North of England Championships
Durham, 1st-2nd March 2014
Despite a spirited effort by Dan Grant to take the final to a third game, the Singles tournament ended in a victory for Will Ellison by 11-4, 11-7. Thus Will carried off the Ferens Trophy for a third year in a row.
Earlier rounds went largely according to the seedings, though it took Dave Butler a fair while to get the better of Theo Parker in round 2 and Ed Hatton even longer to subdue Sam Russell. Hamish Buchanan had a bit too much power for John Beswick, and Richie Murby was likewise just a little too quick around the court for Marcus Bate. Marcus, Russell, Parker and Olly Quarry fought out the Plate semifinals, from which Olly and Marcus emeged victorious. Olly then won a tough final 15-10 which hinged on a long rally at 8-8.
In the Doubles on Sunday the pick of the early rounds was Bate & Hatton playing Butler & Parker, which went in straight games to the ex-Oxford pair. Durham Uni’s first pair of Gravatt & Aquilina put up a game fight against top seeds Ellison & Dean in the semis, while Buchanan & Grant went through to the final comfortably against the resilient Hatton & Bate. The final was marked by hard hitting by all four players and frequent volleying from Ellison and Grant. So again, the win meant a hat-trick for Will and Tom.
The closest match all day and the one that drew the biggest crowd was the Plate Doubles final between Beswick & Roberts and Russell & Quarry. This time Quarry was denied a medal, largely by a characteristically determined display of length and line by John Beswick, with Neil Roberts getting to more cross-courts slams than anyone his age has a right to!
Singles Final - Will Ellison v Dan Grant
Doubles final: Ellison & Dean v Buchanan & Grant
RESULTS
Singles
1st Round: O Quarry by E Wylde 11-1, 11-1; J Beswick bt D Murphy 11-3, 11-0 ; R Lamb bt S Page 12-10, 11-12, 11-4
2nd Round: W.Ellison bt Quarry 11-0, 11-3; D Butler bt T Parker 12-11, 11-3; E Hatton bt S Russell 11-3, 4-11, 11-5; T Dean bt A Bowden 11-6, 11-2; H Buchanan bt Beswick 11-9, 11-8; R Murby bt M Bate 12-11, 11-6; J Aquilina bt D Fox 11-8, 11-4; D Grant bt Lamb 11-2, 11-3
Quarter-finals: Ellison bt Butler 11-6, 11-5; Dean bt Hatton 11-4, 11-2; Buchanan bt Murby 11-3, 11-6; Grant bt Aquilina 11-2, 11-3
Semi-finals: Ellison bt Dean 11-2, 11-2; Grant bt Buchanan 11-2, 11-5
Final: Ellison bt Grant 11-4 11-7
Plate: Quarry
Doubles
1st Round: Fox & Murby bt Russell & Quarry 11-6, 11-8
Quarter-finals: Ellison & Dean bt Lamb & Page 11-0, 11-3; Aquilina & Gravatt bt Beswick & N Roberts 11-4, 11-4; Bate & Hatton bt Butler & Parker 12-11, 11-9; Buchanan & Grant bt Fox & Murby 11-9, 11-7
Semi-finals: Ellison & Dean bt Aquilina & Gravatt 11-6, 11-7; Buchanan & Grant bt Bate & Hatton 11-4, 11-6
Final: Ellison & Dean bt Buchanan & Grant 11-2, 11-2
Plate: Beswick & Roberts