Squash
Banchory clinches the cup
The Banchory squash team lifted the Grampian Squash Division Four Team Knockout trophy by beating league champions Shell in a nail-biting final.
The team currently has no home court after losing access to the courts they previously used at Tor-na-Coille Hotel last year.However a handful of Banchory squash players persevered to maintain a presence in the Grampian Squash Leagues and found an alternative squash court for their home matches.The season drew to a close last Friday (April 3) with the team knockout trophy with Banchory edging past Garioch in the quarter-finals before recording a convincing win over ASRC Raeburn in the semi-finals to earn a place against Shell in the final.
An early lead built by number five Mark Everard was worn away in a tough fourth string match between Michael Boyne and Shell's Andrew Forbes.At third, Banchory's Gary Small was up against Robbie Patterson, the division's individual champion. A stalwart performance by Gary prevented Shell running away with the match as he pulled the score back against Robbie's substantial lead so that Banchory were only five points behind going into the second string match.Neil Young faced Shell's Graham Cowie next having lost to the Shell player in both of their previous league encounters. However, a determined effort by Neil allowed him to control the match and take an unexpected 26-13 win, giving Banchory an eight-point margin going into the final tie.
At number one, Keith Thomson faced Shell's Glenn Western, whom he had lost to in their previous league meeting. Glenn did manage to take a threatening lead but a typically strong performance from Keith allowed him to prevail and win by one point to give Banchory an overall 96-87 victory.In addition to the cup, Banchory have enjoyed a successful season in the league.
After a shaky start the team found themselves in fifth place at the midway point but settled down in the second half to pick up a few strong wins to finish third overall.Neil Young said: "The squash team would like to express their special thanks to Andrew Salvesen for the use of his Findrack court. By letting the squash team invade his home every other week for league matches, he has allowed competitive squash to survive and flourish in the area."The team would also like to say thank you to Jamie Burnett for the use of his Crathes court for practice and training. Hopefully, in the longer term, the Banchory squash team will establish a more permanent home in the proposed Hill of Banchory sports centre that is currently under discussion."
Any squash players interested in playing competitively should contact Neil Young on (01330) 824350.
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