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Day 5
SATURDAY 22 APR 2023
What an exhibition of squash we got this afternoon at the finals of this year’s Cannon Kirk Gillen Markets Irish Open.
The women’s final was between no.1 seed Jasmine Hutton and the unseeded Aira Azman. The very talented Mayasian, Aira Azman started off at an amazing pace and with such accuracy, she won the 1st game to 8. Then Jasmine got into her stride and started to dominate a bit. She won the 2nd game to 5, then won the 3rd to 4. Azman was determined not to let it go easily and made a big push in game 4. But Jasmine who was hitting the ball so well; she has such a powerful drive that Aira had no real answer in the end. Hutton won the match in 4 in 39min.
Then we had the Men’s final with no.1 seed Eain Yow Ng vs no.4 seed Aly Abou Eleinen. After last night’s semi finals the packed gallery were nervous with anticipation. The 1st game was so close with Yow Ng winning it 12-10. Before the game John Massarella asked Eleinen to change his shirt, as it was the same colour as Yow Ng. He needed to change his shirt after the 1st game but didn’t have a proper squash shirt in a different colour to the navy of Yow Ng.
He did get a shirt but he wasn’t happy with it and it seemed to bother him and he lost the 2nd easily 11-3. The rallies were still long but he was losing most of them. In the 3rd he seemed to lose some heart and went down 11-2.
But all of this has to be put in the context of Yow Ng, who is a truely amazing athlete and surely destined for the World’s top 10 very soon. So we have 2 new Irish Open champions in Jasmine Hutton and Eain Yow Ng. Welcome to the distinguished roll of honour. The 1st Men’s Irish Open was held in 1932 and Women’s in 1949, making it probably the 2nd oldest ongoing world tournament after the British Open.
Thanks to all the players for a super week of world standard squash and to all who attended in Fitzwillaim and those who watched on Irish Squash TV. Currently we have over 15,000 views on our channel.
FINALS
8-11, 11-5, 11-4, 11-9 (39m) 3-1
12-10, 11-3, 11-2 (29m) 3-0
Day 4
FRIDAY 21 APR 2023
Semi finals day at the Cannon Kirk Gillen Markets Irish Open. The top 3 seeds in the women’s and men’s made it through to the semi finals. In the men’s the former top 10 player but unseeded Mohamed Abouelghar was in the semi final vs Aly Abou Eleinen. which was to be a very interesting match. Mohamed is coming back from injury so his world ranking has slipped. The other men’s semi with no. 1 seed Eain Yow Ng vs no.3 seed Khan from the USA also a super match in prospect. The 2 womens semi’s looked evenly balanced with no.1 seed Jasmine Hutton vs no.4 seed Fayrouz Aboelkheir and no3 seed Alex Fuller vs unseeded Aira Azman.
1st semi was Hutton vs Aboelkheir. The hard hitting England no. 3 was in no mood to hang around. She hits the ball so hard giving her opponent little time. It was a clinical performance by Hutton and she won in 3 games in 29 min.
Next up was the Duracell bunny the Malaysian Eain Yow Ng. He was just too good for USA’s Khan and again won in 3 – to 2, 4, & 5 in 36 min. He movement around the court is extraordinary.
Home favourite and Fitzwilliam member Alex Fuller the no. 3 seed played the young Malaysian Aira Azman. This was a real duel. Alex went 1 down but won the next 2 games, the 3rd to 1. She looked in good shape and confident. The 4th went to 10 all and Alex got 2 match balls but Azman went for some outragious long drop amoung other super shots to save them and she then won the 4th 14-12.
Down to the last game to decide the match. Both players were very tired at this stage. Azman dug in and played some super shots and ground Alex down to win the 5th 11-6 in 52min. Hard luck to Alex, there was nothing in it. The home crowd were so disappointed for her.
The last semi of the day was the no.4 seed Aly Abou Eleinen vs former World no. 7 Mohamed Abouelghar. This promised to be the best match of the week so far and boy, it didn’t disappoint. Sutprisingly Eleinen went 2-0 up allbeit the games were very close. Some of the rallies were 50 or 60 shots long.
Then early in the 3rd game Eleinen had a blood injury and took a 5min break. When he came back he was distracted and lost 7 points in a row and lost the game to 2.
Abouelghar was on the up now and levelled the match 2 all, winning the 4th 11-4. He now looked as if he was going to close out the match but Eleinen had other ideas. Both players went for it 100%. Again the rallies were truly amazing, worth of a World Tour event. Eleinen worked hard and got ahead but it wasn’t over. Abouelghar with amazing retreiving and touch could still have won it. But Eleinen got there 11-7 in 84min to reach the final on Saturday vs Yow Ng.
It will be an amazing final I’m sure!!
Come down to Fitzwilliam to watch the finals and if you can’t, watch it on Irish Squash TV – https://www.irishsquash.com/live/
Results
MEN
Semi Final
11-2, 11-4, 11-5 (36m) 3-0
Semi Final
11-9, 11-7, 2-11, 4-11, 11-7 (84m) 3-2
WOMEN
Semi Final
11-8, 11-7, 11-6 (29m) 3-0
Semi Final
5-11, 11-9, 11-1, 12-14, 6-11 (52m) 2-3
Day 3
THURSDAY 20 APR 2023
MEN
Quarter Finals
[7] LUCAS SERME (FRA) V [3] SHAHJAHAN KHAN (USA)
11-8, 10-12, 8-11, 5-11 (60M)1-3
[1] EAIN YOW NG (MAS) V CURTIS MALIK (ENG)
11-5, 11-5, 11-5 (33M)3-0
[4] ALY ABOU ELEINEN (EGY) V [5] ADRIAN WALLER (ENG)
17-15, 11-9, 11-5 (42M)3-0
MOHAMED ABOUELGHAR (EGY) V [2] LEONEL CARDENAS (MEX)
11-8, 11-4, 11-6 (32M)3-0
WOMEN
Quarter Finals
– [5] Lucy Beecroft (ENG) v [4] Fayrouz Aboelkheir (EGY)
10-12, 3-11, 6-11 (26m)0-3
[1] Jasmine Hutton (ENG) v Grace Gear (ENG)
12-10, 11-7, 11-7 (34m) 3-0
Aira Azman (MAS) v Zeina Zein (EGY)
10-12, 7-11, 11-7, 11-3, 11-9 (45m)3-2
[3] Alexandra Fuller (RSA) v Alicia Mead (ENG)
11-7, 11-5, 11-2 (23m)3-0
[ngg src=”galleries” ids=”116″ display=”basic_thumbnail”]
Day 2
DRAW
WEDNESDAY 19th APR 2023
Round 2
Another great day at the Cannon Kirk Gillen Markets Irish Open for Rd 2. The top seeds joining the play today & we had some super squash. All the Men’s too seeds are through except for G.Parker & H.Leung. in the Women’s the 2nd & 6/7/8th are all out.
