Photo Galleries

Photo Galleries

Completed Draws

Men.pdf
Women.pdf

MO35.pdf
MO40.pdf
MO45.pdf
MO50.pdf
MO55.pdf
MO60.pdf
MO65.pdf
MO70 GA.pdf
MO70 GB.pdf

WO35.pdf
WO40 GA.pdf
WO40 GB.pdf
WO45.pdf
WO50.pdf
WO55.pdf
WO60.pdf

Full Results Listing

Full Results Listing

(all photos also available on Picasa)

MEN O40 SF
[5/8] Mike Harris Bt [3/4] Mark Webster 7-11 11-4 11-8 11-1 29m
[5/8] Mike Gregory Bt [5/8] Pete Goodings 11-8 11-5 11-9 25m

Mike Gregory booked his place in the final with a 3-0 victory over Pete Goodings in 25 minutes. Both players put their racket skills on show in this one with some great boasts and deceptive shots thrown in. Gregory started on fire in the first and found himself 10-1 up only for Goodings to take the next 7 points on the trot, Gregory held his nerve though and went on to take the game 11-8. The second was more closely contested but at 5-5 Gregory started to pull away and took it 11-5 and went on to clinch the 3rd game 11-9 to book his spot in the final.

Gregory will now face Club Coach Mike Harris after he continued his great run by taking out another top seed in Mark Webster. Webster started well and took the first 11-7, Harris came out fighting in the 2nd and from 4-3 up started to dominate and eventually took the game 11-4. Webster competed better in the 3rd and matched Harris point for point until at 8-8 Harris closed it out 11-8, Harris 2-1 up now and didn’t look back as he cruised into the final with an 11-1 win in the fourth game.


MEN O45 SF
[1] Neil Baldwin Bt [3/4] Simon Martin 3-11 6-11 11-5 11-4 11-5 in 65m
Andy Murray Bt [2] Marc Thornley 11-4 9-11 11-6 11-2 in 33m

Simon Martin gave Neil Baldwin a real good run for his money in their semi final which went over the hour. Martin started well and took the first game 11-3 only for Baldwin to come back and take the second. The match then see sawed between the pair with neither seeming able to take real control as they headed into a fifth. That game then saw Baldwin start to pull away from 3-3 to 8-4 and then held his nerve to close the game out 11-5.

Baldwin will now face Andy Murray who knocked out the 2nd seed Marc Thornley in 4 games. Murray got a good start and took the first 11-4 only for Thornley to kick on in the 2nd and take a close game 11-9. The match was played with a fierce pace and Murray seemed to have the fresher legs and managed to take the 3rd 11-6, Thornley was noticeably fading in the 4th and Murray took full advantage to take the game and the match to book a place in the final.

WOMEN O45 SF
[1] Lesley Sturgess Bt [3/4] Christine Baldwin 11-1 11-5 11-5 in 13m
[3/4] Bev Vatcher Bt Claire Baker 11-9 11-8 11-4 in 35m

Bev Vatcher got through a tough game against Claire Baker in 3 games to go into the Final. Both girls got the blue ball flying around the court and the first two games got a little scrappy with both games going to the wire but it was Vatcher who seemed to keep her cool and focus amongst the ‘lets’ best to close the games out. Vatcher sealed it in the 3rd in a more comfortable fashion 11-4.

She will now face defending champ Lesley Sturgess who played very well against Christine Baldwin to take a 3-0 victory in just 13 minutes. Sturgess seems determined to hold onto her title and didn’t give Baldwin much hope.

MEN O50 SF
[1] Patrick Osborn Bt [5/8] Buzby Williams 11-7 11-4 11-2 in 40m
[3/4] Paul Haigh Bt [5/8] Janak Malkani 11-5 11-13 11-4 11-6 42m

Patrick Osborn continued to impress against Buzby Williams as he made his way into the final with a 3-0 victory. The match was a lot more difficult than the score reflects with the mast lasting 40 minutes, Williams competed in the rallies well but Osborn was too good and now moves into the final to face 3/4 seed Paul Haigh. Haigh had a tougher match against Janak Malkani in a what was a well contested match, Malkani did take a game from Haigh but couldn’t push on, Haigh was too good on the day and moves into the final.

