England vs. West Germany. Foreman vs. Ali. Karpov vs. Kasparov. These epic clashes have provided the world of sport with some of its most memorable highlights. Two giants of their respective sports giving as good as they got, putting themselves on the line and fighting it out until they had nothing left to give.
But will the York 1sts vs. Leeds 3rds 2011 BUCS Cup semi-final follow these impressive ties into the history books? Short answer: No.
Regrettably this bout did not follow in the footsteps of those clashes… but then again nobody expected it to. What people expected was a walk-over for York and that was exactly what they got: a squash match more one-sided than Mark Lawrenson’s analysis of a Liverpool match.
Despite a spirited effort from Leeds 3rds, York were never in any real trouble and the triple threat of Calum Fraser, Matt Lewis and Matt Brennan gamely saw of their opponents without ever really needing to hit their full stride.
First onto the court were York’s Matt Brennan and his Leeds opponent Andrew Dean. The match started close with both players looking dangerous but Brennan proved to be the tougher customer and, after winning the first game 11-3, went on to beat Dean in three straight sets. Talking tactics after the match he commented: “I played this one like a Black Widow really. I lured him into my web and then I pounced!”
Next to pick up their rackets were Matt Lewis of York and Adam Shaw of Leeds. The first game of this match-up saw Shaw earn Leeds’ only win of the match up after Lewis’ negligent play resulted in York’s only worry of the match and Leeds’ only sliver of hope.
Luckily, but despite continued inconsistency, Lewis managed to scrape together some better form and went on to win the match 3-1, much to the relief of his teammates.
Last up, and looking to put the match to bed, was Calum Fraser. His opponent, Alex Mayne, on the other hand could only hope to save his side from utter devastation.
Mayne started the match with what seemed like the energy of ten men but it was to no avail as Fraser’s strict defensive play halted him at every turn. Known as “Mr Angry” by his teammates Mayne’s frustration crept into his squash, with more than a few shots going over-hit and under-controlled, allowing York’s “Big Dog” Fraser to take the match three games to nil.
Climbing the stairs to reunite with his spectating teammates the Big Dog was heard to cheer: “the shandies are on me tonight boys! Here’s to the final!”
Raucous celebrations aside, York now face a far more challenging fixture against Sheffield 1sts this coming Friday in the cup final. Speaking about the match the team was cautiously optimistic with Brennan remarking: “The opponents may be tough, but the reward will be sweet!”