Knights vs Devon & Exeter

 Knights vs Devon & Exeter

After our 5 day Christmas break from the 23rd to the 27th we were back on the tour with 3 consecutive matches until an off day on the 31st and then 13 straight matches from the 1st of January 2015!

A quick summary of the 5 day break:

The team went our separate ways, probably a good thing after seeing so much of each other previously... Michael stayed with family, the Sheans and the Hackings, played a round of winter golf and went to the Emirates to watch his side Arsenal defeat QPR 2-1! Kyle went to his uncle in Woking and also went to watch the Gunners with Mike. Stef went all the way to Amsterdam from the 24th until the 26th for Christmas with friends, then stayed with Dan and Charl who were just outside Banbury with Dan's brother and family for the festive break. We all had a great time and nice break from the game before beginning the second half of the tour.

We all met up in the afternoon of the 28th in Wokingham where Mike was staying before our 3 hour drive to Devon & Exeter. The roads were all frosted over and quite a bit of traffic meant we needed to leave with some spare time to allow for any delays. We passed Stonehenge along the way and snapped some photos from the cars but no time to stop!

We made it to the squash club in good time and Dan went on first at number 5 against Matt Baker at half past 6. The break certainly seemed to slow Dan's reactions and speed and after winning the first game, went down 3-1 with a disappointing start to the next part of the tour. Kyle was on next at number 1 and also seemed to be a bit off, finding himself 2-0 down and 10-4 down in the 3rd, but in true Knights style he then put his foot down and got the game together, clawing his way top win the 3rd, the 4th and the 5th with a 17-15 win! Mike won in 4 next door against a hard hitting player while Stef got a great win against 'the magician' Mike Gregory. Charl went on and blitzed his opponent in about 15 minutes to seal a great 4-1 win against Devon & Exeter!

After the fixture we had a great time with the lads from D&E at the club bar, with no one being afraid of a drink or 2. Mike and Kyle were a bit rusty on our 5 golden rules of safe drinking and got themselves into a bit of trouble with their beers... We then went to a local Indian restaurant for a full course meal of zesty indian cuisine. The food was properly hot and had the boys sweating! Our opponents generously took care of all the bills for the evening and we really appreciate the efforts they made for us. Quite a lot of banter was going around the table, Luke and Dan were getting it after Luke's loss from 2-0 up and 10-4 up and Dan for his below-par performance. Afterwards, Kyle and Dan were hosted by Matt. Mike, Stef and Charl were hosted by Adrian, and on the way home their driver, Mike Gregory, was pulled over by the police and breathalyzed after the police had seen him hobbling out of the restaurant with a strained calf and thought he was drunk! He passed the breathalyser test and luckily the guys made it home!

The next morning we all got a full english breakfast and coffee compliments of the club. We then headed to the town in Exeter for some sight seeing. Thanks to all at Devon & Exeter for having us, we thoroughly enjoyed the evening with a top bunch of guys...

Knights vs Surrey Sports Park, Guilford

Knights vs Surrey Sports Park

Richard Meyjes Road, Guilford, Surrey

We got off to a late start on Tuesday morning, with just one more match that evening before our Christmas break. We were playing in Guilford at Surrey Sports Park against a team headed by Jesse Engelbrecht, the South African who now runs all the squash at this modern club and was in the world top 30 in his hey-day. After some recuperation, we all me up at the Shean's home, the guys were all keen to try some more of the marvellous coffee, before we piled into the Peaugot to Guilford.

When we got to the club and met with Jesse, he told us he would be playing at number 5 which rocked us a bit as we thought he would be at 1 or 2! Who was he playing behind? The team was packed with some top juniors as we would soon find out and we thought we might get a drubbing that evening. Dan and Charl went on first  at 5 and 4 against Jesse and Josh Attwell. Dan did what he could but was never in control of the game and did all of the mileage, going down in 3. Charl produced some superb squash next door and overcame his young opponent in 4. Mike and Stef were on after the first matches against Matt Broadberry and Jack Martell with both of them needing to win as Surrey had Alex Ingham playing at no.1 who would be tough to beat. Stef again used the first game to warm up before outfoxing his junior player in 4 and the fixture came alive with Mike going up 2-0 on the court next door. Mikes shin pain kicked in during the match and dimmed his movement which Matt capitalized on and brought the games to 2-2 in a match with plenty of contact and both players refusing to give an inch. In the 5th, Mike went on with a composed mind and clear game plan and won convincingly despite not being able to move as freely as he would have liked. We had won the last fixture! Kyle went on against Alex with the fixture wrapped up but was determined to get a win against a world top 30 player and after going down 2-1 in games, got the 4th back and then won in 5 to give the Knights a 4-1 win going into the break! This year's team is now sitting on 15 wins out of 20 matches with 16 to play after Christmas.

We had a lovely Christmas dinner with the rest of the squash club in the restaurant area of the club. Jesse introduced us to everyone and Mike told the members what we were all about. We taught Cheyna Tucker and Lauren Deane, who had come down from London  to support us while they were in town, the 4 golden rules of safe drinking with the knights. Alex and a few of the others then took us to a very busy town centre and we wondered if we'd ever be able to get into the clubs with their massive snaking queues! After some drinks at a local bar we thought we'd give the clubs a try hoping that the queues had dispersed but it was not to be. We headed home looking forward to the rest following a successful start to this great tour...

Knights vs Caversham

Knights vs Caversham Health and Fitness Ltd

Anchway Road, Caversham, Reading

After our night out in Windsor, we checked out of Skyways just in time for the 11 o'clock deadline and made our way to Joe Richardson's home outside Basingstoke for lunch. Maggie Richardson prepared a lovely beef stew for us and we used the time before our 4pm fixture to sort out arrangements during our 5-day Christmas break, Skype home and relax.

