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Canadian Junior Open
10-13 December, White Oaks Club,
Niagara on the Lake, Ontario |
Official site
from Canada
DRAWS & RESULTS
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 13th
Dec, Day FOUR:
THE FINALS
Jonathan Hill reports from
Ontario
It was a hectic final day at the White Oaks Club, which saw Canada
take all but one of the titles on offer ...
Girls U19
[1] Neha Kumar (CAN) bt [2] Amanda Siebert (USA) 3-0
Boys U19
[2] Colin West (CAN) bt [1] Andrew McDougall (CAN) 3-0
Girls U17
[1] Jackie Moss (CAN) bt [4] Erica Dort (CAN) 3-1
Boys U17
[3] Kamran Khan (MAS) bt [2] Tyler Hamilton (CAN) w/o
Girls U15
[1] Laura Gemmell (CAN) bt [4] Catalina Pelaez (COL) 3-0
Boys U15
[1] Brian Hong (CAN) bt [5] Arjun Gupta (CAN) 3-1
Girls U13
[1] Michelle Gemmell (CAN) bt [2] Lorena Pena (MEX) 3-0
Boys U13
[2] Jamie Baker (CAN) bt [1] Tyler Osborne (CAN) 3-1
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Kumar takes title in three
Neha Kumar (CAN) controlled most of the match over Amanda Siebert
(USA). Most of the match was played in the front of the court with
Neha’s strong lob serve forced Amanda into hitting too much to the
front of the court and rarely establishing length. With some well
placed drops and flicks at the front, Neha controlled most of the
match.
 “It
went pretty well, I did not play my best squash, but I think I
played very smart, working her from the back corners to the front
... I played to my strengths with drops and lobs ... This is a good
start for my next three tournaments and gets my confidence up ...
I’m going to buy some more outfits for the next three tournaments to
keep up my reputation of “weapon of mass distraction!!”
Neha Kumar |
HOW THE “WEST” WAS WON……
Colin West of Toronto over Andrew McDougall of Calgary, 3-0 in
the Boys Under 19 final
 “Played
well, but a little nervous to begin with ... I’m glad to get him
back for beating me the last couple of times ... There are lots of
good rivals with 7 good players on the national squad, it’s going to
be tough decisions when choosing the World JR Team this year.”
Colin West
“I was fairly disappointed with the match today. I was hitting loose
length and Colin punished me for it. Colin played tight squash and
put the pressure on me the whole match. I couldn’t counter with my
speed and volleying because I was a little tired and Colin did not
allow me to.”
Andrew McDougall |
Jackie Moss battles to a win over Erika Dort
 “
Sweet…….!! ... I felt better as the match progressed. A little
nervous in the first game and warm up. In the last, I ended up
taking advantage of her boast to the front.
Jackie Moss
“I’m really happy for both girls, it is tough with them both from
Calgary and on the junior squad, but I felt it was a much better
match than previous head to head encounters”
Glen Stark,
Junior Women’s Coach |
"Mexico v
England v Canada" |
Christmas
comes early! |
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12th Dec, Day THREE: |
DRAWS & RESULTS
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Comeback of the Tournament so
far…
Boys U 17 Silver Round of 16
Rafik Bhallo (BC) v
Amar Gupta (CAN)
Bhalloo up 2 love and 8/1 match ball, Gupta comes back to
win the last 3 games. 9/8, 9/5, 9/7.
Just shows the match is not over till the last point ... |
Heather Yong & Monzi
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Another “Dort” upset…
Erika Dort pulls off another upset over Jennifer Gemmell in
the semi-finals of the Girls U 17.
Their previous and only encounter had Gemmell winning in 5,
but today was all Dort. |
Jackie & Jonathan Moss
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Canadian Hospitality…
Full marks to Canadian Junior Open Chairman, Mark Sachvie!
Where else in the world would you change draw times to
accommodate players stranded in New York by an early season
snow storm.
It takes a lot of work to redo the schedule and cCANact all
the players affected. But between Mark and Matt Easingwood,
everyone was notified and all of the English players made
their first round matches.
Stuart Dixon
Coach from Victoria Canada |
Neha Kumar
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FINALS
SET FOR
TUESDAY IN NIAGARA
Jonathan Hill reports from
CANario
The finals set to begin at 9:30 with young Michelle Gemmell (CAN)
and Lorena Pena (Mex) in the Girls U 13. An all Canadian Boys U 13
final with Tyler Osborne (CAN) and Jamie Baker (CAN) playing off.
