Colebridge Eagles travelled to a venue immortalized by the iconic 70’s disco group Village People on Tuesday evening.
They travelled more in hope than expectation , as Bournville have a strong roster of players in this section, they were rewarded for their efforts with a hard earned point.
The late arrival of Gleeson and Kustra meant that the first match of the evening was between obdurate left hander Robert Watts and the controversial flat hitter Bernard Oliver. It was a match which went to five sets , featuring rallies of considerable quality , between two players who know each others games well. Watts emerged triumphant , acknowledging the closeness of the tussle.
With Kustra and Gleeson now installed and waiting on the sidelines, the next match was between Kosma Kustra and Mahroof Hussain. Hussain never came to terms with the well judged ferocity of the Kustra forehand paired with the aggressive deployment of short pips on the Kustra backhand wing.
Mike Evetts played Simon Gleeson next , a player he had never beaten before , so he was delighted to win in four closely fought sets.
The following match was between Kustra and Oliver. Oliver was the only player to take a set from Kustra during the evening , it was to be the only highlight for the 76 year old Oliver , who was effectively garbed in a desert-style eye shade to ensure the high, wall mounted arc lights in the gymnasium did not disrupt the pattern of his game. Kustra won in four.
Eagles point hinged on the doubles , which again went to five sets , but this epic encounter went to the Eagles pairing of Oliver and Evetts.
The match score was 3-2 in Bournvilles favour at this half way point , however it was to be the last match of the evening , with the match score at 7-2 , before Eagles were able to ensure their point and a 7-3 final score , with Olivers’ four set win over Gleeson.