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European U19 Championships 2010
27-Mar to 04-Apr, Vienna |
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Final
[1] England beat [5] Wales 3-0
1 Ben Coleman 3-0 David Haley
11-3, 11-4, 11-3
2 Charles Sharpes 3-0 Sam Fenwick
11-3, 11-4, 11-3
3 Millie Tomlinson 2-0 Hannah Davies
11-9, 11-7 DR
Playoff 3/4
[2] France beat [3] Czech Republic 2-1
1 Lucas Serme 3-0 Daniel Mekbib
11-2, 11-7, 11-6
2 Arthur Monieu 0-3 Zbynek Standera
10-12, 7-11, 8-11
3 Cyriel Peltier 3-1 Anna Klimundova
11-13, 11-9, 11-8, 11-5 |
Teams – The Final
England have regained the title they lost last year by
beating Wales 3/0 convincingly in the final. The result was
pretty much inevitable from the start, but the Welsh were
not going down without a fight. Unfortunately for Robbo’s
team, the English were not about to make life easy for them
either.
Ben Coleman was in top form and you could see how he was
enjoying himself on court. He took the first match for
England 11/3 11/4 11/3 against David Haley.
Charles Sharpes sealed the win for his country with a win
over Niall Driscoll. Funnily enough he won with exactly the
same score line as Ben.
As the girls match was a dead rubber the Welsh gave reserve
Hannah Davies her chance to play and she made nearly as many
points as the boys did in the first game. Millie Tomlinson
was stronger though and took the match 2/0.
So that was that for 2010. It is going to feel a little
quiet here in the club this week and in a lot of ways it’ll
be sad to see everyone leave after being together for 10
days.
 There
shall be no more stuff to read here about toffee crisps,
lent or brain surgeons. The sauna is waiting for me and my
shirt is ironed, so I shall just leave you with a simple
sentence, that I think coveys my current state of mind.
I’m off to the bar!!
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Team Results
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"I am really
proud of our squad – to have come through the whole
tournament without dropping a game is quite an achievement,
I don't think that's ever been done before.
"We've had a really strong team here who have really
performed all week, and having James Willstrop here has been
an inspiration to all the players.
"He kindly agreed to use the week he had off to join us here
– and it's given the players a huge boost having him around.
For all of them, it's their aspiration to become a player
like James.
"But congratulations go to Wales for reaching the final for
the first time – they've had a superb week. We'd been
gearing up all week to play France in the final, so it was a
great achievement for Wales to beat them in the semis to
make the final.
"Even though we've got a great record in this event, it's
never straightforward to win it each time: You have to keep
focussed and make sure there are no slipups or mistakes –
you have to pay attention to detail."
England Coach |
"Obviously it
was a good tournament for the Welsh Team as this was the
first time Wales has reached the U19 European final. The
team was seeded fifth and this I felt was a realistic
seeding - possibly generous after looking at our form in the
individual event.
"Hence, their performances in the team event was very
pleasing, with all the players playing to their maximum in
critical matches. As Wales won a bronze medal last year,
this silver medal has been confirmation that the players and
Welsh system does appear to be producing players who have
the skill, fitness and maturity to handle this occasions.
"England today were a class above us and unfortunately we
were not able to match them in the final, but we enjoyed the
opportunity the final presented and the players are all
aware they have much work to do if they wish to win this
event one day. We look forward to the event next year as we
have all but one player available and hopefully we can
produce another shock or two!"
Wales Coach |
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Team Results
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Teams – Semis
I have had to make a big decision today. This is not easy
for me, but I feel it is necessary. At the final party
tomorrow night, I will wear a shirt!
Anyone who knows me knows I hate wearing shirts. Problem is
that I felt so underdressed at the dinner after the
individuals, that I feel I ought to make an effort. All I
need now is someone to iron one for me!
Semi Finals:
England vs. Czech Republic
First match to England. Ben Coleman beat Daniel Mekbib 3/0
with comparative ease although the Czech had his chances to
take the first. Girls individual champion Carrie Ramsey took
on Czech girl Natalie Babjukova in the second match and
sailed to a 3/0 win, sending the England team to the final
once again. The last match was a dead rubber match between
Charles Sharpes and Ondrej Uherka which went Charles’ way
2/0.
France vs. Wales
Lucas Serme gave David Haley little chance in the first
string match and put his team 1/0 up. Tesni Evans then took
the tie to a decider with a 3/0 victory over Melissa Alves.
