This event took place at Nottingham Squash Club on 18/19th November, 2016.There were 19 men entries and 6 ladies. It was good to see several newcomers entering and some welcome returns, especially long-time absentee Collis Sheik.
15 men had entered the A/B event and this was held as a straightforward knock-out competition with 1st round winners forming the A event and the losers the B event.
There were some excellent 1st round matches. Kevin Hugh and Jason Cunningham both won hard-fought 5 game matches against Dan Willets and Peter Windram respectively. Tim Burrell (no. 2 seed) found newcomer Adam Ward a difficult opponent. Although he won 3-0, two of the games were very tight and only Tim's considerable experience and accuracy permitted him to prevail.
The highlight of the 2nd round also involved Tim. He overcame former ten times Champion, John McFarlane 3-1. John still gives away very few “cheap” points and Tim's marathon 20-18 win in the 4th game secured the victory. Meanwhile, at the top end of the draw, no.1 seed and current Champion, James Hodson, was looking very strong and he reached the final without dropping a game. There, he met Tim Burrell and what an excellent final they produced. ( Sorry, lots of Tim in this report but that is how the sequence went). James took the first 2 games fairly comfortably but Tim fought back to take the 3rd 11-9. A very tight 4th game ensued with splendid rallies. At 6-all, it seemed the match could go either way, but James eventually managed to pull away and win the title for the 5th successive year. A memorable Final match.
After his excellent first match display, it was no great surprise that Adam Ward emerged the winner of the B Grade event. It was not all straightforward, however. He did drop a game in the semi-final against Collis Sheik and he just managed to clinch a crucial 3rd game (17-15) against Dan Willets in the final. Overall, this turned out to be a very good standard event.
Four men competed in the C/D Competition, a much lower number than in previous years. This also proved to be very competitive, with Micky Gallacher finishing top of the round-robin table.
Two Men's Plate competitions were held as round-robins with Jason Cunningham winning the A event and Paul Lane winning the B one.
In the Ladies A/B Competition, held as a round-robin, the current holder, Becky Campbell, retained her title by overcoming Helen Midgley and Keeley Grindle. The Ladies' C/D event was also held as a round-robin and was won by Shena Ferrie.
The number of lady entries was disappointing. This matter was recognised at the CSSRA AGM held during the course of this event, when potential ways of improving the situation were discussed.
Linda Parsley had initially organised the entries and produced the Tournament draws. Unfortunately, a recent accident had caused a broken shoulder and she was unable to attend. Ian Lockey took over at the event.
In summing up the occasion, Ian said how pleased he was that the Association's President, Marian Holmes, was able to attend. She had entered as a player, but she, too, had sustained an injury and was unable to compete. She was, however, pleased to attend to present the trophies (list below).
There was, however, a minor problem - the trophies had not arrived at the venue. The suppliers were adamant that they had been delivered - but obviously not to Nottingham Squash Club!
{LATER – They eventually arrived back at the Company from an unknown source and had now been individually despatched to the winners}
Ian thanked the Squash Club for their hospitality. He also thanked Linda Parsley, Peter Lee, Susan Gillam, Liz Woods and Jim Fay for their valuable assistance throughout the Tournament. Finally, he thanked all the players for their excellent attitude that helped to make this such a friendly but competitive occasion.
Written by Ian Lockey
Results
TROPHIES WINNER RUNNER_UP
Ladies A/B Becky Campbell Helen Midgley
Ladies C/D Shena Ferrie Deborah Atkinson
Mens A James Hodson Tim Burrell
Mens B Adam Ward Dan Willets
Mens C Micky Gallacher John Frankland
Mens A Plate Jason Cunningham
Mens B Plate Paul Lane