PSA World Series Allam British Open, Hull, England
Final: [1] Ramy Ashour (EGY) bt [4] Gregory Gaultier (FRA) 7-11, 11-4, 11-7, 11-8 (64m)
Today’s sensational climax of the 2013 Allam British Open Squash Championships, the fourth PSA World Series event of the year staged on an all-glass court erected on the pitch of soon-to-be English Premier League football club Hull City, saw Ramy Ashour make history by becoming the first Egyptian in 47 years to win the sport’s prestigious title.
Despite having produced world champions, world number ones and currently five players in the PSA men’s world top ten, Egypt has not boasted a British Open champion since 1966 – when the legendary AA AbouTaleb won the trophy for the third year in a row in London.
Undefeated since losing the 2012 final in London exactly a year ago, Ashour was firm favourite to have his name inscribed on the trophy this year. But the top seed dropped his first game of the tournament as French rival Gregory Gaultier took an early lead in the final of the first staging of the event in Yorkshire since 1974.
Gaultier, the first French winner of the title in 2007, tried to continue where he had left off in the second – but was unable to take the ball as early as previously with Ashour become more patient on the attack.
As the Egyptian forced the Frenchman into making more errors, Ashour grew in confidence and finished the second on his first game ball to draw level.
Gaultier started the third with more aggression with 25-year-old Ashour making a few uncharacteristic errors. At 7-5 to Gaultier, it looked as if the match was swinging back in his favour – but a few patient rallies and errors from the world number three got Ashour back on track at 10-7 and again the Egyptian closed out the game at the first opportunity.
Ashour built up a 6-3 lead in the fourth as his opponent began to show signs of fatigue. But a series of unforced errors from the Cairo king saw Gaultier win four points in a row to lead the game for the first time.
Ashour regrouped to reclaim the lead and after both players put the ball out of the court in successive rallies, Ashour clinched his first match-ball with a deft forehand shot into the nick to win 7-11, 11-4, 11-7, 11-8 in 64 minutes.
After shaking his opponent’s hand and seeing Gaultier out of the court, Ashour leapt into the air in celebration before falling to the ground to kiss the floor – where he stayed for several minutes, clearly tearful with emotion.
When asked to express his feelings, several minutes later, the new champion said: “There’s a famous quote: the game is just a game – it’s what you play for that matters.
“I’ve been preparing for eight weeks for this tournament – but I’ve had lots of hard times over the last two weeks, so I’m really proud of myself for what I’ve achieved.
“Winning this prestigious title is one of the happiest moments of my life, if not the happiest,” continued the exuberant Ashour, now winner of his 41st PSA Tour match in a row, and his eighth successive title.
“I’ve experienced waking up in the morning every day with a heavy heart and a heavy spirit. There have been a lot of distractions. But I’ve learnt a lot from the last couple of weeks.
“Winning this title is really big for me. It’s something I will always remember,” the new British Open Champion concluded.
A disconsolate Gaultier said: “I’m very disappointed. I did what I could. I wanted to win so much.
“But Ramy played better today and he thoroughly deserved it.
“Hopefully next time I will come back stronger. I really want to win this title again,” concluded the 30-year-old from Aix-en-Provence.
The series of Masters Home Internationals took place over the last few weeks in:
Cardiff – 26/27 April – Men O50/70, Women O50
Dublin – 3/4 May – Men O45/65, Women O45/55
Nottinghan – 10/11 May – Men O40/60, Women O40
Glasgow – Mens O35/55, Women O55
For the teams and final placings open HERE
25 May 2013
RESULTS: PSA World Series Allam British Open, Hull, England
Semi-finals: [1] Ramy Ashour (EGY) bt [3] James Willstrop (ENG) 11-2, 11-9, 13-11 (37m) [4] Gregory Gaultier (FRA) bt [2] Nick Matthew (ENG) 9-11, 11-7, 11-3, 11-6 (70m)
English duo Nick Matthew and James Willstrop were unable to exploit home advantage today in their county of Yorkshire when they went down in the semi-finals of the Allam British Open Squash Championships, the fourth PSA World Series event of the year in Hull.
The historic event came to life at the KC Stadium as the capacity crowd in the stands of the Hull City football ground enjoyed dramatic semi-final clashes.
Second seed Matthew’s hopes of a historic fourth British Open title were dashed by fourth-seeded Frenchman Gregory Gaultier in a fiery encounter in the opening semi-final.
Defending champion Matthew went on the attack in the first game, playing hard and fast and trying to dominate his opponent. The 32-year-old from Sheffield quickly took the score to 4-0 and, looking to make light work of the Frenchman, moved the game on to 8-1.
But Gaultier (pictured in Hull action with Matthew) fought back, winning a massive seven points in a row to level the match. Nine-all followed – but home hero Matthew managed to take the last two points to open up a first game lead.
By the second game, however, the Frenchman was setting the pace of the match and had Matthew on the run. The world No3 from Aix-en-Provence dominated from the off, going 4-0 up quickly, before progressing to 7-2. Although Matthew clawed back a couple of points, the inevitable was soon realised with Gaultier drawing level.
Gaultier again dominated early in the third. Matthew fought back with some strong rallies but always missed out on the point. Gaultier reached game ball at 11-2 – and although Matthew pulled one point back, the game belonged to the Frenchman who won 11-3.
With the chance of a place in the final slipping away, Matthew fought tooth and nail to get back into the match. The two players matched each other point-for-point early in the game – but then Gaultier again started to edge away to make it 7-4. Matthew pulled back to 7-6 but from there on the Frenchman dominated.
A controversial video review at match ball looked to offer the Brit a lifeline but a rally later Matthew was sent crashing out of the championship, Gaultier winning 9-11, 11-7, 11-3, 11-6 in 70 minutes.
“I really wanted to do well at the British Open and was well prepared,” said the elated Frenchman later. “I was happy with how I played. I wanted to get back up the rankings and the only way to do that is to win matches.”
The win takes Gaultier into his 51st PSA Tour final – and sees the 30-year-old former world number one back in the British Open climax for the first time since becoming France’s first winner of the title in 2007.
The second semi-final was a repeat of last year’s at the London O2 Arena – with Pontefract’s Willstrop taking on Egypt’s world number one Ramy Ashour.
In a high-quality encounter, Ashour continued his formidable form, treating the crowd to an array of outrageous flicks, drops and nicks that literally made the capacity crowd audience whoop in awe.
It was less than 24 hours earlier that Willstrop had staged the comeback of the tournament to beat Australian Cameron Pilley in a tense five-game 107-minute clash.
With Willstrop clearly needing time to refocus, the first game was all Ashour as the Egyptian raced to a 8-0 lead – with every attacking shot he tried landing perfectly in the nick, much to the dismay of the local hero.
The Yorkshireman even joked with the world number one after an astonishing point saw the Egyptian casually take the ball from almost between his legs and land it in the nick. First game to the favourite after only six minutes.
In the second, the two went point for point to eight-all – the Englishman beginning to move Ashour away from the middle of the court, stretching the game out to his advantage. At crucial stages of the game, however, Ashour was patient to attack – showcasing not only his short game but finding the perfect length to take the second 11-9.
A large contingent from Willstrop’s home club, who had made the 40-minute journey down the M62 from Pontefract, did their best to lift the three-time British Open runner up.
But it wasn’t to be for the 29-year-old who, despite having three game balls in the third, eventually tinned Ashour’s first match-ball to see the Egyptian move into the final for the second year in a row.
The win saw Ashour extend his unbeaten Tour run – since losing last year’s final to Matthew – to a remarkable 40 matches!
When asked what it meant to him to be in the British Open final, Ashour said: “It means a lot – but the pressure is still on. Greg is more than on fire. He’s almost a rocket! I was watching and he’s playing brilliantly.
“I have to keep pushing myself and still remember that the tournament is still on, despite the very good match with James today. It might have taken a lot out of me but I’ll still push and I’ll still give it my all and I’m very proud to be in it.
“I had a feeling that James might be a little tired from yesterday, so had to get in and play shots before he did,” added Ashour, now in the 46th Tour final of his career. “Because if I get caught in his trap, I’m screwed basically! He’s a great player and a great character on and off court and it’s a great pleasure to play against him.