So once again it was down to Sam Fenwick for the Welsh.
Would he be the hero again, or would Paul Bonabesse shatter
the welsh hopes?
And it had to go the distance. Five very even games, long
rallies and hard fought points. The crowd were enjoying the
tussle and both teams looked nervous. In the end both
players were exhausted and at 11-all in the fifth it could
have gone either way. Two more long rallies and Sam clinched
it for the Welsh! This will be the first time the welsh have
been in an U19 final.
We have one day left to go here in Vienna. Tomorrow is
Easter Sunday, so I will be up at the crack of dawn hiding
eggs, chocolates and presents around the garden. Then I
believe there is some sort of party, but before that I am
really just looking forward to a sauna and a beer after
tomorrow's final!
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SEMI-FINALS
[1] ENGLAND beat [3] CZECH REPUBLIC 3-0
Ben Coleman 3-0 Daniel Mekbib
13-11, 11-6, 11-5
Charles Sharpes 2-0 Ondrej Uherka
11-5, 11-3 DR
Carrie Ramsey 3-0 Anna Klimundova
11-6, 11-6, 11-2
[5] WALES beat [2] FRANCE 2-1
David Haley 0-3 to Lucas Serme
2-11, 5-11, 8-11
Sam Fenwick 3-2 Paul Bonabesse
13-11, 11-5, 2-11, 7-11, 12-10
Tesni Evans 3-0 Melissa Alves
11-9, 13-11, 11-7 |
03-Apr-10:
Teams-Quarters
The championship referee is responsible for organising refs
for each match. I decided that the winners of each pool
would referee the 10 o’clock matches. Adjacent to that the
other players of the team could train.
 This
was accepted by the teams, but the England team had some
team selection, or whatever to attend to, so I accepted that
I would mark the first game of the tie for them. I’m English
so no-one can say that the English did not ref a match. The
last match was a dead rubber and was duly reffed by Messrs
Campion and Willstrop, while on the court next door Chris
Robertson was doing his duty for Wales (see photos).
The quarters are finished and England will take on the
Czech Republic in the semis tonight at 5pm. The other
semi, also on at 5 will be between France and Wales.
Semi-Finalists. Coaches
comments:
England: James Willstrop
We have a good group of players here, a really good unit.
There is a good atmosphere amongst the players and they are
doing the job they came to do. We are expected to do well,
but we have to make sure that the players are fit, pick up
no injuries and go fit into the bigger matches.
Czech Republic: David Talpa
Now we have to play England and we must be realistic. Our
aim before the championships was third position, so till now
we are satisfied. All our players are in good form so we
will give everything we’ve got this evening.
France: Fred Lecomte:
We played well this morning in the quarter finals after the
pressure yesterday. It will be a tough semi against Wales
and we will have to perform to reach the final. We are
looking forward to it.
Wales:
That was a good win now. Tesni continues to produce the
goods when we need it and Sam played a much more mature game
today. He did really well to beat an opponent he lost to in
the individual event. We have young players here who will
also be involved next year and it’s great for them to be
playing with a chance of a medal.
Just a quick one before the
semis. Check out the tattoos that Irish girl Cathryn
Abernethy has been doing. Now that is an amazing talent.
