Teenager’s impressive performance not enough against league leaders

HENLEY 1sts went down to a 16-3 Oxfordshire League defeat at Division 1 league leaders Defence Academy at Shrivenham last week.

Captain Harry Carr drafted in two guest players from Wycombe to bolster Henley’s depleted squad, but the hosts proved too strong on the night.

Former Henley player Ed Hopkins, representing Defence Academy at third string, secured a 3-0 victory against Richard Brown while Munro Montanus, Harry Carr and guest Andy Peers also suffered 3-0 defeats.

The standout performance for Henley came from talented junior Ayaan Khan, who delivered an emphatic 3-0 win at fifth string. Competing at U15 level with a Squash Level rating of more than 4,000, Khan is regarded as a player to watch.

Henley 2nds continued their march towards the Division 4 title with a
16-6 home win against second-placed Gladiators.

The visitors claimed the top two strings in hard-fought contests. At first string, Tim Budden narrowly lost in five games (15-9, 10-15, 15-13, 13-15, 12-15), while captain John Williams went down 3-1 at second string.

Henley’s strength in depth once again made the difference as Tom Tuite-Dalton, Richard Little and Jim Reay each secured comfortable 3-0 victories to seal the overall win.

Henley 3rds recorded their second-highest points total of the season despite a 14-7 home defeat to Wallingford. Highlights included a convincing 3-0 wins for Pete Harrison and a 3-1 win for Steve Dance, while James Rowson battled hard at first string to take a game and secure a valuable point for the hosts.