England retain the AC Home Internationals

[<<] [>>] by Dom Nunns at Pendle
25th May 2023 (International)

England: David Maugham (C), Mark van Loon, Dom Nunns, Richard Smith, Aston Wade

Ireland: Andrew Johnston (C), Simon Williams, Sandy Greig, Brian Havill, Jane Morrison

Scotland: Sam Murray (C), Stephen Wright, Lorna Dewar, Alastair Burn-Murdoch, Andrew Symons

Wales: Angharrad Walters (Manager), Ian Burridge (C), Chris Williams, Rick Harding, Rich Waterman

England retained the Home Internationals, their 9th consecutive win, ending the weekend on 2.5 test wins from 3. Special mentions go to captain (and team chef) David Maugham and Mark van Loon who were the only players to win all of their matches.

However, there was drama aplenty, with a strong challenge from Wales and Scotland in particular, and despite England's impressive tally of match and game wins the final result was in jeopardy until the very end.

Had Scotland's Alastair Burn-Murdoch and Lorna Dewar been able to build on promising situations in the final, resuming matches in front of an excitable gallery (Winnie Murray and her scooter certainly seemed excitable anyway), versus England's pair of injured 'crocks' Richard Smith and Dom Nunns, things might have been different. As it was, the England duo did just enough to hold the Scots at bay, both matches were left unfinished by the scheduled close, and the captains agreed the test should be halved. This decision later came under some scrutiny from those with the full tournament regulations to hand, although the overall event result remained clear.

Scotland had some impressive match and game wins but were unable to close out any test wins in the end, despite competitive contributions from all five players and some notable scalps.

Wales, fielding successful debutant Rick Harding, notched up a test win against Scotland, with the top three all registering match wins. Elsewhere they lost out 4-0 to England and finished broadly level in their unfinished rubber with Ireland.

Ireland didn't make as strong a mark in this running of the event as they had on some previous occasions. They still went away with some highlights though, including a straight games, triple-peel featuring win for Simon Williams versus Wales's Ian Burridge. Sandy Greig also pushed Dom Nunns hard in their match and was unlucky to lose out in the first game +1 after a slow burner with a tense ending.

The small but enthusiastic body of Pendle & Craven members contributed superbly to the weekend, providing bunting, a sense of occasion, five lawns - somehow crammed into the space usually reserved for four - excellent catering and bountiful afternoon teas, with special guest Eileen Magee putting in an appearance. Club chairman Paul Rigge was key to these efforts and was pleased to regularly remind the visitors that Lancashire had the warmest temperatures anywhere in the UK. A well-attended Saturday night dinner at the local Chinese was another highlight.