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A JAPANESE
MINIATURE
Boys U13 Framboise at
Hallamshire
When I saw him before his match, I just didn't believe for a minute that
he was a participant, as he was small and appeared fragile.
Well, Royosei Kobayashi still played a strong game, disputed and
clever, with a Welsh boy, Sam Davidson, 34 minutes and 5 games, 9/7
in the 5th...
 Short
rallies, but my God, don't let yourself be fooled by his size or his age
(10 years old). He is very promising, and as he is now meeting a French
boy, I'm not sure what to wish for him really....
No, he is impressive, I must say...
And soooooo cute! |
Royosei Kobayashi bt Sam
Davidson
9-1, 4-9, 7-9, 9-4, 9-5 |
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ANOTHER STRONG PAKISTANI
Boys U17 Framboise at
Hallamshire
Aman Gul, son of Fahim Gul, who I met in Islamabad, as he
was Tournament Referee, is a strong player, and who, like all the players
who came to Sheffield under the Pakistani federation, has had a perfect
behaviour on and off court.
 Aman
was meeting a player from Sussex, Will Newnham, who was advised
between games by Mike Harris, an excellent coach I heard... Will
gave his best in the match, especially in the second game, which lasted 18
minutes, where the score was very close, and where we got stuck at 6/6 and
7/7 forever.
But the Pakistani was too strong on the day, especially in the hitting
department, although Aman has got to sort out his drop shots which are, I
must say, pretty average, not to say awful sometimes. If he could improve
that shot, I think he could be very dangerous indeed.
Aman Gul bt Will Newnham
9-3, 9-7, 9-3 |
THE HEART
WON...
Boys U13 Framboise
at Hallamshire
As you know, it was my first BJO, and I have
to say, if I'm by now used to the tantrums of the PSA pro, I am still not
immune to the tears of an under 13 years old on a court...
We had two different styles and standards of play today: Ahmed
Abdel Latif, from Egypt, very strong technically, already with amazing
backhand drop shots in particular, a little bit of a drama queen, throwing
his racquet several times, arguing with himself, crying in desperation
when his standard of play wasn't perfect, a real showman; and on the other
side, an Yorkshire boy, Declan Christie, less shots, big heart,
little legs that visited the courts so many times, and one extremely
supportive dad (but not over-supportive, if you get my meaning).
Those ingredients gave us on the exhibition court of the fantastic
Hallamshire club an excellent match, full of emotion, dramas,
heartbreaks...
The first game was very close, both players making a few tins, but the
score could not have been closer, a few game balls each, but it is the
English boy that grabs it 10/9 in 11 long minutes.
In the second, the rallies were very long, disputed, very well
constructed, very often ended by an amazing drop shot by Ahmed, who really
has the touch of a professional. He took the lead, 7/3, only to let his
opponent come back, but clinched the game 9/7 in 9 minutes, not before
getting a conduct warning for racquet abuse. The third will go his way as
well, in 6 minutes, 9/4.
And we all thought it was all over. Declan was exhausted, but still
running. "Points, Dec, get the points", his father was saying to himself
behind me. The fourth was an anthology game. Up, down, left, right, I win
this one, I let you the other one... Declan got the game, 10/9, I still
don't know how, well yes I do, his heart made the difference. And another
racquet abuse at the end of the game, and a conduct stroke at the start of
the fifth.
The last game, the poor little Egyptian was gone, his mental resolve
broken in the battle for the fourth, having had a match ball that he
didn't transform, and I have to say, against logic and my prediction (yet
again), Yorkshire beat Egypt.
Well done Declan, and well done Dad...
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Declan
Christie bt
Ahmed Abdel Latif
10-8, 7-9, 4-9, 10-9, 9-4 |
A GOOD
PERFORMANCE
FOR A FIRST TIMER...
Girls U19
Framboise at
Abbeydale
Soraya Renaï, a French player in the
under 19, made a good start for her first appearance in the British Junior
Open. She was playing the Pakistani Muqaddas Ashraf, who never
really seemed to get into the match.
 The
first game was extremely quick, 3 minutes to be precise. Asharaf didn't
seem to be able to return her opponent's shots, and kept mis-hitting the
ball. She seemed particularly uneasy with her return of serve, and lost
the first game 9/1.