2-11, 5-11, 7-11 (20m) 0-3
7-11, 6-11, 9-11 (34m) 0-3
11-5, 11-2, 11-9 (34m)3-0
11-9, 11-1, 11-9 (52m) 3-0
8-11, 9-11, 11-5, 11-5, 11-7 (52m) 3-2
11-8, 11-3, 11-4 (28m) 3-0
11-6, 11-7, 11-6 (25m) 3-0
8-11, 8-11, 6-11 (39m) 0-3
11-9, 11-4, 11-8 (35m) 3-0
11-3, 9-11, 11-1, 9-11, 11-4 (61m) 3-2
5-11, 11-8, 11-7, 6-11, 11-8 (45m) 3-2
11-7, 11-9, 11-9 (36m) 3-0
3-11, 6-11, 2-11 (14m) 0-3
11-13, 11-8, 9-11, 7-11 (63m) 1-3
8-11, 8-11, 11-6, 11-6, 11-5 (57m) 3-2
9-11, 11-7, 6-11, 11-9, 3-11 (62m) 2-3
Day 1
The Cannon Kirk Gillen Markets Irish Open started today. Featuring some of the world’s top female and male professional players, it is a tournament not to miss. Taking place in Fitzwilliam LTC, Dublin 6, it started at 1.30pm. We had some great matches . The highlight for the home crowd was watching the 4 home players. Hannah McGugan was 1st on. She gave it her best but couldn’t really trouble the full time player Grace Gear but would got some good experience. Sean Conroy was up next and played some great squash but his higher ranked opponent Rory Stewart had too much in the end. Sean needed to win the 2nd game which went to 10-12.
Breanne Flynn played the German Saskia Beinhard and similar to Sean went toe to toe. Lost the 1st game and went close in the 2nd but was just pipped 11-13. The 3rd went to Saskia. The difference is the full time players just have that extra bit of stamina.
Finally Irish number 1 Sam Buckley played Bernat Jaume of Spain, ranked no.62 vs Sam at 136. It didn’t look it, with Sam taking the 1st game 11-7. He had a game ball in the 2nd but Bernat fought hard and got it 13-11. This seemed to break Sam and the Spainard won the next two game to 1 and 2. If Sam had won the 2nd game it would have been very interesting. Again the full time players just have that bit extra when the pressure comes on.
DRAW
TUESDAY 18th APR 2023
MEN
Round 1
Rui Soares (POR) v Mohammad Syafiq Kamal (MAS) 5-11, 11-3, 11-5, 10-12, 7-11 (54m) 2-3
Ben Smith (ENG) v Tom Walsh (ENG) 4-11, 11-6, 7-11, 8-11 (44m) 1-3
Ondrej Vorlícek (CZE) v Faraz Khan (USA)11-8, 6-11, 7-11, 4-11 (43m) 1-3
Sean Conroy (IRL) v Rory Stewart (SCO) 5-11, 10-12, 9-11 (33m) 0-3
Nilo Vidal (ESP) v Mohamed Abouelghar (EGY) 5-11, 6-11, 7-11 (25m)0-3
Curtis Malik (ENG) v Ben Coleman (ENG) 11-6, 8-11, 11-2, 7-3 retired (58m) 3-1
Charlie Lee (ENG) v Stuart Macgregor (ENG) 11-1, 11-7, 11-6 (29m) 3-0
Sam Buckley (IRL) v Bernat Jaume (ESP) 11-6, 11-13, 2-11, 1-11 (48m) 1-3
WOMEN
Round 1
Zeina Zein (EGY) v Chan Yiwen (MAS) 12-10, 9-11, 6-11, 11-9, 11-7 (47m) 3-2
Xin Ying Yee (MAS) v Marie Stephan (FRA) 12-10, 11-9, 11-3 (22m) 3-0
Grace Gear (ENG) v [WC] Hannah McGugan (IRL) 11-3, 11-5, 11-7 (18m) 3-0
Georgia Adderley (SCO) v Nadia Pfister (SUI) 11-8, 7-11, 5-11, 10-12 (38m) 1-3
Marta Dominguez Fernandez (ESP) v Katie Malliff (ENG) 5-11, 3-11, 9-11 (29m) 0-3
[WC] Breanne Flynn (IRL) v Saskia Beinhard (GER) 6-11, 11-13, 7-11 (35m) 0-3
Kaitlyn Watts (NZL) v Aira Azman (MAS) 8-11, 11-6, 11-9, 4-11, 1-11 (38m) 2-3
Cristina Gomez (ESP) v Alicia Mead (ENG) 7-11, 6-11, 6-11 (27m) 0-3
Day 5
SATURDAY 22 APR 2023
What an exhibition of squash we got this afternoon at the finals of this year’s Cannon Kirk Gillen Markets Irish Open.
The women’s final was between no.1 seed Jasmine Hutton and the unseeded Aira Azman. The very talented Mayasian, Aira Azman started off at an amazing pace and with such accuracy, she won the 1st game to 8. Then Jasmine got into her stride and started to dominate a bit. She won the 2nd game to 5, then won the 3rd to 4. Azman was determined not to let it go easily and made a big push in game 4. But Jasmine who was hitting the ball so well; she has such a powerful drive that Aira had no real answer in the end. Hutton won the match in 4 in 39min.
Then we had the Men’s final with no.1 seed Eain Yow Ng vs no.4 seed Aly Abou Eleinen. After last night’s semi finals the packed gallery were nervous with anticipation. The 1st game was so close with Yow Ng winning it 12-10. Before the game John Massarella asked Eleinen to change his shirt, as it was the same colour as Yow Ng. He needed to change his shirt after the 1st game but didn’t have a proper squash shirt in a different colour to the navy of Yow Ng.
He did get a shirt but he wasn’t happy with it and it seemed to bother him and he lost the 2nd easily 11-3. The rallies were still long but he was losing most of them. In the 3rd he seemed to lose some heart and went down 11-2.
But all of this has to be put in the context of Yow Ng, who is a truely amazing athlete and surely destined for the World’s top 10 very soon. So we have 2 new Irish Open champions in Jasmine Hutton and Eain Yow Ng. Welcome to the distinguished roll of honour. The 1st Men’s Irish Open was held in 1932 and Women’s in 1949, making it probably the 2nd oldest ongoing world tournament after the British Open.
Thanks to all the players for a super week of world standard squash and to all who attended in Fitzwillaim and those who watched on Irish Squash TV. Currently we have over 15,000 views on our channel.
FINALS
8-11, 11-5, 11-4, 11-9 (39m) 3-1
12-10, 11-3, 11-2 (29m) 3-0
Day 4
FRIDAY 21 APR 2023
Semi finals day at the Cannon Kirk Gillen Markets Irish Open. The top 3 seeds in the women’s and men’s made it through to the semi finals. In the men’s the former top 10 player but unseeded Mohamed Abouelghar was in the semi final vs Aly Abou Eleinen. which was to be a very interesting match. Mohamed is coming back from injury so his world ranking has slipped. The other men’s semi with no. 1 seed Eain Yow Ng vs no.3 seed Khan from the USA also a super match in prospect. The 2 womens semi’s looked evenly balanced with no.1 seed Jasmine Hutton vs no.4 seed Fayrouz Aboelkheir and no3 seed Alex Fuller vs unseeded Aira Azman.
1st semi was Hutton vs Aboelkheir. The hard hitting England no. 3 was in no mood to hang around. She hits the ball so hard giving her opponent little time. It was a clinical performance by Hutton and she won in 3 games in 29 min.
