Latest club news and press releases
Brother and sister on great Squash form
(29th April 2008)-
Guy Pearson from Kenilworth Squash Club continued his fine season with a tournament open victory in Winchester. He started with comfortable victories in his first three matches and then came up against Will John from Oxford in the semi final. Guy produced some of his best squash in overpowering John 3 games to nil. This set up a final against Charlie Wyatt from Buckinghamshire. In a match that lasted for 75 minutes Guy kept his concentration against a supremely fit opponent. There was never much in the games until the fifth and final set when he was able to open up a lead and then extend it run out a worthy winner by 3 games to two.
In the same tournament 13 year old sister Chloe Pearson made it comfortably through to the Under 15 girls final where she came up against local favourite Emily Hayes. Whilst she battled hard to take the third game, Emily recovered and ran out a deserved 3-1 winner.
Both children now move onto a weekend of County action representing Warwickshire in the Northern Cup in Cheshire and then revisit Winchester on Bank Holiday Monday as part of the Kenilworth mixed Under 19 team hoping to make it to the final of the National Junior Clubs Tournament. The other players in the team of five are Chris Fuller, Jack Beere and Sarah Jane Perry.
Photo shows Chloe and Guy Pearson at Winchester.
Croquet lawns reopen
(21st April 2008)-
The Croquet lawns at Crackley Lane, Kenilworth, have re-opened amid some changes in the Croquet Club Committee. The Chairman, Bill Sidebottom and the Lawns Manager, Peter Dennis, are leaving their positions after many years of hard work to have more time to enjoy the sport itself.
Bill joined in the very early days and was instrumental in developing ties within the wider Croquet world. He was also Chairman of the West Midlands Croquet Federation. During his spell as Chairman, the Club has flourished and now has its highest membership level with a third being ladies and with an age range from 15 to late eighties! Bill remains one of the best players in the club and will be difficult to beat this season.
Peter has also been a stalwart of the Club and was responsible for excavating tons of earth to create the second lawn. These lawns are now considered the best in the Midlands and are to international tournament standard. They hosted the final of the National Golf Croquet club championship at the end of last season.
Adrian Morris takes over as Chairman and Ray Clipson as Lawns Manager.
In the photo, Bill Sidebottom (left) congratulates Peter Dennis after a Croquet tournament.
Shanghai Trophy played in the cold
(21st April 2008)-
Sixteen hardy players turned up at Crackley lane on Sunday to compete for the annual Shanghai Trophy event of Kenilworth Croquet Club. The weather remained dry but the lawns were wet and the cold wind appeared to affect many early season mallet swings.p>
After an enjoyable afternoon of Golf Croquet, the final was held between John Leader and one of the club’s improving players, Nigel Haslam. Experience paid in the end, with Leader winning a competitive final by four hoops to one.
Kenilworth Croquet Club is a friendly club with a good atmosphere and tournament standard lawns. As a section of the large Kenilworth Tennis and Squash Club, it benefits from the excellent facilities and car parking there. It covers Kenilworth, Leamington, Warwick and South Coventry.
Photo shows Peter Dennis running a difficult red despite the cold. Croquet players are tough!
Junior coaching at Kenilworth Squash Club
(15th April 2008)-
Kenilworth Squash Club already claims to have perhaps the strongest junior section in Warwickshire but still realises the importance of introducing the game to the youngsters of the area.
Several local schoolchildren have already been treated to free taster sessions of "Mini Squash" and in fact all local schools have been offered the chance for these to be run for their pupils.
Mini squash is the England Squash approved game for children aged 5 to 11 years offering a fun introduction to the game of squash.
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Good start to Junior Tennis evenings
(12th April 2008) -
On Friday 11 April the first Junior Tennis evening of 2008 was held at Kenilworth Lawn Tennis and Squash Club, Crackley Lane. A group of enthusiastic youngsters turned up to learn about the sport from Head Tennis Coach James Roe and his assistants.
The Club places great emphasis on encouraging beginners, and these sessions will now run on each Friday evening throughout the Summer, starting at 18.30 (6.30PM).
James is not only an excellent technical coach, but also has a real gift for inspiring beginners. He said after this successful launch; "It is great to see so much enthusiasm. We try to provide a safe, fun environment, where children can learn new skills and make new friends. My fellow coaches and I are looking forward to another excellent season"
For more information, please call James on 07958-278-304.