The Girls U 15 showcases Laura Gemmell (CAN) versus Catalina Pelaez
and the Boys U 15 has Brian Hong (CAN) playing Arjun Gupta (CAN).
Jackie Moss (CAN) and Erika Dort (CAN) will be playing for the
fourth time this year in the Under 17 final.
Kamran Khan (MAS) and Tyler Hamilton (CAN) will be fighting it out
in the Boys Under 17 final.
The Under 19 finals begin with the girls at 12:50, Neha Kumar (CAN)
against Amanda Siebert (USA) and Andrew McDougall (CAN) and Colin
West (CAN) playing off in the boys final.
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Wrath of Khan:
#1 seed knocked out!
 Kamran
Khan (Malaysia), son of Jansher Khan, currently schooling in
England, defeats Canada’s #1 seed Kelly Shannon, in the Boys U 17
Khan’s forcing length produced too many unforced errors from Kelly.
Known as a shooter, Kelly had limited opportunities to display some
of his touch. Khan’s retrieving ability turned into perfect length
throughout the match resulting in a 3-0
“I felt Kelly played well, but made too many unforced under pressure
Khan put him constant pressure and initiated most of Kelly’s errors”
“Kelly tried to finish the rallies too early and found the tin too
often”
Arthur
Hough
Canadian Junior Men’s Coach
"I felt good because I know that I would have had something to brag
about if I had beaten Jansher Khan’s son.
“I didn’t play well, I was missing too many drops and going for
winners as opposed to workers.
“I did get some revenge when I picked a couple of the English kids
and dropped them in a snow bank!”
Kelly
Shannon
Kelly and Arthur |
Shattered “Glass” in the semis
Boys U19 semi:
Andrew McDougall bt David Glass 9-7, 9-5, 4-9, 9-6
Andrew had beaten David in their previous match in the Nationals,
but before that had not beaten him in a tournament. The first game
could have gone either way, but some timely winners and working
rallies got “Dougal” the first game.
A strong second game with attacking volleys and a constant pressure
resulted in a two game lead. Dave hung in and claimed the third with
some hard dying length and superb back hand drops. Fitness for this
young athlete became his weapon and the he took the fourth game to
win the match.
 “Dougal
has come a long way in four years and to be seeded #1 and honour
that seed thus far is a testament to his hard work”
“He stuck to his game plan and combined his superior fitness with
some great shots to come up with a big win”
Jonathan
Hill (Coach
of Andrew)
“I lost a little more hair today, but other than that I felt really
good. I thought I played well”
”I enjoy playing Dave because he is a gentleman on court and I quite
a funny guy on and off the court.
“I was getting a little nervous towards the end of the game, because
he is so unpredictable and can hit a ton of winners, but I finished
up and am happy ... looking forward to facing the little, big man,
Colin West.”
Andrew McDougall |
AND IN THE GIRLS ...
Jackie Moss upheld her top seeding overcoming the USA and
sixth seed CeCe Cortes after losing the first game 0-9. With
Erika Dort winning the other semi final over the second seeded
Jennifer Gemmell, it will be an all Calgary final in the Girls U17.
Kumar in the final against Siebert
After convincing wins from both in their semifinals, the two top
seeds will meet in this year’s Canadian Junior Open Girls U19
finals. Having not played each other in Belgium this past summer,
both ladies will be eager to add their first Canadian Open titles to
their growing list of International accomplishments. |
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"All
I want for Christmas are my two front teeth!"
Jamie Ianunzio of Australia was hit by a racket and
lost a few teeth in his consolation match ... |
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Boys U 19,
Quarter Final:
Dave Glass bt Juan Ferro
3-0
NO CRACK IN THE “GLASS”
In the early going, there was some work for the ref who
dished out some good no let calls on Ferro’s ambitious
requests. Ferro hit some great straight length that Glass
had to match. Fortunately for Glass he was able to step up
and apply more pressure than Ferro with volleys and kills.
Glass’s speed was also evident in the early going, picking
up several near winners. After losing the first two games,
the Columbian looked a little worse for wear at the start of
the 3rd.
He put up a valiant fight but didn’t have enough legs to
hang in with Glass who took the third 9-3 for the straight
games victory and awaited the marathon on the next court
with McDougall and Pena to finish,
Trevor Borland, Special Field Correspondent
“Went pretty well and seemed to handle my opponent pretty
easily. He came out strong in the first, but my goal was to
keep the rallies long and hard, which worked in the end.”
