Men’s World Junior Team Championship – Team finish 9th
The Men’s World Junior Team Championships start on Wednesday August 17th and the finals are on Sunday August 21st. Ireland are drawn against India, Scotland & South Africa in Pool F 
Live Streaming
Glass Court
Squash du Rêve #2
Squash du Rêve #3
Squash du Rêve #4
Squash du Rêve #5
Players
Denis Gilevskiy
Dylan Moran
Sean Murphy
Jack O’Flynn
Coaches
David Noone
Alex Fuller – Assistant
Day 5
Final day of matches for the lads. Huge test against Canada. The Canadians have a history of doing very well in team championships and with so many popular and successful clubs throughout the giant country, they tend to have lots of strong players too.
Denis had to rest today, he’s had more on his plate this week than most could handle and still was able to show up to the championships with a very high level, he’s a pretty unique man and when he heads off to Harvard this week on a new chapter of his life he will be sorely missed!
We played Dylan at 1, Sean at 2 and Jack at 3 today. Order was 1,3,2.
Big test for Dylan stepping up to the no.1 spot. Especially against a player of the calibre of his opponent. Needless to say, the captain remains undefeated in the team champs and pulled out an extraordinary performance to close out the match 3-0. He has been sensational and has done his country and team mates proud!
Jack, again stepping up with incredibly mature squash was on fire. So disciplined and so effective. From start to finish he kept his opponent moving, bobbing and weaving. Tiring him out to take the victory.
With that win, we had finished 9th. That’s a seriously good result, not many Irish teams have had that high a finish in our history.
Sean would have loved a game. Especially as his father had arrived to watch him over the last two days and he didn’t get a chance with the dead rubber matches. Non the less, he will be proud!!
An amazing team, great results, great spirit and a great championships! So privileged to be part of that team. Much success to come from this crop of superstars.
David Noone
Match overview
| Order |
Event |
Canada |
– |
 Ireland |
Score |
Points |
|
|
Duration |
| 1 |
BS1 |
|
– |
|
7-11 9-11 5-11 |
0-1 |
|
|
|
| 2 |
BS2 |
|
– |
|
Not played |
0-0 |
|
|
|
| 3 |
BS3 |
|
– |
|
7-11 11-9 6-11 5-11 |
0-1 |
Day 4
Huge win against Columbia sends us into the top ten in the world. Absolutely delighted for this team to cement a top 10 finish!
It wasn’t the smoothest of starts for us today, we had communication issues with tournament directors and getting team selection in, but after a lengthy process we were lined out, on court for the pre match photos and ready to rock.
Todays team was Denis, Dylan, Jack. Order of play was 1,2,3.
Denis won the first 12-10 and lost the second 12-10. A huge amount of squash played at the highest of levels between the two. It was as if Denis needed to finish a point 5 times to score one, this guy could get to almost anything on a squash court.
The huge effort took its toll and Denis unfortunately lost 11-6, 11-5 in the next two games..
Dylan Moran was up next. I can’t say enough about how impressive this man has been. Whatever challenge has been put in front of him, he has passed with flying colours in this team event. He’s still unbeaten. Still seems fresh!
His opponent was another player who had the ability to go forever. It took a ferocious pace and very clean hitting to put him away. Coupled with a very delicate and very shallow counter drop, the captain had the weapons.
First game, Dylan was 9-1 and 10-2 down. He scrapped back to 10-10 only to lose the first.. he won the next two games, playing tidy lines at 200mph! The Columbian forces a 5th game and it was a must win for Ireland!!
Dylan did it again, stuck to a plan and got the head down. All the way to 10-0. And the softer side of the captain came out, instead of delivering a bagel, he served out. But duly converted the next point to take it to a deciding match.
Jack had a lot of pressure in the decider. A tough place to be.
He managed the situation perfectly though. Playing a high tempo, very straight lines and severe counter shorts, he had his tall opponent on the back foot from the get go.
Jack did not take his foot off the gas for a moment and stayed very level headed to close out the tie with a mightily impressive 3-0 win. A performance to be proud of!
Tomorrow there will be a closing ceremony, before we head home on Monday. Our 9th/10th play off match is against a strong Canadian team, one we hope to win and finish on a high. Exactly what these guys deserve!
