Ireland’s most highly ranked squash player of all time, Madeline Perry, is seeking her final title at this year’s GillenMarkets Irish
Open Squash tournament where she is the number 1 seed in the women’s draw. Madeline has announced her retirement from the world tour after this event. Ranked 18 in the world at 38 years of age, Madeline will have to see off the challenge of the number 2 seed, Nicolette Fernandes of Guyana (world ranked 20), and a field of players ranked just behind her such as the rising star, Emily Whitlock (ranked 25) of England and Olivia Blatchford of the USA (ranked 37) who beat Madeline in last year’s event. Ireland’s Aisling Blake (world ranked 40) is seeded 6.
Madeline reached number 3 in the world rankings in 2011, with 11 tour titles and more than 120 caps. She won her 15th Irish National title in February last. Madeline was the leading player on the Irish team when they came second in Europe in 2012, and helped Ireland win a another silver medal in 2013. In the World team championships, she helped Ireland win a 5th place in Cairo in 2008 and since then has helped to ensure that the Irish team finished somewhere in the top 8 teams in the world for the last number of years.
The GillenMarkets Irish Open, will take place in Fitzwilliam Lawn Tennis Club, Appian Way, Dublin 6 from 22nd – 25th April.
Again the event will be streamed live on IRISH SQUASH TV HERE
The men’s event sees rising Egyptian star, Mazen Hesham, the number 1 seed, challenge for his first Irish Open title. The 21 year old World University Champion will have to overcome last year’s finalist, the Scottish number 1, Alan Clyne, alongside a field that sees world ranked players in the top 30. The Irish number 1, Arthur Gaskin (world 85), will be in action in a bid to match his excellent efforts in reaching the semi-final last year.
5 Irish men (B.Byrne, M.Craig, R.Byrne, K.Moran & S.Conroy) and Ciara Moloney will also be taking their place in the qualifying draws on Monday and Tuesday.
DRAWS (all times included)
The first day of the GillenMarkets Irish Open was for the 1st round of the qualifying which will provide 4 players for the main draw after Tuesday’s matches.
Galway Lawn Tennis Club will again be playing host to this year’s ‘Paddy Whack Walsh’ West of Ireland Open Squash Championships. The club is preparing for what promises to be a really exciting tournament with some of the best professional squash players coming to Galway to compete for the coveted West of Ireland trophy.
Again the event will be streamed live on IRISH SQUASH TV HERE
The event is again sponsored by Garavan’s Bar. Our sole sponsor has supported the event for many years and is the only reason why the event can go ahead. It is one of only two events that sees professional squash players compete on these shores. GLTC is extremely grateful to Paul Garavan of Garavan’s Bar for his incredible support.
Round 1
Paddy Whack Walsh West of Ireland Squash Championships 2015
Main Draw First Round Results
Ali Farag bt Rui Soares 3-0 11-5 11-9 11-7 in 21 minutes
James Earles bt Sanjay Singh Chal 3-1 11-13 15-13 11-8 11-6 in 46 minutes
Jan Van Den Herrewegen bt Jens Schoor 3-2 12-10 2-11 11-7 8-11 11-9 in 68 minutes
Carlos Cornes Rabadas bt Miachael Craig 3-1 11-8 5-11 11-9 19-17 in 70 minutes
Douglas Kempsell bt Ivan Yuen 3-1 11-7 7-11 11-9 11-9 in 69 minutes.
Shehab Essam bt James Huang 3-1 11-7 4-11 16-14 11-7 in 34 minutes
Rex Hendrick bt Brian Byrne 3-1 9-11 11-3 11-7 11-2 51 minutes
Mohamed Elgawarthy bt Mahesh Mangaonkar 3-0 11-8 11-6 11-9 in 39 minutes
Qualfying
In the final qualifying 2 out of 3 irish players got through to the main draw – Michael Craig and Brian Byrne. Unfortunatly Sean Conroy lost out. Craig beat the no. 1 seed Robert Downer from England 3-2 and Byrne beat another Englishman Ashley Davies 3-2. Two great wins. Conroy lost 3-2 to Portugal’s Rui Soares.