Dave Glass |
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12th
Dec, Day THREE:
QUARTER FINALS
IN NIAGARA ...
Jonathan Hill reports from
CANario
Day Three already, and we're down to the last four ... some great
matches gone and many more to come ....
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Boys U 19, Quarter Final:
Colin West (CAN) bt
Jamie Ianunzio (AUS) 9-0,
9-1,
9-2
ALL SIGNS POINT “WEST”……
Canada’s little Big Man and the tournament’s 2nd seed, Colin West,
breezed through his Australian opponent and into the semi-finals.
The Australian’s only advantage over West was his physical stature,
as he was no match for the pressure length and deft touch of West.
If you turned away you missed it as West cruised to a 9-0, 9-1, 9-2
victory and into the semi-finals.
“I played really well, feeling the short game. I feel fresh for my
match tomorrow.”
Colin West |
Boys U 19, Quarter
Final:
Andrew McDougall bt Jesus Pena 9-7, 8-10, 5-9, 9-5, 9-1
TOUGH TEST FOR TOP SEED
The #1 seed had a tough quarter against Pena from Mexico. The first
game was a little loose without much rhythm, and McDougall squeaked
it out 9-7. By the fourth game, true to form Andrew had made the
rallies long and hard and Pena ran out of legs. The last half of the
fourth and the fifth were won on fitness and patience by the #1
seed.
 "It
was a good win overall, I'm just enjoying my squash and my life
before I go bald.....I have a good 4 to 5 years until that kicks in
so I'm just going to have fun with it.....it was a good win."
Andrew McDougall |
Sachvie upsets 4th seed
Chris Sachvie bt David Letourneau 8-10, 9-7, 9-6, 7-9, 9-5
In the match of the quarters, Chris Sachvie playing on his
home court played one of his best games of squash. Chris stayed away
from the tin and made 6 unforced errors in the five game battle.
Dave seemed off his game for parts of the match and struggled to
find the balance between too short length and length off the back
wall.
Chris was moving well and used the working boast and backhand drops
that seemed to hurt Dave. Dave’s strength, the volley and attacking
game was just not there. Congrats Chris on a well played match…
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IN THE GIRLS' EVENTS ...
 Neha
Kumar cruised to the semis and now meets Rebecca Hazel in
an all Canadian semi final. In the lower half, #2 seed Amanda
Siebert from the USA takes on Sarah Parsons, a Victoria
player.
The three Gemmell sisters have proved their seeding and are all in
the semi finals today, Girls U 13, 15, 17.
In the Girls U 17 draw Erika Dort (CAN) is set to meet
Jennifer Gemmell (CAN) in the semi-final. Dort knocked off the
third seed, Lauren Sachvie (CAN) 3-0 and has earned a shot in the
finals today. Jackie Moss of Calgary will have to be well
prepared as she meets a formidable player from USA, the lefty,
Cece Cortes. |
Boys
Under 15 Quarter final:
Sam Cantle bt Nicholas Sachvie 9-7, 9-3, 9-3
 #2
seed Sachvie bowled over by Sam (“Crumpet”) Cantle of
England, #12
“I played him three years ago in 2002 in the same
tournament and lost 3-0.”
“I’m training hard on my fitness and felt good about the
match and put everything into it.”
“A bit rusty when I first arrived, but I had two matches
to get used to the courts and things got better as things
went on.”
“I also lost to my next opponent Arjun Gupta in 2002, so
I’ll try and relax before my match and I’ll play a lot
better.”
Sam Cantle |
TOP
SEEDS THROUGH
TO QUARTERS IN NIAGARA ...
Jonathan Hill reports from
CANario
With no major
upsets, the round of 16 and quarter-finals are set to begin today.
The Boys U 19 match-ups are looking tough all around with the top
Canadians in the thick of it all. Andrew Mcdougall (CAN) vs
Jesus Pena (MX), Dave Glass (CAN) vs Juan
Ferro (COL), Chris Sachvie (CAN) vs David Letourneau
(CAN) and Jamie Ianunzio (AUS) vs Colin West (CAN).
The Girls Under 19 has the seeds going through, with Neha Kumar
(CAN), Rebecca Hazel (CAN), Brittany Hepden (US),
Sarah Parsons (CAN), Sary Diaz (MX) and Amanda
Siebert (US) all set to play the quarter finals today.
