Match Reports
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Support for the teams is always welcome. The 1st and 2nd teams play their home matches on Tuesday evenings, while the 3rd teams’ home fixtures are on Thursdays. All starting at 7.10pm at the Leisure Centre.
If you are interested in playing for the teams, contact the Membership Secretary and he will direct you to the right person.
Winter 2 2025-26
Week 8 – week commencing 23/2/26
Headline: Another tight fixture for Henley 2nds – but they remain unbeaten
Henley 1st Team‘s Munro Montanus got a SquashLevels boost after beating a stronger opponent this week during the home fixture against Oxford University. Skipper Harry Carr, still struggling to return to full strength after an injury sustained last season, had the opposite experience – losing out in five games to an opponent who was theoretically weaker. Club Coach Adam Edge, Juniors Organiser Paul Ski, and Andy Martin all took one game off their opponents – so some points gained for Henley, but ultimately an overall team loss that sees them remain in 6th place in the division 1 table, with Harwell and Nuffield below them also losing.
Picture: Munro demonstrating proper speed skating technique!
Details:
Captain: Harry Carr
Position: 6th place in the 1st division
This week’s match: Henley(1) 8 v University(1) 17 (on 24/2/26)
1. Munro Montanus (3-1 win)
2. Harry Carr (2-3 loss)
3. Adam Edge (1-3 loss)
4. Andrew Martin (1-3 loss)
5. Paul Ski (1-3 loss)
Henley 2nd Team‘s lower order again came to the fore in helping maintain their unbeaten record in a tight fixture against Oxford University 4th team. The tie hinged on two 5-game matches: in one, Richard Little just lost out to League Organiser David Quinn; in the other Jim Reay came from behind to secure the team result, along with a brace of 3-1 wins for James Rowson and skipper John Williams. Henley are now almost 50 points clear of 2nd place Wallingford – but can they go the whole season unbeaten?
Pictures: (1)Skipper John Williams serving; (2)Expelliarmus! Richard Little’s “sorcerer’s serve”; (3) Highlight of any fixture at Oxford University – the pizzas!
Details:
Captain: John Williams
Position: 1st place in the 4th division
This week’s match: University(4) 10 Henley(2) 15 (on 25/2/26)
1. Tim Budden (0-3 loss)
2. John Williams (3-1 win)
3. Richard Little (2-3 loss)
4. Jim Reay (3-2 win)
5. James Rowson (3-1 win)
Henley 3rd Team bagged a few points to keep their season ticking over, despite losing to Carterton 2nds. Highlights for Henley were a solid 3-0 win for Joe Edwards, a point from skipper Peter Rivers, and two points from a five-game match for Miles Edwards, recently returned from Exeter University. Crazily, these two teams face each other again on Monday – this time on Henley’s home turf when Carterton travel over for the storm-postponed fixture from Week 1. Then on Thursday, Henley3 face high-flying Henley2 in a derby match – points may be hard to come by for the 3rds in that one!
Videos: (1)Rally from Pete Harrison’s match; (2)Rally from Peter Rivers’ match.
Picture: Mile Edwards serving.
Details:
Captain: Peter Rivers
Position: 8th place in the 4th division
This week’s match: Carterton(2) 16 v Henley(3) 6 (on 25/2/26)
1. Peter Harrison (0-3 loss)
2. Joe Edwards (3-0 win)
3. Peter Rivers (1-3 loss)
4. Steve Dance (0-3 loss)
5. Miles Edwards (2-3 loss)
Week 7 – week commencing 16/2/26
Headline: Future superstar turns out for Henley 1st team
Henley 1st team were away at top-of-the-table Defence Academy and short of players for the long trip to Shrivenham. Skipper Harry Carr was able to recruit two guest players from his contacts at Wycombe – but Defence Academy were still too strong. At 3rd string, it was a former Henley player, Ed Hopkins, who defeated Richard Brown and he was joined by Harry and Munro in suffering 0-3 losses, as did guest Andy Peers. The one highlight for Henley was the guest appearance of Ayaan Khan. I don’t know if we will enjoy him turning out for Henley again, but as he competes at under-15 level with a SquashLevel of over 4000, he is obviously one to watch out for in the future.
Picture: Munro about to play a backhand.
Details:
Captain: Harry Carr
Position: 6th place in the 1st division
This week’s match:
Defence(1) 16 v Henley(1) 3 (on 17/2/26)
1. Munro Montanus (0-3 loss)
2. Harry Carr (0-3 loss)
3. Richard Brown (0-3 loss)
4. Andy Peers (0-3 loss)
5. Ayaan Khan (3-0 win)
Henley 2nd Team continue to run away with the division 4 title – although this week’s fixture against 2nd place Gladiators was their closest so far. Indeed, Gladiators took the 1st and 2nd string matches in very close battles that saw Tim Budden just lose out over 5 games 15-9, 10-15, 15-13, 13-15, 12-15 and John Williams lose 1-3. But Henley’s strength in depth told with comfortable 3-0 wins for Tom, Richard and Jim. This result sees Henley more than 40 points clear at the top of the table at the mid-season point.