“The British Open is a prestigious tournament, and we should give thanks to Dr Allam for putting the event back on the map. It’s great to have it back because it was greatly missed.
“I’ll be more than happy if I can win it – but I have a big mountain to climb first.”
25 May 2013
RESULTS: PSA World Series Allam British Open, Hull, England
Quarter-finals: [1] Ramy Ashour (EGY) bt [8] Borja Golan (ESP) 11-7, 11-4, 11-7 (33m) [3] James Willstrop (ENG) bt Cameron Pilley (AUS) 9-11, 9-11, 14-12, 11-6, 11-2 (107m) [4] Gregory Gaultier (FRA) bt Tarek Momen (EGY) 11-8, 11-7, 15-13 (59m) [2] Nick Matthew (ENG) bt [5] Karim Darwish (EGY) 11-6, 11-2, 12-10 (40m)
At two games down and two points away from a major collapse, England’s James Willstrop credited the calming influence of his coaches – father Malcolm Willstrop and brother David Campion – for helping him through to the semi-finals of the Allam British Open Squash Championships after beating Australian rival Cameron Pilley in the longest match of the PSA World Series event in Hull in the English county of Yorkshire.
Adverse weather conditions meant a temporary venue change for the 2013 Allam British Open as play was moved from the outdoor all-glass showcourt at KC Stadium to nearby Hull & East Riding Squash Club – a club that title sponsor Dr Allam has also invested in with a brand new 100-seater showcourt opened just a few weeks ago, now centre stage for the quarter final matches.
It was all go for the event organisers who managed to swap everything over in time for a midday start on a day when several sporting events fell foul of the weather – including the Giro d’Italia and the Test match in Leeds.
The event’s biggest seeding upset seemed on the cards when world No15 Pilley was on the verge of recording a career-first win over English hope Willstrop, the world No4 from Yorkshire who has three British Open final appearances to his credit.
Willstrop later admitted that he was struggling to ‘concentrate mentally’ at the beginning of the match.
Unseeded Pilley – who had reached the quarter-finals after a major upset over sixth seed Mohamed Elshorbagy – played tight, accurate squash and his trademark powerful hitting caused the former world No1 all sorts of problems.
At 12-12 in the third game, the match swung in favour of Willstrop after several let balls – and the Yorkshireman finally converted game ball at 13-12, much to the delight of the vocal crowd.
Willstrop suddenly woke up after some firm words from his coaching team – and drew level before crushing the fatigued Pilley, who was starting to suffer from cramp, 11-2 in the fifth.
Struggling to catch his breath, the third seed expressed his gratitude to the team around him for pulling him through the 107-minute match. “At 2-0 down, I needed calm people – so thank you to them. I wanted to win it for them. I can’t tell you how hard it was,” explained the 29-year-old from Harrogate.
“The intensity of that squash is like brain ache – I have to concentrate so hard – but I’m really pleased to say I’m a semi-finalist,” added Willstrop.
Fellow Yorkshireman Nick Matthew also made it through to the last four. The three-time British Open champion from Sheffield has had a slight dip of form of late – but seems to be recapturing his hunger as he stormed through his quarter final encounter against fifth seed Karim Darwish.
The Egyptian is a class act: the pair have met eleven times previously, with Matthew only one win ahead of his opponent – but, with renewed fight and passion, the second seed was relentless in his attacking. Darwish seemed under constant pressure and the Egyptian lost the first game 11-6.
The second game was much of the same with Darwish seeming to tire from the world number two’s energy and precision.
The 31-year-old from Cairo mounted a comeback in the third – but there was no stopping title-holder Matthew who held his nerve to take the match 11-6, 11-2, 12-10.
A pleased Matthew told the crowd he was happy the squash was able to continue despite the weather. “We hear today about so many sport events that have been cancelled all over the country, but at least squash is able to go on. My heart goes to the people that bought tickets today and weren’t able to come due to the change of circumstances, but I hope we’ll be back on the glass court tomorrow.
“It took a lot of effort from a lot of people to make sure that we would be able to play, thanks very much to all of them for making it happen, and you know, there is always a little hiccup or two when somebody is trying to take the sport to the next level,” explained Matthew.
Matthew will be hoping to continue his form into Saturday’s semi-finals when he faces Frenchman Gregory Gaultier, who came through in three against the unseeded Egyptian Tarek Momen.
The former British Open champion from Aix-en-Provence was clearly fired up for his quarter final match – coming out the more aggressive of the two to take a 1/0 lead.
An entertaining second game saw both players taking the ball in short at every opportunity, which made for some incredible rallies with unbelievable pick-ups from two of the fastest players on the PSA World Tour.
A few fist pumps and great retrievals with a combination of fast paced hitting saw Gaultier go 2/0 up. Despite a closer third game the fourth seed managed to keep collected and close out the match 14/12.
“He’s quick to the front and moves you there so well that I managed to keep my body and mind focused all the way through,” said Gaultier – who added that he was looking forward to returning to the glass court and a passionate crowd.
Top seed Ramy Ashour looks to be the man to beat as he eased past Spain’s Borja Golan in just over half an hour. The Egyptian world number one was at his typical best – sublime movement mixed with extraordinary racket skills.
The 25-year-old from Cairo is now unbeaten since losing the 2012 British Open final – with 39 successive Tour wins to his credit.
“I can’t forget that I am on a winning streak as everybody keeps talking to me about it every three/five minutes,” said the event favourite. “So I thank them for the compliment when they are telling me that I did a good job.
“Then I put it out of my mind, and concentrate on what’s important – today’s match!”
Semi-final line-up: [1] Ramy Ashour (EGY) v [3] James Willstrop (ENG) [2] Nick Matthew (ENG) v [4] Gregory Gaultier (FRA)
24 May 2013
RESULTS: PSA World Series Allam British Open, Hull, England
2nd round (top half of draw): [1] Ramy Ashour (EGY) bt [Q] Chris Simpson (ENG) 11-2, 11-4, 11-9 (22m) [8] Borja Golan (ESP) bt [Q] Karim Abdel Gawad (EGY) 9-11, 11-9, 11-8, 11-4 (55m) Cameron Pilley (AUS) bt [6] Mohamed Elshorbagy (EGY) 13-15, 4-11, 11-9, 11-6, 13-11 (74m) [3] James Willstrop (ENG) bt Simon Rosner (GER) 11-9, 11-1, 11-6 (41m)
In a day beset by weather conditions which finally led to the transfer of the last second round match in the Allam British Open Squash Championships in Hull onto a conventional indoor court, Australian Cameron Pilley pulled off the comeback of the tournament to upset sixth-seeded Egyptian Mohamed Elshorbagy to become the second unseeded player to reach the quarter-finals of the PSA World Series event at the KC Stadium in the English county of Yorkshire.
Elshorbagy, the world No5 and a semi-finalist in last year’s event, was the favourite heading into their last 16 round match – and could not have expected what was to come.
A tight opener saw the two exchanging points up until 12-12 when a sudden downpour caused the crowd surrounding the open air court erected on the turf of the soon-to-be Premier League Hull City football club to head to the back of the stand – with a surprised Pilley shouting “where’s everyone going?” much to the amusement of the crowd.
Pilley was the first to crack and the Egyptian took the first 15-13 – swiftly followed by a comfortable second 11-4.
“What came next was a truly epic and gritty comeback from the Aussie at 9-3 down, with even members of the crowd leaving for refreshment and overheard saying ‘this one’s all over’,” said event spokesperson Scarlett Smith. “How wrong they turned out to be.”
Pilley went on an incredible run winning the next eight points to secure the third 11-9 – then the fourth 11-6 to set up a thrilling decider.
A no let decision on match ball for Elshorbagy at 10-9 gave Pilley the tie-break and some frantic rallying ensued with both looking understandably edgy.
After saving a further match ball, Pilley reached his first match ball 12-11 – which he duly converted after a long rally when the Egyptian’s shot hit the tin.