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Team Results
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Quarter-Finals:
[1] ENGLAND beat [7] NETHERLANDS 3-0
1 Charles Sharpes-Rick Penders 11-7 11-4 11-6
2 Robert Downer-Marc Ter Sluis 11-8 11-5 DR
3 Millie Tomlinson-Tessa Ter Sluis 11-5 11-9 11-3
[3] CZECH REPUBLIC beat [4] GERMANY 2-1
1 Daniel Mekbib-Rudi Rohrmüller 7-11, 6-11, 3-11
2 Zbynek Standera-Valentin Rapp 11-6, 11-7, 11-8
3 Anna Klimundova-Caroline Sayegh 11-2, 11-7 11-7
[5] WALES beat [6] SWITZERLAND 2-1
1 David Haley-Lukas Burkhart 11-6 4-11 8-11 5-11
2 Sam Fenwick-Marco Graziotti 11-7 11-9 11-7
3 Tesni Evans-Agapi Kazamia 11-5 11-9 11-8
[2] FRANCE beat [9] BELGIUM 3-0
1 Lucas Serme-Tom de Mulder 11-7, 11-6, 11-7
2 Arthur Moineau-Cedric Peeters 11-1, 11-9 DR
3 Cyrielle Peltier-Nathalie Philipsen 11-3, 11-3, 11-3
9-12 Quarters:
[8]Scotland-[10] Slovakia 2-1
1 Greg Lobban-Miroslav Celler 4-11, 11-2, 11-6, 11-9
2 Douglas Kempsell-David Kubicek 11-8, 11-2, 11-3
3 Mhairi Charlton-Andrea Malinova 5-11, 7-11, 11-5, 9-11
[12]Spain-[11] Ireland 1-2
1 Hugo Varela-Gary Power 2-11, 5-11, 11-9, 9-11
2 Alberto Perez-Theo Anderson 7-11, 11-6, 5-11, 7-11
3 Marina de Juan-Cathryn Abernethy 13-11, 11-4, 11-4
[13] Denmark-[14] Austria 1-2
1 Phillip Tran-Marcus Greslehner 9-11, 10-12, 11-8, 9-11
2 Kristian Nielsen-Daniel Nagel 11-4, 14-12 DR
3 Millie Jensen-Sandra Polak 2-11, 3-11, 8-11
[17] Finland-[18] Hungary 1-2
1 Vile Hiltunen-Benedek Sebok 8-11, 7-11, 9-11
2 Joonas Honkanen-Gabor Szabo 11-4, 11-7 DR
3 Emilia Soini-Fatime Farkas 11-9, 10-12, 8-11, 3-11 |
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Team Results
England Blog,
Day Two ...
Getting through the pool stages and into the final 4 without
dropping a game is just what we wanted going into the semis.
The presence of James Willstrop is keeping spirits high, and
keeping us on our toes! He's great to have around, and of
course we are taking every piece of advice he can give us.
A strict fining system in place throughout the group saw Ben
Coleman fined for serving down in his first cap for England
in the first rally of the first point, of his first match!
(sorry ben!)
Last night we went into Vienna centre and had a team meal at
an Italian restaurant which is always nice. With some good
food inside us we are ready for this afternoons semis
against Chech Republic, lets hope we can keep it going!
Carrie Ramsey
England Team
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02-Apr-10:
Teams-Day 2
I have been asked to dedicate this entry to someone who is
not with us for the team event. According to his coach he is
one of the funniest and nicest guys you could ever meet.
I would like to introduce you to Charmin’ Seamus Harmon
(his own description of himself).
Eddie Murphy, the Irish coach, explained to me that he is
the only person who makes you laugh while just standing
there doing nothing. You can’t fault his effort on court
either. In one incident he turned from the ‘T’ and dived to
reach a ball in the back right-hand corner. He missed the
ball unfortunately and explained to everyone afterwards why,
“I forgot to swing at it!”
Seamus loves to play the game and was gutted to have to
leave after the individuals. I’m sure he’ll be disappointed
to have missed meeting the guest coach from England. After a
long season and in need of a break, James Willstrop
offered his services to David Campion and is accompanying
the team for the next few days here in Vienna. The England
junior team will certainly benefit from his experience and
such a personality in the camp can only help to build team
morale.
The pool matches were completed today and the quarter final
line up is pretty much as expected. Fifth seeds Wales beat
Germany 2/1 in the last tie. Tesni Evans came from 10/3 down
in the forth to take the game 12/10 and the match for the
Welsh.
That group win ensures them of avoiding the Czechs in the
quarter finals. The Belgians just qualified for the quarters
on count back by beating the Fins 2/1 in the last tie of the
day. That result pushed Finland back to fourth. Had they
won, they would have been second in the group and assured of
a top 8 place.
Quarters (12.00):
[1] England v [7] Netherlands
[3] Germany v [4] Czech Republic
[5] Wales v [6] Switzerland
[2] France v [9] Belgium
9/12 Quarters (10.00)
[8] Scotland v [10] Slovakia
[12] Spain v [11] Ireland
[13] Denmark v [14] Austria
[17] Finland v [18] Hungary
One other person who I feel
worthy of a mention today is Chris Robertson. I
remember him saying 11 years ago, that he hoped that that
would be his last European U19’s. So here we are, and he is
back again as he has been every year since. I have to
apologise to him though for my blog. He was back in Wales
for the individuals, but reading about it made him feel like
he was here.
He said that he would not be reading it any more, which
means I can write what I like about him.
Or are you secretly reading on Robbo?
If you are, I’ve heard a whisper that you challenged the
Irish team to a bowling match last year and I was just
wondering how you got on?
