UKAEA Handicap - Season 2002-2003

Alistair wins 2002 handicap - 06/10/02

Almost 40 players made their way to Thurso and District Sqaush Club last weekend for the Annual Handicap Competition, once again sponsored by UKAEA.

This event is entered by players of varying standards and a committee of experts, led by Club Chairman Sandy Stewart, get together behind the scenes to work out fair handicaps for all the entrants.

LtoR:- Colin Paterson-|-Guy Owen-|-Alistair Miller-|-Neillie Mackay Front:- Paterson Girls

missing from picture Martyn Cook (plate runner-up)

All players are guaranteed at least two games with a plate competition set-up for all first round losers. This years plate competition saw a number of hard fought games involving some scintillating squash.

In the semi-finals the club boys' champion, Martyn Cook, narrowly defeated Pat Owen, a former winner of the plate. In the other semi a vastly improving Craig Gardner was only just defeated by Neil ("I can't possibly play to this handicap") Mackay.
In the final Neil demonstrated that he could indeed play to his handicap and, although he found some of the rallies with Martyn very long, he dug in to win the plate in the decisive third game.

In the main event there was also some nail-biting stuff as several matches went right down to the wire.

In the quarter finals Alistair Miller saw off the challenge of Alan Williamson. Dougie Sinclair booked his place in the semi's after defeating Les Mackay. Louis Morrill emerged victorious from his match with Jim Sangster, and Colin Paterson produced some great squash to defeat Brian Farmer.

The semi-finals were all closely contested. Dougie managed to square his match with Alistair but could do nothing against the punishing winners Alistair kept producing. Young Louis was beaten by Colin, the club champion.

The final was going to be well worth watching, as could be seen from the number of spectators trying to get a view from the gallery. The spectators were not disappointed.
Alistair took the first game, with Colin making a superb recovery in the second to square the match. There followed some long rallies with accurate winners and very few mistakes, with neither player giving into the other. There had to be a winner, though, and Alistair almost touched the roof with his victory leap after putting away the match-winning-volley.

Guy Owen, head of safety at Dounreay and himself a competition entrant, was on hand to make the presentation. He commented on how good the competition was and that he was delighted on behalf of the UKAEA to be able to support the club in this way.

report by Dougie Sinclair of TSC

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