TEAM CHAMPIONSHIPS

DAY 12

On our final day of competition we faced Germany. We prepared as usual, our final buffet breakfast at the Hyatt Regency was emotional for Gavin, he demolished his usual stack of freshly made pancakes and waffles… We were keen to finish on a positive note and get the win. The final day is tough, the mood is always a little somber for all the teams outside of the final. However, it was nice to be in the club with most of the other teams. The divide between the mall and club left it feeling a bit empty and lacked atmosphere during the team event. The glass court set up in the Express Avenue Shopping Centre was really impressive but in our opinion, it did take away from the event and made it difficult to watch the top match ups. The glass court in the ISA would have been sufficient.

Playing order was 1,3,2. Conor, Scott, Sam. Conor was playing really good stuff, digging deep and focusing on the job in hand. At the end of the second, his German opponent had to quickly reel off three tins and make a runner for the WC.. Deli belly struck again. He impressively managed to get back before the ref call time, but Conor wasn’t troubled and ran out an easy winner in the end.

Scott continued his rich vein of form, he made light work of his opponent. Too much ball control, deception and won relatively easy in 3. That wrapped up the tie and our event.

Looking down through the final team positioning from 2 to 18, England to France, there really was not much to separate any of us. France, for example were two points away from beating Malaysia.. that could have landed them in the top 8, not playing Scotland for 17-18.. USA somehow managed a run to the semi finals (other teams injuries helped), Michael Creavan had beaten their no.2 player in the individuals. We had a shot at England that could have swung either way too. Egypt were head and shoulders above the rest, but really and truly, not much to separate the rest.

Some shocking news came as we finished our match with Germany, the South African coach, who was present for the tie previous to ours, had suddenly passed away just outside the venue. He was a real gentleman and his passing caused a wave of shock and sadness throughout the event. RIP Mr Graham Prior.

Egypt ran out winners over England in the final. The “formal” function was held in our hotel. A few speakers from WSF and the Indian Squash President said a few words and we headed back down to our final supper in the buffet. An over load of tandoori chicken and naan bread the past two weeks won’t be missed by lots of the guys. I might miss it a little.

All in all, it was some experience. The tough team losses were super hard to digest, the dept of every nation was impressive. Argentina’s no.1 player only losing one match the entire event and Czech Republic’s bronze medal were the stand out performances.
So many lessons learned for the full squad, very much a worth while effort! We will be tougher and we have gained a wealth of experience.

The long journey home has begun with a arduous trek through immigration in Chennai airport. Some tired bodies, tired minds. India is an experience like no other, the team were a pleasure to spend time with, great fun and their positivity was infectious! That’s certainly helps on a long trip such as this. Life long memories made.

Time to set some goals and get ready for the season ahead, this team and all it’s players have a lot more to achieve yet!

Ireland – Germany: 2-0

Match overview

Order	Event	Ireland	–	Germany	Score	Points			Duration
1	MS1	Conor Moran	–	Abdel-Rahman Ghait	11-5 11-5 9-11 11-4	1-0			0:30
2	MS3	Scott Gillanders	–	Maximillian Baum	11-9 11-9 11-9	1-0			0:35
3	MS2	Sam Buckley	–	Nils Schwab

DAY 11

Court 3, our home court at this stage.. We took on the formidable Colombians, the 7th seeds for this event. That means we’ve played our matches against the 3rd, 4th and 7th seeds. Tough going.
One of the reasons they were seeded 7th is because of their no.1 player. Mathias Knudsen. He has been a really outstanding player in this championships, he plays a very exciting and unusual brand of squash.

Playing order was 1, 2 ,3.. Our team had Conor, Scott and Gavin representing, Sam was still recovering from a virus.
Conor looked rejuvenated, playing really smart squash, causing all sorts of problems for the mega talented Colombian. He used height superbly well, some perfect lobs followed by quick counter drops. A few phases of play where Mathias was unplayable, the first game was close, but no cigar.
Similar story in the 2nd game, great squash from both, it was on a knife edge. Tight all the way but we lost it again, 0-2 down.
A valiant effort in the 3rd, a few outrageous shots from both players, serious retrieving but again, no joy. 3-0 Colombia.

Scott was on next. He has excelled in the past few days. A very professional performance after losing the first, he took down his tall opponent in 4. He had to work hard though, never easy, in the end he was just the better squash player.