[1] Robert Downer (ENG)
[7] Rui Soares (POR) WON
MAIN DRAW – Thursday 16/4/15
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[1] Mahesh Mangaonkar (IND)
19:00, 16 Apr 2015 (ct. 1)
Mohamed Elgawarhy (EGY)
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19:00, 17 Apr 2015 (ct. 1)
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15:00, 18 Apr 2015 (ct. 1)
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15:00, 19 Apr 2015 (ct. 1)
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Shehab Essam (EGY)
18:00, 16 Apr 2015 (ct. 6)
[6] James Huang (TPE)
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[7] James Earles (ENG)
16:00, 16 Apr 2015 (ct. 6)
Sanjay Singh Chal (MAS)
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16:00, 17 Apr 2015 (ct. 1)
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[Q] Jan Van Den Herrewegen (BEL)
16:00, 16 Apr 2015 (ct. 1)
[3] Jens Schoor (GER)
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[4] Ali Farag (EGY)
15:00, 16 Apr 2015 (ct. 1)
[Q] Rui Soares (POR)
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17:00, 17 Apr 2015 (ct. 1)
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16:00, 18 Apr 2015 (ct. 1)
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Douglas Kempsell (SCO)
17:00, 16 Apr 2015 (ct. 1)
[5] Ivan Yuen (MAS)
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[8] Carlos Cornes Ribadas (ESP)
17:00, 16 Apr 2015 (ct. 6)
[Q] Michael Craig (NIR)
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18:00, 17 Apr 2015 (ct. 1)
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[Q] Brian Byrne (IRL)
18:00, 16 Apr 2015 (ct. 1)
[2] Rex Hedrick (AUS)
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| Round 1 |
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The qualifiers started on Tuesday 14th with great success for the Irish players with Michael Craig, Brian Byrne and Sean Conroy all winning their matches. Sean actually beat local Galway player David Noone. The final round is on Wed 15th April.
| Round 1 | Final round |
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| 14 Apr 2015 | 15 Apr 2015 |
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[1] Robert Downer (ENG)
16:00, 14 Apr 2015 (ct. 1)
[Bye]
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[1] Robert Downer (ENG)
16:00, 15 Apr 2015 (ct. 1)
[L] Michael Craig (NIR)
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[L] Michael Craig (NIR)
11-6, 11-2, 11-6 (3-0)
[8] Mike Lewis (USA)
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[7] Rui Soares (POR)
11-5, 11-9, 11-6 (3-0)
Joeri Hapers (BEL)
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[7] Rui Soares (POR)
17:00, 15 Apr 2015 (ct. 1)
[4] Sean Conroy (IRL)
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[L] David Noone (IRL)
2-11, 4-11, 5-11 (0-3)
[4] Sean Conroy (IRL)
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[3] Arthur Moineau (FRA)
4-11 retired (0-1)
[L] Brian Byrne (IRL)
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[L] Brian Byrne (IRL)
18:00, 15 Apr 2015 (ct. 1)
[5] Ashley Davies (ENG)
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Connor Sheen (ENG)
7-11, 7-11, 8-11 (0-3)
[5] Ashley Davies (ENG)
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[6] Micah Franklin (BER)
11-4, 11-6, 11-8 (3-0)
[L] Keith Moran (IRL)
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[6] Micah Franklin (BER)
19:00, 15 Apr 2015 (ct. 1)
[2] Jan Van Den Herrewegen (BEL)
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[Bye]
16:00, 14 Apr 2015 (ct. 6)
[2] Jan Van Den Herrewegen (BEL)
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| Round 1 | Final round |
This year is going to be particularly exciting. As the event continues to grow we are seeing players with higher and higher rankings come to play the event which is a huge compliment to us at GLTC. This year’s number 1 seed is Mahesh Mangaonkar from India who has a world ranking of 45! He is scheduled to meet Rex Hedrick in the final if all goes to plan. Hedrick, the number 2 seed from Australia is world ranked no. 52. All in all it should be a really exciting event.