Next up was the Duracell bunny the Malaysian Eain Yow Ng. He was just too good for USA’s Khan and again won in 3 – to 2, 4, & 5 in 36 min. He movement around the court is extraordinary.
Home favourite and Fitzwilliam member Alex Fuller the no. 3 seed played the young Malaysian Aira Azman. This was a real duel. Alex went 1 down but won the next 2 games, the 3rd to 1. She looked in good shape and confident. The 4th went to 10 all and Alex got 2 match balls but Azman went for some outragious long drop amoung other super shots to save them and she then won the 4th 14-12.
Down to the last game to decide the match. Both players were very tired at this stage. Azman dug in and played some super shots and ground Alex down to win the 5th 11-6 in 52min. Hard luck to Alex, there was nothing in it. The home crowd were so disappointed for her.
The last semi of the day was the no.4 seed Aly Abou Eleinen vs former World no. 7 Mohamed Abouelghar. This promised to be the best match of the week so far and boy, it didn’t disappoint. Sutprisingly Eleinen went 2-0 up allbeit the games were very close. Some of the rallies were 50 or 60 shots long.
Then early in the 3rd game Eleinen had a blood injury and took a 5min break. When he came back he was distracted and lost 7 points in a row and lost the game to 2.
Abouelghar was on the up now and levelled the match 2 all, winning the 4th 11-4. He now looked as if he was going to close out the match but Eleinen had other ideas. Both players went for it 100%. Again the rallies were truly amazing, worth of a World Tour event. Eleinen worked hard and got ahead but it wasn’t over. Abouelghar with amazing retreiving and touch could still have won it. But Eleinen got there 11-7 in 84min to reach the final on Saturday vs Yow Ng.
It will be an amazing final I’m sure!!
Come down to Fitzwilliam to watch the finals and if you can’t, watch it on Irish Squash TV – https://www.irishsquash.com/live/
Results
MEN
Semi Final
11-2, 11-4, 11-5 (36m) 3-0
Semi Final
11-9, 11-7, 2-11, 4-11, 11-7 (84m) 3-2
WOMEN
Semi Final
11-8, 11-7, 11-6 (29m) 3-0
Semi Final
5-11, 11-9, 11-1, 12-14, 6-11 (52m) 2-3
Day 3
THURSDAY 20 APR 2023
MEN
Quarter Finals
[7] LUCAS SERME (FRA) V [3] SHAHJAHAN KHAN (USA)
11-8, 10-12, 8-11, 5-11 (60M)1-3
[1] EAIN YOW NG (MAS) V CURTIS MALIK (ENG)
11-5, 11-5, 11-5 (33M)3-0
[4] ALY ABOU ELEINEN (EGY) V [5] ADRIAN WALLER (ENG)
17-15, 11-9, 11-5 (42M)3-0
MOHAMED ABOUELGHAR (EGY) V [2] LEONEL CARDENAS (MEX)
11-8, 11-4, 11-6 (32M)3-0
WOMEN
Quarter Finals
– [5] Lucy Beecroft (ENG) v [4] Fayrouz Aboelkheir (EGY)
10-12, 3-11, 6-11 (26m)0-3
[1] Jasmine Hutton (ENG) v Grace Gear (ENG)
12-10, 11-7, 11-7 (34m) 3-0
Aira Azman (MAS) v Zeina Zein (EGY)
10-12, 7-11, 11-7, 11-3, 11-9 (45m)3-2
[3] Alexandra Fuller (RSA) v Alicia Mead (ENG)
11-7, 11-5, 11-2 (23m)3-0
[ngg src=”galleries” ids=”116″ display=”basic_thumbnail”]
Day 2
DRAW
WEDNESDAY 19th APR 2023
Round 2
Another great day at the Cannon Kirk Gillen Markets Irish Open for Rd 2. The top seeds joining the play today & we had some super squash. All the Men’s too seeds are through except for G.Parker & H.Leung. in the Women’s the 2nd & 6/7/8th are all out.
2-11, 5-11, 7-11 (20m) 0-3
7-11, 6-11, 9-11 (34m) 0-3
11-5, 11-2, 11-9 (34m)3-0
11-9, 11-1, 11-9 (52m) 3-0
8-11, 9-11, 11-5, 11-5, 11-7 (52m) 3-2
11-8, 11-3, 11-4 (28m) 3-0
11-6, 11-7, 11-6 (25m) 3-0
8-11, 8-11, 6-11 (39m) 0-3
11-9, 11-4, 11-8 (35m) 3-0
11-3, 9-11, 11-1, 9-11, 11-4 (61m) 3-2
5-11, 11-8, 11-7, 6-11, 11-8 (45m) 3-2
11-7, 11-9, 11-9 (36m) 3-0
3-11, 6-11, 2-11 (14m) 0-3
11-13, 11-8, 9-11, 7-11 (63m) 1-3
8-11, 8-11, 11-6, 11-6, 11-5 (57m) 3-2
9-11, 11-7, 6-11, 11-9, 3-11 (62m) 2-3
Day 1
The Cannon Kirk Gillen Markets Irish Open started today. Featuring some of the world’s top female and male professional players, it is a tournament not to miss. Taking place in Fitzwilliam LTC, Dublin 6, it started at 1.30pm. We had some great matches . The highlight for the home crowd was watching the 4 home players. Hannah McGugan was 1st on. She gave it her best but couldn’t really trouble the full time player Grace Gear but would got some good experience. Sean Conroy was up next and played some great squash but his higher ranked opponent Rory Stewart had too much in the end. Sean needed to win the 2nd game which went to 10-12.
Breanne Flynn played the German Saskia Beinhard and similar to Sean went toe to toe. Lost the 1st game and went close in the 2nd but was just pipped 11-13. The 3rd went to Saskia. The difference is the full time players just have that extra bit of stamina.
Finally Irish number 1 Sam Buckley played Bernat Jaume of Spain, ranked no.62 vs Sam at 136. It didn’t look it, with Sam taking the 1st game 11-7. He had a game ball in the 2nd but Bernat fought hard and got it 13-11. This seemed to break Sam and the Spainard won the next two game to 1 and 2. If Sam had won the 2nd game it would have been very interesting. Again the full time players just have that bit extra when the pressure comes on.