Video: Rally from John Williams’ hard-fought match at 2nd string.
Details:
Captain: John Williams
Position: 1st place in the 4th division
This week’s match:
Henley(2) 16 v Gladiators 6 (on 17/2/26)
1. Tim Budden (2-3 loss)
2. John Williams (1-3 loss)
3. Tom Tuite-Dalton (3-0 win)
4. Richard Little (3-0 win)
5. Jim Reay (3-0 win)
Henley 3rd team got their 2nd highest points total of the season with a narrow loss at home to Wallingford. Highlights were 3-0 wins for Pete Harrison and Steve Dance and a point from James Rowson’s close match at 1st string.
Video: James Rowson on his way to securing a point for Henley.
Picture: A laid back Pete Harrison in the team line-up after his 3-0 win.
Details:
Captain: Peter Rivers
Position: 8th place in the 4th division
This week’s match:
Henley(3) 7 v Wallingford 14 (on 19/2/26)
1. James Rowson (1-3 loss)
2. Joe Edwards (0-3 loss)
3. Pete Harrison (3-0 win)
4. Peter Rivers (0-3 loss)
5. Steve Dance (3-0 win winloss)
Week 6 – week commencing 9/2/26
Henley 1st team were at home to Harwell who had Oxfordshire No. 1, Ben Hedger (SquashLevel 17,000 and inside the world top 500), playing at 1st string where he overcame Henley’s Munro Montanus in straight games. Skipper Harry Carr fared better at 2nd string with a comfortable 3-0 win. The other Henley players got some games, but ultimately went down to their Harwell opponents – with Andy Martin coming the closest, losing 8-11 in the fifth. Henley slip a place to 5th in the division 1 table. Next week’s opponents are top-of-the-table Defence Academy – could be a tough one?
Pictures: no pictures this week
Henley 2nd Team were up against Nuffield2 who went down narrowly to Henley 3rds last week. This was another tight one with Henley coming out on top thanks to wins from John, Jim and James. At 1st string, Dan was at 1-all when he suffered a calf injury and had to pull up. At 2nd string, Tim took it all the way losing 13-15 in the 5th. Most impressive win was probably skipper John Williams who only dropped 11 points in the whole match. Henley remain unbeaten and top of the division 4 table. Next week they are at home to 2nd place Gladiators – should be a good one!
Pictures: no pictures this week
Henley 3rd team went down to a strong Gladiators team. Highlights were Peter Hopkins’ 3-0 win and Simon Stone taking it to 5 games before losing 14-16 in the fifth. The match also saw the welcome return of Club Chairman, Steve Dance, after spending most of the year so far on the ski slopes!
Videos: (1) Steve Dance back playing team squash; (2) Good serve and tight-on-the-wall second shot from Richard Little.
1st Team
Captain: Harry Carr
Position: 5th place in the 1st division
This week’s match: Henley1 7-16 Harwell1 (on 10/2/26)
1. Munro Montanus (0-3 loss)
2. Harry Carr (3-0 win)
3. Dave Weston (1-3 loss)
4. Richard Brown (1-3 loss)
5. Andrew Martin (2-3 loss)
2nd Team
Captain: John Williams
Position: 1st place in the 4th division
This week’s match: Nuffield2 7-16 Henley2 (on 12/2/26)
1. Dan Andrews (1-3 loss)
2. Tim Budden (2-3 loss)
3. John Williams (3-0 win)
4. Jim Reay (3-0 win)
5. James Rowson (3-1 win)
3rd Team
Captain: Peter Rivers
Position: 8th place in the 4th division
This week’s match: Gladiators 16-5 Henley3 (on 12/2/26)
1. Richard Little (0-3 loss)
2. Joe Edwards (0-3 loss)
3. Simon Stone (2-3 loss)
4. Steve Dance (0-3 loss)
5. Peter Hopkins (3-0 win)
Week 5 – week commencing 2/2/26
Henley 1st team had a convincing home victory over Nuffield – only giving away 3 games all evening. There were comfortable 3-0 wins for Munro, Harry and Andy. Paul Ski took his last 3 games fairly easily after losing the first 9-11. The most competitive match of the fixture was Richard’s 5-game win – he was 2-0 up, then saw his opponent level it up, before taking the final game 14-12. Henley remain in 4th place in the division 1 table, just behind Abingdon and just ahead of Hithercroft.
Videos: (1) Munro on his way to a 3-0 win.
Pictures: (1) Celebrating their victory in the pub.
Henley 2nd Team travelled to Abingdon to play their 5th team. Abingdon5 were able to overcome Henley3 last week, but Henley2 were much too strong for them, gaining the maximum 19 points and only dropping two games. The closest match was at 1st string, where Dan Andrews’ opponent put up a fight, taking the first game and keeping the scores close in the remaining games. Otherwise it was plain sailing for the Henley players and they remain unbeaten at the top of the division 4 table.
