Update 03/11/2017

HUMBER LEAGUE MATCH REPORT WRITTEN BY THE LEFT HANDED ASSASSIN... Stephen Brown

Brid A team continued their Humber League campaign with an away fixture at Hull East Riding (E) team.

Looking to put the weekends disappointing result behind them, the lads came away with a winning draw 9 points to 6 against a strong East Riding team.

Results were as follows :

Steve Brown won 3-0.
Ian Thurlbeck lost 3-1.
Alex Yates lost 3-2.
Adam Yates won 3-0.

Man of the match had to go to Alex Yates who only just lost out 15-13 in the final set, after entertaining the crowd with a thrilling 5 set duel.

The Team now look forward to the visit of Beverley B squad on Friday 10th November at home. A tough challenge ahead as Beverley are flying high at the top of the league. Some interesting local challenges will be played in that match for sure. Keep an eye on the match updates as they happen via our Facebook page.

Update 16/10/2017

HUMBER LEAGUE MATCH REPORT WRITTEN BY THE LEFT HANDED ASSASSIN... (Stephen Brown)

So the lads kicked off their home schedule for 2017/2018 with a visit from Goole A squash team.

1st on, Steve Brown aka The Dark Destroyer. In fine form The Left Handed Assassin squeezed the first game 18-16, before being pegged back in the second game, so at 1-1 Steve raised his game and rolled back the years to clinch a vital win 3-1 and set the team on the road to victory.

Next up 2nd string, the ever improving Alex Yates, watched, encouraged and also umpired by proud dad, Adam. Alex raced to a quick win in the first game 15-7, drifted away in the second game to see the match levelled 1-1. After a stern word from Papa Adam, he tore through his opponent to win comfortably 3-1.

Next up Captain Ian ' Geordie Boy Thurlbeck. A suprisingly poor start by the Skipper saw him loose the first game 10-15. Geordie Boy then got into his stride and produced a Captains performance to win the match 3-1, with some devastating play, Corkscrew shots and all !!

With the team already victorious, it was down to number 1 seed Adam Yates to finsh the night off in style and the rejuvinated Yates did not disappoint. Playing fabulous, controlled, accurate squash he moved his opponent around court with ease to comfortably win 3-0.

So a great start to their home campaign, a 4-0 victory securing a maximum point score 15-3.

A break for 2 weeks before the lads hit a busy schedule with 3 games in 6 days, starting with David Lloyd B at home.

Update 03/10/2017

MATCH REPORT BY IAN THURLBECK:

Last night saw Bridlington Squash begin their campaign in the Humber and District League with an away fixture at Hull and East Riding. After a successful maiden season last winter where they finished third, they were looking to make a good start and get some valuable points on the board.

With Adam Yates missing; Nick Malarkey joined Captain Ian Thurlbeck, Alex Yates and Steve Brown on the road. Wearing their new team shirts (see pic), Planet Rock blasting out of the radio and team aftershave packed safely in Steve’s bag, the boys were ready for their first test; and for the long winter ahead.

Steve “The Dark Destroyer” Brown took to the court against Aisha Forster and comfortably took the first game 15-10. The Dark Destroyer played a nice variation of shots; keeping his opponent in the back corners with a series or devastating drives and cross courts. Aisha built momentum in the second game and levelled the match at 1-1. Aisha then took the third game in a tie-break and sneaked the fourth game 15-13 to take the match. The Left Handed Assassin had several chances to claw his way back into the match but was left frustrated by Aisha’s accuracy and killer instinct.

Ian “Geordie Boy” Thurlbeck faced Ian Cartwright in the second match and after a shaky start, gained momentum and took the first game 15-10. Geordie boy was in the groove and hitting the ball well; keeping his opponent behind him and dictating play. Thurlbeck took the second game 15-11 and was looking comfortable; but then, somehow, found himself 13-8 down in the third game. With the home player looking to snatch the game, Geordie boy had to dig deep and attempt to claw bag the huge deficit. With his team mates encouragement, Thurlbeck played some fantastic shots and took 5 points in a row and pushed the match to a tie-break. Geordie Boy had the momentum and a spring in his step and took the victory 17-15; giving the away team 3 points.

