Two of Kendal’s three squash teams were in cup action last week as the B team managed a 4-1 win against Cockermouth.

Kendal B, who had received a bye in the first round, travelled to Cockermouth for their first game in the Cumbria Cup competition.

Kendal B were unable to field several of their regular players due to commitments following the flood but nevertheless the side was reasonably strong.

Steve Faulkner played at 5 against Paul Neild and took a commanding lead to win the first two games 15/9 and 15/7.

Neild then started to find a good length and put Faulkner under pressure as he took the next two games 15/10 and 15/9.

So the fifth game was the big decider and it was close all the way but Neild managed to win 15/12.

Shayne Halliday playing at four against Bill Richardson quickly went two games up winning 15/10 and 15/13. The third was close with Cockermouth taking it 15/11.

The fourth game was another close one close but Halliday took it 15/13 with a superb winning shot.

Mark Pearson and Alistair Pease both won their games 3-0 and so Kendal were already home and dry.

Graeme Braithwaite playing at one against Andrew Sealby took an easy 2-0 lead winning 15/6 and 15/5. The third game was a different story which went to Andrew 16/14.

In the fourth game Braithwaite stepped up the pace taking it 15/8.

Kendal C who made it to the final last year were unable to field their strongest players and while the B team could call in strong replacements the C team players had to step up.

The stand-in number one Dave Hughes got off to a good start, winning the first game but Dalton’s Ashley Thompson settled down to take the next three and the match.

Moving up to play at number two was a step too far for Joel Howse who put up a good fight, but lost in straight games despite taking the third to 15/17.

The third strings had a mighty tussle as Kendal’s Ian Garnett fought his way back from two games down, taking the crucial third game 18-6 and going on to outlast a tiring opponent to clinch the match in five.

Dave Archer at four went two games down, clawed back the third but could not sustain this and lost in four. Steve Warner at five had a comfortable victory in three games. However, the fixture was lost and Kendal C will now have to concentrate on the league.

Kendal A received a bye into the next round of the A cup.

Sadly, squash in Cumbria has been badly affected by the floods and the six courts at Carlisle Squash Club will be out of action for months to come.

The courts at Appleby Squash Club were also inundated but it is unknown how long it will take to get either club up and running.