WOMEN O50 SF
[1] Lesley Sturgess v [3/4] Carolyn Boyd 11-4 11-7 11-7 in 13m
Paula Arrowsmith Bt [3/4] Jane Smith 11-1 11-2 11-7 in 18m

Paula Arrowsmith continued to knock down the seeds as she beat Jane Smith 3-0 in a dominant fashion. Arrowsmith took control from the start and was 2 games up before Smith had a chance to impose herself on the match. Smith did find her feet in the 3rd but was unable to take a game, Arrowsmith takes it 3-0 and now moves on to play Lesley Sturgess who got past Carolyn Boyd in straight games. With both Sturgess and Arrowsmith in two finals this will be a tough one to call.

MEN O55 SF
[1] Rob Shay Bt Clive Hickford 11-4 11-2 11-6 in 24m
Peter Scott Bt Gerald Burr 11-7 11-9 11-5 in 25m

Rob Shay and Peter Scott will now face in the MO55 Final as they both recorded 3-0 victories in 25 minutes. Both players are playing well and neither looked in much danger as they beat Hickford and Burr respectively.

MEN O60 SF
[1] Ian Graham Bt Peter Pietruszka 11-4 11-5 11-9 in 22m
[2] Roy Burns Bt [3/4] Graham Greensall 9-11 11-2 11-5 11-6 in 54m

Two contrasting semi finals in the Mens O60’s as top seed Ian Graham bet Peter Pietruszka in straight games in just over 20 minutes whilst Roy Burns had a much harder game against Graham Greensall. Burns lost the first game 11-9 but then came back to win the match 3-1. That doesn’t justify the effort that both players put into this game as it took almost an hour for Burns to take those 3 games.

Photo Gallery

Draws

Men.pdf
Women.pdf

MO35.pdf
MO40.pdf
MO45.pdf
MO50.pdf
MO55.pdf
MO60.pdf
MO65.pdf
MO70 GA.pdf
MO70 GB.pdf

WO35.pdf
WO40 GA.pdf
WO40 GB.pdf
WO45.pdf
WO50.pdf
WO55.pdf
WO60.pdf

Full Results Listing

All main draw matches will take place throughout the weekend at Edgbaston Priory Club with play starting at 17.00 on Friday 28 June.

Semi Finals and Finals will be played on Sunday 30 June with the Men and Women’s final scheduled to take place from 15.40.

All spectators are welcomed into the club to watch the event free of charge.

Saturday, Quarter-Finals:

MEN QF
[1] Tim Vail bt [5/8] Mike Tolman 6-11 11-2 11-8 11-8 34m
[5/8] Jaymie Haycocks bt [3/4] Nick Mulvey 11-8 11-6 11-7 35m
[3/4] Ted Jeal bt [5/8] Elliot Selby 8-11 12-10 11-5 11-7 54m
[2] Dominic Hamilton bt [5/8] Tom Phipps 11-3 11-5 11-9 27m

Tim Vail continues his title defence after a shay start but will now face a much tougher test in his semi final against Jaymie Haycocks who defeated Nick Mulvey 3-0.

Elliot Selby will be kicking himself after being a game up and having match ball to go 2-0 up against 3/4 seed Ted Jeal. Jeal managed to snatch the tie break in the second and didn’t look back from there taking the next two games in a hard fought 54 minute match. Jeal will now come up against 2nd seed Dominic Hamilton who looks to be in fine form after he got past Tom Phipps relatively untroubled.

WOMEN QF
[1] Claire Walker bt Rachel Hughes 11-1 11-1 11-2 11m
[3/4] Matilda Parslow bt Bev Munro Walkover
Paula Arrowsmith bt Sally Merchant 11-2 14-12 11-9 18m
[2] Rhianne O’Donnell bt Jayne Dixon Walkover

The Women's draw has been deprived of action from walkovers since it was released but two quarter final matches did go ahead today as Claire Walker took on one of the Jersey girls Rachel Hughes. Hughes is also entered in the Women's Over 50 category but in the true spirit of the game put her name down for more than one category.