We were playing Joe's home club that Sunday afternoon, Caversham Health and Fitness, and were keen to put in a good performance and get another team victory. Joe showed us the way to the club and John Shean came to watch too. After about a half hour drive, we arrived at the club and Charl and Dan went on first against Stuart Milton and Matt Baynes. Dan was able to shake off the previous night's effects and win in 3 while Charl struggled to 1-1 before going down 3-1. Mike and Stef went on against Eric Garson and Adam Giles and Mike soon closed out his match in 3 to put the knights 2-1 up in games. Stef got off to a more shaky start and dropped the first game, but as we knew by now, Stef warms himself up in the first and the match only truly begins in the 2nd! He got into the zone and finished strong to win 3-1 and log a win for the knights before the number 1's went on court. The crowd gathered to watch our Kyle play against British and European u17 champion, Kyle Finch. We were glad to have the fixture in the bag once we saw this youngster start to play. He has all the ability in the world, with both technique and movement, but more importantly, has a great squash brain and composure under pressure. Kyle Maree took the 1st in a tightly contested game but then went down 3-1 as Finch got into his stride and mistakes dried up. We wish Kyle all the best and hope to see him go far in the game!

We had a customary chilli supper followed by a box of chocolates which we thoroughly enjoyed. Mike and Stuart gave good post-match speeches and reinforced the bond we have with Caversham. Charl, Kyle and Stef spent the night at the Richardson's while Dan and Mike were hosted by the Shean's in Wokingham. Thanks to Joe, Stuart and the guys at Caversham for a great evening!

Knights vs Windsor

Knights vs The Windsor Club

Helston Lane, Windsor

We awoke to a lovely breakfast at our host's B&B then hit the road back to the Sheans in Wokingham. Robyn spoiled us with a fantastic lunch spread before we all travelled to Windsor for the next fixture.

Before our game, the Shean's, their daughter Tammy and her husband Simon took the team on a picturesque stroll along the Thames River and up to Windsor Castle, with the famous Eton College on the opposite side. We grabbed a Starbucks coffee in the cold and got as up close and personal to the castle as we could! On the way back we passed the leaning building now used as a restaurant before we were shown 'the Arches' where all the nightclubs were and where we would be going after the fixture.

When we got back to the courts quite a crowd had gathered to watch us from above. Dan and Charl went on first as 4 and 5 against Simon Rodwell and Dave Fan respectively. Simon was a serious shot player with great hands and Dan had a physical 5 setter, throwing himself around the court to catch some off Simon's less than conventional shots but went down 11-9 in the 5th as Simon slotted 2 nicks to close out. Charl outplayed Dave in 3 sets to level the matches 1-1. Stef and Mike both got through in 3 sets each without too much trouble to Mick Briggs and Gurbaj Kahlon. Kyle then played the longest 1st game of the tour, winning it 19-17 after many brutal points. His opponent Tim Burrell then pulled back the 2nd but Kyle was too strong and won 3-1 to give the Knights a 4-1 victory.

We had a good chilli supper and taught our opponents our 4 golden rules to practice safe drinking. Some took them in and Tim did not. The number one's clearly had a tough match as neither Kyle nor Tim were very sharp, getting themselves into more trouble with the drinks. The guys took us to a bar next to Windsor Castle after we had checked ourselves into a hotel called Skways in Langley. We had a fantastic time at the bar and managed to convince Gurbaj to come on his 3rd night out in a row along with 2 of his team-mates down at the Arches.

After a great night for some and an earlier night for others, ahem, we all landed up back at the hotel by checkout time... Thanks to Windsor for a top night and for coming along with us!

Knights vs Thame

Knights vs Thame Squash Club

Racquets Fitness Centre, North Street, Thame, Oxfordshire

Following a rough night with little sleep, the Knight's high-tailed it to John and Robyn Shean's wonderful home in Wokingham. Robyn must have had some secret elves working in her home because within minutes of our arrival she had cooked up a full english breakfast along with cereals and the best coffee we had tasted in England so far! After breakfast we all showered and Robs made sure we all had a comfortable place to catch up on some sleep before the evening's game in Thame. We were treated to one of our healthiest home cooked supper's of roast chicken and veg after John arrived and then headed to Thame with John leading the way.

Charl took to the courts first against Simon Martin at number four, who was dressed in an All Black jersey which must have spooked Charl as he went down in 3. Simon was lethal in the mid court area with fantastic racquet skills. Stef was on next at number 3 and won his match 3-0 against a youngster who was hoping to go full time in 2015. Dan went on at number 5 against Oz Mustafa and won in 3 games, with his older brother Jon bringing a bit of luck down to Thame for him! Michael outplayed a young left-hander in a tight 3 setter and Kyle fought out to win a 5 setter against Alex Preston. The Knights won 4-1.

We had a few beers and snacks in the bar afterwards and passed around the Knight's book, which has scores, results and most importantly comments of every Knight's fixture, with the current book starting in the year 2000. The previous book dates back to the 1st Knights tour in 1961/62. It's great for our opponents to look back and see their comments and scores from previous fixtures. We handed over our thank you card to Simon and then headed to our hosts for the evening, Alex's parents B&B.

We felt a late night McDonalds run was justified by our win and we came back to the B&B with enough food to put us to sleep.

Knights vs Bishops Stortford

Knights vs Bishops Stortford

Silver Leys, Hadham Road, Bishops Stortford, Hertfordshire

After our evening in Lexden we caught a few extra hours of sleep at the Selby's before being treated to a filling breakfast and some much needed coffee from Karen. She also gave us a set of 'idiot proof' directions for us to get to the courts in Bishops Stortford, via an Asda petrol station. The petrol stations here compete on price and there are substantial differences between service station prices, so it's worth it for us to find the cheaper ones like Asda and avoid those off the motorway! On Karen's advice, we stopped at the Tip Tree jam factory store and bought a few Christmas gifts. Karen went out of her way to drop off the foam roller we had left behind at the factory, thanks! 

