Several strong performances saw Sheffield Hallam run out winners in the Women’s 1s squash at Hallamshire Tennis and Squash Club.
A large number of supporters made the journey down to Endcliffe Park to support players from both sides but it was Hallam who just proved too strong on the day.
The afternoon started in perfect fashion for the hosts and their top seed Charlotte Jagger against University of Sheffield’s Megan Evans.
22-year-old Jagger, who is ranked number 185 in the world, dropped just nine points in the entire match on her way to a 3-0 win. It was a tough afternoon for former Scottish junior player Evans who simply had no answer to her opponent who looked to get on the front foot at every opportunity.
Munya Karimazondo strengthened Hallam’s position with another 3-0 win, this time over University of Sheffield’s Olivia Satow.
The game of the day in the Women’s 1s came when the Black and Gold side’s Alia Abdelghaffar faced off against Beth Tudor.
A fast start in these best of five matches were crucial and Tudor gained the upper hand by winning the opening game 11-6.
But Abdelghaffar responded well to win the next game through a tie-break before sneaking towards victory with an 11-4 win in the second game.
With the support of a cacophony of noise created by the wave of maroon clappers, Tudor showed great fight to win the fourth game 11-5 and set up a nerve-jangling decider.
The momentum swung back and forth but despite the high stakes of the game, there was some fantastic squash played by both players. A series of backhand slices deep into the corners and some deft drop shots by Abdelghaffar were the highlights as the supporters cheered on their team.
With the score tied at 10-10, Tudor held her nerve to clinch a 12-10 win for Hallam and a deserved win for her side in the Women’s 1s with one game still to be played.