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 The
2014 Wimbledon Graded event in July saw Chris Sharpes (black shorts)
emerge victorious in the A Grade tournament after a closely
contested final against Adam Aukland.
The annual
event, which has been running for twenty years, is held at the
Wimbledon Racquets & Fitness club. Since being opened in 1937, is
also home to badminton courts and a gymnasium.
As a graded
event, the tournament pits competitors against others in their
ability bracket which makes for close matches. This particular
edition saw 87 players compete. Sponsors Prince provided prizes for
the main event winners and runners up.
The tournament
consisted of grades A-E, with a plate competition for those knocked
out in the first round of the main event.
The event runs
to give adults a chance to play in a fun social squash tournament
against similar standard players around the country.
The A grade
final saw a determined Sharpes defeat Aukland 3-2 whilst the grade’s
plate final saw James Fender triumph over Stefan Stanton. Stuart
Parfet impressed in the B grade final, defeating Yoshi Kagawa in a
3-1 victory. Nick Weekes put an end to Paul Jegede-Brimson’s bid in
the B grade plate final by winning matching that result.
The C grade
tournament ended with Kartar Ryatt falling to Matt Hewitt whilst the
D and E grades saw George Horton and Jay Gravatt come out on top
respectively.
The action
continued into the C plate final and Florin Pana’s hard-fought match
against Paul Bickell was one of the highlights.. George Horton had a
slightly easier time of it when he beat Mike Cooper 3-0 in the D
plate final.
The culmination
of the E plate final was met by Jay Gravatt’s victory over Anna
Zabska.
Tournament
organiser Phil Rushworth said: “This year's Wimbledon Racquets
Graded Event once again attracted a great number of squash
enthusiasts from all levels. The event was played in great spirit,
with some superb matches across all the Grades. The weekend ended
with a wonderfully entertaining final between club favourite,
Charles Sharpes and Adam Aukland, which Sharpes won after 5 games in
front of a thrilled crowd.”
A summer
barbecue was put on for the weekend, ensuring that the weekend was
enjoyed by players and spectators alike.
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