It’s X-Youth At The Double!

DTH Redlands X-Youth had double reason to celebrate this week as they added the Reg Wilcox Trophy to the Division Two title they won seven days earlier. The X-Youth side have had a very successful season as in addition to the two trophies they have won in the past week two of them have also added the Division Two Doubles title to their sides collection but more of that later. In the final of the Reg Wilcox Trophy for Division Two sides they were up against Worksop Welfare Snipers ‘B’ who despite being in mid table were no pushovers and the X-Youth trio of Jeff Reay, Clive Eden and Mark Bloomer all had to be on form to defeat them. Because of how the handicapping works the Snipers started with an 84 point lead which the X-Youth side started to slowly but surely eat away at as Eden beat Mark Sansom by just 3 points and Bloomer then defeated Ben Swain by 5 points to reduce the deficit to 76 points but if X-Youth wanted to win the match they would have to win the games by bigger margins which they started to do in the next match as Reay and Bloomer beat Sansom and Chris Tilstone 21-9, 21-17 to take another 16 points out of the Snipers lead. Over the next three matches X-Youth reduced the Snipers lead by a further 38 points to leave themselves just 22 points in arrears. In the next match, Reay and Sansom had a real battle with Reay winning both games by the narrowest of margins 21-20 which left them 20 points behind and when Bloomer defeated Tilstone in the penultimate match of the night 21-12, 21-11 it left the match poised on a knife edge with the Snipers now just 2 points ahead! The last match of the night was a doubles game with Sansom and Swain up against Reay and Eden with Reay and Eden taking the first set 21-17 to lead put their team 2 points in front and when they then took the next 21-13 it was enough to win the match and to cap a fabulous season for the X-Youth side.
As mentioned earlier the X-Youth side added to their trophy collection as the same three players were in action in the 2nd Championship Finals Night at Stanley Street Club in the final of the Division Two Doubles. Clive Eden and Mark Bloomer were up against team mate Jeff Reay and his partner Alex Olliffe in a terrific match which flowed one way and then the other with Eden and Bloomer taking the first game 11-6 before Reay and Olliffe took the next two to put themselves in the driving seat but Eden and Bloomer took the next two games 11-8, 11-6 to claim the title.
The final of the Third Division Singles went as expected as Farhad Saiepour who hasn’t lost a single game in Division Three all season defeated a plucky Connor Bettley in straight sets to cap a fine season for Saiepour.
Another final that went to form was the final of the Over 60’s with Steve Lyon from Division One and the current holder beating Mark Fisher from Division Two 11-2, 11-4, 11-8 to retain the trophy and to now make it 5 years in a row that he has won the competition.
The final of the Plate Singles always looked like it would be a close game between two evenly matched players in Jack Kirkland and Andy Lee and so it proved to be with the match going right to the deciding set. Lee took the first two sets 11-8, 11-9 before Kirkland found his form to take the next two 11-5, 11-4 to level the contest at two games all. Kirkland then carried his form into the deciding game to win that one as well 11-6 to take the Plate Singles title.
The closest match of the night was the final of the Junior Singles with the Riauba household guaranteed to take the title home as two out of the three Riauba brothers met in the final. Orestas and Valentinas both put on a terrific match that could have gone either way as the brothers went toe to toe in the closest of contents. Valentinas took the first two games winning them both 11-9 before Orestas decided to get into the act as he took the next two 11-4, 11-9 to make the match all square at two games all. The deciding set was always going to be close with one brother having to go home disappointed and on this occasion it was Orestas that had to miss out as Valentinas won the decider 11-9 to be crowned Junior Singles winner.
Division Two Result: Sparken Hill Eagles 7 DTH Redlands Rookies 3
Division Three Result: DTH Redlands Tarr Babies 9 Worksop Owls 1