We got to Bishops Stortford in good time and met Nick Mulvey, who we would be playing later. A long warm-up was needed ahead of the night's matches which we knew would be close. The club had put together a team of young guys roughly our age and we'd built up a rivalry on twitter beforehand. 

5's and 1's went on first and it was Charl and Kyle up against Oli Dixon and Charlie Johnson on the 2 match courts. Charl won in 5 and Kyle in 4 with some good captaincy getting the wins where we needed them. Dan at 4 was outplayed in 3, as was Stef in the same number of games. The fixture came down to a brutal 5 setter between Michael and Tim Dixon. The night proved to be theirs as Tim came back from 9-6 down in the final game to win 12-10, it was a great game to watch with both players giving of their best. By that stage there was a full gallery and many cheers followed the match. Well done to Bishops Stortford for winning 3-2 and ending the Knight's winning streak.

After showering we had dishes of pasta and meat and reflected on the evenings matches. As we were all closely matched in age, we thought it would be cool to take on our opponents in a 'boat race' drink off competition with 'strawpedo's being the downing method. Both teams lined up with captains in front followed by the playing order of the night. The Knights comprehensively won this one with our team finishing all 5 before Stortford had gotten through their first 2, thanks to Charlie's not-so-great effort with his drink. We then went head to head with our individual opponents as Stortford got technical and whipped out stopwatches to time us while doing a shot and another strawpedo. Knights still managed a 4-1 win there...

Charlie and the others took us out on a night in town. We had a good night together but called it relatively early to try get some sleep at the courts where we spent the night. Stef and Dan, in search of a late night snack for the team, set off the alarm at the courts and made sleeping near impossible until Kyle and Nick Mulvey got back an hour later and switched it off. 

We awoke to the sound of racket ball and locker room conversations and thought it best to leave soon with our reputation still intact!

Knights vs Lexden

Knights vs Lexden 

Chitts Hill, Lexden, Colchester, Essex

After our breakfast in Bury St Edmunds, we drove to the town of Colchester to play against Lexden Squash Club. We checked in at the courts and met Paul Allen, the younger brother of Mark Allen who played and coached in Cape Town and is now coaching in America. Paul is a former British junior champion and captain himself. We were to play at 7:30 pm so had some time to go into Colchester Town and have a look around.

We found a burger and pizza joint called Hudson’s, just like the one back home and decided to have burgers for lunch there. After that, we walked further down the main road and couldn’t help but notice the amount of women pushing prams around! The baby business must be booming in Colchester. We went in to a Starbucks where some of the guys had coffees and we had the use of their wifi, always a sought after feature when we’re on the road.

We left town to make our way to the home of Paul and Karen Selby, who would be having us that evening. Our GPS took us to the wrong place when we entered the post code and then Dan and Mike in the second car got split up from the other 3 in the darkness and without the team phone and no way to get hold of the other car. We eventually managed to regroup and get to Karen’s home where we were spoilt with bed and breakfast rooms in a beautiful converted barn. Darryll Selby’s son,  Noah, just short of 2 years old, was being baby-sat by Karen. The team couldn’t believe the size of the Newfoundland that looked like a bear when it strolled into the lounge and almost had us in a scared huddle. 

After we sorted our things out, it was time for our match.

There was a tennis party function happening next door to the courts and we had quite a crowd watching our games.Lexden had fielded a side very evenly matched to ours as the resuts would show. Dan went down 3-1 in a good match with a young left hander at number 5. Mike, on next door, fought hard to a 3-2 victory over Steve Snelling at number 3. Charl went down 3-1 to his opponent at 4, with the team 2-1 down with 2 to play.Stef went on against Paul Allen, a top British junior in his day and looked formidable on court. Stef battled to 1-1 and then 2-1 up before Paul steered the game into the 5th with things looking very iffy. Stef played the perfect game after being down 3-0  in the 5th and took the match keeping us in the running! Last on was Kyle at 2. He played Andy Haynes who had played a good few of the Knights in the past. The match was tightly contested but Kyle kept his head and pulled through with a 3-2 victory. He had his team mates worrying when he went for a forehand crosscourt volley nick at 9-7 in the 5th off the serve, it rolled and he took the match. We somehow snuck the fixture 3-2 with all 3 five setters going our way.

We had a BIG meal of endless pizza, garlic bread, onion rings and beer afterwards and chatted to Paul and the guys. 12 o'clock came and it was Kyle Maree’s birthday so we sorted him out with a little birthday “shallange” where we had to make do with what was available behind the club's bar. He ended up having to eat 4 sweet puddings, down a pint of beer, take a shot of rum followed by a vodka energy drink down down. Kyle stood his ground and took it down, but may have had to visit the men’s room soon after.... As we discussed our options of where to spend the rest of the evening, Stef asked Andy, “Is it ok to drive drunk around here?” Only after Andy left were we informed that he is a policeman!!! We took a taxi, knowing that Andy might be waiting for vengeance with a breathalyser in hand…

Colchester town was rather empty so we opted for an earlier night at the comfortable home that was waiting for us…

Knights vs Winchester and Moreton Hall Health Club

Knights vs Winchester Squash Club

Bereweeke Road, Winchester

The team enjoyed our last buffet breakfast at the Pomme d'or before making our way to the airport to fly back to Southampton. We didn't pay for our luggage on the way to Guernsey with the same company we were using for the return, but they charged us £40 per bag going back. Mike managed to talk them down to £30 but we still felt a bit hard done by.

From Southampton airport we drove back to the Richardson's home in Basingstoke to get the rest of our bags and washing as we would be using 2 cars to get around from then. Maggie had cooked us up a tasty shepherds pie for lunch which soon disappeared between the 5 of us.