Gavin had his debut for the team in the decider. Nerves weren’t evident in the opening games, he played the best I have seen him play! Massive rallies, full court coverage, clinical finishing, inspiring stuff. His error count was low, used height beautifully and controlled the pace.
He was 2-0 up, 15-13 and 11-5.
The third was quickly won by the Colombian, perhaps Gavin’s efforts were starting to show..
He lost the fourth and went toe to toe on the fifth game for about 8 points. Unfortunately the South American was too strong in the end. Unbelievably good performance from Gavin, shame it couldn’t have been converted to a win.

Another loss, another lesson learned. Tomorrow is our final day and we’re playing Germany. Hoping to finish with a win..

David Noone

Colombia – Ireland: 2-1

Match overview

Order	Event	Colombia	–	Ireland	Score	Points			Duration
1	MS1	Matias Knudsen	–	Conor Moran	11-7 11-8 11-6	1-0			0:32
2	MS2	Andres Villamizar	–	Scott Gillanders	11-8 5-11 9-11 6-11	0-1			0:36
3	MS3	Nicolas Serna	–	Gavin L’Estrange	13-15 5-11 11-3 11-7 11-2	1-0			1:02

DAY 10

India is starting to catch up on us. We certainly have no complaints about our comforts here, it’s a top end hotel we’re staying at, that serves top end food. But no matter how great the surroundings are, it’s not home and it can be hard to be away from home for this long. Especially when most of our players have just turned 17.. This feeling of loneliness mixed with a groundhog day feeling is a little more on the surface the day after losing a close battle in the last 16..
Even still, every time you play for your country, it is a privilege and we tried our upmost to forget the longing for home and focus on our match against Switzerland.

There are no easy matches at this championships. The seeds from no.2 right down to no.17 or no.18 could honestly beat each other. It is amazing and a true testament to a healthy worldwide squash scene. This tie was one of those that could swing either way. Everyone needed to be on top form.

Sam was on first against Nils Roesch, whom he had beaten in the individual event. We were confident for this match but within the first 5 points, Sam was white as a ghost and his eyes were almost rolling in his head. He lost it quickly. Between games he took on some essential fluids, electrolytes, carbohydrates.. He dug deep in the second, somehow finding the energy to get to 6 all, but lost it from there. He wasn’t himself and had zero energy. He finished out the match, but there was very little resistance.

Conor was up against Yannick Wilehmi. A tough test. Like all the no.1’s here, you don’t get much cheap and the battle runs a lot deeper than just playing a game of squash. Yannick’s a great technician, cuts down from a height on every ball and works the corners very well. He’s athletic and very resilient. A slippy start from Conor in the first, he lost it 11-3. He then started to played some great squash, each of the 2nd and 3rd games were close. 6 all in each is where the game ran away from him. There is a lesson in that for Conor and like all of his matches here, he’ll be a better player for this experience.

So with two 3-0 losses, the tie was over. So Scott didn’t play.

It was a tough day at the office.

We’re going to go to the mall to watch England play Pakistan and then go to the escape rooms, to get our mind off squash and have some fun. Top 10 is no longer possible for us, but we have a lot of pride to play for. 
Looking forward to another test tomorrow.

David Noone

Ireland – Switzerland: 0-2

Time:	Fri 27/07/2018 14:30
Draw:	Junior Team – Men’s
Score:	0-2

Match overview

Order	Event	Ireland	–	Switzerland	Score	Points			Duration
1	MS1	Conor Moran	–	Yannick Wilhelmi	3-11 9-11 6-11	0-1			0:33
2	MS2	Sam Buckley	–	Nils Roesch	6-11 7-11 3-11	0-1			0:33
3	MS3	Scott Gillanders	–	Campbell Wells

 

DAY 9

Malaysia – Ireland: 2-0

Time:	Thu 26/07/2018 11:00
Draw:	Junior Team – Men’s
Score:	2-0

 