Alex Yates then went up against Vinny Cartwright; a repeat of the double classic from last season. With a good rivalry already building between these two young players, the audience expected to see some good rallies and they got exactly that. Vinny’s tight drop shots and Alex`s speed around the front of the court meant some fantastic squash was on display; but Alex always seemed to be able to step it up a gear when required. Alex took the first game 15-7 and the second game went to a tie-break; a punishing game for both players. Alex had plenty of gas left in the tank for the third game and with Vinny fading; Alex was able to boss his opponent round the court and eased to victory 15-5. It was a great game to watch and another 3 points on the board for Bridlington.

With at least a draw secured for the team after two wins, Nick “Posterboy” Melarkey went in search of a victory against Kev Laughton in what proved to be a cracker of a match. Wearing the new team colours and sporting his new blonde hair, Posterboy was up for the challenge. Both players started the match well but Kev was able to snatch the first game 15-11. The second game went to a tie-break and Nick played some fantastic shots to steal the game. The third game went to a tie-break again and Kev won it 20-18 with some excellent squash being played; Kev`s racquet looking more like a wand, with some of the magical drop shots he was playing. With Kev seeming to tire, and Nick looking as fresh as a young boy band member, Posterboy played some terrific squash and sped to a 15-9 win. With the match poised at 2-2, N-Sync and Kev played out an epic final game but Kev was able to steal the win and say Bye Bye Bye to young Melarkey. Both players put in maximum effort and it was a great finish to the season curtain raiser.

Result: Bridlington 9 - Hull & East Riding 6

Update 02/10/2017

The Start of a new Season means a new shirt for Bridlington Squash.

Update by Ian Thurlbeck - (April 2017)

Since the last update the Bridlington Squash Team have completed their remaining 11 fixtures against the regions top teams. At the halfway point, the team sat mid table and the players were starting to find their feet and build confidence. With a four week break over Christmas, would the players be able to maintain their momentum and continue their climb up the table? Would they be able to finish in the Top Two to gain promotion? Read on to find out…

Bridlington opened the second half of the season with a home fixture against East Riding Squash Club D, a team which they drew with in the corresponding fixture back in September. With Captain Ian Thurlbeck injured, Steve “The Dark Destroyer” Brown stepped back into the breach and joined Adam Yates, Alex Yates and Nick “Poster Boy” Melarkey in a triumphant return and the team gained a maximum 15 points from the fixture. Steve Brown, with his ever expanding assortment of team aftershaves on offer, was later heard saying “that was absolutely devastating” and he wasn't wrong!

Bridlington Squash visited Appleby Frodingham the following week and left with a modest 13 points, with the home team gaining only 4 points. Bridlington Squash had managed to maintain the momentum gained in the first half of the season and they were on the charge.

The next two fixtures would give Bridlington Squash the chance to redeem themselves against two of the best teams in the league and close the gap on their opponents too. Barrow beat Bridlington 15-3 in the first half of the season and Beverley beat the boys 15-2; that could not happen again if Bridlington wanted to gain promotion. With strong lineups in place for both matches, Bridlington gained draws against the two promotion favourites; Bridlington were gaining a name for themselves as one of the in-form teams in the league and were climbing the table.

With confidence high and Bridlington racing up the league, they visited Blackburn on a cold wet Monday in February. Unbeaten since November; Adam, Nick, Ian and Steve showed no mercy and hammered the locals 15-0; this was an absolute rout and the Dark Destroyer even offered the home team some Brut, but they politely declined.

Bridlington Squash started March with home fixtures against East Riding Squash Club F and Goole. Chris “Golliath” Grainger returned to the team alongside Adam, Nick and Ian against East Riding and team gained another maximum 15 points, giving the away team only 2 points from the fixture. Adam, Nick, Alex and Steve then faced Goole the following week and won 12-3. The team were now on a 14 match unbeaten run and confidence was high.

With three fixtures remaining, Bridlington could not afford to suffer a defeat if they wanted to finish in the top three.

Bridlington visited Haltemprice and gained a hard fought 12-6 victory, with all players performing well and some excellent Squash on display.