We then headed to Winchester in both cars. After meeting everyone, Dan went on against Stefan Stanton and Mike played a young and fit Adam Comoran. Both matches were 5 setters with Mike winning his and Dan going down next door. Kyle put on a clinical performance against Gary Hinton to win 3-0. Charl lost 3-1 to Ben Thornton with the fixture coming down to Stef who played a tricky Jon Foster. It was tough to watch but Stef got the job done, winning in 4 and sealing the fixture. The Knights now had 3 wins on the trot.

We had some delicious food before going off to our hosts for the night. Gary hosted 3 of us despite having 2 children and an apparent lack of sleep as a result. Jon hosted the other 2 and we met up in the morning ready to head to Bury St Edmunds for our next match. Thanks especially to Gary for restringing 2 of our racquets in the morning and to his wife for helping us out with some washing!

Knights vs Moreton Hall Health Club

Bury St Edmunds

The next day we had a long 4 hour drive ahead of us from Winchester to Bury St Edmunds. After a late(ish) start to the trip we got to the courts and after a warm up we went on with Charl going up 3-0 against Martin Evans and Dan losing in the 5th to James Bird. Kyle and Stef both won in 3 sets against Ian Cox and Owain Taylor to seal the fixture before Mike had a fantastic and tight 5 setter against Jamie Goodrich which could have gone either way with Mike having a match ball in the 4th but going down in the 5th. The Knights won 3-2.

We all had great hosts for the evening with Peter Alexander hosting 3 of us. We met up at the courts in the morning for a breakfast at the club before parting ways and making our way to Lexden Squash Club in Essex.

Knights vs Jersey

Knights vs Jersey

Jersey Squash & Racketball Club

Greve D'Azette, St Clement, Jersey

Saturday the 13th

After a good rest in the morning, the team met up at the airport for our 6 minute flight to Jersey, which you can see from Guernsey. Upon arriving at a deserted airport we found the only check - in lady who informed us that there was no 12h00 flight and that the next flight was at 17h25! Mike was so sure that he got the time right that he got out his phone and showed the lady. She took one look and said, "this is by boat..." So we raced to catch a taxi to make the 1 hour long ferry trip and made it just in time!

We were welcomed off the ferry by Nick Taylor, Jerseys no.1 player who has a highest world ranking of 14 and is a big part of the growing squash scene on the island. He showed us to our 4 star hotel, the Pomme d'or, which had graciously been paid for us beforehand. We relaxed in our luxurious rooms and then made our way to the courts across town by taxi. Nick and Jersey squash club had done a great job advertising the match and soon the main court gallery was packed with spectators. ... announced the Knights Club and gave a brief summary of what it was before calling each of us and our opponents out individually onto main court. We took some photos which are up on the Jersey Squash and Racketball Club.

First up was Stef on the match court against Rob Michlins, he got us off to a winning start in 3 sets. Charl went up 3-2 next door after being 2-1 down and banked us a much needed win. Michael beat Scott Gaultier 3-0 and the Knights had the fixture in the bag while Daniel overcame Ross Cornish in 4. Last up and on centre court was Kyle against Nick Taylor, an extremely exceptional player with a great reputation. Kyle learnt a lot coming up against Nick but went down 3-0. We won the fixture 4-1.

We were spoiled with beer and pizza after the fantastic match with some quality people. The Jersey guys even set up a Knights donations jar for our night on the town which we thought was the best idea anyone had had so far.. We had a rest day the following day and were keen to celebrate a hard fought victory in proper Knights style. A game of tink was played as we confounded the locals with the ridiculously complicated set of rules.

Nick got us back to the hotel from which we were within walking distance of the pubs and clubs. We got ourselves to a buzzing bar before hitting Mimosa club and 'jolled' the night away.

We used the following rest day in Jersey to sleep in, have a big breakfast and stroll around the shops.

Knight's vs Guernsey

Knights vs Guernsey

Beau Sejour Centre, Coach House, Amherst, St. Peter Port, Guernsey

Friday, December 12th

The beginning of the weekend saw us travelling back from Bognor Regis to Southampton for our flight to the channel island of Guernsey, just of the French coast of Normandy.

Our flight was scheduled for 16:35 in the afternoon, so we stopped off at a shopping centre on the way to Southampton to look around and eat. Not exactly a professional sporting diet, our eating habits have generally been determined by an optimal balance between cost and filling the stomach, with caffeine boosts from coffee being vital supplements to keep us going. Mike must be so hacked off being the only one in the team that doesn't drink it.. We are always converting costs into rands and the food prices do seem exorbitant to us. Our best value so far has been the '£3 meal deal' where you get a sandwich/pasta with a fruit snack and a drink for £3 at any Tesco. We then discovered the Boots 3 meal deal where you can get a more filling yoghurt as a snack and more expensive drink for £3.30,  but if you keep your slip you get 30p off the next meal. We also frequently find ourselves at McDonald's for their 'Daily Deal' wrap with different fillings depending on the day, for £2 each.

We found some good sales at the factory stores but are all waiting for the boxing day sales after the 25th.

We got to the airport in good time only to find that there had been a nationwide delay in flights as a result of an air traffic control crisis at the bigger airports. All northbound flights eventually got cancelled and after a 2 hour delay we were lucky to get in the air and to Guernsey.

After we landed we were just about to jump into a taxi before Martin Watts and Greg Forino spotted us and took us to the courts. The Beau Sejour Centre is a big sporting and events facility and houses the courts. We played on 2 courts starting at about 8pm due to our delayed flight. Dan and Charl went on first against Matt Roibilliard and Greg Forino. Dan won a tight 5 setter and Charl overcame his opponent in 3. Stef went on against fellow Saffa and Sacs old boy, Andy May, and cruised to a  clinical victory 3-0. Kyle played Martin and also won in 3 before Mike played a hard running youngster Janic, who plays a tough game but Mike managed to take it in 4 sets.

