Final:
Paderborner SC bt Black & White RC Worms 3/1 Borja Golan lost to Nick Matthew 5-11, 7-11, 4-11 (38m) Simon Rösner bt Jens Schoor 11-1, 11-9, 11-5 (44m) Raphael Kandra bt Tim Weber 11-7, 11-4, 11-5 (30m) Lennart Osthoff bt Andre Haschker 10-12, 14-12, 11-9,
8-11, 11-8 (92m)
Paderborn Celebrate Record Tenth Squash Bundesliga Title
Paderborner SC
triumphed 3/1 over defending champions Black & White RC Worms in
today's final of the fotobuch.de Squash Bundesliga to avenge
their defeat in last year's final and celebrate a record tenth title at
Pink Power in Böblingen, near Stuttgart, in
Germany.
It was
a sensational climax to the season for the Westphalian club which won
the prestigious Bundesliga trophy for the first time in 1999 and this
year was marking a record 16th appearance in the final.
Paderborn stormed into the lead after Lennart Osthoff won the
opening fourth string clash against Andre Haschker - beating the
higher-ranked German for only the second time in his career.
But
the 26-year-old underdog, the German No8, needed 92 minutes to survive a
see-saw battle with Haschker, ultimately prevailing 10-12, 14-12, 11-9,
8-11, 11-8 over the 31-year-old sixth-ranked German.
"I
must have played him more than ten times, but this is only the second
time I've ever beaten him," said Osthoff (pictured above). "And
it's the perfect time!
"That
was a massive game for me - I wanted to go on court and give the team a
good lead. No-one expected me to win, so that made it even better!"
A
30-minute battle between two left-handers saw Paderborn stretch their
lead when the country's number two Raphael Kandra defeated
promising 26-year-old Tim Weber 11-7, 11-4, 11-5.
The
teams' big guns followed - with Worms playing their trump card in world
No2 Nick Matthew, the world champion from England, and Paderborn
introducing their fresh top string Borja Golan, the world No7
from Spain who was rested for the previous day's semi-final.
Matthew is enjoying a good week in Germany with two wins over France's
world No1 Gregory Gaultier and one over Egypt's former world No1
Ramy Ashour.
And
the Englishman extended his winning streak on the eve of next week's
British Open by despatching Golan 11-5, 11-7, 11-4 to reduce the
deficit for his club.
"I'm
just happy for the team that I've kept the final alive - at least I've
made it interesting," said Matthew after his 38-minute victory. "I've
done all I could do."
The
packed Pink Power crowd prepared for the final showdown - in which the
country's top star Simon Rösner, the world No12 representing
Paderborn, took on national rival Jens Schoor, the German No2.
Rösner
(pictured above) set off at a blistering pace, dropping just s
ingle point in the opening game - and, after a close-fought second,
thrilled the Paderborn bench when he defeated Schoor 11-1, 11-9, 11-5 in
44 minutes to reclaim the title for his club.
"I'm
really happy - and relieved," said the 26-year-old who has been a
central figure in the club's Bundesliga campaign for the past nine
seasons.
"It's
always tough against Jens - he can really come out firing and sneak in a
couple of points early in a game and put you under pressure. I'm just
glad to get past him.
"But
it's been an amazing team effort this year - and Lennie was
unbelievable. He really deserved that win - we all knew he could do it!
"But
we are a very special team - and we have to thank all those that work
behind the scenes, particularly Norman (Farthing) and Andreas (Preisling).
Our team is so well-run and well-organised."
Norman
Farthing,
the Paderborn team manager, agreed with Rösner's assessment of Osthoff's
contribution: "I think Lennie played the best game of squash I've ever
seen him play."
Club
President Andreas Preisling was delighted with his team's
achievement: "At the moment I have a feeling of pride - you remember
winning the first title in 1999 and since then further wins and further
times as runner-up.
"But
we were so much looking forward to winning a tenth title, and getting
revenge for last year," said Preisling (pictured above, far left,
celebrating with his team).
"It
really is an honour to be President of this club and this team."
Bundesliga images courtesy of Jordan Mansfield
Semi
Finals Results
Semi-finals: Paderborner SC bt Königsbrunner SC 4/0 Simon Rösner bt Mathieu Castagnet 8-11, 11-6, 11-8, 13-11
(80m) Chris Simpson bt Patrick Scherer 11-6, 11-6 (11m) Raphael Kandra bt Simon Vaclahovsky 11-4, 11-4, 11-6 (41m) Lennart Osthoff bt Florian Muhlberger 11-8, 11-5, 11-3
(22m)
Black
& White Worms bt Sport-Insel Stuttgart 4/0 Nick Matthew bt Gregory Gaultier 11-8, 11-2, 11-8 (38m) Jens Schoor bt Moritz Dahmen 11-4, 11-7 (14m) Tim Weber bt Valentin Rapp 12-10, 9-11, 11-7, 6-11, 11-5
(72m) Andre Haschker bt Ben Petzoldt 7-11, 11-4, 11-8, 11-6
(58m)
Worms & Paderborn To Contest Third Successive Bundesliga
Final
Defending champions Black & White RC Worms and former champions
Paderborner SC will contest the third successive fotobuch.de
Squash Bundesliga final after comfortable semi-final wins at Pink
Power in Böblingen, near Stuttgart, today in Germany.
Paderborn, winners of the title a record nine times since 1999, defeated
finals newcomers Königsbrunner SC 4/0, while in the second
semi-final title-holders Worms despatched home favourites Sport-Insel
Stuttgart, champions in 2006, by the same margin.
