Melbourn won 9-5

Melbourn 2 made the long trip down to Hertfordshire to face Berkhamsted 3 on Tuesday evening, and returned with a well-earned 2-1 victory in a tightly contested match.

First on court at third string was James Storer for Melbourn, buoyed by a gritty win the previous week. He started confidently, playing accurate, aggressive Squash that proved too much for Berkhamsted’s Mike Cowan in the opening game, which James took comfortably 15-6. Mike rallied n the second and third games, making things much closer, by James held his nerve. A series of unforced errors from Mike, including a stroke on match ball, ultimately tipped the balance, and James sealed a 3-0 win with 15-11 and 15-12 scores in the second and third games.

Next up at second string was Moises Estrelles Navarro for Melbourn, facing Ian Evans. This was the tightest match of the evening, with both players evenly matched and rallies stretching long into the hot, humid night. Moises, in typically dogged style, retrieved everything and capitalised on Ian’s frustrations and errors in drawn-out exchanges. Ian edged the first 16-14, but Moises hit back with a convincing 15-9 in the second. The pendulum swung again as Ian took the third 15-13, but Moises dug deep and took the final two games 15-9, 15-12 to secure a hard-fought 3-2 win.

The final match of the evening was the first strings. This saw Melbourn’s Mark Oppen, a last-minute call-up due to injuries, taking on Jack Gregory, also a late substitute for Berkhamsted. Mark started strongly, building a 14-10 lead in the first game, but Jack showed real resilience, saving four game balls and eventually winning it 16-14. On a warm court, both players found the conditions demanding, but Jack’s deceptive play and deadly backhand boast gave him the edge. He closed out the match 15-11, 15-13 to secure a 3-0 win for Berkhamsted.

That left Melbourn 2 the overall winners on the night, taking the tie by two strings to one for a 9-5 overall score.

All three Melbourn players were full of praise for Berkhamsted’s excellent facilities and welcoming atmosphere. James even remarked it was “the best court I’ve played on for a long time”, though he added “I wouldn’t want to make that journey every week!”

A solid team performance and a valuable away win for Melbourn 2.