Match Report
Tue 10 Jul 2012 - SWF Intermediate League (played at Cornwall CC)
Cornwall v Exeter
Cornwall entertained Exeter for the home team's last group match. Conditions were cool and breezy, but happily it did not rain.
Teams were: Cornwall - D.Edwards (Capt) handicap 9, S. Read (12), D. Honey (12) and P. Cutting (12). Exeter - M. MacNair (Capt.) (10); S. Blackwell (16); R. Hichens (14), and L. Kimber (16).
Cornwall had won all their previous matches, and needed a win to ensure a place in the area semi-final.
The morning did not go too well for the home team. In a rather slow doubles, characterised by a lot of splitting up and attempted long roquets, Edwards & Read played Kimber & Blackwell, who received 5½ bisques. The home team was never seriously in the game, and lost 11-22 on time. Honey never hit good form against MacNair, and lost 11-26. Cutting fell behind Hichens in the first part of the game, but came back to go into the lead, only to watch Hichens regain the initiative and peg out for a 26-23 win. So at lunch, Cornwall 0-3 down, and a mountain to climb.
In the afternoon singles, Edwards got a good start against MacNair with a break to 2-back, However, MacNair played better and better as the game progressed, getting one ball to peg, and pegging out one of Edwards' balls. Two shots at peg by Edwards missed narrowly, while MacNair gathered a couple more hoops. Finally Edwards' third shot at peg from close to the long boundary was successful, giving him a win 26-19.
Read must have had something good for lunch, as he was a different player in the afternoon, having a relatively easy win against Hichens 26-8.
Cutting too was playing well against Kimber, ending up with a 26-15 win.
At 3-all, all depended on the last game on court, Honey against Blackwell. In a situation similar to his win at Sidmouth, Honey came from behind to equal the scores at the end of his last turn in ordinary time. Blackwell failed to get a hoop in the extension period, so it was golden hoop on 3-back for both players. After some nail-biting inconclusive play around 3-back, Honey finally got a good position and ran the hoop, watched by all the other players with steadily shortening nails!
Final Score: Cornwall 4 Exeter 3.
The semi final will be played at home.
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Des Honey running hoop 2-back |
The teams |