Appropriately, it was German number one Simon Rösner who
clinched Paderborn a record 16th appearance in the final when he beat
French rival Mathieu Castagnet.
The
26-year-old has been a central figure in the club's Bundesliga campaign
for the past nine seasons - during which time the team has only once
failed to reach the final.
But
the Paderborn star, ranked 12 in the world, was given a tough time by
Castagnet, ranked 11 places lower. The French underdog took the opening
game and forced the fourth into a tie-break.
But
Rosner held his nerve to close out the match 8-11, 11-6, 11-8, 13-11 in
80 minutes.
"He's
one of the biggest fighters in the game - he gets so much back," said
Rosner (pictured above) of his opponent later.
"I've
been living in Paderborn for the last ten years now - it's like a
family. It's not just a team I play for, it's much more special."
Memories of last year's final still hurt: Rosner played the decider in
which he had to win 3/0 in order for Paderborn to retain the trophy.
But, leading 2/0, he dropped the third to lower-ranked compatriot
Jens Schoor - causing the match to be abandoned as arch rivals Worms
celebrated victory.
"I'm
looking forward to tomorrow now and really want to get the trophy back.
We were very disappointed last year," continued the eight-time German
champion
"For
the last three years I've had to win 3/0 and could not afford to lose a
game. What's a game! It seems so irrelevant when the match is the
important thing.
"I
just hope my team will be able to win a few more games tomorrow to take
that pressure off!"
Earlier Paderborn fourth string Lennart Osthoff, the German No8,
put the former champions into the lead with an 11-8, 11-5, 11-3 win over
Florian Muhlberger - before second-ranked compatriot Raphael
Kandra extended the lead by beating Simon Vaclahovsky 11-4,
11-4, 11-6.
England's Chris Simpson followed team-mate Rosner's win by
beating 33-year-old Patrick Scherer 11-6, 11-6 in an 11-minute
best-of-three dead rubber to give Paderborn a 4/0 victory.
The
match the packed Pink Power crowd most wanted to witness was the top
string clash in the second semi-final. Nick Matthew, the world
No2 from England, faced world No1 Gregory Gaultier, the host
club's top string from France.
The
Englishman was in sparkling form, defeating Gaultier for the second time
in three days, 11-8, 11-2, 11-8 in 38 minutes.
Matthew is competing in his third event this week (the second in
Germany) in advance of the British Open - one of the most
prestigious championships on the international circuit - back on home
soil next week.
"People have said 'how can you do this - it's not your usual
preparation'," said the three-time world champion (pictured above).
"But for me, it's just a state of mind.
"You
just try and get the most out of it for next week - you forget what your
opponent's strengths are and just get on and play your game.
"I've
played Greg so many times, so it's been nice tonight to get the tactics
out of the way and just play to your strengths.
"The
difference today was probably that I was giving it 100% - which was
helped by the fact that we were already 2/0 up - while Greg was probably
thinking about the long drive he has tonight back to Prague.
"I got
a lot out of the match - and I hope he got something too.
"In a
situation like this, you either commit or not - and I certainly feel I
have committed to everything I've done this week.
"As I
said, it's not my usual preparation - but who's to say my 'usual
preparation' is the right preparation!"
Matthew's victory followed Worms' wins by Andre Haschker and
Tim Weber - German No6 Haschker overcoming 12th-ranked Ben
Petzoldt 7-11, 11-4, 11-8, 11-6, and Weber, the country's No5,
avenging a shock defeat by Valentin Rapp earlier in the season to
beat the German No10 12-10, 9-11, 11-7, 6-11, 11-5 in 72 minutes.
"It
was very important for me to win this time as last time I lost 3/2,"
said left-hander Weber (pictured above).
"I
felt good at the beginning of the match when I led 5-0, but then I let
him get back. He plays on this court every day - it's his home club - so
he had that advantage."
After
Matthew's success, team-mate Jens Schoor, the German No2,
defeated Stuttgart's Moritz Dahmen 11-4, 11-7 in a best-of-three
encounter to give Worms maximum points.
Bundesliga images courtesy of Jordan Mansfield
Preview
Top
Squash Stars Back In Böblingen For Bundesliga Finals
Defending champions Black & White Worms and nine-time champions
Paderborner SC will be bidding to contest the third successive
fotobuch.de Squash Bundesliga final in Böblingen, near
Stuttgart, in Germany this week.
Black
& White Worms, led by England's World Champion Nick Matthew, won
the coveted title for a second time last year after denying Paderborner
SC a record tenth title in a dramatic 2013 climax.
Launched in 1980, the Squash Bundesliga has attracted the
world's top players, competing alongside Germany's best.
Action
for the second year will take place at Pink Power in Böblingen -
the semi-finals on Friday 9 May, with the final the following day.
In the
first semi-final, Paderborner, led by eight-time German champion
Simon Rosner, will face Königsbrunner SC - a Division 2 club
last season who have made the finals in their first year in Division 1.
Title-holders Black & White Worms, again led by World No2 Nick
Matthew, will take on hosts Sport-Insel Stuttgart, the 2006
champions, in the second semi.
Stuttgart's number one is Gregory Gaultier, the World No1 from
France - while the Königsbrunner squad is also headed by a Frenchman,
World No23 Matthieu Castagnet.
Sponsored by ROWE Motoroil, live coverage of the event will be
provided by SquashTV. "We have renewed our support to the
Bundesliga, as last year's presentation was very successful," said
Michael Zehe, CEO of ROWE Motoroil. "Again we support the event and
additionally we have contributed to enable the organisers presenting the
Bundesliga live on TV worldwide."
