Superleague 2014

06/08/14 at Westway: Aston House Stallions beat Team Westway 3 6-0

G.Hoskins & S.Chapman beat A.Rennie & A.Pilkington 15-6

A.Yusaf & C.Cooley beat B.Carlin & S.Greasley 15-3

A.Yusaf & S.Chapman beat S.Greasley & A.Rennie 15-3

G.Hoskins & C.Cooley beat A.Pilkington & B.Carlin 15-8

G.Hoskins & A.Yusaf beat A.Rennie & B.Carlin 15-5

S.Chapman & C.Cooley beat A.Pilkington & S.Greasley 15-5

The Aston House Stallions clinched third place in the Superleague as Gareth Hoskins, Alex Yusaf, Spencer Chapman and Charlotta Cooley brushed aside team Westway 3.

30/07/14 at Westway: Aston House Stallions lost to Westway 1 2-4

L.Brock & A.Yusaf lost to G.Chapman & A.Bhattacharya 11-15

G.Hoskins & S.Chapman lost to J.Black & D.Patel 11-15

L.Brock & S.Chapman lost to J.Black & A.Bhattacharya 9-15

G.Hoskins & A.Yusaf beat G.Chapman & D.Patel 15-9

L.Brock & G.Hoskins beat G.Chapman & J.Black 15-12

A.Yusaf & S.Chapman lost to A.Bhattacharya & D.Patel 5-15

The Aston House Stallions lost narrowly in the Superleague quarter-finals at Westway last night, struggling to recover from a slow start and going down 4-2. The first rotation turned out to be crucial as both AHS pairs lost games they felt they could have won. Laurie was struggling with a shoulder injury, which will keep him out of the 3rd/4th place match next week and he and Spencer were unable to turn things round as they also lost in the second rotation to Julian Black and Aroop Bhattacharya. Gareth and Alex gave the team hope with a strong win over Guy Chapman and Darshan Patel, leaving the Stallions in need of two wins and an 8 point turn around in round three to go through. Laurie played through the pain and with Gareth finding some form, they surged out to a 13-4 lead over Chapman and Black, raising hopes of a comeback victory. The news that Spencer and Alex had been unable to win their last match rather punctured the bubble, although Gareth and Laurie did withstand a purple patch from Guy Chapman to hang on for the win in the blue riband match 15-12.

23/07/14 at Westway: Aston House Stallions beat Sweet EFA 6-0

23/07/14 at Westway: Aston House Studs lost to Westway 0-6

Details to follow as the Stallions progressed and the Studs went out at the quarter-final stage of the Superleague

01/07/14 at Westway: Aston House Stallions beat Old Citizens 5-1

N.Shaw & C.Cooley beat R.Morgan & J.Powell 15-7

K.Hird & H.Asquith lost to S.Packer & P.Chen 8-15

N.Shaw & H.Asquith beat S.Packer & J.Powell 15-7

K.Hird & C.Cooley beat R.Morgan & P.Chen 15-6

N.Shaw & K.Hird beat R.Morgan & S.Packer 15-5

C.Cooley & H.Asquith beat J.Powell & P.Chen 15-6

The Aston House Stallions brought the regular Superleague season to a close with an impressive 5-1 win over the Old Citizens at Westway on Tuesday night. Nick Shaw played in the number one slot, with great support from Karen Hird, Charlotta Cooley and Harriet Asquith and they proved too strong for the Old Cits, losing only one game all evening and dominating most of the other matches to consolidate the Stallions position at the top of Group B. With the Studs finishing third in Group A, the Aston House franchise have two teams through to the quarter-finals next week as the Stallions take on Sweet EFA and the Studs Westway 2 for a place in the last four.

