Melbourn lost 3-9

Melbourn 2 travelled to St. Albans on Tuesday evening to take on Nuffield 3 in what proved to be a competitive and eventful tie.

3rd String – Rafay (Nuffield) vs James Storer (Melbourn)
The evening began with James Storer up against promising junior Rafay. James started strongly, building a commanding lead in the opening game, only for Rafay to fight back impressively and force a tense tie-break. James held his nerve to edge it 17–15. From there, the Melbourn player grew in confidence and control, taking the second 15–10 and running away with the third 15–5 to secure a 3–0 win and give Melbourn the early advantage.

2nd String – Keith Winfield (Nuffield) vs Sean Hamilton (Melbourn)
Next on court was Sean Hamilton, facing experienced campaigner Keith Winfield, who had been playing much of the summer at 1st string. Sean put in a strong effort in the opener, pushing Keith all the way before narrowly losing 15–13. Keith’s class then began to show through as he dictated the play in the next two games, taking them 15–11, 15–7 and levelling the tie for Nuffield with a 3–0 victory.

1st String – Jonathan Smith-Squire (Nuffield) vs Will Bradshaw (Melbourn)
The top-string clash rounded off the night with plenty of drama. Nuffield’s Jonathan Smith-Squire was making a long-awaited return from injury, while Melbourn’s Will Bradshaw stepped up to 1st string after a full day of hockey training. Despite the disadvantage, Will worked hard to stay in contention, but midway through the first game he suffered a nosebleed which interrupted play. Returning to court after treatment, he battled on but Jonathan closed out the game 15–8. The problem resurfaced in the second, leaving Will off court for some time. Against advice to retire, he bravely improvised with a tissue bung and played on, completing the remainder of the match despite the setback. His determination was admirable, but Jonathan’s strength told as he secured the match 15–8, 15–10 for a 3–0 win.

Result: Nuffield 3 beat Melbourn 2 by 9–3

Though the scoreline went in Nuffield’s favour, the match was competitive and played in good spirits. The evening was rounded off in fine style with both teams enjoying pizza, beers and limoncellos at Nonno’s in the heart of St. Albans.