Fahey's Forcers lead FLM Super League after Day 2 win over Matthews' Mavericks
Sayers' Slayers on brink of elimination after 3-0 loss to Shenkman's Henchmen
Day 2 of the FLM Super League has seen the Fahey’s Forcers build on their lead at the top of the table while the Shenkman’s Henchmen recovered from a defeat to the Mavericks to a solid second place. Meanwhile the Sayers’ Slayers end the day on the brink of elimination, with just 1 point after six rubbers
The Slayers and the Henchmen went into their fixture in need of a win to keep their hopes of reaching the final alive. Both teams lost their fixtures on the first day. Shenkman sought to rally his troops with a heart-felt prep talk leading into the afternoon fixture
The first match was the pot 3 singles, with Bertie Vallat playing for the Slayers and Louis Gordon for the Henchmen. Vallat had to eat some pacy forces from Gordon early, but after the initial shock of the first few points was able to respond by playing an annoying line and length. It served him well, stretching out an early lead with points for 5-1. Gordon kept calm and moderated his pace for control, punishing anything loose with vicious cut. After reaching 7 games, Vallat’s progress stalled, his piercing accuracy making way for gentle pushing around the court allowing Gordon to capitalise. He finished the match as he started with some rapid, accurate forces, giving the Slayers a 1-0 lead.
The doubles fixture turned was a must win affair for the Slayers. Team captain Bryn Sayers partnered with Darren Long, taking on Robert Shenkman and Nino Merola for the Henchmen. Merola and Shenkman were a natural partnership, with Shenkman soaking up the pressure on the forehand and with Merola playing an enforcer role, including switching over at the receivers end to put Merola in front of the tambour. Sayers and Long were also switching, though their rationale was to have Sayers defending the grille. It was a roller-coaster of a match, with momentum swings back and forth throughout. Sayers had some amazing spells, especially targeting the winning gallery, pulling back a small deficit to 7-all. The last few games were the highest quality of the tournament to date, with all four players wearing their hearts on their sleeves — at one point Shenkman throwing his racket onto the penthouse in frustration. After missing a volley on the first match point, Merola smacked the second into the winning gallery, before receiving a big embrace from Shenkman as they secured the bonus point.
The final singles of the fixture was an intra-Queen’s Club battle between Slayer Neil Mackenzie and Henchman James Medlow. Mackenzie started with a bang, striking four dedans in the first game alone. From there, the match was staccato, with both players having good runs of forcing and volleying, with very few chases or galleries hit. For the third rubber in a row, the match found itself at 7-all, and for the third rubber in a row the Henchmen came out the victor, collecting the full 4 points on offer and putting themselves in contention for Friday’s final.
The evening match was a top of the table clash between the Forcers and the Mavericks. The first singles pitted the Forcer’s Claire Fahey against the Maverick’s Vaughan Hamilton. It was a battle between the classic floor game of Fahey and the chaos theory approach of Hamilton. Fahey was able to calmly dismantle her opponents game, playing into her strengths and her opponent’s weaknesses. Hamilton’s forces did not have enough pace to trouble Fahey, and the pressure of a single set to 9 never gave Hamilton a chance to reset. By the end, Fahey was ascendant, with Hamilton becoming increasingly irate and testing the patience of the marker dropping his racket on the floor on several occasions in disgust at his shots. Fahey registered her first win in the Super League format 9 games to 3.
The doubles saw the only Australians in the event Rob Fahey and John Woods-Casey team up for the Forcers against recent Eliminator hitting partners Ben Taylor-Matthews and Lewis Williams for the Mavericks. The constantly growing Queen’s Club crowd were treated to a high standard of tennis, as each point had to be won several times over. The format rewards early leads, so both pairs were desperate to get the edge of the early deuce exchanges. Woods-Casey was not overawed by his partner, playing his part well as the Forcers turned a toehold in the match into a foothold and eventually a sturdy platform. Fahey was so precise in his shooting that he was constantly bisecting the ball exactly between Williams and Taylor-Matthews. The Mavericks rolled the dice by the end of the match by sending Taylor-Matthew’s up and Williams back, but that became fodder for Woods-Casey’s cut volley. Despite a late surge from the Mavericks, the Forcers secured the bonus point along with the match win.
The last match of the day fell on Henry Henman to rescue a point for the Mavericks. In his way was Forcer Craig Greenhalgh, his regular practice partner in Oxford. Henman was ultra aggressive from the start, even if it meant some of his shots were wild or let Greenhalgh in to the rally. Henman established a seemingly robust lead, but struggled to convert the final two games as Greenhalgh held on by the barest of margins, edging his way back into contention. Amidst the chaos, Henman found some calm finishes to finish off the match.
Match results:
Sayers’ Slayers lost to Shenkman’s Henchmen 0-3
Bertie Vallat lost to Louis Gordon 7/9
Bryn Sayers & Darren Long lost to Robert Shenkman & Nino Merola 7/9
Neil Mackenzie los tto James Medlow 7/9
Fahey’s Forcers def Matthews’ Mavericks 2-1
Claire Fahey def Vaughan Hamilton 9/3
Robert Fahey & John Woods-Casey def Ben Taylor-Matthews & Lewis Williams 9/4
Craig Greenhalgh lost to Henry Henman 6/9
Points table after Day 2:
Fahey’s Forcers: 6 points (142%)
Shenkman’s Henchmen: 5 point (110%)
Matthew’s Mavericks: 4 points (86%)
Sayers’ Slayers: 1 point (77%)
