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British National
Racketball Championships 2009
08-10 May, Edgbaston Priory, Birmingham |
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Selby & Hill dominant in Birmingham
Daryl Selby justified his claim that he was unbeatable in
Britain when he won the National Racketball Championships
for a fifth time against Kent’s Ted Jeal at Edgbaston Priory
on Sunday.
In the Women’s Open, Derbyshire’s Laura Hill could rightly
make the same claim, when she claimed a fourth successive
title, this time beating Daryl’s sister Lauren Selby in the
final.
The Men’s Open attracted 42 entries including several
leading squash players. Despite losing World Number 11
Adrian Grant, the day before the event with a hamstring
injury, other names stepped up to the mark and
Edgbaston-based European Junior Champion Anthony Graham
proved a surprise package, beating Kent’s no. 2 Sam Stabler
before losing a thriller 9-11 in the fifth to Jeal.
Jeal then had another tight finish in the semi-finals,
against Neil Chambers of Dorset, winning 13-11 in the
fourth, to set up a final with Selby.
Selby had a relatively smooth passage through to the
semi-finals where he dropped the first game, to Yorkshire’s
Neil Guirey, before easing through 13-15, 11-6, 11-6, 11-3.
In the final, the hard-hitting Jeal gave Selby a serious
test, losing a tough first game 9-11, and winning the second
11-7. Selby then started to pull ahead of the teenager,
winning the next two games 11-6, 11-5 in a thoroughly
entertaining final.
Hill was comfortable in the first game against Lauren Selby
11-3, but Selby found her feet midway through the second,
pulling back from 3-9 to lose 9-11, and then snatched the
fourth 11-6. But in the fourth, Hill stamped her authority
from the start, and did not relax her grip, winning 11-2.
The Championships attracted a record 250 players from across
the country, in 16 events.
Jim Lord (Yorks) successfully defended both the Men’s Over
35 and 40 events without dropping a game an exceptional feat
as playing in two categories meant that he had to play four
matches on both Saturday and Sunday.
Former PSA player Cerryg Jones (Warks) marked his debut in
the Nationals by winning Over-45 title against Yorkshire’s
Ian Cawthorne 3-2 in the final.
The competition continued through the age groups through to
over 70, which attracted 10 entries and was won by Roger
Pinny of Dorset
There was a new category this year, the Women’s Over-60, won
by Worcestershire veteran Bett Dryhurst, who also took the
Over-55 title.
New trophies were presented this year, named in honour of
Ian Wright, the former Kent chairman who died on court at
his home club Bexley in January, and who was credited with
introducing the Racketball to Britain in the 1970’s, and who
guided the game through it’s development phase over 30
years.
Prizes were presented by Ian’s wife Judy, sister Diana, and
daughters Dee and Sally.
Entertainment was provided with a squash exhibition between
Lea Beachill and Mohammed el Shorbaggy, a coaching clinic
with Malcolm Willstrop and the band ‘Lost for Words’, which
includes Beachill, James Willstrop, and other well-known
squash players in their ranks.
Men’s Open:
Quarter finals: D. Selby (Essex) bt D. Hamilton (Yorks) 3-0;
N. Guirey (Yorks) bt M Baker (Devon) 3-1; T.Jeal (Kent) bt A
Graham (Warks) 3-2; N. Chambers (Dorset) bt A. Warmington (Warks)
3-0.
Semi Finals: Selby bt Guirey 3-1; Jeal bt Chambers 3-1.
Final: Selby bt Jeal 11-9, 7-11, 11-6, 11-5.
Women’s Open:
Semi-Finals: L. Hill Derbys) bt J. Knibbs (Derbys) 3-0; L.
Selby (Essex) bt R. Chavert 3-0
Final: Hill bt Selby 11-3, 11-9, 6-11, 11-2.
Men’s Over 35:
Quarter-finals: J. Lord (Yorks) bt C. Dean (Warks) 3-0; J.
Powley (Cambs) bt A. Martin (Kent) 3-1; J. Gallacher (Essex)
bt S. Brown (Dorset) 3-0; M. Pugh (Worcs) bt S. Sumner
(Kent) 3-2.
Semi-finals: Lord bt Powley 3-0; Pugh bt Gallacher 3-2;
Final: Lord bt Pugh 3-0
Men’s Over 40:
Quarter-finals: J. Lord (Yorks) bt J. Fearn (Derbys)
3-0; M. Francis (Yorks) bt P. Moore (Dorset) 3-0; J.
Blenkinsop (Warks) bt M. Thornley (Essex) 3-0; R. Watkins
(Somerset bt J. Boardman (Yorks) 3-1.
Semi-Finals: Lord bt Francis 3-0; Watkins bt Blenkinsop 3-1
Finals: Lord bt Watkins 3-0.
Men’s Over 45:
Quarter-finals: P. Smith (Dorset) bt P. Haigh (Yorks)
3-2; I. Cawthorne bt N. Baldwin (Yorks) 3-1; I.Russell (Warks)
bt K. Palmer (Kent) 3-2; C. Jones (Warks) bt G. Trowbridge (Warks)
3-0;
Semi-finals: Cawthorne bt Smith 3-2; Jones bt Russell 3-1.