David Noone
Match overview
| Order |
Event |
Colombia |
– |
Ireland |
Score |
Points |
|
|
Duration |
| 1 |
BS1 |
|
– |
|
10-12 12-10 11-6 11-5 |
1-0 |
|
|
|
| 2 |
BS2 |
|
– |
|
12-10 8-11 6-11 11-7 7-11 |
0-1 |
|
|
|
| 3 |
BS3 |
|
– |
|
4-11 6-11 8-11 |
0-1 |
Day 3
Huge day for the team today. Big chance against the Dutch to reach the last 8. We were fielding Denis at 1, Dylan the destroyer at 2 and Sean Murphy at 3. The Dutch had the world champion, Rowan Damming at 1, Sam Gerrits at 2 and Knut Hogervorst at 3. Knut has been a bit of a thorn in the side of both Sean and Jack in recents times, he’s a difficult player and this was looking like it could be the decider. Order of play today was 2, 1, 3.
We arrived at the club for our pre match practice and warm up just after 9am. Everyone in good spirits and a nice atmosphere. With Dylan up first, we were confident he could get us off to a good start.
And so he did, he played impeccably. He was aggressive when necessary and had the delicate touch to the finish a rally when needed also. He shot selection was on point again and he never looked like he could be beaten.
All the way through the event he has shown great leadership and deserves a lot of credit, he won 3-0 and got us off to a flyer.
Denis was up next and this was to be the new world champion’s first test. Denis has the capability to beat anyone in the world on his day. A great opening game saw Denis moving well, being the boss around the middle of the court and using his amazing skill to great effect. Rowan was also looking very sharp – it was a treat to watch. Denis lost it 12-10, very close.
He came out firing in the second and totally dominated, showing his potential, winning 11-5. Rowan didn’t back down and they went toe to toe in the remaining games, but Denis was just shy of the mammoth performance needed, losing in four and bringing the tie to a decider, Knut Vs Sean.
This was an epic match. Sean started very well, sticking to the plan and keeping the lanky lefty pinned to the back and using pace to go short, he was playing well and took the first. Then throughout the second and third he resorted to a few too many short balls from the back, creating lots of pressure for himself to cover angles and did a huge amount of work. The fourth was crucial, he dug deep and squeezed a 14-12 win. He gave that everything, totally emptied the tank and showed great fight and character to bring it to the 5th game. Winner takes all.
Unfortunately, it wasn’t to be and Knut ran away with it, a very quick 11-1, Sean had given his all to win the 4th and had nothing left..
We go on to face a strong Columbian team for a top ten finish tomorrow. Top ten hasn’t been achieved by many Irish teams, lots to fight for and it would be a great finish for this team, who have had superb attitudes all event long!
David Noone
Match overview
| Order |
Event |
Ireland |
– |
 Netherlands |
Score |
Points |
|
|
Duration |
| 1 |
BS1 |
|
– |
|
10-12 11-5 5-11 6-11 |
0-1 |
|
|
|
| 2 |
BS2 |
|
– |
|
11-7 11-9 13-11 |
1-0 |
|
|
|
| 3 |
BS3 |
|
– |
|
11-5 8-11 7-11 14-12 1-11 |
0-1 |
Day 2
Big match day for the team today. We were taking on Scotland for a place in the top 12 in the world. It was another morning match and the team line up was Denis, Sean and Jack. The captain took a little rest from all his winning efforts.
Jack was up first and kept a steely focus through his match, his error count was low and shot selection on point. He cruised to a 3-0 win.
Sean Murphy, by his super high standards, wasn’t having his best day at the office. He was hoping to close out the tie but was struggling with his opponents athleticism across the T line and his solid length hitting. Sean played excellent squash in parts of the match but fell short on the discipline needed to close it out, sometimes bringing the ball short too quickly. At this highest of levels, the simple mature squash can go a long way towards collecting much needed points, especially in the crunch points.. unfortunately in this match, the 5th ran away from Sean and Scotland levelled the tie.
Denis stepped up in the decider against a talented Kyle Penman. This match was always going the way of the Irish and thankfully we have a player of Denis’ calibre to trust he can close it out. 3-0 to Denis and 2-1 to Ireland to put us through.
We play the Netherlands for a place in the 1/4’s. This will be a nice test, the newly crowned world junior champion is in their line up, along with two other formidable opponents. Looking forward to the test!
