OKEHAMPTON and Tavistock squash clubs competed for the West Devon trophy last week.

This was the first time the trophy had been played for since before the pandemic, but the intention is that this will again now become an annual fixture between the two clubs.

As always, the match was played in a friendly spirit, but with a nice competitive edge. This year's match was played at Okey's courts and it was a 6-player match-up. In the string six match, it was a 3-0 win for Tavistock as Chris Hicks managed to maintain control of the court against Yan Whitchurch.

At string five, Paul Cross and Paddy Hambly enjoyed a series of tight games but with Paddy and Tavistock also coming out with a 3-0 win.

Again, the picture was the same in the string four match where Leon Farrow and Kieran Savage enjoyed some good long rallies and tight games. Eventually, Kieran's fitness and mobility managed to come to the fore and he also ran out with a 3-0 win - leaving Tavy in a strong position in the overall match.

However, in the string three and two matches the fortunes were reversed - with wins this time for Okehampton. At string three, Shane Vallance overcame Jon Parsons from Tavy despite some competitive squash and tight games, Shane eventually winning 3-0. In the string two match Chris Elphick from Okey also prevailed against Clive Marais - with Chris winning 3-1.

This meant that moving into the final string one match, there was everything to play for. The string one match did not disappoint. Chris Johnston from Okey started strongly with some exceptional squash to take the first game. However, Tom Honey started to find his rhythm, with his short game being of a high level which meant that eventually he secured a 3-1 win for Tavy.

Therefore, Tavy ran out with a 4-2 in matches, or 13-7 in games.

Tavy take home the cup and have retained it for another year as a result. It was great to see that Okehampton were in the position to complete well though and plans are already underway for a return match, with links being forged between the two clubs.

The night finished with some fine food and drinks at the Pavilion in the Park.

As always, both clubs are open to new people of all ages coming along and trying either squash or racketball.

To check out squash opportunities at either club do visit their respective Facebook pages - https://www.facebook.com/OkeSquash/ or https://www.facebook.com/Tavisquash/. Squash and racketball are great games - providing a high cardio workout, a chance to meet and play against new people and also to learn new racquet skills.