National League Div8 at Newmarket

Moreton travelled to the home of horse racing in an effort to halt a slide in form in the National League Divsion 8.

In the first rubber Keith Beechener took an early 5-0 lead against Mark Elliott, the home player, who then eased back into contention with 3 games in a row, but Keith took the set 6-3. The second set saw a reversal, although it was fairly tight up to the first corner and then Mark edged away and won it 6-3. The final set was very tense for both teams. It was neck and neck in the early stages with both players having an occasional lead. At 5-4 and 30-0 Keith might have been expected to clear the finish line first but Mark dug deep and brought himself level at 5-5 followed by the inevitable 40-40 deuce. At the line it was Mark by a nose to take the set 6-5, and the points for Newmarket in a time of 1 hour and 45 minutes.

The second rubber featured Jonny Miller for Moreton and Mark Gooden for Newmarket. In similar fashion to the first rubber Mark made the early running and took the score to 5-1. Then Jonny reeled in 3 games to give himself a chance only to see Mark take the next game for a 6-4 set. The second set was keenly fought throughout and went the full distance. Both players earned and lost chances to close out the set but it was Mark who had the greater staying power to take the set 6-5 and the rubber. 2-0 to Newmarket.

In the final rubber Moreton’s John Murphy set off at a great pace against Chris Hollingsworth but found himself behind all the way. The final score of 6-2, 6-0 does not reflect the effort made by John but it was a deserved win for the home player. 3-0 to Newmarket and a long trip home – just in time to watch the England v Wales rugby.

Next match is a home tie against Oxford University starting at 6pm on Friday 2nd March 2018.