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18-Nov, Finals:
[2] Laura Lengthorn (Eng) bt [1] Vicky Botwright (Eng)
9/5, 3/9, 4/9, 9/6, 9/4 (80m)
[3] Borja Golan (Esp) bt [Q] Lee Drew (Eng)
11/6, 11/6, 11/6 |
Laura & Borja take Wolverhampton titles
Reports and
photos by Framboise |
LAURA, THE CONFIDENCE PLAYER…
 There
are a lot of factors that make a champion - physical, talent,
technique, skills, etc. But in squash, I claim that 90% of the
performance of players of “similar standards” comes from the brain.
Shabana, God bless him, is the best example of what the mental can
do – or not – to a squash player.
Laura I feel is one of those players where it’s all in the brain.
The qualities are all there, but the belief, the confidence may or
may not be. And today, it was…. It was as if the better she was
playing, the better her game was becoming.
 And
we all know she was not playing a beginner, now, was she. Miss Vicky
Botwright is one of the toughest athletes I ever saw perform in my
life. But today, she made far too many errors, 8 in the first game
alone, 12 in the last two. At this level, it’s a big handicap…
It was a long match. The two ladies were patient, relentless in
battle, drives against the wall, drop shots, drives, lobs, drives….
And boast, boast, boast, and flick flick flick for Laura, and run,
drop shots, run, drop shots for Vicky…
It was a good match. A few glares from Laura that I just adore. You
know, the “if looks could kill, there won't be a ref alive at the
end of the match” style of look…
And the high pitched ‘Ahhhhhhhh’s from Vicky. Sorry, but it’s all
part of the show, it’s all part of our sport, and that’s what makes
it such an entertaining sport…
Today was Laura’s turn to win. It’s a good confidence booster for
the young girl, and although Vicky will be disappointed, she was
actually genuinely happy for her friend and county team mate, and
was looking forward to play alongside her for Lancashire tomorrow…
And that, my friend, is squash is all about…
|
 "I
know this is not the Worlds, but when you are out there, it’s
exactly like the Worlds for us, you just don’t want to lose…
“When you lose, you can’t make excuses, she was just better than me
today, and she WAS a friend, she is not anymore !!!
"With the great results she’s had recently, I knew it was going to
be tough from the start… I feel that I should have won 3/1, but I
didn’t, OBVIOUSLY!
"I went a shot too early today, and in particular in the four, I
didn’t play the right shot at the right time… Our movement is
different, I’m probably faster, but Laura is stronger, she can hit
harder and more constantly….
"It’s my first defeat against her, so it’s extremely disappointing,
but it’s good for her, but then again, she should have beaten
Vanessa in Hong Kong and Rachel in the British in Nottingham, she
had match balls in both matches, so she has shown she can do it,
just that she couldn't play the last shot…!"
 "I’m
very happy to win my first big event….
"It’s so difficult to play against Vicky, she gives 100% always, and
she never ever ever gives up, and also, she is so graceful in losing
as well…
"I think I lost a bit of concentration during the match. I’m trying
to stick to a game plan, but during a match of that length, it’s
difficult. After losing the first, I thought, yeah, got that one,
and probably relaxed a bit, a drop in intensity, and I found myself
2/1 down…
"So, I tried to fire myself up and get more aggressive, and told
myself not to just chip the ball up and down all day, to be patient,
but as soon as I had the opportunity, to go for it…
"I like to slow things down, whereas Vicky plays much faster, but
I’ve been working hard on that department of my game, so it’s not
such a problem anymore…
"I think I probably had the toughest draw of them all, so I’m very
happy to win after beating Jacky in the quarters and Shelley in the
semis, it’s my first big tournament, and I’m delighted…
"For the worlds, the draw is not too bad, so I’m going to try to do
my best…"
 |
 |
ONE TOO FAR…
We all knew it was going to be a bit too much for Lee Drew tonight.
I thought that he wouldn’t score more than 10 points. So he exceeded
my expectations by far …
Yes, Lee made a fantastic journey during this event, came from the
qualifiers to finish in the final, so 6 matches and 20 games versus
4 matches and 13 games for his opponent.
No more needs to be said I think.
Lee played extremely well considering. He gave all that he didn’t
have anymore, he ran, he retrieved beautifully, placed some stunning
drop shots, and never ever gave up. But he was always on the back
foot, always that much too late on the ball, which forced him to
return the ball in play more than having any real influence on the
encounter…
 Borja
didn’t have to force his talent tonight. He didn’t dive once, which
is remarkable, he played the perfect game, made his opponent run
hard for every single point.
As Peter Nicol noticed when he played him at Canary Wharf, Borja is
a player who adapts to plan B, C, D etc as the match unfolds. I
think he is the only player on the circuit that does it to that
extent…
So, after Pakistan, Greece, Ireland, a victory in England for the
young Spaniard. People, if you haven’t seen him play yet, try and
have a glance at him next time he plays in an event near you. And
sponsors, keep an eye on him. He is worth it…
Lee doesn’t seem to know what he is going to do with his life/career
at the moment. It would be a shame to see him go so soon I think. He
is a very talented player, but it seems that the arrival of the
“little stranger” as he used to call Jacob his son before he was
born, has turned his life upside down. As it should. But I hope I’ll
see him again soon.
