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Photos: Dave Hughes
York women’s 1sts were forced to battle past both illness and injury on their way to overcoming a strong Newcastle 2nds team in a compelling semi-final.
York’s captain, Hannah Sewell, was faced with some difficult decisions on the eve of the encounter after last minute withdrawals had left her with a depleted squad; but the adversity served only to unite the patched-up team, with late additions spurring them on to a hard-fought victory and a deserved place in the final.
The tone of the tie was quickly established by York’s outstanding Georgie Andrews, drafted in on the morning of the match to participate in – and subsequently dominate – the fourth seed fixture.
Despite having just several hours notice, Andrews commanded the T and controlled the contest from beginning to end, forcing her opponent into every corner of the court before exploiting the space she had exposed.
An intelligent use of the boast and an impressive cross-court volley were regular features of the opening games as the impressive home player clinched both 11 – 5.
Andrews woke up this morning without a contest to worry about, and she ensured that this remained the case in the third as she proceeded to prevent her opponent from getting into the game: taking full advantage of a fatigued return of serve, Andrews won the final game 11 – 6 to seal a 3 – 0 win and to give York an early lead.
However, any hopes of an easy whitewash win were soon extinguished in the next encounter as York’s second seed, Alexia de Lambilly, endured a contrasting start to her match in a challenging contest.
Despite demonstrating great sportsmanship in forgoing several opportunities to claim a let or even stroke, de Lambilly’s generosity proved costly against a powerful and ruthless opponent who took the opening two games 11 – 8, 11 – 6 respectively.
Some fine squash in the third and fourth games helped a far less forgiving de Lambilly to bravely battle back and draw the match level at 2 – 2: repeatedly finding the back-court nick and confidently dropping her opponent just above the tin, the momentum was very much with the home player (and crowd) as the match went to a deciding game.
However, the fifth descended into a battle of attrition as both players began to tire and the play became increasingly sloppy. With the scores level, de Lambilly’s fatigued and often out of court serves repeatedly let her down, while it was her opponent’s comparatively fresh and powerful tennis-like serve, to which de Lambilly had no response, that eventually condemned her to defeat 11 – 4 (3 – 2).
Despite being unable to complete the comeback, it was a brave and determined effort that left de Lambilly with her pride very much intact and the tie finely poised at 1 – 1.
It was down to captain and number one seed Hannah Sewell to reassert York’s lead, and she completed the task in imperious style.
Sewell took no time in finding her rhythm and exploring every avenue of her accomplished game. On the all too rare occasions that her opponent was able to return her measured and varied serve, Sewell deployed some delightfully tight drives, both forehand and back, before surprising her opponent with a series of delicate and deceptive drops. Sewell stormed to an early 2 – 0 lead, taking both games 11 – 1.
Newcastle’s luckless representative put up a greater fight in the third, but was again ultimately outclassed as Sewell continued to dictate the pace of play, casually strolling back to the box in between points. Finding some spectacular angles and executing some outrageous boasts, Sewell sealed the straight games win 11 – 6 to apply yet more gloss on the performance of the day.
Meanwhile, all was still to play for as York’s Gemma Lambert, along with her opposing third seed, entered the court for the fourth and final encounter; and it was the visitor who settled quickest in the first game, clinching it 11 – 7 and injecting some much-needed energy into Newcastle’s push for a place in the final.
As she left the court, Lambert appeared to cut a defeated and deflated figure, casting further doubts over York’s place in the final. However, Lambert soon made a mockery of any such apprehensions as she returned to take the first nine points of the second game unchallenged, eventually storming to an 11 – 1 win.
A determined Lambert continued the fight back as she again overpowered her opponent on her way to an 11 – 9 victory. As energy levels began to diminish in the fourth game, Lambert was wisely resourceful with her movement, occasionally conceding points in favor of racing to a ball she knew she would be unable to reach.
Her visibly exhausted opponent, in contrast, began to lose control of the T and, in consequence, the match. Lambert needed just one match ball to complete the comeback: she sealed the win, and a place in the final, 11 – 9 (3 – 1).
Upon seeing her team run out 3 – 1 winners, captain Sewell commended her “extra-fantastic team, especially Georgie (Andrews), who I texted at 8pm last night to ask to play”. If Sewell was dominant and authoritative on court, then she was equally humble and composed off it, eager to declare how “very proud” she was of her players.
The team now face a wait to discover the details of the final, but they will have few reasons to fear anyone after this display; the name of their opponents may not be in their hands, but the cup surely will be if they can muster a repeat performance.