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25-Aug, Final:
[1] Daryl Selby (Eng) bt [5] Julien Balbo (Fra)
11/9, 8/11, 13/11, 11/6 (57m)
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Selby celebrates in the
Stortford Sun ...
John Milton reports
At last! A sunny, decent weather day! After five days of almost
constant rain, the sun really shone on finals day at the BAA Bishops
Stortford Squash Festival 2007. The squash also lived up to the
standard of the weather too.
It all started with a Pro-Am tournament in aid of Leukaemia
Research. Not only did local stars, Rory Pennell and Neil Hitchins
come along, but the Bishop's Stortford members were treated to an
appearance from World no. 8 player Nick Matthew.
However, the star of the tournament was Andrew Mulvey who has
been one of the principle volunteers during the tournament week [and
chief photographer] and was in truly inspired form. As soon as the
Pro-Am finished, the top billing match was ready to start.
Local favourite and number one seed Daryl Selby was meeting
the French number five seed, Julien Balbo. Most of the
audience thought that Daryl was a certainty to win following his
easier passage through to the final compared to his opponent's,
especially following Balbo's 90 minute epic the previous evening
with his compatriot Mathieu Castagnet. It was far from easy though.
The first game was a close affair, with neither player enjoying any
more than a two point lead at any time. Selby just managed to take
it 11/9 but then Balbo came back strongly in the second, pushing
hard to 6-2 and 10-5 leads. He managed to close the game out at 11-8
to level the scores. More was to follow from Balbo who, looking far
stronger than anyone had anticipated, raced to a 9-4 lead in the
third, just two points short of going into an unexpected 2-1 lead.
Selby had different ideas, reeling off five points in a row to get
back to 10-10. Balbo didn't get any more game balls as Selby
clinched the game 13/11.
There was no way back for Balbo after that. It was close for the
first four or five rallies in the fourth game, but Selby then pushed
hard to open up a clear lead and eventually take the game and title
11/6.
 "Not
my best squash today but I did just enough, so I'm pleased to win.
It feels good to win a title in my first tournament of the season.
"He surprised me a little - I didn't think he would be that strong
after his battle yesterday. But it was his final as well as mine and
he's a strong lad and put a great effort in.
"At 4-9 down in the third game, I was in a bit of trouble but I
managed to get back into it and nick the game. It was very difficult
for him then.
It was the end to a highly
successful festival week where every level of squash had been
covered ranging from young school children who had never picked up a
racket before, to juniors at every age level from under 11 upwards,
to club players enjoying social squash activities, to some of the
world's best professional players gathering together for the PSA
tournament.
A true festival of squash and a hugely successful week.
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"The turning point was in the third. The first game, I felt really
good but in the second I felt okay but thought I would struggle to
finish each game. I pushed hard in the second, had a few lucky shots
and he made a few mistakes.
"But at 9-4 up in the third, I was so sad I couldn't win it. It was
mentally tough to come back after that.
"I congratulate Daryl for winning and I am also very pleased for
myself as my coach and I have changed some things in our training
this summer and I really feel that we a re heading in the right
direction.
"Finally, I just want to say what a good tournament this has been;
so well organised, anything we asked for someone made an effort to
give, plus everybody has been so friendly here.
"I really hope they manage to find the money to organise another one
next year. I know I will be back and so will many other players be
eager to come as everybody will hear what a good tournament it is.
Thank you Bishops Stortford!"
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24-Aug, Semi-Finals:
Full Draw
[1] Daryl Selby (Eng) bt [7] Luca Mastrostefano (Ita)
11/4, 11/9, 9/11, 11/9 (51m)
[5] Julien Balbo (Fra) bt [6] Mathieu Castagnet (Fra)
11/4, 7/11, 8/11, 11/4, 11/5 (88m) |
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Semi-Finals at Stortford
John Milton
reports, photos by Andrew Mulvey
 After
an entertaining start to the evening with a fun doubles tournament
organised, the serious stuff got under way with the number one seed
Daryl Selby taking on Italian Luca Mastrostefano in
the first semi final.
Selby looked as if he was going to carry on the way he played in
yesterday's quarter final, taking the first game comfortably 11/4.
Mastrostefano also started the same way as yesterday - slowly -
allowing Selby to dictate the pace and tactics. However, things
changed in the second game with the Italian taking the ball in to
the front earlier and managing to keep Selby from dictating from the
T the way he had in the first game.
Selby also seemed to ease back a little as well, and only just
managed to take the game 11/9 after Mastrostefano had enjoyed a 6-1
lead that should have been sufficient for him to take the game. It
was a similar story in the third game, Mastrostefano going 5-0 up.
Again, he let the lead slip, with Selby playing better length to
close down his opponent and it was tight all the way up to 9-9. The
Italian pressed again though and reached 10 first by an exquisite
backhand drop, and then clinched the game when Selby wasn't given a
let in the next rally.
The fourth game was closer throughout, even though Mastrostefano
enjoyed a 3-0 lead. This was the only time there was clear daylight
between them though and once Selby levelled at 5-5, it was nip and
tuck all the way until a final Selby push to squeeze through the
final points and deny his worthy opponent any chance of reaching the
final.