“You’ve got to have faith in yourself – I had it under control the whole time,” joked Pilley minutes after the 13-15, 4-11, 11-9, 11-6, 13-11 victory which takes him into the quarter-finals of the historic championship for the first time in his fifth attempt.
“There was no purpose in my game early on – it was awful,” admitted the tall 30-year-old from New South Wales. “I relaxed a little bit and tried to straighten up a bit and try and volley more than him.
“He’s beaten me the last few times, so I’m pleased to get through.”
Pilley will now face English hope James Willstrop, the world No4 from Yorkshire who has reached the event’s final on three occasions, each time finishing as runner-up.
In the last match of the day against world No12 Simon Rosner, the German was leading 6-5 when rain stopped play and it was decided that the match should be moved to an indoor court at Hull and East Riding Squash Club.
The third-seeded Yorkshireman was clearly fired up and adjusted to the warmer and drier conditions much more quickly than his opponent, taking just 41 playing minutes to close out the match 11-9, 11-1, 11-6.
The win moves the former world number one a step closer to a repeat of last year’s epic semi-final against Ramy Ashour, the reigning world number one from Egypt who despatched English qualifier Chris Simpson 11-2, 11-4, 11-9 in just 22 minutes.
Ashour will now face eighth seed Borja Golan after the top-ranked Spaniard recovered from a game down to beat Egyptian qualifier Karim Abdel Gawad 9-11, 11-9, 11-8, 11-4 in 55 minutes.
“We only play two or three tournaments outside a year so it does take a bit of getting used to,” commented the Spaniard after reaching the quarter-finals for the first time since making his British Open debut in 2004.
Quarter-final line-up: [1] Ramy Ashour (EGY) v [8] Borja Golan (ESP) [3] James Willstrop (ENG) v Cameron Pilley (AUS) [4] Gregory Gaultier (FRA) v Tarek Momen (EGY) [2] Nick Matthew (ENG) v [5] Karim Darwish (EGY)
Top Seeds Reach British Open SummitThe top two seeds will contest the final of the Allam British Open 2013 as Nicol David and Laura Massaromoved past their semi-final opposition at the KC Stadium in Hull.
World No.1 David played first as play returned to the Hull City venue after rain disrupted quarter-finals day on Friday. She faced fourth seed Alison Waters, and had it all to do after the Englishwoman took the opening 4-points of the match.
Last year’s British Open champion came back strongly however, lightening quick and hitting a good length to shut her opponent out completely. Waters began to rely on hitting outright winners to stay in the game, but under increasing pressure her error count rose to David’s advantage.
Similar scorelines in all three games saw the Malaysian through to the final, but the home crowd were given the opportunity to celebrate as second seeded Yorkshire-woman Laura Massaro defeated close rival Raneem El Weleily to set-up a mouth-watering final prospect.
Massaro took a while to get into a working rhythm as El Weleily began the contest with her typically attacking style. Patience paid off though, having lost the opening game she controlled the following two, working line and length to deny the Egyptian the opportunity to attack.
El Weleily changed her strategy in the fourth, refusing to hunt the attacking shot and content to play Massaro’s game and wait of her chance to win points. It resulted in a closer game, but momentum was with the home favourite who was determined to see out the contest and reach her fourth successive final of a World Series event.
Final:
[1] Nicol David (MAS) v [2] Laura Massaro (ENG)
Semi-finals:
[1] Nicol David (MAS) bt [4] Alison Waters (ENG) 11-5, 11-4, 11-5 (27m)
[2] Laura Massaro (ENG) bt [3] Raneem El Weleily (EGY) 8-11, 11-6, 11-8, 11-9 (48m)
Nicol David remains on course to retain her Allam British Open title, and her first of 2013 after beating sixth seed Joelle King in the quarter-finals.
The world No.1 from Malaysia was evenly matched in the opening game at the Hull and East Riding Squash Club, after adverse weather conditions called a halt to play at the KC Stadium. Only a tiebreak separated the pair, but David had the edge over her opponent and maintained her narrow advantage to take the second game. King’s counter-attacking efforts began to take their toll however, and she was unable to put up much of a fight in the third, with David closing out the win.
The seven-time world champion will now face Englishwoman Alison Waters after the fourth seed’s impressive victory over Australia’s Kasey Brown. Brown was unable to match the efficiency displayed by the home hopeful who dominated the match and allowed the twelfth seed no chance to get into her stride.
Raneem El Weleily maintained her good form in the event by dispatching eighth seed Jenny Duncalf. The Englishwoman took a closely fought lead against the No.3 seed, but El Weleily recovered well and launched an aggressive attacking effort to storm to victory and into the next round.
The Egyptian will face English rival Laura Massaro, following the local Yorkshire-woman’s four game defeat of Omneya Abdel Kawy. Having defeated fifth seed Nour El Sherbini in last night’s second round, Kawy was in promising form but Massaro was clever in her deconstruction of the Egyptian’s game. At 2-0 she looked good value for her lead, but Kawy refused to give up and managed to end the third game on her terms. The world No.2 bounced back immediately however and ended the contest in four to reach her fourth successive World Series semi-final.
Semi-finals:
1pm – [1] Nicol David (MAS) v [4] Alison Waters (ENG)
Follow on – [2] Laura Massaro (ENG) v [3] Raneem El Weleily (EGY)
Quarter-finals:
[1] Nicol David (MAS) bt [6] Joelle King (NZL) 13-11, 11-8, 11-1
[4] Alison Waters (ENG) bt [12] Kasey Brown (AUS) 11-4, 11-3, 11-4
[3] Raneem El Weleily (EGY) bt [8] Jenny Duncalf (ENG) 9-11, 11-6, 11-4, 11-5
[2] Laura Massaro (ENG) bt [14] Omneya Abdel Kawy (EGY) 11-7, 11-6, 9-11, 11-8
Madeline Perry bows out of British Open
It was a tough day for Madeline Perry as world number 3, Raneem El Weleily, who looked in great form as she dispatched the experienced Irishwoman in straight games. The Egyptian No.3 seed wasted no time in setting about her usual attacking game, and Perry was happy to take her opportunities too as they both racked up some quick points. El Weleily’s lower error rate gave her a slight advantage to take the first game, but Perry made a real battle of game two to force a tiebreak. In the end though there was nothing she could to do as the world No.3 put the game to bed, followed by a dominant third to end the contest.
Round two results:
[3] Raneem El Weleily (EGY) bt [11] Madeline Perry (IRL) 11-7, 12-10, 11-5 (25m)
[8] Jenny Duncalf (ENG) bt Nour El Tayeb (EGY) 14-12, 11-4, 11-4 (25m)
[14] Omneya Abdel Kawy (EGY) bt [5] Nour El Sherbini (EGY) 14-12, 11-7, 11-8 (29m)
[2] Laura Massaro (ENG) bt [15] Dipika Pallikal (IND) 6-11, 12-10, 11-9, 11-6 (45m)
Other Match Reports
Jenny Duncalf survived a worrying first game scare to confirm her place in the quarter-finals of the Allam British Open 2013.
In the second day of a split round two draw, the world No.8 needed to be alert against a quick and gutsy, who seemed to be enjoying the grand World Series stage.
El Tayeb, ranked No.23 in the WSA world rankings was able to match her opponent in the early stages, and saved three game balls to force the first game to a tiebreak. Duncalf tightened her attacking shots to the front to combat the speed of the Egyptian, and gladly closed the game out 14-12.
The loss seemed to dishearten the 20-year-old form Cairo, who gave away five successive points in the second game to sure up Duncalf’s position. This gave the Englishwoman the confidence to attack higher up the court and she ended the contest with a further two quick games. “It doesn’t matter if we play in the Sahara desert or in the middle of the snow,” Duncalf told SquashSite after the match, “it’s still the British Open, and if you are a good squash player, you’ll play well on any court.”
Raneem El Weleily who beat Madeline Perry and will now play Jenny Duncalf said “It’s the first time I played with sleeves on,” on the cold court temperature, “so definitely not my favourite conditions. But it’s a good court, and I like it, but no, it’s not as easy as it looks, plus it’s a very risky game so you need a plan B!