25/06/14 at Westway: Aston House Studs drew with Westway 3-3

L.Brock & C.Rennie beat G.Chapman & D.Patel 15-11

G.Hoskins & J.Shaw lost to W.Betts & J.Black 6-15

L.Brock & J.Shaw beat W.Betts & D.Patel 15-13

G.Hoskins & C.Rennie beat G.Chapman & J.Black 15-10

L.Brock & G.Hoskins lost to G.Chapman & W.Betts 13-15

C.Rennie & J.Shaw lost to D.Patel & J.Black 10-15

Playing simultaneously on opposite sides of the world, the Studs proved themselves to be far more resilient than the Brazilian football team, with a hard fought 3-3 draw against a Westway team with a lengthy batting order. Fortunes fluctuated, with few results predictable and most of the games close, with Westway fighting back in the final rotation to level at 3-3 having gone 3-1 behind. Laurie and Gareth's game against Will Betts and Guy Chapman in particular was a marathon game with each pair inching forward a point at a time, before the Westway pair just pinched it at the end. The highlight of the evening was Laurie's seven winners into the hole over the course of the three games, putting him in a strong position to claim the golden glove prize.

25/06/14 at Westway: Aston House Studs beat Sweet EFA 5-1

N.Shaw & S.Chapman beat C.Hughes & Tom Fletcher 15-13

A.Yusaf & K.Hird beat W.Gibbons & N.Lilienthal 15-7

N.Shaw & K.Hird lost to W.Gibbons & Tom Fletcher 7-15

A.Yusaf & S.Chapman beat C.Hughes & N.Lilienthal 15-3

N.Shaw & A.Yusaf beat C.Hughes & W.Gibbons 15-7

S.Chapman & K.Hird beat Tom Fletcher & N.Lilienthal 15-6

While the Stallions have largely made hay in the somewhat weakened Group B of Superleague, the Studs have had an altogether tougher time in the other Group which has featured clashes against tournament heavyweights Dossi's Desperado's and a crack WHORE outfit. So, with only two points on the board and a possible early elimination from WSSL looming, skipper Spencer Chapman needed a win from this game against potentially tricky opponents. It was a bold move then (and one that had nothing to do with Laurie's career-shaping exams or Gareth's goji berry picking expedition to the green pastures of Solihull in preparation for NOEFC's roadtrip) to rest workhorses Brock & Hoskins, and give a start to his young Turk, Alex Yusaf. But what a start! Alex relished the clash against fellow Ipswichians Tom Fletcher and Will Gibbons and dispatched the ball to all corners of the court for three impressive wins. Save for a single dropped point, the tightest game of the evening came right at the top of the tie with Studs Ace Nick Shaw and Spencer falling to a 2-9 deficit before getting the bit between their teeth to run home 15-13 winners against Chris Hughes and Tom Fletcher. The Studs have a final match to play in the group stages of the tournament, and a strong showing there against Westway might steer them clear of a quarter final clash with the Stallions. Time to call for the Cavalry then, and Laurie and Gareth!

18/06/14 at Westway: Aston House Stallions drew with Westway 3-3

G.Hoskins & K.Hird lost to P.Cohen & D.Patel 9-15

C.Cooley & H.Asquith lost to W.Gibbons & D.Arwas 2-15

G.Hoskins & H.Asquith lost to W.Gibbons & D.Patel 5-15

C.Cooley & K.Hird lost to P.Cohen & D.Arwas 10-15

G.Hoskins & C.Cooley lost to P.Cohen & W.Gibbons 5-15

K.Hird & H.Asquith lost to D.Patel & D.Arwas 11-15

The Stallions had a change of line-up for this weeks' Superleague match against Dan Arwas's Westway team and found themselves up against some formidable opposition including Superleague founder Pete Cohen, Ipswichians Will Gibbons, Aldenhamian Darshan Patel and Westway youngster Dan Arwas. Number one Stallion Gareth Hoskins and his brood of mares produced some fine performances in response, with Karen Hird, Harriet Asquith and Charlotta Cooley all producing some excellent Fives to make the majority of the matches very competitive. An on court win proved elusive, however, but with Westway again fielding an ineligible late replacement (Gibbons being on the EFA team roster), 3 points were salvaged for the team cause. The Stallions team then proceeded to significantly outperform the opposition in terms of pub attendance to witness Chris Austin's Spain team exit the World Cup at the earliest opportunity (Karen's England were to follow only a day later) and analyse the false start to Charlotta's pole-dancing career.

