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Having lost their previous encounter, Burton Manor squash team were delighted to turn the tables on visitors Burntwood.

The evening got off to a blistering start as Scott Middleton overpowered his opponent with an array of stunning drives. Unable to deal with the pace of the shots, Middleton simply smashed his way to a very rapid 3-0 victory.

Meanwhile on Court 2, Rob Robotham started in similar vein, making short work of the first game. However, his opposite number was able to adapt his game and managed to come back strongly. Robotham was unable to cope with the long rallies and went down 1-3.

At 1-1 in games, it looked like this was going to be a particularly tough match. However, both Nigel Davies and Alan McDonald maintained their amazing records winning 3-1 and 3-0 respectively, thus putting the match beyond Burntwood’s reach.

Somebody must have forgotten to tell the number one seeds that the match had already been won by Burton Manor, because the final game of the night turned out to be the closest and most hard-fought. On court for well over an hour, the game seesawed with long punishing rallies.

And when, in the fifth game, Colin Gallow had his opponent tied up at 7-2 it looked all over, there was yet another twist. The points were clawed back and an exhausted Gallow saw the game, and match, slip away.

With only one more game left to play in the Staffs and Central Squash league, the Burton Manor team looks set to finish in the top three.

Burton Manor squash team maintained their impressive form when they travelled away to Oak Park in the South Staffs and Central Squash League.

On the back of a succession of powerful performances, the Stafford team overpowered Oak Park 4-1.

The match got off to a slow start with Paul Faulkner struggling to deal with the tempo of his unhurried opponent. However, he managed to eke out an awkward 3-1 result.

Rob Robotham, on the other hand, simply blasted his opposite number off court 3-0, with an array of stunning shots.

Steve Marsden went on court expecting to close the match out, but found the going harder than expected, both players working each other around the court in long rallies and eventually going down 2-3.

In the best match of the evening, Alan McDonald won 3-1, but the score doesn’t reflect how closely fought this match was. In a gruelling encounter, the two thrashed the ball deep into the back corners, waiting for errors rather than looking for winners.

Meanwhile Colin Gallow, going for quick winners, made short work of his match easing past his opponent in a comfortable 3-0 win.

Burton Manor put out their strongest squash team of the season to face high fliers Junction 7 in the South Staffs and Central Squash league.

The powerful Stafford team simply swept the visitors aside, dropping only one game in five matches.

Setting the tone in the first two matches of the evening were Steve Marsden, and Rob Robotham.

Marsden was once again impressively dominant, while Robotham was in solid form, both winning fairly comfortably without dropping a game.

Although short of match fitness, Scott Middleton used his power to pin his opponent at the back of the court and forced repeated errors, eventually coming through 3-1.

In what should have been a close contest, Colin Gallow played an array of tight wall shots, making it difficult for his opponent to attack.

Gradually frustration got the better of him, and Gallow forced home his advantage, making it a comfortable 3-0 win.

Last on court was Alan McDonald. Previous encounters suggested this would be a tight game but, after a slightly shaky start,

McDonald increased his tempo and his opposite number had no answer to the pace of his shots. In the end, Burton Manor made it all look so easy, beating the visitors 5-0.

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Losing their clubhouse in an arson attack shortly after Christmas did little to subdue the Burton Manor squash team as they thrashed visitors Oak Park 5-0. If anything, the fire has brought the club together with many more spectators than usual encouraging the home side.

Steve Marsden got off to a slow start, losing the first game, but his deep attacking shots gradually began to pay off as his opponent tired and began making errors. Marsden showed why he remains a good team player after years on court. Having got in front he steadied his game and won 3-1.

Newcomer, Paul Faulkner, showed his inexperience as he battled to gain control in his match. Frequently working himself into a winning position he made unforced errors. Despite this he showed amazing tenacity, finally edging out his opponent in a lung bursting 3-2 win.

After a long layoff, Scott Middleton’s return to team squash was as dramatic as it was short lived. He demolished his opposite number in impressive style in three straight games, only dropping 4 points in the process.

Both Colin Gallow and Alan McDonald despatched their opposite numbers in similar fashion, making it a clean sweep for the Stafford team.

On the back of a good win against Bilston in the South Staffs and Central Squash League, Burton Manor Squash Club visited Burntwood confident of another league win. However, as with most games this season, it turned into a tense affair with the Stafford team losing 3-2 in the close fought match. Alan McDonald maintained his unbeaten record in a sometimes ill-tempered match winning 3-2. Newcomer to the side Nigel Davies played smart squash, mixing up his game and never allowing his opponent to settle in an impressive 3-1 display.

Steve Marsden, Neil Charlesworth and Mick Rush all had close fought matches, but were unable to convert vital points, all losing 3-2 in their matches.

Mixing up the team for a match against Stone proved to be good tactics as Burton Manor beat the visitors 3-2 in another close fought encounter. Colin Gallow comprehensively outplayed his opponent Michael Cheung in a 3-0 attacking display. Alan McDonald took on Richard Smith in a display of endurance squash, with long exhausting rallies and tight finishes, finally coming out 3-0, a scoreline that didn’t reflect the hard-fought nature of every point.
Steve Marsden kept his cool to win 3-1 in an argumentative match, while Rob Robotham looked set to win his match but got beaten by fatigue, finally bowing out at 3-2. With the match already decided in Burton Manor’s favour, Paul Faulkner, representing the club for the first time, did himself proud in what turned out to be the match of the evening. The games seesawed dramatically as each player tried desperately to gain ascendancy. When Paul looked to have the game sewn up in the 5th, his opponent came back and

The second game of the squash season in the South Staffs and Central League for the Stafford side proved to be a tense affair. The visitors from Bilston started strongly, with their number 4 winning three straight games against newcomer Steve Mitchell. Meanwhile, Burton Manor’s Ross Beck was involved in a titanic struggle on court 2, finally coming from behind to snatch an impressive 3-2 win. Rob Robotham started well and despite periods of powerful play, his lack of fitness let him down, eventually losing 3-1.

Neil Charlesworth was once again in imperious form, sweeping his opponent aside and dropping only 8 points in the process.

At two matches each the final game of the evening had an edge to it, with the Burton Manor supporters getting more and more vocal in their support. Alan Macdonald made an uncharacteristically shaky start and only secured the first game after his opponent himself made two unforced errors in the final stages of the game. Macdonald then mixed up the play in the second game, dragging his opposite number around the court, winning it comfortably. It seemed like game and match, but the final game was peppered with close calls and fine attacking play. There was a huge sigh of relief and loud applause when Macdonald slammed a cross-court drive and clinch the match. "I felt at times like I was in control" said Alan after the match "but he just kept coming back at me." Pointing up at the balcony he added, "having that kind of support helped though."

With their first win in the bag, the Burton Manor team look forward to their next encounter against Burntwood.

After a two year gap from competing in the South Staffs and Central League, the Burton Manor team made a satisfactory start to their campaign against Lichfield visitors, Friary Grange.
Neil Charlesworth was particularly impressive, playing good, attacking squash and finally edged out a 3-2 win in a close hard-fought contest. Rob Robotham looked unsettled as he struggled to find his usual big-hitting form. Both Colin Gallow and Ross Beck looked short of big match practice in close games, but in which the opposition just had the edge. Playing at number one, Alan Macdonald got off to a shaky start, losing the first game making a string of uncharacteristic errors. However, having settled down, he thrashed is opposite number comprehensively.
“Despite losing 3-2, we felt it was a good start to our campaign” said Rob Robotham, the Burton Manor captain “we haven’t been playing competitively for some time, and we will improve as the season progresses.”