Balbo wins another marathon
The second semi final produced an epic spectacle between two
Frenchmen who know each other's game inside out. Julien Balbo
is only ranked slightly higher than his young opponent Mathieu
Castagnet, and the difference between them was also marginal.
Like Selby in his match, Balbo got off to a good start, taking it
11/4, but then Castagnet came back and took the next two games to
lead 2-1. With each game lasting around 20 minutes, the players
started to lose accuracy and both were tempted to go short too
early.
This led to some spectacular play which was appreciated by the crowd
who were absorbed with a match that was increasingly difficult to
call. The fourth game was close up to 5-4 to Balbo and then he
reeled off 5 points in a row to take the game. Castagnet looked a
beaten man, particularly when he went 6-0 down in the fifth, and
there was only token resistance as Balbo pushed through 11-5 to
reach the final after 88 minutes.
An interested Selby was watching and must have enjoyed the effort
and tremendous physical battle that he and the rest of the capacity
crowd had witnessed, with the knowledge that he will be meeting the
victor in less than 24 hours!
The final starts at 6.30pm tomorrow following what promises to be a
highly entertaining afternoon when there will be a pro-am tournament
with the highlight of world top 10 player, Nick Matthew making an
appearance.
 "I
am still alive - but only just!! It is so tough to play him. The
ball comes back so many times. You have to play the ball 5, 6, 7
times more than usual to win the point so you have to be ready
mentally to play him.
"I started well but he made no mistakes in the second game. In the
third game, I felt better and pushed forward and volleyed more. At
the end of the third game we played an unbelievable rally and even
though I lost it and the game on that point, I just felt he was
dead, he had put so much effort into winning it.
"I think I won the match with that rally.
"I hope I recover well now to play a good final tomorrow."
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 "I felt good
in the first game and started really well. Then Luca changed his
tactics and I eased back a little, and you can't do that at this
level.
"He played well and credit to him. Yesterday I pushed hard all the
way through the match but today it was just in patches. I was a bit
lazy today and couldn't get any kind of flow into my game, but it's
still early season and I'm happy to win."
 "Like
yesterday I started slowly but got better as the match went on. I
had a really good lead in the second, 6-1, and I should have won
that game.
"I'm a little disappointed that I couldn't do that. I was too loose
really and didn't close him down well enough. But it was a close
game and I could have won three games with just a little bit more
luck.
"Still, it has been really good here this week and I feel confident
going on to the Dutch Open next week where I start playing in the
qualifying on Tuesday."
 "That
was such a tough match - a good match but so tough. It was a very
big match for us.
"We know each other's game so well and have played so many times and
it's always a war!
"I went 2-1 up but felt anxious starting the fourth and felt it was
always going to go go into a fifth game. I'm happy with my length
this tournament but will go away and work on my drops and volleys to
progress.
"He attacked more than me in the really long rallies and I ended up
doing more work. I hope he wins tomorrow of course.
"I am exhausted now, but I want to play well at the Dutch ..."
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23-Aug, Quarter-Finals:
Full Draw
[1] Daryl Selby (Eng) bt [8] Jesse Engelbrecht (Rsa)
11/2, 11/7, 11/2 (35m)
[7] Luca Mastrostefano (Ita) bt [3] Jonathan Harford (Eng)
4/11, 11/4, 11/6, 11/2 (40m)
[6] Mathieu Castagnet (Fra) bt [4] Jan Koukal (Cze)
11/7, 9/11, 8/11, 11/4, 11/3 (81m)
[5] Julien Balbo (Fra) bt [Q] Romain Tenant (Fra)
11/9, 9/11, 11/5, 11/9 (62m) |
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Upsets aplenty in Bishops Stortford Quarters
John Milton reports, photos by Andrew Mulvey
Quarter finals night at Bishops Stortford was a night to remember. A
capacity crowd was entertained to the full with some sparkling
squash from two French wizards, and three other matches that lived
up to their world class billing.
First on was the hot favourite for this event Daryl Selby,
playing Jesse Engelbrecht. Daryl gave an impressively
clinical display and confirmed why he's so strongly fancied to lift
the title in a couple of days time. As gamely as Engelbrecht played,
Selby had an answer for everything that the newly qualified South
African could throw at him. He ran out as a comfortable 3-0 winner.
Not nearly so comfortable was Mathieu Castagnet's victory
over Jan Koukal. In the longest match of the evening when
each player needed an injury break, Castagnet finally managed to win
through in five.
Castagnet endured a short injury break during the first game when he
clashed with the Czech player but it didn't seem to put him off
taking the first game reasonably comfortably. Koukal came back
strongly in the second and to level the match and did the same in
the fourth after the French player had taken the third. Koukal,
rather inaccurately, blamed an elbow in the back from Castagnet,
resulting in the second injury break of the match, as the main
reason for him not being able to compete in to the best of his
ability. However, he was 1-6 down at the time and the young
Frenchman was in the ascendancy.
The Jonny Harford v Luca Mastrostefano match was
possibly the only slightly disappointing match of the evening. After
starting well, Harford capitulated quickly, enabling the Italian to
win the next three games with ease.