Walker was dominant from the start and being involved in two categories herself went all out for the win taking no prisoners. A quick victory ensued sending her into the semi finals against club team mate Matilda Parslow.

Paula Arrowsmith defeated Sally Merchant to take her place in the semi finals, Merchant took a game to get settled and was pushed Arrowsmith all the way in the 2nd and 3rd games but couldn’t quite take the vital points that mattered near the end. Arrowsmith now faces 2nd seed Rhianne O’Donnell for a place in the final.

MEN O35 SEMI FINALS
[1] Richard Davies bt [3/4] Matt Baker 8-11 11-2 8-11 11-6 Rtd
[3/4] Andy Corben bt [2] Nick Staunton 11-1 11-8 11-8

Richard Davies made his way to the final after a heated match against Matt Baker. The match was filled with tension from the get go with both players getting frustrated with each other and the longer the match played on the more heated it became.

With the match tied at 2 all Baker offered Davies his hand and retired sending Davies into the final. He will now face 3/4 seed Andy Corben who beat the 2nd seed Nick Staunton 3-0.

Corben got off to a great start taking the first game 11-1, Staunton battled back in the final 2 games but couldn’t stop Corben from taking the win and a place in the final.

WOMEN O35 RR

With two games still to be played in this group it is still wide open however Sam Mueller looks to be the early favourite to give defending Champion Sarah Taylor a run for her money. Both Mueller and Taylor have won their first matches and their final matches are against each other which could turn out to be the decider.

MEN O40 QF
[5/8] Mike Harris bt [1] James Powley 14-12 11-6 8-11 4-11 12-10 in 49m
[3/4] Mark Webster bt [5/8] Chris Port 11-8 11-7 9-11 11-6 in 25m
[5/8] Mike Gregory bt [3/4] David Lord 11-5 Rtd
[5/8] Pete Goodings bt [2] Andy McDonald 10-12 11-3 11-9 11-9

Mike Harris and James Powley were involved in one of the matches of the day. Harris took a very tightly contested first game 14-12 and continued on in good form to take the second 11-6. Powley, defending O40 Champion came back strong to level the match at 2-2 and take it into a fifth.

Both players matched each other and the fifth headed to a tie break, Harris the club coach at Edgbaston had tremendous support from the home crowd and that could’ve only helped to see him over the finish line as he took the fifth 12-10 and the match 3-2 in 49 mins. He will now face Mark Webster in the Semi Final after he defeated Chris Port 3-1.

Mike Gregory had a relatively trouble free path to the Semi Finals after his opponent David Lord retired with an injury after the first game. Gregory with fresh legs will now take on fellow 5/8 seed Pete Goodings who overcame 2nd seed Andy McDonald. McDonald took the first 12-10 but Goodings responded well and took the second 11-3, McDonald made it a much tighter two games from there on but it was Goodings who took the vital points at the end of the games to take them 11-9 11-9 and put himself through to the Semis.

WOMEN O40 RR

Claire Walker is on course to defend her WO40 title as she topped her round robin group with victories over Sue Smith and Nikki Faux. She will now face the winner of the second group Sam Mueller in the final.

Mueller has dominated her group and finished top of the pile without dropping a game. Her toughest match of the group came from Vik Jarvis who came second and will now face Sue Smith in a 3/4 play off.

MEN O45 QF

[1] Neil Baldwin bt David McKenna 11-3 11-8 11-0 in 26m
[3/4] Simon Martin bt Adrian Murphy 11-5 8-11 11-6 11-3 in 25m
Andy Murray bt Rob Watkins 8-11 11-7 11-7 11-9 in 35m
[2] Marc Thornley bt Jeremy Longley 7-11 11-0 11-8 11-3 in 40m

Neil Baldwin made his way into the semi finals with a comprehensive victory over David McKenna, he will now go on to face 3/4 seed Simon Martin who defeated Adrian Murphy 3-1. Andy Murray made his way into the semi finals against Rob Watkins, Watkins took the first game but couldn’t take real control after that as Murray stayed focused and took the next 3 games. He will come up against 2nd seed Marc Thornley who similarly came back from a game down to take the 3-1 victory in 40 minutes.

