FIRST Team skipper Liam Gutcher and juniors Cai Younger and Alex Robertson kept the Northern flag flying at the showpiece event of the North East squash calendar - the annual Northumberland County Championships.
Club No 1 and fruit lover Gutcher came runner-up in the main event, while second team starlet Younger lifted the Men's B title - after winning an all-Northern final against fellow club junior Robertson.
Gutch producing a superb athletic display in his semi-final to see off Westoe's Paul Lord 3-2 - a former US Open finalist, no less.
The result raised a few eyebrows among those used to seeing the mercurial Lord take on perennial favourite Dave Barnett in the showpiece final.
"Liam played out of his skin in the semi," said one groupie (no, it wasn't Alex Storey). "He was so quick around court and showed great patience. Some of the rallies went on forever - his focus and determination were spot on."
Perhaps that epic performance took a bit out of Gutch, though, as he went down 3-0 to Dave Barnett in the final. Jesmond's No 1 deservedly lifted his 10th County title with an immaculate display, showing real grit in the closing stages of a closely-fought third game, which went down to two clear points.
Cai Younger cruised to the B event trophy without dropping a game - and his 3-0 semi-final win over an in-form Sean Millington, from home club Tynemouth (11-9, 11-8, 11-8) was arguably his peak performance of the weekend.
A gutsy Alex Robertson (who left before we could capture his good looks for the photo) had battled his way to the B final with some greats wins over Tony Bissett of Westoe (3-1) and Paul Collinson of Primrose (3-2) - with that semi-final going right to the wire before the Northern junior prevailed 11-9 in the fifth.
But Younger found his form once more with a 3-0 win over Robertson in the final - 11-6, 11-8, 14-12. Robertson saved his best squash for that third game, saving two match points at 8-10 down before being edged out at the death.
But it was a great all-round show from the Northern trio, suggesting there could be even greater glory in years to come.