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Squash round up
(2nd April 2008) -
Guy Salmon Jaguar Kenilworth Mens 3rds closed the season with a fine win but now wait to see if they survive in division 3 of the Warwickshire Squash League.
Needing a win to overtake Esporta, Kenilworth travelled to Ardencote in a tense relegation battle with both clubs needing vital league points.
Skipper, Roger More, started off slowly losing the first game 6/9 but easily took the second off Graham Lewis 9/1. Mistakes cost him the third and the fourth was another close affair which went to the home player 9/6.
Dave Roberts also started slowly losing his first 5/9 but held his nerve to level with Steve Hussey when he took the second 10/8.Steve took the third easily (9/2) but the next two games were hard fought which Dave took 9/7 9/7.
Matt Cooper built up a slight lead in the first but Ardencote's Tony Robbins clawed back the deficit to take the first 10/8.Tony took the second 9/5 and Matt was unlucky not to extend the match when he lost the third 8/10.
Geoff Redfern kept Kenilworth's hopes alive by beating Mark Cook 3-1 at number 1 string.Geoff, selected to represent England in the over 50's Home internationals, took the first 9/5 but Mark went for winners in the second and it paid off when he took it 9/6. Geoff played a more patient game in the remaining two games which he took 9/5 9/4.
Ian Cochrane was last on court for Kenilworth, knowing that he needed to win to keep their hopes alive.He took the first 9/6 but when Glenn Averiss won the second 9/6 for Ardencote this point assured their survival in division 3. Glenn took the third 9/0, but in gritty fashion Ian fought back to take the fourth 9/5.His efforts paid off as he swept to victory taking the decider 9/0.
Ardencote's 11 points left them on 202 for the season with Kenilworth on 199, one point above Esporta and with Polesworth adrift on 77 points.
Kenilworth's season overall shows that the club's coaching policy has paid off with many juniors representing the senior teams in the Warwickshire leagues.
Guy Salmon Jaguar Mens 1sts came 3rd in division 1
Guy Salmon Jaguar Mens 2nds came 3rd in division 2
Guy Salmon Jaguar Mens 3rds came 8th in division 3
Guy Salmon Jaguar Ladies were 2nd in division 1
Kenilworth Ladies are Veterans Champions again
(31st March 2008)-
For the second year running Kenilworth Tennis Club’s Ladies Veterans Team have won the Warwickshire Ladies Veterans’ Winter League, delighting captain Kay Gebbels as they extended their unbeaten run to two seasons.
The team won all their matches using players from a squad of nine ending up 13 points ahead of their nearest rivals Solihull Arden. The Veterans formula proves very popular at the club. Two couples each play two matches comprising of two sets. The consistency of the results acknowledges the depth and skill of the players involved.
A second team was also entered into a newly formed second division of the league this year captained by Gill Cure. The results were varied but as the teams were taken from a further squad of 14 it gave opportunities for more players to compete and visit different clubs for the first time. These matches were also enjoyed on Saturday afternoons.
Kenilworth Ladies showed their commitment to tennis in all weathers as three teams played in the Stratford and District Winter League. The A team performed exceptionally well finishing second in the first division being beaten only by Leamington A who ended the season just three points ahead. Overall this winter proved a test of character with so many matches being played in strong winds and rain. The teams now look forward to the summer season in the hope of a glimpse of warm sunshine!
Kenilworth Juniors star in European Junior Squash Open
(20th March 2008)-
Kenilworth juniors Sarah-Jane Perry and Chris Fuller starred representing England in the European U19 Junior Open held in Stavanger Norway, each losing to the eventual winner and European Junior Champion.
Sarah Jane was seeded 5/6, and so was expected to reach the quarter-finals. Following a first round bye, she had straightforward 3-0 victories over Cheryl Ennis of Ireland and Coline Aumard of France. Her quarter-final against Fuastine Gilles of France looked trickey, because Faustine won their recent encounter in the British Junior Open, but Sarah-Jane played the best squash of her career in outclassing the French number 2, winning 9-1, 9-0, 9-0. Here semi-final opponent, France's and World Junior number 1 Camille Serme, was much more formidable. WISPA World ranked 49 (Sarah-Jane is 115), Camille was the twice former Champion. Serme showed her class in racing to a 2-0 lead, and, although Sarah-Jane came back in the third, the hot tournament favourite took the match 3-0, and went on to beat England's Victoria Lust in the final, and so win an unprecedented 3 titles. Sarah-Jane then lost to fellow England International Victoria Bell to finish 4th, a place better then last year.
