Fozard unfazed by defeat
Jan 27 2012 |
Written by
Redbrick
Birmingham men’s squash second team were looking to continue their progress from before Christmas, which saw them go top with 21 points from eight games. The contest was action packed and, after nearly 25 games, Cambridge won the match 3-2.
The first match saw Birmingham’s Sam Huxtable face Henry Pelham. The first round saw Pelham take the lead early, grabbing a 7-3 lead. The action throughout was both fast paced and frenetic, with the players frequently bumping into each other but ended with Pelham taking the first game 11-8. The second game was less manic, and saw the hosts prevail 11-9. The third saw the intensity pick up again with Huxtable taking a 4-1 lead, before being pegged back to 7-3. However, he kept the lead and won 11-5, to go 2-1 up with two games left. In the fourth game, Pelham improved and raced into an 8-4 lead, allowing him to win easily 11-5. The final game would be the decider, with the winner taking the points for their team. Pelham carried on from the previous game, and took an early 6-2 lead. He held his lead comfortably throughout and won the game 11-6.
The second match saw Birmingham’s Sam Mullins face John Anderson. Mullins came flying out of the traps, taking a 7-0 lead in the first game. Despite this, Anderson showed steel and fought back to take the first game 13-11. Mullins regrouped to take the second game 11-6. Despite this, Anderson then firmly took control of the remaining two games, winning both the third and fourth games. Next up was Birmingham’s Robert Harrison who faced Cambridge’s Richard Keating. Harrison took control of the game early on and won the first game 11-7. The second game showed true sporting intensity, with the players repeatedly bumping into each other. Harrison won again 11-3 to go 2-0 up. The third was closer and saw Keating win 11-7. In the fourth Harrison recorded an easy 11-5 win to win 3-1 overall.
The penultimate encounter saw Mike McKay face off against Birmingham’s James Ryan. The match was a five game epic and saw McKay win 3-2. In the first game, Ryan won a very close game 13-11. McKay won the next one 11-6, but the third was a real thriller. Ryan took an early lead, but was repeatedly pegged back. He was never more than two points ahead, eventually winning 19-17. In the final two games McKay showed superb character to win the match, winning 11-9 and 13-11. The final match saw Peter Fozard win 3-2 against Jake Maughan. He won the first 11-3, before a closer game followed which he won 11-7. Maughan won the third before Fozard recorded a comfortable victory at 11-5 to win the match, but this was not enough to save his team overall. At the close of play, Cambridge’s players were delighted with their win. Birmingham’s Fozard was disappointed but saw positives. ‘This was one of our toughest matches, and only our second loss so far. That we have lost twice by three games to two shows that we are firmly in contention to win the league title. Despite this loss today I believe we can and will win the league.’
Written by Tom WIlliamson
Shortlink: http://redbrick.me/35502
Written by
Redbrick
on Jan 27 2012. Filed under Sports, University Match Reports.
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