Southgate, and Walker Ground, local girl Alison Waters (World No. 6 and England No. 2) took the Title in the recent Irish Open in Dublin (25th April).
The women’s final raced off with Alison 5-0 up in the first few minutes. She managed to remain in front for the rest of that game despite local girl Madeleine Perry fighting back with her typical Irish spirit.
Waters’ volleys managed to set her up with a game ball at 10:6 thanks to a fantastic forehand kill, then took the next point and first game with a deceptive volley-drop.
The second game was tight with Madeleine hitting some wonderful hard fast drives but Alison recovered well. At 8:7 to Madeleine it was anyone’s game, but Alison’s trade mark winners were her volleys – finishing the game at 11:9.
Madeleine started the third game with a true fighting attitude with an encouraging 3:1 lead. A mixture of her mistakes and the good play by Alison turned the next 7 points into Alison’s favour. Who then went on to win the game and match.
It was a well-contested match with local support for Madeleine – but Alison’s supremacy with her excellent short volleys, drop shots and agility proved too much for Madeleine.
You can have a chance to see / play Alison at the Southgate Squash & Racketball Club on World Squash Day – May 23rd. For more details visit the Southgate Squash Club Website