Some
other seeds pushing through include, Kelly Shannon who won
the Boys U 15, 2004 Canadian and US Junior Open and is seeded 1st
this year in the U 17 draw. A player to keep an eye on is Kamran
Khan from the UK, seeded 3rd and could meet Kelly
in the semi-finals.
Laura Gemmell is cruising as expected in the Girls U 15 as are
her two sisters, Jennifer Gemmell, Girls U 17 and Michelle
Gemmell in the Girls U 13. Mark Sachvie’s two sons, Chris
Sachvie, B U19 and Nick Sachvie, Boys U 15 are also
through to the quarter finals.
One of the few upsets of the tournament thus far is Kelsey Tole
of Calgary, unseeded, beat the 6th seed Jennifer
Pelletier in the Girls U 15. |
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Slight scare
for Glass ...
“After a fast start that saw Jarvis Strachan run out to a
9-6 first game victory, the crowd thought an upset maybe in
the making. Strachan continued his strong play in the second
before Glass eventually drew him into some larger rallies
taking the 2nd 9-5.
“The 3rd saw Glass apply more pressure which seemed to take
some of the legs out of Strachan.
“In the 4th some well timed holds & flicks by Glass leaving
his opponent wrong footed led to a comfortable 9-1 game and
the match”
Trevor Borland,
Special Field Correspondent… |
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I feel really fantastic, my consistency got me through the
match and my patience.
"I don’t know my next opponent, so I need to stick to basics."
Kelsey Tole |
!I played well, my deception carried me through today, but I
have to get prepared for my quarter final ...
"I have to hit less tins for my next match."
Kelly Shannon |
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Keith Pritchard,
Canadian Junior National Champion, missing from the U 19 draw…
for good reason! Canada’s #1 junior is in Pontefract, England
working with English coach, Malcolm Willstrop. Keith is
with Malcolm for three weeks leading up to the British Junior
Open. To make the training worth while, Keith had to make a
decision, and to his disappointment has to miss the tournament
this year, after winning the U 17 event last year. |
the Gemmell sisters |
A different warm-up |
A bit of chess |
10th Dec, Day ONE:
English players finally arrive
Jonathan Hill reports from
CANario
The
day before the tournament was set to begin Mark Sachvie received
a phone call from the English coach, David Morrish who informed
him that they were not going to make it on time due to
difficulties in the United States.
Mark managed to change all of their times and ensured that none
of the players would have to default their first match, much to
the delight of the England coach. There was one young player who
lost his passport while travelling and was unable to get into
Canada.
It’s great to see the Canadian Junior Open increasing the
international scope with more countries than ever and Saturday
morning someone let us know “The British are coming”. Sure
enough after over coming travel complications they arrived! |
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Boys U-19:
Dave Glass (CAN) bt
Juan Paulo Mendez (GUAT)
9-2, 9-5, 9-6
The Guatemalan struggled early, trying to get used to the
cold court conditions, with Glass taking the first
handily. The 2nd and 3rd games provided some closer
rallies and a little more entertainment, but nothing to
threaten Glass, as the 3rd seed cruised into the 2nd
round.
Special Field Correspondent!! Trevor Borland |
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Boys U-19:
Andrew McDougall (CAN) bt Justin Todd (CAN)
9-1, 5-9, 9-1, 9-5
The #1 seed began the match well, with a solid first game.
He fell into Justin’s trap of long rallies and not
initiating offence in the 2nd game. After regaining his
game plan Andrew was able to come through with a win.
 “Was
not extremely happy with the match, but not too bad. I
should have made it a bit quicker, but Justin is a solid
player and kept the rallies long and made it hard to
finish them off."
Andrew
Mcdougall |
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Dave Morrish the coach from Wycliffe College in
Gloucheshire, England tells the story……
 It
took nearly 40 hours and we lost 2 players on the way, but we
finally made it.
They say bad luck comes in 3’s – This was no exception with us.
First up, when we arrived at Bristol Airport to check in for our
flight to Newark, Rich Wade (Squad Captain) was not allowed to
fly as he had an old style passport without a bar code. He was
told either to get a new one or apply for a US visa.
Option one seemed the best so Mike Edwards (Assistant coach at
Wycliffe) took him to Newport Passport Office and despite the
willingness of the UKPO, as his passport had been issued in
Saudi Arabia, they needed all paperwork from them. He had to
stay behind but is hoping to join us for the 2nd leg of the tour
for the US Jr open at Yale.
The rest of us got on the 8am flight to Newark only to discover
on arrival that our connection to Buffalo was cancelled. They
kept us waiting for about 5 hours before finally deciding that
we would have to fly in the morning. This would normally be
fine, but we had about 8 people on court between 8:30am and
11am.
