to double up on two Summer handicap finals, just failed to steal the Open Handicap from Mike Wright, going down in 5 after a promising start.
Starting at Chris +4, Mike -4, Mike gradually ate away at the handicap in the first game, eventually saving 2 game balls and taking it at sudden death 15/14. Chris roared back to win the second 15/8 with barely a dent in the handicap, and then kept his nose in front all the way through the third - to win 15/12 and take a 2-1 lead.
As Chris tired in the fourth, Mike got into a few runs of points and always looked like taking control. Game 15/11 to Mike to take it to a decider. And the fifth game went much the same way with Mike the more consistent and Chris allowing unforced errors to creep in.
Mike took the fifth 15/8 and the title and trophies, to replace the Veterans' handicap he held in 2015.
Summer's Veterans
The first Summer tournament final is over. Last night Chris Ivey (-2) overcame Jarrod Clarke (+2) in the Veterans Handicap.
Chris won 15/9 11/15 15/13 15/7, although it might have been closer, had not Jarrod lost two handicap points earlier in the week with a storming win for the 2nd team.
The reddening bruise on Jarrod's nose can't have helped. Chris's wild follow through was probably unintentional, and a let was awarded.
Where Are They Now?
Ever wondered what happened to KP 2015 Open Champion (Pete 'Wings' Sykes)?
Tindall Phenomenon
Knole's newest team recruit records phenomenal rise in playing level in less than 12 months.
Since joining Knole earlier this year, Will Tindall has produced an incredible 111% improvement in his Squash Levels ranking, as you can see in the chart below. Even Knole's resident statistician was astounded to find this out today.
Keep it up, Will!
Winter Warmers- Scalding new heights
Knole Park Squash Club membership hit the 80 mark today - the highest level for 10 years. And that's not including the Student and Junior members, whose numbers continue to rise.
And there's more good news, as the Club's First Team recorded their first win of the Winter season in Division 2. They beat a strong Park Langley team, despite three of the top four in the Knole line-up being absent through injury or holidays. Wins for Niall Anderson, Will Tindall and Tim Handel against far more highly ranked opponents produced an unexpected result and a few thrilling finishes to the games. Knole will now begin to feel that they belong in this higher division; and they will hope to encourage more leading players to the Club in the coming seasons.
Summer Half Gone 12 July 2016
Knole Park 1st team have battled back to mid-table at half time in the Summer league, after a tough start to the season. Too many weeks spent in the drop zone have given way to relative safety following a run of 3 wins.
A scratch squad including many of the 2nd team regulars has scraped points wherever they could, while holding the fort for the other rested or absent stars.
The future prospects for the team are good, especially with the eagerly anticipated return of the rehabilitated veteran David Falconer. Although it is too early to talk of Knole as promotion candidates, we can dream.
FINALS (Part 2) - 3 May 2016
The two postponed finals took place in front of a sparse crowd last night.
Stefan Reichenbach was aiming to defend his Open Handicap title - however, a rampantTim Kaiser (giving four points) achieved his maiden trophy victory
15/14 15/10 13/15 15/13
In the final Final, Mark Fleming took on the same Tim Kaiser, and was aiming to defend his Open Championship Plate title (for unlucky losers in the Championship proper). In spite of being fresh compared to Tim (who ought to have been tired from his earlier exploits, Mark couldn't quite manage it this year, going down in a topsy-turvy 5-setter:
2/9 9/5 3/9 9/4 3/9
Finals - Winter tournaments - 26 April 2016
For a change, we managed to hold most of the tournament finals on the same day this year. Five out of the seven Winter competitions were decided. Fittingly, the first snow of the Summer had fallen on Knole Park that afternoon.
Open Championship - David Falconer v James Hall 4/9 1/9 9/1 9/0 8/10
Veterans (Over 45) Handicap - Tim Handel (-2) v Chris Ivey 8/15 6/15 15/8 13/15
Seniors (Over 55) Handicap - John Creek (-3) v Chris Morgan 9/18 16/18 6/18
Veterans (Over 45) Open - David Falconer v Mark Fleming10/8 7/9 9/3 9/6
Seniors (Over 55) Open - John Creek v Sue Morgan 9/6 10/8 9/3
Sorry for the lack of a 'match' report - I didn't see any of the games (even the ones I was in).
Squash now - take a look
Up Again - Winter promotion guaranteed
Knole Park 1st Squash team have gained promotion to North West Kent Division 2 (Winter) after an unbeaten run of seven matches. The last, clinching ties were against local promotion rivals Poultwood, who they beat 4-1, and a clean sweep 5-0 in the final match against Nuffield Health of Bromley.
This makes up in some part for the disappointment of last Summer, when Knole Park were beset by injuries and absences and dropped back to Division 3. Knole will be keen to make this promotion stick. Their success will depend upon a steady influx of new players to bolster their squad.