The crowd fully enjoyed the evening, the buffet was delicious, the
organisers were happy that the event went so well and so were the
sponsors (we love the sponsors…), and the players genuinely enjoyed
this new club-based tournament. Hear Hear.
Long Live the Wolverhampton Open…
|
 "I’m
very disappointed, but this was my sixth match, and I guess one
match too many…
"All credit to Borja, he was very fast, very sharp, and I couldn’t
get my length, and he built his game from there… I tried to slow
down the pace, but he is too good a player, he is too fast, he
doesn’t let you do that… And when I was attacking, he was attacking
me right back…
"Getting through the qualifiers and right through to the final is a
great confidence builder for me, but also shows I’m not fit enough
to get to the last match… I’m not sure what I’m going to do with my
career, I’ve got to sit down and rethink. Now, my life evolves
around Jacob, my son, and I’m assessing my options at the moment…"
 "I’m
so glad I won here, in England, because England is the best country
in the world for squash, and it was very important for me to win
here. In my country, people maybe do not understand the squash as
well as they do here, here, they clap and the support the players
much more, so I enjoy playing here a lot…
"I think that Lee had more though matches that I did. I seemed to
play better as the tournament went on, and I think today I played
better than I did the whole week, and I especially made sure I
concentrated well, because against Lee, you can’t relax.
"I’m very very happy to win, and see you… very soon!"
 |
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17-Nov,
Semi-Finals:
[1] Vicky Botwright (Eng) bt [Q] Laura Hill (Eng)
9/0, 10/8, 9/4 (45m)
[2] Laura Lengthorn (Eng) bt [3] Shelley Kitchen (Nzl)
9/6, 4/9, 9/2, 9/4 (59m)
[3] Borja Golan (Esp) bt Scott Handley (Eng)
11/10(2-0), 8/11, 11/4, 11/8
[Q] Lee Drew (Eng) bt [7] Stacey Ross (Eng)
11/9, 7/11, 11/10(2-0), 11/7 |
WOLVERHAMPTON VERSUS PAKISTAN…
As
I was not able to get to Islamabad yesterday – cutting a long story
short, couldn’t take the flight – I decided to drive up to
Wolverhampton, a tournament I wanted to cover anyway, but discarded
for Pakistan, that will teach me…
So, arrived a bit when all the fun was nearly over, won’t get to see
either of the top seeds, as both Alex Gough and Joey Kemp are now
out of the tournament. Well, as least in the ladies, the top girls
behaved themselves and are still up and running…
So, no Super Series event in Wolverhampton, but trust me, the buzz,
the atmosphere, the squash fans are floating all over the place…
Still a bit lost at sea, I’m not sure where I am, in which country,
in which language. But a large smile on his face, Stephen Russell
welcomes me at the end of the daedal of the labyrinth that is the
vast Wolverhampton Club. I know I’m safe now. Everything is going to
be fine…
|
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HELPERS…
 I’m
sure you know that a tournament, whatever size or country, runs mostly
on volunteers. And on this one, the Wolverhampton Squash Committee has
been requisitioned to support the initiative.
And who better than Steve Chilvers, former Committee Chairman,
to help out. He is standing in the wings, making sure that everybody
has what they need to operate, that everything is in its place, in
other words, he is indispensable…
"I used to be the Chairman before Stephen, he is doing a great job, a
great job, but he’s got the time, he is retired! But I am still
heavily involved, in my spare time."
And you can feel that Steve loves his squash:
"I’ve been playing squash for 30 years, I so enjoy the fact that you
can get on court, get a good 45min thrash, and then, I enjoy the
social aspect as well! So, squash is a perfect combination of
exercise, socialise and fitness…"
Hear hear… |
BLUE SHIRT…
 You
may not realise this, but like most performers, squash players have
“lucky charms” or habits that they think will bring them good luck, or
of course, bad luck if not respected.
Well, in Wolverhampton, the word is “lucky shirt”, the same shirt that
Stephen Russell wore the whole PSL season two years ago, all
but once, a season that you all know the Wolves won unexpectedly…
So, of course, guess what tournament director Russell was wearing
today… |
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NOT THE BEST OF MOVEMENT…
Framboise reports
This encounter between an exhausted Lee Drew and a
not-all-there-in-the-brain Stacey Ross was not the most interesting of
matches I ever saw I must admit.
 It
started very well for the Surrey Man, who looked very sharp and
dangerous until 2/2 in the first game, but then seemed to be out of
breath, and found himself 8/2 then 10/4 down in a matter of minutes.
That seemed to do the trick, and finding both breath and focus, Mr
Ross clawed back to 10/9 to finally concede the game 11/9.
