Archive
Results for the RASTA Dumfries Tournament – 19th July 2014
Another great Racketball Around Scotland Tournament this weekend and here are the results of the Premier League
Please click here to see the results for all the divisions
Please click here to see the July 2014 RASTA Rankings Read more…
Scottish Open Racketball Tournament 2014
If you’d like to see photos of the 2014 Scottish Racketball Open in Dumfries please click here
If you’d like to see the individual results and winners photos please click here
2014 Champ
a Fantastically Colourful Tourney!
Gaultier Returns to PSA World No.1 after 4 years
Greg is world No.1
Greg Gaultier has returned to World No.1 for the first time since Nov 2009 and his intention is to stay there this time. On the 1st occasion he was on the top spot for just one month and in an incredible turn of events he held the first ever joint No.1 position in February of this year when he joined Nick Matthew at the top.
But April see’s Greg take the title solo, by just 180 points, with a win in the Windy City Open in Chicago in early March.
Nick Matthew will no doubt be determined to challenge Greg for the World No.1 spot next month, but both players will have to look over their shoulders as Mohamed El Shorbagy has hit a career high of No.3 which is an amazing result for the 23 year old from Egypt.
The full PSA world rankings are available by clicking here
It’s also good to see Scotland’s 2 Harrow stars moving up Alan Clyne at No.37 (up 1 place) and Greg Lobban at No.75 (up 2 places).
Not to mention Douglas Kempsell and Kevin Moran at No. 122 and 136
Whitecraigs LT&SC 2014 Club Championships
Iain McDermott left receiving the prize from Tim Ross (squash convener)
The last two weeks has seen the Whitecraigs LT&SC 2014 Club Champions crowned and in the Men’s Tournament there was a hell of a final between Iain McDermott and Steve Luker.
Iain McDermott on the ‘T’ v Steve Luker (must have been the 5th!)
Steve took the early exchanges and won the first two games and looked in total control. He volleyed well and didn’t let Iain have a sniff of the ball let alone the ‘T’. But Iain is renound for coming back from some pretty tight situations and that’s exactly what happened in this match. He began lengthening the rallies and getting Steve behind him. He also began reading Steve’s drops much better and crunching them to a length any time he saw them. So 2-1 soon became 2-2 and so to the 5th!
By now you could see that Steve was tired, but so was Iain. It was still anyone’s game to win. Steve needed to control the match more and find the corners and Iain needed to keep doing what he was doing. The crowd was deep in discussion about who would do it.
The 5th game was another high paced affair and as Steve faded Iain powered on to take the match and become the 2014 Men’s Champion. It was a great match to watch.
Calum, Mark, Steve and Oli (and me)
The Junior Club Championships were played the next week and this was a good quality tournament played as a round-robin. It all came down to the final match between Oliver Millen and Mark Taylor.
Both players had maximum points going into the final so it was winner take all. The final was a great display of determination and power. Both lads love to wallop the ball and both hate losing to each other (despite the fact they’re friends). Oli was nervous and Mark was determined to run everything down.
However a season in the Wednesday Men’s teams proved to be the difference in this match as Oli was able to move Mark around the court and keep him in the back. Mark did run many of Oli’s shots down, but in the end Oli was just too consistent and too experienced as he won the match 3-0 and became the 2014 Junior Club Champion.
DLWE v Giffnock 1 – Away (Match Report) 19th March 2014
You could cut the tension with a knife as we travelled to Giffnock to play the potential league champions last night. I say potential as they still needed 1 point to secure the title. Would they do it!?!?? Could we stop them?!?!?!
We on the other hand were safe from relegation and only really turned up for the team photo and the celebration! 
David (Craig) was first on against Owen Hadden (who fancies himself……….now where was I? Oh yes fancies himself as Giffnock 1s MVP – having amassed 18 wins out of 18 this season). I can’t believe Dave lost the very first game to Owen and handed Giffnock the title; what an anti-climax!!! Congratulations Giffers.
To see the full article press ‘read more’ below. To see all DLWE articles got to Current Match Reports by clicking here
DLWE v Hamilton – Away (Match Report) 12th March 2014
Were we safe from relegation yet? Technically no, but probably yes. So a few points tonight would secure it for us and away to Hamilton was where we went to mine those few golden nuggets.