Watch this space for further details………
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01 Apr, Team Event Day One:
Teams-Day 1
Andy Holland reports
I was informed this morning by the wife that as it is still
Lent and this close to Easter I should keep off the beer.
She is right, but one has to make sacrifices in this life
and it would not be common courtesy for me to not have a
beer with our team event referees. So I will regrettably be
forced to drink a beer before I head home tonight!
Now, after four days of being stuck in the club when the sun
was shining outside, we were subjected to a day off with
rain!! Typically on the first day of the team event, it’s
absolutely gorgeous weather. Well, you can’t have everything
I suppose, but at least it dried up a bit in the afternoon
yesterday.
Most of the players looked fresh and ready to go again and
to be fair the coaches also look pretty relaxed. This,
considering they were woken at 7am by the sound of drilling
this morning, is a good sign.
England are seeded top for the team event. Second seeds are
France with the Czechs and Germans at three and four
respectively. Other than that, I can’t see any other teams
really making an impact.
Only really one surprise today; the Scots (8) lost a close
fought tie with Finland (17). 14 year old Emilia Soini
nicked it 11/9 in the fifth against Morgan McGuire to secure
a 2/1 win.
The other stuff ...
Apart from that I do not really have anything to report and
I have generally been sitting around waiting for results to
come in. This gives me far too much time to conjure up
something for you guys to read.
I have been considering what I would do were I to win the
lottery. Would I invest money in the game of squash, or
would I just be greedy and squander it all on fast cars and
women?
As I’m married I guess I’d leave out the women part, but
were I to invest in squash, what would I wish to fund? A
classy PSA event would be something special; I could put a
glass court up in front of Vienna’s Rathaus, or before the
palace of Schönbrunn. The question though is what impact
would that have on the sport in Austria?
I believe that it would be more constructive to invest in
the grass roots of the game first, although combining that
with a large event would be ideal; the work beforehand
within the schools, mini court events, roadshows, etc.
building up to the main event one maybe two years later.
Promotion is the key some say, but money is the biggest
problem we have. The love of the game is there, but
financially squash is not a profitable business here in
Austria at least.
With this event we should just about break even. We need an
investor as I don’t expect to win the lottery, nor am I one
of Didi Mateschitz’s (Austrian Red Bull guru) best mates!
Maybe though I can find some lunatic with an oversized bank
account who wishes to part with the readies, but till then
we shall just plug on with what we have, and continue to
make attempts at securing sponsoring and funding.
However, our friend who can do everything better with his
eyes closed (the brain surgeon as he has been dubbed), has
apparent ideas to have us all thrown out on our ears, so
maybe I’ll be looking for another job in a few months,
instead of making plans for developing the sport!
I must stay positive and as a Portsmouth supporter I have to
be. I am still hoping for FA Cup glory at least this year
and perhaps I will win the lottery, then I can retire in the
summer and watch from the sidelines, sipping at cocktails
beside the pool.
Yeah, dream on buddy!!
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Team England Blog ...
After an interesting day off at the zoo in Vienna, spending
a long while making friends with a polar bear and becoming
enemies with an orang-utan, we have all snapped back into
playing mode.
Team spirits are high, after two impressive straight game
wins against Israel and Belgium today. With an early finish
we are left with the evening to relax and indulge in some
team bonding.
Another early start in the morning, facing Finland then onto
Scotland in the afternoon. Of course we are hoping for a
repeat performance tomorrow so some food and get an early
night!
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Tue 30th,
Finals:
Carrie Ramsey (Eng) bt Millie Tomlinson (Eng)
6/11, 11/6, 11/7, 5/11, 11/3 (75m)
Lucas Serme (Fra) bt Rudi Rohrmueller (Ger)
6/11, 11/3, 11/,8 11/6 (60m) |
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Results
Tournament Site
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 I
have been pleased over the last few days with the amount of
spectators we have had in the club and they were treated to
two classic finals tonight.
Millie and Carrie delivered a great match which kept
swinging back and forth. Both players play a very similar
game and have played each other on so many occasions that it
was always going to be tight.
Millie took first blood and sealed the first game 11/6. The
second game seemed to stick at 2-all for an eternity. I
think the tally was about 8 let decisions before one of them
made another point. This was a real English squash, both
players pushing each other around the court searching for an
opening.
At 2-all in games (after 70 minutes) it was anybody’s match,
but Millie seemed to tire a bit towards the end. You could
see Carrie’s realisation that she could do it and took the
fifth convincingly 11/3 after just a few more minutes, to
become European champion. This was the first time she had
ever beaten Millie and what a time to do it!