In the second, she seemed to take the measure of the French girl, and
placed a few nice drop shots, but then lost her serve by touching the
service line.
Soraya wins the second in 4 minutes, 9/2. The 3rd will be a formality, 9/0
for the French in 3 minutes...
Soraya Renaï bt Muqaddas Ashraf
9-1, 9-2, 9-0
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“I was worried to start with,
as during the warm up, she appeared to hit the ball very hard. But as soon
as we started playing, I relaxed, and everything went fine...”
Soraya
Renaï |
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Sandra & Keeley Peacock
Sara Anwan |
SURPRISE
VICTORY
FOR PAKISTAN
Girls U19
Framboise at
Abbeydale
Never mind, Keeley Peacock, with a
lovely mother like yours, I'm sure you'll forget quickly your defeat...
It was a surprise for Sara Anwan and her coach, Rahmat Khan, as "we
brought the girls for the experience", he said. But Sara was just hitting
too well, and too precisely for the English girl. She was always planted
on the T, left her opponent to score only three points in the whole game.
But the young Keeley, who is working part time with disabled children, and
is thinking about making a career of it, did fought hard in the second
game.
She did well, but the Pakistani was just in a different league all
together today...
Sara Anwan bt Keeley Peacock 9-0, 9-1,
9-2 |
SOMEONE HAS
TO LOSE
Boys U17: Linda Davie at
Hallamshire
 This match started off at a slow pace, with the Egyptian working up to an
8-4 lead in the first, but after a 'no let' decision from hand-out, London
made his way back to 7-8. His retrieving was excellent, not only in this
game, but in the whole match, but he couldn't stop Gazely taking the first
9-7 in 12 minutes.
The second game passed quietly, with excellent play and very few lets
being asked for, but this time London was in control and took it 9/2 in 10
minutes.
It was very even in the third until four-all, but London picked up the
pace and strung together five points in a row to take the lead 2-1 -
another 10-minute game.
 In the fourth both players showed that they really wanted to win this
match. The Egyptian was receiving lots of verbal encouragement (in his own
language), but at five-all served to the wrong side of the court to let
the English boy back in.
The game stayed in this position for what seemed
like an eternity, with neither player able to make the breakthrough -
unforced errors were the order of the day. But it was Gazely who finally
cut down the errors to level the match, 9/5 in 18 minutes.
In the fifth the Egyptian's tactics seemed to entail slowing the game down
as much as possible - he was eventually given a conduct warning for
time-wasting. But this was another game where you couldn't tell who was
going to win - unforced errors decided most points, and he who could cut
them out would win, it seemed.
London's retrieving was exceptional, but after taking three points in a
row at 3/4 to lead 6/4 he never managed another point. 9/6 in 17
minutes and the Egyptian was into round two.
A five setter, 75 minutes in total, and a match that neither player
wanted, or deserved, to lose, but someone ultimately has to.
Don't I know that feeling ... Ayman Al Gazely (Egy) bt Steven London (Eng)
9/7, 2/9, 4/9, 9/6, 9/6 (75m)
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"I think Steve played very well today, his opponent was a great shot
player and if you give him space in the middle he's very dangerous.
The Egyptians are certainly far ahead of us at the moment, but we're
definitely getting closer."
Mike Harris
(England Coach)
MARCHE ON...
Boys U15:
Framboise at
Hallamshire
What to say about a match that lasts 13
minutes, and where the score is a whitewash? Not much...
Grégoire Marche, a French boy who European ranking is number
1 in his age group, but who seeding doesn't reflect his ranking,
9/16, was quick to dismiss his English opponent, Ben Jones.
 When I asked his coach, Fred Lecomte, if he had the intention
of carrying on a professional squash career, he said simply:
"Well, in the French Federation, we just don't talk about
professionalism at Grégoire's age at all. Yes, I think he would like
to play on the PSA circuit, but to make a profession of it?
"We encourage our youngest to work on the school front as much as on
the squash front. As far as the French Federation's concerned,
school is compulsory, no matter what..."
Grégoire March bt Ben Jones
9-0, 9-0, 9-0 |
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