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FINAL:  England 2-1 Malaysia   |  3rd/4th: Egypt 2-0 Hong Kong

  • England are the Champions in Canada


    Appearing in their eleventh straight final, England won their seventh Women's World Team title with a 2-1 victory over Malaysia.

    Sarah-Jane Perry got England off to a great start with a 3-0 win but world number one Nicol David responded to set up a decider, which Alison Waters took in four games to give England the title - their first since Edmonton 2006, also in Canada.

FINAL: England 2-1 Malaysia
 
#3: Sarah-Jane Perry 3-0 Delia Arnold             11-8, 11-9, 11-7 (44m)
#1: Laura Massaro 0-3 Nicol David                  8-11, 9-11, 3-11 (44m)
#2: Alison Waters 3-1 Low Wee Wern      11-8, 11-7, 8-11, 11-4 (69m)
  

Sarah-Jane so tough

Ok, despite the fact they never played officially, we had the feeling that those two probably won’t spend their Christmas break together! They have got such different styles. Sarah Jane, she hits as hard as it’s physically possible, then finds lovely drop shots in the front corners, and like to play as fast as possible. Delia, she moves between points in slow motion, loves her lob serves and loves to slow down the pace to frustrate her opponent.

Add to that a little traffic problem on the left side in particular, and you have a bit of a scrappy game, a few too many lets, a bit too much talking to the ref in my taste from Sarah Jane, but nothing too bad really.

Sarah Jane earned her point for the team. She worked extremely hard for it, hit and run and hit and run. In the three games, the middle bit was very close indeed, with SJ dominating the start of the first two while Delila dominated the third. Middle bit, very close, but as SJ said, she managed to get that extra bit at the end of each game. And that each time made the difference.

Job done. England 1, Malaysia 0.

'Nicolawy' relentlessly

Apparently, Nicol never lost a match while playing for Malaysia in the World Team ever. And the way she was happily chatting before the match was an indicator how relaxed and confident she was.

Today, she gave a superb display of her physical abilities in the first two games, while Laura was in front of her, playing superb squash. Nicol just retrieved and straightened Laura shots again and again, and again, to finally or pressure an error out of Laura, or find a perfect Egyptian finish at the front.

And in the third, she finally managed to get in front of Laura, rallies became shorter (15m 1st, 14m 2nd, 10m 3rd), Laura made a few more errors, and Nicolawy found superb winners – told you yesterday about adding an Egyptian layer to her game!

If the 3/0 victory makes you think that it was easy, you are gravely mistaken. First, hardly any errors from the girls. Laura made 5 errors the whole match, Nicol 3.

First game very close 4/4, 5/5, 7/7, 8/8. There, a little discussion where Nicol asks for a let. “you could have got round to get the ball” says Ref to explain the let (at opposed to stroke). “Exactly” confirms Laura. Then keeps on talking to Nicol. Whatever she said could have fired the Tiger in Nicol. She scores the next three points, last one being a stunning rallies where Laura attacked beautifully, and Nicol run and retrieved, finishing by a super crosscourt that surprised the English lady.

Second pretty much the same, 3/3, 5/5, 6/6, 7/7, 9/7 Laura, 9/9, superb rallies to finish the game, two points in a row for Nicolawy, a superb backhand slide to finish.

The third will be all about Nicol, 7/1, 8/2, 10/3 match ball, 11/9.

England 1, Malaysia 1.

I’m so pleased with my performance today. Beating Laura is never easy, I had to dig deep, and beating Laura 3/0 is a great result. So glad I brought a point to the team, it was such a wonderful feeling to be in the final, it was a dream for us.

Today, Delia did a great match, Sarah Jane is such a competitor, but it was a good effort for Delia.

After her match yesterday, Alison came out firing, and didn’t make the errors she played yesterday. And on the other hand, WW managed to find her groove in the middle of each game, but Alison was able to seize the opportunity and did a great match.

Wee Wern no doubt fought all the way, and didn’t give an inch. We all did as well as we could today, and there is always more to come.

Well done England.

Alison, perfect game plan

I always get in trouble when I dare say that one of the players was tired. Well, sue me. When the general consensus around was that Malaysia would be carried to the top of the podium, I declared “England will surprise you", knowing that yesterday's match would have taken far too much out of WW.

And if people expected Alison to fail and play the way she did in the semis, they were bitterly disappointed. Alison, fresh as a rose from her 43m match the day before against Joey Chan, was ready to take on anybody I believe. Her body language was completely different from yesterday’s. No kicking the ball around like a football – that is I’m told the sign she is lost on there. Alison was ready for war.

Against her, Wee Wern had a superb 86m match against Miracle Girl Nour, who in that occasion, showed she was 19. Yeah, she is… A bit of inexperience on there, coupled with the best match WW produced ever, you have an upset on the day, but also a lot of drained energy, both physical and mental out of the Malaysian.

In other words, WW was flat as a Chinese Pancake.

Don’t misunderstand me. Alison did what she had to do, and it worked. She powered every single shot in the first two games. Hammered that ball, and again, and again, twisting and turning WW as humanely possible. First game she was up 5/1, 6/2, and if WW claws back to 8/8, she just doesn’t have the legs solid enough, two tins plus a big acceleration from Alison, 11/5 in 15m. Second, again a good start from Alison, 3/1, then always a little cushion, 9/5, 11/7 in 11m.

At 6/4 in the third, Alison relaxed and lost her game plan for a little split second. And until the end of that third, WW was the player she was yesterday. Flying on the court, moving very well indeed, she managed to outplay Alison, and squash wise, it was from far the nicest game of the match, the rallies superb and intense.



This has been an amazing event from every point of view and thanks to Squash Canada for doing such a great job.