The rest of the match was very close, and it could have gone either
way really, but what seemed to be constant, was the “shot right in the
front corner” syndrome, you know, that one that shoots out straight on
to you, and also a common lack of “getting out of the way” from both
opponents, which led to a lot of calls, stopping and starting, a bit
of discussion, nothing bad, but just frustration from the players that
couldn’t, just couldn’t find their normal games.
Still, we had some good rallies, nice change of pace from Stacey in
particular, and some of the best drop shots on the circuit from Lee,
but too many errors in the last game from Stacey gave the victory to a
qualifier who may well struggle with his energy level tomorrow in the
final... |
"Hard
match. I’m absolutely knackered! I couldn’t clear the ball, and he
couldn’t clear it either, we both got stuck! It was a weird match, no
pace…
"It was hard to find any rhythm for the both of us. My forehand, which
is normally my best shot, was coming off the side wall, then I didn’t
seem to be able to move out, it got scrappy, and the more we got
tired, the more it became difficult to play…"
 "I
have nothing good to say about the way I played. Yesterday, I really
enjoyed it, I was playing very well.
"But today, everything was scrappy, it had so rhythm. It was really
awful. Nothing good to say."
 |
Borja beats Scott
Paul Walters reports
Spanish No.1 and World No.25 Borja Golan defeated England’s
Scott Handley reach the men’s final of the Wolverhampton Open, his
fourth World Tour final of the year.
 The
young Spaniard who has helped add a real international flavour to the
event, in which a total of seventeen nationalities have been
represented, faced an inspired challenge from Handley.
His English opponent played an integral part in Wolverhampton Lawn
Tennis & Squash Club, the hosting club, winning the 2005 English
National League title and received vocal support from a capacity crowd
which help raise his game.
However, after defeating No.1 seed Alex Gough in a tough 5-game
quarter-final, Handley eventually showed signs of fatigue which
allowed Golan to become increasing dominant as the match progressed.
The 23 year-old Spaniard will face qualifier Lee Drew of
England in tomorrow’s final having continued his rich vein of form to
beat seventh seed Stacey Ross.
Having defeated local favourite and second seed Jonathon Kemp in the
first round and Jon Harford in the quarter-finals, after first having
to qualify, Drew showed amazing reserves of strength which eventually
frustrated an opponent ranked just one place behind him in the World
rankings at No.46.
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|
"WE WAS
ROBBED!!!!!!!!!
 "No,
seriously, I had my chances, I had a few game balls in the first game,
and I would have needed that, especially as the match turned out, and
when I played rather well and won the second game, it was the
difference between being 2/0 instead of 1/1.
"Then in the third, the match from last night started to tell, and he
was moving very well, diving all over the place as usual, and simply
returned too many balls….
 |
 "The
more I play in this tournament, the more confident I become….
"I think we both played quite well, and I had to stay concentrated all
the time, because he is so good, if I lost my focus for just a minute,
I would lose 4 or 5 points in a row. And that’s what happened in the
second, I was up 7/3, and I lost the game. One must learn from one’s
mistakes, and that would be the main one I did today…
"Scott attacks very well, and you’ve got to be careful not to put
anything in the middle, make sure that you push him to the back
corners, and then, the more he gets tired, the more you try to move
him around. But first, you’ve got to make sure that you push him to
the back…
 |
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Top Two in Women's Final ... after battles
Paul Walters
reports
Top seeds Vicky Botwright and Laura Lengthorn were both
made to battle to reach the final of the inaugural Wolverhampton Open,
the UK’s biggest club-based squash championships, with tough wins over
Laura Hill and Shelley Kitchen respectively.
Botwright, England’s highest ranked women’s squash player who is
competing in the event as part of her final preparations for the World
Championships to be staged in Belfast next week, was made to fight
against qualifier Hill, before registering a 45-minute victory.
Whilst Botwright had been untroubled in her two previous matches, Hill
had reached her first Women’s World Tour semi-final via an arduous
qualifying competition followed by comprehensive wins of No.4 seed
Dominique Lloyd-Walter and No.6 seed Rebecca Botwright, the younger
sister of her semi-final opponent.
Second seed Laura Lengthorn also found the going tough against a
determined Shelley Kitchen of New Zealand, who captured the second
game before eventually losing to her 23 year-old opponent.
|
 "I
was sleeping, then I woke up, then I went to sleep again…
"The first game was 9/0, she played very well, then in the second I
woke up, and we went close 10/8, and then, I went to sleep again…
"All the pressure shots, all the pressure rallies, she played very
well, and I didn’t…"
 "I’d
never played Laura before and the way that she has played this week,
she is playing to at least top 20 in the World standard.
"The second game was particularly tough. I had to work really hard and
I’m just so pleased to have made it to the final."
 |
LAURA BOASTS IT AWAY…
Framboise reports
 It
was nice to see Laura Lengthorn and Shelley Kitchen on court, as I
hadn’t seen either of them for a while, and I must say I thought that
Laura had improved recently. Her game is more assured, her shot
selection is wider, and the precision of her boast in particular is
what made the difference today.
