Under 19

FIRST HALF SEASON 2011/2012

The team travelled to Barnsley Squash club to take on YORKSHIRE, DURHAM & CLEVELAND and LINCOLNSHIRE.

Team – ELLIOTT PARK, ELLIOTT CARR, SIMON GRAHAM, STEPHEN TWADDLE and MATTHEW YOUNGMAN.

Report from Janice Graham.

The Northumbria U19 Boys were up bright and early on Sunday 9^th October for the drive down to Barnsley Squash Club to play against Yorkshire, Durham & Cleveland and Lincolnshire.

The team of Elliott Park, Elliott Carr, Simon Graham, Stephen Twaddle and Matthew Youngman put up a spirited fight against the usual strong Yorkshire opposition but came away with a 5-0 defeat.  Graham came the closest but was just pipped to the post to lose a marathon 3-2 match.

Despite feeling under the weather, Park conscientiously continued to play through the next two matches.  The team had more success against the other counties but despite some long and closely fought games, were defeated by both 3-2.

Carr and Twaddle produced good wins against Durham & Cleveland, with Graham again involved in another exhausting 3-2 defeat.  Twaddle and Youngman comfortably won their matches against Lincolnshire and this time Carr was unlucky to lose in a tight 5-game match.

A few points here and there were all that separated defeat from victory and the lads are to be congratulated on playing their best and not losing heart.

SECOND HALF SEASON 2010/11

The Boys under 19 team travelled to Pontefract on Sunday 23rd January to bid for a place in the inter-county finals in March.

The opponents were YORKSHIRE, LANCASHIRE and LINCOLSHIRE.

Team – HARRY CARR, ELLIOTT PARK, MARK DINSLEY, SIMON GRAHAM and MARTYN HOPE.

Report from Elliott Park.

Boys u19 at Pontefract

‘Not being a team to waste time, the u19s arrived at Pontefract and promptly lost to Yorkshire 15-0.

The American author and journalist Gregg Easterbrook not-so-famously said “Torture numbers, and they’ll confess to anything”. I intend to prove him right.

For example, despite the fact that every tie was lost 3-0, the average number of points scored per match was 11.2; therefore if the matches were taken as a whole, the score would have been a much more palatable15-5. Just don’t mention the fact that the Northumbria team racked up an average score of 3.73 points per game. I’m sure the team will agree with me when I write that it would be best to move this narrative on.

Ever stoic in their endeavours, Northumbria then went on to play Lancashire, and, like true knights of St. Jude, lost 15-4, which seems, in the land of the squash giants, seems satisfactory enough without need for pedantic spiel about averages. The 4-1 loss does seem a bit more emphatic than 15-4, despite a 3-0 win from Mark Dinsley against Ed Fairhurst, and a lengthy but ultimately fruitless 3-2 loss from Elliott Park.

Not down but probably out, Northumbria then, in one dying fall, lost to Lincolnshire 4-1, again, when put into context seeming not too disappointing a result, with the win, once again coming from Mark Dinsley again Sam Haycock. The rest of the team all made unsuccessful comebacks in the final game, with Harry Carr losing 8-11, Elliott Park 9-11, Simon Graham 9-11 and Martyn Hope 10-12.

All in all, something of a baptism of fire for Northumbria, but nonetheless a valiant effort in the wake of much stronger teams.’

Results-

FIRST HALF SEASON 2010/11

On October 10th the team will be hosting the group and playing DURHAM & CLEVELAND  and CUMBRIA in the first stage of inter-counties.

Was played at the Northumberland Club in Jesmond.

Team- Harry Carr, Cole Windscheffel, Elliott Park, Mark Dinsley, Simon Grabham and Simon Graham.

team captain – Dave Barnett – dbsquash@yahoo.co.uk.

Match Vs Durham & Cleveland

Northumbria took a comfortable 4-1 victory with only Harry Carr losing out at number one against a very strong Dan Hockborn.

Match Vs Cumbria

Cumbria had also beaten Durham and Cleveland , this was therefore a play-off to decide who progresses further in this event as group winners. We started very well taking the first 2 matches at with Elliott Park and Simon Grabham winning 3-0. The next 2 matches went against us with Mark Dinsley losing out 3-1 and Harry Carr 3-0. the match then was all on the number 2′s Cole Windscheffel and Owen Barrett. Barrett started the stronger taking the first but that was the end of his success as Windscheffel took control with a commanding 3-1 victory and Northumbria winning the inter-county group.