The first round of qualification kicks off on Tuesday 14th April. Please try and get down to the event to give John your support.
As far as other Irish contenders are concerned we have Sean Conroy from Dublin who is training and playing full time as a PSA player now, has made the qualification draw so hopefully he can do well and qualify for the main draw too. We also have Keith Moran from Sligo, Michael Craig from Belfast and Brian Byrne from Claremorris competing in the ‘local spot’ positions so good luck to them too!
The schedule for the event is as follows: Tuesday 14th April: first round qualification, Wednesday 15th April: final round qualification, Thursday 16th April: main draw first round, Friday 17th April: PSA quarter finals and first round for the graded events Saturday 18th April: PSA semi finals with second day for the graded events Sunday 19th April: PSA and graded finals day.
For tournament entry and information see HERE
LINKS
Andre Davies West of Ireland Tournament Director.
Report on the Squash Masters Interpros – held in Fitzwilliam LTC on 1oth and 11th April 2015
All provinces had teams in the Men’s Over 55 and 65 categories whilst Leinster Munster and Ulster had teams in the Men’s Over 45, Ladies Over 35 and Ladies Over 50 categories.
Results were as follows –
| Winner | Points | Runner Up | Points | |
| Mens’s Over 45 | Ulster | 34 | Leinster | 19 |
| Mens’s Over 55 | Munster | 46 | Ulster | 35 |
| Mens’s Over 65 | Munster | 32 | Leinster | 23 |
| Ladies Over 35 | Leinster | 21 | Ulster | 16 |
| Ladies Over 50 | Ulster | 24 | Munster | 12 |
[nggallery id=47]
Men’s Over 45 (5 Player Teams)
Ulster were definitely the strongest team with a 4/1 victory over Leinster (well done Stephen Fasenfeld for winning for Leinster at number 5 in his first Masters Interpros match) and a 5/0 victory over Munster. Players winning both their matches in this section were
Men’s Over 55 (5 Player Teams)
Munster were the winners of this section, beating Connacht 3/2, Leinster 3/2, and Ulster 5/0. Players winning all three matches in this section were
Men’s Over 65 (3 Player Teams)
Again Munster came out on top in this section, beating Connacht 2/1, Leinster 3/0, and Ulster 2/1. In general matches were closer in the Over 65 section Tim Murphy from Cork managing to win all three matches.
Ladies Over 35 (3 Player Teams)
Leinster ladies came out on top here, beating Ulster 2/1 and Munster 3/0. Players winning both their matches were Caroline Coyle (Ulster), Sarah Butler (Leinster) and Joan Gorham (Leinster)
Ladies Over 50 (3 Player Teams)
Ulster were the best team in this section, beating Leinster and Munster 3/0 – so all the Ulster Ladies (Michele Jackson, Ruth Coates, and Jenny Mc Conachie) won both their games.
