ROUND 9 – A1 GRADE MATCH PREVIEWS SAM AND ALICE IN FOR A CRACKER “Sam the Fan” and Alice (the work experience girl) will be in for a cracker of a night when the penultimate round of the MPTTA’s winter pennant competition is played on Thursday evening. Weak bladders will be put to the test when my beloved Carrum Downs, sitting in second spot on the ladder and with eyes firmly on a gold medal game in two weeks time, take on a rejuvenated Somerville, featuring the silky skills of Chris “Thrasher” Robinson and the Harlem Globetrotter like magic and entertainment offered by his partner “Pretty Boy” Du Plooy. After weeks at sea chasing big fish, “Pretty Boy” is a little rusty and should be easy meat for my partner “The Carrum Downs Colossus” Phil Bolitho. However “Thrasher” is a much more difficult fish to fry and has defeated “The Colossus” at their last two outings. The big fella will need to find something special if he is to turn the tables on his hard hitting opponent (and I don’t mean a piece of 4 x 2 timber, which whilst it would be effective, would also be totally illegal). Your Face Book editor struggles against anyone under the age of thirty-five, which will put “Thrasher” out of reach, but players in their mid forties like “Pretty Boy” are a 50/50 proposition so there is a chance there, and of course the result of the doubles will again be crucial. Excuse me as I stifle a yawn and turn my attention briefly to the Frankston – Mt Martha clash on court 4 which will provide top of the ladder Frankston, the opportunity to improve their percentage. The Mt Martha pair of “Iron Jay” Mark Flavel and “Gentleman Jim” Conlon are staring down the barrel of being the only side in the club’s modern era to go through an A1 pennant season without a win and they won’t chalk one up against “The Frankston Express” Sam Palmer and Geoff “Lobby” Lloyd. Palmer and “Lobby” are a formidable doubles combination, bringing together an enviable mix of youth, experience and dodgy rubbers, that has stood them in good stead throughout the winter season. I’m tipping a 4-1 win to Frankston, with an “Iron Jay” win against “Lobby,” the only result preventing a complete wipeout. Third placed Mornington, who are still very much in the hunt for a top two finish will play Langwarrin who are hanging on to fourth spot after eight rounds. The Mornington marauder Jarryd Cathcart “The J C Train” has flown under the radar to some extent in a season interrupted by injury, but a 12-0 record suggests he is in great form and he will be too good for Shane “Chainsaw” O’Connor and Craig “Wiss” Entwistle although both players have pushed “The Train” in the past. One of the quiet men of the competition, Nick Underwood, will be bullied and belted by the Langwarrin hard men, which will leave this match to be decided by the result of the doubles encounter. I’m going to stick my neck out and tip Langwarrin to win the doubles and the match, partly because “Wiss” and “Chainsaw” are a tough combination, but mostly because this is the result that “The Colossus” and I are hoping for to cement our spot in the top two. Hit hard and prosper Greig Whitelaw
Posted on: Tue, 10 Sep 2013 07:06:13 +0000
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