Nailbiting action

Jan 19 2008 by Sarah Bull, Huddersfield Daily Examiner

LAST week you couldn’t put a sheet of paper between Brooks C and Newsome Sports College A after a 5-5 Division III draw.

This week they met in the Concorde Trophy Handicap League, but with the venue reversed and each player individually handicapped according to his ability.

It should have produced another nailbiter – and it did.

Newsome SC A won by just 24 points (357-333) and, after six of the nine sets, the lead had only been four points with the result still in the balance.

This victory puts Newsome A comfortably into second place in Section C on 1,394 points, 17 adrift of leaders Scissett WMC A.

With the first four weeks of the programme completed Scissett A and Newsome A are pace-settled, whilst of those teams with a match in hand, Woodfield Park B and even Brooks C are in with a genuine chance.

David Johnson, for Newsome, was outstanding, gaining 19 points overall.

This included 14 in the opening match of the evening from Ryan Ackroyd, and a further six in the final match, to cement victory for Newsome, against Tony Astwick who had hitherto taken nine from Bob Manby and three from Jonathan Vaughan.

His pen-grip style and his fast swinging sidespin service caused problems to both his opponents.

Johnson, however, was rock solid, blocking and returning under control, angling judiciously and finally forehand hitting wide down his opponents backhand.

Even so Johnson did not have it all his own way.

Against Rod Hullah he lost narrowly. Hullah’s crouching style produces many unusual returns and his periodic backhands, off the bounce, would surprise and defeat anyone.

Having narrowly won his first two sets he ran into a brick wall that was Manby, dropping 21 points to swing the game strongly, but not irretrievably, in Newsome’s favour.

Hullah with years of top-quality experience behind him has, in spite of health problems, a league average of 76%.

But the Concorde Handicap “four game” format, where every point matters, is perhaps a bridge too far.

The battle for Section A is really hotting up with Kingsmith F in pole position on 1,496 points. In joint second place on 1,485 are Kingsmith D and Lockwood A.

Of those teams with a match in hand Brooks A look the most threatening.

Kingsmith Eng A head Section B with 1,453 points but Woodfield Park A and Lockwood B, both have a game in hand and seem to pose the greatest threat.

With only 75% of results in, Section D is the hardest to predict, but Brooks B look promising, with David Browns A and Lockwood C strong outsiders.