CONGRATULATIONS  TO REDCAR SECONDS FOR WINNING THE PRINCIPIA COUNTY HANDICAP CUP THIS MAKES REDCAR THE FIRST TEAM EVER TO WIN IT TWICE (AND TWO YEARS RUNNING AT THAT)  CONGRATULATIONS TO ALL FOUR SENIOR TEAMS THE FIRSTS FINISHED THIRD IN THE PREMIERSHIP HAVING NOT BEEN IN THE TOP FLIGHT FOR ABOUT A DECADE  ALL THE OTHER THREE TEAMS GAINED PROMOTION FROM THEIR LEAGUES  DAVE GRAY MAY HAVE WON MOST VALUABLE PLAYER FOR HIS DIVISION (WITH PAUL WILSON THIRD) THOUGH A VERY LATE CARD MIGHT SCUPPER HIM  CONGRATULATIONS  TO THE JUNIOR TEAMS PLAYING IN THE COUNTY LEAGUES FOR THE FIRST TIME EVER THE U13 FINISHED SECOND THE U15 FINISHED SIXTH  CONGRATULATIONS  TO REDCAR SQUASH CLUB WHO BECAME ONLY THE FOURTH CLUB IN THE COUNTY TO BE AWARDED THE ENGLAND SQUASH BRONZE AWARD. THIS IS IN RECOGNITION THAT THE CLUB FULFILS THE HOLISTIC IDEALS OF WHAT ENGLAND SQUASH DEFINE AS CRITERIA FOR A MODEL SQUASH CLUB

Latest News-Feb 05 The biggest over 40s competition is in full swing being sufficiently large to run a plate competition for the first time and the standard is awesome with much county and national experience contesting the winners spot.   The Under 13 team returned comprehensively to winning ways with a dominant win over Guisborough. Louise Mawson and Gemma Hill both put in flawless first game performances and both subsequently spluttered to victories in their second games. Luke Mabbott contributed the biggest winning margins (key to the way the matches are decided) whilst Liam Campbell made his debut and pulled out a wonderful net even result with 2 wins / 2 losses. The team has one match left and with only one defeat all season, a top three position looks to be on the cards.   The senior first team pulled out a peach of a result this week overpowering the premiership leaders in a terrific 3-2 victory. Included amongst the result was a wondrous defeat of the reigning county champion, Gareth Lumsden, by Craig Smith widely reported by the many Redcar supporters who visited Norton to see the match as one of the gripping games of recent years.

News Update Season is tightening up for the teams now. After an excellent midpoint where three of the teams were in promotion spots and the fourth was in second in the premiership, the seconds and thirds have since lost a match each and whilst promotion still beckons, the league titles might have slipped away.   The Under 13 junior team and Under 15 teams both running for the first season look good in the current league positions. The U15s are in fifth place whilst the U13 team is winning their league with a top three finish a real possibility

Handicap Tournament  The annual Handicap Tournament was another great success with entry numbers just shy of 40 players. The tournament was marvellously organised as usual by Bill Lever and his mysteriously derived but ever balanced handicapping system.  There were a record number of junior entrants this year which is excellent though experience clearly dominated the final placings. In fourth place, Dave Gray was nicked by Bill Lever who always had the edge.  The final though was very tight with Anne Gollogly playing with 8 start to 19 against reigning champ, Kev Pegdon. The handicapping was spot on again with the first game being pinched by Kev, 19-18. Tables turned in game 2 as Anne stole the vital last point 19-18 but the third last point deciding game returned Kev's advantage with another 19-18 game. Game 4 saw Anne needing to win to stay alive which she did by the comparatively comfortable margin of 19-15.  The running and shot play throughout had been of top order and added immensely to a really absorbing final in front of a  vocal crowd.  The final game was tension incarnate but the players still maintained a very low shot failure rate. Kev tore into Anne's lead and threatened to overwhelm her quickly but then Anne stabilised the gameplan and started trading points keeping a gap as the required total drew closer. At 11-8 it was absolutely impossible to say who was going to win when Kev tragically had to pull up with significant leg damage relinquishing his crown in the cruellest but most absorbing of fashions. Alas for Kev and a new princess is crowned Handicap Champion for the year.

