The Yorkshire and Humber Division of the English Junior 2v2 League started to heat up at the weekend as the first three pairs were joined in fixtures by Matt and Dan Openshaw from York and Marcus Exelby and CJ from Easingwold. All of the young players acquitted themselves very well with Easi-RockIt’s CJ attracting numerous comments from admiring spectators.
Current league leaders Charlie Ford and Henry Wilson were first on court against newcomers Dan and Matt from Wigginton. A close first half saw Charlie and Henry build up a single point lead to go into half time at 9-8 however in the second half they got into their stride and ran out winners by 22-13. Following this Wigginton Wombats, currently in second place, met the second new pair of CJ and Marcus who enjoyed a great start and were delighted to go into half time with a one point lead. The Wombats’ experience was the difference between the teams, however, and they didn’t panic but wore the newcomers down to the point where they won comfortably by 31-20.
Dan and Matt were then on court again to face Alex Cooper and Joe Axe who are developing very quickly. Alex and Joe took control from the very start building up a 12-5 lead. Dan and Matt took the game to their opponents in the second half and matched them all they way with both pairs scoring six points meaning Alex and Joe ran out 18-11 winners.
CJ and Marcus then had to face leaders Charlie and Henry. Again, Charlie and Henry had a slow start leading by a mere three points at half time. Again, they appeared to step up a gear in the second half as they romped to an impressive 27-10 victory.
The two York based pairs faced each other next as the Wombats, keen to keep in touch with Charlie and Henry, faced Dan and Matt, who were just as keen to record their first victory. Although Dan and Matt fought well they just couldn’t manage to match the Wombats who built on a half-time 14-9 lead to win 22-14.
The final match saw CJ and Marcus also desperate to record their first win and they were determined not to be fazed by Joe and Alex. A tense, evenly-balanced match saw the half time score show a 5-2 lead to Joe and Alex. CJ and Marcus redoubled their efforts in the second half and they managed to outscore Joe and Alex by one point but it wasn’t enough to overturn the deficit and the final score was an 11-9 victory to Joe and Alex – a low score that reflected the excellent blocking and defensive techniques of both pairs.
Easi-RockIts coach Paul Hildreth was delighted with the Easi pairs: “I have been delighted with the start that all these players have made but I must pay tribute to CJ and Marcus. They haven’t had much preparation for this and they have done themselves and the club proud. Watching these guys tells me that the future of Easi is in safe hands.”
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