Chris was seeded 9/12, and so expected to reach the last 16. He started with good 3-0 wins over Daniel Martinez of Spain and Casper Grauballe from Switzerland. He then exceeded the expectations of the seeding committee by beating 7/8 seed Lucas Vauzelle from France 3-2 in a marathon match. Chris lost his quarter-final 4-9, 4-9, 3-9 (0-3) to Gregoire Marche of France in a highly creditable performance, especially as Gregoire then beat England number 2 Adrian Waller and went on to beat reigning champion Nicolas Mueller of Switzerland in the final. Chris lost to England team-mates Alex Ingham and Neil Cordell to finish in an excellent 8th position.
Both Sarah-Jane and Chris are only 17, and so will be able to return next year when they will be among the favourites to become European Junior Champion.
Photo shows both Sarah-Jane and Chris.
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Kenilworth Junior Squash Squad victorious again
(12th March 2008) -
Kenilworth Under 19 Squad travelled to East Gloucester Squash Club in Cheltenham last Friday for the second round of the National Club Championships.
The team consisting of Chris Fuller, 17, Guy Pearson, 15, George Marley, 16, Sarah-Jane Perry, 17, and Chloe Pearson, 13, proved to be far too strong for the opposition and won the tie 5 – 0. This puts them through to the quarter finals later in the month.
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Team Squash evening results
(9th March 2008) -
Here are the results from the Team Squash Tournament, held on Sunday 9th March. A big thank you to everyone who took part and made it a great night.
It’s clear from your feedback that you all enjoyed it and so we plan to run another one in early Summer.
It was suggested that we start earlier, around 17:00 hours so that we could spend more time in the bar afterwards. It was also suggested that we organise a meal, takeaway pizza or perhaps a curry. These ideas were unanimously supported by those in the bar at the end of the tournament and so we will go with this suggestion next time. We will need to have a cash commitment in advance to cover meals and entry fees (prize fund).
This means that we will either have to run it on a Saturday or persuade the racquetball crew to forgo their courts for one week and ask Roy Cooper to move or curtail his coaching on that Sunday.
As Sunday does seem to work for most of you, I think this would be best.Sunday June 15th is my suggested date.
Martyn Kerry
Click here to download the results sheet (PDF 46k)
Kenilworth Ladies meet in Premier Squash League
(7th March 2008)-
Kenilworth ladies Dominique Lloyd-Walter and Sarah-Jane Perry met in the Premier Squash League playing for PHP Properties Chichester and Probuild Bristol respectively.
Each game followed a similar pattern, with Dominique taking an early lead, Sarah-Jane coming back to level before Dominique’s greater experience told as she won 9-6, 9-5, 9-6. This is a highly creditable result for Sarah-Jane, who is 96 places behind Dominique in the WISPA World Rankings. The Chichester team won the overall match 4-1, and so qualified from the southern division for the playoff finals.
Sarah-Jane also produced a commendable performance in the previous round in losing 6-9, 7-9, 7-9 against Alison Waters of Unisport Guildford, the current British Ladies Champion.
The photo shows Sarah-Jane (left) with Dominique.
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Kenilworth narrowly lose out to Fitness
(3rd March 2008) -
Guy Salmon Jaguar Men's 1st Squash team came agonisingly close to creating an upset and beating LA Fitness Warwick in last week's Warwickshire League encounter at Crackley Lane.
Youngsters Guy Pearson and Tom Perry got Kenilworth off to a great start winning at three and five 3-0 and 3-1 respectively.
It was Tom's first win in the top flight this season and Guy saw off an experienced campaigner in Richard Whitwell, in one of his most mature performances to date.
George Marley lost 3-1 to Danny Meades, and Andy Hastings fought well against Nick Bradley - a very strong two string.
It was left to a see-saw nail-biter of a match at one string to decide the bonus points with Fitness's Leicester based John Freeman just edging Kenilworth's Steve Townsend in five long sets.