Shelley was as fit as ever, and it always amazed me that somebody so
lean and thin would hit the ball that hard and that constantly. In a
lot of respect, her game resembles her life partner Anthony Ricketts:
she hits, she runs her opponents down, and they are getting tired, she
places some lovely short shots…
 Today,
it was Laura’s day, and the variety of her shots seemed to surprise
Shelley more than once, in particular a lovely sneaky backhand flick,
forcing her to arrive that much too late on the ball. And it was
enough to prevent the New Zealander from controlling the game as she
likes to do…
So tomorrow will be an all English affair. On a personal note, I would
like to stress how nice it was to have “my” two matches refereed by
John Massarella. His explanations are always clear, you may agree with
them or not, but you can follow his line of thought. And he’s got the
right way to speak with the players, the right balance between a
friendly chat and the no nonsense.
Good to have referees the quality of John around.
|
|
 "In
the first game I made quite a good start, but in the second, my
concentration went with my game plan, my movement got flat, I played
too many crosscourts and didn’t volley enough…
"The pace Shelley plays at is just astonishing, and it can get on top
of you if you are not careful, as you cannot get to the T, and you
find yourself going from left to right at the back of the court, and
you are dead!
"I think that my game just needed a bit of aggression, a bit of “come
on”… So I started taking the middle more, and once you are well in
front, the shots just seem to come in naturally…
 |
 "The
third game was very disappointing for me, I lost my length totally,
played far too short, and she volleyed everything.
"In the fourth, too many errors, and a bad start again. But I had
found my second wind by the end of the fourth, and I could have gone
on for ever!
"She had some pretty good results recently, so I knew today was going
to be hard…"
 |
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16-Nov,
Quarter-Finals:
[1] Vicky Botwright (Eng) bt [7] Sarah Kippax (Eng)
9/0, 9/5, 9/2 (30m)
[Q] Laura Hill (Eng) bt [6] Becky Botwright (Eng)
9/3, 9/4, 9/5 (30m)
[3] Shelley Kitchen (Nzl) bt [Q] Emma Beddoes (Eng)
9/1, 9/3, 9/3 (30m)
[2] Laura Lengthorn (Eng) bt [5] Jaclyn Hawkes (Nzl)
9/7, 5/9, 9/4, 9/6 (58m)
Scott Handley (Eng) bt [1] Alex Gough (Wal)
7/11, 10/11(0-2), 11/7, 7/11, 11/5 (79m)
[3] Borja Golan (Esp) bt [8] Saurav Ghosal (Ind)
9/11, 11/8, 11/8, 11/8 (76m)
[7] Stacey Ross (Eng) bt [4] Simon Parke (Eng)
11/7, 11/10(2-0), 5/11, 11/7 (66m)
[Q] Lee Drew (Eng) bt [Q] Jon Harford (Eng)
11/6, 7/11, 11/8, 11/2 (56m)
|
16-Nov,
Quarter-finals:
Vicky
through but
Becky falls to Laura
England’s Vicky
Botwright cruised into the semi-finals of the inaugural
Wolverhampton Open with a confident win over compatriot Sarah
Kippax.
 Botwright,
England’s highest ranked women’s squash player who is
competing in the event as part of her final preparations for
the World Championships to be staged in Belfast next week,
avoided a semi-final meeting with younger sister Becky who
lost to qualifier Laura Hill, the full-time firefighter
from Derbyshire repeating her English Open semi-final victory
over Becky from August.
Third seed Shelley Kitchen from New Zealand was in
equally impressive form against Emma Beddoes, dropping just
seven points in her win over the English qualifier.
Kitchen’s semi-final opponent will be second seed Laura
Lengthorn who looked less convincing against New Zealand’s
Jaclyn Hawkes as she won in four games in just short of an
hour.
Gough &
Parke crash out
Simon Parke, the
former English No.1, World No.3 and British National Champion,
suffered a shock quarter-final defeat in the Wolverhampton
Open to compatriot Stacey Ross in what was to be his
last competitive appearance in the UK before retiring from the
international circuit.
Parke, who in the first round outlasted British Junior
Champion Chris Simpson, was unable to recapture the same level
of consistency against an inspired opponent who hit eight
outright winners in the fourth and final game.
Lee Drew, who yesterday claimed the scalp of local
favourite and second seed Jonathon Kemp, having reached the
first round via an arduous qualifying competition, continued
his rich vein of form with an impressive win over
fellow-qualifier Jon Harford.
 "I’m
very pleased with how far I have come in the tournament. The
club has a great ‘homely’ feel and I think that that has
really suited my game.
"Tomorrow will be a tough match and my focus will be on
enjoying the occasion."
Welsh No.1 and former World
No.5 Alex Gough, the top seed, crashed out to unseeded Scott
Handley. Both players played an integral part in Wolverhampton
winning the 2005 English National League title and received
vocal support from a capacity crowd, before Handley’s superior
fitness eventually proved decisive.