Despite surprising last year’s British Open onlookers by reaching the final at 16-years of age, Nour El Sherbini failed to match per past form as she succumbed to a straight games loss to compatriot Omneya Abdel Kawy. Sherbini, seeded fifth for the event, lost out narrowly in the first game as both players made their way through a far from flawless performance. The cold court made attacking shots all the more dangerous, but the Egyptians scored points and gave them away in equal measure as little else separated them at the tiebreak. The more experienced Kawy was able to do enough to claim the opening game however, and some more tactical play saw the former world No.4 run out 3-0 winner against the higher seed.
“I think the difference today came from the pressure she felt, because she is the highest ranked player, and that she got into the final last year,” said Kawy. “But also, maybe the way I played surprised her, I thought she was going to play a lot more shots at the front, but she didn’t.”
Kawy will face local Laura Massaro in tomorrow’s quarter-final round, following the second seeds four-game win over Dipika Pallikal. It was the Indian player who started in better form, attacking quickly in the cool conditions, with Massaro struggling to retrieve.
The Englishwoman was able to move her opponent off the tee more in the second game and claimed a narrow tiebreak game to draw level, before taking an equally close third. The home hopeful had more breathing room in the fourth game as Pallikal’s error count rose, and she sped to match point with a comfortable cushion. Pallikal took a nasty slip in the final rally, colliding head-first with the side-wall but the match was Massaro’s and the world No.2, along with Duncalf and Alison Waters who progressed on Wednesday, remain on course for British success.
“It’s such tough conditions on there I just had to concentrate on each point,” said the Englishwoman. “It might have seemed a bit excessive but I needed to keep on geeing myself up and that was the only way to do it.”
The quarter-finals will be aired on SquashTVfrom midday on Friday, with the event continuing over the weekend.
Quarter-finals:
12:00 [1] Nicol David (MAS) v [6] Joelle King (NZL)
14:00 [4] Alison Waters (ENG) v [12] Kasey Brown (AUS)
18:00 [3] Raneem El Weleily (EGY) v [8] Jenny Duncalf (ENG)
19:45 [14] Omneya Abdel Kawy (EGY) v [2] Laura Massaro (ENG)
Madeline Perry - never in danger of losing today
Aisling & Madeline at British Open Round One
The first day of the Allam British Open main draw held a number of surprise results as the world’s elite battle for supremacy in squash’s oldest event.
Ireland has 2 players playing in this most prestigious of competitions. Aisling Blake played Hong Kong’s Annie Au in Round 1 but unfortunately Aisling lost in 4 games in 56 mins – 11-9, 8-11, 11-6, 11-6. A close game that could have gone either way.
Our other representative Madeline Perry, who has had a great last 4 weeks, with 2 WSA titles in succession either side of a team silver medal for Ireland in the European Championships in Amsterdam. Madeline dispatched the young up and coming English qualifier Emma Beddoes in straight games, 12-10, 11-8, 11-9 in 44mins. She now plays the number 3 seed Raneem El Weleily (EGY), which will be a tough challange for Madeline but one which she will not shirk!
Unseeded English duo Sarah-Jane Perry and Sarah Kippax caused big upsets in front of a home crowd at the Pontefract Club in West Yorkshire, England, whilst Egyptian Nour El Tayeb also claimed an unfancied win.
Having risen 42 places in the WSA World Tour rankings since this event last year, Sarah-Jane Perry has taken giant leaps in improving her game. This has been reflected in three WSA titles claimed so far in 2013, and the 23-year-old put in a performance of the highest quality to defeat No.7 seed Low Wee Wern.
The powerful Englishwoman took a strong lead early on, whilst her Malaysian opponent was slow in rising to the occasion. A tiebreak second game showed signs of a struggle from Wee Wern and despite narrowly losing out 13-11, she returned to court to take the third game. Still acclimatising to the Tour as a Top20 player, the world No18 adjusted her game to combat the Malaysian’s fight-back, and held firm to deny Wee Wern a fourth game victory and record the best result of her career to date.
Her first World Series second round appearance will be against No.12 seed Kasey Brown, following the Australian’s straight games dismissal of qualifier Lauren Briggs.
Following Nour El Tayeb’s four-game defeat of No.9 seed Camille Serme, the Egyptian will have her eye on another scalp in round two as she faces eighth seed Jenny Duncalf. Duncalf will have other ideas however, after defeating Latasha Khan of the USA, and looking for her second career appearance in the British Open final, having finished runner-up in 2008.
Qualifier Sarah Kippax also impressed home audiences with a marathon win against No.10 seed Natalie Grinham. Kippax lost out in a narrow opening game to the experienced Dutch international, but scrapped to an even closer 13-11 tiebreak win in the second. Back level, she set about taking the lead from the former world No.3 but after claiming a quicker third game, was pegged back in the fourth. Another determined effort from the 30-year-old Englishwoman however, saw the unseeded player progressing in 68-minutes to face world champion Nicol David in round two.
David’s British Open title defence got off to the best of starts as the Malaysian beat Indian qualifier Joshana Chinappa in straight games. Her main threats to the title, second and third seeds Laura Massaro and Raneem El Weleily were also showing promising early form, with local Yorkshire-born Massaro defeating Joey Chan in straight games, whilst El Weleily of Egypt overcame qualifier Delia Arnold 3-1.
Massaro will face Dipika Pallikal in round two, following the Indian international’s 75-minute marathon win over Line Hansen of Denmark, and El Weleily will play in-form Irishwoman Madeline Perry.
Fourth and fifth seeds Alison Waters and Nour El Sherbini saw successes against their respective opponents in round one. Waters of England came from a game down to defeat promising teenager and compatriot Emily Whitlock, while 17-year-old Sherbini took two tiebreak games to defeat Harvard student Amanda Sobhy 3-1.
Waters will now face four-time British Open champion Rachael Grinham in round two, though the Australian won’t have too long to recover from her five-game battle with Nicolette Fernandes. Sherbini will face Egyptian compatriot Omneya Abdel Kawy following the No14 seed’s three-game win over Donna Urquhart. Sixth seed Joelle King was also comfortable on route through to the next round after beating qualifier Samantha Cornett of Canada. The Kiwi will play Annie Au of Hong Kong, following the No.13 seed’s 3-1 win over Aisling Blake.
Winners of today’s round one matches will move to the KC Stadium in Hull for a televised schedule on SquashTV for the rest of the week. The $90,000 World Series event will hold round two split over Wednesday and Thursday with the quarter-finals on Friday, and the semis and final taking place on Saturday and Sunday.
