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World University
Squash Championships 2010
10-18 July, Melbourne, Australia |
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17-Jul, Team Finals:
GBR take team title in
Melbourne
Sarah Wordsworth reports
 The
Great Britain team came into the competition as a
known force in university squash, with team stars Joel
Hinds and Emma Chorley highly ranked 101st and
154th in the world respectively.
So it was no surprise that the UK fielded two finalists in
the individual competition, including one winner, and then
took out the teams event to close the 7th World University
Squash Championships.
 But
all did not go according to plan for the Brits, in the first
game of the final, a rematch of the women's individual
final, Chorley again went down in straight sets to the
individual champion Annie Au from Hong Kong.
Men’s individual champion Hinds then stepped up to the plate
needing a win for his country. What followed was a
spectacular five set match against opponent Leo Au
from Hong Kong, who fended off two match points before Joel
coolly claimed victory.
At one match apiece, the weight of two countries were upon
the shoulders of Ho Fai Chiu from Hong Kong and
Peter Creed from Britain. In another great performance
from the British, Creed sealed the victory and emotions
poured over from the British camp.
Meanwhile in the playoff for third place, USA
defeated old rivals Canada in another dominant
performance.
The 7th World University Squash Championships saw many hours
of great squash played at Monash University and we wish all
student athletes the best in their future careers.
Final:
Great Britain 2-1 Hong Kong
Joel Hinds 3-2 Leo Au 11/7, 10/12, 5/11, 11/5, 11/6
Peter Creed 3-0Ho Fai Chiu 11/5, 11/1, 11/4
Emma Chorley 0-3 Annie Au 3/11, 6/11, 7/11
3rd/4th Playoff:
USA 2-1 Canada
Todd Harrity 1-3 Colin West 11/7, 10/12, 5/11, 3/11
Chris Hanson 3-2 Fred Reid 11/9, 10/12, 9/11, 11/1, 11/8
Kristen Lange 3-1 Laura Gemmell 11/3, 12/10, 6/11, 11/4
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16-Jul, Team Semis:
Great Britain & Hong Kong
to Contest Final
Hong Kong and former champions Great Britain and will
contest the final of the 7th World University Team Squash
Championships after straightforward wins in the semi-finals
at Monash University in Melbourne, Australia.
 Earlier
in the day, the two top-seeded teams had finished top of the
two qualifying pools following comprehensive victories over
all their opposition.
Newly-crowned men's individual champion Joel Hinds, of
Birmingham University, led favourites Great Britain,
champions in 1996 & 2006, to a 3/0 triumph over third seeds
USA with an 11-7, 11-5, 11-9 win over Christopher Hanson.
Later victories by Emma Chorley and Welshman Peter Creed put
GB into the final for the third successive time.
The other semi-final saw Hong Kong claim a place in the
final for the first time in the 14-year history of the
event.
It was a family effort that saw the second seeds through
against Canada, the fourth seeds. Siblings Annie Au and Leo
Au, both of Hong Kong Polytechnic University, despatched
Canadians Colin West and Laura Gemmell, respectively, to
clinch the place in the final.
But Canada gained some consolation when Fred Reid beat Chiu
Ho Fai 11-7, 11-7 in the best-of-three dead rubber.
Semi-finals:
[1] GREAT BRITAIN bt [3] USA 3/0
Joel Hinds 3-0 Christopher Hanson
11-7, 11-5, 11-9
Peter Creed 2-0 Alex Domenick
11-6, 11-5
Emma Chorley 3-0 Logan Greer
11-3, 11-8, 11-5
[2] HONG KONG bt [4] CANADA 2/1
Leo Au 3-1 Colin West
4-11, 11-9, 11-9, 11-4
Chiu Ho Fai l0-2 Fred Reid
7-11, 7-11
Annie Au 3-0 Laura Gemmell
11-5, 11-4, 11-2
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Team GB Teams Blog, Day Two
Day 2 of the team event saw team GB pitted against Canada in
the final match of the group stages.
With both teams already assured a semi finals berth, Canada
decided to rest some of their key players in order to ensure
they were firing on all cylinders in their Semi-finals
match. Team GB likewise rested both Joel and Emma, thus
elevating ‘El Capitano’ to the Number 1 spot. Coach
Williams decided to try his hand at commentary, joined in
the commentary box by Hinds, as the rest of the team assumed
their usual positions behind the court
Creedy was first on to court and did not disappoint,
despite a spirited performance from Reid and an unbelievable
corkscrew played by Reid in an early exchange! Creedy
wrapped up a comfortable 3-0 win to get GB of to the perfect
start. Next on was McPhee against Canada’s Micala
Seth, with a win here guaranteeing GB top spot in the group
stages. McPhee wasted little time imposing her game on Seth
with a clinical display of Pontefract precision. The
scoreline was a convincing 3-0, leaving Chris to
bring up the rear.
Chris set upon Adrian Dudzicki from the first point and
pounded him into submission with relentless pace and great
length. Despite the fact that team GB had already secured
the top spot in the group Chris put everything in and left
the court visibly depleted. Chris continued the 3-0 trend,
not dropping a game, as at 2-0 and 9-4 down in the 3rd, an
ankle injury forced Adrian to retire!
