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 English
National Schools Championships 2010
15-18 March, Manchester |
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Thu 18th, Day Four, Under 19
Finals:
Millfield Stars impress the
Prime Minister
The last day of the Finals week in the National Schools
Championships saw Millfield return hoping to make history
and continue their dominance in this event.
Millfield have won both Girls and Boys Under 19 titles for
the past 7 years, this year returning with Aditya Jagtap –
India’s number 1 U19 player and Marwan El Shorbagy – current
U17 British Junior Open Champion from Egypt they didn’t look
like relinquishing their title.
In the Girls semi final it was Benenden who were given the
challenge to upset Millfield. Millfield girls were
spearheaded by Slovakian Andrea Malinova and Welsh U17 #3
Fiona Murphy. Benenden took the first game with the #5
string winning 3-1 but were unable to carry on the momentum
as Millfield took the next 4 strings 3-0 to move into the
final.
Central Newcastle took on Heathside in the other semi, with
Central lead by Kim Hay (ranked #2 in England) and Heathside
lead by Harriet Ingham (ranked #6 in England) this was not
an easy tie to call. Central Newcastle's #5 took an early
lead after coming from 2 games down to win 3-2 as their #3
recorded a 3-0 win.
Hay v Ingham up next and it was Ingham who took the first
game 11/8. Hay never gave up and both girls played a very
fast paced game, Hay having the edge and taking the next 3
games to put her team in a great position. Heathside managed
to take a game with Georgie Ingham defeating Maria
Bainbridge 3-0, it wasn’t enough though as Central Newcastle
ran out 4-1 winners overall.
The Boys semi finals saw Wellington take on Wycliffe.
Wycliffe went into the lead with a win at string 3, then
Nick Hopcroft (ranked #7 in England) from Wellington took on
Kale Wilson (ranked #1 in Trinidad and Tobago) from
Wycliffe. It was a very tight match and harder than the
scores reflect, Hopcroft taking the game 12/10 11/9 11/8.
Wycliffe were too strong in depth for Wellington and
eventually ran out comfortable winners taking the tie 4-1.
RGS Newcastle had the task of trying to stop Millfield’s
international stars. RGS gave everything they had but were
unable to match the power and pace of the Millfield outfit
who were also very strong down the order. A swift 5-0
victory to Millfield which sent them to meet their old
rivals Wycliffe in the final.
The 3/4 Play offs were played with great spirit and were
very competitive, Wellington taking 3rd place in their first
finals appearance in the Boys and Heathside defeating local
rivals Benenden for 3rd place in the Girls.
The Girls Final started with Millfield racing out the
blocks, taking two 3-0 victories at strings 4 and 5. The
number ones were up next and Central Newcastle’s Kim Hay
took no time to show why she was ranked #2 in England as she
quickly dispatched Millfield's Andrea Malinova 3-0 to give
Central Newcastle some hope. Millfield soon seized control
of the tie though as they took the remaining strings with
3-0 victories to claim their 8th successive U19 National
Schools Championship!
Now onto the Boys Final - Millfield v Wycliffe, a rematch of
many U19 National School Finals. Wycliffe took the early
lead as Lyell Fuller defeated Daniel Poleshchuk in a scrappy
match 3-1. Millfield then took the next 2 strings 3-0 to
leave the reigning U17 British Junior Open Champion Marwan
El Shorbagy the chance to clinch a record 8th title.
As the boys got into their battle there was an unexpected
visitor to the courts, the Prime Minister Gordon Brown
popped into the centre and stayed to watch some squash as
Wycliffe's Scott Young tried his best to keep Shorbagy at
bay.
The paparazzi flashes and the VIP spectator didn’t put
Shorbagy off his task as he clinched the title for Millfield
with a convincing 3-0 victory. Double Champions then for
Millfield as their winning streak continues on for at least
another year!
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Prime Minister Gordon Brown at the National Schools finals
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Wed 17th, Day Three
Boys & Girls U15 Championships:
Millfield & Wycliff retain titles
Holders of the Under 15 National School Championships once
again returned to Manchester today, Millfield
girls having retained it for the past two years are
joined by Gosforth, Central Newcastle and
Downe House. Wycliffe boys remain unbeaten in
this competition for the past five years, Millfield
boys are also here and hope to put an end to Wycliffe's run
as are Manchester Grammar and Lancing.