Spain’s third seed Borja Golan will meet Handley in the
semi-finals having defeated Saurav Ghosal, recovering from
losing the first game to the Indian national champion.
|
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15-Nov, Round
One:
Botwrights progress in
Wolverhampton,
Veterans Parke & Gough in quarters ... |
 England’s
highest ranked women’s player Vicky Botwright, who
recently led her country to success in the Women’s World Team
Championships, secured her place in the quarter-finals of the
inaugural Wolverhampton Open with a confident performance over
Jenna Gates, before her young opponent retired mid-way through
the second game with a back injury.
The top seed from Manchester, who has enjoyed her most
successful year on the Women’s World Tour, culminating in her
reaching a career high No.5 world ranking, is competing in the
Wolverhampton Open as part of her final preparations for the
World Championships to be staged in Belfast next week.
The 29 year-old will now face Sarah Kippax, recent
winner of the Pepsi Enschede Open in the eastern Netherlands
city of Enschede, who defeated qualifier Lauren Siddall 3/1
after dropping the first game.
Second seed Laura Lengthorn was equally impressive
during her 3/0 win over Vicky Hynes, as was third seed
Shelley Kitchen of New Zealand who overcame sporadic
resistance from Italy’s Manuella Manetta during her 3/0
victory.
 However,
England’s Dominique Lloyd-Walter, seeded four, crashed out to
qualifier Laura Hill 9-6 9-5 9-0.
Quarter-final berths were also secured by Vicky's younger
sister Becky Botwright, Emma Beddoes and
Jaclyn Hawkes.
|
 Simon
Parke, the former English No.1, World No.3 and British
National Champion who is making his last competitive
appearance in the UK before retiring from the international
circuit, produced a typically dogged performance to outlast
British Junior Champion Chris Simpson in the first round of
the inaugural Wolverhampton Open.
Simpson, who had reached the first round via an arduous
qualifying competition, attacked his experienced opponent with
forceful drives and volleys to capture the opening game. Parke
countered with breathtaking retrieving to force a 2/1 lead,
but found himself trailing 4-7 in the fourth before he was
again able to slow the pace and run-down his opponents’
attempted front court winners to record a deserved 90-minute
win.
Simon Rosner from Germany, who also claimed his place in the
main draw via the qualification competition, failed to
progress to the quarter-finals after losing in five to eighth
seed Saurav Ghosal of India.
 However,
English qualifier Jon Harford, making a belated start
to his professional career at 23 having recently finished
studies at nearby Birmingham University, defeated India’s
fifth seed Ritwik Bhattacharya.
There were mixed fortunes however for two other local players.
World No.26, Jonathon Kemp, who was born in Wolverhampton and
regularly trains at the club, crashed out to fellow Englishman
Lee Drew, while resident professional Chris Ryder, the
wild card, was unable to breakdown the solid consistency of
Spain’s third seed Borja Golan.
Top seed Alex Gough of Wales defeated stylish New
Zealander Kashif Shuja, while Scott Handley and
Stacey Ross had straightforward wins over Amr Mansi and
Alex Stait respectively.
|
[Q] Jon Harford (Eng) bt
[5] Ritwik Bhattacharya (Ind)
11/2, 11/6, 11/8
 "Very
happy, he's 43? in the world, some 50 places above me!
"I thought he looked as if he was struggling in the corners.
"This is my best win ever, very happy, very happy ..."
 |
[8]
Saurav Ghosal (Ind) bt [Q] Simon Rosner (Ger)
8/11, 11/10(2-0), 11/8, 8/11, 11/4
 "It
was a good match, with both of us playing squash as it should
be played. Good shot-making and then I got into my rhythm. In
the fifth he tired and made a few errors.
"I'm glad to have won and go through to the quarters, I've had
a few tough losses recently, to Mansi, Parke, Pilley, Selby,
Giuffre, Ryder, so I'm really pleased to win.
"There were a few tough decisions which the ref made look
easy, which is good for us players, the sign of a good ref."
"Good game. He was a bit more consistent, apart from the
fourth where I was 6/3 up and he actually lost that game.
Tough rallies, with me running more than him. I just missed
out on fitness in the fifth."
