Tonight was a crucial match for the men with both us and Emerson Eagles 2 tied for first place in the league. A win would see us pull clear of Emerson with a match still in hand.
So, it was Andy and Tom as the first pair. Oliver and Gary were number 2 pair with Kenny and Kevin being the third pair.
First up was Andy and Tom against the first pair from Emerson. Getting off to a good start was crucial and the lads did not disappoint. The first game went smoothly 17-21 and the next game was won at a canter 15-21 to take the first match of the night.
Next saw Oliver and Gary take on the 2nd pair from Emerson. This was a close affair with our pair taking the first game 19-21. However, Emerson were not going to roll over and they fought back to take the second game 21-18 to take it to a decider. We needn’t have worried. Oliver and Gary upped their game and took the decider comfortably 14-21 to make it 0-2 on the night to us.
Next up it was the turn of Kenny and Kevin against Emerson’s third pair. This was also a close match. Kenny and Kevin took the first game 17-21 but slipped up in the second with Emerson snatching the game 21-20 to set up a decider. The decider was another close run affair but our guys managed to take it 18-21 to take us 0-3 up on the night.
Straight back on the court against the second pair were Andy and Tom, keen to build on their first match result. They took the first game comfortably 15-21 and then pushed on to win the second game 15-21 and with it the match and the first league point of the night.
Oliver and Gary were next up against the third pairing from Emerson. Getting off to a good start, they nailed the first game 16-21 and went on to better it in the second game 15-21 to make it 0-5 on the night and secure the second league point of the night.
It was all down to Kenny and Kevin to secure the bonus league point in their game against Emerson’s first pair. This was a very close game with Kenny and Kevin nicking the first game 19-21. The second one was even closer but our guys managed to come out on top, taking it 20-21. This secured the bonus league point which was important to put some distance between us and Emerson in the league.
The seventh match was Andy and Tom’s last of the night against the third pair from Emerson. Eager to keep their 100% record on court, Andy and Tom blistered ahead and took the first game 15-21. The second game was slightly closer but it finished 17-21 to us to make it 0-7 on the night and on course for a whitewash.
The penultimate match of the night saw Oliver and Gary take on Emerson’s first pair. This match was the most one sided of the night with Oliver and Gary taking the first game by a whopping 13 points with a score of 8-21. The second game was a little closer but still comfortable at 12-21 to make it 0-8 on the night.
The last match of the night was between Kenny and Kevin and their second pair. Either the Emerson pair had run out of steam or our lads had too much for them with the first game ending 13-21 in our favour. The second game was a little closer finishing 16-21 to Kevin and Kenny to take the final match of the night and complete the 0-9 whitewash.
So the result leaves us 3 points clear at the top of the league with a game in hand over Emerson Eagles 2. Our last two games of the season are against Cedars. We play them on the 26th March away and then the return fixture is in April. Emerson 2 would need to win their final game against Emerson 1 by 6-3 or better and we’d have to lose both by 3-6 or worse for us to lose top spot.
Well done lads and keep it up for the final matches. Let’s see if we can go all season unbeaten.
– Ross