Match overview

Order	Event	Malaysia	–	<a href="https://wsf.tournamentsoftware FUNDRAISING FOR THE WORLD JUNIOR CHAMPIONSHIPS IN INDIA To donate and support the Irish Junior Boys’ team participation in the World Junior Championships in Chennai, India, this July, please follow the link. Thank you.  https://www.gofundme.com/world-junior-squash-champs … On Friday 25th of May Sutton LTC & Leinster CC won the women’s & men’s All Ireland Club titles respectively. The women’s final was between Dublin university Squash Club and Sutton LTC. The 1st match was between the junior Alessia Osborne & Patricia Ryan. It was a competitive match with Alessia winning a tight match 3-0. Next up was Sarah Corcoran from Trinity & Aoileann Ní Chomhraí. It was a great match which went 3-1 to Sarah, with some really super rallies. So it was down to the number ones, Breanne Flynn and Tamaki Marumo. This was a really close match with both players pushing themselves to the limit, with some great rallies and retrieving. Breanne won a tight 1st 11-9 and then pushed on to win the 2nd & 3rd. So Sutton LTC win 2-1 to become 2018 All Ireland Club Champions. Congratulations to them.   The men’s final was between Leinster CC & Fitzwilliam. Leinster with 3 members of the national team which played in the recent European Championships in Poland, were going to be very tough opponents for Fitzwilliam. The number 4’s were up first with Keith Moran v Dara O’Flynn. It went to 3 tight games with Keith winning. Recent debutant for Ireland, Sam Olwill played Niall Rooney. Niall won the 1st game 12-10 with some great rallies. Sam then got settled and won the next 11-5.  He kept up the pace and won the next 2 games 11-5 & 11-7. In the match of the number 1’s, Ireland number 2 Brian Byrne played former professional Derek Ryan. Always an interesting match between these 2 players. Brian is full time on the professional tour and has such a great engine was always going to be tough for Derek who isn’t playing as much top squash as Brian. With as usual, some great rallies Brian just had too much and won 11-6, 11-4, 11-9. So without Sean Conroy and Conor O’Hare having to play, Leinster CC were All Ireland Club Champions 2018 and will represent Ireland in the European Club finals in Eindhoven from September 19th -22nd. Good Luck to both Sutton & Leinster CC in September.     EUROPEAN U15 & U17 CHAMPIONSHIPS Venue: Hyllie Sportcenter Address: Bollspelsvägen 3 21625 Malmö Sweden Route atGoogle Maps Phone: +46 70 555 1969 Email: [email protected] Website: http://www.squash.se/euro15-17   Contact Name: Thomas Troedsson Phone: +46 70 555 1969 Email: [email protected]   Categories U15, U17 10 May 2018 to 13 May 2018 Days THU10MAY FRI11MAY SAT12MAY SUN13MAY Ireland U15’s are in Group B & u17’s in Group D U15’s Team – Brenda Li, Ali Carton, Denis Gilevskiy, Dylan Moran, Jack O’Flynn U17’s Team – Caitlin McConnon, Kelly Byrne, Sam Buckley, Michael Creaven, Alex Smith Draw/Results – HERE Live Streaming (Hyllie Ct 1 & 2) – HERE  Under 15’s Standings of U15 – Group B     Points Played Won Draws Lost Rubbers Games Points 1 Ireland 6 4 3 0 1 8 – 4 25 – 16 395 – 326 2 Wales 6 4 3 0 1 7 – 5 23 – 17 364 – 323 3 Belgium 4 4 2 0 2 7 – 5 23 – 18 387 – 362 4 Russia 4 4 2 0 2 6 – 6 18 – 19 293 – 333 5 Denmark 0 4 0 0 4 2 – 10 11 – 30 323 – 418 Show draw… Latest matches of U15 – Group B   Time Home – Away Score Court   Thu 10/05/2018 10:00 Belgium [10] – Russia [18] 1-2 The Club Malmoe – TCM 2   Thu 10/05/2018 12:00 Wales [7] – Denmark [15] 2-1 The Club