|
England
Delight In European Double
England
successfully retained their titles in the European Team
Squash Championships in
Malmo
- beating second seeds
France
in the men's final for the ninth time in the last ten years, and
overcoming the second-seeded
Netherlands
team for the seventh successive year in the women's final.
A record-equalling
27 countries were competing in the 37th men's European Squash
Federation championship being staged in the Swedish city for
the first time – together with a record 21 nations in action in
the 32nd staging of the women's ESF tournament.
England number four
Alister Walker - making his international debut in the
championships - put England ahead in their 17th consecutive
appearance in the men's final by beating Julien Balbo
11-7, 11-7, 14-12. In the eagerly-anticipated top string clash
between the two highest-ranked players in the event, world No6
Nick Matthew faced Gregory Gaultier, the in-form
Frenchman who 24 hours earlier celebrated a rise to No2 in the
world rankings.
But, clearly
inspired by the England shirt on his back, the 28-year-old from
Sheffield defeated Gaultier 11-9, 8-11, 12-10, 11-5 to give the
defending champions a 2/0 lead - and requiring France to win the
next two matches by 3/0 margins to ensure victory.
And a long-awaited
maiden title win by the second favourites looked on the cards
when veteran French campaigner Thierry Lincou, a former
world champion and world number one, reduced the deficit by
beating England's second string Peter Barker 15-13, 11-6,
11-7.
But, in the tense
fourth match that followed, London left-hander
Adrian Grant
clinched the first game against Frenchman Renan Lavigne
13-11, then secured the second 12-10 to ensure England's
indisputable victory.
England also took
the lead after the first match in the women's final when
Londoner Alison Waters survived a tough three-game battle
with Dutch stalwart
Vanessa Atkinson
to beat the former world champion 12-10, 14-12, 11-7 in 31
minutes.
The match that
followed saw England number Jenny Duncalf face
Netherlands newcomer Natalie Grinham, the former
Australian making her Dutch debut at the championships. World
No5 Duncalf, ranked a place below her opponent, bravely stemmed
a fight back by Grinham before recording a notable 11-5, 11-7,
5-11, 8-11, 11-8 victory in 52 minutes which clinched the title
for England - thereby extending to 32 years their unbeaten
European championship run!
Laura
Lengthorn-Massaro
made it a maximum points win when she beat Annelize Naude
12-10, 11-2 in the best-of-three dead rubber that followed.
In the men's
play-off ties,
Wales
beat
Netherlands
after a games countback to take third place - their best finish
since 2006.
France
defeated Ireland 2/1 in the women's third place play-off
to repeat their success of last year - while, perhaps the best
outcome in the competition was the eighth place finish
celebrated by Italy, the nation's first ever finish in
the top eight in 26 appearances since 1982.
Final
Results
More at the Official Website
click
Men's Final:
[1] ENGLAND bt
[2] FRANCE 3-1
Alister Walker bt
Julien Balbo 11-7, 11-7, 14-12
Nick Matthew bt