WOMEN O45 QF

[1] Lesley Sturgess bt Carolyn Boyd 11-7 11-6 11-9 in 12m
[3/4] Christine Baldwin bt Sarah Brown 11-4 11-6 12-10 in 18m
[3/4] Bev Vatcher bt Jo Shelley 11-4 1-11 11-4 11-9 in 29m
Claire Baker bt Siobhan Garland 7-11 11-4 11-6 11-2 in 30m

Lesley Sturgess keeps her hopes of a double double alive as continues into the Semi Finals of both WO45 and WO50. Sturgess recorded a 3-0 victory in just 12 minutes against Boyd but the scores show it was far from easy as Boyd gave a good account of herself in what was a fast paced match.

Sturgess now faces Christine Baldwin who was in control until the third when Brown took it to a tie break but Baldwin stayed focussed and took the game 12-10 to put herself in the Semi Finals. Bev Vatcher made her way into the semis with a 3-1 victory over Jo Shelley, Shelley fought well and came out fighting in the second after losing the first game to take it 11-1.

Vatcher re-focussed and duly came out to claim the second two games ending Shelleys hopes. Vatcher now faces Claire Baker who surprised the number 2 seed Siobhan Garland by taking that match 3-1 in 30 minutes.

MEN O50 QF
[1] Patrick Osborn bt Steve Bourne 11-5 12-10 11-5 in 28m
[5/8] Buzby Williams bt [3/4] Paul Smith 11-6 11-13 11-7 11-9 in 49m
[3/4] Paul Haigh bt [9/16] Mike Phillips 11-9 9-11 9-11 11-8 12-10 in 77m
[5/8] Janak Malkani bt [2] Darren Withey 11-9 11-7 11-4 in 33m

A great day of QF matches in the Men O50’s today. Buzby Williams makes his way to the semi finals after a hard fought win over 3/4 seed Paul Smith, each match was tight but Williams did just enough to take the crucial points, he will now face the number 1 seed Patrick Osborn who compared had an easier time with Steve Bourne, taking the match 3-0 in just under half an hour.

The longest match of the day goes to Paul Haigh who had a very tough battle with Mike Phillips. The match swung between both players 11-9, 9-11, 11-9 – so close and tense it obviously headed into a fifth and of course into a tie break in the fifth! Haigh the victor 12-10 who will now face an in form Janak Malkani who took out the number 2 seed in straight games. Malkani will be hoping Mike Phillips has given him an advantage as he goes into the Semi Final with fresh legs.

WOMEN O50 QF
[1] Lesley Sturgess bt Tracey Billingham 11-7 11-7 11-8 in 20m
[3/4] Carolyn Boyd bt Kim Johnson WO
[3/4] Jane Smith bt Rachel Hughes 11-7 11-3 11-8 in 16m
Paula Arrowsmith bt [2] Carolyn Lindsay 6-11 11-7 11-9 11-7 in 30m

Sturgess came through in straight games to face Carolyn Boyd who has found herself in the Semi Finals after a walkover in the quarters. Jane Smith had too much for Rachel Hughes as she recorded a 3-0 victory to set up a semi final against Paula Arrowsmith.

Arrowsmith has played well this weekend and fought hard to come back from a game down against the number 2 seed Carolyn Lindsay. Lindsay pushed her all the way in each game but Arrowsmith closed the games out when she needed to and moves into the semi finals with a 3-1 victory.

MEN O55 QF
[1] Rob Shay bt Simon Nuttall 12-10 11-8 11-5 in 22m
Clive Hickford bt [3/4] James Murphy 9-11 11-9 11-6 11-5 in 30m
Peter Scott bt Collis Sheik 8-11 11-4 11-7 11-6 in 37m
Gerald Burr bt Colin Turner 11-4 11-4 11-2 in 14m

Rob Shay remains the only seed in this event as he chases another national title. Shay defeated Simon Nuttall 3-0 to set up a clash with Clive Hickford who knocked out 3/4 seed James Murphy. Peter Scott beat Collis Sheik in 4 games in the longest QF in this category to set up a match against Gerald Burr who recorded the quickest QF as he beat Colin Turner 3-0 in just 14 minutes.