11/06/14 at Westway: Aston House Stallions beat Westway 2 6-0

L.Brock & S.Chapman beat R.Perrie & A.Pilkington 15-3

N.Shaw & J.Shaw beat A.Rennie & J.Caplin 15-2

L.Brock & J.Shaw beat A.Rennie & A.Pilkington 15-2

N.Shaw & S.Chapman beat R.Perrie & J.Caplin 15-5

L.Brock & N.Shaw lost to R.Perrie & A.Rennie 14-15

S.Chapman & J.Shaw beat A.Pilkington & J.Caplin 15-0

The Stallions continued their perfect start to the 2014 Superleague regular season with a 6-0 defeat over a Westway team fielding cup-tied Desperado Ryan Perrie as a late replacement for behemoth Pete Cohen. Effectively this meant that Ryan's matches were forfeited to the Stallions, but nevertheless the team was determined to win all six points on court. Laurie Brock made the easy switch from Stud to Stallion and slotted in at the top of the order, linking up with Nick Shaw, Spencer Chapman and Justin Shaw. And this solid line-up proved rather too tough for Westway in the first couple of rotations, particularly with Justin Shaw racing through the points as an ambitious double booking scheduled for 8.30 concentrated his efforts. On the strength of the quality of their top step play in the first couple of games, Laurie and Nick looked to be strong favourites to win the top match of the evening against Ryan Perrie and Andrew Rennie. Ryan and Andrew had other ideas though and raced to a 7-1 lead, before the blue-blooded entires clawed their way back to game point parity with some strong cut returning and fantastic retrieving. Unfortunately their rally fell just short as Westway won the shoot out to gain a measure of satisfaction from the evening shutout. There is a sense of a Phoney War in Superleague at the moment as the doubly-represented teams shuffle their squads to ensure maximum player eligibility for the knock out stages in July. This could well lead to some tasty fixtures in the quarter finals and perhaps the opportunity for the Studs to pull rank over the Stallions as the number one team in the franchise.

04/06/14 at Westway: Aston House Studs lost to Dossi's Desperados 0-6

L.Brock & K.Hird lost to A.Leighton & R.Perrie 6-15

G.Hoskins & C.Cooley lost to L.Stradwick & A.Theodossi 10-15

L.Brock & C.Cooley lost to A.Leighton & A.Theodossi 8-15

G.Hoskins & K.Hird lost to R.Perrie & L.Stradwick 6-15

L.Brock & G.Hoskins lost to R.Perrie & A.Theodossi 5-15

K.Hird & C.Cooley lost to A.Leighton & L.Stradwick 1-15

After last week's narrow defeat at the hands of WHOREFC, things didn't get any easier for the Studs at Westway last night as they came up against Superleague powerhouses Dossi's Desperados. Defending champions and favourites to retain their title, the Desperados fielded a strong line-up with Ant Theodossi and Ryan Perrie in dominant form at the top of the order, backed up by EFA Young Player of the Year Ali Leighton and experienced Olavian Luke Stradwick. The Studs team contained another ex-Badger making her debut in Charlotta Cooley, but even with the ladies champion pair reunited for the first time since their successful title defence in April, the Studs were unable to get on the scoreboard despite a valiant effort from all concerned.