In all it was a very successful tournament and I hope all the players enjoyed it as much as we enjoyed organising it. Thanks to Fitzwilliam LTC for allowing us to use their splendid facilities and as usual for the lovely dinner on the Saturday night. Thanks also to Rosie Barry – Tournament Director, Brian Williams – Tournament Referee, Tom Keenan – Treasurer and Results Coordinator, Ciaran Roche – Irish Squash Masters Secretary for their help in running the tournament. Lastly thanks to all the competitors who helped out with refereeing and for their friendly and sporting attitudes both on and off the courts (and not forgetting Martin Maher who took the photos of the Prize giving)
Brian Mc Nally
Tournament Organiser
Panel of Players from each Province shown below (Not in Ranking Order)
Leinster Manager : Brian Mc Nally
MENS O45 |
MENS O55 | MENS O65 |
LADIES O35 |
LADIES O50 | |
| 1 | B Lalor | F Donnelly | S Daly | J Dillon | A Costelloe (C) |
| 2 | D Cassidy | M Maher (C) | C Roche (C) | S Butler | C Lowry |
| 3 | A Coppinger | M Morrissey | T Coady | J Gorham (C) | C Mooney |
| 4 | D Flynn | S Hickey | D Mc Devitt | S Doyle | |
| 5 | K Singh (C) | J Sexton | |||
| 6 | S Fasenfeld | ||||
| 7 | T Crowe |
Connacht Manager : Alf Kavanagh (and Captain MO55)
MENS Over 55 |
MENS Over 65 |
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| 1 | D Lalor | J Kielty |
| 2 | P Hanley | F Fahey (C) |
| 3 |
T J Mullins |
K Singh |
| 4 | G Fahy | |
| 5 | D Walsh | |
| 6 | R Reade |
Munster Manager : Martin Mc Donnell
MENS O45 |
MENS O55 |
Mens O65 |
LADIES O35 |
LADIES O50 | |
| 1 | T Horgan | M Conlon | B Cullinane | M Collins (C) | C Jones (C) |
| 2 | E Murphy | D Coughlan | J O’Donovan | S Gleeson | R Quilter |
| 3 | T Mc Carthy | M Mc Donnell | N Murphy | S O’Malley | D Reardon |
| 4 | C O’Neill | J Mc Sweeney | T Murphy | ||
| 5 | K O’Rourke (C) | M Mulhall (C) | J Whelan (C) | ||
| 6 | N O’Sullivan |
Ulster Manager : Frank Marks
MENS O45 |
MENS O55 |
Mens O65 |
LADIES O35 |
LADIES O50 | |
| 1 | D Hazzard | S Boyd | H Cullen | C Coyle (C) | R Coates |
| 2 | G Hewitt | B Burke | B Ferris | B Scott | M Jackson (C) |
| 3 | A Leeson (C) | D Early | C Gilmour (C) | T Walsh | J Mc Conachie |
| 4 | S Mc Gee | D Fergusson | M Evans | ||
| 5 | M O’Neill | R Hedley (C) | |||
| 6 | J Simpson | D Rosenburg |
Madeline Perry, the most successful female Irish squash player of all-time, will make her farewell WSA World Tour appearance at the Gillen Markets Irish Open later this month in Dublin.
A full-time professional since 1999, 38-year-old Perry has enjoyed a distinguished career in the sport, winning 11 WSA Tour titles from 27 final appearances and celebrating a career-high world No.3 ranking in 2011. The Australian Open champion in 2010 in Canberra – where she upset both the second and third seeds en-route to the WSA World Series title – the Banbridge-born star has won the prestigious Irish Open trophy five times, twice finishing as runner-up.
With more than 120 caps for Ireland, Perry has competed for her country in eight successive biennial World Team Championships and in February won a record 15th Irish National title.
“I have decided to retire from the World Tour and have decided that the Irish Open (from 21-25 April) will be my last World Tour event,” said Perry, the event’s top seed for the ninth time. “It is been an incredibly difficult decision to make but I had to be honest with myself and unfortunately I have noticed that I do not have the same extreme focus that I once had, or indeed, desire to compete.
“Having had such a successful career, I felt that I was no longer doing myself justice and felt the time was right to move on and find a new career.
“I am so proud to have come from a small country like Northern Ireland and to have competed at such a high level on the world stage,” Perry (pictured above in action in the 2014 Tournament of Champions) continued. “Highlights for me have been reaching world number three; reaching the final of the British Open after beating world No.1 Nicol David in the quarter finals; reaching the semi-finals of the World Open; and winning the Australian Open.
“I still play and train to a very high level so I have every intention of continuing to compete for Ireland, at national level and leagues as I still love training and playing the game. I also hope to coach more and give back to the sport that has given me so much.
“A new challenge awaits and after retiring in June, I will travel to Malaysian Borneo to volunteer for the charity Raleigh International, a youth and sustainable development charity. I will work there for three months as a Project Manager for a diverse group of younger volunteers on various sustainable development projects within communities living in poverty.
“I look forward to travelling to Borneo but this time instead of playing squash in a foreign country, I will contribute to the country and hopefully enhance people’s lives!