A desperate call to Mark Sachvie, the tournament organizer was
made. He told us not to worry and that he would re-schedule
their matches (what a legend!)
As if that was not enough bad luck, during the 5 hour wait
around at the airport, Robbie Maycock lost his bag with his
passport and all his money! To cut a long story short, he had to
stay behind (he has family in Brooklyn, NY) and sort out a new
passport – He is also hoping to join us in Yale!
We finally boarded a flight the next morning for Buffalo and
arrived at the club just before mid May.
The welcome we had on arrival at the White Oaks Resort lifted
our morale…..
Dave Norrish
Tour Party:
Dave Morrish (coach) Sam Russell, Mark Blundell, Kamran Khan,
Adam Wellstead, Anthony Graham, Nick Reeder, Mitch Crawfood,
Josh Saysell, Sam Cantle, Dee Christie, Louis Wood, Greg Mason,
Rebecca Smolinska, Amanda Edwards, Linda Edwards (Amanda’s mom) |
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Danielle Letourneau & Glenn Stark, Cdn
Junior Women’s coach: JR GIRLS’ WORLD CHAMPION, 2011? |
All set
for Canadian
Jonathan Hill reports from
CANario
 The
first of four impressive international junior competitions, the
Canadian Junior Open with over 260 young squash players is set to
begin on Saturday, December 10th.
This year has a great international flavour, with over 10
countries vying for junior titles. England, Mexico, Australia, USA
and Columbia are just a few that made the trip. A snow storm
usually is par for the course for this weekend with one hitting
the area the day before the tournament.
Mark Sachvie and Matt Easingwood, the tournament
chairs and squash professionals at the
White
Oakes Club, has the event being played at two clubs with the
quarters, semis and finals back at White Oakes. The club is very
unique with a spa and conference centre, 5 star hotel, tennis and
fitness making it a true multi purpose facility.
The top seed in the Girls Under 19, Neha Kumar has had her
share of international experience, her last being the Junior
Women’s World Championships in Belgium where the team placed 6th.
Amanda Siebert the # 2 seed from USA, coached by Chris
Walker, could have some tough competition from the young Mexican,
Sary Diaz. Canada’s future young star, 14 year old Laura
Gemmell is the #1 seed in the Girls Under 15. Laura is ranked
#3 in Junior Women’s in Canada and also played in Belgium at such
a young age (watch for this talented athlete in the years to
come).
With the Junior Men’s Worlds approaching this summer in New
Zealand each tournament and match-up could be the difference in
making the final selection. The Boys Under 19 draw will be closely
cCANested with the seeded players very similar in level. The #1
and #2 seeds, Andrew McDougall (Calgary) and Colin West
(Toronto) will be tested early from the top international
juniors. Notably, Jesus Pena (Mexico), David Letourneau
(Canada), David Glass (Canada) and Jamie Ianunzio
(Australia) will be sure to provide us with some entertaining
squash.
We will do our best to provide you with daily updates from
coaches, athletes and organizers from this prestigious event,
along with pictures from our photographer, Fiona Yong.
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Mark and Matt
David Letourneau
Niagara on the Lake |
Junior Silly Season ...
 You
thought it was the 'silly season', just for the pro players, didn't
you?
Qatar, Hong Kong, the World Teams and the Saudi International in
five weeks is a mad schedule, but at least there's not the usual
number of tournaments coming up to Christmas and over the New Year.
But if we 'oldies' wind down a little at the end of the year, that's
definitely not the case for the juniors.
The year traditionally culminates with the Scottish Junior Open
between Christmas and New Year, and the British Junior Open
immediately after the hogmanay celebrations (try starting a senior
event on the 2nd January!).
And squash is growing strongly in North America, and December is
also the mCANh for the very popular Canadian and US junior
Opens.
So over the next few weeks pretty much all the best juniors on the
planet will be competing in these four events.
Naturally we'll be there for the BJO in Sheffield, and we'll do our
best to cover the US and Scottish Opens (any offers of help
gratefully accepted), and for the start of the "junior silly season"
we are delighted to have Jonathan Hill, who will be covering
the Canadian Junior Open for us from Niagara on the Lake (sounds
cool, doesn't it) ...
So no, it's not the quiet season after all, it's the Junior Silly
Season ... stay tuned!
Steve Cubbins |
British
Junior Open
www.bjosquash.com
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