Steve Costello vs Rob Thorneycroft. The return match was an easy victory for Steve. Thorneycroft still threatened with a deadly b/h cross court drop.  But Steve pushed most of the play deep which limited Rob's options.  Rob scrambled forward to play some trickle boasts but wasn't hanging around for a fight; making too many mistakes into the tin.  3-0 to Steve.

Next: Mike Walton vs Rupert Richards. 5^th string Richards set off looking like business and thundered down his serve and followed up with well struck drives. Mike couldn't match Richard's force and was soon 0-2 down. However Mike kept playing and did really well to take pace off the ball and lob it high over to the f/h. This gave Mike a chance to put away some winners of his own, which he did and it won him the 3^rd game. The 4^th game was very close and Mike looked like he might win but a calf strain picked up at the end of the 3^rd took the edge off his attack and a menacing Richards squeezed out the match 7-9.

One all and Steve O'Hare vs John Bennett.  Steve started slowly allowing Bennett to settle in. The game went, hand out, hand in, hand out, hand in for some time before Steve started to win proportionally more points than his opponent. Driving the ball tight to the wall and good drops off the loose ball Steve won the 1st.  In the 2^nd game Steve's power speed advantage showed more clearly; as although Bennett was now hitting much harder he was trapped driving the ball from the back of the court. To top things off, in winning game 2 Steve got forward and hit some impressive touch volleys, very nice.  In 3 Steve had the win in his head and ran away with it 9-1, despite saying this there was a lot of squash played and Steve stayed well in control making an easy win.

Simon Whitaker vs Paul Bartle. The outcome off this game determined the degree of pressure on Mark Strefford playing 2^nd string. Mark paced the balcony watching intently and preparing his 15 minute warm up routine. Bartle and Simon both looked like they had a big game in them and both players fired the ball into the side wall nick. At the back of the court Bartle was stronger and followed up his drive with a good touch at the front, but Simon was better at the c/c and targeted Bartle's f/h and a number rallies got Simon in front (9-7). The 2^nd was (10-8) to Simon the deciding factor this time was one or two extra shots at the front of the court. The was an intense pace in the game and Simon was lightening around court and fought back from impossible positions but his touch failed and he gifted some sitters into the tin. Bartle won that one (4-9).  Unperturbed and up for a win Simon stuck to his game and forced Bartle back, he was much tighter and dictated the direction of play, at last Bartle was crushed and couldn't stop the flurry of drops that finished off the match. A great win bringing the match to Knutsford.

Mark Strefford Vs Marke Beale.  Gone 10 O'clock and food in the oven, the two Marks made use of the vacated court 1, and started off their match. Mark Strefford was playing good and hitting the ball crisply, drives and volleys; an impressive opener won competently.  There was a slight hic up in game 2 when Beale seized the opportunity to get on the score card, he edged into the lead with a slightly better length drive and Mark snatched at a few shots only to deliver unforced errors.  The next game was a turnaround, Mark must have had words with himself because he was a different player, he nailed the ball up the side wall and timed his trickle boast winner to perfection. Beale had no chance, Mark 2-1 up.  In game 4 Mark turned the heat up and kept Beale on a string at the back of the court; Mark was trying to put a hole in the side wall, he nearly did but ran out of time (9-1).

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