“I have so many people to thank for their support during my career but I will save those for after the Irish Open so for the next two weeks all my focus will be on that event and I will hope to finish my World Tour career on a high at Fitzwilliam Lawn Tennis Club in Dublin where I have had so much success over the years including my 15 Irish National titles.”
Irish Squash president, Ed Dunne says “Madeline has been a great role model for squash players in Ireland and around the world playing a such a high level for so many years. We in Irish Squash are so proud of her and thank her for all that she has contributed to squash in Ireland. I want to wish her all the best in the next chapter of her life and we are delighted that she will continue to play squash at national level.”
WSA CEO Tommy Berden paid tribute to Perry: “It is fitting that Madeline plays her farewell professional event at the Fitzwilliam Club, a place where she has had many great results. She has been a great role model for all of her peers and we would like to congratulate her on an outstanding career. We wish her all the best in the future and hope that she will continue to give back to the sport of squash in another capacity.”
Despite retiring from the WSA Tour this month, Perry will have a busy month in May: In addition to fundraising for Raleigh International for her trip to Borneo, she will also play the European Team Championships (in Denmark, from 29 April to 2 May), the English Premier League semi-finals for Coolhurst London, the Italian League Finals, and the BSPA Finals at Roehampton.
The IRELAND team for the European Under 15 and 17 team championships has been announced. The tournament takes place from the 14-17th of may in Lisbon, Portugal.
GOOD LUCK TO ALL THE PLAYERS
The IRELAND team for the European Under 15 and 17 team championships has been announced. The tournament takes place from the 14-17th of may in Lisbon, Portugal.
GOOD LUCK TO ALL THE PLAYERS
The 2015 Under 19 Championships starts on March 28th with the individual championships. Ireland has 5 players participating with Stephanie Ryan in the girls event and Michael Craig, Oisin Dunne, Stephen Hearst and David Ryan in the boys event.
The team event starts on Thursday 2nd April with the Irish team as follows:
Michael Craig, David Ryan, Oisin Dunne, Hannah Craig, Stephanie Ryan. There is 19 teams in the event.
For photos see here
See here for draw and results of individual event.
See on Squash Site for information and pictures
For LIVE STREAMING – Court 1 – see here
See here for draw and results of team event.
Euro U19 facebook page
TEAM CHAMPIONSHIP – Thurs 2nd – Sunday 5th April
Day 8 – Sunday 5th April
| Time: | Sun 05/04/2015 13:30 |
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| Draw: | U19 Teams – U19 Team – Position 1-8 |
| Score: | 1-2 |
| Order | Event | Switzerland |
– |  Ireland |
Score | Points | Duration | ||||||
| 1 | MS2 |
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– |
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6-11 12-14 0-11 | 0-1 | 0:33 | ||||||
| 2 | WS |
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– |
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11-6 11-4 12-10 | 1-0 | 0:19 | ||||||
| 3 | MS1 |
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– |
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4-11 11-6 3-11 8-11 | 0-1 | 0:32 |
Day 7 – Saturday 4th April
Ireland 2 Scotland 1
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Scotland: 2-1| Time: | Sat 04/04/2015 17:00 |
|---|---|
| Draw: | U19 Teams – U19 Team – Position 1-8 |
| Score: | 2-1 |
| Order | Event | Ireland |
– | Scotland |
Score | Points | Duration | ||||||
| 1 | MS1 |
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– |
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11-6 11-5 11-6 | 1-0 | 0:25 | ||||||
| 2 | MS2 |
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– |
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11-7 11-5 11-7 | 1-0 | 0:25 | ||||||
| 3 | WS |
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– |
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11-6 3-11 5-11 11-9 4-11 | 0-1 | 0:38 |
Ireland 1 Finland 2
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Finland: 1-2| Time: | Sat 04/04/2015 12:00 |
|---|---|
| Draw: | U19 Teams – U19 Team – Position 1-8 |
| Score: | 1-2 |