 |
|
 Wolverhampton Open
Tettenhall, 13 - 18 Nov $20k |
Round One
15 Nov |
Quarters
16 Nov |
Semis
17 Nov |
Final
18 Nov |
[1]
Alex Gough (Wal)
6/11, 11/5, 11/5, 11/9
Kashif Shuja (Nzl) |
Alex Gough
7/11, 10/11(0-2), 11/7, 7/11, 11/5
(79m)
Scott Handley |
Scott Handley
11/10(2-0), 8/11, 11/4, 11/8
Borja Golan |
Borja Golan
11/6, 11/6, 11/6
Lee Drew |
[6]
Amr Mansi (Egy)
6/11, 11/8, 12/10, 11/6
Scott Handley (Eng) |
[3]
Borja Golan (Esp)
11/10(2-0), 9/11, 11/4, 12/10
Chris Ryder (Eng) |
Borja Golan
9/11, 11/8, 11/8, 11/8 (76m)
Saurav Ghosal |
[8]
Saurav Ghosal (Ind)
8/11, 11/10(2-0), 11/8, 8/11, 11/4
[Q] Simon Rosner (Ger) |
Alex
Stait (Eng)
11/8, 11/9, 11/5
[7] Stacey Ross (Eng) |
Stacey Ross
11/7, 11/10(2-0), 5/11, 11/7 (66m)
Simon Parke |
Stacey Ross
11/9, 7/11, 11/10(2-0), 11/7
Lee Drew |
[Q] Chris Simpson (Eng)
10/11(1-3), 11/4, 11/7, 11/9
[4] Simon Parke (Eng) |
[Q] Jon Harford (Eng)
11/2, 11/6, 11/8
[5] Ritwik Bhattacharya (Ind) |
Jon Harford
11/6, 7/11, 11/8, 11/2 (56m)
Lee Drew |
[Q] Lee Drew (Eng)
11/8, 9/11, 2/11, 11/8, 11/8
[2] Jonathan Kemp (Eng) |
|
Men's Qualifying , Finals:
Chris Simpson (Eng) bt Andrew Whipp (Eng) 10/11(0-2),
11/6, 11/0, 8/11, 11/10(2-0)
Lee Drew (Eng) bt Laurence Delasaux (Eng)
11/7, 11/10(2-0), 11/6
Simon Rosner (Ger) bt Scott Arnold (Aus)
11/8, 11/3, 11/1
Jon Harford (Eng) bt Jesse Engelbrecht (Zim) 5/11, 11/7,
11/9, 11/3
Men's Qualifying , Round One:
Simon Rosner (GER) bt Richard Birks (ENG)
11/5, 11/1, 11/5
Scott Arnold (AUS) bt Rob Sutherland (WAL)
11/7, 5/2 retired
Chris Simpson (ENG) bt Chris Tasker-Grindley (ENG) 11/9, 11/7,
11/10(2-0)
Andrew Whipp (ENG) bt Sam Miller (ENG)
4/11, 11/3, 11/4, 11/5
Laurence Delasaux (ENG) bt Darren Lewis (ENG)
11/5, 11/6, 11/3
Lee Drew (ENG) bt Mathieu Castagnet (FRA)
10/11(0-2), 11/4, 11/2, 11/10(4-2)
Jon Harford (ENG) bt Jamie Haycocks (ENG)
11/7, 11/4, 11/6
Jesse Englebrecht (ZIM) bt Chris Trusswell (ENG)
11/5, 11/3, 11/7
|
Sam Miller & Andy Whipp |
Jonny Harford & Jaymie Haycocks |
 Wolverhampton
Open
Tettenhall, 13 - 18 Nov, $13k |
Round One
15 Nov |
Quarters
16 Nov |
Semis
17 Nov |
Final
18 Nov |
[1]
Vicky Botwright (Eng)
9/1, 6/0 rtd
Jenna Gates (Eng) |
Vicky Botwright
9/0, 9/5, 9/2 (30m)
Sarah Kippax |
Vicky Botwright
9/0, 10/8, 9/4 (45m)
Laura Hill |
Vicky Botwright
9/5, 3/9, 4/9, 9/6, 9/4 (80m)
Laura Lengthorn |
[7]
Sarah Kippax (Eng)
5/9, 9/2, 9/6, 9/7
[Q] Lauren Siddall (Eng) |
[4]
Dominique Lloyd-Walter (Eng)
9/5, 9/5, 9/0
[Q] Laura Hill (Eng) |
Laura Hill
9/3, 9/4, 9/5 (30m)
Rebecca Botwright |
[6]
Rebecca Botwright (Eng)
9/6, 9/4, 6/9, 9/5
Line Hansen (Den) |
[Q] Emma Beddoes (Eng)
10/8, 9/1, 9/3
[8] Orla Noom (Ned) |
Emma Beddoes
9/1, 9/3, 9/3 (30m)
Shelley Kitchen |
Shelley Kitchen 9/6, 4/9, 9/2,
9/4 (59m)
Laura Lengthorn |
Manuela Manetta (Ita)
10/8, 9/0, 9/5
[3] Shelley Kitchen (Nzl) |
Aisling Blake (Ire)
9/1, 9/4, 9/6
[5] Jaclyn Hawkes (Nzl) |
Jaclyn Hawkes
9/7, 5/9, 9/4, 9/6 (58m)
Laura Lengthorn |
[Q]
Vicky Hynes (Eng)
9/1, 9/3, 9/2
[2] Laura Lengthorn (Eng) |
|
Qualifying:
Finals, 14-Nov:
Vicky Hynes (Eng) bt Emma Chorley (Eng)
10/9, 9/2, 6/9, 9/7
Emma Beddoes (Eng) bt Lotte Eriksen (Nor) 9/1,
9/3, 9/0
Laura Hill (Eng) bt Kirsty McPhee (Eng)
9/4, 9/5, 10/8
Lauren Siddall (Eng) bt Deon Saffery (Eng) 9/0,
9/0, 9/1
First Round, 13-Nov:
Kirsty McPhee (ENG) bt Christina Di Sacco (ITA)
9-0, 9-0, 9-0
Laura Hill (ENG) bt Charlotte Delsinne
(FRA)
9-0, 9-0, 9-2
Vicky Hynes (ENG) bt Susannah King (ENG)
9-2, 9-2, 9-5
Emma Chorley (ENG) bt Adel Weir (RSA)
9-0, 9-10, 9-5, 6-9, 10-8
Emma Beddoes bt Carrie Hastings (ENG)
