After winning against Middlesbrough earlier in the month, the second round of the national Secretary’s Shield competition took us once more to Pendle on Friday, 27 May, this time to play York. As ever we enjoyed brilliant hospitality from our hosts and even a fair amount of sunshine although strong gusts of wind did at times make for challenging conditions. In the morning session a healthy 3-0 lead was established by the doubles pairing of David Boyd and Robin Tasker, and the two singles games played by David Guyton and Brian Walton which allowed us to enjoy a well-deserved lunch.
In the afternoon session the four singles games were all very closely fought and although Chester ran out as winners 6 – 1 by the finish that didn’t tell the whole story. The three afternoon wins were achieved by only a small handful of points in total but on those the tie was won. Although the Chester team had lower handicaps, the closeness of the scores demonstrated the fairness of the handicap ratings in giving equal opportunities for all the players. Overall, a long and challenging day with the reward being a semi-final match later this summer.
The match was played in a wonderful but competitive spirit and it was a pleasure to meet, get to know, and to play against the York team.
Chester names first:
Morning Session
Robin Tasker (4) and David Boyd (6) beat Fiona Crompton (9) and Sue Longcroft (11) 19-10
David Guyton (6) beat William Bosanquet (16) 19-14
Brian Walton (7) beat John Crompton (11) 26-16
Afternoon Session
Robin Tasker beat Fiona Crompton 21-19
David Boyd beat Sue Longcroft 22-17
David Guyton beat John Crompton 15-13
Brian Walton lost to William Bosanquet 19-23