Rich & Sean were missing from the team, so we strengthened the line up by adding Kev Cameron! And the debutant to Division 1 went on first at No.5 against Colin McGeady. This was interesting match up to referee as Kev used his pace and Colin used his experience. The court was roasting and Kev ran about scraping everything back (just) making a real nuisance of himself, but Colin looked in control and took a good lead in the 1st game. Unassailable you might say, because it was! But only just, as he sneaked home on the tie break. Kev fought back well and took the 2nd by lengthening the rallies. In retrospect it’s easy to see that the 3rd was where the match was won, especially as it went to a tie break. Unfortunately for us Colin won it and then had the comfort of knowing he didn’t have to win the 4th (which he didn’t).
An so to the 5th!
To see the full article press ‘read more’ below. To see all DLWE articles got to Current Match Reports by clicking here
DLWE v Giffnock 2 – Home (Match Report) 5th March 2014
Well with Hamilton and Giffnock 1 left to play this season, this was our absolute last chance to get some realistic points. And to give ourselves a sniff of staying up in Division 1, as we matched up against Giffnock 2 tonight.
We’d narrowly lost to them in the 1st half and so it looked like a tough night ahead – tough but competitive!
I was delayed as I witnessed a car accident on the way to the match and stopped to give my details, which was just as well as the couple who slammed their car into the other driver were not admitting to anything; that is until I parked up and arrived back on the scene to give a ‘stroke’ against them! And my number to Julie, who had been bumped and was outnumbered!
To see the full article press ‘read more’ below. To see all DLWE articles got to Current Match Reports by clicking here
DLWE v Newlands 3 – Home (Match Report) 27th February 2014
Sorry about last week’s lack of a report, but I left on a business trip after the match and only got home late Tuesday Night (I’ll try and do a retrospective one later on this week) but now back to last night’s match.
We welcomed Newlands 3 to DLWE and first on was Richard (Cantlay) at No.4 against Brendan Forrester. I had a tough match v Brendan in the 1st half so I was wondering a) why he was playing at No.4 and b) how quickly he would chop Rich! Well after losing the 1st game Rich asked me for words of wisdom to help him win. “Get a time machine and practice a lot more 10 years ago!” was the crux of what I said, although I did sugar coat it a bit.
To see the full article press ‘read more’ below. To see all DLWE articles got to Current Match Reports by clicking here
Matthew & Walters Wins 2014 British Championships
Nick Matthew won the 2014 British Closed Championships this weekend in Manchester to secure his 6th title. He beat an inform James Wilstrop 3-1 in a tough 78 minute match.
James joked that he was 800-1 down in the series against Nick and although it’s not 800 it has been 7 years since James beat Nick in a PSA tour match (in 2007). 
In the women’s event Alison Walters defended her title beating Madeline Perry 3-0 to collect her 4th British Closed Championship. She made the most of her record-equalling eighth appearance in a Nationals Final as she beat first-time finalist Madeline Perry 11-3, 11-6, 11-6 in just over half an hour to claim her second title in a row. Read more…
DLWE v SSRC – Home (Match Report) 12th February 2014
Sean in his “Paul Hannah Solicitors” T-shirt
Schools’ week is always a tough time to get 4 teams out and with so many away we only had 4 players in the 4th team. That is until I bumped into a player I’d not seen in a year and a half and asked him if he fancied a game at No.5 for the 4th team! Some of you might remember ex-junior internationalist (and Scotland Masters’ player) Kevin Mackay; well his old man (Angus) said he’d help us out, and as luck would have it he was just back on court today after a long injury. I think the fact that he was playing one of the Glasgow Uni girls helped!
SSRC tonight and we had a torrid time of it in the 1st half against them, as we got only 3 points – so 3 to beat!
First on was Sara (McDonald) at No.5 against Martin Sullivan. Tough one for Sara this week as everything she did Martin could match. Then when Sara left something short Martin crashed a good length to the back and Sara was struggling. She did counter with some good low cross-courts of her own and in the 2nd game especially she was in a good position but Martin wrestled this one back as well so a tough night for Sara. I got the traditional response when I said to her “Unlucky well played” when she came off court, which was “Pish!”
I went on next against Brian Robertson at No.2 and shortly after Doug (Macmillan) went on the other court against Rory Stewart (just passing through Glasgow on his way back to Crieff!).
To see the full article press ‘read more’ below or click here. To see all DLWE articles got to Current Match Reports by clicking here
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