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Legacy Wealth
Belfast Open
2016
23-28 Aug, Northern Ireland, $5k |
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28-Aug, Finals
Fallows & Pomportes emerge as the winners
of the Legacy Wealth Belfast Open 2016
Laura Pomportes vs. Rachael Chadwick
On the way to the final, Laura Pomportes from France,
returning after 9 months from injury, had put together a great
run of matches - beating the number one seed in the first round
and surviving a five-setter in the semi-finals.
In the final she faced Rachael Chadwick of England who had also
been impressive in winning all her matches 3-0 in the run-up.
The first set proved to be a tight affair, both players working
each other around the whole court, barely more than a point
separating the players throughout the game. In the end it was
Laura who took the first game 11/9.
In the second set Laura came out strongly building an early lead.
Though Rachael had some opportunities, her earlier accurate
hitting - particularly of winners from open positions – deserted
her and Laura ran through to win the second set 11/3.
In the third set Rachael tried hard to work herself back into
the match but was frustrated at being unable to find any of her
earlier rhythm. Laura kept concentration and maintained the
pressure to take the third set and the title.
 As
Laura commented sometime after the match as she and Hana Moataz
enjoyed the great Belfast weather: “Today is a sunny day”.
Richie Fallows vs. Lyell Fuller
In the other final Richie Fallows, having survived a
bruising 2 hour 5-set encounter the night before, started as top
seed and favourite against fellow English player Lyell Fuller,
appearing in his first PSA final.
Whilst Richie’s performance in the semi-finals had been at times
tense and edgy, a new day brought a different story. Right from
the start Richie sought to dominate the match, with heavy
driving and accurate shots to the front putting Lyell under
pressure immediately. Despite Lyell’s efforts to disrupt
Richie’s game, Richie allowed very few opportunities and made no
errors in the first game. The relentless pressure pa id off with
an 11/5 first game.
The second followed a similar pattern – long tiring rallies
as the players used all corners of the court but again few
chances for Lyell to break Richie’s stranglehold on the match.
At the start of the third set and 2-0 down,
Lyell stepped forward with some great attacking drops to finally
get into the lead. However this window of opportunity was
quickly shut – with Richie again stepping forward to control the
rallies and forcing Lyell on to the defensive. To Lyell’s credit,
he never gave up, doggedly covering the full court to stay in
rallies. But in the end it proved too hard, and a couple of
quick strokes brought the match to a close.
Richie: “I was much more relaxed and comfortable today
on court and really pleased with how I controlled the game.”
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Legacy Wealth Belfast Open
2016
23-28 Aug, Northern Ireland, $5k |
Round One
25 Aug |
Quarters
26 Aug |
Semis
27 Aug |
Final
28 Aug |
[1] Richie Fallows (Eng)
11/2, 11/6, 11/4
Joeri Hapers (Bel) |
[1] Richie Fallows
11/9, 11/7, 11/13, 11/5
[8] Yuri Farneti |
[1] Richie Fallows 3-2
[3] Dougie Kempsell |
[1] Richie Fallows 11-5,
11-6, 11-6