Cyrielle Peltier of France took the bronze medal after
beating Julianne Courtice in five.
Lucas and Rudi went into the first few rallies at about 300
miles per hour. This paid in Rudi’s favour as Lucas made too
many errors and simply did not get into his stride. In the
second Lucas began to find his game and settled down,
forcing Rudi to make the mistakes.
By the third game you could see signs that Rudi was getting
frustrated, he was constantly under pressure to make the
points and was looking out of the glass for some inspiration
from his German team mates after each point. Lucas was then
in control of the match. He’d seemed almost emotionless from
the start and that works in his favour. After one hour of
play we had our champion.
Charles Sharpes took 3rd with a 3/0 win over England
compatriot Ben Coleman.
And that ends the individuals. I feel it has been a good
event till now and amazingly we have had no real hiccups.
The food has been good, the bus shuttle efficient, the
players on time (not for reffing however, but that kept me
fit running around looking for them after they’d lost!!) and
the beer at the end of the day has been real nectar!
Just to finish off, the best shot of the week had to be
James Earles’ crosscourt nick to take 5th place against
Daniel Mekbib. He surprised even himself with that.
I’m writing this very late, I missed the last underground
and had to grab a taxi to the station to catch the last
train. As I fall asleep, I ponder about why it is that some
people are fascinated with the length of mild green
chillies.
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Mon 29th, Semi-Finals:
Millie Tomlinson (Eng) bt Julianne Courtice (Eng) 11/4, 11/3,
12/10
Carrie Ramsey (Eng) bt Cyrielle Peltier (Fra)
11/7, 12/10, 11/5
Lucas Serme (Fra) bt Charles Sharpes (Eng)
13/11, 11/7, 10/12, 11/9
Rudi Rohrmuller (Ger) bt Ben Coleman (Eng)
8/11, 11/4, 12/10, 11/8i |
Monday ... semi-finals
Why is it that when you are confronted with squash all day
long, that you lay in bed at 1am and think about it too? Not
only that, but spend the whole night dreaming about it!!! I
fell out of bed last night as I chased after someone who
should have been reffing!
The positive thing is that I’ve found something to write
about, as my creativity begins to dry up after a few days. I
don’t envy guys like Steve who have to write this stuff day
in, day out.
I also feel bad about not being able to give more people a
mention. One thing that really is great, is being around so
many friendly people with a common interest. Yes, running
tournaments is a lot of work, but it is also an enjoyable
challenge.
Tonight was semi-final night and I figured that I’d probably
not get a lot of chance to see anything. Therefore I
organised a couple of guest authors. Here are their reports:
Myself on Millie Tomlinson and Julianne Courtice:
England were ensured of a finalist even before the matches
started this evening. Millie Tomlinson, top seed for the
girls was expected to win this match and started fast,
pushing her opponent around the court and pressurising
consistently. Julianne was not going down with a fight
however and had her chances to take the third game. Millie
remained cool and took the match 3/0.
Rob Downer (with a little help from Paul Hornsby.) on
Lucas Serme and Charles Sharpes:
Charles began the match at a strong pace pressurising his
opponent. Lucas soon settled into his rhythm and signs of
his well know grit and determination appeared,
Lucas controlled the rallies from the middle of the second
game and established a 2/0 lead. At two games down it seemed
an incredibly tough task for the Englishman to get back into
the match. Charles showed true grit and after a few rare
errors from Lucas took the third 11/9. The fourth was a
physical, but fair tussle, with both players showing each
other mutual respect. Lucas held strong out came out the
eventual winner 3/1.
Paul Hornsby on Carrie Ramsey and Cyrielle Peltier:
An entertaining match between two gifted players, who move
well and like to vary the pace. The French girl took an
early lead, but Carrie soo n settled and after a run of
winners went on to win the first 11/7.
The rallies were more contested in the second with most
ending however with unforced errors. Cyrielle clawed back
from 9/4 down to eventually force a tie-break, but Carrie
took held her nerve and sealed the second. Going there from
strength to strength she went on to win 3/0.
Myself on Rudi Rohrmüller and Ben Coleman:
This was always gonna be a toughie, with both players
playing attacking and physical squash. There was a lot of
contact during this match and the referee was pretty active.
Ben took the first game 11/8, then back came Rudi with an
11/4 in the second. That was when this really became a
battle. Both players showed real determination and neither
gave an inch. With half the crowd cheering Ben with on every
point (and decision) and the other half for Rudi
respectively.