WOMEN O55 RR
Christine Park looks favourite to win this round robin group after recording two 3-0 victories over Frances Humphries and Jacky Owen. Park will face Jane Smith in her final match which will be the title decider.

Smith has a victory over Jacky Owen and a defeat against Frances Humphries so a win against Park is crucial if she is to take top spot which is currently held by Park.

MEN O60 QF
[1] Ian Graham bt Colin Iseard 11-1 11-2 11-2 in 16m
Peter Pietruszka bt [3/4] David Mudge 11-6 6-11 11-3 5-0 Rtd
[3/4] Graham Greensall bt Keith Chambers 11-7 9-11 11-8 5-11 11-3 in 41m
[2] Roy Burns bt Phillip Clarke 11-5 11-5 11-6 in 26m

Ian Graham took complete control of his match against Colin Iseard and didn’t waste any time booking his place into the semi finals recording a 3-0 victory in 16 minutes. He will face Peter Pietruszka who won his match against David Mudge after Mudge was forced to retire after feeling unwell halfway through their match.

Graham Greensall had a 41 minute battle against Keith Chambers but managed to do the job in the fifth, he faces Roy Burns who was steady throughout his match against Phillip Clarke taking it 3-0 in 26 minutes.

WOMEN O60 RR
This group is nicely poised for Linda Smith and Bett Dryhurst to battle for the title. Both have won their first two matches against Gloria Saunders and Ali Wood who will now play each other to decide the 3rd and 4th places. Dryhurst is defending Champ and is sure to put up a fight to retain her title for another year.

MEN O65 RR
Lancashires David Scurlock was victorious in the Mens O65 round robin as he recorded most victories in the group. His toughest opponent was Bryan Patterson who managed to take a game from Scurlock but wasn’t strong enough to push him any further. Scurlock takes the title with Patterson facing Howard Thompson for the runner up spot.

MEN O70 RR
Two round robin groups have been in action in the Mens O70’s. John Shingler tops group A after victories over Brian Gurnett and Gordon Stringer. Shingler will now face the winner from the second group in the final which will be Rod Embley should he get past Martin Sweeney in their final group game.
 

Saturday, Morning report:

Men:

Tim Vail continues his defence with a 3-0 over Neil Chambers, he now comes up against Mike Tolman who managed to overcome Steve Wykes 3-1. Nick Mulvey got through a tough 55 minute match against Miles Jenkins, Jenkins fought well to win the 4th but couldn’t find enough to take the 5th game, Mulvey prevailing and will now face 5/8 seed Jaymie Haycocks.

5/8 seed Elliot Selby continues to progress after a good win over Andrew Breen, Selby now faces 3/4 seed Ted Jeal who fought back well to win his match against Jason Pike after going a game down early. The last QF will see Tom Phipps take on Dominic Hamilton. Hamilton had the easier morning with a 3-0 victory over Andrew Lindsay whilst Phipps had 56 minute battle with Craig Chappell.

Mens Over 50:

Top seed Patrick Osborn came through his first match with little fuss as he won 3-0 in just under 20 minutes against Mike Pownall. Osborne will now face Steve Bourne in the Quarters. Bourne is unseeded but so far has taken out a 9/16 seed and today defeated 5/8 seed Gabriel Uttley 3-0.

3/4 seed Paul Smith is still on track as he beat Matt Hibberd 3-0, he will now face Buzby Williams who overcame Paul Fennel 3-0 but was tested more than the score reflects as the games were 11-8 16-14 11-9 in 36 minutes.

Mike Phillips has made his way into the QF as he beat 5/8 seed Keith Palmer 3-1, he will go through to face 3/4 seed Paul Haigh. 2nd seed Darren Withey managed to overcome Steve Gay 3-1, he now play 5/8 seed Janak Malkani who came through after defeating Colin Bunch 3-0.