The penultimate game took Bridlington to David Lloyd, with Adam, Nick, Ian and Alex looking for maximum points again. The boys didn`t disappoint and returned to Brid with 15 points; Adam, Nick, Ian and Alex all winning hard fought matches.

For the season finale, Bridlington welcomed Hull University to East Riding Leisure. With Captain Ian injured; Adam, Nick, Chris and Alex all won their respective matches and gained a 15-3 win.

The boys had done it. In their first appearance in Hull and East Riding Squash League in over 10 years, they had surpassed all expectations and finished in a promotion position. Will Bridlington Squash choose to move into Division One next season? Well, lets think about that one over the summer break.

Update by Ian Thurlbeck - (February 2017):

It has been over 10 years since Bridlington were last represented in the Humber and District Squash League; the home of the region’s top squash talent.

Bridlington Squash League was setup over 5 years ago and has developed from 20 players to in excess of 70 active players, moving from Sports Hall on Gypsey Road to their brand new facilities at East Riding Leisure Bridlington.

With a rich pool of talent to choose from, Ian Thurlbeck and Steve Brown felt it was now time for Bridlington to be represented at a Regional Level again. Steve, often referring to himself as ‘The Dark Destroyer’ or ‘The Left Handed Assassin’, is one of the original players from the last time Brid were represented in the Humber League and was elected Vice Captain, probably his greatest achievement in the sport he loves dearly. Ian and Steve gained local sponsorship from The Jewellers Academy, a training centre for jewellery repairs, and The Workshop, both in the heart of Bridlington on Prospect Street. The Workshop, with its onsite Goldsmith and Swiss Trained watch and clock repairer and retailer of bespoke gold and silver jewellery, and The Jewellers Academy, were keen to sponsor the team and financed their kits. Cheryl Boyd, of The Workshop said “We`ve had a business in the town for the past 17 years and have been well supported by locals so I think supporting the local squash team is the least we can do. We always like to give something back to the local community and wish the team luck for the rest of the season”.

With their 8 man squad; Ian, as Team Captain, had the difficult decision of choosing just four players to play in each match. With each match being Best-Of-5-Games and each game point being so valuable, tough decisions were made and only the in-form players were picked.

Adam Yates, current reigning champion of Bridlington Squash League, brought a vast amount of experience to the squad, formerly representing Beverley and Malton at Regional Level. Adam’s son Alex, one of the most improved players in Bridlington Squash League over the last 12 months also joined the squad and made it a family affair. After strong performances in the recent Bridlington Summer Squash League, Nick ‘Poster Boy’ Malarkey and Chris ‘Golliath’ Grainger were given spots in the squad and the final two positions went to veterans Glyn ‘The Bishop’ Owen and Derek ‘Derk’ Boyd. The Bishop and Derk have been consistently good players for the past five years and brought valuable experience.

Bridlington Squash visited Hull and East Riding D for their first match in the Humber Division, over 10 years after their last appearance at this level. The season got off to a slow start with draws against Hull D and Appleby Frodingham and then defeats away at Barrow and home to Beverley; the two strongest teams in the division. Ian said “it was a bit of a slow start but I think a few of the players were a little bit nervous. The standard of some of the players we came up against surprised us and it took us a while to start to relax and let our shots go.”

A heavy defeat away at Hull and East Riding E with regulars Adam and Ian missing proved somewhat of a turning point, and results started to improve after that.

Ian said “Our first win of the season came at home to Blackburn and everyone put in a real shift”. Bridlington scored 14 out of a maximum 15 points and the charge began. The Dark Destroyer and Poster Boy were both hitting form, a positive vibe was surging through the squad. The Left Handed Assassin celebrated the first victory by introducing Team Aftershave for after showers and tried to give the Team a ‘Fantasy Football’ style nickname… The boys didn`t mind the aftershave but Squash and Becks was never going to stick.

A draw away to Hull and East Riding F followed by victories against Goole and Haltemprice helped Bridlington move up the league.

With the Christmas Mid-Season Break approaching, Bridlington extended their unbeaten run with a draw against Hull University and a victory at home to David Lloyd Hull.

Bridlington were Mid-Table at Christmas and looking forward to the second half of the season..

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