Melbourn lost 5-10

In a night of tightly contested matches, the team came close but ultimately fell short in a 1-2 defeat. All three matches featured tactical shifts and strong individual efforts.

3rd string – James vs Tareq

James opened the night and immediately had to content with a tricky opponent and an even trickier lob serve. The high, floating delivery kept James pinned in the back corners too often, putting him on the defensive from the start. He adjusted and pushed the second and third games closer (12-15, 12-15), using his lethal low hard drives. But the early deficit in each game proved hard to recover from. Despite the 0-3 loss, there were positives: James adapted mid-match and fought to stay competitive in the later stages.

2nd string – Sean vs Julian

Sean’s match was a tactical battle against a very experienced and skilful opponent. Julian opened with a flurry of short rallies, catching Sean off-guard with deft boasts, disguised drops, and outright winners. Reading Julians’ game in the first was a challenge for Sean as the Nuffield player took it 15-13.

After recognising that Julian was struggling slightly with injury – and clearly frustrated by it – Sean adjusted his approach. Rather than trying to match flair with flair, he dug in and decided to chase everything down, extending rallies and applying pressure by taking the ball short whenever the opportunity arose.

The second and third games went Sean’s way, 15-9 and 15-12, as he continued to wear Julian down with physical effort. The fourth game turned into an epic, both players refusing to give in, but it was Sean who kept his composure (for once) and edged it 18-16 to seal a 3-1 victory.

1st string – Moises vs Douglas

Moises looked in sublime form early on, completing controlling the opening exchanges. He dictated the ‘T’, kept Douglas behind him, and used pace and precision to take the first two games 15-13 and 15-6. Everything was flowing – well-timed volleys, tight drops, and efficient movement.

In the third Moises came close to winning, but let Douglas back in with a loose serve and a couple of tins. Douglas snatched it 16-14, and with that the match began to shift. The fourth was a bit of a reset, and while Moises tried to regain control, the momentum was clearly with Douglas, who took it 15-6.

The psychological weight of the third game slip – and Douglas’ experience – tipped the balance. Douglas closed out 15-11 for a 3-2 win. A great performance from Moises nonetheless, showing real quality and coming within two points of winning the tie for the team.