Pontefract ladies returned to the top of the tree as they regained the
National Clubs title with a comprehensive victory over Colets.
As in yesterday's semi-final, Sarah Bowles and Deon Saffery put the
Yorkshire team ahead, again leaving it to Lauren Siddall to seal the
win.
In the men's final Bishops Stortford put themselves firmly on the
squash map as they beat four-time champions and hosts Nottingham.
The Stortford squad were four up before James Wright put a consolation
point on the board for Nottingham in the dead rubber.
"We're
really pleased with what the club has achieved, not just today but
over the whole weekend. The ladies did well yesterday, but they
just didn't have enough in the tank against Nottingham in their
second match.
"Winning today has been great, we've had so many club members come
up to support and we're all pleased for them and the club.
"With Colets having won it for the last three years, we knew when
we beat thin in the quarters we stood an excellent chance here and
it's worked out that way.
"Hopefully we'll now go on to represent England in the Europeans,
which will be a whole new adventure for all of us.
"A big thanks to all the team, the supporters, and to Alastair
[see DANGER ... below], without his tremendous support none of
this would have been possible.
Jason Foster
Bishops Stortford
"Really pleased to win this title
again. This is Lauren and Kirsty's sixth national final and
they're only 20.
"They've been training well, and they always prepare well for
this.
"I'd be happy to take this squad to Sweden for the Europeans, with
Becky they've taken us to a few European finals too."
Terry Dudley Pontefract
"We're a good team
with a good team spirit, we knew we just needed to come out and do a
professional job today.
"I'm looking forward to Sweden, but I'll have to clear it with the
missus first ..."
Iain Higgins Stortford
"I played ok in the second, but generally
made hard work of it. I was a bit too impatient to finish it off ....
it was a good night last night!"
Harry Leitch Stortford
"My game plan for
the final was to take all the Stortford lads out last night and buy
them as many drinks as possible ..."
Nick Clifford Nottingham
"We only entered eight teams, so to get
seven in the finals is some achievement.
"Ironically we have one of our strongest set of juniors for a while and
they were the only ones not to make it, but they lost to Pontefract,
which is no disgrace.
"It's great to see many of the club members coming to support events
like this, it gives them the chance
Nick Clifford Nottingham
"This is my sixth
final - I remember the first one best, I was only 15 and turned up
with just one shoe!
"It's the first tome I've had the chance to play the winning tie, so
I'm happy about that.
"I've played at the club in Malmo in the Euro U17s, it's really nice,
so I'm looking forward to going back in October."
Lauren Siddall Pontefract
"Playing Racketball has actually helped
Daryl's squash - in racketball you can afford to take the ball to the
front more, and it gives you the confidence to do it in squash as
well."
Paul Selby Lexden
Finals Day ... Another host of matches
today, with the main men's and women's finals joined by age-group
and plate events, plus the Racketball final, where Lexden fielded all
five of their defeated men's semi-final team ...
Men’s 3/4 Play Off:
Lexden 0-5 Chapel Allerton
Non County Mixed Final: Nottingham 3-1 Woking Men’s O55 Final:
Nottingham 1-2 Bexley
Normally when
you score the winning point in the deciding match of a team
competition it's all elation ... but celebrations were slightly
delayed for Stortford's O35 heroLorraine Harlow yesterday:
Lorraine and Nottingham's Lesley Sturgess
"I played a shot on match ball, but I wasn't sure if it was up.
We were both willing to play a let, but the referee thought it
was up so that was it. It was a bit of a funny way to win it,
but it's nice to actually do it, all the same!"
DANGER ...
STORTFORD ABOUT
There's
no doubt that Bishops Stortford have been a danger to their
opponents this weekend, but the "STORTFORD HAZARD" on their
shirts has nothing to do with their on-court prowess.
Rather, it's their sponsor - Hazard is a specialist electrical
importer and distributor, and Alistair Ambrose is the man
responsible.