At 2/1 for Rohmüller and 8 all, the ball broke! This seemed
to inspire the German for a last push and he sealed the win
after around 90 minutes of play.
I wish I had taken a better look at the trophy, because I am
trying to remember how often we had a European under 19 boys
final without English participation!
Finals day tomorrow and then finally some time to relax. I
think I’ll take the train home tomorrow after the final
dinner and with a bit of luck someone will buy me a drink. I
know one or two people who owe me a pint or three. You know
who you are!!
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Results
Tournament Site
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Results
Tournament Site
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Sunday Diary ...
One upset and 130 matches to go ...
I hope you are all sitting comfortably in front of your
computer screens, or on your iPhones. Maybe with a hot
chocolate (if so I can recommend adding marshmallows!), or
maybe you’re sipping at a cold one. Whatever you may be
doing, you are about to be surprised!
I have a report for you on the quarter-finals! And there has
been an upset!
Eight semi final places were up for grabs, with five of them
going to English players! The two players spoiling the party
for the English boys were Lucas Serme and Rudi
Rohrmüller.
The first boys quarter-final was Serme against James Earles.
Lucas was pushed for a while, losing the first 12/10. James
put up a hard fight, but finally went down in 4. Rohrmüller
cruised through powerfully in 3 games against the Czech
Republic's Daniel Mekbib.
In the all English quarter-final, Charles Sharpes
booked his semi final place with a 3/0 victory over Nathan
Lake. Ben Coleman also won in convincing style
against Rick Penders of the Netherlands, who put out Robert
Downer in the last 16.
Three semi-final places were taken by the English girls, but
only after some tough battles. Millie Tomlinson was
taken to four by a feisty Tesni Evans, Julianne Courtice
(who replaced Emily Whitlock at the last minute) came
through 12/10 in the fifth after a real tussle with Melissa
Alves of France, while Carrie Ramsey eased past Anna
Klimundova in three.
The last match of the day between Kim Hay and Cyrielle
Peltier of France was delayed about 45 minutes after
some long matches and it had to go all the way.
Kim could make it a quartet of English semi-final places
with a win, but soon found herself 2/0 down. She fought back
to take the match to a decider, but Cyrielle would not give
in and after some superb retrieving (and a couple of awful
errors at the end from both girls), the French girl finally
took it 11/9 in the fifth.
So we now only have another 130 individual matches left to
play.
Today we had a late finish and as I write the players are
rushing to catch the last bus. The coaches are downing their
beers (probably alcohol free as coaches don’t drink
obviously!), an English girl is taking her food back to the
hotel in a bucket and one of our Refs has just smashed his
racket!
So sleep tight and don’t let the bed bugs bite, especially
if you’re reading this in the morning and if you are … GET
UP AND PUT THE KETTLE ON!!
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Quarter-Finals:
Lucas Serme (Fra)
bt James Earles (Eng)
10/12, 11/9, 11/3, 11/4
Charles Sharpes (Eng) bt Nathan Lake (Eng)
9/11, 11/6, 11/2, 11/3
Ben Coleman (Eng) bt Rick Penders (Ned)
11/1, 11/5, 11/4
Rudi Rohrmuller (Ger) bt Daniel Mekbib (Cze)
11/4, 13/11, 11/6
Millie Tomlinson (Eng) bt Tesni Evans (Wal)
12/10, 9/11, 11/4, 11/4
Julianne Courtice (Eng) bt Melissa Alves (Fra)
11/5, 11/6, 4/11, 10/12, 12/10
Carrie Ramsey (Eng) by Anna Klimundova (Cze)
14/12, 11/7, 11/7
Cyrielle Peltier (Fra) bt Kim Hay (Eng)
12/10, 11/8, 7/11, 8/11, 11/9
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Saturday Diary ...
Chocolate, Beer, Knees ...
 Reporting
on events seems to me to be something of a bore. It’s always
the same; he won this, she won that, he was in devastating
form, scintillating drop shots, attacking lobs (joke) etc.
I was also wondering however, if most people would prefer to
have more of that reporting style. I find it easier to blog
and as I have had positive feedback I shall try to keep on
the same wave. So sorry to those who do not approve, but I’m
no journalist and unfortunately as championship referee,
don’t get a lot of time to watch the matches.
I was reading a blog from a BBC reporter a few weeks ago and
he was covering the League Cup final at Wembley. Most of his
blog however contained his in depth description of his lunch
consisting of a bacon sandwich and a Toffee Crisp. Which
leads me nicely on to an interesting topic for me; favourite
chocolate bars!
