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Squash Exhibition Match Report

Posted on 22nd Nov 2016

 

Report by Chris Cant

 

Last Saturday (19th November 2016) The West Hants Club were host to two of the world’s best squash players:

 

Daryl Selby (Current World No. 19, former World No. 9) and Peter Barker (Former World no. 5, currently retired)

 

The evening started with Daryl and Peter on court with Dorset junior players giving them top tips and challenging them to beat them. This was fantastic practice and gave our juniors inspiration to work harder to become the best player they can be.

 

The second part of the evening consisted of Daryl and Peter challenging 3 of our adult West Hants Members. With over 90 people ready to watch some great squash the adrenaline was pumping for the players as they stepped on court.

 

Phil Sargeant vs Peter Barker

First up was Phil Sargeant who stepped in at the last moment for an injured Andy Corben. Phil played Daryl two years ago in a hard fought match however this time he took on Peter Barker to see if he could do any better. Phil played extremely well and moved Peter around the court getting him sweating at an early stage. There were some fantastic rallies with amazing retrievals however Peter’s world class ability got the better of Phil with a 2-0 win.

 

Nick Macey vs Peter Barker

Next to challenge Peter was the multi racket skilled Nick Macey. With Nick’s ability to play trick shots from all parts of the court it was set to be an enthralling match. True to form on the 4th point Nick plays a reverse angled boast from nowhere to stun Peter and prompt him to say he ‘hasn’t seen that shot since the 80’s’! With some extremely accurate and attacking boats by Peter, Nick found it tough to get ahead in the game but it certainly entertained the crowds.

 

Gus Bell vs Daryl Selby

Gus Bell was next to step onto court against the inform Daryl Selby. Gus is known for his running ability around the court and chasing everything down however against someone of this calibre Gus certainly had his work cut out. With some fantastic rallies Gus found himself at 9-9 and in with a chance of taking a game off the world number 19 however Daryl had other plans snuffed out any possibility. Gus kept running and retrieving shots from all over the court in the second and gave the spectators a memorable match to watch.

 

Phil Sargeant vs Peter Barker

First up was Phil Sargeant who stepped in at the last moment for an injured Andy Corben. Phil played Daryl two years ago in a hard fought match however this time he took on Peter Barker to see if he could do any better. Phil played extremely well and moved Peter around the court getting him sweating at an early stage. There were some fantastic rallies with amazing retrievals however Peter’s world class ability got the better of Phil with a 2-0 win.

 

Nick Macey vs Peter Barker

Next to challenge Peter was the multi racket skilled Nick Macey. With Nick’s ability to play trick shots from all parts of the court it was set to be an enthralling match. True to form on the 4th point Nick plays a reverse angled boast from nowhere to stun Peter and prompt him to say he ‘hasn’t seen that shot since the 80’s’! With some extremely accurate and attacking boats by Peter, Nick found it tough to get ahead in the game but it certainly entertained the crowds.

 

Gus Bell vs Daryl Selby

Gus Bell was next to step onto court against the inform Daryl Selby. Gus is known for his running ability around the court and chasing everything down however against someone of this calibre Gus certainly had his work cut out. With some fantastic rallies Gus found himself at 9-9 and in with a chance of taking a game off the world number 19 however Daryl had other plans snuffed out any possibility. Gus kept running and retrieving shots from all over the court in the second and gave the spectators a memorable match to watch.

 

Daryl Selby vs Peter Barker

The highlight of the evening was the clash between the two world class players Daryl Selby and Peter Barker. Two years ago Peter won 3-0 therefore Daryl was determined to get the better of him this time. To see this level of squash on court 1 at The West Hants Club was fantastic to see and it just shows how good these players actually are. The retrieval, anticipation, flexibility and shot making was breath-taking and yet you still felt they were holding something back. They certainly entertained the crowd throughout the 5 set match which Peter just sneaked by winning 3-2 in just under an hour.

 

The evening finished with a meal and question and answer session in the restaurant. I would like to thank Phil Sargeant, Nick Macey and Gus Bell for putting themselves on the line and challenging some of the world best players. Thank you to Keith Chambers and David Williams for marking the matches and to Andy Corben for organising the junior session. A special thank you to Mike Annen who hosted the event and kept the evening running smoothly. Lastly thank you to Daryl and Peter for making this event one to remember. 

 

 

 

 

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