"We
hatched a plan a few months ago to put together a team that
could beat Colets, basically [which they did in the quarters],
but we've also managed to get four teams to the finals weekend,
which we're really pleased about.
"It's all home-grown talent, Anthony Ricketts is a frequent
visitor to the club, he's done a few exhibitions there, and
lives close by in Reading, as do a few of the Australian
players."
Should Anthony lead the team to their expected success today,
next step for Hazard will be to investigate the price of air
fares to Malmo - that's where the European Club Championships
take place in October.
Men's O55 Final:
Bexley 2-1 Nottingham
Peter Lewis 3-1 Alan Turner 9/5, 2/9, 9/5, 9/6
Ken Randall 0-3 Adrian Wright 1/9, 1/9 rtd ... John Prowse 3-1 Dave Harden 9/5, 5/9, 9/6, 9/5
Bexley
Back for O55 title
Bexley met Nottingham in the O55 final and repeated last year's semi-final
success over the hosts to retain their title.
John Prowse put Bexley ahead, his ball control giving him the edge of the
superior movement of Dave Harden, although it was never easy.
Then it was the number ones. Peter Lewis took the lead as he denied Alan
Turner attacking opportunities, but the Nottingham man came back into it,
and his speed around court and silky shots at the front took him to level,
and then to a 6-2 lead in the third.
But the match turned again with Lewis taking the lead and fighting off a
Turner comeback in the third, then coming from 5-2 down in the fourth to
keep the title down south.
"I
was going to the front too early in the second, I think I got a bit
over-confident and probably a bit lazy. He's very fast, much faster than
me, so I had to keep the ball to the back as much as I could.
"I was lucky to win the third, and the fourth was tight, so it's a
surprise to have retained the title, with a game to go too ..."
Peter Lewis
"I really should have won the third, and I was well up in the fourth, it
was just a few mistakes at crucial times."
Alan Turner
National Club Championship Finals 20-21 May 2006, Nottingham
Saturday 20th, Day One: Steve Cubbins reports from Nottingham
Anthony Ricketts
3-0 Daryl Selby 9/3, 9/4, 9/7 Peter Barker 2-0 Paul Allen
10/8, 9/2 Iain Higgins 3-0 Chris Smith
9/1, 9/4, 9/7 Harry Leitch 3-1 Chris Wheat 9/4, 9/7, 7/9, 2/0 rtd Galen Le Cheminant 3-0 Elliot Selby 9/4, 9/1, 9/4
Nottingham 3-2 Chapel
Allerton
Chris Ryder 1-3 Alister Walker 9/5, 4/9, 3/9, 0/9
Jethro Binns 3-0 Robbie Temple
9/4,9/6, 9/3 Lewis Walters 3-2 Neil Guirey
9/6,2/9,3/9,10/9,9/5
Chris McQuilkin 1-3 Niall McKinnon 2/9,9/7,2/9,2/9 Eddie Charlton 3-0 Mike Dickens 9/7, 9/8,
9/1
Nottingham through to final
Hosts Nottingham, who last won the men's title in the National Club
Championships eight years ago, moved into tomorrow's final as their
young team overcame Yorkshire's Chapel Allerton in the first
semi-final.
First
on for Nottingham at numbers three and five were Lewis Walters
and Eddie Charlton, who had played numbers one and three in the
Nottingham team that took the National U19 title just last weekend in
Manchester.
The pair gave Nottingham a dream start, with Eddie first off court
after a straight games win. It took Lewis a little longer, having to
come from
2-1 down against the experienced Neil Guirey.
Lewis looked set to level the match at 8/6 in the fourth, but he
wasted three game balls, and had to save two match balls before
clinching it 10/9, going on to take the fifth.
"That
was desperate. I really tired at the end of the fourth and I was
on the floor a couple of times, but I managed to hang in there and
felt stronger in the fifth."