Photographs available courtesy of SquashSite: here
Tuesday’s Second Round Fixtures:
12:00 Sarah-Jane Perry (ENG) vs [12] Kasey Brown (AUS)
14:00 [16] Rachael Grinham (AUS) vs [4] Alison Waters (ENG)
18:00 [6] Joelle King (NZL) vs [13] Annie Au (HKG)
20:00 [1] Nicol David (MAS) vs Sarah Kippax (ENG)
Wednesday’s Second Round Fixtures:
[8] Jenny Duncalf (ENG) v Nour El Tayeb (EGY)
[3] Raneem El Weleily (EGY) v [11] Madeline Perry (IRL)
[5] Nour El Sherbini (EGY) v [14] Omneya Abdel Kawy (EGY)
[2] Laura Massaro (ENG) v [15] Dipika Pallikal (IND)
1st round:
[1] Nicol David (MAS) bt [Q] Joshana Chinappa (IND) 11-4, 11-5, 11-4 (30m)
Sarah Kippax (ENG) bt [10] Natalie Grinham (NED) 9-11, 13-11, 11-6, 9-11, 11-7 (68m)
[6] Joelle King (NZL) bt [Q] Samantha Cornett (CAN) 11-8, 11-7, 11-8
[13] Annie Au (HKG) bt Aisling Blake (IRL) 11-9, 8-11, 11-6, 11-6 (56m)
[4] Alison Waters (ENG) bt Emily Whitlock (ENG) 11-13, 11-8, 11-7, 11-9 (56m)
[16] Rachael Grinham (AUS) bt [Q] Nicolette Fernandes (GUY) 10-12, 1-11, 11-7, 11-9, 11-8 (58m)
Sarah-Jane Perry (ENG) bt [7] Low Wee Wern (MAS) 11-7, 13-11, 7-11, 11-9
[12] Kasey Brown (AUS) bt [Q] Lauren Briggs (ENG) 11-6, 11-5, 11-7 (39m)
Nour El Tayeb (EGY) bt [9] Camille Serme (FRA) 10-12, 11-6, 11-7, 11-5 (49m)
[8] Jenny Duncalf (ENG) bt [Q] Latasha Khan (USA) 11-4, 11-4, 11-2 (24m)
[11] Madeline Perry (IRL) v [Q] Emma Beddoes (ENG) 12-10, 11-8, 11-9 (44m)
[3] Raneem El Weleily (EGY) v [Q] Delia Arnold (MAS) 8-11, 11-7, 11-3, 11-4 (39m)
[14] Omneya Abdel Kawy (EGY) v Donna Urquhart (AUS) 11-9, 11-4, 11-4 (22m)
[5] Nour El Sherbini (EGY) v [Q] Amanda Sobhy (USA) 12-10, 9-11, 14-12, 11-7 (47m)
[15] Dipika Pallikal (IND) v Line Hansen (DEN) 14-16, 11-6, 8-11, 11-4 (76m)
[2] Laura Massaro (ENG) v Joey Chan (HKG) 14-12, 11-1, 11-6 (29m)
Irish O35 Team
Venue: Scotstoun Sports Campus – Glasgow
Date: May the 17th & 18th
Team left to right: Clive Morgan, John Hurley, Neil Brannigan, Keith Moran, Ronan Peyton, and Dara O’Flynn
Friday 17th
Ireland V England
England traditionally strong in this event have never lost the title since its inception so this was going to be a difficult opening match, the order of play was 5,3,1,4,2 Neil was first on and despite giving everything he went down 3.0 to the English captain who showed great touch and control. Ronan Peyton was next up and always willingly had a tough 3 games losing out to the combative English number 3. Keith who just turned 35 this year stepped up from the seniors making his first master start and had a good domestic season was eager to bring his form into the weekend had a real tussle with Jamie Goodrich. As with all English players the pace was extremely high with allot of pressure applied, Keith found the early exchanges difficult but to his credit he slowly worked his way into the match, the deciding game was the fourth and after some terrific battling he got himself into a commanding lead looking to level the match at 2.2, however Jamie managed to claw himself back demonstrating why he is the current number 1 in both the O35’s & O40’s and took the game winning 3.1. Following Keith and another making his master’s debut was Clive Morgan who was simply bursting with enthusiasm (and out of his Irish shirt!) gave maximum effort and commitment but fell short losing 3.0 to the steady Englishman. The oldest member of the team and certainly not the wisest was last on court where I played the squash coach based out of London, the match went to 5 and despite winning a tight fourth set I was unable to press home the advantage losing 3.2.
Overall score: 5.0 England
Saturday 18th
Ireland V Scotland
Appreciating that England were favourites for the title we were now in a battle for second place, we got off to the perfect start with John Hurley coming in fresh and rearing to go won his match 3.0. John mixed up his style of power and precision with some great squash and had too much for his Scottish counterpart. Ronan had the task of getting past Owen Hadden who also plays masters Davis cup tennis for Scotland was too hot for Ronan, his racket skills and delicate drops and flicks made for a difficult match for Ronan to establish any rhythm going down 3.0. With the matches level at 1.1, Keith went on to play Simon Boughton, another squash coach this time from Edinburgh who’s playing 1 at both O40’s and O35’s and it not difficult to see why, Simon played controlled squash from the first point mixing up deft drops and some beautiful lengths that seems to die slowly into the back walls making Keith work extremely hard in every rally. He worn Keith down and took the match 3.0, at this point we needed some inspiration and up stepped Clive Morgan, never a man to shirk a challenge he played brilliant squash, mixing raw aggression and consistency to win 3.0 to level the tie at 2.2. Last on I found myself the first game down and trailing 7.2 in the second before grinding my way back to 7.7, at that stage all I could hear was Clive bellowing at me to keep going but sadly my opponent took the game and went onto win 3.0 which was disappointing given all the hard work the Munster men had done to get us into that position.
Over Score: 3.2 Scotland
Saturday 18th
Ireland V Wales
After a quick turnaround the last fixture was against the Welsh, they had beaten the Scots 3.2 the previously night and were solid down the line however their number 1 would be absent for this match. We had pride on the line as some of us were yet to register a win so the lads were challenged to win each match and as the Scots were playing the England we still had an outside chance of second place overall if results went our way. Neil was first up to get play started and he played some of his best squash in the early games but could not keep pace with the Welsh number 5.
Ronan was next up and was playing the crafty Welsh number 3, he was determined not to go away from the weekend empty handed and dug in dig to get his first win 3.1. It was hard fought levelling the fixture at 1.1, so it was John back on court looking to keep his unbeaten record and again playing some of his best squash won a competitive 3.0 putting us ahead 2.1. Since we had to change the playing format to facilitate the short turnaround I was next on and like Ronan managed to get my first win of the weekend 3.0. We needed at least another win to put us into contention for second place so Keith was next on and following a pep talk from Clive he went in full bloodied and fully committed to secure a win. This was a cracking game of squash with both players evenly matched; it went to 5 with each player unwilling to yield and constantly asking questions of each other’s abilities and commitment. It came down to who wanted it more and with a very happy Keith pulling through it gave us a comprehensive victory.
Overall Score: 4.1 Ireland
Final Standing:
Summary
It was a great weekend of squash and an honour playing with this bunch of lads, some of the notable highlights which made it in the Saturday speeches included Clive’s Limericks broad definition let’s and strokes and of course his presidential presence, Keith’s waist coat and his win, Hurley’s 100% record and the O55’s Cork lads homage to him, Brano’s support for the Irish tops and Peyton’s confusion when ordering a coffee I’ll have a flash white so!
Hope to see you all next year.
Irish O35 Team
Venue: Scotstoun Sports Campus – Glasgow
Date: May the 17th & 18th
Team left to right: Clive Morgan, John Hurley, Neil Brannigan, Keith Moran, Ronan Peyton, and Dara O’Flynn
Friday 17th
Ireland V England
England traditionally strong in this event have never lost the title since its inception so this was going to be a difficult opening match, the order of play was 5,3,1,4,2 Neil was first on and despite giving everything he went down 3.0 to the English captain who showed great touch and control. Ronan Peyton was next up and always willingly had a tough 3 games losing out to the combative English number 3. Keith who just turned 35 this year stepped up from the seniors making his first master start and had a good domestic season was eager to bring his form into the weekend had a real tussle with Jamie Goodrich. As with all English players the pace was extremely high with allot of pressure applied, Keith found the early exchanges difficult but to his credit he slowly worked his way into the match, the deciding game was the fourth and after some terrific battling he got himself into a commanding lead looking to level the match at 2.2, however Jamie managed to claw himself back demonstrating why he is the current number 1 in both the O35’s & O40’s and took the game winning 3.1. Following Keith and another making his master’s debut was Clive Morgan who was simply bursting with enthusiasm (and out of his Irish shirt!) gave maximum effort and commitment but fell short losing 3.0 to the steady Englishman. The oldest member of the team and certainly not the wisest was last on court where I played the squash coach based out of London, the match went to 5 and despite winning a tight fourth set I was unable to press home the advantage losing 3.2.