The 2nd match of the day was our long awaited semi-final
match against the Americans. With all players polishing
their b-ball skills, the winning Millfield trio started to
focus on their squash after a sensible pulse raiser.
Coach Williams gave the routine England – Bangladesh speech,
which bemused the squad, due to the tie featuring the States
(and the fact that Bangladesh hasn’t sent a team to the
competition).
Todd, the no.1 American was not to feature in the
Semi-final, due to being rested for their final day match,
which seemed to stress out our Beetroot face to some extent.
Le Mole took to the court with his characteristic
quick-hand hack warm up, in an effort to physic his opponent
out. Hanson put in a solid performance, but Craig David was
keen to get on and off in quick time to preserve his energy
for the final day, winning 3-0 with a confident display.
With our silver medallist next on court, Emma was
keen to put in a mature display, and show off her skills
against Logan Greer. Some edgy points at the beginning of
the first seemed have more of an effect on the coaching
crew, as manager Hibbert and coach Williams seemed to be
grow a few extra gray hairs! However JL continued to push
hard and came through with a comfortable 3-0 win to put the
GB team into the Final of the 7th World University Team
Championships.
The 3rd tie now became a best of 3, as the win was in the
bag. Creedy graced court 2 once again to wrap up
proceeding. Having clearly put on his exhibition hat on he
treated to crowd to an array of tins and mishits in the
opening few points, though, after getting it out of his
system he settled into to match and produced a confident 2-0
win.
The night was capped off with a cheeky game of laser
quest, in which the boys hammered the girls with Chris
and Peter ‘trigger happy’ Creed obtaining top gun in games 1
and 2 respectively!
Finals day tomorrow!
Good luck to Austria in tomorrow’s match!
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Pool A:
[1] GREAT BRITAIN bt [5] SOUTH AFRICA 3/0
Joel Hinds bt Christo Potgeiter 11-7, 11-8, 11-6
Chris Hall bt Alan McGuigan 11-3, 11-3, 11-6
Emma Chorley bt Senada Haupt 11-9, 11-3, 11-2
[4] CANADA bt [8] SINGAPORE 3/0
Colin West bt Marcus Phua 11-0, 11-3, 11-3
Adrian Dudzicki bt Sean Ang 11-5, 11-9, 11-1
Micaala Seth bt Nicole Chua 11-3, 12-10, 8-11, 11-9
[1] GREAT BRITAIN bt [8] SINGAPORE 3/0
Peter Creed bt Marcus Phua 11-8, 11-5, 11-3
Chris Hall bt Sean Ang 11-3, 11-1, 11-1
Kirsty McPhee bt Nicole Chua 11-6, 11-1, 11-3
[4] CANADA bt [5] SOUTH AFRICA 2/1
Colin West bt Richard Colburn 11-6, 11-4, 11-2
Fred Reid lost to Christo Potgeiter 4-11, 8-11, 9-11
Laura Gemmell bt Cheyna Tucker 11-6, 11-9, 11-7
[1] GREAT BRITAIN bt [4] CANADA 3/0
Peter Creed bt Fred Reid 11-6, 11-6, 11-4
Chris Hall bt Adrian Dudzicki 11-5, 11-5, 11-4
Kirsty McPhee bt Micaala Seth 11-3, 11-3, 11-3
[5] SOUTH AFRICA bt [8] SINGAPORE 3/0
Richard Colburn bt Marcus Phua 11-5, 11-4, 11-8
Christo Potgeiter bt Sean Ang 11-1, 11-1, 11-0
Senada Haupt bt Nicole Chua 10-12, 11-9, 14-16, 11-4, 11-7
Final positions: 1 Great Britain, 2 Canada, 3 South Africa,
4 Singapore |
Pool B:
[2] HONG KONG bt [6] AUSTRALIA 3/0
Leo Au bt Sam Brown 11-5, 11-6, 11-3
Chiu Ho Fai bt Luke Sims 11-9, 11-6, 11-7
Annie Au bt Selena Shaikh 11-5, 11-1, 11-3
[3] USA bt [7] AUSTRIA 3/0
Todd Harrity bt Marcus Greslehner 11-8, 11-9, 11-8
Christopher Hanson bt Daniel Haider 11-5, 11-4, 11-8
Logan Greer bt Birgit Coufal 11-9, 11-6, 9-11, 11-5
[3] USA bt [6] AUSTRALIA 2/1
Todd Harrity bt Sam Brown 11-4, 11-7, 11-7
Christopher Hanson bt Luke Sims 11-9, 6-11, 11-6, 6-11, 11-6
Kristen Lange lost to Melody Francis 9-11, 15-17, 6-11
[2] HONG KONG bt [7] AUSTRIA 3/0
Leo Au bt Marcus Greslehner 11-1, 11-5, 11-7
Chiu Ho Fai bt Daniel Haider 11-4, 11-5, 11-6
Shin Nga Leung bt Birgit Coufal 11-9, 11-9, 9-11, 8-11, 11-2
[2] HONG KONG bt [3] USA 2/1
Leo Au bt Todd Harrity 11-6, 11-5, 8-11, 11-6
Chiu Ho Fai lost to Alex Domenick 8-11, 12-10, 9-11, 8-11
Annie Au bt Kristen Lange 11-6, 11-2, 11-3
[6] AUSTRALIA bt [7] AUSTRIA 2/1
Sam Brown bt Marcus Greslehner 11-2, 10-12, 12-10, 11-9
Luke Sims lost to Daniel Haider 9-11, 11-8, 8-11, 5-11
Melody Francis bt Birgit Coufal 9-11, 11-3, 11-3, 7-11,
12-10
Final positions: 1 Hong Kong, 2 USA, 3 Australia, 4 Austria |
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15-Jul, Teams Day One:
Teams competition off to a
frenetic start
Sarah Wordsworth reports
 Competitors
from Great Britain, Canada, Hong Kong and the USA remain
undefeated after the first round of teams competition at the
World University Squash Championships held at Monash
University today.