However, on the other court at the same time, the crowd were being
hugely entertained by the charismatic Frenchmen, Julien Balbo
and Romain Tenant. With three out of the four games going
to11/9, the result was always in the balance. Balbo took the first
11/9, then lost the second 9/11. The third game was the most
decisive, going 11/5 to Balbo.
He finally managed to clinch an exhilarating match 11/9 in the
fourth. Both players heaped praise on the crowd for their squash
appreciation and for providing an atmosphere that made it such an
enjoyable match to play in and to watch. After tonight's
entertainment, the club can expect a sell out crowd for tomorrow's
semi finals, the first of which is at 8.00pm.
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[1]
Daryl Selby (Eng) bt
[8] Jesse Engelbrect (Rsa)
11/2, 11/7, 11/2 (35m)
 "I
felt smoother tonight and am pleased with the way I'm hitting the
ball. I thought I pressured Jesse well and even when I was on the
wrong end of a rally, I still managed to win it, which frustrated
him I think. I hit a good length and was positive at the front.
"It's a hot bouncy court tonight and difficult to put the ball away
but I made very few errors. I've put some heavy training in this
summer and that's the first time I've felt it come through in a
match and that feels good. Great crowd tonight.
"It's really good to see some familiar faces still here 15 years
after they were cheering me on as a junior!"
 "I
felt that every good shot I played, he got it back with interest. He
was stronger, fitter and played a flawless tight game. He's
obviously had a big summer of training and it really shows.
"Normally we have tight matches - I think this is the first time
I've lost 3-0 to him. He was too good tonight."
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[6]
Mathieu Castagnet (Fra) bt
[4] Jan Koukal (Cze)
11/7, 9/11, 8/11, 11/4, 11/3 (81m)
 "He
is a very good player and it was a very good match. I am very happy
to be in the semi final. I was quite anxious today. I knew he was
good even though I never played him before. I thought I played well,
perhaps too safe sometimes, so there were many long rallies.
"My attacking game and drops were very safe. He was a bit unlucky to
get an injury in the fifth game but I was feeling very strong by
then. I got a really good lead and it was too much for him to get
back."
 "I'm
not tired. I lost concentration in the fourth but had a good start
in the fifth. Then he elbowed me in the back as he was going for one
of my drops when I was 1-6 down and my back seized up after that
which is a bit of a handicap in squash!
"He doesn't give you much and gets everything back so he's tough to
play. I'm not sharp enough yet but it's still the beginning of the
season.
"Now I'll be going back to my physio and doctor in Prague to see if
my back is going to be okay for me to play in the Dutch Open next
week."
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22-Aug, Round One:
Full Draw
[1] Daryl Selby (Eng) bt [Q] Robbie Temple (Eng)
11/5, 11/5, 11/8 (31m)
[8] Jesse Engelbrecht (Rsa) bt [Q] Jens Schoor (Ger)
11/5, 11/8, 11/4 (23m)
[3] Jonathan Harford (Eng) bt
Niels Hoevenaars (Ned) 11/9, 12/10, 11/8 (35m)
[7] Luca Mastrostefano (Ita) bt Neil Hitchens (Eng)
11/7, 11/4, 11/5 (32m)
[6] Mathieu Castagnet (Fra) bt Darren Lewis (Eng)
11/7, 11/5, 11/9 (45m)
[4] Jan Koukal (Cze) bt David Barnett (Eng)
8/11, 9/11, 11/7, 11/7, 11/4 (60m)
[5] Julien Balbo (Fra) bt [Q] Ben Ford (Eng)
11/13, 12/10, 7/11, 11/3, 13/11 (78m)
[Q] Romain Tenant (Fra) bt [2] Scott Handley (Eng)
9/6 rtd (8m) |
Round One ...
John Milton reports
 A
packed house at the Bishops Stortford Squash Club was treated to a
feast of excellent squash and a dramatic finale in the first round
of the BAA Squash Festival.
The evening started with number 3 seed Jonny Harford taking
on Dutchman Neils Hoevenaars. The first two games were close
affairs. Harford had to come back from what should have been
significant leads enjoyed by Hoevenaars, who could do little to see
those leads crumble as the Englishman gradually relaxed and showed
improved concentration. Showing increasing signs of tiredness,
Hoevenaars succumbed in the third to hand Harford a 3-0 win, 11/7
12/10 11/8.
 At
the same time on court number 2, Frenchman Mathieu Castagnet
was in battle against Darren Lewis from Leicester. Quick and strong,
Castagnet dominated the court and capitalised on his opponents
mistakes. Lewis did well to push Castagnet hard in the third game
and a t 9-9 Castagnet was awarded a let without seeming to ask for
one. Gratefully, he accepted his second chance and managed to take
the final 2 points to secure a 3-0 victory, 11/7 11/5 11/9.
 Next
up on the main court, in front of a packed crowd eager to see their
local man, number 1 seed Daryl Selby was up against qualifier
Robbie Temple, now based in Ealing. Looking a little rusty in his
first competitive match of the new season, Selby was still too
strong for a slightly jaded opponent who had endured an emotive 5
game epic the previous evening.