DRAW
TUESDAY 18th APR 2023
MEN
Round 1
Rui Soares (POR) v Mohammad Syafiq Kamal (MAS) 5-11, 11-3, 11-5, 10-12, 7-11 (54m) 2-3
Ben Smith (ENG) v Tom Walsh (ENG) 4-11, 11-6, 7-11, 8-11 (44m) 1-3
Ondrej Vorlícek (CZE) v Faraz Khan (USA)11-8, 6-11, 7-11, 4-11 (43m) 1-3
Sean Conroy (IRL) v Rory Stewart (SCO) 5-11, 10-12, 9-11 (33m) 0-3
Nilo Vidal (ESP) v Mohamed Abouelghar (EGY) 5-11, 6-11, 7-11 (25m)0-3
Curtis Malik (ENG) v Ben Coleman (ENG) 11-6, 8-11, 11-2, 7-3 retired (58m) 3-1
Charlie Lee (ENG) v Stuart Macgregor (ENG) 11-1, 11-7, 11-6 (29m) 3-0
Sam Buckley (IRL) v Bernat Jaume (ESP) 11-6, 11-13, 2-11, 1-11 (48m) 1-3
WOMEN
Round 1
Zeina Zein (EGY) v Chan Yiwen (MAS) 12-10, 9-11, 6-11, 11-9, 11-7 (47m) 3-2
Xin Ying Yee (MAS) v Marie Stephan (FRA) 12-10, 11-9, 11-3 (22m) 3-0
Grace Gear (ENG) v [WC] Hannah McGugan (IRL) 11-3, 11-5, 11-7 (18m) 3-0
Georgia Adderley (SCO) v Nadia Pfister (SUI) 11-8, 7-11, 5-11, 10-12 (38m) 1-3
Marta Dominguez Fernandez (ESP) v Katie Malliff (ENG) 5-11, 3-11, 9-11 (29m) 0-3
[WC] Breanne Flynn (IRL) v Saskia Beinhard (GER) 6-11, 11-13, 7-11 (35m) 0-3
Kaitlyn Watts (NZL) v Aira Azman (MAS) 8-11, 11-6, 11-9, 4-11, 1-11 (38m) 2-3
Cristina Gomez (ESP) v Alicia Mead (ENG) 7-11, 6-11, 6-11 (27m) 0-3
The 2023 Five Nations took place in Edinburgh for U13’s and U15’s teams from Ireland, England, France Scotland and Wales. It started on Friday April 21st and ran until Sunday April 23rd.
Ireland Teams
U13’s – Five Nations
- David Connell
- Eoin Mullery
- Ben Lynch
- Jack Clery
- Laya Sabry
- Lucy Lynch
- Rebecca Day
Coaches
Andrew Gillespie
Manager
Kate O’Brien
U15’s – Five Nations
- Christian Dromgoole
- Aaron Knox
- Adam Power
- John Day
- Zoe Yeomans
- Shriya Drawid
- Rebecca Jackson
Coaches
Nigel Peyton
Josh McVeigh
Manager
Kate O’Brien
Playing Schedule
Five Nations Schedule 2023
DAY THREE
Final Scoring after Day Three
Congratulations to England, Five Nations U13 and U15 Champions!
Under 13s Round 5: England 14 – 6 France | Ireland 6 – 17 Scotland
Under 15s Round 5: England 19 – 3 France | Ireland 7 – 16 Scotland
Sunday at the Five Nations and Ireland played Scotland. There were 2 great ties which went 3-2 to Scotland after some highly competitive games. The heavyweight clash between England and France lived up to the hype, with the U13s tie coming down to the last match, and England winning 3-2 overall, with a points total of 14-6. England also took control in the Under 15s, and despite a standout match between Ismail Khalil (ENG) and Amir Khaled (FRA) ending 2-3, an overall score of 19-3 saw England crowned champions of the U15 category as well.
Congratulations to all the Irish players on representing their country and giving it their best.
Final Scores U13: England 74 | France 63 | Scotland 37 | Wales 25 | Ireland 14
Final Scores U15: England 79 | France 63 | Scotland 33 | Ireland 26 | Wales 19
DAY TWO
Full Scoring after Day Two
U13 Round 3: France 20 – 0 Ireland | England 20 – 0 Wales
U15 Round 3: France 20 – 2 Ireland | England 20 – 0 Wales
U13 Round 4: Ireland 8 – 17 Wales | France 20 – 1 Scotland
U15 Round 4: Ireland 19 – 8 Wales | France 20 – 3 Scotland
Another full day at the Five Nations has left England and France poised at the top of the standings in both age categories, with the fantastic prospect of a showdown tie between the two on the cards for Sunday morning. The noise volume at ESC certainly went up a level as the competition ramped up on Saturday, and after lunch the tie of the day was no doubt a series of back and forth matches between Wales and Ireland; Wales winning the U13s 17 – 8 before Ireland hit back in the U15s 19 – 8, numerous five game matches and great noise from the spectators! Despite losses to a quality (and loud!) French team, Scotland remain hopeful for the bronze medals, with it all to play for in both age groups on Sunday morning vs Ireland, as Wales take round 5 off. A great final day in store! View the full scoring after day two here.
Totals after Day Two – U13: England 60 | France 57 | Wales 25 | Scotland 20 | Ireland 8
Totals after Day Two – U15: England 60 | France 60 | Ireland 21 | Wales 17 | Scotland 17
DAY ONE
U13 Round 1: France 17 – 3 Wales, England 20 – 2 Scotland
U15 Round 1: France 20 – 1 Wales, England 20 – 0 Scotland
U13 Round 2: England 20 – 0 Ireland, Scotland 17 – 5 Wales
U15 Round 2: England 20 – 0 Ireland, Scotland 14 – 8 Wales
Totals U13: England 40, Scotland 19, France 17, Wales 8, Ireland 0
Totals U15: England 40, France 20, Scotland 14, Wales 9, Ireland 0
TEAM NEWS
SCOTLAND
Under 13: Thomas Myers, Kamran Shamoo, Callum Smith, Phoebe Hamilton, Rebecca Little
Under 15: Murdo Mackenzie, Cailean McAlpine, Zack Paton, Ella Bannister, Felicia Chan
ENGLAND
Under 13: Will Burton, Jaanshere Khan, Joe Colton, Phoebe Griffiths, Esther Chak
Under 15: Ismail Khalil, George Griffiths, Dylan Kalar, Mariam Eissa, Reka Kemescei
IRELAND
Under 13: David Connell, Eoin Mullery, Ben Lynch, Jack Clery, Laya Sabry, Lucy Lynch, Rebecca Day
Under 15: Christian Dromgoole, Aaron Knox, Adam Power, John Day, Zoe Yeomans, Shriya Drawid, Rebecca Jackson
WALES
Under 13: Leon Lauder, Thomas Fenlon, Jacob Green, Jacob Baker, Madalena Sidoli, Eliza Hales, Evie Salisbury
Under 15: Aled Davis, Archie Davis Clarke, Reuben Davis, Ethan Willis, Nia Seren Thomas, Megan Beynon, Erin Lauder
FRANCE
Under 13: Lysandro Joneau, Robin Gautier, Adam Rameau, Lily Romieu, Rafaella Guidoni
Under 15: Amir Khaled, Ethan Lecordier, Theo Baudry, Leelou Laporte, Sarah Guyot
GOOD LUCK TO ALL THE PLAYERS!
The 2023 Five Nations took place in Edinburgh for U13’s and U15’s teams from Ireland, England, France Scotland and Wales. It started on Friday April 21st and ran until Sunday April 23rd.
Ireland Teams
U13’s – Five Nations
- David Connell
- Eoin Mullery
- Ben Lynch
- Jack Clery
- Laya Sabry
- Lucy Lynch
- Rebecca Day
Coaches
Andrew Gillespie
Manager
Kate O’Brien
U15’s – Five Nations
- Christian Dromgoole
- Aaron Knox
- Adam Power
- John Day
- Zoe Yeomans
- Shriya Drawid
- Rebecca Jackson
Coaches
Nigel Peyton
Josh McVeigh
Manager
Kate O’Brien
Playing Schedule
Five Nations Schedule 2023
DAY THREE
Final Scoring after Day Three
Congratulations to England, Five Nations U13 and U15 Champions!
