KEEBLE DEFIES THE HANDICAPPER TO WIN RECORD EQUALLING FOURTH TITLE 

Cromer Squash Club hold four internal tournaments during the course of a season and the last one of these, the annual handicap tournament, traditionally takes place in the spring of each year just before the winter season of matches draws to an end. The first tournament was held in 1981 and since then, apart from two years early in the millennium and again in 2021 because of COVID, players of all abilities have taken to the courts each year in a bid to lift the prestigious trophy which was originally presented by The Gateway Building Society. 

The beauty of the handicap tournament is that players of all abilities, in theory at least, have an equal chance of reaching the final but this year the final was between reigning club champion  Richard Keeble (-15) and former club champion Ben Herrieven (-6). After five hard fought games it was Keeble, who first won the title in 2011, who came out on top winning 12-15, 15-11, 15-9, 13-15 15-4. 

This was Keeble’s fourth title which equalled the record of club legend John Baker who won his four titles between 1984 and 2016 while Herrieven who was champion in 2007 had to settle for the runners up slot for the second successive year. 

Under the handicapping system Herrieven started each game with a six point advantage and this proved decisive in the opening game which he won 15-12. Keeble however bounced back, drawing level as he took the second game 15-11 and then made light work of the handicap in the third game to take it 15-9 and go into a 2-1 lead. 

The fourth game was the closest of the final. Either player could have won it as the score was 11-11, 12-12 and 13-13 before Herrieven took the next two points to win the game 15-13 and draw level. The final game, however, was completely different. Keeble won the first 14 points to move into an 8-0 lead and from that point on he never looked back nor looked in danger of losing as he took the game 15-4 to clinch his record equalling fourth title. 

Technical Director, Barry Starling who was among the large and appreciative crowd on the balcony paid tribute to both players saying that Keeble’s performance was “phenomenal” while Keeble said “When I won the title for the first time twelve years ago I remember beating Ben in the quarter finals but I never thought that I would go on to win it four times.” 

In the semi-finals both players had to concentrate to beat two of the high handicappers as Keeble beat young Max Medcraft (+10) while Herrieven defeated second team captain Matt Medcraft (+10) 

 

 

 

CROMER SQUASH CLUB 

 

HANDICAP COMPETITION 

 

                     WINNER                                                                       RUNNER-UP 

1981   GORDON LITTLE                                                        NICK AMIS 

1982   DAVE LONG                                                                  JOHN HAUGHAN 

1983   DAVID BUTLER                                                           JIM RUSSON 

1984   JOHN BAKER                                                              DAVID BUTLER 

1985  GRANT GOODEN                                                    MARTIN BRAYBROOK 

1986   KIM PAYNE                                                                   TOBY AMIS 

1987  GWEN BRAYBROOK                                                JOHN BAKER 

1988  DAVE ANDERSON                                                     NICK AMIS 

1989  GILL RUSSON                                                              DAVID JOHNSON 

1990  JOHN BAKER                                                              ALAN SPINKS 

1991  JOHN BAKER                                                                 GILES MARGARSON 

1992  SUZANNE BRAYBROOK                                   JEAN DRISCOLL 

1993  PAUL SMITH                                                             HELEN RATCLIFFE 

1994  ROGER TUCK                                                            GARY SPRUCE 

1995  CHRIS MOORE                                                    GARY GULLER 

1996  CHRISTINE HAYDON                                        HELEN RATCLIFFE 

1997  SUZANNE BRAYBROOK                                   IAN GRAY 

1998  STEVE MUTTON                                                     NICKY BURTON-PYE 

1999  TRISTAN BURTON-PYE                                   BEVERLY KNOTT 

2001 DAVID JONES                                                         CHRIS CAREY 

2003 MICHAEL HOLDOM                                          STEVE MUTTON  

2004 STEVE MUTTON                                                    JOHN PELTON 

2005 CHRIS MARSHALL                                            SEBASTIAN GASSE  

2006 STEVE MUTTON                                                   SIMON BARCLAY 

2007 BEN HERRIEVEN                                               CLIVE SLATER  

2008 ALEX FOSTER                                                     KIM PAYNE 

2009 HENRI PAUL                                                      MARTIN BRAYBROOK 

2010 PETER FOSTER                                                   MARTIN SANVILLE 

2011 RICHARD KEEBLE                                        ALISTAIR DUNNETT 

2012 RICHARD KEEBLE                                           ENRI PAUL 

2013  MARTIN SANVILLE                                    PETER FOSTER 

2014 PETER ARBUTHNOT                              MARTIN SANVILLE 

2015 RICHARD MOORE                                   MATTHEW JORDAN 

2016 JOHN BAKER                                              JOHN CHANDLER 

2017 JOHN CHANDLER                                     ALAN HARPER 

2018 MATTHEW JORDAN                                 MARTIN SANVILLE 

2019 ALAN MASON                                            JEAN SPRUCE 

2020 WILL WARREN                                           JAMES BLOOM 

2021 COVID 

2022 RICHARD KEEBLE                                   HENRI PAUL 

2023 HENRY GEAVES                                        BEN HERRIEVEN 

2024 RICHARD KEEBLE                                   BEN HERRIEVEN