Vultures prevail in top battle

Baw Baw Squash resumed last Tuesday night after a short summer break.

The battle between the top two teams saw the Vultures defeat the top-placed Hawks by two rubbers to one.

In the first match Bruce Bowering and Joy Williams started with a close battle in the first game that Bruce finally won 10/8. He then took out the next two games 9/6, 9/2.

Joe Cicala continued his good form for the Vultures with a 3-0 win over Steve Andrews. He didn’t have it all his own way, however, as Steve picked up momentum finally going down 9/10 in the third.

The last match pitted the top two players against each other. It looked like an upset was on the cards when Chris Cameron stormed to a 9/1 win in the first game against Jason Tainton. Chris raced to a 5-0 lead in the second before Jason got his game together and closed out the match 9/5, 9/6, 9/4. On Court two there were two matches. Barry Cain dominated the first game 9/3 against Russell Jackson. Often a slow starter, Russell got on top in the second with a 9/1 win. Both players always fight matches out to the final point, and so it proved as Barry lifted but eventually succumbed 5/9, 7/9.

The last match was a close tussle between Jim Wilkinson and Steve Mooney. It, too, followed the pattern of the eventual winner losing the first game. Steve won the first 9/6 but remained very much in the match as Jim turned it around by winning the next two games 9/4, 9/6. The final game could have gone either way as it finished 10/9 in Jim’s favour.

The ladder after round 10, with one round remaining before the finals, is Hawks 38, Vultures 34, Swans 25, Crows 17, Eagles 13. Order of play this week is 2-1-3.