Under 13s Round 5: England 14 – 6 France | Ireland 6 – 17 Scotland
Under 15s Round 5: England 19 – 3 France | Ireland 7 – 16 Scotland
Sunday at the Five Nations and Ireland played Scotland. There were 2 great ties which went 3-2 to Scotland after some highly competitive games. The heavyweight clash between England and France lived up to the hype, with the U13s tie coming down to the last match, and England winning 3-2 overall, with a points total of 14-6. England also took control in the Under 15s, and despite a standout match between Ismail Khalil (ENG) and Amir Khaled (FRA) ending 2-3, an overall score of 19-3 saw England crowned champions of the U15 category as well.
Congratulations to all the Irish players on representing their country and giving it their best.
Final Scores U13: England 74 | France 63 | Scotland 37 | Wales 25 | Ireland 14
Final Scores U15: England 79 | France 63 | Scotland 33 | Ireland 26 | Wales 19
DAY TWO
Full Scoring after Day Two
U13 Round 3: France 20 – 0 Ireland | England 20 – 0 Wales
U15 Round 3: France 20 – 2 Ireland | England 20 – 0 Wales
U13 Round 4: Ireland 8 – 17 Wales | France 20 – 1 Scotland
U15 Round 4: Ireland 19 – 8 Wales | France 20 – 3 Scotland
Another full day at the Five Nations has left England and France poised at the top of the standings in both age categories, with the fantastic prospect of a showdown tie between the two on the cards for Sunday morning. The noise volume at ESC certainly went up a level as the competition ramped up on Saturday, and after lunch the tie of the day was no doubt a series of back and forth matches between Wales and Ireland; Wales winning the U13s 17 – 8 before Ireland hit back in the U15s 19 – 8, numerous five game matches and great noise from the spectators! Despite losses to a quality (and loud!) French team, Scotland remain hopeful for the bronze medals, with it all to play for in both age groups on Sunday morning vs Ireland, as Wales take round 5 off. A great final day in store! View the full scoring after day two here.
Totals after Day Two – U13: England 60 | France 57 | Wales 25 | Scotland 20 | Ireland 8
Totals after Day Two – U15: England 60 | France 60 | Ireland 21 | Wales 17 | Scotland 17
DAY ONE
U13 Round 1: France 17 – 3 Wales, England 20 – 2 Scotland
U15 Round 1: France 20 – 1 Wales, England 20 – 0 Scotland
U13 Round 2: England 20 – 0 Ireland, Scotland 17 – 5 Wales
U15 Round 2: England 20 – 0 Ireland, Scotland 14 – 8 Wales
Totals U13: England 40, Scotland 19, France 17, Wales 8, Ireland 0
Totals U15: England 40, France 20, Scotland 14, Wales 9, Ireland 0
TEAM NEWS
SCOTLAND
Under 13: Thomas Myers, Kamran Shamoo, Callum Smith, Phoebe Hamilton, Rebecca Little
Under 15: Murdo Mackenzie, Cailean McAlpine, Zack Paton, Ella Bannister, Felicia Chan
ENGLAND
Under 13: Will Burton, Jaanshere Khan, Joe Colton, Phoebe Griffiths, Esther Chak
Under 15: Ismail Khalil, George Griffiths, Dylan Kalar, Mariam Eissa, Reka Kemescei
IRELAND
Under 13: David Connell, Eoin Mullery, Ben Lynch, Jack Clery, Laya Sabry, Lucy Lynch, Rebecca Day
Under 15: Christian Dromgoole, Aaron Knox, Adam Power, John Day, Zoe Yeomans, Shriya Drawid, Rebecca Jackson
WALES
Under 13: Leon Lauder, Thomas Fenlon, Jacob Green, Jacob Baker, Madalena Sidoli, Eliza Hales, Evie Salisbury
Under 15: Aled Davis, Archie Davis Clarke, Reuben Davis, Ethan Willis, Nia Seren Thomas, Megan Beynon, Erin Lauder
FRANCE
Under 13: Lysandro Joneau, Robin Gautier, Adam Rameau, Lily Romieu, Rafaella Guidoni
Under 15: Amir Khaled, Ethan Lecordier, Theo Baudry, Leelou Laporte, Sarah Guyot
GOOD LUCK TO ALL THE PLAYERS!
Masters Home internationals in Fitzwilliam LTC, Dublin from April 21st – 22nd 2023.
See link below to follow the event scores and final positions.
[ngg src=”galleries” ids=”117″ display=”basic_thumbnail”]
Masters Home internationals in Fitzwilliam LTC, Dublin from April 21st – 22nd 2023.
See link below to follow the event scores and final positions.
[ngg src=”galleries” ids=”117″ display=”basic_thumbnail”]
Well done to our team – Aimee McConnell, Sara Sabry, Dylan Moran, Jack O’Flynn & Sean Murphy in the U19 European Championships where they finished 4th. Seeded 4th in a pool with Switzerland, Belgium & Croatia they topped the pool and beat Czech in the last 8 and lost to France in the semis. In the 3rd/4th play off they lost 2-1 to the Netherlands Well done to coaches David Noone & Ken Flynn & manager Christine Mooney also. Great team effort!!
DRAW – POOL
DRAW – POSITIONS 1-8
LIVE SCORE
LIVE STREAM
Standings of ESF – Mixed Team u19 Championships – Group D
| |
|
Points |
Played |
Won |
Draws |
Lost |
Rubbers |
Games |
Points |
| 1 |
 Ireland |
6 |
3 |
3 |
0 |
0 |
6 |
– |
3 |
20 |
– |
10 |
288 |
– |
206 |
| 2 |
 Switzerland |
4 |
3 |
2 |
0 |
1 |
6 |
– |
3 |
19 |
– |
11 |
285 |
– |
211 |
| 3 |
 Croatia |
2 |
3 |
1 |
0 |
2 |
4 |
– |
5 |
13 |
– |
15 |
201 |
– |
227 |
| 4 |
 Belgium |
0 |
3 |
0 |
0 |
3 |
2 |
– |
7 |
8 |
– |
24 |
189 |
– |
319 |
Show draw…
All matches…
Day 9:
Result from our last match is 2-1 to the Dutch. Big win for Jack O’Flynn vs current World Junior Champion, Rowan Damming but despite playing very well, Sara and Sean lost.
So a 4th place overall which is a strong performance and one the team can be very proud of this week.
Well done all!!
Match overview
| Order |
Event |
Netherlands |
– |
Ireland |
Score |
Points |
|
|
Duration |
| 1 |
GS |
|
– |
|
11-4 11-6 11-2 |
1-0 |
|
|
18m |
| 2 |
BS1 |
|
– |
|
11-2 11-13 11-1 4-11 7-11 |
0-1 |
|
|
46m |
| 3 |
BS2 |
|
– |
|
11-8 11-7 11-7 |
1-0 |
|
|
30m |
Day 9:
Our last day in Zurich. What a day to finish on. So many ups and downs.