Malmoe – TCM 2   Thu 10/05/2018 14:00 Ireland [2] – Belgium [10] 1-2 The Club Malmoe – TCM 2   Thu 10/05/2018 16:00 Wales [7] – Russia [18] 2-1 The Club Malmoe – TCM 2   Thu 10/05/2018 18:00 Ireland [2] – Denmark [15] 3-0 The Club Malmoe – TCM 2   Fri 11/05/2018 10:00 Ireland [2] – Russia [18] 2-1 The Club Malmoe – TCM 2   Fri 11/05/2018 12:00 Belgium [10] – Denmark [15] 3-0 The Club Malmoe – TCM 2   Fri 11/05/2018 14:00 Ireland [2] – Wales [7] 2-1 The Club Malmoe – TCM 2   Fri 11/05/2018 16:00 Denmark [15] – Russia [18] 1-2 The Club Malmoe – TCM 2   Fri 11/05/2018 18:00 Wales [7] – Belgium [10] 2-1 The Club Malmoe – TCM 2   IRELAND U15s finish 5th.   5th -6th PLAY OFF Wales – Ireland: 1-2 Time: Sun 13/05/2018 10:00 Draw: U15 – 1 – 8 Score: 1-2 Match overview Order Event Wales – Ireland Score Points     Duration 1 BS1 Tate Harms – Denis Gilevskiy 4-11 3-11 4-11 0-1       2 BS2 Rhys Evans – Dylan Moran 11-9 11-7 7-11 11-5 1-0       3 GS Lucy Jones – Brenda Li 9-11 6-11 11-9 3-11 0-1       5th – 8th PLAY OFF Israel – Ireland: 0-2 Time: Sat 12/05/2018 14:00 Draw: U15 – 1 – 8 Score: 0-2 Match overview Order Event Israel – Ireland Score Points     Duration 1 BS1 Segev Rome – Denis Gilevskiy 6-11 2-11 6-11 0-1       2 BS2 Elai Yedidia – Jack O Flynn 9-11 6-11 11-8 5-11 0-1       3 GS Mika Bardin – Brenda Li   0-0       QUARTER FINAL Spain – Ireland: 2-1 At the European Squash Federation’s Annual General Meeting in Wroclaw, Poland last Saturday, the current Irish Squash Honorary Secretary, Rosie Barry was elected as a Vice President of the new ESF board. Rosie will lead in Masters’ Squash within the ESF. Rosie is a former Irish junior and current masters’ player and manager of the Irish Team.  Along with Rosie, Hugo Hannes (Belgium) and Thomas Troedsson (Sweden) were elected to join existing Vice-President Jackie Robinson (England) and President Zena Wooldridge, OBE (England). The AGM gave a vote of thanks to out-going Vice-Presidents Marcel Borst (Netherlands) and Pavel Sladecek (Czech Republic). “We were very fortunate to have such excellent candidates for this year’s Vice President elections,” said Ms Wooldridge. “I’m particularly pleased to lead a new Board which is 60% female, which reinforces the sport’s commitment to gender equality as part of its campaign for Olympic inclusion. “It is also a Board with significant and complementary experience, and will give new impetus to the continued growth of squash across ESF’s 46 member nations.” Hugo Hannes is President of the Flemish Squash Federation, and has previously served as Vice-President and President of European Squash, and Vice-President of the World Squash Federation. Hugo will Chair the ESF Championships Committee. Thomas Troedsson is the Director General of Swedish Squash. He is a former Vice-President of European Squash and former Championships Director for World Squash. Thomas will lead on coaching and refereeing for ESF. The Federation has jurisdiction over seven European Championships, team and individual. 