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Squash roundup
(3rd March 2008) -
Guy Salmon Jaguar Kenilworth Mens 2nds travelled to Solihull and kept up their chances of promotion to division 1 with a hard fought victory.
They started slowly with both Ben Holden and Paul Fairburn losing the opening rubbers without winning a game. Paul never quite overcame the steady play of his opponent and Ben was unlucky not to take the third in his match.
Sarah-Jane Perry started well taking her first two games but when she lost the third and the fourth went to 8 points all it was looking as though the match could go to Solihull. She kept her nerve and took the fourth 10/8 to keep Kenilworth's hopes alive.
Jack Beere lost his first two games. He stormed back to take the third 9/0 but the fourth and fifth games were tense but he took them both 9/7 to level the match.
Martin Green's experience showed as he sealed victory in straight games when he saw off strong resistance in the latter stages (9/3 10/9 9/7). Kenilworth gained 14 points and with two tough games ahead they know they have a battle to see if Kenilworth can have two teams in division 1 for the first time in the club's history.
Guy Salmon Jaguar Mens 3rds travelled to Coleshill in a crunch relegation battle. Missing a couple of players from their full squad gave Dave Gilkes another chance and he started slowly losing his first game easily. He fought back in typical gritty fashion and lost the second 9/10 and never really recovered losing the third 4/9.
Roger More was even slower off the mark and found himself two games down against an awkward opponent. He played more controlled squash to take the second and let an early lead in the fourth slip away to give Coleshill the first two rubbers.
Dave Roberts, in contrast, started well and was soon two games up. A controversial decision, when he had his first match ball, only delayed his fine victory in straight games.Ian Cochrane continued his fine run of form and never looked in trouble as he levelled the match with his straight games win leaving Keith Watts to battle for the match at number 1 string.He took the first 9/1 but then the second went against him 6/9.Having taken the third 9/3 he started slowly in the fourth which went against him 4/9. Unfortunately his earlier efforts had taken their toll and the final game was lost and with it Coleshill gained the 5 extra bonus points keeping them just out of the relegation zone and Kenilworth just in it.
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Sarah-Jane Perry reaches Under-19 National Final
(25th February 2008) -
Sarah-Jane Perry from Kenilworth again reached the Girls U19 Final of the National Junior Squash Championships held at Nottingham Squash Club.
Sarah-Jane started the tournament with a bye in the first round, followed by a straightforward victory over Kirsty West. She cruised into a 2-0 lead in the quarter-final against Julianne Cortice, but Julianne somewhat unexpectedly fought back to level at 2-2 before Sarah-Jane took the fifth convincingly.
Sarah-Jane played an epic semi-final with England team-mate and top seed Victoria Lust, who beat Sarah-Jane in the 2007 final. With Lust struggling with her goggles and playing too many loose balls, Perry's greater firepower took her into a 2 games to 1 lead with collisions and appeals galore. Victoria took the fourth comfortably, but hurt her ankle when she accidentally tripped over Sarah-Jane’s foot at 4-3 to Sarah-Jane in the decider. Back on court after a 25 minute injury break, Victoria appeared to be moving freely and in control of the match as she won six successive rallies to reach match ball, 8-5. But Sarah-Jane clawed it back, and after more collisions, strokes, lets and some outright winners she had match ball herself at 9-8. She celebrated victory when she thought Victoria's service return had caught the tin, but the shot was called good and soon it was 9 all. The final long, tense, frenetic rally ended when Victoria hit a shot out, and Sarah-Jane had beaten Victoria for the first time. At 87 minutes, plus a 25 minute injury break, this was the longest match of Sarah-Jane’s career. Sarah-Jane also beat the top-seed and defending champion at this stage in 2007.
The final with fellow 3/4 seed Victoria Bell, another England International, was a repeat of the 2006 U17 final. Victoria had a much easier passage to the final and had the advantage of playing in the first semi-final, while Sarah-Jane’s long, second semi-final had taken its toll on her stamina and gave her less time to recover. Victoria crucially shaded the first game 10-8 in this match, and though Sarah-Jane played well in the 40 minute final she lost 0-3.
Still only 17, Sarah-Jane will be eligible to enter the event again next year (Bell and Lust will be over-age). Her next major tournament will be the U19 European Championships in March.