After the match we were quick to shower and leave as we were told that Andy May would be braaing for us at his home on the island. Andy clearly does not do half measures as when we got there we saw that he had 2 of the biggest fillets, specially made boerewors and other sausage, along with potato's cooked on the coals. The lager on tap did not hurt either to make us feel at home and enjoy a delicious meal. We each had more than 2 fillets and safe to say could not have anymore before we headed out to a local club to experience some of the islands nightlife.

Dan and Stef were hosted by Andy, Kyle by Matt and Mike and Charl were put up at a hotel for the remainder of the evening. Andy took his 2 knights on a trip around the island and we soon understood why the guys from Jersey called him 'Action Man!'

Knights vs Middleton

Knights vs Middleton

After the Isle of Wight we ferried to Southampton and had some hours to kill. We wondered around and made a stop at the museum which had exibits of the First World War, Southampton history and the history of  the Titanic, although Stef found the cafeteria more enthralling..

We then headed to Middleton on sea in the town of Bognor Regis to take on Middleton Sports Club who proved to be a very tough side. We lost 2 5 setters at 4 and 5 before Kyle got a good win  in 3 sets against the 6 foot '8 Brandon Hanley. Michael did well to close out against Phil Bull in 3 where the matches were then drawn at 2-2 with the 1's deciding the fixture. Stef played a great game and gave it all he could but Steve Wykes proved too strong for him on the day, ending the match 3-1. It was a challenging day and we were gutted to have lost so closely.

The guys spoiled us with some delicious beef stroganoff and chicken tikka on rice, accompanied by lager and cider which some of the guys mixed to make a 'snake-bite.' Phil Bull the  proceeded to teach us the most complicated and pedantic  drinking game any of us have ever heard of, with the innocent name of 'tink.' It has a particularly steep learning curve for novices as we would find out. The ridiculously long list of rules are only explained once and present players with plenty of opportunities to 'consume their beverages from the receptacles.' 

Nevertheless the Knights, not shy of a competitive game like this, put the home team through their paces and left with our reputation intact.

Stef, Dan and Charl were hosted by Brandon whilst Mike and Kyle stayed at club chairman Spencer ' s home. We all got a good night's rest and filling breakfast in the morning. Thanks to Middleton Sports Club and our hosts!

Knights vs Isle of Wight Squash Club

Westridge Squash Courts, Brading Road, Ryde, Isle of Wight

Following our Cardiff fixture, we got ourselves on the road in a hurry, which was becoming the norm, back to the Richardson's in Basingstoke. We left Wales around 09:00, needing a quick turnaround at Joe's home to pack kit for the next leg of the tour to the Isle of Wight, Middleton, Guernsey and Jersey. Having not written down the exact address but having directions out of the Richardson's home to Cardiff on a sheet of paper, we thought we would be able to navigate our way straight back to the house by following the directions in reverse, the Knights being smart university students and all. We couldn't and soon our hunches led us astray to the point of panic as we had a ferry to catch at 13:30. Upon pure guesswork, a bit of luck and a good few sets of directions from various locals, we stumbled upon Joe's driveway. Success.
We wasted no time in packing the bare essentials so we could all squeeze into the peaugot once again and save a bit on fuel. Our washing had miraculously been done by Maggie and had managed to dry in time.

Some 'aggressive' driving by our designated driver, Stef, saw us boarding the ferry within seconds of the gate closing behind us. We were glad to be on the slow yet comfortable 1 hour ferry to the Isle of Wight as we could catch up on admin, get a meal in and relax for a while.

After we arrived at East Cowes on the island, we caught a bus and taxi to get to the courts. Note to readers, it's cheaper to just take your car across for about £50 and use it. If you leave it behind you'll have to pay for parking and bus tickets anyways.

We got to the courts with about 2 and a half hours to kill and after the late night we had, we used the time to sleep after a very understanding club secretary saw how tired we were. Mike knocked around with 2 young siblings, Ben and Emily, as their father watched on. Emily in particular looked really impressive for such a young player, watch that space!

Martin Phillips, who organised the fixture, arrived at the courts and we introduced ourselves. The club had put a flyer advertising the fixture on their noticeboard and a few people had come to watch, which we really enjoy! Martin announced our matches for the night before Mike and Dan got to work on the two glass back courts in front of a good audience. They both won their matches at 4 and 5 and Charl and Kyle went on after. Charl played 2 and was unlucky to take no games. Kyle played a tricky left hander and had won a vital 5 setter 11-9 in the deciding game which won us the match. We had a bit of a scare when  Stef tweaked his leg playing against the number 1 as we have no reserves and the better part of the tour ahead of us.

We had a great supper of rice and chilli con carne with pita bread and sour cream and there was enough for seconds too which we gladly tucked into. We went to Wetherspoons with Martin, Callum  (no2) and Jamie (no4) on a quiet night on the island which suited us well. We tried a local ale named the 'Wight Christmas' but by now have realized we're all strongly in favour of lager!

Callum hosted his opponent Charl, Jamie hosted Mike while Stef, Kyle and Dan went out to Martin's lovely home where he and his wife had just moved into less than 2 weeks previously.  Brave move and much appreciated! We got a rare full night's sleep and were treated to a full breakfast spread at the Phillips's home, courtesy of Martin and Sue. Martin then led us on a short but steep hike straight up the hill behind their home, we weren't sure whether this was a tactical move to tire us out as we were playing his nephew's side in Middleton that evening or if it was revenge after our win the previous night. Either way it was beautiful

up there, see the pictures for yourself!