64 national teams now compete in the annual European Team Championships across three divisions. It also has over 4,000 junior participants competing in 31 junior circuit tournaments in 30 different nations – in addition to a fast-growing masters’ tournament circuit. One of the key tasks of the ESF Board over the next year will be mobilising support behind squash’s Olympic campaign. “Europe is the largest and most active of the five squash regions, with 46 member nations,” explained President Wooldridge. “The importance to our Members of becoming an Olympic sport was very evident at our recent AGM weekend. “The new ESF Board will play an important role in leading a collective European support behind WSF’s Olympic bid, for a sport which aligns so well with Olympic ideals and values.” On May 4th & 5th Irish Squash hosted Scotland, Wales & England in the Womens Over 50’s, Mens Over 70’s & Mens Over 50’s competitions. this was the 2nd Masters’ event. Cardiff took place on April 20/21st and Aberdeen takes place May 18/19th Men’s Over 50 1st – England 2nd – Ireland 3rd – Scotland 4th – Wales   Men’s Over 70 1st – England 2nd – Scotland 3rd – Ireland 4th – Wales   Women’s Over 50 1st – England 2nd – Scotland 3rd – Wales 4th – Ireland     European Championships 2018, Wroclaw, Poland For pictures & videos  – go to – https://www.facebook.com/IrishSquash/ Ireland’s Women & Men’s senior teams start the European Championships on May 2nd. Both teams play in Division 2. The Women’s team is Sophie O’Rourke, Ciara Moloney, Laura Neill & Sarah Corcoran. The Men’s team is Arthur Gaskin, Brian Byrne, Sean Conroy, Steve Richardson & Sam Olwill. The coaches are Hadrian Stiff & David Noone with the manager Anne Costello. The women’s team play in a pool with Denmark, Scotland & Russia. The men play in a pool with Israel & Slovakia. LIVE SCORING – On all IRELAND matches LIVE STREAMING – Glass Court 1 & 2 only Time: Sat 12/05/2018 10:00 Venue: Hasta La Vista Sport Center Address: ul. Góralska 5 53-610 Wrocław Poland Route atGoogle Maps Phone: +48 713 773 730 Website: http://www.etc-2018.com Contact Name: Agnieszka Saniuk Phone: +48 666 350 565 Email: [email protected] Men  Standings of Division 2 – Men – Group C     Points Played Won Draws Lost Rubbers Games Points 1 Ireland 2 2 2 0 0 7 – 1 21 – 7 292 – 209 2 Israel 1 2 1 0 1 4 – 4 15 – 14 269 – 278 3 Slovakia 0 2 0 0 2 1 – 7 7 – 22 231 – 305 Show draw… Latest matches of Division 2 – Men – Group C   Time Home – Away Score Court   Wed 02/05/2018 10:00 Ireland [3] – Slovakia [11] 4-0 Main Location – 31+30   Wed 02/05/2018 15:00 Israel [6] – Slovakia [11] 3-1 Main Location – 31+30   Thu 03/05/2018 10:00 Ireland [3] – Israel [6] 3-1 Main Location – 7+8 DAY 1   Time: Wed 02/05/2018 10:00 Draw: Division 2 – Men – Group C Score: 4-0 Ireland – Slovakia: 4-0 Match overview Order Event Ireland – Slovakia Score Points     Duration 1 MS3 Sean Conroy – Tomas Toth 10-12 11-6 11-3 11-5 1-0     0:32 2 MS1 Arthur Gaskin – Miroslav Celler 11-5 11-5 11-8 1-0     0:23 3 MS4 Steve Richardson – Matej Hrnčiřík 10-12 11-8 11-4 11-5 1-0     0:37 4 MS2 Brian Byrne – Marek Manik 11-7 11-8 11-5 1-0     0:30     DAY 2 Ireland – Israel: 3-1 Time: Thu 03/05/2018 10:00 Draw: Division 2 – Men – Group C Score: 3-1 Match overview Order Event Ireland – Israel Score Points     Duration 1 MS4 Steve Richardson – Roee Avraham 8-11 8-11 9-11 0-1     0:35 2 MS1 Arthur Gaskin – Daniel Poleshchuk 6-11 11-9 9-11 11-4 12-10 1-0     0:49 3 MS2 Brian Byrne – Nir Cohen 11-2 11-8 11-6 1-0     0:26 4 MS3 Sean Conroy – Nadav Raziel 11-9 11-4 11-9 1-0     0:36 Ireland – Netherland: 3-1 Time: Thu 03/05/2018 18:00 Draw: Division 2 – Men – Division 2 – Men Score: 3-1 Match overview Order Event Ireland – Netherland Score Points     Duration 1 MS4 Steve Richardson – Tess Jutte 11-7 4-11 11-3 12-14 11-4 1-0     0:55 2 MS1 Arthur Gaskin – Piedro Schweertman 6-11 11-7 4-11 5-11 0-1     0:35 3 MS2 Brian Byrne – Marc Ter Sluis 11-6 11-4 11-5 1-0     0:30 4 MS3 Sean Conroy – Roshan Bharos 11-6 3-11 6-11 11-9 11-5 1-0     