[4] Lyell Fuller
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[8] Yuri Farneti (Ita)
11/4, 14/12, 11/5
[Q] Owain Taylor (Wal) |
[6] Brian Byrne (Irl)
11/8, 7/11, 11/5, 11/7
Bradley Masters (Eng) |
[6] Brian Byrne
11/1, 11/9, 11/5
[3] Dougie Kempsell |
[3] Dougie Kempsell (Sco)
11/2, 11/3, 11/6
[Q] Sam Ellis (Eng) |
Elliot Selby (Eng)
11/7, 11/2, 11/8
[4] Lyell Fuller (Eng) |
[4] Lyell Fuller
11/9, 11/8, 11/8
[7] Tristan Eysele |
[4] Lyell Fuller
12/10, 12/10, 11/3
[2] Chris Fuller |
[Q] Marc ter Sluis (Ned)
6/11, 11/2, 11/8, 12/10
[7] Tristan Eysele (Rsa) |
[Q] Michael Craig (Nir)
7-11, 5-11, 11-8, 11-7, 11-7 (68m)
[5] Sean Conroy (Irl) |
[5] Sean Conroy
11/9, 9/11, 11/4, 11/9
[2] Chris Fuller |
[wc] Stephen Hearst (Irl)
11/2, 11/4, 11/3
[2] Chris Fuller (Eng) |
Qualifying:
24-Aug, Finals:
Owain Taylor (Wal) 3-2 Miles Jenkins (Eng) 11/4, 12/10, 7/11, 6/11, 115 (71m)
Sam Ellis (Eng) 3-1
Chris Leiper (Sco)
3/11, 11/6, 11/8, 11/9
Michael Craig (Nir) 3-0
Dan Bergin (Wal)
11/6, 11/9, 11/2
Marc ter Sluis (Ned) 3-1
Phil Nightingale (Eng)
3/11, 11/6, 3/2 rtd
23-Aug, Round One:
Miles Jenkins (Eng) 3-1 David Ayerst (Irl)
11/3, 11/5, 12/10
Owain Taylor (Wal) 3-0 Darren Waring (Irl)
11/5, 11/4, 12/10
Chris Leiper (Sco) 3-1 Matthew Broadberry (Eng) 11/9, 9/11,
11/9, 11/2
Sam Ellis (Eng) 3-0 David Noone (Irl)
11/5, 11/5, 11/4
Michael Craig (Nir) 3-1 Oliviero Ventrice (Ita)
11/5, 16/14, 5/11, 11/8
Dan Bergin (Wal) 3-1 Mike Lowrey (Eng)
11/7, 8/11, 11/6, 11/9
Marc ter Sluis (Ned) 3-0 Peter McNeice (Irl)
11/7, 11/7, 11/4
Phil Nightingale (Eng) 3-1 Matthew Sidaway (Eng) 11/4, 11/8,
7/11, 11/7
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Legacy Wealth Belfast Open
2016
, 23-28 Aug, Northern Ireland, $5k |
Round One
25 Aug |
Quarters
26 Aug |
Semis
27 Aug |
Final
28 Aug |
[1] Alison Thomson (Eng)
11-5, 11-4, 11-3
Laura Pomportes (Fra) |
Laura Pomportes
11/9, 11/8, 11/9
[6] Elin Harlow |
Laura Pomportes 7/11, 11/8, 12/10, 3/11,
11/6
[5] Hana Moataz |
Laura Pomportes
11/9, 11/3, 11/5
[7] Rachael Chadwick |
[6] Elin Harlow (Wal)
6/11, 11/5, 14/12, 11/7
Nia Davies (Wal) |
[5] Hana Moataz (Egy)
11-9, 11-7, 11-8 (23m)
Jenny Haley (Wal) |
[5] Hana Moataz
10/12, 11/7, 11/8, 11/5
[4] Ineta Mackiveca |
[4] Ineta Mackiveca (Lat)
12/10, 6/11, 11/8, 11/9
[Q] Hannah Craig (Irl) |
[Q] Sanne Veldkamp (Ned)
11/5, 11/3, 11/2
[3] Anna Klimundova (Cze) |
[3] Anna Klimundova
11-8, 4-11, 11-8, 11-7
[8] Tessa Ter Sluis |
[3] Anna Klimundova 13/11, 11/6, 12/10
[7] Rachael Chadwick |
Stephanie Walton (Eng)
11/2, 11/6, 11/6
[8] Tessa Ter Sluis (Ned) |
[Q] Sophir O'Rourke (Irl)
11/2, 11/2, 11/8
[7] Rachael Chadwick (Eng) |
[7] Rachael Chadwick
11/9, 11/8, 11/7
[2] Tinne Gilis |
[Q] Elise Romba (Fra)
11/6, 11/6, 11/4
[2] Tinne Gilis (Bel) |
Qualifying:
Elise Romba (Fra) bye
Hannah Craig (Irl) 3-0
Emma Custance Baker (Eng)
11/7, 11/3, 11/4
Sophie O'Rourke (Irl) 3-1 Ellie Mc Veigh (Irl)
11/6, 11/8, 8/11, 11/4
Sanne Veldkamp (Ned) bye
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26-Aug, Quarters:
TWomen's seeds fall in Belfast, men's through to semis
Jeff Hearst reports
The top seeds continued to fall in the Legacy Wealth Belfast
Open Women’s event. English player Rachael Chadwick of England
put in a dominant performance against the number two seed Tinne
Gilis of Belgium, reaching the semi-finals with a 3-0 win.
