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Select Gaming
Colin Payne Kent Open
2019
10-12 Jan, Tunbridge Wells, $5k |
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12-Jan, Final:
Jan the Man in Kent final
Alan Thatcher reports
Jan Van Den Herrewegen won the Colin Payne Kent Open
after a punishing, pulsating final against top seed Rui Soares.
The Birmingham-based Belgian won a massively entertaining
five-setter 9-11, 11-9, 11-4, 9-11, 11-5 after 76 minutes of
high-quality squash in front of a packed crowd at Tunbridge
Wells Squash Club.
The score see-sawed throughout the match, with the ascendancy
switching from player to player.
That was clearly evident in the opening game as Van Den
Herrewegen surrendered an 8-3 lead. Soares put together a run of
points but when he reached 10-9 he noticed blood pouring from
his left thumb after scraping his hand on the court floor.
After a 14-minute break for treatment, he returned to wrap up
the opening game.
Van Den Herrewegen began strongly again the second game and
advanced to a 9-4 lead before Soares began his customary
recovery process. The Portuguese clawed his way back to 8-9 but
the Belgian managed to clinch the game 11-9.
The third began in a similar pattern, but this time Soares
failed to make any inroads as Van Den Herrewegen powered through
11-4.
Soares did respond in the fourth, however, battling back from
7-4 down to win 11-9 and take the game to a fifth.
This time Van Den Herrewegen imposed himself firmly on
proceedings and, having built a 9-2 lead, withstood a brief
recovery from Soares to close out the match 11-5.
In a poignant presentation ceremony, Colin Payne’s daughters
Alice and Charlotte handed the runners-up trophy to Soares
before Van Den Herrewegen received the winner’s trophy from
Councillor Jane March, head of Culture, Leisure and Tourism at
Tunbridge Wells Borough Council.
Van Den Herrewegen, who is studying for a PhD at Birmingham
University, was delighted to win his first PSA title for more
than a year.
He said: “It was a great match, very fair, and we were both
trying to play the ball at every opportunity.
“There were some odd dynamics going on because I feel Rui plays
his best squash when he is behind and he proved that with the
two games he won. But I am very pleased with how I played. There
were a few passive spells but I was confident going forward to
attack.
“This is a great tournament and it has a lovely feel to it with
all the club members getting involved. They were absolutely
hanging from the rafters upstairs and I love playing in
tournaments like this.”
Soares said: “I keep coming back and maybe one day I will
this tournament. As Jan said, this is a great event with so many
people working hard in the club to make it happen.”
Before the final, Jasmine Hutton of Sussex won a highly
entertaining Collins Jewel Women’s Challenge against Elise
Lazarus of Essex 11-9, 13-11, 11-7.
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  Colin
Payne Kent Open
2019
10-12 Jan, Tunbridge Wells, $5k |
Round One
10 Jan |
Quarters
10 Jan |
Semis
11 Jan |
Final
12 Jan |
[2] Jan Van Den Herrewegen (Bel)
11/6, 11/6, 11/7 (28m)
Nick Mulvey (Eng) |
[2] Jan Van Den Herrewegen
11/5, 11/7, 11/6 (22m)
[6] Ben Coates |
[2] Jan Van Den Herrewegen
11/3, 11/3, 11/8 (24m)
[4] Stuart Macgregor |
[2] Jan Van Den Herrewegen
9/11, 11/9, 11/4, 9/11, 11/5 (76m)
[1] Rui Soares |
[6] Ben Coates (Eng)
7/11, 11/8, 11/9, 13/15, 11/6 (50m)
Rohan Toole (Aus) |
[5] Mark Fuller (Eng)
11/6, 11/9, 10/12, 11/8 (44m)
Nick Wall (Eng) |
Nick Wall
11/9, 6/11, 8/11, 11/6, 11/7 (51m)
[4] Stuart Macgregor |
[4] Stuart Macgregor (Eng)
11/5, 11/9, 8/11, 4/11, 11/3 (49m)
[wc] Ben Ford (Eng) |
[3] Leonel Cardenas (Mex)
11/3, 11/6, 11/9 (26m)
Charlie Cowie (Eng) |
[3] Leonel Cardenas
11/8, 11/5, 11/6 (29m)
[8] Connor Sheen |
[3] Leonel Cardenas
11/5, 15/13, 1/11, 11/8 (45m)
[1] Rui Soares |
Viktor Byrtus (Cze)
7/11, 6/11, 11/6, 11/6, 11/8 (57m)
[8] Connor Sheen (Eng) |
Harry Falconer (Eng)
7/11, 5/11, 11/6, 11/6, 11/8 (57m)
[7] Miles Jenkins (Eng) |
[7] Miles Jenkins
11/6, 11/0, 11/7 (19m)
[1] Rui Soares |
Mike Harris (Eng)
11/9, 11/7, 11/3 (26m)
[1] Rui Soares (Por) |
11-Jan, Semis:
Top seeds through to Kent final
Alan Thatcher reports
Top seeds Rui Soares and Jan Van Den Herrewegen
will contest the final of the Colin Payne Kent Open, sponsored
by Select Gaming, after two contrasting semi-final encounters.
Soares was made to battle hard by the tenacious talents of young
Mexican Leonel Cardenas, but Van Den Herrewegen enjoyed a
comfortable passage courtesy of tired opponent Stuart Macgregor.
In front of a packed gallery at Tunbridge Wells Squash Club,
Portuguese ace Soares began strongly against Cardenas but the
18-year-old was furious at being denied a stroke when game ball
down.
He began the second in furious fashion and went 8-2 up with a
succession of stunning winners. However, Soares weathered the
storm and gradually regained control to hold game ball at 10-9.
Cardenas was annoyed by more controversial decisions that went
against him and Soares squeezed home 15-13.
The third game saw a complete turn-around as Cardenas dominated
throughout and Soares offered only token resistance in many
rallies as the Mexican raced through 11-1.
Soares found himself behind again the fourth as the crowd got
behind the Mexican, who led 7-3 and seemed destined to take the
match to five.
However, from that point on he was only to score one more point
as Soares regained control to win 11-8 and complete victory in
45 minutes.
The 20-year-old Macgregor admitted to feeling exhausted after
two brutal five-setters the day before.
He tried his hardest against Van Den Herrewegen but admitted:
“I was shattered after those two matches yesterday. It would
have been nice had one of them been an easy three-love, but that
wasn’t the case. I had my ankle strapped up for support but that
wasn’t an issue. I was simply exhausted.”
Photos by ARTYOM LISS
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