Monday June 2nd vs HEWORTH Away
Short version:
We won 67-41 with a consistent 22 games a round. Well played everyone!
In more detail:
Seconds Out!
The Rumble in the Jungle. The Thriller in Manila. Matches that have gone down in folklore. To these great sporting moments can you now add "The Humdinger in Heworth!".
All the big fight talk had been about the late withdrawals of the Bish X2 big guns causing team manager Julia "The Hammer" Sykes to call up three eager. but untried at this division, replacements from the X3. Experts were divided on how the Div 11 fighters would fare against the Div 9 hitters from Heworth. Undaunted, Sam "Innsvincible" Innes, Kelvin "Flash" Riches & Jase "The Leveller" Levesley donned the gloves, wore the spandex shorts and climbed into the ring to face the music.
Tension was high at ringside as the announcer introduced the three Bish pairs to the excited audience; "Coming in at #1, the little dynamo who packs a mean punch, Andrene "The Hitwoman" Watson & clad all in white, "The Leveller"! At #2 fighting out of Bish, the lady with the booming serve, Kathryn "Kapow" Dickinson & the rocket man himself "Flash" Riches! And last, but no means least, Julia "The Hammer" & wearing a Liverpool shirt and black shorts Innsvincible Sam Innes!"...
"Ladies & Gentleman.....LETS GET READY TO TOPSPIN!"
DING - Round 1:
First out of the corner was #1 pair Andrene & Jase who had a big hitting slugfest with their Heworth counterparts. The rallies were short as power and net play dominated. Both partnerships traded big serves and big hits from the baseline before trying to finish the points quickly with a knockout interception. The game's whizzed by in a flash as Andrene's metronomic haymakers from the baseline and Jase's quick jabs at the net proved a potent mix as they recovered from an early knockdown, 1-3, to take the win 7-5.In the next ring Kathryn & Flash would take part in an epic match against Heworth's 2nd pair losing narrowly on a split decision 5-7. Andrene & Jase who finished early, taking the chance to get ringside seats to watch the match unfurl. Out of the main arena, the #3 pairing of Innsvincible and Julia "The Hammer" lived up to their billing by hammering their #3 counterparts 10-2. At the end of Round 1 the judges scored the match 22 - 14. A good start for Bish.
DING - Round 2:
After making the long trek from the satellite arena the Heworth #3 pair took on Bish #2 pair Flash & Kathryn, buoyed by their excellent showing against Heworth's #2 & they made light work of the match finishing it with a TKO 10-2 in record time. The signs were looking good. Over on the next court, it was a matter of chalk&cheese for the Hitwoman & Jase. If their first match was a series of short brutal exchanges, this was a match full of intense counterpunching as they went at it hammer and tong against the never-say-die Heworth #2. The match produced some stunning tennis, long rallies and games with multiple deuces. After 12 games you just couldn't split the two pairs and both happily took a well earned 6-6 that all agreed was a fair reflection of the see-saw nature of the court. News also began to filter in from the far flung court #3, that Innsvincible & Julia had also nailed a 6-6 tie against the powerful Heworth #1 pairing. Details are sketchy, but that was a result and a half for the bright young thing of Bish & tennis and his most glamorous, but experienced partner. So 44-28 at the end of Round 2. Could Bish go on and secure the points needed for their second win on the spin? Could they ever!
DING - The Last Round:
On court #1, Andrene & Jase went on to replicate the score line of 10-2 against the by now shell shocked Heworth #3 pairing. Finishing the bout unbeaten with 2 wins & a draw in a 23-15 points victory. Victory was now looking like a formality, but there was still pride to play for and on court #2, Flash & Kapow would pull off a remarkable turnaround to haul themselves off the canvas following a brutal opening 8 rounds against Heworth's #1 pair that saw them 2-6 down. Say one thing about Flash & Kapow, those two never gave in and they took the next four games on the spin to gain an excellent half and finish the match with all the 1s; 1win,1draw & 1 loss (narrow) in 21-17 overall tally. By now the crowd were starting to celebrate & the two finished pairs went to the after fight reception to start on the champagne and buffet laid on by the match sponsors. Unaware of the epic that would unfold into near twilight on the far away #3 court. Heworth's, to that point unbeaten, #2 pairing had gone the distance in two bouts of epic proportions and so started the match against Sam & Julia later than the others and would finish it in the gloom. What a match it was. Even near darkness couldn't stop the juggernaut that was Sam & Julia as they managed to do something that none of the other Bish pairings had managed, floor their opponents to take a stunning 7-5 victory. To end the match as Bish's 2nd unbeaten pairing, 2W & 1D, also 23-15. By the time they would get back, most of the food had been polished off though Innsvinclible did manage to scoff a plateful of mini-sausage rolls and true to his scouse shirt, also manage to get out paying his match fess! (You can never trust a Liverpool fan). Jase also spent most of the meal trying to convince the most sought after signature this side of Ronaldo to change his shifts at work so that he can play for the men's teams!
So, as the limos came to pick our tired fighters up, Bish had managed a 67-41 win. However, the final scores masks what was a very tight match & a match played in a great spirit. Indeed, it was one of the best matches in terms of spirit between two teams and tennis that your correspondent has had the pleasure to play in. So a big thanks to Heworth, who were excellent hosts and served up a great spread as well as some great tennis & we look forward to the return leg later in the season.
Its over to the returning big guns of X2 now as Jase, Kelvin & Sam go back down the weights to the X3. (It might take Innsvincicble a few Rocky like climbs up the stairs to burn off the extra weight that the plateful of sausage rolls added to him though). A big thanks to Julia for giving us the chance to play in such an great game.
Keep it Bish.
Tuesday May 13th vs CIVIL SERVICE Home
If the Mixed 2nds were a song, they'd probably be 'Oops I did it again'.
This match was tight right to the end - but we came out second at 53-55....... again! All rubbers were very close and there were some
very long games.
A tough match and some stiff bodies today. Our luck's got to change soon - and also our song. 'Gimme, gimme more' maybe?