The highest remaining seed Anna Klimundova was made to work hard
for her 3-1 victory over Tessa Ter Sluis. The first two games
were shared, with Tessa winning the second with a mixture of
hard hitting and excellent short shots. However in the next two
games Anna kept up the higher pace to win.
Hana Moataz and Ineta Mackevica also shared the first two games
in their quarter-final match. In each of these games, one player
built up a significant lead only to then lose the game with a
run of points. From this position Hana went on to stretch away
from Ineta and secure her semi-final spot.
In the last quarter-final, the unseeded Laura Pomportes
continued her excellent run to beat Elin Harlow of Wales 3-0.
The Men’s event has so far gone to form with the top four seeds
all reaching the semi-finals. Lyell Fuller and Tristan Eysele
exchanged a lot of tough rallies, with Lyell just maintaining
the edge in each set to win 3-0. Douglas Kempsell played a very
controlled and fast paced game that proved too much for Irish
player Brian Byrne.
After dominating the first game, Doug was pushed much harder in
the second. Brian began to get back into the match, leading 9-7
before an attempted winner just clipped the tin at the end of a
long rally. From here Doug closed out the second game and then
dominated the third to take the match 3-0.
The other Irish player in the quarter-finals, Sean Conroy, put
in an excellent effort against the number two seed Chris Fuller
of England.
Both players showed great control and movement about the court,
producing some tremendous rallies as they worked each other very
hard. The first two sets were shared 11/9, 9/11. In the third,
Chris began to exert more dominance in the rallies, again
working Sean very hard, and was able to build and maintain a
lead. This continued up until match point 10-6 in the fourth –
only for Sean to put in one final effort to claw back to 9/10,
before a high quality winner from Chris finished the fight-back.
Top seed Richie Fallows was also pushed very hard by Italian
player Yuri Farneti. Richie built a solid 2-0 lead but Yuri did
not stop competing. To his credit he fought for every point in
the third and was rewarded for his efforts by taking it 13/11.
In the fourth, Richie re-imposed his control on the match
closing it out at the end with a quick run of points.
This sets up an appetising series of semi-finals for Saturday. |
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25-Aug, First Round:
Laura upsets the seedings in Belfast
Jeff Hearst reports
The first match of the day also brought the first upset in the
seeding as Laura Pomportes of France beat Alison Thomson
of England. Laura was sharp and attacking from the very first
point of the match. Despite Alison’s efforts to work her way
back into the game, Laura never let her control slip taking it
3-0.
Ineta Mackevica of Latvia faced local Irish player Hannah
Craig in what turned out to be a closely fought contest. Ineta’s
early lead in the first disappeared as Hannah began to test her
opponent.
Ineta however held on with some decisive final shots to take the
first 12/10. Hannah bounced back quickly in the second to level
the match. The next two games were again highly contested but
Ineta kept in front to secure a 3-1 win.
Elin Harlow similarly held out against fellow Welsh
player Nia Davis to win a tight 3-1 match. Hana Moataz of
Egypt completed the bottom half of the quarter-final draw with a
3-0 win over Jenny Haley of Wales.
The top half of the Women’s draw went very much accord ing to
seeding with Tinne Gilis, Rachael Chadwick, Tessa Ter Sluis
and Anna Klimundova all securing 3-0 wins over their
respective opponents.
In the Men’s event, Tristan Eysele of South Africa faced
a strong challenge from Dutch player Marc ter Sluis. In a
physically demanding match, with hard hitting and long rallies,
Tristan recovered from losing the first game to just cross the
line 12/10 in the fourth to win 3-1.
Irish players Sean Conroy and Michael Craig faced each
other in a “local derby” for a quarter-final spot. In front of a
large crowd of local supporters for both players, Michael
settled into his rhythm quickly, benefitting from some loose
errors from Sean to build an early lead. Sean then worked
Michael very hard to level at 7-7 before Michael again
capitalised on a couple of opportunities to close out the first
set.
The second set proved stop start with Sean unable to get a
rhythm and Michael picking off points. In the third set with
Michael tiring, Sean was finally able to find the game and pace
that suited him better – edging the third and continuing right
through for a well-earned 3-2 win.
There was also great local interest in Ireland’s Brian Byrne
who faced Bradley Masters from England in the evening session.
After two games of fast paced squash the players were level 1-1.