Lewis Walters
Jethro Binns took over from Lewis
on the showcourt, and his straight-games win over Robbie Temple
clinched a place in the final for Nottingham, negating the win of
Chapel Allerton's Niall McKinnon on the outside court before Alister
Walker made the scoreline respectable with a 3/1 win over Chris Ryder
at number one.
Jethro seals a place in the final as Nottingham manager Nick
Clifford watches on ...
"It's
good to have such a young team, it's great experience for the
lads, but it feels strange that I'm bringing the average age up!
"Chris is off to a tournament tomorrow, so it looks like I may be
playing Anthony Ricketts in the final ... just what you want when
you've not been feeling too well for a few days ..."
Jethro Binns
DRAFTED IN
O45 Plate Final: Devon & Exeter 3 Prestbury 0 When
Dave Botwright (father of ...) arrived at the tournament desk the
natural assumption was that he would be booking in Vicky and/or Becky for
one or more of the women's semi-final matches.
But no, Becky is in France, top seed at the Carcassone Open, and Vicky is
away playing Italian League, so Dave was booking himself in. "I've been
drafted in to play in the O45 plate for Prestbury, they're
desperate."
Well, either Dave wasn't letting on just how good he is, or Prestbury were
really, really desperate, because he was playing number one!
Prestbury went down 3-0, but Dave was far from disheartened:
""I was well beaten. But then I was playing Paul Smith, who's an England
International at this age group. I didn't know that at the time, and I
gave my all, but he was just too good."
O45 Plate: Paul Maher, Brian Sherrell, Patrick Hunter, Graham Rucke, Dave
Botwright, Paul Smith
Four
for Stortford ?
Bishops Stortford are strong favourites for the men's title, but they
actually have four teams in contention this weekend.
Their first match, and first success, was in the Women's O35 plate
final as they took on Nottingham (the hosts who actually made it through
to SEVEN finals).
It all came down to the number ones, with Stortford's Lorraine Harlow
clinching the match for the Hertfordshire outfit.
"It's
so good to play as part of a team," she said afterwards, "and although
it's nice to win for myself, I feel so proud to have done it for the team
and the club. Jason [Foster] has put such a lot of work into our teams for
this competition, it's great to see his efforts rewarded in recognition
coming back to the club."
Some of the ladies were back in action later
in the day as Nottingham and Stortford contested the women's plate final,
and this time it was Nottingham who came away with the trophies, winning
4-1.
Stortford's Men's Over 55 team got a walkover in their plate final,
which left the 'main' men's team to do the business ... a job they started
well with a 5-0 win over Lexden in their semi-final, and they will be
strong favourites to beat Nottingham in tomorrow's final ...
Stortford's first day successes
Pontefract's Junior Mixed Champions ...
plus star team manager ...
Runners-up last year, Pontefract ladies' team made it a dozen final
appearances in fifteen years as they denied Duffield in the only
women's semi-final of the day.
"With
Becky away in France we probably need to win at three, four and five,"
confided one of the Pontefract supporters before the match.
Well that plan went straight out of the window when little Mille
Tomlinson breezed past Katie Wademan in the first match. Millie, who
is off to Tel Aviv next week to represent England in the European U15
teams, raced around the court picking up everything Katie could throw
at her.
Sarah
Bowles levelled for Pontefract, Deon Saffery put them into the lead,
but they still needed to win one of the top strings.
Next it was the National Universities champion - Lauren Siddall -
against the National Racketball champion - Laura Hill. Ranked 15 and
12 in England, a close match looked in prospect, but when Lauren raced
to a 2-0 lead and then moved to 8-3 in the third a quick finish seemed
on the cards.
Laura clawed her way back, saving three matchballs as she took the
game 10/8, but in the fourth it was Lauren's determination combined
with a couple of untimely errors from Laura that won the day for
Pontefract.
"She
started to change her game in the third, slowing it down and
lobbing more, and I probably went a bit defensive too. It took me
a while to adjust to it, and I think she got a bit disheartened
with some mistakes in the fourth."