Gregory Gaultier 11-9, 8-11, 12-10, 11-5
Peter Barker lost
to Thierry Lincou 13-15, 6-11, 7-11
Adrian Grant bt
Renan Lavigne 13-11, 12-10 ret.
3rd place
play-off:
[5] WALES bt [3]
NETHERLANDS 2-2
(Wales win 10-7 on games countback)
Rob Sutherland bt
Dylan Bennett 8-11, 11-4, 11-2, 11-8 (56m)
Jethro Binns bt
Sebastian Weenink 11-7, 11-6, 11-7 (34m)
Alex Gough lost to
Piedro Schweertman 8-11, 11-9, 4-11, 13-11, 4-11 (56m)
Peter Creed lost
to Rene Mijs 11-4, 11-13, 11-6, 6-11, 9-11 (76m)
5th place
play-off:
[4] GERMANY bt
[7] SCOTLAND 4-0
Simon Rosner bt
Alan Clyne 11-7, 5-11, 11-5, 11-7 (52m)
Stefan Leifels bt
Chris Small 11-8, 6-11, 11-8, 11-3 (35m)
Jens Schoor bt
Stuart Crawford 11-9, 4-11, 14-12 (43m)
Andre Haschker bt
Harry Leitch 6-11, 11-7, 8-11, 13-11, 11-1 (54m)
7th place
play-off:
[9] IRELAND bt
[10] FINLAND 2-2
(Ireland win 165-142 on points countback)
Liam Kenny lost to
Olli Tuominen 10-12, 9-11, 9-11
Derek Ryan bt
Matias Tuomi 5-11, 11-6, 11-9, 11-3
John Rooney lost
to Henrik Mustonen 10-12, 11-6, 11-13, 11-8, 12-14
Arthur Gaskin bt
Heikki Kononen 11-13, 11-3, 11-5, 11-5
9th place
play-off:
[8] SPAIN bt [11]
DENMARK 2-2
(Spain win 8-6 on games countback)
Borja Golan bt
Rasmus Nielsen 11-2, 11-4, 11-4
David Vidal lost
to Michael Frilund 9-11, 13-11, 7-11, 7-11
Alejandro Garbi
Caro lost to Kristian Frost Olesen 6-11, 11-3, 5-11, 7-11
Victor Montserrat
bt Kim Poulsen 14-12, 11-1, 11-8
11th place
play-off:
[12] SWEDEN bt
[6] SWITZERLAND 3-1
Christian
Drakenberg bt Nicolas Mueller 11-1, 11-9, 12-10
Gustav Detter lost
to Reiko Peter 11-2, 7-11, 8-11, 11-8, 6-11
Rasmus Hult bt
Marcel Straub 11-13, 10-12, 11-8, 11-4, 11-2 (55m)
Carl-Johan
Lofvenborg bt Andre Holderegger 6-11, 11-9, 11-2
13th place
play-off:
[13] ITALY bt
[16] HUNGARY 3-1
Jose Facchini lost
to Mark Krajcsak 11-8, 11-5, 4-11, 10-12, 5-11
Andrea Torricini
bt Marton Szaboky 11-4, 11-3, 6-11, 8-11, 11-3
Andrea Capella bt
Sandor Fulop 11-2, 7-11, 11-4, 11-8 (45m)
Mirko Pareccini bt
Daniel Varga 11-3, 11-3, 3-11, 11-9
15th place
play-off:
[17] CZECH
REPUBLIC bt [14] BELGIUM 4-0
Lukas Jelinek bt
Wim van Asten 7-11, 11-2, 11-7, 11-8
Jaroslav Cech bt
Mats Raemen 11-6, 5-11, 11-7, 11-7
Petr Martin bt Sam
van Brusselen 11-4, 8-11, 11-7
Ondrej Ertl bt
Jonas Snoeck 11-3, 11-8, 11-6
17th place
play-off:
[19] ISRAEL bt
[15] AUSTRIA 3-1
Ido Avron lost to
Aqeel Rehman 11-7, 17-19, 7-11, 6-11 (47m)
Nadav Wilensky bt
Stefan Brauneis 11-9, 11-9, 7-11, 5-11, 11-2 (41m)
Nir Arkin bt Jakob
Dirnberger 11-5, 11-3, 11-8 (32m)
Nir Zisman bt
Lukas Gnauer 8-11, 11-5, 11-7, 11-8 (35m)
19th place
play-off:
[20] SLOVENIA bt
[18] LUXEMBOURG 3-1
Klemen Gutman bt
Nathan Sneyd 11-9, 11-4, 11-3 (28m)
Miha Kavas lost to
Daniel Hutchines 5-11, 9-11, 11-4, 11-6, 9-11 (40m)
Martin Mosnik bt
Sanjay Raval 9-11, 11-3, 15-13, 11-0 (37m)
Rozle Langus bt
Stephane Ayache 11-9, 5-11, 11-13, 11-9, 12-10 (60m)
21st place
play-off:
[26] NORWAY bt
[21] UKRAINE 4-0
Kristian Solhave
bt Rusian Sorochynskvi 4-11, 11-8, 11-1, 11-8
Hans-Olav
Torgersen bt Kostyantyn Rybalchenko 11-7, 6-11, 11-7, 11-8
Kim Are
Killingberg bt Dmytro Shcherbakov 11-8, 3-11, 11-5, 11-6
Ronny Aasbo bt
Artem Shandybin 12-10, 11-7, 11-6
