May 2012: Golden Oldies in action at Westminster

Simon Woolfries reports:

The third annual match between the veterans of the OWs and the OIs took place at Westminster on Tuesday 8th May.

You know that the future has arrived when that promising youngster J.Reynolds qualifies for an over fifties match! Still, they say that nostalgia isn’t what it used to be. However, his presence ensured that the VOWs triumphed by two courts to one and thereby went 2-1 up in the series.

The first court, opting to play best of five, enjoyed three long games with Peter Boughton and Nick Bunyan showing good fight to stage a come-back in the third, but they could not deny Neil Margerison and ‘that kid’ their victory.

In court two Jon Sanderson and Justin Shaw fell swiftly behind to Richard Wood and Simon Woolfries and then proceeded to overhaul the deficit to win convincingly in 2 games.

The VOIs only success came at third pair where the combined experience and sheer bloody-mindedness of Mike Fenn and Ronald Pattison were too much for Andrew Aitken and Richard Grant, who lost 2-1 having won the first game.

The pub was full of talk of more fixtures for VO players next season and the visiting John Caudle was even heard to mutter about a return to the game – after yet another hip op, of course!

No such medical worries for the youthful JR smiling benignly in the corner.

J.Reynolds and N.Margerison vs P.Boughton and N.Bunyan

12-10, 12-9, 15-12

J.Sanderson and J.Shaw vs R.Wood and S.Woolfries

13-10, 12-7

A.Aitken and R.Grant vs M.Fenn and R.Pattison

12-8, 3-12, 3-12