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Squash news
(23rd February 2008) -
Guy Salmon Jaguar Kenilworth Ladies travelled to Coventry & North Warwicks in the title decider for the Division 1 title. It looks as though they will have to settle for second place after picking up only 4 points to the hosts 17.
Ali Marley went down in straight games (3/9 4/9 5/9). Chloe Pearson also went down in straight games but can count herself unlucky as the first and third games were closely contested, both going against her 9/10.
Carolyn Lindsay came up against former teammate, Cathy Bowles, and couldn't prevent the match already going to Coventry when she went down 4/9 5/9 0/9. Captain, Natalie Townsend, then earned Kenilworth their first point by taking the first game but the next three went against her.
Sarah-Jane Perry restored some pride and kept her unbeaten record intact by winning in straight games, but unless Coventry & North Warwicks have a dramatic collapse in their final two matches they will be the County Champions.
Kenilworth Men's 2nd team scored an emphatic 19-5 victory over West Warwicks in the recent Warwickshire Division 2 match.
Sarah-Jane Perry started strongly with a 3-0 victory over Marcus Bently. Tom Perry lost a tight first game, but then powered to a 3-1 win against David Harper. Jack Beere continued his recent impressive form, defeating Paul Murphy 3-1, and Martin Green lost only 6 points in his 3-0 win over Jez Bishop. The best contest of the night was saved until last as top string George Marley just failed to win an epic match against Simon Fokes, losing 7-9 in the 5th.
Kenilworth Men's 3rd team scored a vital home win against top of the table Warwick University 1st team.
Roger More & Dave Roberts started off in fine fashion, both winning in straight games. Roger took his first two in easy fashion (9/2 9/4) and fought off a late challenge in the third to take it 9/7. Dave, similarly, was always in control with his steady play (94 9/7 9/4).
Matt Cooper powered his way to an early lead taking the first 9/3 and lost a close second 8/10. Too many errors cost him the initiative and the third and fourth slipped away dramatically (0/9 1/9).
Ian Cochrane was the man of the night as he sealed this valuable win in four close games. The first and second were won with typical determination as he was behind in both but he fought back in style to take them 10/9 9/7.He lost a close third 6/9 but held his nerve to take the fourth 9/6.
Keith Watts went on court with every extra league point he could win being vital to Kenilworth. A slow start saw the first go against him (3/9) but he took the next two (9/6 9/6). The fourth was a nail biter which he lost 8/10 and an injury forced him to retire but the total of 17 points gained lifts Kenilworth out of the relegation zone in division 3.Next week sees the 3rds travel to Coleshill and he they can repeat this performance they move into a more comfortable mid-table postion.
Local Ladies do well at British Squash Championships
(17th February 2008)-
Local players Emma Beddoes (World Ranked 54, Leamington Spa) and Sarah-Jane Perry (World Ranked 123, Kenilworth) progressed through the qualifying rounds to reach the Main Draw (last 16) of the 2008 British Squash Championships held at The National Squash Centre, Manchester.
Sarah-Jane beat local rival Leonie Holt in the first qualifying round while Emma had the benefit of a bye.
Sarah-Jane’s victory over Emma Chorley and Emma’s defeat of Harriet Ingham resulted in an all-Warwickshire qualifying final. Sarah-Jane didn’t get her rhythm going until the middle of the third game against the more experienced Emma, who was a comfortable winner. Sarah-Jane reached the Main Draw as the lucky loser, the extra place for a qualifier becoming available due to the late withdrawal of number 2 seed.
In the Main Draw, Emma and Sarah-Jane were less successful, each losing in straight games to Madeline Perry and Laura Lengthorn-Massaro respectively.
Kenilworth’s Dominique Lloyd-Walter (6 Seed, World Ranked 22) beat qualifier Lauren Siddall, but then also lost to Laura Lengthorn-Massaro in straight games.
The photo shows Emma and Sarah-Jane.
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Local Duo help Warwickshire to Over 40s Midlands Counties win
(12th February 2008) -
Melanie Jennings from Kenilworth and Sarah Butler from Leamington teamed up to help Warwickshire to victory in the Midlands Counties Ladies over 40 Tennis League. The tenacious couple were unbeaten in the three matches in which they were paired and were described by captain Laura Lawrence of Edgbaston Priory as "a great find this year and a tremendous asset to the team".