Temple often allows his emotions to boil over against what he deems
as unfair decisions against him by the referee and this was the case
in the second game when he received a conduct warning and pushed his
luck too far before being awarded a conduct stroke against him.
Showing improved maturity in the third game, he began to play better
and pushed Selby more than in the first two games. Selby responded
though and see ran out a comfortable 3-0 winner, 11/5 11/5 11/8.
Meanwhile, the inconsistency of number 4 seed, Jan Koukal
from the Czech Republic, was being exposed by David Barnett who
recently enjoyed success in winning the third Harrow Challenger
tournament at Broxbourne. Barnett looked the favourite to go through
at 2-0 up, but Koukal finally got his game together to come back
strongly and take the match in 5, 8/11 9/11 11/7 11/7 11/4.
 Luca
Mastrostefano from Italy made short work of Neil Hitchens who
had been awarded the wildcard place in the main draw. Hitchens
stated that it was the higher pace that he's not used to that was
his undoing and that it was a valuable experience he fully intended
capitalising on in the future. The amiable Mastrostefano was
generous in his praise for the spirit shown by young Hitchens after
his 11/7 11/4 11/5 win.
The disappointment of the evening was the retirement through injury
of second seed Scott Handley after only half a game. 9/6 down
against Frenchman Romain Tenant, he decided to stop before
doing too much damage to a hamstring strain that will now keep him
out of the forthcoming Dutch Open. A grateful Tenant expressed his
sympathy for Handley but vowed to make the most of what he
considered a rest day when he takes on favourite Daryl Selby
tomorrow.
Even though he lost 3-0, young German Jens Schoor looked highly
impressive against number 8 seed Jesse Engelbrecht. Schoor, a
clean striker of the ball and physically very strong and powerful,
explained how being in the army has allowed him to be a full time
professional player on the PSA tour. Engelbrecht, originally from
Zimbabwe, but born in Durban, South Africa, and with an English
mother and British passport, has recently qualified to play for
South Africa and was relieved that he cam through a tricky match
unscathed, 11/5 11/8 11/4.
 The
final match proved to be the most dramatic - and longest! Keeping an
enthralled crowd on the edge of their seats until well after 10.00,
Julien Balbo from France had the narrowest of victories
against qualifier Ben Ford. The experienced Ford was close to taking
a 2-0 lead until Balbo pinched a second game tie break 12-10 to
level the score. Each player then shared the spoils in the next two
games only for the full drama to unfold late in the fifth.
An increasingly tense affair raised the temperature even more after
Balbo was given a no let after slipping over when he had match point
at 10-9. Frustration boiled over and he had a conduct stroke awarded
against him to dramatically go match ball down at 10-11.
Impressively, he managed to galvanise himself and win the next three
points to finally beat Ford into weary submission, 11/13 12/10 7/11
11/3 13/11.
After the drama and action witnessed by the crowd after the first
round, they are thirsty for more and will be back in force for the
quarter finals which start at 8.00pm tonight.
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The Stortford Quote Box ....
chief interviewer
John Milton
photographs by Andrew Mulvey |
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[6] Mathieu
Castagnet (Fra) bt Darren Lewis (Eng)
11/7, 11/5, 11/9 (45m)
 "I
was nervous at the start of the match as I haven't played any tough
matches for the last three months, just trained hard. Didn't feel
match sharp or fit and was wondering how I was going to play.
"Darren is quite consistent so I didn't want to get too many long
rallies, although the last rally of the match was the longest!
"Very pleased with 3 -0 and look forward to playing Koukal probably
in the quarters. He has been inconsistent lately so I could do well
- hopefully!"
"Tough first two games when he was getting everything back. He's
very quick and strong and I made too many errors trying to finish
rallies off too quickly. He had a few decisions go his way in the
third game which was frustrating but he also played a very solid
game.
"I'm not too unhappy with the way I played as I've been out with
injury for most of the season. I'm now looking forward to going out
to the Dutch Open next week".
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[3] Jonathan Harford (Eng)
bt
Niels Hoevenaars (Ned)
11/9, 12/10, 11/8 (35m)
 "I'm
pleased I won those first two games considering the leads he enjoyed
in both! I seemed to relax when I was down and started hitting
through the ball better rather than jabbing at my shots.
"He also had a conduct stroke awarded at the end of the second game
so that I started 1-0 up in the third which must have frustrated him
mentally. Bit harsh really, but you don't turn them down!"
"I had a good lead in the first two games and then just lost
concentration and played too many unforced errors. Not long come
back off holiday and I felt my legs getting tired in the third.
"Gotta go back to Holland now and practice for the Dutch …"
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[4] Jan Koukal
(Cze) bt David Barnett (Eng)
8/11, 9/11, 11/7, 11/7, 11/4 (60m)
 "2-0
down - not a good start! David played well in those games. This was
my first match for a while. The courts are panel courts in Prague,
so these courts here play quite differently. Also, the weather has
been so hot and sunny back home and here it's cold and wet!! I
thought he was a bit tired after the second so I pushed up and tried
to take the ball earlier and push him behind me.
"That made it a bit easier for me and I'm just pleased I won. I've
never played Castagnet before but I know I will play better tomorrow
and will do my best and see what happens".