The Hong Kong and British contingents continued their
dominance from the individual competition failing to drop a
game.
 Individual
champions Joel Hinds (GB) and Annie Au (HK) both registered
comfortable victories despite the best efforts of South
African young gun Christo Potgieter and home town hero
Selena Shaikh.
Singapore’s Nicole Chua Wen Ya made life difficult for
Micaala Seth taking one game off the Canadian and pushing
another to 12-10.
Meanwhile in pool B Austria’s Brigit Coufal took it up to
heavily favoured American Logan Greer, but the Austrian was
only able to pinch one of the four tight games. |
Team GB Blog ... Teams 1
After a fantastic day which saw GB secure three medals in
the individual competition, today saw the start of the team
event. The early start caught out physio Watson whose
punctuality excuses are becoming less plausible each day! It
was also nice to see the physio finally grasp the rules of
the game after 9 days of continuous watching!
South Africa were up first and the tie was made
slightly easier for GB with the news that SA were resting
their number one male in preparation for an important tie
against Canada in the afternoon.
Chorley kicked things off against Senda Haupt
who had previously ousted 3/4 seed Birgit Coufal in the
individual competition. The two contested a tight first game
until Chorley’s consistency and court coverage proved too
much for her opponent as she ran out a winner in three.
Second on was Lemole at number one string, Joel put
in a solid performance against an opponent who showed a
brilliant array of shots throughout the match but it was
never enough to trouble the individual champion who secured
GB’s second 3-0 win. It must be noted that Joel has shown a
continuous disregard for Captain Creed’s team kit
instructions and for this match was wearing incorrect team
kit for the third day running; the team fine kitty is
growing quickly each day!
“Mcflurry” Hall was last on and put in a controlled
display, dominating the majority of rallies against a game
opponent who fought until the end. Chris finished the match
with a peach of a black eye due to a timely racket handle in
the face, which may dent his chances with the ladies on
Saturday evening!
The afternoon match pitted GB against Singapore with
Captain Creed and Beetroot Mcphee making their
debuts in the team competition replacing lemole and “jelly
legs” chorley.
Kirstai gave us the perfect start using the famous backhand
volley drop to outmanoeuvre her opposition and secure a
straight forward 3-0 victory. El capitano secured the
victory with a mature display, controlling the middle and
finishing the points with some deft touches at the front of
the court. With victory already assured Hall was up against
an opponent who was obviously tired from the competition so
far and quickly wrapped up a straight games victory.
The boys concluded the day in the steam room and Jacuzzi,
socialising with a competing nation, the female company
definitely appreciated!
The evening featured the “after eight challenge” with
the winner promised a prize by coach Williams. Players must
begin with an After 8 chocolate placed on their forehead;
this chocolate must then be manoeuvred down the face and
into the mouth without the use of the hands or any external
objects. Creed took the honours in an incredible two
seconds, followed by team manager Hibbert (12 seconds)
taking the silver and Hall (16) the Bronze. Joel failed to
complete the challenge and this will surely have shattered
his confidence for tomorrow’s matches.
Next for team GB tomorrow morning is the final group match
against a strong Canadian team, and a victory would ensure
we head into the semi –finals full of confidence.
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Team Austria reports
from Melbourne - Team Event Day 1
It’s going to be painful to write this report as it hasn’t
been a successful day for Team Austria.
The day started well enough having figured out how to solve
Australia’s immigration issues over tea and toast (Julia
Gillard will be pleased when she receives our draft). I
guess things started to go wrong when it wasn’t Martin who
gave us a lift to the courts at Monash Uni.
It should have been a warning for worse things to come.
 The
10am clash between Team Austria and the U.S.A. kicked
off with the women’s match between Birgit and
Logan Greer. Birgit found that keeping it straight and
tight restricted her creativity and therefore opted for more
interesting shots down the middle of the court (as close to
the T as possible). This might have helped Logan to walk off
the court taking the match in 4. Not a good start.
 Next
up was young Marcus against Todd Harrity who
finished 3rd in the individual event. Marcus put in a really
good performance, the best we’ve seen him play in this event
so far, but still losing in 3 close games. He was unlucky
not to take a game off Todd.