Overall score: 5.0 England
Saturday 18th
Ireland V Scotland
Appreciating that England were favourites for the title we were now in a battle for second place, we got off to the perfect start with John Hurley coming in fresh and rearing to go won his match 3.0. John mixed up his style of power and precision with some great squash and had too much for his Scottish counterpart. Ronan had the task of getting past Owen Hadden who also plays masters Davis cup tennis for Scotland was too hot for Ronan, his racket skills and delicate drops and flicks made for a difficult match for Ronan to establish any rhythm going down 3.0. With the matches level at 1.1, Keith went on to play Simon Boughton, another squash coach this time from Edinburgh who’s playing 1 at both O40’s and O35’s and it not difficult to see why, Simon played controlled squash from the first point mixing up deft drops and some beautiful lengths that seems to die slowly into the back walls making Keith work extremely hard in every rally. He worn Keith down and took the match 3.0, at this point we needed some inspiration and up stepped Clive Morgan, never a man to shirk a challenge he played brilliant squash, mixing raw aggression and consistency to win 3.0 to level the tie at 2.2. Last on I found myself the first game down and trailing 7.2 in the second before grinding my way back to 7.7, at that stage all I could hear was Clive bellowing at me to keep going but sadly my opponent took the game and went onto win 3.0 which was disappointing given all the hard work the Munster men had done to get us into that position.
Over Score: 3.2 Scotland
Saturday 18th
Ireland V Wales
After a quick turnaround the last fixture was against the Welsh, they had beaten the Scots 3.2 the previously night and were solid down the line however their number 1 would be absent for this match. We had pride on the line as some of us were yet to register a win so the lads were challenged to win each match and as the Scots were playing the England we still had an outside chance of second place overall if results went our way. Neil was first up to get play started and he played some of his best squash in the early games but could not keep pace with the Welsh number 5.
Ronan was next up and was playing the crafty Welsh number 3, he was determined not to go away from the weekend empty handed and dug in dig to get his first win 3.1. It was hard fought levelling the fixture at 1.1, so it was John back on court looking to keep his unbeaten record and again playing some of his best squash won a competitive 3.0 putting us ahead 2.1. Since we had to change the playing format to facilitate the short turnaround I was next on and like Ronan managed to get my first win of the weekend 3.0. We needed at least another win to put us into contention for second place so Keith was next on and following a pep talk from Clive he went in full bloodied and fully committed to secure a win. This was a cracking game of squash with both players evenly matched; it went to 5 with each player unwilling to yield and constantly asking questions of each other’s abilities and commitment. It came down to who wanted it more and with a very happy Keith pulling through it gave us a comprehensive victory.
Overall Score: 4.1 Ireland
Final Standing:
Summary
It was a great weekend of squash and an honour playing with this bunch of lads, some of the notable highlights which made it in the Saturday speeches included Clive’s Limericks broad definition let’s and strokes and of course his presidential presence, Keith’s waist coat and his win, Hurley’s 100% record and the O55’s Cork lads homage to him, Brano’s support for the Irish tops and Peyton’s confusion when ordering a coffee I’ll have a flash white so!
Hope to see you all next year.
IRELAND U17 EUROPEAN TEAM CHAMPIONSHIPS
Ireland v Wales
The first match for David was his most difficult in the tournament so far. However once he cracked his opponent in the first match he won it well 3-0.
Nikita in a tough match won the first game convincingly. However the efforts of the week were beginning to show and his legs were showing his tiredness. In particular from his great match vs the Swiss lad on Saturday night. Unfortunatly he lost 3-1.
Griffin played a strong first game and was unlucky to lose it 10-12. After that the match slipped away and she lost it 3-0.
So Ireland secure 6th place, a good result.
[IRL] – 
[WAL] Wales: 1-2| Time: | Sun 19/05/2013 13:30 |
|---|---|
| Draw: | Under 17 Team Championships – U17 Play-off 1-8 |
| Score: | 1-2 |
| Order | Event | Ireland[IRL] |
– | [WAL] Wales |
Score | Points | Duration | ||||||
| 1 | MS1 |
|
– |
|
11-9 11-4 11-5 | 1-0 | |||||||
| 2 | MS2 |
|
– |
|
11-6 5-11 8-11 3-11 | 0-1 | |||||||
| 3 | WS |
|
– |
|
10-12 5-11 5-11 | 0-1 |
| Points | Won | Draws | Lost | Matches | Games | Points | |||||||
| Ireland | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 1 | – | 2 | 4 | – | 6 | 80 | – | 91 |
| Wales | 1 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 2 | – | 1 | 6 | – | 4 | 91 | – | 80 |
[nggallery id=27]
5th – 8th place play off
Ireland 2 Switzerland 1 so Ireland play Wales for 5th place on Sunday at 12.30.
[IRL] – 
[SUI] Switzerland: 2-1| Time: | Sat 18/05/2013 19:30 |
|---|---|
| Draw: | Under 17 Team Championships – U17 Play-off 1-8 |
| Score: | 2-1 |
| Order | Event | Ireland[IRL] |
– | [SUI] Switzerland |
Score | Points | Duration | ||||||
| 1 | MS1 |
|
– |
|
11-3 11-5 11-3 | 1-0 | |||||||
| 2 | WS |
|
– |
|
2-11 6-11 4-11 | 0-1 | |||||||
| 3 | MS2 |
|
– |
|
9-11 6-11 11-8 12-10 11-4 | 1-0 |
| Points | Won | Draws | Lost | Matches | Games | Points | |||||||
| Ireland | 1 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 2 | – | 1 | 6 | – | 5 | 94 | – | 88 |
| Switzerland | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 1 | – | 2 | 5 | – | 6 | 88 | – | 94 |
Quarter Final vs England
Ireland lost the third match to go down 2-1 in the tie.
David Ryan v Patrick Rooney
David took the first game with little bother 11-4.
Second game was a much tighter affair with David a couple of points behind at the mid way point. However he came back well and got to game ball at 10-8 and took it . So 2-0.
David reasserted his dominance in the third to win it 11-4. So 1-0 to Ireland.
Griffin next on court v Lily Taylor
Unfortunatly Griffin couldn’t sustain her good patches of play to bring the game to 4 or 5 games. A good performance in the 1st and 3rd games however she lost 0-3.
Ireland 1 England 1 – all down to the last match. Unfortunatly Philip McSweeney from Cork lost the match so Ireland lose 2-1.
[ENG] – [IRL] Ireland: 2-1| Time: | Sat 18/05/2013 13:30 |
|---|---|
| Draw: | Under 17 Team Championships – U17 Play-off 1-8 |
| Score: | 2-1 |
| Order | Event | England[ENG] |
– | [IRL] Ireland |
Score | Points | Duration | ||||||
| 1 | MS1 |
|
– |
|
4-11 8-11 4-11 | 0-1 | |||||||
| 2 | WS |
|
– |
|
11-7 11-4 11-8 | 1-0 | |||||||
| 3 | MS2 |
|
– |
|
11-7 11-3 11-0 | 1-0 |
| Points | Won | Draws | Lost | Matches | Games | Points | |||||||
| England | 1 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 2 | – | 1 | 6 | – | 3 | 82 | – | 62 |
| Ireland | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 1 | – | 2 | 3 | – | 6 | 62 | – | 82 |
Ireland vs France
Griffin Gillanders v Laura Gamblin
Griffin played some great squash in patches but went down 0-3
David Ryan v Adrien Gronoin
David yet again proved his class by beating the French no. 1 in 3 games.
Nikita Gilevskiy v Enzo Corigliano
Nikita had game ball, after an excellent performance to go 1 up but couldn’t take it. After that the French no. 2 settled into his grove and took the next two to win 3-0.
Ireland 1 France 2
[FRA] – [IRL] Ireland: 2-1| Time: | Fri 17/05/2013 19:30 |
|---|---|
| Draw: | Under 17 Team Championships – Under 17 Pool B |
| Score: | 2-1 |
| Order | Event | France[FRA] |
– | [IRL] Ireland |
Score | Points | Duration | ||||||
| 1 | WS |
|
– |
|
11-7 11-8 11-9 | 1-0 | |||||||
| 2 | MS1 |
|
– |
|
6-11 5-11 3-11 | 0-1 | |||||||
| 3 | MS2 |
|
– |
|
12-10 11-4 11-0 | 1-0 |
| Points | Won | Draws | Lost | Matches | Games | Points | |||||||
| France | 1 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 2 | – | 1 | 6 | – | 3 | 81 | – | 71 |
| Ireland | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 1 | – | 2 | 3 | – | 6 | 71 | – | 81 |
Ireland go into the last 8 on Saturday.