Final: Jones bt Cawthorne 3-2
Men’s Over 50:
Quarter-finals: M. Livock(Warks) bt N. Park (Northumb)
3-0; G. Uttley (Yorks) bt K. Mardenborough (Warks) 3-1; P.
Millington (Derbys) bt G. Burr (Oxon) 3-2; M. Phillips
(Dorset) bt G. Crookson (Worcs) 3-0;
Semi-finals: Livock bt Uttley £-1; Millington bt Phillips
3-1;
Final: Livock bt Millington 3-2
Men’s Over 55:
Quarter-finals: R. Shay (Warks) bt R. Waller (Warks)
3-1; I. Graham (Sussex) bt R. Moore (Hants) 3-1; P. Wilson
(Mersey) bt l. Weaver (Worcs ) 3-1; J. Howarth (Warks) bt L.
Done (Yorks) 3-0.
Semi-finals: Shay bt Graham 3-0; Howarth bt Wilson 3-0;
Finals: Howarth bt Shay 3-2.
Men’s Over-60:
Quarter-final: J. McCollom bt J. Hill (Warks) 3-0; L. Grover
(Guernsey) bt R. Kenyon (Mersey) 3-0; R. Welton (Yorks) bt
T. Wilkinson (Surrey) 3-1; J. Cockill (Yorks) bt J. Hopkins
(warks) 3-0.
Semi-finals: McCollom bt Grover 3-0; Cockill bt Welton 3-0.
Final: McCollom bt Cockill 3-2.
Men’s Over 65:
Semi Final: C. Isaacs (Warks) bt M. Webb (Warks) 3-0; J.
Shingler (Warks bt B. Pegg 3-1
Final: Isaacs bt Shingler 3-0.
Men’s Over 70:
Quarterfinals: J. Hart (Warks) bt R. Hancocks (Warks) 3-0;
M. Thomas (Kent) bt D. Tullett (Kent) 3-0; R. Pinny (Dorset)
bt D. Bennett (Warks) 3-0; J. Bennett (Warks) bt G. Stringer
(Worcs) 3-2.
Semi-finals: Hart bt Thomas 3-2; Pinny w/o Bennett.
Final: Pinny bt Hart 3-0
Women’s Over 35 (Round Robin):
1. L. Murphy (Kent), 2. K. Milne (Surrey) , 3. I. Tweedie
(Surrey), 4. D. Hooper (Warks)
Women’s Over 40:
Quarter-final: B. Vatcher (Dorset) bt K. Robinson (Guernsey)
3-1; B. Harvey (Hants) bt C. Gault (Mersey) 3-1; C. Hayman
(Devon) bt J. Saunders (Kent) 3-0; J. Lawton (Yorks) bt J.
Suthers (Yorks) 3-0.
Semi-final: Vatcher bt Harvey 3-2; Lawton bt Hayman 3-1.
Final: Lawton bt Vatcher 3-1.
Women’s Over 45:
Quarter-finals: L. Sturgess (Derbys) bt J. Suthers (Yorks)
3-0; C. Lindsay (warks) bt M. Rigby (Oxon); C. Hayman
(Devon) bt J. Matthews (Surrey) 3-2; M. Goodhead (Worcs) bt
G. Roberts (Yorks) 3-0.
Semi-finals: Sturgess bt Lindsay 3-0; Goodhead bt Hayman
3-0.
Final: Sturgess bt Goodhead 2-0 (rtd)
Women’s Over 50:
Semi Finals: L. Sturgess (Derbys) bt L. Rosen (Yorks) 3-0;
J. Matthews (Surrey) bt K. Crookson (Worcs) 3-0.
Final: Sturgess bt Matthews 3-0
Womens Over 55:
Final: B. Dryhurst (Worcs) bt G. Saunders (Kent) 3-0
Women’s Over 60 (Round Robin)
1. B. Dryhurst (Worcs); 2. G. Saunders (Kent); 3. A. Wood (Warks);
4. G. Wagner (Yorks)
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Adrian Grant to play
in the Nationals
Adrian Grant is to challenge 4-times champion
Daryl Selby in next week’s National Racketball
Championships, to be held at the Edgbaston Priory Club.
The Leeds-based left-hander, 29, has risen to the challenge
set down by Selby last month when he said that there was
nobody in England who could beat him.
In all, a record 250 players have signed up for this year’s
Tournament, including 42 players in the Men’s Open.
Laura Hill who, like Selby has won the title for the
past four years, is likely to face a stern challenge from
Daryl’s sister Lauren Selby in the women’s event
Players will be competing for a total of 16 titles across
the age groups, which goes up to Over 70, an event which
boasts 10 players.
The Open winners will receive trophies named in honour of
Ian Wright, who led development of the game and who died
on court in Bexley in January this year. Ian’s widow Judy
will present the prizes at this year’s event.
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