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Open De La Cite
2007
16-19 May, Acacia Club, Carcassonne , $10.1k |
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19-May, Final:
[6] Laura Hill (Eng) bt [4] Orla Noom (Ned) 10/8, 5/9,
9/4, 9/6
Laura
takes the Carcassonne Crown
John Catlow reports
 The funny thing about squash is that it's only the last point
that counts. Two young athletes gave the audience a great show
this evening at Carcassonne in a final in which every point
counted. Each player dominated the game at certain times but
never throughout the match as was the case last year when Orla
won the final in 20 minutes.
Orla came out fighting and at 7/2 and 8/3 it seemed she might
repeat last year's destruction of her opponent. But Laura is of
sterner stuff and she kept in there to take the first 10/8
(17min). Not only that but she was quickly 4/0 up in the second
before Orla took over to power home 9/5 (11 min).
So who's it going to be? Laura takes the third 9/4 (12 min) and
a shaky Orla making too many unforced errors finds herself at
0/8 in the fourth. But it's only the last point that counts and
the game was not over.
Four match points saved, Orla finally lost her crown at 9/6 (18
min). Great match - hope they come back!
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18-May-07,
Semis:
Two upsets in
Carcassonne semis
John Catlow reports
 It's
Holland / England in the final after two upsets. Orla Noom
has now won 7 matches in a row at Carcassonne but Laura Hill
will be there tomorrow night to try to deny her a second
title.
Top seed Tricia Chuah made far too many mistakes up front and
made it easy for Orla to impose her no nonsense game. 6/0 up in
the first in one hand and 8/0 up in the second in two hands,
Orla ran up a 2/0 lead without any pressure. Tricia led 5/4 in
the third but it really wasn't her night and Orla eased home 9/5
to reach the final for the second year in a row.
The second semi was the best match we've seen at Carcassonne for
some time. Hitchcock could not have done better. Laura's speed
dominated the first two games and Louise seemed finished when
Laura swept in 9/1 in the second after having taken the first
9/5.
6/0 up and 8/1 up in the third Laura could not lose - except
that Louise was still in there fighting. And she fought right
through to the end. 10/8 and 9/7 for her made it two-all and a
fifth game between two tired athletes. Laura won a great last
game 9/4, a score which does not reflect at all the battle for
every point.
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 Open
De La Cite 2007
16 - 19 May,
Acacia Club, Carcassonne,
$10k |
Round One
17 May |
Quarters
17
May |
Semis
18 May |
Final
19 May |
[1] Tricia Chuah (Mas)
9/2, 9/3, 9/0
Selina Sinclair (Eng) |
Tricia Chuah
9/0, 9/0, 9/4
Dagmar Vermeulen |
Tricia Chuah
9/4, 9/3, 9/5
Orla Noom |
Orla Noom
20.0010/8, 5/9, 9/4, 9/6
Laura Hill |
[7] Dagmar Vermeulen (Ned)
8/9, 9/4, 4/9, 9/1, 9/7
Lauren Selby (Eng) |
[4] Orla Noom (Ned)
9/2, 9/4, 9/7
Vicky Hynes (Eng) |
Orla Noom
9/10, 9/7, 9/2, 9/4
Georgina Stoker |
[5] Georgina Stoker (Eng)
9/2, 9/1, 9/1
Kerri Shields (Irl) |
Maud Duplomb (Fra)
9/1 9/3 9/2
[6] Laura Hill (Eng) |
Laura Hill
9/3, 9/5, 9/3
Sarah Kippax |
Laura Hill
9/5, 9/1, 8/10, 7/9, 9/4
Louise Crome |
[Q] Gabrielle Delavison (Fra)
9/2, 9/1, 9/7
[3] Sarah Kippax (Eng) |
[Q] Milou Van Der Heijden (Ned)
9/7, 9/6, 10/9
[8] Celia Allamargot (Fra) |
Celia Allamargot
9/4, 9/0, 9/3
Louise Crome |
Birgit Coufal (Aut)
9/4, 9/4, 9/3
[2] Louise Crome (Nzl) |
Qualifiers:
Milou Van Der
Heijden (Ned)
Gabrielle Delavison (Fra) bt Faustine Gilles (Fra)
9/2,9/4,9/6
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17-May-07,
Quarters:
Down to the semis
in Carcassonne
John Catlow reports
Tricia Chuah against Orla Noom and Laura Hill with Louise Crome.
Sounds good to me.
Tricia didn't have any trouble pushing a tired Dagmar out of the
tournament but we looked set for a real fight in the second
quarter between Orla and Georgina. And it was, up until one game
all and 2/2 in the third when Georgina lost her concentration,
and a match that she seemed capable of winning ran very quickly
away from her. Orla has now won her last six matches at
Carcassonne and needs two more wins to keep her title.
Laura Hill is fast and does not make many mistakes. Sarah Kippax
battled right through to the end and the scoreline does her game
no credit but the result is there and justly so.
That's the first match that the "underdog" wins but maybe
tomorrow there'll be at least one more. Louise cruised home
against Celia to win her place in the semis but tomorrow will be
another match with Laura.
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17-May-07, Round One:
Seeds all safe in Carcassonne
John Catlow reports
The first round is over with all the seeds going through to the
quarters.
Six of the matches were clear-cut affairs but 7th seed Dagmar
Vermuelen had a 70 minute battle with Lauren Selby
before clinching the fifth game 9/7, and this after being 6/0
down!
The eighth seed Celia Allamargot also had to work hard
against the young and talented Milou Van Der Heijden.
Three straight games but 10/9 in the last and I think the french
girl was happy to finish there because Milou's boasts had
certainly made her work up front.
Very happy for our "local" player who has never won a match at
Carcassonne before! And glad to have watched Milou's game - she
plays lovely squash, she's as honest as the day is long, and she
has an attitude on the court well in advance of her 16 years.
Impressive.
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16-May-07,
Qualifying:
Just the one in Carcassonne
John Catlow reports
Two nervous youngsters played the only qualification match of
the tournament this evening.
Gaby has certainly played better squash in her young career but
did enough tonight to cruise home 3/0 in a little more than 20
minutes.
She'll have to play better tomorrow when she takes on Sarah
Kippax if she wishes to stay on court a little longer.
Milou will play Celia.
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