[IRL] – 
[POR] Portugal: 3-0| Time: | Fri 17/05/2013 13:30 |
|---|---|
| Draw: | Under 17 Team Championships – Under 17 Pool B |
| Score: | 3-0 |
| Order | Event | Ireland[IRL] |
– | [POR] Portugal |
Score | Points | Duration | ||||||
| 1 | WS |
|
– |
|
5-11 11-6 11-5 6-11 11-8 | 1-0 | |||||||
| 2 | MS1 |
|
– |
|
11-1 11-4 11-0 | 1-0 | |||||||
| 3 | MS2 |
|
– |
|
9-11 11-8 11-6 11-7 | 1-0 |
| Points | Won | Draws | Lost | Matches | Games | Points | |||||||
| Ireland | 1 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 3 | – | 0 | 9 | – | 3 | 119 | – | 78 |
| Portugal | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | – | 3 | 3 | – | 9 | 78 | – | 119 |
[IRL] – 
[SCO] Scotland
Ireland 2 Scotland 1
Nikita Gilveskiy v Ewan Hearns
Game 1
Nikita’s is continuing his impressive form from this morning against tougher opposition in the very sizable Scottish no2
Nikita wins the first 11-9
Game 2
A couple of points into the second match and the Scottish player takes a blood injury time-out with a gash to his knee. Nobody saw how he sustained the injury. 3-2
He has as long as he wants to stem the flow of blood, however he will be heavily penalised if, when he returns, it starts to bleed again.
10mins later back on court with a massive gauze dressing on his left knee
The Scot wins the next 6 points Nikita seems to have lost is ability to move, definite loss of concentration …………At last normal service resumed Nikita wins next 2 points 5-8
A great retrieval of a lost cause out of the back left corner gets Nikita back into the game a succession of points and ‘in the zone’ play gets Nikita to 10-10
One tin from Nikita and a good drive wins the game for Ewan
Game 3
Superb cross court nick 1-0 blistering pace in this phase of the match, very even at this stage.
Nikita starting to take control working his opponent all over the court and out of position.
Tiredness creeping in to the Scott’s play
Easy finish for Nikita 11-3
Game 4
Nikita looking very composed and fit going into the fourth. The Scott taking an extra few minutes
Referee’s watch must have stopped.
Ewan Starts with a dead nick to the back wall.
Game swinging back and forth, Nikita looking for his last run of points to get to the finish line.
Looks like he getting them however a fall puts a stop to the run. No damage done,
Nikita playing some great lengths and winners with drives to the back right side also using the tight back hand drop very well to stretch Ewan
Edge of the seat stuff ….match ball to Nikita and he finishes with a superb reverse boast to seal it. One very tired and bloody Scott
11-8
Ireland 3-Scotland 1
David Ryan v Rory Stewart
David cruised to a 3-0 win. Score speaks for itself!!
11-1
11-2
11-0
Griffin Gillanders v Kirsty Loban
With the match won Griffin must concentrate first and foremost on getting as many points as possible from this match. This will be the hardest match for the team so far.
Game 1
Griffin starts with a great drive and a tight lob 2-0
Kirsty gets 3 back
Two good shots boast and drop get griffin back
Game swings back and forth but Kirsty gets a run going, and game finishes with a tin from griffin.
7 – 11
Game 2
Griffin totally stood back and lets Kirsty dominate the second game. She needs to take the ball much earlier.
1-11
Game 3
Some bright moments in the third but not nearly enough. Griffin didn’t test Kirsty at all, allowing Kirsty to control the third and the match
6-11
Ireland 0 – Scotland 3
Matches 2-1
Games 6-4
Points 91 – 69
IRELAND U15 EUROPEAN TEAM CHAMPIONSHIPS
Ireland v Denmark
Oisin Dunne had a tough opponent , both players losing their composure over the course of the match. But Oisin prevailed 3-2.
Luke Logan had a difficult opponent also but playing some superb squash Luke won 3-2.
So Ireland win 5th place in the 2013 U15 European Championships, a very good result.
[DEN] – [IRL] Ireland: 1-2| Time: | Sun 19/05/2013 11:30 |
|---|---|
| Draw: | Under 15 Team Championships – U15 Play-off 1-8 |
| Score: | 1-2 |
| Order | Event | Denmark[DEN] |
– | [IRL] Ireland |
Score | Points | Duration | ||||||
| 1 | MS1 |
|
– |
|
9-11 11-7 12-10 10-12 6-11 | 0-1 | |||||||
| 2 | MS2 |
|
– |
|
11-7 3-11 9-11 11-7 6-11 | 0-1 | |||||||
| 3 | WS |
|
– |
|
11-7 11-2 | 1-0 |
| Points | Won | Draws | Lost | Matches | Games | Points | |||||||
| Denmark | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 1 | – | 2 | 6 | – | 6 | 110 | – | 107 |
| Ireland | 1 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 2 | – | 1 | 6 | – | 6 | 107 | – | 110 |
Match for 5th or 6th place v Denmark on Sunday morning.
Ireland v Germany
Oisnin Dunne wins the first match 3-0 even though the German no. 1 was 10-6 in the third.
Hannag Craig was slow to get going in her last match and the same happened here . Unfortunatly she didn’t get going and lost 3-0. Ireland won the last match to win the tie 2-1.
[IRL] – 
[GER] Germany: 2-1| Time: | Sat 18/05/2013 17:30 |
|---|---|
| Draw: | Under 15 Team Championships – U15 Play-off 1-8 |
| Score: | 2-1 |
| Order | Event | Ireland[IRL] |
– | [GER] Germany |
Score | Points | Duration | ||||||
| 1 | MS1 |
|
– |
|
11-5 11-2 12-10 | 1-0 | |||||||
| 2 | WS |
|
– |
|
8-11 5-11 7-11 | 0-1 | |||||||
| 3 | MS2 |
|
– |
|
11-5 11-2 11-7 | 1-0 |
| Points | Won | Draws | Lost | Matches | Games | Points | |||||||
| Ireland | 1 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 2 | – | 1 | 6 | – | 3 | 87 | – | 64 |
| Germany | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 1 | – | 2 | 3 | – | 6 | 64 | – | 87 |
Quarter Final
Ireland v Czech Rep.
Match 2
Stephanie lost the first 2 games but fought back well to tie the match 2 all. It was a tight 5th game but Stephanie just lost it 7-11.
So Ireland lose the tie 0-2 and go into 5-8th place play off.
Match 1
Oisin played well in the first game but just lost. He lost concentration in the 2nd and lost it heavily. Oisin played some super squash in the third and won it well. The fourth was even however a poor no stroke decision at 10-10 gave the Czech match ball and he finished with a crosscourt volley nick to win the match 3-1.
[CZE] – [IRL] Ireland: 3-0| Time: | Sat 18/05/2013 11:30 |
|---|---|
| Draw: | Under 15 Team Championships – U15 Play-off 1-8 |
| Score: | 3-0 |
| Order | Event | Czech Republic[CZE] |
– | [IRL] Ireland |
Score | Points | Duration | ||||||
| 1 | MS1 |
|
– |
|
11-9 11-3 5-11 12-10 | 1-0 | |||||||
| 2 | WS |
|
– |
|
11-7 11-6 10-12 8-11 11-7 | 1-0 | |||||||
| 3 | MS2 |
|
– |
|
11-3 4-11 11-5 11-6 | 1-0 |
| Points | Won | Draws | Lost | Matches | Games | Points | |||||||
| Czech Republic | 1 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 3 | – | 0 | 9 | – | 4 | 127 | – | 101 |
| Ireland | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | – | 3 | 4 | – | 9 | 101 | – | 127 |
Stephanie Ryan v Sahir Keidar
Stephanie loses the first game but takes the initiative from the second to win 3-1 in a tight final game.
Oisin Dunne v Ido Byrstein
This match was full of controversy and sportsmanship boardering on the unacceptable. The Israeli won in a tense affair 3-1.
All down to Luke Logan but unfortunatly he lost it 3-1.
So Israel win it 2-1 and 7-5 in games very tight. Ireland actually won more points.