Daniel faced Chris Hanson and was keen to earn a
consolation point for Austria. However Chris proved too
solid and Daniel’s many mistakes and sometimes headless
playdidn’t help either. Daniel lost in 3, and Team Austria
lost to the U.S.A 3/0.
Team Austria was up against Hong Kong in the
afternoon. Birgit didn’t have a great start playing
Shin Nga Leung and found herself 2/0 down before
eventually battling her way back into the match leveling at
2/2. The 5th game however turned out to be a pretty one
sided affair in Hong Kong’s favour with Birgit losing her
momentum and Shin tightening up her game.
Again, not a great start.
Marcus found Leo Au too strong and consistent
going down in 3. Machine-like Leo made only one (!) unforced
error during the whole match much to Marcus’ frustration.
Job done for Hong Kong, but again Daniel eager to
deliver a good performance for Team Austria. It looked like
Daniel was a little bit too inspired by Birgit’s creative
play in the morning, making the most of all options where
not to put the ball instead of putting it in the one right
place (boring). Ho Fai Chiu won in 3 and Daniel lost
to someone wearing glasses for the first time ever according
to him. He wasn’t happy. Team Austria -0, Hong
Kong -3.
Birgit, Marcus and Daniel have found retreat in their Ibis
residence for now, recovering from their defeats and getting
ready for another tough day of team matches tomorrow. I’m
not entirely sure about their hide and disguise tactics
anymore...
 Make
it work tomorrow then please! Team Austria is playing
hosting nation Australia at 10am, and back on again at 4pm.
And to finish off with here comes a very interesting fact.
We figured out that Austria is the only country taking part
in the Uni Games Team Event which is NOT a Commonwealth
country.
And just in case we got that wrong, then make it the only
country which is NOT an officially English speaking country.
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Team GB Blog, Day Four
The day got off to a steady start; forgetting to empty the
dryer was one of our top things to correct, but breakfast
was priority. Steady it didn’t remain with Kirsty
busting out a little air guitar over breakfast then
retracting to the laundry room, beetroot faced (for a
change), bringing on the first fine of the day.
The team remained in good spirits with medals up for grabs
in the final day of the individuals.
Chris got off to a shaky start, losing the first
11-6, but he always looked in control and with a solid
performance won the match 3-1 against his South African
opponent finishing 7th overall.
Chris managed to keep a success rate of at least one fine
per match. Although this time it was not for air-shotting a
serve but this time serving out; which now takes him to a
close second in the fines ladder, just one behind Joel.
Next up was the marathon match of the day with GB’s Creed
taking on Canada’s Colin West. Marathon being the
operative word because as we have discovered Pete’s (sorry
Peter’s) love for running. The captain came on all hair
sprayed up appearing to have a clearer view of 5th place,
however things still seemed to be a little hazy so he opted
for the head band instead. Not sure if the static from the
glass was pulling him back but Creedy seemed to spend most
of his time fumbling in the back corners.
In patches he took control, mixing the pace and putting the
Canadian in some discomfort, but the hazy head-band came
back into play on match ball in the 5th causing a random
old-man reverse angle boast, which funnily enough “came up
short.” Creed went down 3-2 but a close contested match
played in good spirits was enjoyed by onlookers.
Next up was the bronze medal match with Kirstai “Beetroot
Face” Mcphee taking on local favourite Melody Francis
and hoping to secure GB’s first boomerang of the day. We
wouldn’t say it was the prettiest performance but the
backhand drop and trickle boast worked well in tandem, as
they split the first a piece. After going 2-1 down, our
Ponte lass got her mad-on and ground the nervy two games out
with some choice words and some infant school girl tell
tales.
“I’m not cheating, I’m just struggling to move my muffin
tops!” A couple of skips and crosscourt flicks from deep,
followed with composure send cheers and smiles to the GB
camp as the 1st medallion was secured.
Moving on to the finals it was the ladies turn first (of
course). Chorley with a clear game plan in sight she
took on the Hong Kong talent. Although Chorley got off to a
nervy start going heavily down in the first, she managed to
regain focus and pulled it back to within points, losing the
first 11-8. Chorley showing her feisty side, battled
throughout the match but Au’s class showed through with
deceptive flicks and great touch giving her the match 3-0
leaving Chors to get ribbed by Creedy for the infamous “JL”.
Unfortunately Emma missed out on the boy’s final as she was
whisked off to a cold room for drugs testing after suspicion
arose about her “Somerset Quads”.
So it was left to Joel to bring home the gold and
complete out collection of medals. His German opponent got
off to a good start showing his ability to take the ball in
short. But Joel showed his stamina, picking up the
irretrievable with the occasional Serena Williams grunt
winning the game and looking good for the rest of match. In
the third game the German didn’t look to get close as snoop
pulled off some outrageous taxi’s to close the game in fine
style.
Special mention should go to Manager Andy as he
showed fine physical endurance as the battled through all 5
matched from the sideline. Well played Andy – we will order
you in the ice wealy bin; make sure captain Creed has his
arm bands as he probably won’t be able to touch the bottom!