Lauren Siddall
"Lauren played really well today, in the end she was just too
good.
"It was fun in the racketball championships. I only play it once
or twice a month, I entered just to see what would happen, and
fortunately I won ... I even had an interview on Radio Derby."
Laura Hill
Plate: Hood Park
O35 Plate: Bishops Stortford
O45 Plate: Devon & Exeter
Bishops Stortford 5-0
Lexden Anthony Ricketts
3-0 Daryl Selby 9/3, 9/4, 9/7 Peter Barker 2-0 Paul Allen
10/8, 9/2 Iain Higgins 3-0 Chris Smith
9/1, 9/4, 9/7 Harry Leitch 3-1 Chris Wheat 9/4,
9/7, 7/9, 2/0 rtd Galen Le Cheminant 3-0 Elliot Selby 9/4, 9/1, 9/4
Stortford looking strong
Favourites for the title after beating defending champions Colets in
the quarter-finals, Bishops Stortford underlined that position with a
whitewash of Essex-based Lexden.
Iain Higgins had too much experience and too many shots fro Chris
Smith and Galen Le Cheminant displayed an array of delicate and
deceptive shots to bamboozle Elliot Selby as Stortford took a 2-0
lead.
If that wasn't bad enough for Lexden, next on the showcourt was their
trump card, Anthony Ricketts, world number four.
It
was Elliot's elder brother Daryl who had the take of taking Anthony
on, and he played a fine game, making the Australian work to take the
first two and opening up a 6-2 lead to threaten to take the third.
"A year or so ago Daryl couldn't have lived with Anthony," said dad
Paul after the match. "But that was a good contest, and in another
year or two he'll be much closer again." Too right.
Meanwhile, Harry Leitch had obviously been taking tips from Scottish
team-mate John White as he proved he could hit the ball very hard
indeed, having a bit too much pace for Chris Wheat who pulled up in
the fourth after picking up a slight strain towards the end of the
third.
It was left to Peter Barker to wrap it up for Lexden, and if
tomorrow's playing order is the same he may well fin himself in
another dead rubber tomorrow.
"That was a good game, I played
well but he's just too fit, too good.
"It's really hot on there, and with English scoring it just seems
you don't get anywhere. We were at love-all for ages in the
second, it was a bit frustrating ..."
Daryl Selby
Lexden: the versatile team ...
"It's only a slight strain, but we've already lost and we've got
two games tomorrow," Chris Wheat explained to Harry Leitch after
pulling up at the start of their fourth game.
Two games tomorrow?
Yep, Lexden will be in the 3/4 playoff, but the same five will
also be playing in the Racketball final (including Daryl Selby,
who is, of course, the National Racketball Champion ...)
"That was tough, he's got so many tricky shots I thought we were
playing doubles at first!
"I've been playing a lot of racketball in the last couple of
months and really enjoying it .. it's better than my squash!"
Elliot Selby
Thanks to everyone ...
Not convinced Sarah's
going to get that one ...
We are the champions!
(Junior Mixed)
Nottingham In
Fifth
National Title Bid On Home Courts
Nottingham Squash Club will be seeking to end an eight-year drought
in the National Club Championships this weekend when the club
competes in the men's semi-finals of the England Squash event on
their home courts at The Park in Nottingham.
Champions in 1977, 1983, 1991 and 1998, Nottingham face Leeds club
Chapel Allerton for a place in Sunday's final – against the winners
of the other men's semi-final between Bishop's Stortford and fellow
Essex club Lexden.
Bishop's Stortford reached the last four after a shock quarter-final
victory over holders Colets, of Thames Ditton in Surrey.
Pontefract is also bidding to extend its sequence of victories in
the Women's championship. The Yorkshire club clinched the title in
1991, 1993, 1995, 2001, 2002 and 2003 – and now face Derbyshire's
Duffield for a place in Sunday's final. The other semi-final
features Birmingham University and Colets.