I’ve been in Austria for many years now and still prefer
Dairy Milk to any other chocolate. It was suggested to me
that your favourite bar is that first one you remember
eating as a child. I guess that maybe true. So once again
thanks to Rob!
As far as squash is concerned maybe the answer lies there
within, as to why many of us play the game. Once you try it,
you enjoy it, fall in love and it remains your favourite
sport for ever and ever, or until your knees give in! I seem
to have that same notion when it comes to beer, and after
too much of that my knees also give way!!
 There
have been no surprises today (bit of squash talk here!) and
all matches are running on time.
The players are behaving themselves and till now, no one has
thrown anything out of the hotel window (memories of 1999
coming back here. The culprits from then know who they are
and I shall mention no names for fear of serious
embarrassment).
All matches but one went with seeding, but some have had
close calls. The Refs are doing a fine job, but as I said
all pretty calm till now. Tomorrow is another day and the
matches will be longer as the games get tighter.
So I’m off for some grub and wonder who will keep people’s
spirits up tomorrow by tripping over the bottom row of the
seating ...
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Tournament Site
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Friday 26th, Day One Diary:
Weird day!! I’ve just read that some guy thinks he can do my
job with his eyes shut! You may think he’s just “avin’ a
Laugh!”, but no, the really funny thing is that he’s deadly
serious. Mad obviously, but serious none the less. He
wouldn’t even find the keyhole to open the office door with
his eyes open, let alone closed!
I don’t want to bother you with the politics of squash in
Austria (just getting something off my chest), but I’d have
loved to watch this guy put the seating gallery together
this morning for one. My biceps are killing me. Best
training I’ve had in years and bear in mind that the club is
on the 7th floor!!
I guess though that I still feel better than my colleague
Michael Khan. His bones creak on daily basis as it is. He’s
gonna be sore tomorrow.
So, enough drivel!
All is going smoothly till now, but then we haven’t started
yet! Most players have arrived safely, but the Welsh have no
luggage!! We’ve surprisingly had only ONE withdrawal (we had
over 20 for the Austrian Junior Open in the last week
alone!!). Emily Whitlock has been knocked out by a stomach
bug and cannot participate. Bad news for her, so a get well
soon message here from us. Best wishes also go out to Markus
Ristic, who was due to help us out in the tournament office,
but was taken ill with heart problems on Tuesday. He’s on
the mend so we hope to have him back soon.
It’s been a long but productive day, so I’m off to the
managers meeting and opening dinner, to press gang a couple
of players into blogging a bit for Squashsite and see if any
Welsh baggage has turned up!
And just to finish off today as a private footnote:-
Thanks for the Dairy Milk Mr. Downer. Congrats to Nick on
the win. Great effort, especially after that marathon
yesterday. And by the way, no mention of a bar yet Miss
Beddoes, except the chocolate form of course!!
More to come……
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An
organiser's dream nightmare
The
sun is blazing down on me and I have a chilled cocktail in
my hand. As I sip at the blended fruits and stare up at the
blue sky, I am thankful for the 1 million Euro I was able to
invest in the European Juniors and all the help that I’ve
received.
For the first time ever the tournament organiser has
actually had nothing to do! Everyone has been so helpful and
taken on all the work. “Put your feet up lad, we’ll do it
for you. Just relax and watch us work”
Oh the joy of that lottery win! After this is over I’ll pay
back everyone in kind and remember how at the beginning
I…..strange noise…..getting louder in my left ear……the phone
is ringing……the phone is…..that’s not the phone…….it’s the
alarm clock……alarm clock……ALARM CLOCK!!!!! Damn!
That’s the end of another crazy dream. It’s Monday morning
and there is one hell of a lot to do! Bleary eyes!! Get me a
coffee!!
The European U19 Junior Championships start this weekend in
Vienna.
Top seeds for the individuals are France’s Lucas Serme
and Millie Tomlinson of England, but both can expect
some pretty stiff competition. Over 100 future young stars
are descending on us and the preparation is in full swing.
No, I did not win the lottery, I do have to do the work
myself and yes, I am running around like a blue ar….um….er…..
idiot.
Still, should be good fun when it all starts. Watch this
space for more reports, photos and general drivel from me!
See you all in Vienna ...
