Cambridgeshire Squash League defeats for both of Melbourn Squash Club’s teams at hands of Cambridge counterparts

Melbourn Squash Club I were edged out three strings to two by Cambridgeshire Squash League Division One title chasers Cambridge I in an evening of very competitive matches.

Melbourn held the upper hand at the top of the order as Matt Sampson (1) claimed a 3-2 win against Ali Dawson and Chris Shaw (2) came through a closer match with Stefan Ranoszek than the 3-0 final score in his direction indicates.

However, Cambridge struck back in the lower order with Melbourn’s Miles Jeanneret (4) and Mark Oppen (5) both going down 3-1 to Cameron Gibb and Joseph Reeds respectively.

Arguably the decisive clash of the night was the middle string, where Mike Herd was seriously underrepresented by the final score of 3-0 in favour of Cambridge’s Grant Bryant.

Herd was intensely competitive in every single game but saw all three go to tie-breaks and all three break the wrong way from his perspective as Bryant took the critical points at decisive moments to wrap up an overall 16-8 victory.

Elsewhere, Melbourn II were also beaten by a side from Cambridge Squash Club, though in their case their 15-9 loss to Cambridge IV was a shock result – Melbourn are pushing for promotion out of the division while Cambridge look doomed to relegation.

This was not Melbourn’s night though, despite a decent start that saw two strings bagged early as Jan Brynjolffssen (3) and Aidan Hird (4) both won comfortably, 3-1 and 3-0, against Nick Askew and Stephen Axford respectively.

However, Cambridge fought their way back into the encounter as teenager Will Bradshaw (5) found his opponent, Jonathan Hughes, had too many tricks and variations and essentially too much experience.

Kate Bradshaw (1) was edged out 3-2 in a very high quality top string match against Hamish MacKenzie that swung back and forwards up until the very conclusion – Bradshaw saving three consecutive match balls in the fifth and deciding game before MacKenzie was relived to get over the line as a deciding tie-breaker loomed.

That sent the contest to the second strings, where Liam Murphy started excellently to cruise his opening game against Patrick Connaughton.

Yet things turned when Murphy saw a lead in the second evaporate, and from then on the coolness of the Cambridge player was the key to the contrast as Murphy lost his way and was beaten 3-1.