Nottingham will also contest four other National Club Championships'
finals during the weekend: The hosts face holders Colets in the
Men’s Over 35 Final; Colets again in the Men’s Over 45 Final; Kent
club Bexley in Men’s Over 55 Final; and Woking in the Non County
Mixed Final.
Pontefract are bidding for a second title, facing Sussex club
Chichester in the Junior Mixed Final.
The Women’s Over 35 Final will feature Chapel Allerton and London
club New Eltham.
The National Racketball Final will also take place at Nottingham,
between Racquets Thame and Lexden.
Men's Final: Bishops Stortford 4-1
Nottingham Anthony Ricketts 3-0 Jethro Binns 9/1, 9/6, 9/2
Peter Barker 1-2 James Wright 9/6,
9/10, 7/9 Iain Higgins 3-0 Lewis Walters
9/1, 9/6, 9/3 Harry Leitch 3-0 Chris McQuilken 9/4, 9/4,
9/5 Galen Le Cheminant 3-0 Eddie Charlton 9/6, 9/6, 9/4
Women's Final: Pontefract 4-1 Colets Lauren Siddall 3-0
Alexa Prior 9/4,9/2, 9/3 Kirsty McPhee 3-0 Irena Critchley 9/0, 9/0, 9/2 Deon Saffery 3-1 Sarah Thornton 9/0,6/9,9/0,9/2 Sarah Bowles 3-0 Tammy Bennett 9/2, 9/3, 9/7
Kate Wademan 1-3 Charlie Roche 4/9,2/9,9/2,3/9
Men's O55 Final:
Bexley 2-1 Nottingham Peter Lewis 3-1
Alan Turner
9/5, 2/9, 9/5, 9/6
Ken Randall 0-3 Adrian Wright
1/9, 1/9 rtd John Prowse 3-1 Dave Harden
9/5, 5/9, 9/6, 9/5
Non-County Mixed Final:
Nottingham 3-1 Woking Matt King 3-0
Richard Housley 9/1, 9/2, 9/2 Karl Murray 3-2 Adrian Hayward 2/9, 9/3,
9/5, 6/9, 9/1 Sarah Zipser 3-2 Serena Gardner 9/2, 4/9, 3/9, 9/7,
9/7
Charlotte Maffort 2-3 Karen Ayton 9/1, 9/6, 4/9, 0/9,
6/9
Men's 3/4 Playoff:
Chapel Allerton 5-0 Lexden
Men's O45 Final:
Colets 3-0 Nottingham Alan Thompson 3-0 Richard O'Connor 10/8, 9/4, 9/7 Dermot Hurford 2-0 Gawain Briars
10/9, 9/3 Barry Gage 3-1 Granville Berry
9/2, 3/9, 10/8, 9/0
Men's Semi-Finals:
Bishops Stortford 5-0 Lexden Anthony Ricketts 3-0
Daryl Selby 9/3, 9/4, 9/7 Peter Barker 2-0 Paul Allen
10/8, 9/2 Iain Higgins 3-0 Chris Smith
9/1, 9/4, 9/7 Harry Leitch 3-1 Chris Wheat
9/4, 9/7, 7/9, 2/0 rtd Galen Le Cheminant 3-0 Elliot Selby 9/4, 9/1, 9/4
Nottingham 3-2 Chapel Allerton
Chris Ryder 1-3 Alister Walker
9/5, 4/9, 3/9, 0/9 Jethro Binns 3-0 Robbie Temple
9/4, 9/6, 9/3 Lewis Walters 3-2 Neil Guirey
9/6, 2/9, 3/9, 10/9, 9/5
Chris McQuilkin 1-3 Niall McKinnon 2/9,
9/7, 2/9, 2/9 Eddie Charlton 3-0 Mike Dickens
9/7, 9/8, 9/1
Men's O45 Plate Final:
Devon & Exeter 3-0 Prestbury
Paul Smith 3-0 Dave Botwright
9/1, 9/0, 9/2
Graham Rooke 3-0 Paul Maher
9/2, 9/7, 9/4
Brian Sherrell 3-0 Patrick Hunter
9/5, 9/3, 9/0
Men's Plate Final:
Hood Park 4-1 Loughborough University
Darren Lewis 3-0 James Hodson
9/6, 9/8, 9/7
Olly Clay 3-1 Nick Bradley
5/9, 9/6, 9/0, 9/0
John Freeman 2-3 John Underhill 9/3,
2/9, 9/3, 6/9, 5/9
Nick Freer 3-0 Phil Taylor
9/3, 9/5, 9/2
Paul Sword 3-1 Jack Robinson
9/3, 9/0, 3/9, 9/5
Non-County Mixed Plate Final:
DL Bromsgrove 2-2 DL Cranmore
Phil Dyke lost to Steve Powell
Charlotte Wright beat Sue Dunn two ties shared
Bromsgrove win on games countback
Men's Over 35 Final:
Colets 5-0 Nottingham
Mark Cairns 3-0 Richard O'Connor 9/2,