 "I
felt in control and was surprised I was winning because I haven't
been feeling very well recently. I tried to up the pace in the third
and fourth but couldn't although I still had my chances. I had no
legs in the fifth - knackered!
"I'm quite pleased though as I've been working on going short
quicker and I thought that got me a few points today. I'm off for
two tournaments in Malaysia on Tuesday and looking forward to some
warm weather!"
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[1] Daryl Selby
(Eng) bt [Q] Robbie Temple (Eng) 11/5, 11/5, 11/8 (31m)
 "I
don't think I got too many decisions going for me in that match -
especially the second when I had a conduct point against me for
dissent. But, I should learn to get on with it after what I
might think is a bad decision and I don't do that well enough.
"Daryl was too good tonight, in all honesty. Better length and great
movement. I tried to play too many shots and felt I was in most
rallies but he played the better pressure shots. I don't have much
coming up until the London Open, so it's back to the drawing board!"
 "First
match of the season so I was quite pleased really, even though it
was quite scrappy. Robbie's a talented player capable of hitting a
few nicks each game so I had to be careful to hit a good length and
not open the court up too much for him.
"I thought I did that quite well - perhaps made a few more errors in
the third than I wanted, but got the job done. I hope Jesse and Jens
have a tough game now!"
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[Q] Romain Tenant
(Fra) bt
[2] Scott Handley (Eng) 9/6 rtd (8m)
 "Frustrating!!
Slightly pulled my hamstring about 10 days ago but felt good and
confident coming here today.
"Sadly, halfway through the first game I felt it getting sore and
beginning to pinch. I couldn't see me getting through the match
without doing some serious damage so I had to retire.
"I should be playing the Dutch and British GP in the next two weeks
but I'll have to miss them and get ready for the European Club
championships in Budapest".
"I felt really good after two
matches of qualifying but feel sorry for him. I wish him well for
his recovery.
"Now, all the French players are in the same half, so we could all
be playing each other sometime! But, I do have a tough match against
Daryl next!!
"Well, I have had a good 'rest day' today so will be fresh for him
tomorrow. I would like to say how good it is here at Bishops
Stortford. Everyone is so friendly and the organisation is great,
everyone is so helpful and the food is great! And my English is
getting better everyday!"
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[7] Luca
Mastrostefano (Ita) bt Neil Hitchens (Eng)
11/7, 11/4, 11/5 (32m)
 "I'm
very pleased with a 3/0 win in my first match. Sometimes it's not
easy playing the wildcard as there can be pressure playing a local
favourite with the crowd behind him, so I'm very happy about
tonight.
"I've been working hard in Italy this summer, trying to improve my
speed and leg strength so that I can move better on court. My game
is more solid now I think and I don't go for so many shots when I
get tired. I play Jonny Harford tomorrow and he's beaten me twice in
the past. I'll be determined to get one back tomorrow!"
"I'm icing my
knee just as a precaution because I've had a bad summer with it.
It's fine now though. I had a bit of a lead in the first game but
just wasn't tight enough and he picked off my loose shots.
"I didn't get a good enough length tonight and he used his boast
well which moved me about quite a bit.
"I'm pleased overall though and very grateful to the tournament
organisers for giving me the wildcard because I'll get more points
than my average from this match so will automatically go up in the
rankings next month."
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[8] Jesse
Engelbrecht (Rsa) bt [Q] Jens Schoor (Ger) 11/5,
11/8, 11/4 (23m)
 "That
was fairly comfortable I'm pleased to say. I felt he was tired from
his tough match yesterday when he just managed to win a tie break in
the 5th. He seemed tired halfway through the first game actually, so
I felt pretty confident through the whole match. He hits the ball
really well though and he's going to be a strong player.
"Glad I met him early in his career! Great tournament - really good
to be here where everyone is so welcoming."
 "Yes,
I was a bit tired tonight although I felt fine during the day. But,
he played at a pace that I don't have at the moment so I need to
learn how to adapt and become stronger and more powerful. He played
the deep corners well and I felt under pressure all the time.
"I'm in the army in Germany which is great because I'm in the sports
group which allows me to be a professional squash player.
"There is no sponsorship for squash players in Germany so this is a
great system where we can earn the same pay as a standard soldier
but after the first three months of basic training I only have to do
one day a month of military service. I'll stay in the army for a
total of 23 months and then see how I'm doing with my squash."
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[5] Julien Balbo
(Fra) bt
[Q] Ben Ford (Eng)
11/13, 12/10, 7/11, 11/3, 13/11 (78m)
"Nightmare! No length, he hit good
winners. All my shots were in the middle and he hit nicks.
"So, I struggled and the referee made all the decisions against me.
"But Ben played really well - tight and good shots. I'm very happy
to get through!
"I thought I didn't get any good decisions from the referee but
maybe I'm wrong.
"Sometimes it happens that way but it makes it very difficult to
concentrate."