Callum did Mike a huge favour when he restrung his racquet at his house early in the morning, which benefitted the whole team as Dan and Stef would need to use it after going through 3 of their own racquets in less than 2 weeks of touring!

Thanks for a great fixture Isle of Wight!

Knights vs Cardiff Rackets Club

On Tuesday morning we moved out of our London apartment and took the train to Joe Richardson's lovely home in Basingstoke out in the British countryside. Joe and Maggie met us at the station and took us to the car rental store where we picked up our transport for the rest of the tour, a Peugeot 206 hatchback and a Vauxhall Corsa. Taking 2 small cars worked out cheaper than a big team van. We followed Maggie to the Richardson's home where we would leave our suitcases for  a few days as we would be piling into the peaugot with as little baggage as possible as we headed to Cardiff for the evenings fixture. Maggie worked miracles with our laundry for us for which we are extremely grateful as you can imagine! We had some local fish and chips and then set off for Cardiff about 150 miles west.

We got to the club in good time and special mention must go to Gerwyn Davies who arranged free accommodation for us at the Sports Wales institute which was a 2 minute walk from Cardiff Squash Club. We played a young Cardiff side and all managed to win for our first 5-0 victory, taking back a bit of Saffa pride after the Springbok loss a few weeks ago!

We had a good meal of rice and chilli con carne afterwards and our new favourite lager, San Miguel. Gerwyn stayed to chat with us in the clubhouse and told us about how he came to meet Craig Van Der Wath as a talented young saffa with loads of potential.

Gerwyn's nephew showed took us to experience some Cardiff nightlife which was buzzing on the night. We ended up at a club called revolution before going home for a short sleep.

Upon our wake up call early the next morning, we found we were missing a member of the team. He found his way back just in time as we were leaving, by the sounds of it he had had quite an eventful night without catching too many winks but a great night. Period.

Knights vs Bexley

Following a much needed rest day, we awoke on Monday morning refreshed and ready for the week which sees us travelling to Bexley, Cardiff, Isle of Wight, Middleton, Guernsey and Jersey. It's our first week away from London and on the road and we're excited to explore the countryside!

Peter Lewis welcomed us to Bexley Lawn Tennis and Squash Rackets Club upon arrival where we would play on the 2 glass back courts next to each other. 1's and 2's went on first with Michael playing a seasoned Ben Ford and Kyle playing Brad Masters, an extremely talented young British prospect ranked at no.5 in under 19. Mike played his best squash of the tour in a high quality match but went down 3-1. Kyle went down in a closely contested 3 setter. Stef and Charl went on afterwards and kept their heads under a pressurised situation, with all of us needing to win to take the fixture. They both won 3-0, with the match coming down to Dan at no.5. His match was close as he tried to wear down his opponent. He took the first before going down 2-1. A big push followed and he took the next 2 games to win 3-2 and get the Knights back to winning ways.

We really enjoyed the gracious hospitality and delicious food from Bexley after the match. The guys were a warm bunch and made us feel at home with good food and good conversation. As our fixture went on for a while after the last overland trains had gone, Dan's opponent Christian and Peter drove us to North Greenwich station where we could take the line to Bond Street. A big thanks to the club for a wonderful match played in great spirit!

Knights vs Wimbledon and Real Tennis in Hampton Court

Our 6th consecutive match and last fixture before our first rest day was against Wimbledon Racquets and Fitness Club. We were to start this fixture early in the afternoon at 2pm. Some very stiff and sore bodies took to the cold courts against tough opponents. We lost the fixture 3-2 with Kyle and Charl winning their matches at 3 and 5 but Wimbledon being too strong for us on the day. It was great to finish earlier which meant we could sneak in some sleep before checking out what Clapham's nightlife was like ahead of our rest day.

On Sunday we got up slowly and made our way to Starbucks and Regent Street for a while, before our days event of Real Tennis at Hampton Court Palace with Joe Richardson and Simon Fox. We took the tube from Oxford Circus to Waterloo and then transferred to the Hampton Court overland train where Simon was waiting for us.

Simon took us took us into the grounds of Hampton Court Palace, to the Real Tennis court which was commissioned by Charles I as one of his first acts upon taking the throne in 1625. Centuries old and very traditional, this sport has not changed much over time. There are currently just 26 real tennis courts in England, with Hampton Court being the 2nd one built in the country. The game is essentially a mixture between tennis and squash, as the court is enclosed by walls but there is a net which you must hit over. There are a few oddities, such as the one wall on the receivers side of the court being broken by a buttress called a 'tambour' which puts the receiver at a serious disadvantage. There are grilled openings called 'galleries' along the sides and back of the wall opposite the 'tambour' which you can hit into and win the point! The balls used are all hand made and are harder, irregularly shaped versions of the modern day tennis ball which don't bounce too well. Simon attempted to teach us the extremely complicated rules of the game as we smashed balls at each other playing doubles with our bent wooden racquets. There's even a painting of Henry VIII on the far end corner of the receivers end where, if you can hit it, you win the point immediately. We played a few games and then had a competition to hit the painting, where Charl managed to out hit us and win.

Joe and Simon took us to a nearby pub for supper before we returned home and got a good night's rest ahead of a big week.

Knights vs Colets

Our next fixture of the tour was against Colets Health Club in Thames Ditton, Surrey. We left just before 6pm for the game at 7, taking the tube from Oxford Circus to Waterloo station. After arriving at Waterloo, we discovered that the overland train to Thames Ditton had left 5 minutes before we got there and the next one only left 25 minutes later which would make us late for the game. Mike was on the phone to his uncle trying to get us out of this WOT (World Of Trouble) but misheard the name of the train we were supposed to be on and we made a comedy of errors, jumping on a train to Shepperton only to find out it wouldn't get us anywhere near our destination. We switched trains at the next stop and were Kingston bound. Luckily, our unfortunate situation caught the attention of a motherly British woman, who took it upon herself to help us out. She called a taxi and rode along with us after we got off the train, getting out just before Colets Club. She was proudly English and told us all about the history of Hampton Court, the 2nd most visited tourist attraction in England, home of King Henry VIII, where we would be playing Real Tennis on Sunday. She even paid for our taxi, don't know what we would have done without her!