23rd place
play-off:
[27] GREECE bt
[24] GIBRALTAR 3-1
Fabian Kalaitzis
bt Anthony Brindle 11-6, 7-11, 11-1, 11-2 (23m)
Konstantinos
Kargiotis bt Nicholas de Haro 11-8, 11-5, 14-12 (24m)
Petros Tzamaloukas
bt Stephen Shacaluga 11-4, 11-5, 11-5 (19m)
Andreas Hiotakis
lost to Mark Tewkesbury 11-9, 5-11, 6-11 (25m)
25th - 28th place
play-offs:
[25] POLAND bt
[23] RUSSIA 3-1
Wojciech Nowisz
lost to Alexei Severinov 6-11, 4-11, 2-11 (27m)
Kamil Dominiak bt
George Manuchin 11-3, 11-2, 11-3 (19m)
Marcin Kozik bt
Valery Litvinko 11-5, 11-3, 11-8
Maciek
Maciantowicz bt Anton Shurenko 11-6, 12-10, 11-6 (18m)
Final
positions: 25th [22] LATVIA. 26th [25] POLAND; 27th [23] RUSSIA
Women's Final:
[1] ENGLAND bt
[2] NETHERLANDS 3-0
Alison Waters bt
Vanessa Atkinson 12-10, 14-12, 11-7 (31m)
Jenny Duncalf bt
Natalie Grinham 11-5, 11-7, 5-11, 8-11, 11-8 (52m)
Laura
Lengthorn-Massaro bt Annelize Naude 12-10, 11-2
3rd place
play-off:
[3] FRANCE bt [4]
IRELAND 2-1
Camille Serme lost
to Aisling Blake 4-11, 6-11, 13-15 (25m)
Isabelle Stoehr bt
Madeline Perry 11-7, 11-8, 8-11, 3-11, 11-8
Maud Duplomb bt
Tanya Owens 11-4, 11-3, 11-3 (17m)
5th place
play-off:
[5] GERMANY bt
[6] DENMARK 2-1
Pamela Hathway bt
Ellen Petersen 11-4, 13-11, 12-10 (52m)
Kathrin
Rohrmueller lost to Line Hansen 7-11, 10-12, 4-11 (22m)
Sina Wall bt Julie
Dorn-Jensen 7-11, 11-2, 11-5, 11-8 (41m)
7th place
play-off:
[11] SWITZERLAND
bt [9] ITALY 2-1
Sara Guebey lost
to Sonia Pasteris 3-11, 8-11, 9-11 (35m)
Gaby Schmohl bt
Manuela Manetta 13-11, 13-11, 8-11, 9-11, 11-6 (63m)
Jasmin Ballman bt
Chiara Ferrari 6-11, 11-5, 8-11, 11-8, 11-8 (50m)
9th place
play-off:
[12] SCOTLAND bt
[10] SPAIN 2-1
Claire Kidd lost
to Xisela Aranda Nunez 11-7, 8-11, 8-11, 4-11 (31m)
Frania Gillen-Buchert
bt Elisabet Sado Garriga 11-8, 11-8, 11-9 (22m)
Lisa Aitken bt
Margaux Moros-Pitarch 14-16, 11-6, 11-7, 5-11, 12-10 (39m)
11th place
play-off:
[7] WALES bt [8]
BELGIUM 3-0
Stacey Preece bt
Annabel Romedenne 11-7, 11-6, 11-0 (17m)
Deon Saffery bt
Kim Hannes 11-6, 11-9, 11-4 (23m)
Natalie Pritchard
bt Yara Delagrange 11-5, 11-4 (11m)
13th place
play-off:
[13] AUSTRIA bt
[14] CZECH REPUBLIC 2-1
Pamela Pancis bt
Anna Klimondova 11-9, 5-11, 11-7, 9-11, 11-9 (36m)
Birgit Coufal bt
Olga Ertlova 10-12, 11-9, 11-3, 11-8 (36m)
Sabrina Rehman
lost to Klara Janoskova 4-11, 2-11 (9m)
15th place
play-off:
[15] FINLAND bt
[16] SWEDEN 2-1
Saara Valtola lost
to Anna Detter 9-11, 7-11, 11-9, 4-11 (38m)
Elina Kononen bt
Anna-Carin Forstadius 11-7, 11-2, 5-11, 6-11, 11-3 (47m)
Pia Ojala bt
Lovisa Forstadius 11-4, 11-4, 11-0 (14m)
17th place
play-off:
[19] HUNGARY bt
[21] POLAND 2-1
Edina Szombati bt
Anna Jurkun 10-12, 9-11, 11-4, 11-6, 11-1 (33m)
Helga Kecse-Nagy
bt Dominika Witkowska 11-4, 5-11, 11-3, 11-7 (28m)
Krisztina Szekely
lost to Anna Sikorska 3-11, 11-1, 10-12 (15m)
19th - 21st place
play-offs:
[18] GREECE bt
[17] RUSSIA 3-0
Seirena Kazamia bt
Ekaterina Marusan 11-0, 11-1, 11-2 (19m)
Eliza Kargioti bt
Olga Petrukhina 11-2, 11-3, 11-6 (16m)
Nikoleta Pozidi bt
Natalia Zapevalova 5-11, 11-6, 11-6, 11-6 (22m)
Final
positions: 19th [20] LUXEMBOURG; 20th [18] GREECE; 21st [17]
RUSSIA
|