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21-Aug, Qualifying
Finals:
Full Draw
Romain Tenant (Fra) bt Ryan Thompson (Nam)
11/8, 7/11, 11/8, 11/9 (50m)
plays Scott Handley
Ben Ford (Eng) bt Shaun Le Roux (Eng)
11/5, 11/6, 9/11, 13/11 (51m)
plays Julien Balbo
Jens Schoor (Ger) bt Arthur Gaskin (Irl)
9/11, 11/9, 8/11, 11/7 (63m)
plays Jesse
Engelbrecht
Robbie Temple (Eng) bt Stuart Crawford (Sco)
11/7, 8/11, 11/4, 9/11, 12/10 (61m)
plays Daryl Selby |
20-Aug-07:
Qualifying under way
in Stortford Festival
Paul Selby reports
 Qualifying
was played in front of a good crowd with the club busy from the
junior tournament running alongside the main event. This gave the
young aspiring juniors a chance to assess what they might need to do
to play as a professional on the World Circuit.
First up was top seeded qualifier Romain Tenant who had flown
in yesterday from Stockholm where he is now based against local
player Keith Timms. What looked on paper a mere formality was
obviously not what Keith had in mind. A great spirited performance
of which he can take heart from where he competed in all of the
first three games only to fall a little short towards the end with
Romain coming out victor.
Ryan Thompson dropped a game to the improving Adam Fuller
whose summer training is starting to look like it is making a
difference. Adam took the second game with the first two games
fiercely contested leaving Ryan to work hard to secure the win in
four games. Ben Ford looked very good today with a near
faultless performance against Dutchman Rene Mijs from the
Victoria Club in Rotterdam, it was only in the third game Ben lost
his concentration and allowed Rene a chance of taking a game but he
composed himself to overhaul the deficit and take the third and
final game 14/12 to set up a game with fellow Englishman Shaun Le
Roux who took only 22 minutes to beat local Essex boy Rory
Pennell
 Jens
Schoor from Germany arrived on the early flight out of Frankfurt
this morning so was very grateful of a quiet area in the club gym
where he could grab forty winks in lost sleep. Now refreshed fed and
watered he enjoyed a good hard competitive match with Jason Barry
with the third game going to 15/13 in Jens favour to give him a
solid 3/0 victory. Irishman Arthur Gaskin showed how he has
improved since working out of Yorkshire and accessing quality hits
with a variety of professional players based up there. He disposed
of top seed Daryl Selby’s younger brother Elliot Selby who
has only recently decided to join his brother and sister on the
professional circuit and found the going tough but showed good heart
and promise in the third game.
Robbie Temple was not looking too happy about playing in the
tournament until we found out why. It was his 21st today and
probably was not the ideal place to celebrate it as he was last on
and alcohol seemed a distant memory if he was going to perform well.
Well James Snell must have decided to help him celebrate
allowing Robbie to come home with a 3/0 victory. A bottle of
Champagne and a cake was the surprise waiting for Robbie on
returning to the tournament desk to check tomorrow’s times. (He did
offer to share it with his opponent in tomorrows match!!!!)
Last up on the show court was left hander Tom Pashley and
Scotsman Stuart Crawford who looked on course to keep
presenting early birthday presents to Tom. They took it in turn to
win games with each player performing well in the games they won and
the other wondering why they could not produce the performance of
the previous game. Stuart will feel relieved to get through and Tom
disappointed that he was unable to grab the victory.
More to follow tomorrow with the first two matches scheduled for 6pm
followed by two at 7pm.
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Qualifying first round:
Romain Tenant (Fra) bt
Keith Timms (Eng)
11/8, 9/11, 11/8, 11/5 (40m)
Ryan Thompson (Nam) bt
Adam Fuller (Eng)
11/7, 8/11,
11/5, 11/3 (45m)
Ben Ford (Eng) bt
Rene Mijs (Bel)
11/7, 11/5, 14/12 (32m)
Shaun Le Roux (Eng) bt
Rory Pennell (Eng)
11/9, 11/9, 11/3 (22m)
Jens Schoor (Ger) bt
Jason Barry (Rsa)
11/9, 11/9, 15/13 (42m)
Arthur Gaskin (Irl) bt
Elliott Selby (Eng)
11/1, 11/2, 11/5 (25m)
Robbie Temple (Eng) bt
James Snell (Eng)
11/5, 11/6, 11/5 (27m)
Stuart Crawford (Sco) bt
Tom Pashley (Eng)
6/11,11/6,8/11,11/3,11/2(39m)
Festival site
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 BAA
Bishops Stortford Squash Festival
20-25 August 2007, $10k
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Round One
22 Aug |
Quarters
23 Aug |
Semis
24 Aug |
Final
25 Aug |
[1] Daryl Selby (Eng)
11/5, 11/5, 11/8 (31m)
[Q] Robbie Temple (Eng) |
Daryl Selby
