The Masters' Page
The following alteration to Irish Squash Bye-Laws
in relation to players who make late withdrawals
and/or who fail to complete competitions came into effect from January
1. 2007:
‘In the event that a player scratches from a
tournament after the draw is made then a two tournament ban
is imposed on the offending player (relevant to both senior and junior).
A one tournament ban and 0 points
penalty will be imposed should a player pull out during the tournament.
Either of the above will not be enforced in the event of a medical cert
being submitted.’
Irish Masters' Teams 2009:
The following Irish teams were recently announced and we would
like to congratulate all concerned:
| Men's O35 | Men's O40 | Women's O40 |
| Rob Staunton Nick Staunton David Ayerst Dara O’Flynn Ciaran McCoy Steven McMurray |
Keith Bullen Adrian Leeson Jonathan Simpson Eoin Ryan Gerry Callanan Michael McKee |
Rosie Barry Michele Jackson Clare Jones Jacqueline Kearney Helen Reapy Margaret Calnan |
| O45 Men: | O50 Men: | Women's O50 |
| Peter Cassidy Brian O’Sullivan Joe Ruddy George Morris Brian Mahon Timmy McCarthy |
Neil O’Sullivan |
Norrie O’Grady Anne Costello Christine Lowry Christine McIlroy Myrtle Shannon Lynda Tavakoli |
| O55 Men: | O60 Men: | O65 Men: |
| Jack Allen Alf Kavanagh Martin O’Meara Geoff Irwin Kieran Hurley Bill Todd |
John Kielty Seamus Daly Seamus Campbell Brian Barry Tom Cantwell Brian Ferris |
Noel Murphy Alex Richardson Frank Fahy Bertie Blair Myron Evans Brian McNally |
Interprovincial Championships 2009: (Pics on the Munster Site)
| Competition | Winners | Runners-Up |
| Men's O45 | Munster | Ulster |
| Men's O50 | Leinster | Ulster |
| Women's O40 | Munster | Ulster |
| Women's O50 | No Held this season. | |
Irish Open O35 - O40:
O35: Dara O'Flynn was a 3-1 winner against Nick Staunton in a 90 minute
thriller while in the O40s Jonathan Simpson
accounted for Keith Bullen 3-0.
 |
| Pictured above is O35 winner Dara O'Flynn with Tournament Co-Director Maria Blair and Tournament Referee, Marian Birmingham at Mount Pleasant. Below is the runner-up Nick Staunton. |
 |
 |
Above the O40 winner Jonathan Simpson and
below runner-up Keith Bullen. |
 |
Final Men's Rankings (Post Irish Open 2009): (See explanation below)
| Position |
Over 45 |
Over 50 |
Over 55 |
Over 60 |
Over 65 |
| 1 |
K. Bullen |
N. O’Sullivan |
J. Allen |
|
N. Murphy |
| 2 |
D. Borton |
J. Young |
A. Kavanagh |
J. Kielty |
A. Richardson |
| 3 |
B. Hannigan # |
M. McDonnell |
M. O’Meara |
B. Ferris |
F. Fahy |
| 4 |
E. Murphy |
E. O’Keeffe |
G. Irwin |
T. Cantwell |
B. Blair |
| 5 |
G. Morris |
D. Coughlan |
K. Hurley |
B. Barry |
M. Evans |
| 6 |
P. Craig |
M. Conlon |
B. Todd |
S. Daly # |
M. Collins |
| 7 |
S. Sherlock |
E. O’Sullivan |
J. O’Callaghan |
H. Cullen |
B. Williams |
| 8 |
P. Cassidy |
S. Hickey |
M. Maher |
C. Roche |
B. McNally |
| 9 |
A. Taylor |
M. Mulhall |
J. Dowley |
D. Connery |
C. Millar |
| 10 |
M. O’Shea |
D. Lalor |
R. Garvin |
B. Staunton |
D. Patterson |
| 11 |
T. McCarthy |
T. J. Mullins |
R. McIlroy |
J. Quinlan |
J. O’Brien |
| 12 |
B. O’Sullivan |
S. Ewer |
T. Knight |
C. Gilmour |
|
| 13 |
B. Mahon |
P. O’Donovan |
I. Kerr |
S. Toomey |
|
| 14 |
K. O’Rourke |
J. Campbell |
A. Adair |
||
| 15 |
J. Ruddy |
G. Hand |
J. Velarde |
||
| 16 |
D. O’Reilly |
A. Larkin |
J. Prendergast |
||
| 17 |
M. Ellis |
R. O’Kane |
C. Andrews |
||
| 18 |
J. Jackson |
T. Norman |
B. Ryan |
||
| 19 |
R. Gallagher |
J. Dalton |
P. Murray |
||
| 20 |
B. Heape |
D. Geraghty |
|||
| 21 |
J. Carroll |
||||
| 22 |
A. Semple |
||||
| 23 |
N. Howard |
Final Women's Rankings (Post Irish Open 2009):
| O35 | O40 | O45 | O50 | |
1 |
Caroline Coyle | Caroline Coyle | Rosie Barry | Norrie O'Grady |
2 |
Jenny Dillon | Rosie Barry | Michele Jackson | Anne Costello |
3 |
Rosie Barry | Michele Jackson | Clare Jones | Christine Lowry |
4 |
Michele Jackson | Clare Jones | Anne Costello | Christine McIlroy |
5 |
Sheryl Abernethy | Jacqui Kearney | Christine Lowry | Myrtle Shannon |
6 |
Helen Reapy | Sheryl Abernethy | Helen Reapy | Lynda Tavakoli |
7 |
Joan Gorham | Helen Reapy | Margaret Calanan | Linda Garvin |
8 |
Sinead Aiken | Joan Gorham | Norma Waring | Anita Mylotte |
9 |
Dee Hourihan | Margaret Calanan | Maeve Spotswood | |
10 |
Norma Waring | Barbara Sanderson | ||
11 |
Olivia Moore | Ruth Coates | ||
12 |
Bernie Geoghan | Loretto Blackwood | ||
13 |
Marion Plunkett | Joan Hamilton | ||
14 |
Rose Quilter | Gay Grant | ||
15 |
Dee Hourihan | Hazel Marsh | ||
16 |
Paula Roantree | |||
17 |
Caroline Cullen | |||
18 |
Carol Wallace |
The Fitzwilliam Irish Squash Masters' Open
Championship 2009:
Well done to Brian McNally, Patrick Murray and their team for another
great squash event the winners and runners up of which are listed below.