With that crisis avoided, we arrived at Colets with 1's and 5's on first on courts next to each other. David Peck had rung ahead informing us that they had put together a strong side and would be tough to beat. Colets had brought in a strong number one, Scott Handley, who'd been ranked as high as 36 in the world. Kyle played well but went down 3-0. Dan, on next door, did not play his best and went down 3-0 with the team down 2-0 at that stage. Mike went up 2-0, the opponent brought the match back to 2-2 before he powered through and took the match 3-2. Special mention must go to Stefano who got himself into a major battle with the match result staying alive only if he won his match. The slow playing courts had both players attacking the ball with good length's to the back wall being hard to come by. He broke a racquet in the 2nd and was down 2-0 when the match looked lost. He contested the 3rd but found himself down 10-8, match-ball down. His fighting spirit kicked in and he refused to lose, clawing the game back to 10-10 and taking the game 12-10! Although he'd damaged himself in the process, his opponent was also suffering and Stef started to get the better of him as the momentum shifted his way. He broke his strings in the 4th and now had no racquets left, using a team-mates to bring the games level at 2-2. He blitzed through the 5th and took the match in an incredible come-back, giving us a fighting chance for the win. Charl went on last with all the pressure in the world on him, he played well in the first and went 1-0 up. His opponent then found his feet and played a very attacking game, Charl unfortunately lost 3-1 and we lost overall.

Colets gave us a lovely supper along at the club house before we headed home. We're playing Wimbledon today and hope to get ourselves back to winning ways.

Knights vs Coolhurst

After what turned out to be a rather eventful evening in Roehampton, the Knights took plenty of time on Thursday to recover and get ready for what again turned out to be a gruelling fixture at Coolhurst, although we won 4-1, each match was closely contended and the guys managed to play the big points really well, hat-trick of wins!!!

4th December vs Coolhurst Squash

Kyle Maree Vs Nick Sutcliffe 3/1
Michael Shean Vs Alex Crouch 3/1
Charl Fourie Vs Akim Newrzella 2/3
Stefano Garas Vs Nick Lomax 3/0
Daniel Thomson Vs James Paige 3/0

Knights won 4-1.

Well done to Kyle who registered our first win at number one on the tour and was able to get one over Nick Sutcliffe. Although we have only played 4 fixtures we have come up against Nick 3 times and it was vital we didn't let him come away with a 3 wins from 3 matches. For his great performance Kyle got MOTM and he really looks to be going from strength to strength on the tour. Stef also put forward a dominating performance and was really convincing in victory. Coolhurst were a fantastic host club, thanks must go out to the club and the members at the fixture.

The adventures of Duane and Schalla

After a relatively early night on Tuesday, the team awoke refreshed and ready for Wednesday's match against Roehampton.

We cooked up a hearty breakfast of bacon and scrambled egg, our go-to meal, before heading out to do some sight-seeing. We caught the bus to Westminster and walked down to the River Thames after we'd taken enough photographs of the sights of Big Ben, the London Eye and the buildings along the river. We visited Trafalgar Square and had our first Starbucks coffee on the way home.

Paul Lindsay had been talking a big game on Twitter about the Roehampton fixture and we were very eager to come out for it with all guns blazing. Roehampton is a very impressive club and has squash and tennis courts, a golf course, a gym and many other amazing facilities. Paul welcomed us to the courts and we got underway with Stef and Charl playing first at 3 and 5. Charl played fluidly and elegantly as always against Paul and went up 2-0 before closing out 3-1. Stef, on next door, battled to 1-1 and showed a great head under pressure in the 3rd when he came back from 8-10 down to take it 12-10. He finished in 4 and was clearly glad to have avoided a 3rd 5 setter! Daniel went on against Robert Findlay at number four and recorded his 1st win on tour in 3 games, relieved to say the least. Michael played number 2 against Paul Carnero and put on a stellar performance to win in 3 against a tough opponent who looked good on court. Last on was our number 1 for the night, Kyle, who faced a seasoned warrior in Steve Richardson. They played a fast paced game with long rallies. Kyle went down 2-0 before finding his short game in the 3rd and winning it. He was unlucky to lose the match in the 4th in a tight game that would have been down to the wire had it gone to 5.

After a delicious meal it was time for Paul's words to come true in the bar, as he took his revenge out on us by keeping the beers and shooters coming all night long. We found ourselves in a world of trouble yet again... Steve, Paul, Rob and Lindsay applied the pressure to which the Knights would not back down as records were broken and beers were to be downed not sipped. This led to all sorts of shenanigans, hence the title of this post. Dan and Mike put on their alter ego's of Springbok heavyweights Duane Vermuelen and the incredible Schalk Burger on their way out, clearly needing to  let some energy out at the club we visited that night, Tiger Tiger. Let's just say it was not safe on the streets with these two around. Robert was given the task of taking us out while were not at our best and did a fantastic job herding the boys in the right direction. Tiger Tiger was not dissimilar to its South African equivalent and we had a great night ending in a late one. You'll have to chat to one of us to squeeze out the juicy details, might need to buy us a drink first...

Knights vs Oxford and Cambridge Club

After an eventful night that saw one of our team members spend half his savings for the tour, the boys had to pull out all the tricks to be ready for a tough clash at the wonderful Oxford and Cambridge Club in Pall Mall road. Many hours spent laughing and recalling what memories remained from the evening past seemed to be the best remedy.