0:49 Day 3 Ireland – Switzerland: 1-3 Time: Fri 04/05/2018 14:00 Draw: Division 2 – Men – Division 2 – Men Score: 1-3 Match overview Order Event Ireland – Switzerland Score Points     Duration 1 MS4 Sam Olwill – Roman Allinckx 3-11 6-11 11-8 11-7 9-11 0-1     0:50 2 MS1 <a href="https://esf.tournamentsoftware.com/sport/playe Congratulations to Connacht, Senior Interprovincial Champions 2018. Connacht won the title yesterday in Fitzwilliam. Great to see John Rooney back playing in this event. Ulster were 2nd & Leinster 3rd. FITZWILLIAM LTC, DUBLIN 6   LIVE STREAMING  DRAWS/RESULTS   The Irish Open qualifying started on Monday 23rd of April with 8 Irish players playing in Fitzwilliam LTC, Dublin. The finals are next Saturday 28th April. With some of the best professional players in the world competing, make sure you come down to watch. Draws: https://t.co/pu1P4DjsVk Main draw for both Women & Men start on Wednesday, with the finals on Saturday.  For further updates and pictures go to – https://www.facebook.com/IrishSquash/        TWO IRISH WINS ON DAY ONE    Monday 23rd April   Great win for Ireland‘s Sophie O’Rourke 3-1 over Egypt’s Farah Momen, world ranked 131, in the 1st round qualifying of the Irish Open. Playing super squash and keeping it very tight, Sophie from Highfield Squash club in Cork now plays Swiss player Nadia Pfister tomorrow in round 2. Ireland‘s Sean Conroy had a super win over England’s Connor Sheen, 3-1 in round 1 of qualifying. Sean lost the first game but then came storming back to win the next 2 games and then in a tight 4th game he won it 13-11.    RESULTS   [3] Ali Hemingway (WAL) bt. [L] Ciara Moloney (IRL) 11-2, 11-4, 12-10 (25m) [2] Lyell Fuller (ENG) bt. [L] Scott Gillanders (IRL) 11-6, 11-6, 11-8 (26m) [5] Patrick Rooney (ENG) bt. [L] Conor Moran (IRL) 11-6, 11-0, 10-12, 11-8 (33m) [8] Sanne Veldkamp (NED) bt. Bruna Marchesi Petrillo (BRA) 11-6, 11-1, 11-8 (20m) [4] Colette Sultana (MLT) bt. Charlotte Jagger (ENG) 12-10, 12-10, 10-12, 5-11, 11-7 (74m) [7] Sebastien Bonmalais (FRA) bt. Robert Dadds (ENG) 11-5, 11-4, 6-11, 11-3 (32m) [3] Charlie Lee (ENG) bt. Adam Auckland (ENG) 6-11, 12-10, 11-5, 7-11, 11-5 (66m) [2] Eva Fertekova (CZE) bt. Nia Davies (WAL) 11-5, 11-8, 11-8 (22m) [7] Elspeth Young (SCO) bt. [L] Laura Neill (IRL) 11-7, 11-8, 11-3 (17m) [4] Rui Soares (POR) bt. [L] Sam Olwill (IRL) 11-3, 11-4, 13-11 (20m) [8] Sean Conroy (IRL) bt. Connor Sheen (ENG) 6-11, 11-8, 11-3, 13-11 (45m) Jasmine Hutton (ENG) bt. [5] Emilia Korhonen (FIN) 11-3, 11-7, 11-4 (19m) [L] Sophie O’Rourke (IRL) bt. [6] Farah Momen (EGY) 13-11, 8-11, 11-7, 11-5 (35m) [6] Joe Green (ENG) bt. Nick Mulvey (ENG) 8-11, 11-7, 11-1, 11-6 (42m) [1] Jaymie Haycocks (ENG) bt. [L] Sam Buckley (IRL) 11-8, 11-4, 11-5 (24m) [1] Nadia Pfister (SUI) bt. [L] Lily Lloyd (IRL) 11-1, 11-5, 11-5 (18m)   Tuesday 24th April Great play from Highfield’s Sophie O’Rourke vs the experienced Swiss player, Nadia Pfister. Sophie took the 3rd game and fought to level the games 2 all. Sophie was trading shots really well but the professional circuit experience of Pfister won through and she took it 3-1.  Ireland‘s Sean Conroy had a tough but close match vs Rui Soares of Portugal. Rui won it 3-0, but the match was very close with some super rallies. So Rui now goes through to the main draw tomorrow.    