After a long wait for wee samples the team finally gathered
back at apartment 6 for team bonding, congratulating on a
successful day and re-focusing for the up and coming team
event. Brennan took the lime light for the evening showing
some classy dance moves in hitch – much to the boys
dismay......better work on your rock, paper scissors Joel!
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14-Jul,
Finals:
Men’s Final
[1] Joel Hinds (Gbr) bt [2] Jens Schoor (Ger)
11-6, 11-7, 11-2
Women’s Final
[1] Annie Au (Hkg) bt [3/4] Emma Chorley (Gbr)) 11-8
11-5 11-4
3/4 Playoffs
Todd Harrity (Usa) bt Leo Au (Hkg)
11-7, 11-5, 11-3
Kirsty McPhee (Gbr) bt Melody Francis (Aus) 11-7, 12-14,
8-11, 11-3,
11-8
Top seeds take world university
titles
Sarah Wordsworth reports
The individual competition of the World University Squash
Championships wrapped up yesterday at Melbourne’s
Monash University with Annie Au from Hong Kong taking
the honours in the women’s competition and Joel Hinds
claiming the title in the men’s.
 But
the British camp should be pleased to have occupied three of
the six podium spots on offer after they split the results
of the men’s and women’s finals of the individual
competition.
The team’s star Joel Hinds will return home with the men’s
title after a fiery yet dominant performance over Germany’s
Jens Schoor in straight sets (11-6, 11-7, 11-2) . It was a
thrilling match, delivering many classic points throughout.
Hinds was visibly exhausted but relieved and ecstatic after
the battle, exclaiming after his win; “it was great, it’s my
third time (at the World University Squash Championships) so
it’s great to finally get that first place”.
 In
the women’s competition Brit Emma Chorley’s quest for gold
came to an end with a straight sets loss (11-8, 11-5, 11-4 )
to the highly rated Annie Au from Hong Kong. Au was visibly
delighted with her win, confirming her as a world class
competitor and a force to be reckoned with in the
competitive squash world.
Chorley's Kirsty McPhee took third place after beating local
Melody Francis in the bronze medal match. McPhee and
Chorley’s attention will now turn to the team’s competition
where the Brits will try to continue their run of hot form
in the face of some fierce opposition from all across the
globe.
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Team event Pools:
Pool A
GBR-CAN-RSA-SIN
Pool B
HKG-USA-AUS-AUT
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Team Austria
reports from Melbourne
 First
of all, congratulations to German Jens Schoor for
making the final of the World University Squash
Championships. It feels like reports so far have been very
biased, so we would like to provide information other than
GB and Aussie views.
So even though Austrians aren’t ment to like Germans,
they’re our neighbours after all, especially if you’re that
far away from home. Therefore, an extra Well done Jens! And
well done the siblings Au from Hong Kong too, who
managed to claim first place in the womens event and fourth
place in the mens event. Quite an achievement! Annie Au
in particular who actually didn’t drop a single game
throughout the whole event which is outstanding!
And a special mention to Eduardo Gonzalez, who was
the sole competitor from Spain, finishing 11th!
Now, Team Austria hasn’t been able to attract
attention because of their squash skills during the
individual event unfortunately.
 Birgit
Coufal from Vienna, a 3/4 seed, suffered an unexpected
defeat in the first round, losingin 3 to South African
Senada Haupt. She hadn’t had the best preparation coming
into the tournament, coming in from Hobart/Tasmania from a
WISPA tournament the night before her first match. She then
managed to narrowly scrape through in her following matches
(including a tough 13/11 in the 5th against Canadian Laura
Gemmell which grew team coach Michael Khan a little bit more
grey hair) and win the plate event, finishing 9th.
The boys: Marcus Greslehner from Vienna, Team
Austria’s youngster, was unlucky to loose his first round
match to opposition from Singapore in 5. He then fell to
Kiwi Michael Pittams in 4, missing out on the big points
towards the end of each game.
Daniel Haider from Linz went down to Fred Reid from
Canada fighting until the end but still losing in 3. Next up
he met Australian Luke Sims who he lost to in 4. After a bad
start Daniel found his way into the match, but Luke was
still getting the better off him.
The boys ended up in a pool with Singaporian Sean Ang Shi
Rong battling out places 21-23. Rong withdrew because of
injury so it was up to the Austrians to get their on court
rivalry going. Marcus lost the first game to Daniel but came
back strongly and finally prevailed 3/1. Place 21 secured
including the number 1 Austrian men’s spot for Marcus in the
upcoming team event.
As there are only 2 guys and 1 girl from Austria the next
few days are gonna be tough on them playing 2 matches a day
not being able to put reserves in in order to get a well
deserved rest.
However, no rest for the wicked anyway with the individual
event finishing today and the team event kicking off at 10am
tomorrow morning. Team Austria is facing the U.S.A. first
and then playing Hong Kong in the afternoon.
Rumour has it Team Austria has been giving their opponents a
false sense of security during the individual event so they
can go into the team event as the underestimated dark horse.
Watch out for them!
Team Austria is off to bed now, getting a good night’s sleep
in before the big day of team matches tomorrow. The day is
gonna kick off with another round table during breakfast
discussing how to fight climate change and generally
establish world peace. We’re on it, just give us a few more
days! And we’re looking forward to getting another lift by
our lovely driver Martin, who’s been looking after us
incredibly well!
