12th May 2022

Another new fixture for this season as the Vets added to the singles match against the RAC Pall Mall with a doubles fixture played in the glorious setting of the RAC country club at Woodcote Park. The squash facilities at Woodcote Park include two full size doubles courts and the game is very popular among the RAC members with a full season of matches being played against other clubs. Before the match the advice given by a member was “The RAC are very good at doubles, for any team winning a game off them is a miracle and winning a match is unheard of” – we were well and truly warned! Forewarned is forearmed and the vets duly arrived at the courts ready for a tough challenge – which was a god thing as the evening turned out to be an extremely tough challenge but with a high standard of doubles squash played by both teams.

Steve Jackson & John Lane lost to Ross Greer & Neil Percival 0-3 (8/15, 9/15, 16/17)

Steve and John were up against a very experienced pair – the RAC Captain, Ross Greer, has never lost a doubles match for them. Neil made life extremely tricky for John on the right side of the court by showing at least as much hold as a 1970’s hairspray on every shot and the RAC pair had just that bit of extra understanding of where the spaces were opening on court to place the ball.

Nick Sheppard & Fergus Burnett lost to Dewi Banks & Oliver Briault 0-3 (9/15, 14/15, 6/15)

Nick and Fergus have successfully partnered each other at the Festival of Squash and were looking forward to a close match. Their opponents however were young (28 and 20 respectively), fit and extremely fast around the court. With both pairs retrieving the ball well the rallies were extended right from the start. A few errors cost the Vets in the first game but they came out strong in the second which turned into a real tussle. The RAC pair just made it to 14 first which crucially let them choose to set, Dewi looking somewhat shocked when Oliver loudly declared they would set to 1. It proved an inspired call as the game was theirs after another long rally and they were able to pull away comfortably in the next for the win.

James Dubois & Keeley Johnson lost to Tim Abbott & Luke Edgcumbe 2-3 ( 17/16, 14/15, 15/12, 12/15, 12/15)

What a match! James has been in excellent form this season (rewarded with an England captaincy and as an RAC member was familiar with the opponents. Keeley has not been playing much squash recently but she definitely brought her top game to this match, dominating play on the left side of the court. Very unlucky for them not to be able to close out the match

David Parker & Peter Culver lost to Gath Harbison & Tom Gilbert 2-3 (8/15, 15/10, 13/15, 15/10, 11/15)

Another epic match. David is a wily doubles player with an array of teasing shots who, atypically for a right hander, much prefers to play on the left of the court. Peter has to restrict how much he plays these days but, as with Keeley, he was definitely up for the match on the evening. An extremely close encounter all the way through, reminiscent of a classic boxing match. Both pairs were just about out on their feet at the closing end of the fifth and it was harsh that only a couple of unforced errors gave the RAC pair the gap they needed to reach the finish line.

Philip Godden & Kim Ricks lost to David Briault & Phil Borton 0-3 (13/15, 15/17, 5/15)

Philip and Kim play as a pair at Colets and this showed in the first two games as they stretched the RAC players. After some long rallies and a lot of hard work though, a few errors started to creep in in the third which ran away from them. A harsh finish to what was a very entertaining and close match

So, 5-0 to the RAC but every match was hard fought and both the James/Keeley and David/Peter pairings were extremely unlucky not to have picked up a win. The match standard was very high against opponents who really do understand how to play doubles and use ball placement and shot angles on the full size court. After the last match finished, the players repaired to the 19th Hole bar for an excellent meal and speeches from the captains. This was an excellent evening of squash and we very much hope we can repeat this fixture next season. Many thanks go to Paul Ventham, who organises the doubles season for the RAC, James Dubois, who helped enormously with setting up the fixture, Tim Abbott and his players who gave us such a hospitable welcome and to all the staff at Woodcote Park whose work made the evening possible.

Nick Sheppard