RESULTS   MEN [5] Patrick Rooney (ENG) bt. [2] Lyell Fuller (ENG)7-11, 8-11, 11-5, 12-10, 11-4 (65m) – Patrick now plays Richie Fallows [7] Sebastien Bonmalais (FRA) bt. [3] Charlie Lee (ENG)13-11, 11-9, 11-2 (41m) – Sebastien now plays Christopher Gordon [4] Rui Soares (POR) bt. [8] Sean Conroy (IRL)12-10, 11-8, 11-8 (35m) – Rui now plays George Parker [1] Jaymie Haycocks (ENG) bt. [6] Joe Green (ENG)11-6, 13-11, 10-12, 11-9 (57m) – Jaymie now plays Tom Richards   Lucky Loser Charlie Lee Joe Green Lyell Fuller Sean Conroy   WOMEN Jasmine Hutton (ENG) bt. [2] Eva Fertekova (CZE)7-11, 11-8, 11-8, 7-11, 11-6 (45m) – Jasmine now plays Tinne Gilis [3] Ali Hemingway (WAL) bt. [7] Elspeth Young (SCO)4-11, 11-7, 11-5, 11-7 (39m) –  Ali now plays Rachael Chadwick  [4] Colette Sultana (MLT) bt. [8] Sanne Veldkamp (NED)11-3, 11-3, 11-1 (16m) – Colette now plays Amanda Landers Murphy [1] Nadia Pfister (SUI) bt. Sophie O’Rourke (IRL)11-8, 11-5, 10-12, 11-7 (38m) – Nadia now plays Samantha Teran   Lucky Loser Elsbeth Young Eva Fertekova Sanne Veldkamp Sophie O’Rourke   Wednesday 25th April Ireland‘s Brian Byrne played England’s Ben Coleman, WR 49. Ben took a 2-0 lead 11-9, 11-7. Brian gave it everything in the 3rd & playing some super shots won it 11-7. In the 4th Coleman went ahead to 8-2 and won out 11-3. Great effort from Brian vs a player 99 higher in world rankings.    RESULTS   MEN    [1] Tom Richards (ENG) bt. [Q] Jaymie Haycocks (ENG) 11-8, 11-9, 9-11, 11-8 (43m)  [8] George Parker (ENG) bt. [Q] Rui Soares (POR)  11-9, 12-10, 12-14, 11-4 (56m)  [5] Joshua Masters (ENG) bt. Mohd Syafiq Kamal (MAS) 11-5, 11-5, 8-11, 11-3 (44m) [3] Joel Makin (WAL) bt. Michael McCue (CAN)  11-9, 11-9, 11-3 (41m)  [6] Richie Fallows (ENG) bt. [Q] Patrick Rooney (ENG)  11-7, 11-5, 11-9 (35m)  [Q] Sebastien Bonmalais (FRA) bt. [7] Christopher Gordon (USA) 11-5, 7-11, 11-9, 11-7 (52m) [4] Ben Coleman (ENG) bt. [WC] Brian Byrne (IRL) 11-9, 11-7, 7-11, 11-3 (68m) [2] Lucas Serme (FRA) bt. Mohamed ElSherbini (EGY)  11-8, 6-11, 13-11, 8-11, 11-6 (108m)     WOMEN     [1] Fiona Moverley (ENG) bt. Anna Serme (CZE) 11-5, 11-5, 11-4 (22m)  [5] Samantha Teran (MEX) bt. [Q] Nadia Pfister (SUI) 11-5, 11-6, 5-11, 11-2 (25m) [7] Rachel Arnold (MAS) bt. Alison Thomson (SCO) 6-11, 11-7, 9-11, 11-9, 11-9 (48m)  [3] Zeina Mickawy (EGY) bt. Chloe Mesic (FRA) 12-10, 11-6, 11-7 (26m)  [4] Amanda Landers-Murphy (NZL) bt. [Q] Colette Sultana (MLT) 11-4, 11-8, 11-8 (20m)  [6] Tinne Gilis (BEL) bt. [Q] Jasmine Hutton (ENG) 11-9, 11-2, 11-8 (31m) [8] Rachael Chadwick (ENG) bt. [Q] Ali Hemingway (WAL) 11-5, 6-11, 11-6, 11-6 (31m)  [2] Rowan Elaraby (EGY) bt. Kace Bartley (ENG)  12-10, 11-6, 12-10 (22m)   Thursday 26th April RESULTS – Quarter Finals   MEN     [1] Tom Richards (ENG) bt. [8] George Parker (ENG)11-7, 6-11, 11-9, 11-7 (55m) [3] Joel Makin (WAL) bt. [5] Joshua Masters (ENG)11-4, 11-3, 11-3 (33m) [4] Ben Coleman (ENG) bt. [Q] Sebastien Bonmalais (FRA)11-3, 11-6, 11-9 (43m) [6] Richie Fallows (ENG) bt. [2] Lucas Serme (FRA) 11-9, 11-7, 9-11, 6-11, 11-5 (77m)     WOMEN     [1] Fiona Moverley (ENG) bt. [5] Samantha Teran (MEX)11-9, 12-10, 8-11, 11-3 (41m)  [3] Zeina Mickawy (EGY) bt. [7] Rachel Arnold (MAS)11-6, 12-10, 3-11, 11-7 (33m) [4] Amanda Landers-Murphy (NZL) bt. [6] Tinne Gilis (BEL)11-7, 11-8, 7-11, 13-15, 11-9 (57m) [2] Rowan Elaraby (EGY) bt. [8] Rachael Chadwick (ENG)11-6, 11-6, 11-7 (27m)   Friday 27th April RESULTS – Semi Finals   MEN  [1] Tom Richards (ENG) bt. [3] Joel Makin (WAL) 11-8, 11-13, 11-6, 1-11, 11-6 (75m) [6] Richie Fallows (ENG) bt. [4] Ben Coleman (ENG) 11-6, 2-11, 11-2, 11-9 (47m)   WOMEN  [2] Rowan Elaraby (EGY) bt. [4] Amanda Landers-Murphy (NZL) 11-4, 12-10, 11-7 (27m) [3] Zeina