9/0, 9/0
Danny Meddings 3-0 Simon Spencer 9/7, 9/0, 9/1
Greg Pearman 3-0 Craig Archbold
9/3, 9/5, 8/10
David Stanton 3-1 Karl Murray
10/8, 8/10, 2/9, 6/9
Barry Gage 3-0 Alister Parsons
9/1, 9/2, 9/2
National Club Championship Finals
"We're
really pleased with what the club has achieved, not just today but
over the whole weekend. The ladies did well yesterday, but they
just didn't have enough in the tank against Nottingham in their
second match.
"We're a good team
with a good team spirit, we knew we just needed to come out and do a
professional job today.
"I played ok in the second, but generally
made hard work of it. I was a bit too impatient to finish it off ....
it was a good night last night!"
"My game plan for
the final was to take all the Stortford lads out last night and buy
them as many drinks as possible ..."
"This is my sixth
final - I remember the first one best, I was only 15 and turned up
with just one shoe!
"Playing Racketball has actually helped
Daryl's squash - in racketball you can afford to take the ball to the
front more, and it gives you the confidence to do it in squash as
well."
There's
no doubt that Bishops Stortford have been a danger to their
opponents this weekend, but the "STORTFORD HAZARD" on their
shirts has nothing to do with their on-court prowess.
"We
hatched a plan a few months ago to put together a team that
could beat Colets, basically [which they did in the quarters],
but we've also managed to get four teams to the finals weekend,
which we're really pleased about.
"I
was going to the front too early in the second, I think I got a bit
over-confident and probably a bit lazy. He's very fast, much faster than
me, so I had to keep the ball to the back as much as I could.
First
on for Nottingham at numbers three and five were Lewis Walters
and Eddie Charlton, who had played numbers one and three in the
Nottingham team that took the National U19 title just last weekend in
Manchester.
"That
was desperate. I really tired at the end of the fourth and I was
on the floor a couple of times, but I managed to hang in there and
felt stronger in the fifth."
"It's
good to have such a young team, it's great experience for the
lads, but it feels strange that I'm bringing the average age up!
"It's
so good to play as part of a team," she said afterwards, "and although
it's nice to win for myself, I feel so proud to have done it for the team
and the club. Jason [Foster] has put such a lot of work into our teams for
this competition, it's great to see his efforts rewarded in recognition
coming back to the club."
"With
Becky away in France we probably need to win at three, four and five,"
confided one of the Pontefract supporters before the match.
Sarah
Bowles levelled for Pontefract, Deon Saffery put them into the lead,
but they still needed to win one of the top strings.
"She
started to change her game in the third, slowing it down and
lobbing more, and I probably went a bit defensive too. It took me
a while to adjust to it, and I think she got a bit disheartened
with some mistakes in the fourth."