[ISR] – [IRL] Ireland: 2-1| Time: | Fri 17/05/2013 17:30 |
|---|---|
| Draw: | Under 15 Team Championships – Under 15 Pool D |
| Score: | 2-1 |
| Order | Event | Israel[ISR] |
– | [IRL] Ireland |
Score | Points | Duration | ||||||
| 1 | WS |
|
– |
|
11-9 6-11 5-11 9-11 | 0-1 | |||||||
| 2 | MS1 |
|
– |
|
13-11 11-4 1-11 11-9 | 1-0 | |||||||
| 3 | MS2 |
|
– |
|
7-11 11-7 11-8 11-7 | 1-0 |
| Points | Won | Draws | Lost | Matches | Games | Points | |||||||
| Israel | 1 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 2 | – | 1 | 7 | – | 5 | 107 | – | 110 |
| Ireland | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 1 | – | 2 | 5 | – | 7 | 110 | – | 107 |
[IRL] – 
[ESP] Spain: 3-0| Time: | Thu 16/05/2013 20:00 |
|---|---|
| Draw: | Under 15 Team Championships – Under 15 Pool D |
| Score: | 3-0 |
| Order | Event | Ireland[IRL] |
– | [ESP] Spain |
Score | Points | |||||||
| 1 | MS1 |
|
– |
|
11-5 11-7 11-5 | 1-0 | |||||||
| 2 | MS2 |
|
– |
|
11-5 6-11 11-13 11-9 11-8 | 1-0 | |||||||
| 3 | WS |
|
– |
|
1-11 8-11 11-7 11-8 11-7 | 1-0 |
| Points | Won | Draws | Lost | Matches | Games | Points | |||||||
| Ireland | 1 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 3 | – | 0 | 9 | – | 4 | 125 | – | 107 |
| Spain | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | – | 3 | 4 | – | 9 | 107 | – | 125 |
[IRL] – 
[FIN] Finland| Time: | Thu 16/05/2013 14:00 |
|---|---|
| Draw: | Under 15 Team Championships – Under 15 Pool D |
Now it is the turn of the u15 to get their European campaign under way
They have Finland, Spain and Israel in their group
Match 1
Luke Logan v Mika Laakonen
Game 1
Finland to serve
Two shots down Luke forehand side and a super winner 1-0
A very accurate forehand drop and crosscourt from Luke 3-1
Luke is very accurate on his forehand being a left hander the Finn for some reason is playing everything to Luke’s forehand 10-4
The penny has dropped and Mika has changed tack switching the play more to the right side and picking up 3 consecutive points by doing so.
Luke closes out at 11-7
Game 2
Great opening rally but the Finn reverting to pushing ball to left side 1-0
Crosscourt nick from Luke 3-1
Another nick 5-1
A superb left side drop from the Finn 8-4
All one way traffic now Luke takes game ball 11-4
Game 3
5 shots to Luke’s forehand in first rally ! 1-0
A tight ball gets the Finn to 2-1
Luke has too much in his game for the one dimensional Finn who’s best and most played shot is a backhand drive !
Luke has him covering a lot of court playing a much more varied game
A tight forehand drop from Luke gets him 8-4
Luke closes the game and match 11-5
Ireland 3 – Finland 0
Oisin Dunne v Sebastian Lilja
Game 1
Oisin has a wicked racquet head speed which I am sure will be employed to good effect against his opponent
First few exchanges all Oisin’s way, forcing errors from his opponent with the intensity of his play. Races to a 7- 0 lead
The Finn gets his first point with a tight forehand drop 7-1 and then normal service is resumed
Super trickle boast gets Oisin to game ball 10-1
Finishes with a tin from the Finn who leaves the court shaking his head! 11-1
Game 2
I can’t see other than a 3-0 score for this match. Oisin is just too accurate with his placings and too powerful
Tight, tight, tight………..
11-1
Game 3
Exhibition stuff! 11-1
No bagel this time!
Ireland 3 – Finland 0
Stephanie Ryan v Herrietta Huutka
Game 1
Stephanie’s opponent looks quite light in stature. From the warm up I think Stephanie will be much too powerful
Lots of errors on both sides but Stephanie playing the better squash, but certainly not playing her best squash.
The Finn has very little by way of power but is making a good job of getting the ball back
Stephanie closes at 11-7
Game 2
Stephanie much brighter at the beginning of the second however the Finn sticking to her 5-5
6-5 to Stephanie
7-5
7-6
8-6
9-6
9-7
10-7
11-7
Game 3
Stephanie starting to play solid lengths and moving to a 5 -0
A nice drop, double bounce and an accurate drive gets the Finn to 5-3
Stephanie takes control again to bring the score to match ball 10-3
Henrietta returns service into tin
11-3
Matches 3-0
Games 9-0
Points 99-36
Ireland’s bright young stars of the future are in action this week starting on Thusday 16th May in the U15/17 European Championships in Girona, near Barcelona in Spain.
The Irish team is
U15’s – Stephanie Ryan, Hannag Craig, Oisin Dunne, Sean Dineen & Luke Logan
U17’s – Griffin Gillanders, Fiona Power, David Ryan, Nikita Gilevskiy & Philip McSweeney
Table of Final Seedings of U15/17 teams – http://www.worldenjoyer.com/images/Final%20Seeding%20European%20Junior%20Team%20Championships%20U15-U17.pdf
The U 15’s are in a pool with Spain, Israel & Finland while the U17’s are playing in a round robin series of matches – France, Scotland, Israel & Portugal. There are some interesting matches there but certainly both Irish teams will be confident of progressing from their groups. The teams are being coached by the national coach hadrian Stiff and Paul Bell and being managed by Helen Reapy from Connacht and Leinster’s Henry Gillanders.
Come back to www.irishsquash.com over the next 4 days, Finals are on Sunday 19th May to get all the match reports and scores as they happen.
UNDER 15 DRAW
| Time | Home | – | Away | Score | Court | |
| Thu 16/05/2013 14:00 | Israel[ISR] |
– | [ESP] Spain |
2-1 | Tipi Park – court 3 | |
| Thu 16/05/2013 14:00 | Ireland[IRL] |
– | [FIN] Finland |
3-0 | Tipi Park – court 1 | |
| Thu 16/05/2013 20:00 | Israel[ISR] |
– | [FIN] Finland |
Tipi Park – court 8 | ||
| Thu 16/05/2013 20:00 | Ireland[IRL] |
– | [ESP] Spain |
Tipi Park – court 3 | ||
| Fri 17/05/2013 17:30 | Israel[ISR] |
– | [IRL] Ireland |
Tipi Park – court 2 | ||
| Fri 17/05/2013 17:30 | Spain[ESP] |
– | [FIN] Finland |
Tipi Park – court 3 |
UNDER 17 DRAW
| Time | Home | – | Away | Score | Court | |
| Thu 16/05/2013 10:00 | Ireland[IRL] |
– | [ISR] Israel |
3-0 | Tipi Park – court 5 | |
| Thu 16/05/2013 10:00 | France[FRA] |
– | [POR] Portugal |
3-0 | Tipi Park – court 2 | |
| Thu 16/05/2013 16:00 | Ireland[IRL] |
– | [SCO] Scotland |
2-1 | Tipi Park – court 3 | |
| Thu 16/05/2013 16:00 | Israel[ISR] |
– | [POR] Portugal |
1-2 | Tipi Park – court 2 | |
| Thu 16/05/2013 20:00 | France[FRA] |
– | [SCO] Scotland |
Tipi Park – court 5 | ||
| Fri 17/05/2013 09:30 | France[FRA] |
– | [ISR] Israel |
Tipi Park – court 3 | ||
| Fri 17/05/2013 09:30 | Scotland[SCO] |
– | [POR] Portugal |
Tipi Park – court 4 | ||
| Fri 17/05/2013 13:30 | Scotland[SCO] |
– | [ISR] Israel |
Tipi Park – court 2 | ||
| Fri 17/05/2013 13:30 | Ireland[IRL] |
– | [POR] Portugal |
Tipi Park – court 3 | ||
| Fri 17/05/2013 19:30 | France[FRA] |
– | [IRL] Ireland |
Tipi Park – court 5 |