All players here, all levels from all countries will be running on fumes. It’s a physically very demanding event, lots of sore muscles and fatigue.
We were playing for bronze today. A tough match against the Dutch, who have the world champion in their roster, Rowan Damming.
As a team, our best bet was to put our freshest team out and go as hard as possible.
Jack, Sean and Sara were selected, Aimee and Dylan playing a big role in supporting their team mates.
Sara was up first, playing a talented younger player, who was quick and aggressive. Sara played super well, not quite managing to take a game but putting a her best fight to date! Without doubt improving with every match.
Next up…. Jack O’Flynn. Hard to describe this one. He played the match of his life. Against all odds, all expectations he managed to play to his potential and dug so deep to push the Dutch superstar to a 5th game. Rowan had just beaten Jonah Bryant in the semi finals and was looking sharp. Jack mustered up the courage to play disciplined squash and troubled Rowan in all areas, with great racket head speed and counter attacks.
He created 4 match balls and converted on the second one, he erupted with emotion and walked off the court with a special feeling, having beaten the world champ..
Our decider came down to Sean Murphy. Sean is a gritty, skilful player with the potential to beat anyone on his day. Today, on the big stage and with the occasion of a medal on the line, it was a step too far. He played great squash, really attacking but we could tell something was up. He was cramping in his stomach and couldn’t move as well as he usually does. He lost in 3.. super gutted for Sean. Disappointing for him, it’s one that will take some time to get over.. but we’re proud of the effort made by the whole team!!
Over all, 4th in Europe is an exceptional result.
We will leave for home physically battered but with our heads held high.
A special thanks goes to Sara’s little 6 year old sister, Emily, who was here the entire time. She provided such great fun for us all with her big fun energy made the best little mascot!
We have a dinner party to close the event and our Irish squash president will be doing the prize giving, Rosie Barry.
David Noone
Day 8:
Match overview
| Order |
Event |
Ireland |
– |
 France |
Score |
Points |
|
|
Duration |
| 1 |
GS |
|
– |
|
4-11 5-11 5-11 |
0-1 |
|
|
17m |
| 2 |
BS1 |
|
– |
|
13-11 4-11 9-11 6-11 |
0-1 |
|
|
44m |
| 3 |
BS2 |
|
– |
|
11-3 11-4 |
1-0 |
|
|
19m |
Quarter finals morning.
Always a great feeling to wake up and be in the mix of the main event when the standard is so high. It’s an extra great feeling when the team is full of confidence, fully believing that the tie against the Czechs is one we will win.
Breakfast as usual, not quite as early which was nice to get a longer snooze. Oats and fruit for some players, 400 mini chocolate croissants for Dylan Moran.
Kick off was 12.00, Dylan, Jack and Sara the team. This team is so close in level that it was super difficult to leave any player out, it’s always a tough call!
A complete performance from Dylan put us 1-0 up.. destroying the Czech no.1 in minutes, playing all the right shots and keeping his error count to a minimum.
Sara had a tough test, and has been improving match by match. This was another occasion where she played her best squash, more positive and more confident! But not to be for the 16 year old.. plenty to come from her in the future no doubt.
Jack was in for the decider, playing a tall, athletic opponent. Very professional approach from Jack, as expected. He got off to a great start in each game and held it the whole way through, demonstrating control and finesse at the right times. Winning 3-0 and sending us into the SEMIFINALS!!! Super excited to take in the French!
Semi Final
Team to play – Dylan, Jack and Aimee. Playing order was Boy no.1, Girl no.1 and Boy no.2.
Dylan had a big test.. physically his opponent, Melvil Scianimanico is very impressive, tough to win a point against this guy. Dylan battled his way through the first game, 13-11.. but that came with a consequence, he was drained. Losing the second game, he gathered himself for the 3rd and went 5-1 up. The Frenchman was working the front of the court so well, making Dylan do a mammoth amount of work. Cramp set in for our warrior, he couldn’t convert the lead and went 2-1 down. The fourth ran away from him and we were a match down.. big hill to climb!
Aimee stepped up to take on the French girl. The pressure was on and Aimee played some great squash. Going toe to toe for as long as she could, but the intensity was high and the errors crept in. Before long Aimee was 2-0 but found a spark in the third to take a good lead. It was short lived as the French player pegged back the lead and clinched the tie for her team.
Jack played the dead rubber match and thrashed Titouan, a classy performance.
Not much consolation for the team, a shame not to make the final but a great effort!!
Still a bronze medal to play for tomorrow and we will be gunning for it against a strong Dutch outfit.
David Noone
Match overview
| Order |
Event |
Ireland |
– |
 Czech republic |
Score |
Points |
|
|
Duration |
| 1 |
BS1 |
|
– |
|
<a href="https://www.europeansquash.com/sport/player.aspx?id=00F
Well done to our team – Aimee McConnell, Sara Sabry, Dylan Moran, Jack O’Flynn & Sean Murphy in the U19 European Championships where they finished 4th. Seeded 4th in a pool with Switzerland, Belgium & Croatia they topped the pool and beat Czech in the last 8 and lost to France in the semis. In the 3rd/4th play off they lost 2-1 to the Netherlands Well done to coaches David Noone & Ken Flynn & manager Christine Mooney also. Great team effort!!
DRAW – POOL
DRAW – POSITIONS 1-8
LIVE SCORE
LIVE STREAM
Standings of ESF – Mixed Team u19 Championships – Group D
| |
|
Points |
Played |
Won |
Draws |
Lost |
Rubbers |
Games |
Points |
| 1 |
Ireland |
6 |
3 |
3 |
0 |
0 |
6 |
– |
3 |
20 |
– |
10 |
288 |
– |
206 |
| 2 |
Switzerland |
4 |
3 |
2 |
0 |
1 |
6 |
– |
3 |
19 |
– |
11 |
285 |
– |
211 |
| 3 |
Croatia |
2 |
3 |
1 |
0 |
2 |
4 |
– |
5 |
13 |
– |
15 |
201 |
– |
227 |
| 4 |
Belgium |
0 |
3 |
0 |
0 |
3 |
2 |
– |
7 |
8 |
– |
24 |
189 |
– |
319 |
Show draw…
All matches…
Day 9:
Result from our last match is 2-1 to the Dutch. Big win for Jack O’Flynn vs current World Junior Champion, Rowan Damming but despite playing very well, Sara and Sean lost.
So a 4th place overall which is a strong performance and one the team can be very proud of this week.
Well done all!!
Match overview
| Order |
Event |
Netherlands |
– |
Ireland |
Score |
Points |
|
|
Duration |
| 1 |
GS |
|
– |
|
11-4 11-6 11-2 |
1-0 |
|
|
18m |
| 2 |
BS1 |
|
– |
|
11-2 11-13 11-1 4-11 7-11 |
0-1 |
|
|
46m |
| 3 |
BS2 |
|
– |
|
11-8 11-7 11-7 |
1-0 |
|
|
30m |
Day 9:
Our last day in Zurich. What a day to finish on. So many ups and downs.
All players here, all levels from all countries will be running on fumes. It’s a physically very demanding event, lots of sore muscles and fatigue.
