Bedfordshire O60s Runners-Up in Racketball Inter-County Championships

On the weekend of 17/18^th May, five Club Towers members (Athar Ahmed, Steve Barlow, Steve Adams, Russell West and Matthew Towers) headed to Berkhamsted in Herts to represent Bedfordshire in the over-60s category of the inter-county finals. Teams comprised 5 players, with 3 singles rubbers and one doubles in each match. Beds had received a tough draw in a group that featured Essex and Devon. In their first match against number 1 seeds Essex on the Saturday Athar and Steve B took to the courts first and both came away with excellent wins, putting the team in a strong position going into the final two rubbers. The doubles pairing of Steve A & Russell then racked up a comprehensive victory in the doubles to secure the match win, despite Matt going down 3-2 in the final rubber, having had three match points. The match against Devon ended with a similar comprehensive 3-1 win, which secured a place in the O60s final the following day.

In the final, Beds faced Cornwall, who had come through a very tight group against Surrey and Herts, which was eventually decided on the head-to head result after each team finished with one win. The final did not start well, and all the Beds players looked a little fatigued after their exertions of the previous day. Athar and Steve B were first on court and both went down 3-0. The game scores were all close, but neither could get themselves across the line, despite great effort during some long and gruelling rallies on roasting hot courts. When Matt also lost 3-0, the match was up, despite a great 3-0 win in the doubles from Russell & Steve A to maintain their unbeaten record across the weekend.

And so, we fell just short of a county championship title this year… but encouraged by our strong performance as runners-up. The team are resolved to go one better next year!

Racketball is a great sport for all ages and is played with a shorter racquet than squash and a bigger, bouncier ball. This means that, compared to squash and tennis, it is much easier for beginners and early learners to enjoy some good rallies and hence get a great workout. If you are looking to add variety and a competitive edge to your current exercise routing, why not give it a try? You can arrange a taster by contacting [email protected].