by Bruce Bowering
Last Thursday saw the first round of finals in Baw Baw Squash Club's summer competition.
Unlike last season where there were many close contests in the finals, this time seven of the eight matches went according to ranking and only one match went to five sets.
The elimination final between Sixers and Royals began with number twos Y.D. Singh matched against Brendan "Spud" North.
This proved to be the match of the night with both players having a similar game.
It began at a frenetic pace with neither player gaining an advantage. Each player hit the ball crisply and to a good length which necessitated quick movement from their opponent.
Reactions were cat-like and effective, sometimes resulting in unexpected drop shots.
When a player has control of the front court a boast (side wall before front wall) is generally not a good option, but both players used it to perfection.
Their powerfully struck shots just above the tin resulted in many unreachable winners.
Y.D. began the match better by taking the first game 15/7. In a tough second game he again prevailed but in a 17/15 tiebreak.
The tide was turning as Brendan began to out-position Y.D. He won the next game 15/9 and the fourth 15/10 to level the match.
The momentum was with Brendan and he took the final game comfortably 15/3 to give the Royals a head start.
Following that match the number fours took to the court. Veteran Steve Andrews, for the Sixers, was matched against Matt Jehnsen who is playing his first season with the club.
It was the first time they had played each other and Matt took an early lead by dropping short at the front of the court and hitting deep when not in front.
The first game ended in a tiebreak with Matt taking an early lead 17/15.
Steve then gained the advantage by hitting the ball firmly and making his opponent run. Matt needed to capitalise on Steve's limited mobility but was unable to counteract his opponent's well-placed shots.
In the end, Steve was a comfortable winner with the next three games going 15/12, 15/8, 15/8 to him.
The overall score was one match each with the Sixers having a one game advantage.
Clio Milsome, for the Royals, was then up against the ever-improving Al McArdle. Al began confidently by striking the ball cleanly which had Clio struggling to reach his shots.
Rushing has been a drawback for Al as his game has developed, but there was little evidence of that in the early stages of the match. He controlled the first two sets 15/6, 15/7, but Clio is a fighter.
In the next game she was able to pressure Al with good serves and tight returns.
He started to make unforced errors by hitting the tin and serving out which led to a win in the third game 15/9 to Clio.
In the past this change of fortune may have rattled the young Al, but not this time. He was able to resume the confidence and control that he showed in the first two games and take the final game 15/9.
Going into the final match of the night Jo Cicala had to win without conceding a game for the Royals to avoid elimination.
In addition, he needed to restrict Brad O'Meara to an average of no more than six points per game.
With contrasting styles both players hit the ball cleanly and place it well. They are also quick around the court which led to several long rallies.
Unfortunately, there were a number of instances where the opponent's shot was obstructed, but that did not influence the result.
Brad was able to control the play for much of the first game, eventually taking it 15/11 to put paid to the Royals' season.
The match continued to be a tough battle, but Brad was better on the night with 15/8, 15/9 wins in the next two games. Brad, who is ranked five places below Jo, may well be promoted next season on the strength of this victory.
The qualifying final began with the Heat's Russell Jackson taking on the Renegades' Catherine Wallace.
The match began as expected with Russell lobbing serves and groundstrokes that Catherine found difficult to return. A 15/6 win to Russell in the first game was the result.
Catherine lifted in the second by adjusting her returns, playing good depth shots away from Russell and picking up his short shots with quick movement forward. She had game point but Russell drew level at 14-all and went on to take the game 17/14.
Russell's dominance was re-established in the third game which he won 15/7 to give the Heat a good start.
The next match saw the most dominant display of the night when Anthony Walker proved too strong for Pat Sullivan.
Pat kindly stepped in to cover a vacancy earlier in the season but, despite his best efforts, he had no answers to the skills of Anthony who finished this competition as the top number three.
Anthony's win 15/3, 15/2, 15/4 balanced the match ledger but gave the Renegades an 18-point advantage.
Then came Tom Ciz and Terry Milsome. Terry's power dominated the first game, but his game has improved since he has developed more variety.
Tom's better court coverage was not enough to stop Terry taking the first game 15/13 to give the Renegades a vital one game advantage.
Tom's even-paced steadiness and good placement began to turn the tables in his favour and started to draw unforced errors from Terry.
This continued for the rest of the match which eventually went to Tom 15/7, 15/11, 15/9.
In the last rubber on court two Paul Hammond could secure a place for the Renegades in the preliminary finals by winning in three. If he conceded a game he then just had to score more points than Daniel Meyer.
Paul's signature shots tight down the wall on both forehand and backhand as well as his ability to force Daniel to chase down each shot put constant pressure on him.
Daniel, unfortunately, was unable to muster his best game.
Despite some occasional sharp points he also made some uncharacteristic unforced errors that handed control to Paul. In the end, Paul was just too good on the night and ran out a clear winner 15/3, 15/6, 15/7.
As a consequence, this week Heat plays top finisher, Hurricanes, and Sixers play Renegades in the preliminary finals.