We were playing for bronze today. A tough match against the Dutch, who have the world champion in their roster, Rowan Damming.
As a team, our best bet was to put our freshest team out and go as hard as possible.
Jack, Sean and Sara were selected, Aimee and Dylan playing a big role in supporting their team mates.
Sara was up first, playing a talented younger player, who was quick and aggressive. Sara played super well, not quite managing to take a game but putting a her best fight to date! Without doubt improving with every match.
Next up…. Jack O’Flynn. Hard to describe this one. He played the match of his life. Against all odds, all expectations he managed to play to his potential and dug so deep to push the Dutch superstar to a 5th game. Rowan had just beaten Jonah Bryant in the semi finals and was looking sharp. Jack mustered up the courage to play disciplined squash and troubled Rowan in all areas, with great racket head speed and counter attacks.
He created 4 match balls and converted on the second one, he erupted with emotion and walked off the court with a special feeling, having beaten the world champ..
Our decider came down to Sean Murphy. Sean is a gritty, skilful player with the potential to beat anyone on his day. Today, on the big stage and with the occasion of a medal on the line, it was a step too far. He played great squash, really attacking but we could tell something was up. He was cramping in his stomach and couldn’t move as well as he usually does. He lost in 3.. super gutted for Sean. Disappointing for him, it’s one that will take some time to get over.. but we’re proud of the effort made by the whole team!!
Over all, 4th in Europe is an exceptional result.
We will leave for home physically battered but with our heads held high.
A special thanks goes to Sara’s little 6 year old sister, Emily, who was here the entire time. She provided such great fun for us all with her big fun energy made the best little mascot!
We have a dinner party to close the event and our Irish squash president will be doing the prize giving, Rosie Barry.
David Noone
Day 8:
Match overview
| Order |
Event |
Ireland |
– |
France |
Score |
Points |
|
|
Duration |
| 1 |
GS |
|
– |
|
4-11 5-11 5-11 |
0-1 |
|
|
17m |
| 2 |
BS1 |
|
– |
|
13-11 4-11 9-11 6-11 |
0-1 |
|
|
44m |
| 3 |
BS2 |
|
– |
|
11-3 11-4 |
1-0 |
|
|
19m |
Quarter finals morning.
Always a great feeling to wake up and be in the mix of the main event when the standard is so high. It’s an extra great feeling when the team is full of confidence, fully believing that the tie against the Czechs is one we will win.
Breakfast as usual, not quite as early which was nice to get a longer snooze. Oats and fruit for some players, 400 mini chocolate croissants for Dylan Moran.
Kick off was 12.00, Dylan, Jack and Sara the team. This team is so close in level that it was super difficult to leave any player out, it’s always a tough call!
A complete performance from Dylan put us 1-0 up.. destroying the Czech no.1 in minutes, playing all the right shots and keeping his error count to a minimum.
Sara had a tough test, and has been improving match by match. This was another occasion where she played her best squash, more positive and more confident! But not to be for the 16 year old.. plenty to come from her in the future no doubt.
Jack was in for the decider, playing a tall, athletic opponent. Very professional approach from Jack, as expected. He got off to a great start in each game and held it the whole way through, demonstrating control and finesse at the right times. Winning 3-0 and sending us into the SEMIFINALS!!! Super excited to take in the French!
Semi Final
Team to play – Dylan, Jack and Aimee. Playing order was Boy no.1, Girl no.1 and Boy no.2.
Dylan had a big test.. physically his opponent, Melvil Scianimanico is very impressive, tough to win a point against this guy. Dylan battled his way through the first game, 13-11.. but that came with a consequence, he was drained. Losing the second game, he gathered himself for the 3rd and went 5-1 up. The Frenchman was working the front of the court so well, making Dylan do a mammoth amount of work. Cramp set in for our warrior, he couldn’t convert the lead and went 2-1 down. The fourth ran away from him and we were a match down.. big hill to climb!
Aimee stepped up to take on the French girl. The pressure was on and Aimee played some great squash. Going toe to toe for as long as she could, but the intensity was high and the errors crept in. Before long Aimee was 2-0 but found a spark in the third to take a good lead. It was short lived as the French player pegged back the lead and clinched the tie for her team.
Jack played the dead rubber match and thrashed Titouan, a classy performance.
Not much consolation for the team, a shame not to make the final but a great effort!!
Still a bronze medal to play for tomorrow and we will be gunning for it against a strong Dutch outfit.
David Noone
Match overview
| Order |
Event |
Ireland |
– |
Czech republic |
Score |
Points |
|
|
Duration |
| 1 |
BS1 |
|
– |
|
<a href="https://www.europeansquash.com/sport/player.aspx?id=00F
Day 4:
Round 6:
Individual finals day;
Just the one match in our camp today. Tristan Snodgrass playing a Greek for the second day in a row..
This time it was fairly plain sailing for his final match, a relatively easy 3-0 win. He did well to remain composed throughout and will be delighted to finish on a positive.
Sean is shaping up well for the team event, practicing well and getting stronger by the day. Dylan thankfully avoided what could have been a worse injury from his slip yesterday, great news for us all.
We opted to stay in the club today to watch the finals, we even got some protein in our lunch which was delightful. An always enjoyable walk along the river to the local Lidl for orange juice and a pretzel being the days highlight outside of the squash.
The U19 European girls champion was crowned, Asia Harris taking out Amile Haworth in a powerful display, 3-0.
The boys U19 final saw Jonah Bryant cruise to victory in a relatively quick 3-0 over world junior champ, Rowan Damming. He was very balanced, composed and clinical in his efforts, well deserved.
We have a dinner ceremony to look forward to tonight and a rest/practice day tomorrow before the teams start on Thursday. The teams is often the most exciting event of the year and we are looking to peak for this, cannot wait.
David Noone
Draw/Results – HERE
Day 3:
Round 5;
The hectic schedule of the past two days slowed down a little bit today. Just one match each for our squad but a full day at the courts none the less.
Sara was first up, her opponent, a fairly highly seeded German player who played a similar game to Sara. Very crisp hitting along the left hand wall, smooth mover and dangerous when given space to hit.
At the start it was close, the one difference being unforced errors. Too many from Sabry saw her two games down.
She did bring a better fight in the 3rd and fourth, winning the third and just popped in the fourth, 11-9.
All in a decent performance, some sharpening of the tools needed and it could have been a totally different result.
Aimee followed Sara. Playing Camilla Hendy of Norway. She had lost at the world championships to the Norwegian and was keen to get some revenge.
The first game, very few errors coupled with great attacking squash saw a blistering lead of 9-1 converted to a 1-0 lead for the Irish player.
Errors were too frequent in the 2nd and 3rd games from Aimee, her opponent was quite clinical when given a loose ball also.
A spirited fight to try and bring it to 5, falling just short on a decision by the ref. Close in the end, but no joy. A roar of frustration for Aimee, it could have gone either way..
Tristan played a Greek with a very Greek name, Efthymio..
It went the distance and had its ups and downs for Tristan. Unfortunately couldn’t get over the line in the 5th… one more match tomorrow for the big man.
