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Photos: Kathy Burke
York produced a good display to see off Durham by three matches to one on Wednesday afternoon.
It was as if Durham had given up determination for Lent as their individual performances failed to justify the strong position they held in the league table before the match; sitting in third place, one position behind York.
But the table counted for nothing in this one: it was ‘Cup Quarter-Final Day’ and the two sides went into the fixture following spectacular wins the week before; York smashed Leeds 4-0 whilst Durham demolished Leeds Metropolitan by the same margin.
And court 4 saw Rebecca Alexander see off Vicki Jackson in a thrilling 3-2 encounter, while on court 3 York’s Alexia De Lambilly faced off against Durham’s Katie Muirhead.
In the first game De Lambilly found herself on the back foot as she struggled to get to grips with her opponent, who demonstrated methodical efficiency and variety in her shots to win 7-11. However, De Lambilly took the second game to her opponent with an admirably gutsy performance; pursuing lost causes and trying to force mistakes with high-tempo play.
It was a match pitting two very different players against one another; with Muirhead, well-turned-out in her Adidas sports shirt, playing a disciplined game; trying to outmanoeuvre her opponent with tactical placement of the ball.
De Lambilly, however, played in her torn Halifax t-shirt, and with her own dynamic style she chased after everything with heroic abandon and elected to volley and smash early to keep her opponent under constant pressure. In spite of her positive approach after taking the second game 11-8; De Lambilly found herself under attack as she faced game point at 7-10.
But she portrayed no trace of frustration or lethargy, and in a stirring fightback won five points without reply to take the game 12-10; and subsequently rounded off the match with an 11-8 victory in the final game.
The penultimate match saw York’s Chloe Ball take on Durham’s Vilma Du Plessis, and it was Du Plessis who cameout of the blocks more quickly; cutting an unsympathetic figure during the first few points as she matter-of-factly disposed of her shots with considerable aplomb. However, Ball found her rhythm soon enough and fought her way back into the tie.
And when, after going in front, Du Plessis controversially called three lets on the same point, Ball seemed to sense her opponent’s composure was wavering, and she capitalised authoritatively: winning the first game 11-7. Du Plessis sustained a twisted knee early in the second game and after being applauded of the court, was unable to continue.
On court 1 it was up to Hannah Sewell, who had arrived back from Germany just eight hours before, taking on Durham’s Zoe Taylor, to seal the win. Sewell showed no signs of fatigue as she was equal to every shot, finishing a lengthy rally off in the first game with a marvellous slice of which any cook would have been proud.
It was not a “classic” nor a “great contest” as many would have anticipated, but a straightforward win for Sewell, who, after taking the third and final game 11-6, announced that she was “really happy” with the triumph.
It was a successful day for York, and they will certainly be hoping to build on these positive performances in the league.
grate reed
I’m a cook and would have certainly been proud of a slice like that.