[for now, we hope, Ed] |
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13-Jul, Semis:
Men's semi-finals:
[1] Joel Hinds (Gbr) bt [5/8] Leo Au (Hkg) 13-11, 11-8,
11-8
[2] Jens Schoor (Ger) bt [5/8] Todd Harrity (Usa) 11-7,
11-8, 11-6
Women's semi-finals:
[1] Annie Au (Hkg) bt [5/8] Kirsty McPhee (Gbr) 11-5,
11-2, 11-2
[3/4] Emma Chorley (Gbr) bt [2] Melody Francis (Aus) 11-5,
8-11, 11-2, 12-10
Chorley Raises Hopes of
GB World Double In Melbourne
English student Emma Chorley pulled off an impressive
upset over home hope Melody Francis in the women's World
University Squash Championships semi-finals to set up the
prospect of the first ever double British gold at the 7th
staging of the event at Monash University in Melbourne,
Australia.
The 22-year-old 3/4 seed from Bridgwater in Somerset, a
student at Bridgwater College, battled for four games to
overcome Melody Francis, the second seed from nearby Sunbury
who was leading Australian hopes in the world championships.
Despite being ranked almost 100 places lower in the world,
Chorley charged to an 11-5, 8-11, 11-2, 12-10 victory over
the world No55 from Deakin University to claim her
unexpected place in the women's final.
Chorley will now face
the event's highest-ranked player after top seed Annie Au
despatched Britain's Kirsty McPhee 11-5, 11-2, 11-2.
 The
21-year-old from Hong Kong, ranked 16 in the world, arrived
in Melbourne fresh from victory in the Des Pyramides Open in
France last week - her seventh WISPA title. Au has also
achieved significant success in the region after winning the
Australian Open in Clare, South Australia, against
expectations in August 2008.
And it was another Briton who denied the Au family double
celebrations after Joel Hinds beat Annie's
younger brother Leo Au 13-11, 11-8, 11-8 in the men's
semi-finals.
Hinds is seeded to win the men's crown - and will be hoping
that Chorley can spring a second upset to stand alongside
him on the winner's podium.
 But
the 23-year-old from Birmingham University - who is making
his third successive appearance in the event after losing to
the eventual champions both in 2006 and 2008 - will face
still opposition in the final from Jens Schoor, the second
seed from Germany.
Schoor, the 23-year-old world No 103 from Koblenz who is
ranked just two places behind Hinds, ended US interest in
the event when he beat 5/8 seed Todd Harrity, from Princeton
University, 11-7, 11-8, 11-6.
The men's final will mark Hinds and Schoor's first meeting -
though Au and Chorley will be facing their second clash
after first doing battle in the semi-finals of the Dutch
Junior U19 Open exactly four years ago in Amsterdam, where
left-hander Au prevailed in five games.
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Team GB Day 3 Blog – Skip Creed's View of the World
The third day started more productively as everyone made
breakfast on time and the team looked full of enthusiasm and
energy to take on the challenges the matches that lay ahead.
There were some crucial matches today with the possibility
of three finalists out in the last four.
Morning training was successfully completed and no one was
yet to be sacrificed to the fines list. The team retired to
the hotel before the battles commenced in the afternoon.
First on court was a battle of the Brits, and an old junior
day clash between Chris Mcflurry Hall and Peter El
Capitano Creed. With Skip looking to make an amends for
a poor display the day before, and Chris looking to
capitalize on his physical attributes and improving
performances. The bets were placed and the match began.
Chris began to get frustrated as Peter’s consistent patience
and tactical play showed on the scoreboard, and although
there were some good exchanges Pete’s lead grew each game
from a tough start and secured a 3-0 win.
The next matches were the two awaited girls semi-finals.
Kirstai Beetroot Cheek Mcphee was always up against the
odds as she faced the World No.16 Annie Au from Hong Kong.
Although the blisters were still strapped and the game face
was on, there wasn’t much Kirsty could do, as Annie showed
her class and fired in winners at will. Kirsty fought hard
but encouraged screams such as “Oversized Lamb” and “free
Willy” had no effect to counter the finesse of the World
16’s finishing capabilities.
 Emma
was on the neighbouring court, and looked to be in a tough
battle with the no.2 seed Melody Francis. The first 2 games
were split a game a-piece and the Somerset quads took over
as she continued to hustle and show her athoritaiii in the
physical department! The tactical advice offered by Coach
Williams was executed perfectly as she secured a 3-1 win,
after a few nervy points and evidence of lacking minerals.
Squandering 3 match balls before taking the forth on a
tie-break.
Last but not least was Snoop who was evidently
feeling the effects of the over-sized bag of crisps he
failed to share the night before. A nervous and slightly
anxious Joel took to the court with headphones and a
“fuller” presence than previous days. Though an improving
physical state from Physio Watson’s hard massages seemed
evident. The match started furiously and although the
control looked in favour of the GB member, the scoreline was
still tight. After a tiebreak in the first, the gap grew and
the unique expertise of Joel’s backhand flick took to full
effect as he became the second British player in the Finals
with a 12-10 11-8 11-6 victory.