Mens Over 55:

The top half of the O55 draw is seeing the seeds come through unscathed, top seed Rob Shay is through to the QF after beating Steve Gardiner 3-0. 3/4 seed James Murphy is safely through after a 3-0 victory over Anthony Williams. In the bottom half, both top seeds have come unstuck with Collis Sheik knocking out 3/4 seed Trevor Grant and Gerald Burr defeating 2nd seed Rennie Kapila 3-0.

Friday, Day One:

The Championships started at 5pm on Friday evening at the impressively refurbished Edgbaston Priory. The Mens draw saw the majority of players compete and there were little upsets to report. 9/16 seed and Club coach Mike Edwards was the only seed to fall as he had an hour long battle with Jason Pike. Edwards took the first but Pike took the next two, Edwards sealed the fourth game to take it into the 5th but it was Pike who came out on top. Pike will now face the 3/4 seed Ted Jeal tomorrow and will need to put in a similar battling performance.

Defending champ Tim Vail started his defence well as he took a straight game victory over Billy Jones, Vails racket skills and experience were too much for the young Jones to compete with. Vail will now face 9/16 seed Neil Chambers in next round, Chambers also got off to a great start in the tournament as he took his first game against Nick Wynd 11-0. Wynd competed better in the 2nd and 3rd games but couldn’t stop Chambers from taking a 3-0 victory in 15 minutes.

Jamie Haycocks much like Chambers was also fast out of the blocks to take his first game 11-0 in ruthless fashion. He didn’t let up and also took a quick 3-0 victory in 15 minutes. Haycocks will now face 9/16 seed Olli Turner who had a slightly tougher first match against Peter Higgins which he took 3-1 in 36 minutes.

The Mens O50 saw the most upsets as 3 of the 9/16 seeds were knocked out. Steve Bourne won a 5 set battle in 50 minutes against 9/16 Stuart Ferguson, Paul Brooks knocked out 9/16 Jack Gilchrist in 3 games as did Steven Gay against 9/16 Nick Tobin. Brooks and Gay now have tougher tests ahead as they take on the 3/4 and 2nd seed in the next round.

In the MO45, 3/4 seed Simon Martin worked harder than he expected in his first round as Adrian Morris pushed him all the way into a fifth. Morris clinched the 4th game 12-10 but Martin got the lead in the final game and stayed focused to close it out 11-7 after 40 minutes.
 

Back to Birmingham
for the Racketball Nationals
preview from Paul Houghton

The Dunlop National Racketball Championships will take place at the newly refurbished Edgbaston Priory Club in Birmingham this weekend as they welcome close to 200 competitors across 16 categories onto their brand new courts.

Tim Vail (Sussex), defending Men’s Champion returns as top seed and favourite as he aims to take his 6th title which would see him equal Daryl Selby’s record of most titles won. He is likely to be tested all the way with the likes of 2nd seed Dominic Hamilton (Yorkshire) and 3/4 seeds Nick Mulvey (Hertfordshire) and Ted Jeal (Kent) all looking to win their first title.

The Women’s trophy will be guaranteed a new name engraved on it; Claire Walker (Yorkshire) enters the event as favourite as she looks to win her first Women’s title whilst also defending her O40 crown. She is seeded to meet Rhianne O’Donnell (Somerset) in the final which looks likely to be a battle of youth vs. experience.

Sarah Taylor (Lancashire) returns as favourite to retain her WO35 title as does Richard Davies (Staffordshire) in the MO35. Davies is seeded to meet Nicholas Staunton (Warwickshire) in the final which would be a repeat of last year’s event.

James Powley (Cambridgeshire) also faces a similar proposition as he is back to defend his MO40 title and looks set to meet last year’s final opposition, Andy McDonald (Buckinghamshire). Lesley Sturgess (Derbyshire) is back as top seed in the WO50 and WO55 as she aims to defend both titles to do a double double.

Having first competed in this tournament almost 30 years ago, Bett Dryhurst (Worcestershire) is back to defend her WO60 crown. Dryhurst has won an incredible 25 titles since she first became Women’s winner in 1986 and will be aiming to keep that winning streak going by claiming a 26th this weekend and confirming that she is one of the most successful racketball players ever to grace the court.