9-6, 9-0, 9-6
Lotte Eriksen (NOR) bt Milja Dorenbos (NED)
9-5, 9-4, 3-9, 9-4
Deon Saffery (ENG) bt Leonie Holt (ENG)
9-1, 10-8, 9-2
Lauren Siddall bt Anna-Carin Forstadius (SWE)
9-3, 9-1, 9-5
|
Vicky Hynes & Susannah King |
Leonie Holt & Deon Saffery |
|
 Qualifying
complete
in Wolverhampton
England’s British Junior Champion Chris Simpson continued his
fine run of form at the inaugural Wolverhampton Open, to qualify for
the UK’s biggest club-based squash championships with an enthralling
win over compatriot Andrew Whipp.
Simpson lost a highly competitive first game before bouncing back in
emphatic style. After breaking his opponent's rhythm with subtle
changes of pace and cleverly disguised drops shots to take a
seemingly unassailable 2/1 lead, Simpson fell heavily in the opening
rally of the fourth game, and despite competing for every ball was
unable to regain the same level of composure and ascendancy. Whipp
capitalised on his opponent's more cautious movement to draw level
at two games all, and even served for the match before Simpson
eventually combined breathtaking retrieval and audacious attack to
close-out the match.
Reigning European Junior Champion Simon Rosner from Germany
recorded a comfortable win over Australian Scott Arnold, whilst
Jon Harford defeated Jesse Engelbrecht of Zimbabwe to earn his
place in the opening round, alongside Lee Drew who brushed
aside fellow Englishman Laurence Delasaux.
All four women’s qualifying places were secured by English players.
Vicky Hynes, making her competitive return to the Women’s
World Tour having recently given birth to her first child, defeated
compatriot Emma Chorley, Emma Beddoes beat Norwegian Lotte
Eriksen, Laura Hill triumphed over the highest ranked
qualifier Kirsty McPhee, while Lauren Siddall brushed aside
Pontefract team-mate Deon Saffery for the loss of a single point.
|
 "It
feels great to have qualified for the main draw having gone to five
against such an experienced player.
"I fell awkwardly at the beginning of the fourth, but was determined
to push-on, particularly after playing so well in the second and
third games"
Lauren Siddall |
|
14-Nov, Qualifying
Finals:
Vicky Hynes (Eng) bt Emma Chorley (Eng)
10/9, 9/2, 6/9, 9/7 plays Lengthorn
Emma Beddoes (Eng) bt Lotte Eriksen (Nor)
9/1, 9/3, 9/0
plays Noom
Laura Hill (Eng) bt Kirsty McPhee (Eng)
9/4, 9/5, 10/8
plays L-Walter
Lauren Siddall (Eng) bt Deon Saffery (Eng)
9/0, 9/0, 9/1
plays Kippax
Chris Simpson (Eng) bt Andrew Whipp (Eng)
10/12, 11/6, 11/0, 8/11, 12/10 plays Parke
Lee Drew (Eng) bt Laurence Delasaux (Eng)
11/7, 12/10, 11/6
plays Kemp
Simon Rosner (Ger) bt Scott Arnold (Aus)
11/8, 11/3, 11/1
plays Ghosal
Jon Harford (Eng) bt Jesse Engelbrecht (Zim) 5/11,
11/7, 11/9, 11/3
plays Ritwik
MEN'S DRAW
WOMEN'S DRAW |
13-Nov-06:
Euro Champions move into
Qualifying finals
 19-year-old
Chris Simpson, the 2005 European Junior Champion who
signed-off a highly successful junior career in February when he
retained the Men's Under 19 title at the British Junior
Championships, eased into the qualifying finals at Wolverhampton
with a polished 3/0 win over compatriot Chris Tasker-Grindley.
 Simpson,
who represented Guernsey in the Commonwealth Games in Melbourne and
Manchester, will now play Andrew Whipp, who defeated fellow
Englishman Sam Miller 3/1.
Other English players to join Simpson and Whipp in the final round
of qualification were 2004 European Junior Champion Laurence
Delasaux, who triumphed over Darren Lewis, and Lee Drew
who needed over an hour to overcome Frenchman Matthew Castagnet.