No players received conduct warnings on day three, as Coach
Williams began to make full use of his newly purchased
Casio, keeping to the correct rest times between games!
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12-Jul, Quarters:
A decisive day two for individual competition
Day two was a cut throat day in competition in the singles
draw at the World University Squash Championships held at
Monash University.
On the men's side just four of the original 23 are left
standing to battle it out for individual honours, while in
the women's field we are also down to the four players who
will face off tomorrow in their semi finals in their quest
for individual glory.
The powerhouse that is Great Britain continues to roll
along, with three players in contention for individual
glory, with Emma Chorley and Kirsty McPhee in the women's
and Joel Hinds looking good in the men's competition.
Honk Kong will have a say too, with siblings Annie and Leo
Au aiming to become the first brother and sister pair ever
to reach the WUC final.
Green and gold girls gear up for success
Sarah Wordsworth reports
Day two of the World University Squash Championships today
saw the Aussies back in action with the commencement of
quarter finals. The Monash University squash stadium was a
hive of activity and noise as players from eleven different
countries battled it out on the courts whilst supporters
watched enthusiastically in the stands.
 Amongst
those adding to the day’s excitement was Australian
Melody Francis. After a trouble free victory in the
first round, she today took on Hong Kong, China’s Shin
Nga Leung. The 21 year old Australian, who is currently
ranked 55th in the world, has had a busy lead up to the
championships. She has made the quarter finals of the
Victorian Open and Tasmanian Open in the past two weeks.
With a home town advantage, Francis is hoping to better her
results from the 2008 World University Squash Championships
in Cairo, where she finished 12th.
“It’s great to have this level of competition in Melbourne,”
she said. “I’m just trying to go out and play my best and
keep my fingers crossed for good results.”
Fellow Australian representative Selena Shaikh was
today making the most of a bye to soak in some of the fast
paced action. The 17 year old Monash University student is
one of the youngest players in the competition, but is
unfazed by the greater experience of her rivals. Having lost
in yesterday’s first round, she will now contend the plate
draw, and is optimistic about her chances.
“I’m feeling confident about tomorrow’s game and I think I
can do it if I go all out. I’m really looking forward to
it,” she said.
Both Shaikh and Francis said that they were proud and
excited to be representing Australia over the coming week.
“It’s always an honour to wear the green and gold
tracksuit,” said Francis.
Men Quarter Finals
Joel Hinds (GBR, 1) bt Richard Colburn (RSA, 5/8) 11-3
11-8 11-3
Leo Au (HKG, 5/8) bt Colin West (CAN, 3/4) 11-1 11-4 7-11
3-11 11-5
Todd Harrity (USA, 5/8) bt Peter Creed (GBR, 3/4) 12-10 11-8
7-11 11-5
Jens Schoor (GER, 2) bt Christopher Hall (GBR, 5/8) 7-11
11-5 11-1 11-6
Women Quarter Finals
Annie Au (HKG, 1) bt Kirsten Lange (USA, 5/8) 11-5 11-3
11-6
Kirsty McPhee (GBR, 5/8) bt Senada Haupt (RSA) 11-9 8-11
5-11 11-6 11-6
Emma Chorley (GBR, 3/4) bt Logan Greer (USA, 5/8) 11-2 11-7
11-9
Melody Francis (AUS, 2) bt Shin Nga Leung (HKG, 5/8) 11-9
11-7 4-11 11-9
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Team GB Blog
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Team GB Blog - Day Two
Day 2 got off to a slepy start.......Coach Williams never
materialised for breakfast whilst the boys dragged
themselves in over 15 minutes late!
Good job the girls were on the ball as they opened the day
with wins on both counts. Kirsty managed to stay composed
and grab a 3-2 victory, whilst Emma looked a little nervy
but secured a 3-0 win of America's Logan Geer.
The sleepy start hadn't quite warn off for the boys. Joel
started the boys campaign with his first serve straight out
of court! Realising he was now £14 in debt he tidied things
up and brought home a 3-0 victory.
Peter Creed's height seemed to be a limiting factor in his
performance today. He struggled to find his length and came
up short (rather like himself) against his American opponent
who seemed to have an exceptional reach (unlike our
captain). With height like his Creedy definitely needs to
learn the lob.
Chris put in a battling performance against Germany's Jens
Schoor. After taking the first game we thought we were in
for a surprise upset but things started to get heated and
the game became compared to a local aussie rules match. This
seemed to put Chris off of his stride and he unfortunately
suffered a 3-1 defeat after a good fight.
With 3 of Team GB in the semis tomorrow we are hoping for
some medal positions!!
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11-Jul:
Down to the quarters
The first day
competition at the World University Squash Championships got
underway before some large crowds at Monash University’s
Clayton campus.
In general it was a good day for the seeding committee, with
fifteen of the sixteen quarter-final places taken up by
seeded players, the exception being South Africa's Senada
Haupt, who ousted 3/4 seed Birgit Coufal to set up a
last eight meeting with Great Britain's Kirsty McPhee.