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Tournament Site
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Andy's Austrian Junior Open Diary |
Men's 1st round draw:
[1] Lucas Serme (FRA) bye
[17/32] Philip Riedl (GER) v Richard Nadvornik (CZE)
[17/32] Marcus Greslehner (AUT) v Joonas Honkanen (FIN)
[9/16] Lukas Burkhart (SUI) v Dimitri Diamadopoulos (ITA)
[9/16] Miroslav Celler (SVK) v Georgy Beeckman (BEL)
[17/32] Alex Christensson (SWE) v Sebastian Koberl (AUT)
[17/32] Lowie Brabants (BEL) v Gabor Szabo (HUN)
[5/8] James Earles (ENG) v Mark Povlsen (DEN)
[5/8] Nathan Lake (ENG) v Joel Siewerdt (SUI)
[17/32] Philip Tran (DEN) v Jan van der Herrewegen (BEL)
[17/32] Paul Bonabesse (FRA) v Rory Birtwistle (ENG)
[9/16] Zbynek Standera (CZE) v Alberto Perez Pomares
(ESP)
[9/16] Arthur Moineau (FRA) v Thomas Messerer (AUT)
[17/32] Martin Svec (CZE) v Ville Hiltunen (FIN)
[17/32] Nyall Driscoll (WAL) v Ramon Gubi (HUN)
[3/4] Charles Sharpes (ENG) bye
[3/4] Ben Coleman (ENG) bye
[17/32] Hugo Varela Campo (ESP) v Cedric Kuchen (SUI)
[17/32] Ondrej Uherka (CZE) v Svante Sandell (SWE)
[9/16] Theodore Anderson (IRL) v Manuel Kurzwell (AUT)
[9/16] Rick Penders (NED) v Kristian de Silva Nielsen
(DEN)
[17/32] Damien Volland (FRA) v Aitor Zunzunegui (ESP)
[17/32] Valentin Rapp (GER) v Lars Klaening (NOR)
[5/8] Robert Downer (ENG) v Dario Bosch (SUI)
[5/8] Daniel Mekbib (CZE) v Tom Lucas (NED)
[17/32] Marco Graziotti (SUI) v Daniel Nagel (AUT)
[17/32] Sam Fenwick (WAL) v Marc ter Sluis (NED)
[9/16] Tom de Mulder (BEL) v Dominik Penkov (SUI)
[9/16] David Haley (WAL) v Tatu Knuutila (FIN)
[17/32] Benedek Sebok (HUN) v Seamus Harmon (IRL)
[17/32] Tim van der Pluijm (NED) v Lukas Levinsky (CZE)
[2] Rudi Rohrmuller (GER) bye
Women's 1st round draw:
[1] Millie Tomlinson (ENG) bye
Jennie Lindstrom (SWE) v Marina de Juan (ESP)
[17/32] Tereza Svobodova (CZE) bye
[9/16] Julia Lecoq (FRA) bye
[9/16] Ilona Lagerweij (NED) bye
[17/32] Franziska Hennes (GER) bye
Fatime Farkas (HUN) v Amalie Bornaes (DEN)
[5/8] Tesni Evans (WAL) bye
[5/8] Melissa Alves (FRA) bye
Nikki van der Heijden (NED) v Emilia Soini (FIN)
[17/32] Veronika Jirkova (CZE) bye
[9/16] Sandra Polak (AUT) bye
[9/16] Hannah Jane Davies (WAL) bye
[17/32] Tessa ter Sluis (NED) bye
Anja Kaserer (AUT) v Monica Menegozzi (ITA)
[3/4] Julianne Courtice (ENG) bye
[3/4] Carrie Ramsey (ENG) bye
Jennifer Hegarty (IRL) v Fabienne Oppliger (SUI)
[17/32] Sabrina Rehman (AUT) bye
[9/16] Ashley Tidman (FRA) bye
[9/16] Caroline Sayegh (GER) bye
[17/32] Denisa Peleskova (CZE) bye
Sara Esperon (ESP) v Millie Jensen (DEN)
[5/8] Anna Klimundova (CZE) bye
[5/8] Cyrielle Peltier (FRA) bye
Cathryn Abernethy (IRL) v Matilda Ravn-Holm (SWE)
[17/32] Marika Doubravova (CZE) bye
[9/16] Andrea Malinova (SVK) bye
[9/16] Agapi Kazamia (SUI) bye
[17/32] Natalie Babjukova (CZE) v Nele Gilis (BEL)
Nana Frederiksen (DEN) v Laura Lagerweij (NED)
[2] Kimberley Hay (ENG) bye
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