The third proved decisive as Brian worked his opponent very hard
to build a 2-1 win. Though Bradley fought hard and kept it tight
with Brian in the first half of the fourth set, a quick run of
points towards the end brought a 3-1 win.
The top seed Richie Fallows, Yuri Farneti, Douglas Kempsell,
Lyell Fuller and Chris Fuller completed 3-0 wins to leave
all top 8 seeds through to the quarter-finals. |
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24-Aug, Qualifying Finals:
Craigs qualify at Belfast Boat Club
Jeff Hearst reports
Day 2 included the start of the Women’s Qualification. In a
reduced qualification field, local Irish player Hannah Craig
kept up the pace in her match against Emma Custance Baker of
England.
The first half of the set was well balanced between the players
before Hannah stretched away. Once ahead, Hannah kept in control
for an excellent 3-0 win. The remaining qualification match
brought together two local Irish players Sophie O’Rourke and
Ellie McVeigh. Sophie started well in the first two sets and
took a 2-0 lead with some fast paced play. In the third, Ellie’s
accurate hitting enabled her to take control and reduce the lead
to 2-1. However, Sophie raced away at the start of the fourth
set and secured the overall match.
Highlight of Round 2 of the Men’s Qualifying matches was a 71
min five-set match between the top seed in qualification Miles
Jenkins and Welsh player Owain Taylor.
The match was characterised by tough rallies stretching both
players. In the first two games, Owain managed to keep the upper
hand with good control with Miles working his back into the
match, just narrowly losing the second. From 2-0 down, Miles
then managed to control the match in his favour picking up the
next two sets. In the deciding set though, a final push from
Owain secured an early lead and from there closed out the match.
In a topsy-turvy match Chris Leiper of Scotland raced ahead to a
9-0 lead in the first set against Sam Ellis of England, before
Sam turned the tables in the second to quickly level the match.
In the third both players settled into a better rhythm with
longer tougher rallies. Some great winners, a few errors – but
eventually Sam edged ahead to take a 2-1 lead. Sam maintained
this in the fourth to win 3-1.
Michael Craig of Ireland joined his sister Hannah in qualifying
for the Main Draws by beating Dan Bergin of Wales. After Michael
took the first set, the second proved decisive, with both
players neck-and-neck, exchanging winners and some tough long
rallies. A couple of errors at the end was the only difference
and from a 2-0 position Michael finished the match in control.
The final match of the evening featured Phil Nightingale of
England and Dutch player Marc ter Sluis. Unfortunately an injury
brought retirement for Phil in the third set, with the match
tied 1-1. |
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23-Aug, Qualifying Round One:
Craig delights Belfast Boat Club faithful
Jeff Hearst reports
The Legacy Wealth Belfast Open got off to a great start today
with the Lord Mayor of Belfast attending the opening match.
Squash professionals from both the Men’s and Women’s PSA World
Tour are competing for a total $10k prize money at the Belfast
Boat Club over the next six days.
 Local
player Michael Craig produced an excellent result winning
3-1 in the opening round of the Men's Qualifying to the delight
of a large crowd of supporters.
Michael, home from college in the US, took the first game of his
match against Oliviero Ventrice of Italy.
The second proved to be a real struggle between the two players,
with tough rallies and nothing between them – Michael just
edging the game 16/14. Oliviero recovered faster from this
effort, opening up a lead and taking the third comfortably 11/5.
However, by the fourth Michael once again got in front and
succeeded in closing out the match.
In earlier matches Miles Jenkins from England proved too
strong for local David Ayerst, winning the first two games
comfortably and making David work very hard. David had a better
start in the third game, taking an early lead and holding this
to reach a game point. However he was unable to take this
opportunity and Miles finished the match 11/3. 11/5, 12/10.
The next match between Owain Taylor of Wales and local
player Darren Waring followed a similar pattern. Owain took a
2-0 lead before being pushed hard in the third set. Final score
11/5, 11/4, 11/8. Sam Ellis of England completed a 3/0
win over Irish player David Noone as did Dutch player Marc
ter Sluis with a 3/0 over local player Peter McNeice.
In the remaining matches, Matthew Broadberry and Chris Leiper
fought a close first 3 sets before Chris closed out the
match 3/1. Dan Bergin from Wales secured a similar 3-1
win over England’s Mike Lowrey. In the final match of the
evening, Phil Nightingale completed a 3-1 win over fellow
English player Matthew Sidaway.
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