TAVISTOCK Squash Team travelled to Tiverton for the last match of the division 4 season. Again, the team were without captain Tim Wallis, who has hung up his racquet after long service.

First up at number 5 was Mike Gray, a new team player who continues to improve. Mike came up against Joe Goran, a skilled player. There were plenty of long rallies, with no quarter given and Joe kept Mike on the run. Mike went down fighting valiantly 1-3.

Playing in number 4, Pete Walshe came up against Alistair King. In a game that saw the scores see-saw, Pete used his range of superior shots to stay in the match, but struggled in the fifth game and went down 2-3.

Stuart Cox, at number 3, could not find his form against Jason Hill and made too many errors. Jason had a tight service and used it to good effect and although Stuart woke up in the third game and began to show what he could do, it was too late and he went down 0-3.

Colin Grice, a stalwart of Tavistock squash team, came up against a youthful opponent Chris Reed. Chris had a range of clever shots and managed to pick up Colin?s clever drop shots and return them with hard, low crosscourt shots. Facing defeat, Colin dug deep to win the third game, but Chris upped his game, taking all Colin?s shots early and won the second string match 3-1.

Last up for Tavistock was Andy Gauler, against Sean Gunn. Andy was under pressure from the start and made a lot of unforced errors. Andy allowed Sean too much time to play his shots, but played well in the second game to stage a fight back. Andy fell over in the third game and injured his ankle, but kept going, losing 0-3.

So, for the final match of the season, Tavistock took a beating, losing 0-5 to a superior team at Tiverton. The evening ended socially and Tiverton were good company.

If you are interested in playing squash, it is a great game to improve your fitness and have fun. There are players at many different levels and you do not need to be highly skilled before you start playing. There is coaching available for beginners, with a certified coach, Malcolm Tripp. It is also a great sport for youngsters, who pick up the game very quickly. The squash courts are located at the rear of Kings, on Pixon Lane and have recently been re-decorated.

There are internal squash leagues and regular monthly club nights. The next club night is on Friday April 25 starting at 7.30pm and you are welcome to come along and give squash a try. You can also have a go at racquet ball which is becoming popular. If you would like to join a club which is enjoyable, sporting and inexpensive, contact Malcolm Tripp on 615239.