Local player Lynda Flynn was also part of the seven strong squad together with Judy Turner and Chris Soderman from Knowle and Dorridge, and Kay Ricketts from Solihull Arden.
The winter league matches were played on the indoor courts at Corby, with two couples playing two sets against each opposition pair. Warwickshire met Lincolnshire in the final deciding match of the season with both teams unbeaten after games against Northamptonshire, Suffolk, Cambridgeshire and Leicestershire. Melanie was unavailable for the tie but Sarah helped Warwickshire ease to a 5-3 victory on the day. A delighted Warwickshire team brought home the league title for the first time in eight years.
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Squash round up
(8th February 2008) -
By far the best match this season just slipped out of Guy Salmon Jaguar Kenilworth's grasp on Monday evening.
Guy Pearson and George Marley got the match underway against stiff opposition. Marley came through in a titanic match which went this way and that, until he wore his opponent down to win 3-2 in a little over an hour. Pearson frightened the experienced and probably the strongest number 4 in the league, Neil Bennett, before losing 3-1.
The next pair on were skipper Townsend, who made short work of double hander Danny O'Hara. He seemingly knows where the weaknesses of this unorthodox style lie as he easily moved his opponent from one corner to another. And Andy Hastings, who gallantly went down in five tough games, leaving the match at two games all.
So the pressure was on newly crowned Warwickshire Champion James Bowden of Coventry and North Warwickshire, and 17 year old Chris Fuller. The first 2 games were traded, and it's worth mentioning that the level was the highest seen all season from the Crackley terraces. The third is always crucial in such matches and losing 10-9 was a killer for the Kenilworth faithful. Fuller fought in the fourth against a torrent of unplayable shots, but ultimately lost 3 -1, giving the tie 3-2 to Coventry and North Warwickshire.
The next match sees the debut of Tania Bailey England and European Number 1.
The under-strength Kenilworth Men’s second team just failed to beat Cleaver second team in the Warwickshire Division 2 Squash match held at Nuneaton. Julian Westwood couldn't cope with a tricky opponent in James Mead and went down in straight games. Roger More also lost 3-0 to Aussie Barry McLelland but was unlucky not to take a close second. Keith Watts continued his excellent record this season by beating Pappy Barham 3-0. In the critical rubber of the tie, Tom Perry was level at 1-1 with Dave Clark, but then failed to capitalize on big leads in the next 2 games, just losing both 8-10, 7-9 and the rubber 1-3. Jack Beere lost the first 2 close games with Sam Dally . Two poor decisions at the end of the second seemed to spur Jack on and he then played at his very best in taking the next 3 games while conceding only 2 points. Kenilworth lost 7 points to 16.
Men's 3rds also fielded a weaker team than normal and their haul of only 4 league points against Esporta 2nds leaves them in a relegation battle with Coleshill and Ardencote. James Lilley and Chris Holmes found themselves in real trouble easily losing their first two games.Despite a rearguard action they both went down in straight games leaving Dave Roberts struggling to keep the match alive.at 1 game all he lost the third 8/10 and a big effort gave him the fourth 9/6. He ran out of steam and the fifth slipped away 2/9 giving Esporta the win.
Matt Cooper and Ian Cochrane battled hard for vital league points. They both won their first games but then lost the next three giving Esporta the maximum 20 points available.
Guy Salmon Jaguar Kenilworth Ladies travelled to Wolverhampton knowing a win would keep them as favourites in the County League Championship race.
Ali Marley was back to better form and was involved in a five game thriller. At one game all the next three all were closely contested. She took the third 10/8 and lost the fourth by the even closer margin of 9/10. The fifth was just as nerve racking which slipped away 7/9.
Chloe Pearson lost a close first game 9/10 but steadily improved and rolled off the next three in style (9/4 9/4 9/1).
Carolyn Lindsay was in fine early form taking a close first 10/9 and strolling to a two game lead with the second being easy at 9/2. The momentum swung back to the hosts, Wolverhampton, and the remaining three were quickly gone 2/9 2/9 0/9.
Captain Natalie Townsend was up against a strong number 2 and although she battled hard , in typical fashion , she couldn't make any headway losing in straight games and giving the victory to Wolverhampton.