The full results can be found on the Leinster
Squash website. Additional photos are also available there.
| Competition | Winner |
Runner-up |
| Women's O40 | Bea de Dreu | Caroline Coyle |
| Women's O50 | Norrie O'Grady | Anne Costello |
| Women's O60 | Maeve Spotswood | Barbara Sanderson. |
| Men's O45 | Keith Bullen | David Borton |
| Men's O50 | Neil O'Sullivan | John Young |
| Men's O55 | Jack Allen | Alf Kavanagh |
| Men's O60 | Stanley Campbell | John Kielty |
| Men's O65 | Noel Murphy | Alex Richardson |
Below are some of the prize-winners
at the presentation dinner in Fitzwilliam with Club President
Robin Gibney. There are more
pics available here. |
||
 |
||
The Ulster Masters' Open 2009:
| Competition | Winner |
Runner-up |
| Women's O40 | Caroline Coyle | Michelle Jackson |
| Women's O50 | Christine McIlroy | Myrtell Shannon |
| Men's O45 | George Morris | Paddy Craig |
| Men's O45b | Adrian Semple | R. Hedley |
| Men's O50 | Eugene O'Sullivan | Neil O'Sullivan |
| Men's O55 | Jack Allen | Kyron Hurley |
| Men's O60 | Stanley Campbell | John Kielty |
| Men's O60b | Jim Campbell | Rod O'Hare |
| Men's O65 | Alex Richardson | Bertie Blair |
Senator Windows Munster Masters' Open
2009:
This competition was held in Cork at Sunday's Well and Highfield and
the winners and runners-up are listed below.
More pics are available on the Munster
Squash Website.
| Competition | Winner |
Runner-up |
| Mens O45 | Eddie Murphy | Peter Cassidy |
| Mens O45B | John Dineen | Nick Howard |
| Mens O50 | Neil O'Sullivan | Donal Coughlan |
| Mens O55 | Alf Kavanagh | Bill Todd |
| Mens O60 | John Kielty | Noel Murphy |
| Mens O65 | Mossie Collins | Brian McNally |
 |
||
| Collette and Noel Murphy representing the sponsors (3rd and 2nd on right) at the presentation of prizes in The Senator Windows Munster Masters' Open 2009 at Sunday's Well in Cork. | ||
Connacht Masters' Open 2008:
Event |
Winner |
Runner-Up |
| Women's | Norrie O'Grady(C) | Helen Reapy (C) |
| Men's O45 | Brian O'Sullivan (M) | Joe Ruddy (C) |
| Men's O50 | Martin McDonnell (M) | Neil O'Sullivan (M) |
| Men's O55 | Alf Kavanagh (C) | Jack Allen (U) |
| Men's O60 | Séamus Daly (L) | Brendan Barry (L) |
| Men's O65 | Frank Fahey (C) | Bertie Blair (U) |
Leinster Masters' Open 2008:
Event |
Winner |
Runner-Up |
| Women's | Rosie Barry (L) | Michele Jackson (U) |
| Men's O45 | Peter Cassiddy (U) | Brian Hannigan (L) |
| Men's O50 | Martin McDonnell (M) | John Young (L) |
| Men's O50b | Seamus Hickey (L) | Joe Jackson (L) |
| Men's O55 | Geoff Irwin (L) | Martin O'Meara (L) |
| Men's O60 | Brendan Barry (L) | Séamus Daly (L) |
| Men's O65 | Myron Evans (U) |
Brian Williams (L) |
 |
||
Prize winners at the presentation
of prizes in Fitzwilliams. Seated 3rd from left is John
O'Brien - President of host club Fitzwilliam with Leinster Squash
President, Colm Andrews seated in front right. Also in picture
are John O'Connor - President of Irish Squash (2nd from left - Back Row) and new Masters' secretary, Seamus Hickey, second from right in second row. |
||
Many other pics can be foud on
the Leinster
Squash Website. |
||
The Guidelines used by the selectors / ranking sub committee "(RSC)" after each tournament are as follows.