03/06/14 at Westway: Aston House Stallions beat WHOREFC 6-0

N.Shaw & S.Chapman beat S.Basu & S.Warren-Thomas 15-1

C.Rennie & J.Shaw beat M.Leon & J.Saunders 15-4

N.Shaw & J.Shaw beat S.Basu & J.Saunders 15-8

C.Rennie & S.Chapman beat S.Warren-Thomas & M.Leon 15-0

N.Shaw & C.Rennie beat S.Warren-Thomas & J.Saunders 15-8

S.Chapman & J.Shaw beat S.Basu & M.Leon 15-5

While most stallions are by early June coming to the end of a busy time in the covering shed, the newly formed Aston House Stallions have just got started with their workload, and the ultimate aim of lifting the Superleague trophy. They will no doubt find tougher opposition than that posed last night by a below strength WHOREFC, but the Stallions now have the bit between their teeth with sights set firmly on the jampot.

Rising North Oxford star Carl Rennie was making his debut for our Superleague offshoot alongside the proven force of Nick Shaw and a pair of old plodders in Justin (Byam) Shaw and Spencer Chapman. And the boys in blue (and orange) quickly found their feet, fairly racing to victory in the first rotation as Nick and Spencer galloped clear of Simon Warren-Thomas and Sam Basu, and Carl and Justin were equally impressive with a cosy victory over Johnny Saunders and Mike Leon. Unfortunately Justin turned his ankle in the early skirmishes of that match and despite the best endeavours of the team farrier, had to play through the pain over the rest of the evening. That meant a little extra work for Nick in Match 3, but he and Justin were always holding the challenge of Johnny and Sam. Match 4 was more straightforward for the Stallions as Carl and Spencer ruthlessly shut out Simon and Mike.

The final rotation of matches saw an unwelcome injury for Nick which called for a lengthy halt to proceedings with the evening's top match poised at 7 all. Supercharged by liberal doses of contact lens solution, the magic sponge and a pair of goggles, Nick and Carl soon proved they were Best in Show with an eight point blast to power clear of their rivals. Sam and Mike put up a good fight on the second court, but Justin and Spencer were relishing the opportunity to be back in harness to complete the 6-0 whitewash.

28/05/14 at Westway: Aston House Studs lost to WHOREFC 2-4

L.Brock & K.Hird lost to R.Malik & E.Hewens 13-15

G.Hoskins & H.Asquith lost to J.Saunders & K.Wagner 14-15

L.Brock & H.Asquith beat R.Malik & K.Wagner 15-11

G.Hoskins & K.Hird lost to E.Hewens & J.Saunders 8-15

L.Brock & G.Hoskins beat E.Hewens & K.Wagner 15-2

K.Hird & H.Asquith lost to R.Malik & J.Saunders 4-15

Nearly two years after their last outing in the 2012 semi-final, the Aston House Studs were back in action at Westway last night as the Summer Superleague returns after a one year hiatus. Coincidentally, both the opposition and the result were the same as they were in that infamous match as the 2014 campaign got underway with a slightly disappointing 4-2 defeat at the hands of old rivals WHOREFC. The Studs unveiled a new look line-up for this year's tournament with two thoroughbred mares - both with form over both course and distance - joining the stable, Harriet Asquith making her competition debut and Karen Hird moving franchises from the now defunct Badgers. They joined two old nags in Gareth Hoskins and Laurie Brock - with captain Chapman marking the opening of the tournament by getting in some warm weather training on a beach in Greece - and the crucial phase of the match came early as both games in the first rotation went down to the wire. Disappointingly, both Studs pairs found the going just a little heavy and lost by narrow margins to go 2-0 down, when both had chances to win; with the remaining four games following a more predictable pattern (Brock and Hoskins finishing with a 15-2 win to show they aren't ready for the knackers' yard just yet), the opportunity for a 3-3 draw or even a 4-2 victory slipped through the fingers. This year, the Aston House franchise is doubling its chances by entering a second team into the competition, as the Stallions join the other runners and riders and with the Studs facing a tricky next match against defending champions the Desperados, it may be down to the new branch of the Aston House empire to target the latter stages of the competition.