| Order | Event | Ireland |
– | Finland |
Score | Points | Duration | ||||||
| 1 | MS1 |
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– |
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11-3 11-3 11-2 | 1-0 | 0:24 | ||||||
| 2 | MS2 |
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– |
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11-7 9-11 11-9 10-12 8-11 | 0-1 | 1:22 | ||||||
| 3 | WS |
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– |
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6-11 7-11 6-11 | 0-1 | 0:21 |
Ireland 2 Scotland 1
Ireland beat Scotland 2-1 in the 5-8th place play off. A fairly convincing win with the first 2 games going 3-0. Stephanie an had a cracking match just losing out 3-2 to Elspeth Young
– Scotland: 2-1| Time: | Sat 04/04/2015 17:00 |
|---|---|
| Draw: | U19 Teams – U19 Team – Position 1-8 |
| Score: | 2-1 |
| Order | Event | Ireland |
– | Scotland |
Score | Points | Duration | ||||||
| 1 | MS1 |
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– |
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11-6 11-5 11-6 | 1-0 | 0:25 | ||||||
| 2 | MS2 |
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– |
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11-7 11-5 11-7 | 1-0 | 0:25 | ||||||
| 3 | WS |
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– |
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11-6 3-11 5-11 11-9 4-11 | 0-1 | 0:38 |
Day 6 – Friday 3rd April
This was meant to be our biggest test so far- a top of the group clash with Switzerland.
We negotiated the task in a more convincing manner than the Hungarian assignment. David Ryan had no trouble in his match, although his opponent had plenty of heart, this was again no more than a light training session for David.
Michael played to a similar level as in his previous match, this time however he was in complete control – a testament to his Hungarian opponent – bar a passage in the 2nd, which went very close, Michael reasserted himself and won out 3-0. The tie was won and Ireland finished unbeaten and top of the group!
With the job done Stephanie Ryan played the Swiss no. 1. This was a hard ask for Stephanie. Despite losing 3-0 Stephanie showed some nice work and composure finishing on top in a decent number of hotly contested rallies.
Ireland are in the quarters their future opponents to be decided by lottery drawn from a hat!!
Switzerland were not too upset !
– Switzerland: 2-1| Time: | Fri 03/04/2015 17:00 |
|---|---|
| Draw: | U19 Teams – Group C |
| Score: | 2-1 |
| Order | Event | Ireland |
– | Switzerland |
Score | Points | Duration | ||||||
| 1 | MS2 |
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– |
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11-4 11-2 11-4 | 1-0 | 0:30 | ||||||
| 2 | MS1 |
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– |
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11-2 11-7 11-9 | 1-0 | 0:50 | ||||||
| 3 | WS |
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– |
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8-11 2-11 6-11 | 0-1 |
Ireland V Hungary This tie could not have been closer but the fight, determination and controlled aggression displayed by Hannah Craig in the deciding match was enough to awaken the fighting Irish spirit in those who were witness.
Enter Hannah….eventual winner in an absorbing 5 game match, but you sensed there was only going to be one winner.
– 
Hungary: 2-1| Time: | Fri 03/04/2015 10:00 |
|---|---|
| Draw: | U19 Teams – Group C |
| Score: | 2-1 |
| Order | Event | Ireland |
– | <a href="http:/
The Ballyearl Open took place on March 27th/28th. See details and results below.
Tournament daysFriday, March 27, 2015 to Saturday, March 28, 2015 Irish Squash Federation LtdThe online entry closes on Friday, April 10, 2015 at 11:59 PM (GMT +01:00).
Tournament daysFriday, April 17, 2015 to Sunday, April 19, 2015 Entries for the 2015 West of Ireland Open Click HERE
The Irish Masters Open on the weekend from Friday 20th to the 22nd in Fitzwilliam LTC, Dublin. There were nearly 70 players in 9 events. See the final results HERE
NOTE 19th March – Men’s O55 Section is re-drawn as an 8 man section due to withdrawal of the No 3 Seed. One extra player in Men’s O50 Section ranked No 12. N Murphy and C Roche have swopped places in Men’s O70 Section.
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