A massive congratulations to Malaysia for what they've achieved this week – it was a great final
There's been an unbelievable team spirit in the England camp this week – and I honestly believe that's what's made the difference

And without the support of Sport England and the English Institute of Sport (EIS), this would not have been possible.



Yesterday, I did my best and made sure I got the job done, but I knew that I had to improve today. And I think I managed to do just that.

I’m happy I managed to find that little extra gear at the end of each game to give the girl that extra boost…

Really had a great week here in WhiteOaks, and we in particular enjoyed having everything in the same place….


Malaysia did a fabulous job yesterday beating Egypt in the semis, and after her performance against Nour el Sherbini, she was a bit tired today.

The last time we won was here in Canada, in 2006…. What a wonderful feeling!!!!!

I had to put yesterday behind me, and just enjoy my squash, just enjoy the moment, and the team has been fantastic. So is the support we have, England Squash, all the team here and back home, huge effort from everybody. It’s important to stress that without the support we get, we wouldn’t have a chance to be here.



No, not heartbroken at all, being in the final is a fantastic achievement - this is a very special moment for us. It has made us believe we can win. I am very proud of our team, so proud of the girls, and as a player myself, who played in those matches so many times, it’s a great feeling to experience this as a manager!

England is such a strong team of course. I thought my girls had a chance today, but Alison took all the opportunities, well played to her. Wee Wern never gave up, but Alison was very calm.

I think that Malaysia is proud of us today, and we will win it in two years time!


Congratulations to England for their win and to Squash Canada for hosting such a great championship. The event has showed that women's squash is fantastic

Playoff Matches


3rd/4th: Egypt 2-0 Hong Kong
 
     Omneya Abdel Kawy 3-0 Tsz Ling Liu           11-6, 11-9, 11-5
      Raneem El Welily 3-0 Annie Au                    11-8 11-7, 11-5

Omneya, it’s a new day

The world number 10 was extremely positive on court today. It must not have been easy to finish last night last on court, and lose their title, and be first on court this morning at 11, ready to fight and claim the Bronze.

But Omneya is one of the toughest fighter out there. Trimmed – I already noticed the change in the British Open in May last year – she gave very little to her courageous Hong Kong opponent, Liu.

I saw that young lady, 23, WR46, play before. It was 2 days ago, when she crushed France’s hopes of getting to the semis as she beat Laura Pomportes in the 5th. I had the chance to study her game, and was impressed by her movement and short volleying game.

Today, her backhand volley drop shots were as lethal as they were two days ago. But Omneya managed to prevent her to have too much time on the ball, twisting and turning her beautifully.

Every time a great start for the Egyptian, (3/0 in the 1st, 4/0 in the 2nd and 3rd), then the Hong Kong girl catching up a bit, big battle in the middle of the game, with each time a few errors from Omneya trying to finish it too quickly. But an Egyptian’s Ending, nicks and squeezes. Fast and efficient. 7m for the first and 2nd game, and 6 the last one.

Raneem: Head High and Accurate Racquet

I think that Annie will be disappointed with her performance in the first 2 games. At crucial times, she made a few errors that ended up to be quite costly, 3 UE from 7/8 in the 1st, and 4 in the 2nd, including one at game ball 10/7.

She did raise her game in the third though, and she won an astonishing rally at 4/3 Raneem, of the highest quality. But after that, Raneem was just on a cloud of there. She seemed to be free of all worries, moving beautifully well, and finding her targets again and again.

Like the first game, sweet and short for Egypt, 6m, 6, 7m. Bronze Medal in 46m.

We couldn’t do any better, this is as good as it gets! After yesterday, we need it, mentally, for the confidence, they needed the cheering and a good day after yesterday’s sadness.

We are a good team, and I am proud of the team spirit we have. They gave a solid performance today, and overall, it has been a good week for us, they will benefit from it from a technical and a mental point of view, and it will be important for next week event. Because they will go into the Worlds with something to prove, they are not happy, and they are very hungry.

Now, of course, I’m a bit worried about the pressure they are going to go under, and we will have to assess the problem as we start. And let me tell you the draw is the worst EVER, it’s horrible for us. They all playing each other in the earlier rounds, and in the quarters!... I will be out of a job after a couple of days, I’ll have only 2 players left !!!!!!

Raneem gave it all yesterday, and so did Nour. I’m very proud of my team mates, and today is another day. There is nothing we can do about yesterday. It’s done.

Every match is important, but wining the first match gives you a mental advantage, so wining the first match was crucial for us, and thank God I won.

Hopefully, Raneem will keep on doing her best, and we will be winning the Bronze medal.

My Team made me keep my head high today

Yes, the match was a bit short, but it’s very often the case when you play Annie, whether win or lose, it’s never long matches!

Yesterday, we gave it all, and I am proud of the way we both played. Today, we both won 3/0, and that’s an achievement, and that’s thanks to those amazing girls that made it possible.

Yes, I was quite relaxed and determined today, thanks to my great team that kept my head high today.


USA 2 France 0

Team USA happy to finish a best-ever fifth

Natalie Grainger 3-0 Laura Pomportes   11/7, 11/7, 11/7 (25m)
Amanda Sobhy 3-0 Camille Serme 12/10, 11/7, 11/5 (37m)

"It is fantastic to see these players develop from 12-year-olds into what they are achieving now. Amanda has great attitude and Olivia is now a genuine world class player - she's really stepped up her game.

"To improve on our seeding is awesome - what we did today shows that we are a legitimate force now."It makes me proud - I am so excited."

Australia 2 Ireland 0

Aussies finish with a flourish

Sarah Cardwell 3-0 Breanne Flynn  11/5, 11/4, 11/4 (21m)
Rachael Grinham 3-2 Aisling Blake 9/11, 11/8, 10/12, 11/2, 11/8

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