Dylan was looking to finish in the top 10 and was looking good until his lunge ended in a slide that hurt his knee. He pulled out to prevent further damage, fingers crossed he comes good for Thursday’s team event!
Jack had a huge battle with another speed merchant. This French player, Titouan Isambard, was so so quick. Sliding around the court like there was clay on the surface. It was nip and tuck the whole match, all the way to the end of the fifth. Jack was stringing together 3 or 4 winners per rally but the ball kept coming back. Eventually, after clipping the side wall with a counter drop, a stroke decision ended the match. A tough loss, Jack will finish 11th.
It was semi finals night in the main draw. Some savage performances from the top players. Great inspiration for our guys.
In fact, there was inspiration everywhere, world top ten player, Joel Makin was training in the club the few days also.
We had a small window of opportunity to escape another plain pasta dinner at the club but it wasn’t to be, matches ran slightly too late and we couldn’t make it to the city.. The highlight of flavour and nutrition in these Swiss package meals is the gigantic bowl of sweetcorn left beside the bread bowl, tough at the top for these players..
One last day of matches in the individual event tomorrow…
David Noone
Draw/Results – HERE
[ngg src=”galleries” ids=”114″ display=”basic_thumbnail”]Day 2;
Round 3:
A sleepy Sunday morning in Zurich, very few cars or people around, not even a cafe open.. enter the squash club and it’s full of energy with matches on all nine courts with players, coaches and supporters everywhere. A great atmosphere.
For our Irish players, Tristan was first up against a Scot. Hunting his first win of the event, it was looking good early doors. Tristan stuck to the plan, keeping errors low and being patient. His attacks coming at the right times, winning the first game.. the wheels started to come off a bit as the match progressed and errors crept in.. a 3-1 loss but signs of improvement for the next matches, plenty learned.
Jack was up against David Bernet, one of the favourites to take the title here this week.. a blistering start saw Jack in front, playing great attacking squash, especially on the backhand volley. Applying consistent pressure was paying dividends and Jack got into a 7-5 lead. Tough going to keep the pace so high, Bernet clawed his way back and won the 1st 11-9. Slightly oxygen deprived starting the second, Jack made a few silly errors he couldn’t come back from and was two down. The third was a tighter affair, longer points but again, mistakes proved very costly and it was all over in half an hour.
Dylan faced former British Junior Open champ Abdulla Eissa. Dylan was favoured on paper and was expecting to push though. The first game, he did just that and smashed all his targets, winning 11-3. As the ball softened, the Englishman’s racket skills developed and caused trouble for Dylan. Finding a better weighted length than Dylan, coupled with better shot choices, Abdulla snook the 2nd. Similarly in the third, some sublime squash got him 2-1 up. Leading in the 4th, Dylan was looking a little deservedly, 10-5 match ball down… he built some momentum to resist but a shocking ref decision ended the come back, very disappointing.
Aimee played an Austrian girl and seem to find her rhythm a little better. She was never really in trouble, glided around the court and won 3-0 with relative easy. Good to build some momentum and the wins will hopefully keep coming.
Round 4:
Wins all around.
A first for Tristan. Delighted for him. He played well, kept his Norwegian opponent from finding rhythm, kept it simple. Often the best method.
A 3-0 win and the pressure of getting the first win has been lifted..
Jack had a big result. Playing one of Europe’s top players, the Ukrainian no.1.. he battled hard and showed his character coming from 2-1 down to take it in 5. A top ten finish still on the cards.
An almost identical performance from Dylan, on the next court, at the same time, coming from 2-1 down to snatch victory against the athletic Rory Richmond of Scotland. Bodes well for our seeding in the teams but also plays a big role in restoring some confidence after the losses earlier.
Aimee was in control in her battle against another Scot. Possibly should have closed it out in 3 with her match balls but did very well to get over the line in 4. Playing some solid squash.
Sara, pretty straight forward 3-0. Delighted for her also. Her Italian opponent was tricky and the match needed due attention and focus. Good to build some momentum!!
One interesting sight observed here is the presence of Nici Muller volunteering to referee in his home club, very humbling from one of the world best players. Impressively sitting for hours between his own training sessions to be referee, hopefully not getting the abuse some of the others have been exposed to..
Another full day at the courts complete, rest in the hotel for tomorrow which has only one match per player. A potential visit to Zurich on the cards..
Heads will be held high tonight after a good round 4, everyone with a win!
David Noone
Draw/Results – https://www.europeansquash.com/sport/draws.aspx?id=2B7DD79B-04D9-43F0-873B-01B3ABC65F91Day 1:
Our Irish squad of Aimee McConnell, Sara Sabry, Dylan Moran, Jack O’Flynn, Sean Murphy and Tristan Snodgrass arrived safely in Zurich, Switzerland for the U19 European Championships. First up is the individual event, followed by the teams. 10 days of intense squash, the best of Europe fighting it out for top spots.
We’re playing all matches in Shilsports, an open plan sports club with 9 squash courts, an indoor tennis hall and badminton courts surrounding the club bar. Not too close to Zurich centre but has all we need.. and the courts are nice, always the most important thing for long events. It was an early start on day one, with Irish players matches following each other through the full day.
Sean Murphy was first up against Alexander Broadbridge.. A hotly anticipated match, potentially the toughest possible first round opponent for Sean. Alex is the U17 English no.1 and plays a solid game of squash.
Sean has the type of game to beat Alex, but unfortunately Sean was carrying a bad niggle in his hip and it ended his hopes, losing in 3 games and consequently pulling out to rehab before the team event.
Tristan Snodgrass played his opener against the talented Ukrainian no.1. Three fairly quick games with most resistance from Tristan coming in the second, a great learning g curve.
Jack O’Flynn won in 4 tight games against his Polish opponent, never looking too troubled but a good test on his opening game.
Dylan Moran used his trade mark high paced, high power game to bulldoze past the Italian no.1. Dylan will be a force to be reckoned with at this event.
Sara Sabry took on an experienced Czech player and played very well in parts, losing in 4 games but showing plenty of class. A few too many errors, if she can keep the mistakes at bay, her squash will be outstanding.
Aimee McConnell was facing the no.2 Spanish player, having never played her before, it was a nervy start.. Aimee unfortunately ever settled and had a high error count, resulting in a 3-0 loss but will have plenty to play for after this match.
Round 2;
Tristan played one of the home club players, he fought hard and produced some good squash but the Swiss player was too strong in the end.
Dylan was faultless against a young Norwegian player, bigger test for him in the last 16 tomorrow.
Jack had a battle, putting together some great rallies and winning the points that mattered in a tight 3 games, marching on to the last 16 against a formidable David Bernet.
Aimee cruised through in 3 games, playing a polish player who had no answer to Aimee’s pace.
Sara, what a match. A topsy turvy 5 setter. She played her heart out, looked like she was cursing in the 5th but fell short in the end, 12-10. She will find it hard to get over that one after having decent lead in the fifth.
A big opening day, of a big 10 days of squash. Sleep will be invaluable for the players tonight, lots to look forward to.
David Noone
Draw/Results: https://www.europeansquash.com/sport/draws.aspx?id=2B7DD79B-04D9-43F0-873B-01B3ABC65F91
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Denmark
Poland
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