The Girls Semi Finals started with Downe House taking on
Central Newcastle. Central have won 5 of these trophies
since 2000 and were eager to reach the final again after
losing last year’s final against Millfield. Central
Newcastle took the games at strings 1 and 2, with Downe
House taking strings 4 and 5. The game of the tie came from
3rd strings Alex Grime (CN) against Eliza Watson (DH), Grime
went into an early 2-0 lead only for Watson to fight back
and take the last 3 games and to send Downe House into the
Final.
Millfield did not get off to a great start in their semi
final, Gosforth starting the tie strongly and going 2
matches to the good with wins from their #5 and #3 strings.
Millfield took the matches at 3rd and 1st string to level
the tie at 2-2. All on the 2nd strings for a place in the
final, Anna Watling (Gosforth) kept it tight and levelled at
2-2 against Jenny Vincent (Millfield), Vincent pushed on in
the 5th and sent Millfield into their 3rd consecutive final
with an 3-2 win.
The Boys Semi Finals saw Manchester Grammar take on the
tough task of stopping Wycliffes incredible run.
Unfortunately for them they weren’t strong enough to halt
the reigning champions as Wycliffe stormed through to the
finals 5-0 without dropping a game.
Similarly Lancing were out to try and prevent Millfield
reaching the final. Lancing took the first game with their
#5 string but were unable to repeat the feat with Millfield
fielding international talent in the form of Israeli number
1 Daniel Poleshchuk and Egyptian Duman Al-Turki. Both boys
helping Millfield reach the Boys U15 Final as the tie
finished 4-1. Millfield now look forward to a rematch with
Wycliffe in the final and possibly taking revenge as it
Wycliffe who knocked Millfield out of the knockout stage in
last years competition.
The 3/4 play off’s were played in a great spirit, Gosforth
proving too strong in depth against local rivals Central
Newcastle as they won at strings #3, 4 and 5 to take 3rd
place with a 3-2 victory. Lancing also proved too strong
down the order against local boys Manchester Grammar as they
recorded a 4-1 victory to take 3rd place.
The Girls U15 Final was a tight affair with Downe House
taking an early lead, Eliza Watson (Downe House) once again
taking a 3-2 victory at 3rd string against Ffion Thompson
(Millfield), then a 3-0 to Downe House courtesy of their #5
player Laura Burke left them in a great position. Millfields
#1 Fiona Murphy comfortably won 3-0 while Fliss McCarthy at
#4 took her game 3-1 to even the tie at 2-2. Leaving the
#2’s to battle it out for the title. Jenny Vincent
(millfield) took an early lead only for Stroma parker (Downe
House) to come back and take the next 2 games. It was
fitting that the decider would turn into a 5 set battle and
Vincent fought hard to take the next 2 games 11/9 11/9 and
take the trophy back to Millfield for the 3rd year running.
The Boys U15 Final saw Wycliffe run into an early 2-0 lead
with their #5 and #3 taking no time at all to record 3-0
wins. Millfield hit back with their #1 Daniel Poleshchuk,
Lyell Fuller (Wycliffe) managed to take a game but couldn’t
continue at the fast pace they had set with Poleshchuk
winning 3-1. Richard Harvey at #4 then took the game against
Wycliffes Krys Fishwick 3-1, with the Final in the balance
at 2-2 it was down to the #2 again to decide where the title
would go back to. Kyran Young (Wycliffe) against Albie Gibbs
(Millfield), both boys came out blazing and matched each
other well in the first game, to a tie breaker and 13/11 to
Young. Young kept the pressure on Gibbs, 11/7 in the 2nd and
11/8 in the 3rd to take the trophy back to Wycliffe for a
record 6th time!
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Tue 16th, Day Two:
Boys and Girls Under 19 Trophy Finals
The Girls Under 19 Trophy was played as a 3 team round robin
with Queen Margarets, newcomers to the competition taking on
Downe House in the first tie of the day. Downe House were
too strong for Queen Margarets and took a 5-0 victory.