Pictures: (1) Dan Andrews serving; (2) Tom Tuite-Dalton serving; (3) Tim Budden on the T.
Henley 3rd team had their first win of the season – at home against Nuffield2. Key to the victory were two 5-game wins for Richard Little and James Rowson – with Richard coming back from 0-2 down, and James’ match even all the way until he took the last game 15-13. Peter Rivers’ comfortable 3-0 win was enough for the overall team result. Peter Hopkins and Simon Stone added to Henley’s points – Peter took his first two games before his opponent eventually overhauled him. Simon took his first game, and later reported he felt a bit poorly – turned out to be low blood sugars and nothing more serious – we wish him well for a speedy recovery and trust he will be back playing team squash very soon.
Videos: (1) Nice drop shot from Richard Little.
1st Team
Captain: Harry Carr
Position: 4th place in the 1st division
This week’s match: Henley1 19-3 Nuffield1 (on 3/2/26)
1. Munro Montanus (3- 0 win)
2. Harry Carr (3-0 win)
3. Richard Brown (3-2 win)
4. Andrew Martin (3-0 win)
5. Paul Ski (3-1 win)
2nd Team
Captain: John Williams
Position: 1st place in the 4th division
This week’s match: Abingdon5 2-19 Henley2 (on 5/2/26)
1. Dan Andrews (3-1 win)
2. Tim Budden (3-0 win)
3. John Williams (3-1 win)
4. Tom Tuite-Dalton (3-0 win)
5. Jim Reay (3-0 win)
3rd Team
Captain: Peter Rivers
Position: 8th place in the 4th division
This week’s match: Henley3 16-10 Nuffield2 (on 5/2/26)
1. Richard Little (3-2 win)
2. James Rowson (3-2 win)
3. Simon Stone (1-3 loss)
4. Peter Rivers (3-0 win)
5. Peter Hopkins (2-3 loss)
Week 4 – week commencing 26/1/26
Henley 1st team visited Abingdon to play their 1st team, featuring Joe Brooke (SquashLevel 15,600) at 1st string. Munro pushed him hard, going down 9-11, 8-11, 7-11 and getting a small boost to his SquashLevel as a reward. The other Henley players all got games with a 3-0 win for Harry and an epic 3-2 win for Andrew Martin, coming back from 2 down; and 1-3 losses for Richard Brown and club coach Adam Edge. So overall team win for Abingdon, but Henley secured enough points to remain in 4th place in the division 1 table.
Pictures: (1) Andrew Martin goes to shake hands after an epic win; (2) Munro (red shorts) playing Joe Brooke
Henley 2nd Team remain unbeaten and on top of division 4 after a win against 4-man Wallingford. Fortified by usual 1st team player, Paul Ski, at 1st string, and with the other 3 Henley players on SquashLevels just short of 2,000, this was a strong line-up! Tim just lost out in his 5th game after fighting back from 2 games down, and the other Henley players had 3-0 wins.
Picture: Tim winding up for a drive down the backhand wall.
Abingdon Squash Club showed their strength in depth when their 5th team overcame Henley 3rd team. Henley went into the fixture with negative points in the division table following last week’s penalty points. So getting enough points this week to be positive again was a victory of sorts! Richard Little took his opponent to 16-18 in his 2nd game, before eventually going down 0-3 despite numerous stamina-sapping long rallies. Jim Reay’s 1-3 loss against stronger opponent Jack Taylor earned him a small rise in his SquashLevel. Joe Edwards fought out a signature 5-game battle – also with many long rallies. Steve Dance pushed his opponent close in the last two games, going down 6-15, 13-15, 12-15. At 5th string, Duncan Nightingale had a 3-0 win over Jane Robinson who beat him last time they played. The 2nd game was the key – Duncan just taking it 20-18.
Videos: (1) Rally from Joe Edwards’ match; (2) Rally from Jim Reay’s match
Pictures: (1) Team line-up; (2) in the pub afterwards
1st Team
Captain: Harry Carr
Position: 4th place in the 1st division
This week’s match: Abingdon1 15-8 Henley1 (on 27/1/26)
1. Munro Montanus (0-3 loss)
2. Harry Carr (3-0 win)
3. Adam Edge (1-3 loss)
4. Richard Brown (1-3 loss)
5. Andrew Martin (3-2 win)
2nd Team
Captain: John Williams
Position: 1st place in the 4th division
This week’s match: Henley2 18-3 Wallingford (on 27/1/26)
1. Paul Ski (3-0 win)
2. Tim Budden (2-3 loss)
3. John Williams (3-0 win)
4. Dan Andrews (3-0 win)
5. no Wallingford player
3rd Team
Captain: Peter Rivers
Position: 8th place in the 4th division
This week’s match: Henley3 6-16 Abingdon5 (on 29/1/26)
1. Jim Reay (1-3 loss)
2. Richard Little (0-3 loss)
3. Joe Edwards (2-3 loss)
4. Steve Dance (0-3 loss)
5. Duncan Nightingale (3-0 win)
