Hi everybody
Maybe this version will be twice as good as the first that I managed to delete having spent a valuable hour or so being creative. Ho hum. Just goes to confirm my status as the IT dinosaur of the century. Well, there has been great activity and excitement around team activity recently and justifiably so.
We have just picked up a fit young blade to take the heat at number one and thus give us the benefit of driving the whole order down. Who would have thunk it, a year or two ago "maestro " Mike was bemoaning the lack of new blood from his lofty position at number one. Last Tuesday he played at FIVE.
Peter "wings " Sykes had a great bash with Korin which went to the wire. When they were not covering corner to corner with commendable strength and fluidity they were battling for prime "T" position, which Korin was very loath to relinquish. Although the last game got away from Pete I would not fancy Korin's chances next time round -- this did not look like a man who has not played for a year (in fact an allusion to the proverbial butcher's dog (1) would not seem out of place !!) - and stories of praying to god on the big white telephone after these impressive excursions seemed somewhat fanciful ??.. (3/2 loss)
Olly looked like he was going to get a lesson from David "socks" Faulkner, in his usual imperious dominance for two games, but the match strung out to a five set decider, not that surprising considering Olly's pedigree. The marker was either unsighted or suffered from selective blindness in the middle of the fifth calling a ball in that I saw as inches out. David showed admirable restraint and kept his cool to then benefit from a call for no let going his way a couple of shots later. They say the bad marking decisions even out during a match but "they " say a lot of dubious things and a single grossly poor decision often decides outcomes, especially at the end of a gruelling five setter. Great attitude David and a worthy win. (3/2 win)
James and Simon could have been an interesting match up (as David might agree having had a close one with him last time round ). James, however, has come back strong from his extended injury issues and was in no mood to allow Simon to weave his unorthodox magic. Simon was forced to try to do more than he was comfortable with and made many apparently uncharacteristic errors . This match up however suits the "champ's" game and going forward to the short stuff is his forte. He informs me that his training thrust is to improve movement around court and nail the long hard cross court stuff -- a work in progress !! (3/0 win)
Niall did as much as he needed to do to stifle Steve's improving game and would have been comprehensively dominant with a more accurate short game. With more effective use of the whole court Niall would hammer all and any competition in the middle order and challenge most number ones (3/1 win)
"Maestro" Mike returned tanned and plump (I am allowed to say this about my own team members) to the fray having over-indulged and travelled the world for three weeks. To put in a shift like this with the many conflicting facets of his current busy existence is to be admired and we welcome him back to the fray. Unfortunately the Wednesday coaching will have to take a rest unless somebody else will pick up the reins.
So this outing generated 19 points and puts the team back in the fight for promotion.
With Peter, by his own judgement, unfit, James just getting back to shape with his saw paw, Niall going through a bit of a lacklustre patch and Mike right under the proverbial hammer from all directions, I feel sorry for the future opponents if everybody kicks into top form. David can keep doing what he is doing and everybody should be delighted !!
Very well played all. The next outing is away to Sundridge but no doubt we can look forward to eager groupies swinging fron the rafters to enjoy the following week of match play at home to The Park Club. Regards and best wishes Mark
(1) As fit as a butcher's dog
Meaning - Very fit
Origin -The allusion to a butcher's dog is to a dog that would be expected to be very well fed from scraps. Why that is considered to epitomize fitness isn't clear, as it might be thought more likely that the dog would be overweight than fit. John Camden Hotten, in A Dictionary of Modern Slang, Cant and Vulgar Words, 1859, defined 'butcher's dog' this way:
"To be like a butcher's dog, that is, lie by the beef without touching it; a simile often applicable to married men."
That's clearly a different meaning, that is, butcher's dog was then a metaphor for 'something we are close to but cannot have'. That meaning has gone out of use.
Korin Knights v Peter Gavin Sykes 3-2 9/2 4/9 4/9 10/8 9/1
Oliver Hui v David Falconer 2-3 1/9 6/9 9/4 9/2 3/9
Simon Malcolm v James Hall 0-3 7/9 1/9 2/9
Steve Taylor v Niall Anderson 1-3 9/5 4/9 4/9 3/9
John Flavell v Mike Wright 1-3 7/9 9/3 2/9 3/9
Pete appeals v Korin