11/2, 11/7, 11/2 (35m)
Jesse Engelbrecht |
Daryl Selby
11/4, 11/9, 9/11, 11/9 (51m)
Luca Mastrostefano |
Daryl Selby
11/9, 8/11, 13/11, 11/6 (57m)
Julien Balbo |
[8] Jesse Engelbrecht (Zim)
11/5, 11/8, 11/4 (23m)
[Q] Jens Schoor (Ger) |
[3] Jonathan Harford (Eng)
11/9, 12/10, 11/8 (35m)
Niels Hoevenaars (Ned) |
Jonathan Harford
4/11, 11/4, 11/6, 11/2 (40m)
Luca Mastrostefano |
[7] Luca Mastrostefano (Ita)
11/7, 11/4, 11/5 (32m)
Neil Hitchens (Eng) |
Darren Lewis (Eng)
11/7, 11/5, 11/9 (45m)
[6] Mathieu Castagnet (Fra) |
Mathieu Castagnet
11/7, 9/11, 8/11, 11/4, 11/3 (81m)
Jan Koukal |
Mathieu Castagnet
11/4, 7/11, 8/11, 11/4, 11/5 (88m)
Julien Balbo |
David Barnett (Eng)
8/11, 9/11, 11/7, 11/7, 11/4 (60m)
[4] Jan Koukal (Cze) |
[Q] Ben Ford (Eng)
11/13, 12/10, 7/11, 11/3, 13/11 (78m)
[5] Julien Balbo (Fra) |
Julien Balbo
11/9, 9/11, 11/5, 11/9 (62m)
Romain Tenant |
[Q] Romain Tenant (Fra)
9/6 rtd (8m)
[2] Scott Handley (Eng) |
Qualifying:
Finals, 21-Aug:
Romain Tenant (Fra) bt Ryan Thompson (Nam)
11/8, 7/11, 11/8, 11/9 (50m)
Ben Ford (Eng) bt Shaun Le Roux (Eng)
11/5, 11/6, 9/11, 13/11 (51m)
Jens Schoor (Ger) bt
Arthur Gaskin (Irl)
9/11, 11/9, 8/11, 11/7, 14/12 (63m)
Robbie Temple (Eng) bt
Stuart Crawford (Sco) 11/7, 8/11, 11/4,
9/11, 12/10 (61m)
First Round, 20-Aug:
Romain Tenant (Fra) bt Keith Timms (Eng)
11/8, 9/11, 11/8, 11/5 (40m)
Ryan Thompson (Nam) bt Adam Fuller (Eng) 11/7, 8/11,
11/5, 11/3 (45m)
Ben Ford (Eng) bt Rene Mijs (Bel)
11/7, 11/5, 14/12 (32m)
Shaun Le Roux (Eng) bt Rory Pennell (Eng)
11/9, 11/9, 11/3 (22m)
Jens Schoor (Ger) bt Jason Barry (Rsa)
11/9, 11/9, 15/13 (42m)
Arthur Gaskin (Irl) bt Elliott Selby (Eng)
11/1, 11/2, 11/5 (25m)
Robbie Temple (Eng) bt James Snell (Eng)
11/5, 11/6, 11/5 (27m)
Stuart Crawford (Sco) bt Tom Pashley (Eng) 6/11,
11/6, 8/11, 11/3, 11/2 (39m)
Junior Draws
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20-Aug-07:
Everything in place
for Stortford Festival
On the eve of the newest and biggest International Squash event to
hit Bishop's Stortford Squash Club everything is in place for yet
another memorable time.
Having held the British Junior Champs in 2004 and 2006 the team of
volunteers are all fit and ready to provide a positive image for
Bishop's Stortford.
The club was officially recognised by the National body, England
Squash, as '2007 Club of the Year' and aim to continue the high
standards set in previous years.
Players from all over Europe are converging to Bishop's Stortford
Squash Club to compete in this new Festival of squash sponsored by
our close neighbours BAA London Stansted Airport.
Junior Under 19 and 15 events start in earnest at 10am on
Monday morning, followed by the qualifying draw for the Men's PSA
event at 2pm, matches start at 4pm.
Junior coaching clinics for schoolchildren during the summer
school holiday are also being held at neighbouring squash club
Chantry during the week introducing squash to a new generation of
young players.
Monday night's action is completed with a 'Battle of the Sexes'
social squash match involving former World Number 7 Rebecca Macree,
who is now based at Bishop's Stortford Squash Club, current World
number 101 Lauren Selby and England O40 International Vicky King and
Ladies 1st team players Kath Kemp and Julie-Anne Pegram.
They will take on Bishop's Stortford Squash club manager Jason
Foster and his team of club stalwarts Fred Cooke, Mark Scott, Matt
Delaney and Gavin Noffki ... |
 "I'm
so proud at how the whole squash community has come together to try
and promote squash within the schools and the clubs to be a part of
the BAA Squash Festival.
"By working with the 'UK Squash Academy' run by Paul Selby and John
Milton plus the support received by England Squash I sincerely
believe squash will become an Olympic sport in the very near future
and with the crop of youngsters coming through hope that they will
be inspired with what they see at the BAA Squash Festival."
Bishops Stortford Manager
Festival site
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29-Jul-07:
'Gateway to Europe'
event gearing up
With 3 days to go before the tournament closing date over 60 players
from around the World have entered the inaugural BAA Bishop’s
Stortford Squash Club Festival. However the draw size is limited to
16 players, (11 of the top players, 1 Wild Card entrant and 4
qualifiers).
Of the top 11 players, 8 entrants are in the World’s top 100
rankings, former Bishop’s Stortford squash club junior and World
Number 36 Daryl Selby heads the seedings and top players from
France, Holland, Sweden, Germany, Ireland, Wales, Scotland, Pakistan
and Egypt fill the qualifying rounds which will be played on Monday
and Tuesday 20-21 August.