Mickawy (EGY) bt. [1] Fiona Moverley (ENG) 9-11, 11-7, 11-8, 6-11, 11-9 (50m) Saturday 28th April RESULTS – Finals   The Irish Open Squash Championship finals got underway today with the ladies taking to the court first. Egypt are well on the way to world domination in squash terms and for this year’s women’s final we had two phenomenal Egyptian teenagers contesting the final. The number 2 seed, Rowan Elaraby who is just 17 years old with an impressive 4 professional tournament wins to her name, took on the number 3 seed Zeina Mickawy herself just 19 years old with 1 professional win also. The match lasted just 30 minutes but despite this there was no shortage of excitement. After a slightly nervy start by both players, it was Elaraby who played the more aggressive squash using great touch at the front whilst demonstrating great court coverage when needed and found herself closing out the first game 11-3. The next two games were much closer affairs with both players demonstrating great skill and athleticism. Mickawy was working very hard responding to her opponent’s aggressive style of squash and found herself in a tiebreak at 10-10 but it was Elaraby who maintained her composure managing to win it 12-10 giving her a commanding 2-0 lead.. The third game was equally nip and tuck and Mickawy gave everything to try and turn the match around but Elaraby’s short game and mobilty were just too much on the day and she managed to complete her victory in 3 games by way of a third game tie break to earn the Irish Open crown.       The men’s final followed immediately after and in front of a packed crowd at Fitzwilliam Lawn Tennis Club, we had the pleasure of seeing the number 1 seed Tom Richards take on the number 6 seed Richie Fallows. With both men hailing from England their squash was certainly a different brand but it was as outstanding as it was entertaining. Both players demonstrated crisp, ferocious hitting from the start and it was Fallows who seemed to relax and get into his stride quicker getting to a substantial 6-0 lead. Richards responded but it was too little too late and Fallows took the first 11-6. Richard’s response was excellent and with some excellent rally construction and fine hitting he managed to win 8 points in a row to level the game up at 1-1. Richards maintained his focus and forced Fallows to work hard rally after rally. With too many free points by way of unforced errors, Fallows slipped away in the third and Richards managed to close it out 11-5 to go 2-1 up. The fourth game was point for point until 7-7. As with the third game Fallow’s made just a few too many errors and Richards found himself 10-7 and championship ball up. He only needed the one attempt and managed to close out the match to win 3-1 in 51 minutes to become the Irish Open Squash Champion 2018.   Women   [2] Rowan Elaraby (EGY) bt. [3] Zeina Mickawy (EGY) 11-3, 12-10, 12-10 (30m) Men  [1] Tom Richards (ENG) bt. [6] Richie Fallows (ENG) 6-11, 11-3, 11-5, 11-7 (51m) West of Ireland Open The Paddy Whack West of Ireland Open – The PSA Open saw George Parker & Charlie Lee in an exciting final on Saturday, after 2 super semi finals on Friday. Results https://t.co/T9dg4I0drM    In the Paddy Whack West of Ireland Open, there was an intriguing final where former professional John Rooney, played the young Denis Gilevskiy. John playing some great squash won the title 3-0. A good experience for Denis, learning from a player of such experience. Draw – https://www.tournamentsoftware.com/sport/draw.aspx…