Reigning European Junior Champion Simon Rosner from Germany
recorded a comfortable win over Richard Birks of England, whilst
Jesse Englebrecht of Zimbabwe triumphed 3/0 over Chris Trusswell
to earn his place in the last eight.
The first round of women’s qualification produced few surprises as a
total of seven English players progressed to the final round,
including three of Pontefract's Euro Club Championship team.
 Vicky
Hynes, making her competitive return to the Women’s World Tour
having recently given birth to her first child, defeated compatriot
Susannah King 3/0, whilst Emma Beddoes, Deon Saffery,
Laura Hill, Kirsty McPhee and Lauren Siddall all
completed straight game victories.
Emma Chorley was taken to five games by South African Adel
Weir, and the only non-English woman to progress was Lotte
Eriksen of Norway who defeated Milja Dorenbos of the
Netherlands.
McPhee
Saffery
Siddall |
|
Men's Qualifying
round one:
Simon Rosner bt Richard Birks (ENG)
11/5, 11/1, 11/5
Scott Arnold bt Rob Sutherland
11/7, 5/2 retired
Chris Simpson bt Chris Tasker-Grindley
11/9, 11/7, 11/10(2-0)
Andrew Whipp bt Sam Miller
4/11, 11/3, 11/4, 11/5
Laurence Delasaux bt Darren Lewis
11/5, 11/6, 11/3
Lee Drew bt Mathieu Castagnet
10/11(0-2), 11/4, 11/2, 11/10(4-2)
Jon Harford bt Jamie Haycocks
11/7, 11/4, 11/6
Jesse Englebrecht bt Chris Trusswell
11/5, 11/3, 11/7 |
Women's Qualifying
round one:
Kirsty McPhee bt Christina Di Sacco
9/0, 9/0, 9/0
Laura Hill bt Charlotte Delsinne
9/0, 9/0, 9/2
Vicky Hynes bt Susannah King
9/2, 9/2, 9/5
Emma Chorley bt Adel Weir
9/0, 9/10, 9/5, 6/9, 10/8
Emma Beddoes bt Carrie Hastings
9/6, 9/0, 9/6
Lotte Eriksen bt Milja Dorenbos
9/5, 9/4, 3/9, 9/4
Deon Saffery bt Leonie Holt
9/1, 10/8, 9/2
Lauren Siddall bt Anna-Carin Forstadius
9/3, 9/1, 9/5
|
26-Oct-06:
VICKY BOTWRIGHT HEADS INAUGURAL WOLVERHAMPTON OPEN DRAW
England’s highest ranked women’s squash player Vicky Botwright,
who recently led her country to success in the Women’s World Team
Championships, has been confirmed as the No.1 seed for the 2006
Wolverhampton Open to be staged at Wolverhampton Lawn Tennis &
Squash Club from the 13th to 18th November.
 The top seed from Manchester, who has enjoyed her most successful
year on the Women’s World Tour, culminating in her reaching a career
high No.5 world ranking, will be competing in the Wolverhampton Open
as part of her final preparations for the
Women's World Championships to be
staged in Belfast at the end of November.
Whilst England players occupy three of the top four seedings, with
Laura Lengthorn and Dominique Lloyd-Walter seeded No.2
and No.4 respectively, the proximity of the inaugural Wolverhampton
Open to the world’s premier women’s competition has also increased
international interest and participation.
World No.13 Shelley Kitchen of New Zealand, who helped
Wolverhampton’s premier tennis and squash club claim the 2005
English National League title, is seeded No.3, whilst her compatriot
Jaclyn Hawkes is seeded No.5 ahead of Rebecca Botwright,
the younger sister of the top seed, and Orla Noom of The
Netherlands.
England's 23-year-old Sarah Kippax from Chester and recent
winner of her maiden World Tour title, the Pepsi Enschede Open in
the eastern Netherlands city of Enschede, completes a high-quality
list of seeded players.
In the men's event Welsh champion and world number 20 Alex Gough
is top seed, and is expected to meet England's Jonathan Kemp,
the world number 26, in the final on Saturday 18th November.
|
MEN'S DRAW
WOMEN'S DRAW
 "We
are delighted that the inaugural Wolverhampton Open has such a
strong draw.
"We look forward to the club showcasing some of the world's
most exciting players and hopefully establishing a strong
foundation for the event which can enable it to grow in future
years.
Tournament Director
|
|
The 2006
Wolverhampton Open, promoted as part of a unique partnership
between Wolverhampton Lawn Tennis & Squash Club and
sports management company internationalSPORTgroup, will
feature men’s and women’s professional competitions and will
be the biggest club-based squash championships in the UK. |
|
|
"Wolverhampton
Lawn Tennis & Squash Club have a proud history of achievement
in the sport, including winning last years English National
League, and the facilities at the club are ideal to stage this
exciting new addition to the men’s and women’s respective
World Tours."