We are delighted to announce the Wild Card entrant will be WN 151
Neil Hitchens who has played for Bishop’s Stortford for the past
2 seasons in the local county Leagues and National Cup matches. This
will be a major boost for Neil in his quest to move higher in the
World rankings.
Entries for the junior tournaments (Mon & Tue Girls & Boys U19 and
U15, Wed & Thur G & B U17 and U13, Fri G & B U11) to be held during
the week of the Festival are filling up fast as are the FREE
Coaching sessions for school children who received mini-squash
taster sessions in school before their holidays.
On semi-finals night (Friday 24th Aug) a fully subscribed Doubles
event will take place before the matches and on Saturday 25th August
a Pro-Am squash event in aid of leukaemia research will
precede the Final between 1-6pm, This has been boosted by the
confirmation from England No 1 squash player and British Open
Champion Nick Matthew that he will support the event, as have
other fellow professionals Lee Drew Eng no 14, Aaron
Frankcomb WN 56, Chris Ryder WN 62 and British Squash
Players Association Chairman and former WN 31 Tim Garner.
If you would like to take part in this fun event before the Final
and possibly play in the same team as one of these star players
please contact Jason Foster via e-mail
jasonfoster@stortfordsquash.co.uk who will happily include
you and give further information.
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"This
is a fantastic opportunity for Bishop’s Stortford Squash Club to
host such a wonderful Festival that will include all levels of
ability in our sport, this is something our club always strives to
provide our members.
"It is great that a company like BAA London Stansted wish to be
associated with this event. We are looking forward to a tremendous
week of Squash and I am sure everyone involved either as a player of
spectator will hopefully go away from the event completely Squashed
out."
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'GATEWAY TO EUROPE'
Bishop’s Stortford Squash Club in association with UK
Squash Academy are delighted to announce a new International PSA
Squash Tournament involving some of the best players in the World to
be played at the England Squash 2007 Club of the Year.
 BAA
London Stansted is happy to be associated as sponsors of the
BAA Bishop’s Stortford Squash Festival from 20th to 25th August
2007.
With Bishop’s Stortford Squash Club situated only 5 minutes from
Stansted Airport, the most commonly used airport in the World for
Professional Squash players and aptly sponsored by BAA London
Stansted it has taken little time for the tournament to be dubbed
the ‘Gateway to Europe Open!’ Professional Squash
players from all over the World and especially Europe have been
lining up to enter this new PSA event.
The tournament already carries 1 star status with the PSA for
having $10,000 prize-money, the richest squash event in the history
of Hertfordshire and Essex Squash. However, with the interest shown
so far from players, enthusiasts and sponsors, watch out for the
prize-money to be increased!!
Qualifying rounds for the event start on Monday 20th August with the
Final scheduled for Saturday 25th August. A players party will be
held on Tuesday 21st August on the eve of the main event.
A sponsors party on Wednesday night (22nd August) to include a
unique entry into the ‘Winner Takes It All’ squash
tournament. Ladies Night on Friday (24th August) and a Pro-Am social
squash tournament before the Final on Saturday 25th August.
The Festival will not be complete without the inclusion of the ever
growing interest from Junior Squash. Open Under 19 and 15
events will be held during the day on Monday and Tuesday 20th-21st
August, Under 17 and 13 events on Wednesday and Thursday 22nd-23rd
August and an Under 11 tournament on Friday 24th August.
Junior Entry Form
Representatives from Bishop’s Stortford Squash Club in conjunction
with England Squash will attend 10 local primary schools in
June/July and deliver 4 hours of mini-squash as part of the
school curriculum.
The children will also receive an invitation to attend further FREE
squash coaching from UK Squash Academy coaches at Chantry Squash
Club during the Festival week. The club is situated 2 minutes
from Bishop’s Stortford Squash Club.
All this adds up to a true Festival of Squash and it is hoped that
many of you will come along and support the occasion.
For further information about the event for junior entry forms,
ticket sales and to even take part in one of the many social matches
on offer please contact club manager Jason Foster.
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Bishops Stortford
Squash Club
+44(0)1279 652897
Jason Foster
"This
is a fantastic opportunity for Bishop’s Stortford Squash Club to
host such a wonderful Festival that will include all levels of
ability in our sport, this is something our club always strives to
provide our members.
"It is great that a company like BAA London Stansted wish to be
associated with this event. We are looking forward to a tremendous
week of Squash and I am sure everyone involved either as a player of
spectator will hopefully go away from the event completely Squashed
out."
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"I
started off well, playing good squash and took the first game
comfortably. Then he started to attack to the front more and I
gradually got more tired and he exploited it well. 
"I
usually start well but he started much better today. I think he was
quite tired from his previous match so, once I got my movement
sorted out I seemed to get better. 
"We
have played each other so many times in France and know each others
game so well. We always have tough matches and tonight was a great
match. I think I was very solid and made no mistakes. 
"It
really is still the beginning of the season so I'm actually very
happy to get through to the quarter finals. Our matches are normally
so tough physically but tonight it was great squash and great to
play is such a good atmosphere. 