Benenden were the next team to face Queen Margarets and
although the games were tighter and more competitive it was
Benenden who came away with the 5-0 win. The last match
scheduled in the round robin turned out to be the deciding
match and therefore played as a Final. Benenden put up a
good fight but it wasn’t enough as Downe House claimed their
second 5-0 victory of the day and their Girls Under 19
Trophy Title.
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Boys U19 Semi Finals got underway with Peter Symonds facing
Grammar School at Leeds while Richard Huish took on
Tewkesbury. GSAL managed to take the #1 string game but
Peter Symonds were too strong down the order and took the
rest to move into the final with a 4-1 victory. Similar
story in the other Semi as Richard Huish #1 string won his
game after going down 15/17 in the first and coming back to
win 3-2. Tewkesbury were again too strong for their
opponents down the order and also moved into the final with
a 4-1 victory.
 The
3/4 play off saw some excellent competitive squash played
between GSAL and Richard Huish. With the tie hanging at 2-2
it was down to the #4 strings to battle it out. GSAL going 2
up and reaching match ball, only for Richard Huish to save
them and force a tie breaker which Richard Huish managed to
take 13/11. The 4th was just as nail biting as it again went
to a tie breaker. 12/10 the final game score to GSAL who
took the 3rd place.
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Final saw Tewkesbury go up against Peter Symonds, Tewkesbury
took strings 1 and 5 to leave the pressure on the #2
strings. Tewkesbury had the edge and took that game 3-0.
Peter Symonds gave it their all and can take consolation in
winning at strings 3 and 4 to leave the final score line at
3-2. Tewkesbury claiming their first National Trophy Title
with their Boys Under 19 team.
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The National
Schools Squash Championship rolls
into Manchester next week for their grand finale. The event
is being held at the National
Squash Centre from
15 –1 8 March with 4 days of separate finals including Boys
and Girls Under 15 and Under 19 teams.
The week kicks off with the National
Schools Trophy Finals on
Monday and Tuesday. The Schools Trophy was introduced last
season as a way of expanding the event and giving additional
competition for the schools and colleges that did not make
it through to the second stage of the main championships.
The Trophy gives all schools an
opportunity to progress and ultimately contest a final at
the National Squash Centre. The new format was a huge hit
last year and created a real buzz for schools often
overshadowed by the more squash orientated establishments
who appear in the finals year after year. In the inaugural
finals Cheltenham
College claimed
both the Boys and Girls Under 15 titles while
Buckinghamshire’s Dr
Chaloners Grammar School and Epsom
College won
the Boys and Girls Under 19 crowns respectively.
Wednesday and Thursday sees the main
championship finals take centre stage. The championship has
been in existence since 1972 and many schools have their
names etched on the prestigious National School
Cups. However over recent years it has dominated by the
likes of Millfield
College and Wycliffe
School who
benefit from their long established onsite squash
academies. Millfield are the reigning Girls Under 15
champions as well as holding both Under 19 titles. The Boys
Under 15 crown currently rests with Wycliffe.
In the Boys Under 15 category the big two
are in opposite Semi-Finals and must do battle with
Manchester Grammar School and Lancing
College if
they are to renew rivalries and fight it out once again.
Millfield’s Under 15 Girls are joined in the semis by the
North East duo of ex champions Central
Newcastle High School and Gosforth
High as well
as Berkshire’s Downe
House.
In the Boys Under 19 event, last year’s
champions Millfield are
back and along with Wycliffe look
strong favourites to contest Thursday’s final. However Manchester
Grammar School and
Lancing College will
have other ideas and will be looking to buck the trend and
deny them.
Millfield will
face tough opposition in the Girls Under 19 category in the
form of old rivals Central
Newcastle High School with Heathside
School and Benenden
School also
hoping to have a say in the final outcome.
Finals Schedule
Monday: Boys & Girls Under
15 Trophy Finals
Tuesday: Boys & Girls Under
19 Trophy Finals
Wednesday: Boys & Girls
Under 15 Championship Finals
Thursday: Boys & Girls Under
19 Championship Finals
Play begins with Semi-Finals at 10.00am
each day and Finals scheduled for a 1.30pm start – all
spectators are welcome free of charge.
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