Men's Round 1:
Joel Hinds (GBR, 1) – Marcus Hui (SIN) 11-4 11-9 11-6
Richard Colburn (RSA, 5/8) – Alex Domenick 11-8 11-9 11-5
Leo Au (HKG, 5/8) – Frederick Reid (CAN) 11-6 11-9 11-5
Colin West (CAN, 3/4) – Ho Fai Chiu (HKG) 11-9 11-3 11-2
Peter Creed (GBR, 3/4) – Eduardo Gonzalez (ESP) 11-8 11-8
11-4
Todd Harrity (USA, 5/8) – Sam Brown (AUS) 11-3 11-5 11-9
Christopher Hall (GBR, 5/8) – Chris Hanson (USA) 15-13 11-2
11-8
Jens Schoor (GER, 2) – Adrian Dudzicki (RSA) 3-11 11-4 11-5
11-2
Women's Round 1:
Annie Au (HKG, 1) bye
Kirsten Lange (USA, 5/8) bt Selena Shaikh (AUS) 11-3 11-4
11-1
Kirsty McPhee (GBR, 5/8) bt Laura Gemell (CAN) 11-8 11-6
11-8
Senada Haupt (RSA) bt Birgit Coufal (AUT, 3/4) 11-2 11-7
11-7
Emma Chorley (GBR , 3/4) bt Nicole Chua Wen Ya (SIN) 11-2
11-5 11-2
Logan Greer (USA, 5/8) bt Stephanie Smith (NZL) 11-8 11-5
11-4
Shin Nga Leung (HKG, 5/8) bt Cheyna Tucker (RSA) 11-9 11-9
11-9
Melody Francis (AUS, 2) bt Micaala Seth (CAN) 11-2 11-4 11-4
Men's Round 1:
Marcus Hui (SIN) bt Marcus Greslehner (AUT) 6-11 11-6 8-11
11-6 11-8
Alex Domencik (USA) bt Michael Pittams (NZL) 13-11 11-7 11-5
Frederick Reid (CAN) bt Daniel Haider (AUT) 11-5 11-7 11-5
Ho Fai Chiu (HKG) bt Luke Sims (AUS) 14-16 11-8 13-11 11-9
Eduardo Gonzalez (ESP) bt Alan McGuigan (RSA) 11-3 11-5 11-6
Chris Hanson (USA) bt Christo Potgeiter (RSA) 4-11 11-6 11-4
11-7
Adrian Dudziki (RSA) bt Sean Rong (SIN) 11-6 11-4 11-3
Team GB Blog
...
Day 1 got off to a blistering start (and we are not talking
about Kirsty’s feet) for the GB squad, with the whole team
winning 3-0.
Chorley wasted little time despatching her opponent 11-2
11-3 11-2 in rapid time.
Meanwhile Kirsty was presented with a potentially tricky
match in the opening round against Laura Gemmell. After a
tense first two games and a short 3-minute injury break for
Gemmell in the third, Kirsty pulled away with the win.
The boys fared equally well in their opening encounters,
despite an early morning mix up by coach Williams, who in
his haste to make the scheduled breakfast time decided to
dress himself head to toe in Joel’s clothes. Whilst looking
the part, his efforts were wasted as he was awarded a fine
for his troubles. Joel and Peter were first on against lower
seeded opponents and never really looked like losing, though
they were both pushed in the early phases of each game.
Chris was the last member of the squad to take to the court
and thus had every other team member cheering him on,
including team manager Andy, who managed to take some time
out of his busy schedule improving international relations!
Don’t think the UN will be calling upon his services in the
near future. A nervous start for Chris was quickly forgotten
as he transformed to a different player in the 2nd game,
taking games one and two 15-13 and 11-2 respectively. He
then went on to finish the third 11-6 to wrap up a
successful day’s play.
The whole team then headed back to the hotel to relax for
day two. The day was capped off with a film and the team headed
to bed (different beds) with the coaches planning to rise at
4am for the World Cup Final.
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World University Squash Championships declared open
Sarah Wordsworth reports
The 2010 World University Squash Championships kicked off
with the official Opening Ceremony on Saturday evening at
Monash University in Melbourne, Australia.
38 students from 11 competing countries took part in the
athletes march at the Opening Ceremony, at which City of
Monash Mayor Charlotte Baines declared the Championship
officially open, marking the start of the week long
competition.
 FISU,
the world governing body for university sport, was
represented by Kenny Chow and was joined on stage by
the Chairman of the Organising Committee Alf Lazer.
Students from Europe, Egypt, North America and Asia have
travelled to Melbourne for the Championship, and will
compete in singles and team events alongside four Australian
competitors.
 Australian
competitor Selena Shaikh was selected to read the
athlete’s oath on behalf of all competitors. Her fellow
competitor Australian Sam Brown can’t wait for play
to get underway. “I’m looking forward to seeing what kind of
players we will come up against, and seeing what it feels
like to be representing your country at a world
championships” Mr Brown said.
Following the Opening Ceremony, athletes and invited guests
attended a traditional Australian BBQ dinner on the campus.
Competition begins on Sunday.
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Draws & Results
from Melbourne
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