They said it couldn't be done Redcar top of the 1st Division - Keep supporting the team! Division: 1 P W L D PF PA PD GF GA Tota Redcar 1 7 5 2 0 81 47 34 24 11 101 Sunderland H&RC 1 6 5 1 0 69 37 32 21 9 89 Yarm 1 7 4 3 0 68 45 23 22 13 84 Nunthorpe 1 7 4 3 0 67 63 4 18 17 83 Norton 1 5 4 1 0 56 38 18 16 9 72 Darlington 1 7 2 5 0 60 69 -9 16 19 68 Aykley Heads 1 5 1 4 0 23 70 -47 3 22 27 Aycliffe 1 6 0 6 0 24 79 -55 5 25 24

JUNIORS GOING STRONG

Squash News November update

Redcar is currently enjoying an unprecedented position as regards the team standings. Of the four teams Redcar run, one is midtable and two are top neither having lost a single match. The first team who have just gone into the premier league for the first year in over a decade and were advised by the county committee not to take the chance to play as they would struggle too much, are second in the premiership having only lost one game (3-2against the title holders). The county champion playing at number one for the title holders described the atmosphere at Redcar as nothing like anything he sees anywhere else. This is a reference to the large amount of support Redcar enjoys during its games presently.

There have been two tournaments thus far. The Squash Blitz was won by Paul Tudor (becoming an ever-present on the rostrum nowadays), John Dale (making a unique trek to squash success), Darren Childs and Kelvin Peacock both dominating their matches.

The Hackers tournament has just completed which is restricted to players of league four and below. Mark Davis did very well to come from behind in his semifinal but presumably weakened by this match was well beaten in the final by one of the clubs rising lights, Paul Millward. The tournament saw the highest volume of junior entrants for a senior tournament for many years.

For the first time anyone can recall, Redcar is running junior league teams with the Under 15 team having played twice and the Under 13 team awaiting a rearranged match with Nunthorpe.

Redcar enjoyed dual representation for the Under 15 girls Durham and Cleveland County team recently with Louise Mawson playing at number two and Gemma Hill taking two victories from three matches at Manchester.

2003/2004

REDCAR RUFC MOST VALUABLE LEAGUE PLAYERS

 SPONSORED BY KEITH COOKE HEATING

Many thanks go to Greg Wilson for running the leagues in general together with this league points competition.

 WINNER

Darren Nalton, retaining his title from last year and collecting £30

 SECOND PLACE

 Kevin Pegden, rounding off an excellent season for him including getting the second highest points for a Redcar player, just behind Pete Lonsdale. His 100 point total narrowly took him ahead of Darren Nalton and Paul Wilson, both on 99. Kevin wins £20

 THIRD PLACE

Keith Cooke, gracious sponsor and receiver of the £10 third spot prize

Club Championships

Club Champion                                            Runner Up

Pete Lonsdale                                 Nick Pugsley

Plate Winner                                                    Plate Runner Up

Paul Tudor                                     Rob Hutchinson

***Redcar Cup Win! Read all about it ****

This year has seen a great new first for the club with Redcar Firsts winning the Durham and Cleveland County Handicap Tournament. The Redcar teams have performed well in recent years in this competition reaching two semifinals and a final but this time they completed the job due in no small part to the tremendous support the team received in the later rounds. A band of fellow players made the trek to Sedgefield for the quarterfinals and were tremendously valuable in a very tight match which threatened to drift away when poised and 2 matches all and the final match seeing Pete Lonsdale 2-0 in games and 6 points down, needing to get to 15 points. Pete then raised his play several levels and comfortably won 3-2.

For the semifinals, a very tight match was expected between Redcar and the league division winners, Newton Aycliffe. The support again was tremendous, dwarfing the opposition and being a constant lift. Noel Pugsley started the ball rolling with a great win and thereafter noone dared lose. Darren Nalton put in another one of his commanding performances which have typified his season and by the time Nick Pugsley and Pete Lonsdale came on, the match was won but neither wanted to concede their matches. Nick had never defeated the highly competent James Larcombe and Pete was 1-1 for the season's matches against the wunderkind, Lee Skinner. Both had incredibly gruelling matches with some glorious squash which both came through to win. Redcar into the final with a clean 5-0 whitewash.

By the time of the final, a full busload of supporters had turned out for the match against Norton and the team responded readily with a 4-1 victory. As the players came onto court after the matches to receive the trophy, the gallery was totally packed with Redcar fans most of whom stayed on for the celebrations which was the only thing that lasted longer than the average Darren Nalton match.

The second tournament of the year has now been completed. This was the Hackers' Competition and included a good range of entries, again including a couple of juniors (Paul Tudor and Mike Mawson). Eventually though it was fought out between two of the longer serving members of the club, Les Dunn and Ivan Harland. The final was well fought with both being on top of the game but eventually Les's guile overcame Ivan's running game.

Les Dunn receiving his winners trophy - he says the caption in the background sums him up 'unsquashable'- even as a grandad!

Next year Ivan, his legs will have gone by then!

SQUASH BLITZ

Mike Pugsley Paul Tudor Kelvin Peacock Darren Childs

Team nominations for the four teams representing RRUFC are now complete and most teams start their campaigns in October.

The 4 team captains will be:

Best of luck to all..

To access league results follow this link

http://www.dcsra.co.uk/