WSSL 14 Final: A Fistful of Fives Gloves
Julian Black reports:
The stage was set for the final fixtures of this years 2014 Westway Superleagues, with Dossi’s Desperados and Westway 2 fighting it out for the title, and the Stallions taking on Westway 3 for 3rd place.
The Desperados and Westway 2 certainly didn’t disappoint, with almost all the games being extremely hard-fought and producing some of the best-quality Fives this tournament has seen. The Westway side, boasting an in-form Ed Taylor at the helm, made a valiant effort, assaulting the Desperados on all sides and certainly giving the latter a run for their money at times, but in the end, the depth and consistency, not to mention clinical consistency, of the Desperado team, was too much. Whilst Aroop and Julian took a consolation game at the end, it was certainly the Desperados’ night, and they came out deserving champions for this year’s championship.
The 3rd/4th playoff, while not as close a match-up as the final, still produced some very enjoyable Fives. The Stallions, eager to avenge their defeat in the semis, put out a strong team against a determined Westway team, led by Andrew Rennie, who, as a result of several injuries, seemed to be held together by a mixture of anti-inflammatory gel, Nurofen and plasters. The Stallions came out comfortable winners in the end, despite the Westway side’s best efforts, and they took third place.
Richard Black presented the trophies to Winners and Runners-up, followed by a reception on court and subsequently in the pub. The Leading Points Scorer Award for the championship was Ryan Perrie, with a mammoth 330 points, and the Golden Glove Award for most points in the hole was accepted by Charlotta Cooley in the absence of its winner, Laurie Brock.
I would like to thank Westway for hosting the event, and especially Robin Mallionson, the head of Fives. It was also great to see Mike Diaper, Director of Community Sport at Sport England in attendance. I’d also like to thank all who have helped behind the scenes: the team captains, Gareth Hoskins, Paul Bowden, Richard Black and anyone else I may have forgotten. I look forward to seeing you all back for more Superleague action next year!
Dossi’s Desperados beat Westway 2 5-1
A. Theodossi & J. O’Neill beat E. Taylor & A. Bhattacharya 15-6
R. Perrie & Alex Rattan beat G. Chapman & J. Black 15-12
A. Theodossi & A. Rattan beat G. Chapman & A. Bhattacharya 15-13
R. Perrie & J. O’Neill beat E. Taylor & J. Black 15-12
A. Theodossi & R. Perrie beat E. Taylor & G. Chapman 15-7
J. O’Neill & A. Rattan lost to A. Bhattacharya & J. Black 6-15
Aston House Stallions beat Westway 3 6-0
G. Hoskins & S. Chapman beat A. Rennie & A. Pilkington 15-6
A. Yusaf & C. Cooley beat B. Carlin & S. Greasley 15-3
A. Yusaf & S. Chapman beat S. Greasley & A. Rennie 15-3
G. Hoskins & C. Cooley beat A. Pilkington & B. Carlin 15-8
G. Hoskins & A. Yusaf beat A. Rennie & B. Carlin 15-5
S. Chapman & C. Cooley beat A. Pilkington & S. Greasley 15-5
Final positions
1st – Dossi’s Desperados
2nd – Westway 2
3rd – Stallions
4th – Westway 3
Championship Leading Points Scorer – Ryan Perrie
Golden Glove Award (most points in the hole) – Laurie Brock