We got to the club and found ourselves up against some real tough opposition. Charl was up first and really gave a master class on stroke play which lead to the downfall of the opposing captain Dominic Curtis. Next Kyle Maree went on court vs Rob Stanton and had to wear down his opponent with long rallies and some great fetching to come away with a 3-1 victory which had the Knights up 2-0 and only needing one victory to clinch the fixture. Next up was Dan Thomson who quickly found himself down 2 games to love and in a deep WOT (World Of Trouble). Dan fought like a warrior and again found himself in a fifth set. It seemed as though the 5 setter the night before got to him and he just didn't have the legs to close out what would have been a magical comeback. Next on was Garas who was up against Nick Sutcliffe. The game had a pair of bagels and Nick returned the favour in the 5th set which lead to his victory. This meant the fixture was 2 all with Shean on court in the decider. Mike was able to win a tough match in 3 sets against Mark Warren and bring our first team victory home.

We were treated to a great meal, plenty laughs and some interesting stories. Some of the guys found themselves a little out of their depth in some highly cultured conversations with Mozart and Bach being the topic of conversation.

Charl Fourie was a worthy winner of the Man of the Match.

SA Knights v The Jesters at the RAC

Our first fixture of the tour was the highly anticipated match against The Jesters at the historic Royal Automobile Club at 89 Pall Mall Street, London.

After a slow start to the day, we cooked up a hearty English breakfast of scrambled egg and pork sausage to give us some energy for the day ahead. We went out and explored the area, walking down Regent Street and wandering into the shops before returning home to get ourselves prepared for the evening's matches.

We caught a bus to Piccadilly Circus and then walked down to Pall Mall Street and into the very impressive Royal Automobile Club. It's very traditional and has a strict dress code for both playing and socialising. We were to wear all whites while playing and had our jackets, chinos and smart shoes for supper and drinks in the Long Bar.

The courts are below ground, beside a swanky underground swimming pool which looks like it belongs on a movie set! The pool heating system makes the air around the courts very warm as we were about to experience.

We met the legendary Peter Chalk upon arriving at the club, who organised the fixture and the night's activities to follow. We've heard many stories about Chalky's exploits on this night and were very excited to see what he had in store for us after the game!

First to arrive from The Jesters team was their captain, Tim Garner, who also regularly plays the Jarvis Cup in South Africa for Border as an overseas pro. Our captain, Michael, who also plays for Border, went on against Tim for the first match of the evening. We played by the traditional English scoring method to 9 points, best of 5 games as opposed to the point-a-rally 'American' method  that we use in our leagues back home.

Michael settled in well and took the first game comfortably. He then went up 8-2 in the second before Tim used his experience and grinded the game to 8-8 with some very physically testing rallies. Tim took the game 9-8 and levelled the match. He went on to win 3-1 in an impressive showing of the game. Stef went on next door and prevailed in a long 5 setter. Kyle won his match in 4 games and Charl went down in 4, with the matches drawn before Daniel went on as number 5. After being 2-1 down in games and 8-4 down in the 4th, he fought to take the game and the match to 5 sets, keeping the fixture alive. He lost the 5th and the Knights failed to win this elusive match against the Jesters.
The matches were all very close and although we lost, we were glad to get the tour underway.

We had a traditional English dinner; sliced lamb, meat, vegetables and Yorkshire pudding, along with wine and one or two beers. The boys then headed to the bar where the night began to unfold into a series of events that would live up to all expectations and stories heard from previous tours.

We knew we were in for a big evening when one of the opponents said to us, "Have you heard about this night before?", to which Stefano replied, "Yes we have indeed". Everyone cracked up in laughter and the first round of beers was ordered. This then followed 2 minutes later with another round, as Chalky ordered us to down our beers, "Come on lads, this is real beer, enjoy it!!".

In usual RAC (Chalky) fashion, we had many more beverages and then headed into the taxis and on route to the infamous Stringfellows. It was an unforgettable evening filled with very many hazy memories and stories that we will have for the rest of our lives!! Well played Peter Chalk;)

It's the 1st of December and the 27th Tour SA Knights are safe and sound in the UK. We're staying in a spacious 3 bedroom apartment in central London, 14 St Vincent Street, Marylebone, W1U4DD to be exact. We departed from O.R. Tambo International on Saturday evening, flying to Abu Dhabi for a short layover before our trip to London. Special mention must go to Skipper Mike who ensured his team was all on the flight and seated together after Dan and Kyle found they had no seats on the plane with an overbooking!

Jumping back to the team's first meeting on Friday the 28th November, this is what we've done so far:

The 5 of us met up for a quick coffee and team meeting at Seattle Coffee in Linksfield, ahead of our traditional fixture and send off dinner held at the wonderful home of John and Tracey Davenport.

We knew better than to win this fixture and went down 3-2. Daniel and Stefano won their best of 3 fixtures vs Gary Plumstead and the 26th tour captain, Craig Stevens. Michael and Kyle went down to JP Brits who played back to back matches while Charl went down to Derek Van Der Merwe.

We played a bit of social doubles before being treated to a delicious supper, desert and drinks courtesy of the Davenports. Chris Richards (Capt. 4th tour, 1967/68), president of the Knights Club, kicked off with the speeches and wished us well. Steven Doeg (Capt. 13th tour, 1986/87), Richard Robinson (Capt. 11th tour, 1982/83) and John Davenport (8th tour, 1976/77) wished the team well and shared stories from previous tours around the dinner table. Our captain, Michael, gave his first official thank you speech after he and Steven presented the team with our jerseys. 

The team can't express enough gratitude to the contributions and effort that the Old Knights put in to keep the tour successfully running and we're determined to continue upholding the traditions and reputation of the Knights Tour in the same vein as years past.

The team faces the Jesters at the RAC Club tonight in Pall Mall and are eager to get off to a good start!