David Noone
Match overview
| Order |
Event |
Ireland |
– |
 Scotland |
Score |
Points |
|
|
Duration |
| 1 |
BS1 |
|
– |
|
11-4 11-8 11-5 |
1-0 |
|
|
|
| 2 |
BS2 |
|
– |
|
14-12 3-11 11-9 5-11 4-11 |
0-1 |
|
|
|
| 3 |
BS3 |
|
– |
|
11-3 11-3 11-7 |
1-0 |
|
Day 1
Seventh day in but a fresh feel to the our trip – the start of the team event. This is a special team with some serious ability and a great spirit. We believe we can do very well here, our campaign started against South African.
Kick off was nice and early, 10am start. Order of play today was 3,1,2. It changes daily.
Sean Murphy played first, a challenging match against a very quick opponent but Sean had the mental and physical skill to take him apart, a good start for the team with a 3-1 win.
Denis was up against a player Dylan played in the team. The SA no.1 was quick, had great hands and was threatening from all areas of the court. Denis came out second best in the skilful exchanges around the front of the court, struggling to find a direct enough game to limit his opponent’s options. There were some worrying time on the court, he was match ball down but played unbelievable squash to take it into a 5th. Denis was more simple with his choices in the 5th and totally dominated, cruising home to seal the tie.
Because of it being a pool match, Dylan played the 3rd match and duly delivered another win, the captain was looking sharp, 3-0 win and happily looking forward to the next match.
We had a nice lunch, a poke bowl, something I had never heard of – they are everywhere here in Nancy, perfect fuel for our evening match. Coupled with some rest in the hotel before starting at 5pm..
India are a class act, always a power house in the world of squash, we knew we would have nothing easy. Playing this tie were Denis, Dylan and Jack.
Jack was up first and as ever battled his heart out on court. A slightly slower start than he would have liked, losing the first two games 6 and 6. But a great display in the third, showing all of his improvements he won it 11-9. In the fourth is was anyones game at 9-9. Jack constructed the rallies brilliantly but clipped the tin from winning positions, gutting because his opponent was looking tired..
Denis was up next. He traded the first two games with the no.1, setting a high tempo and playing some silky squash. In the 3rd and 4th, the errors crept in too frequently and Denis unfortunately was on the wrong end of the tie, losing 3-1.
Dylan played another blinder. To quote the captain, he ‘smoked’ him. A really gutsy display to be proud of. Winning 3-1.
Losing that match with India leaves us playing Scotland for 2nd place, still all to play for as 12 teams will progress to the monrad stages, where it’s all to play for.
We had to kick our wounds a little this evening but this team has some deep layers and I’m confident we can come out fighting both tomorrow and into the business end of the team championships!
David Noone
Match overview
| Order |
Event |
India |
– |
Ireland |
Score |
Points |
|
|
Duration |
| 1 |
BS1 |
|
– |
|
11-6 7-11 11-4 11-2 |
1-0 |
|
|
|
| 2 |
BS2 |
|
– |
|
11-8 9-11 10-12 11-13 |
0-1 |
|
|
|
| 3 |
BS3 |
|
– |
|
11-6 11-6 9-11 11-9 |
1-0 |
Match overview
| Order |
Event |
Ireland |
– |
 South Africa |
Score |
Points |
|
|
Duration |
| 1 |
BS1 |
|
– |
|
11-3 9-11 7-11 13-11 11-5 |
1-0 |
|
|
|
| 2 |
BS2 |
|
– |
|
11-9 11-8 7-11 11-6 |
1-0 |
|
|
|
| 3 |
BS3 |
|
– |
|
11-7 7-11 11-3 11-5 |
1-0 |
Standings of WSF Men’s World Junior Team Championship – WSF MWJTC – Stage 1 F
| |
|
Points |
Played |
Won |
Draws |
Lost |
Rubbers |
Games |
Points |
| 1 |
India |
6 |
3 |
3 |
0 |
0 |
8 |
– |
1 |
25 |
– |
7 |
333 |
– |
204 |
| 2 |
Ireland |
4 |
3 |
2 |
0 |
1 |
6 |
– |
3 |
22 |
– |
14 |
333 |
– |
308 |
| 3 |
South Africa |
2 |
3 |
1 |
0 |
2 |
2 |
– |
7 |
12 |
– |
22 |
257 |
– |
323 |
| 4 |
Scotland |
0 |
3 |
0 |
0 |
3 |
2 |
– |
7 |
8 |
– |
24 |
225 |
– |
313 |
Show draw…