1) Rankings are determined by by the results of the last
tournament of the season.
2) Players are once again ranked after each tournament based on their
results in that actual tournament.
3) The tournament winner is ranked no 1 and second placed is ranked
no 2. and so on. Subject to the considerations set out below.
4) Players who were ranked entering the tournament but who did not travel
will be dropped from between 0-4 places depending on the circumstances.
4a) The RSC will be mindful of anomalies. A minor drop in ranking will
only take place where the RSC has a written submission.
4b) The RSC will be mindful of players who have won more than one tournament
when dropping players ranking places.
5) Ranking is done from 1-16.
6) B section plate winners will be marked with an * granting them a
wildcard in the following tournament except in unusual circumstances.
7) Players, moving up from one age group to another during the season
and who have been ranked at a lower age group, may be given a wild card
into the higher age group.
7a) The wild card shall only apply for the first tournament for which
the players are eligible.
7b) The RSC will be mindful where a "new player" arrives on
the scene such as the UK. This new player may get a hearing on appeal
re his ranking.
7c) Single or multiple players moving from one age group to a higher
age group must have their rankings in the lower age group respected.
8) Local matches, league results, cumulative points, will have no bearing
on the rankings at each tournament. The finishing position only, will
be where sensible, paramount.
Points and National Team Selection Criteria
Points achieved by players at tournaments for the purpose of National
Team selection are not used by the RSC for the purposes of ranking players
for the next tournament.
Points are earned from the four Provincial Tournaments and the Irish
Open only.
Each tournament has equal value for points earned.
The RSC will be mindful, when a player is moving up in age group, of
points already earned by that same player at the lower age group, during
that season.
Teams are ranked for Internationals from 1-8. This is to allow for players
been unable or unwilling to travel to the Home Internationals.
Points are awarded at the end of each tournament and are used for National
team selections only. It is obvious however that the player with the
highest finishing points will be ranked highest unless there are compelling
reasons not to do so. High points are no buffer for a non travelling
player again unless there are very compelling reasons as to why he has
not travelled. A player with higher tournament points can be ranked
lower than another player if the higher "pointed" player does
not travel and play.
Players withdrawing from Tournaments after the draw has been made will
be sanctioned unless they make a written submission and can demonstrate
that exceptional circumstances have occurred.
Complaints / Appeals / Suggestions.
The RSC will take suggestions, appeals, corrections etc that are received
in writing and will reply in writing.
Explanations Considerations ( The idea behind this section
is to give further information examples so players have an idea of why
we make the decisions we do)
There are many circumstances the the RSC have to take in to consideration.
Players who choose not to play at their own age group but subsequently
choose to play at their own age group.
Players who choose not to travel.
Players who enter a tournament having not previously travelled.
Players who will only reach the new age group at the end of the season.
Players who chose not to enter the first tournament of the year and
then seek a wild card.
Players who may have a very good reason for not travelling.
A doctors certificate would normally suffice as an explanatory note.
The RSC attempt to be fair and exercise their judgement with fairness
as the core of their judgement.
Criteria for International Selection 2008/2009
i. Ladies (Over 35) / Men
(Over 35/40):
Tournaments: Irish Nationals, Irish Open
Points awarded as per Tournament Points Structure.
Cumulative points scored to determine the panels
from which the selectors will pick the teams. Ulster was added for Men's
O35 and O40.
ii. Ladies (All other categories):
Players must play in the Irish Open and one Provincial Open. Players must have played in at least one event (Irish Open or Provincial Open) outside the Province where they reside.
iii. Men (All other categories):
The Tournament Points Structure determines the panels from which the selectors will pick the teams. Points from one’s best 3 events to count.
Tournament Points Structure: The following points will apply to all Open competitions. For selection purposes the points earned from one's best 3 tournaments will apply.
| Placing | Points | Placing | Points |
| Winner | 140 | 6th | 35 |
| Runner-up | 100 | 7th | 30 |
| 3rd | 70 | 8th | 25 |
| 4th | 50 | 9th | 20 |
| 5th | 40 | 10th | 15 |
Competition Format:
Seeding:
Updated ranking lists will be made available after each tournament and
those rankings should be used for seeding the next tournament. Where
a 'new' player enters and there is doubt as to where to seed him or
her the Tournament Director should contact the Masters' Secretary for
guidance prior to the making of the draw. Failure to adhere to the current
rankings may result in the tournament being awarded no ranking points.
Interval between matches: For health and safety reasons – and because it is now mandatory for all over age tournaments – players must have a break of at least 4 hours between finishing a morning match and commencing an evening match. Tournament Directors should schedule 5 hours if possible between morning and afternoon matches on Saturdays. For example, winners of the earliest quarter-finals should meet for the first semi-final and so on.