Sarah-Jane Perry kept up her impeccable run with a straight games win giving Kenilworth 10 hard won points and leaving the probable league decider being the match against Coventry & North Warwicks in March.
Guy Salmon Jaguar Kenilworth Men's 1st team couldn't keep up their winning run when they travelled to David Lloyd Great Barr. George Marley started off well taking the first game 10/8 but then lost his way with the next three all going against him (4/9 6/9 1/9). Guy Pearson had an even more impressive start taking the first game to love and then the second, only dropping 3 points. He let an early lead in the third slip away, which he lost 6/9 but got his control back taking the fourth 9/3.
Andy Hastings was involved in a hard hitting match but errors cost him the first 4/9. In the second he showed much more patience and was unlucky to find himself two games when the second went against him 8/10. A brilliant spell of play saw him easily take the third 9/3 but a close fourth went against him 7/9.
A below par Steve Townsend hadn't recovered from his exertions at the week-end, squash related, and he uncharacteristically went down in straight games (3/9 3/9 3/9) giving the hosts the match win.
Chris Fuller restored pride with an immaculate display against Adam Stevenson. He took the first two games 9/4 9/7 and rounded off an excellent display taking the third game to love.
David Lloyd gained 15 league points to 7 for Kenilworth.
Kenilworth Squash Men’s 2nd team won a close match against Edgbaston Priory 2nd team.
Keith Watts beat Arjun Thaker 3-1, and Sarah-Jane Perry beat Rich Lomax 3-2. Edgabston levelled as Tom Perry lost 0-3 to Carrie Hastings and Jack Beere just lost a very long match 2-3 against Chetan Modi. Top string Martin Green proved too strong for Anil Ram, winning 3-0 and so giving Kenilworth a match victory 16 points to 9. Kenilworth Men's 3rd team travelled to bottom of the table Polesworth and made hard work of a 3-2 victory.
Roger More had an abysmal start losing the first two games 3/9 4/9. He fought back to take the third 9/7 and couldn't extend the match further than the fourth, which went against him 6/9.
Chris Holmes found things even tougher as went down in three straight games 6/9 2/9 0/9.
Conversely Matt Cooper had an easy time winning in straight games, his opponent not able to keep up with his fast pace. Matt took the first two 9/5 9/3 and the third to love.
Ian Cochrane then levelled affairs, also winning in straight games. It looked easy enough when he took his first without dropping a point. He fought off stronger resistance to take two closer games 9/7 9/6 leaving the decider down to Geoff Redfern.
Geoff impressively destroyed his opponent with his immaculate length and control. The scoreline of 9/0 9/1 9/4 was not flattering and it gained 15 vital league points to keep Kenilworth still able to avoid relegation from a tough division 3.
Kenilworth Ladies kept the pressure on league leaders Coventry & North Warwicks with near maximum points when they went to Four Oaks.
Ali Marley got back to winning ways after a couple of poor displays.She took a close first 9/7 and then an even closer second 10/8 and polished off the third 9/2.
Chloe Pearson raced away winning her first game 9/2. Unforced errors made the second close but she held on to take it 10/8. She then resumed with more patient play and strolled to the third 9/1.
Carolyn Lindsay then secured the match victory in straight games although she had to claw back a deficit in the first, which she took 10/8. In ruthless fashion she swept through the next two games 9/2 9/1.
Natalie Townsend was unlucky not to take either of the first two games which went against her 6/9 7/9. A slow start left her struggling and the third went against her 3/9.
Sarah-Jane Perry from Kenilworth had a successful debut for the Probuild Bristol National League Squash team against Whitehall Security Surrey. The teams comprised 4 men and a lady, and included World top 20 players Adrian Grant, Wael El Hindi & Peter Barker and former world number 2 Peter Marshall. Sarah-Jane, world ranked 130, lost the first game against Lauren Selby, world ranked 93, but then took control as she took the next 3 games to win 7-9, 9-2, 10-8, 9-7. Grant also upset the rankings in beating El Hindi, but the Surrey team won the other 3 rubbers to take the tie 3-2.
Sarah-Jane Perry kept up her unbeaten run, winning in straight games (9/0 9/4 9/6) giving Kenilworth 17 of the 20 available.