The Harrow 2011 UK Racketball Series

The Mote Squash Club - 28th May

Entries close – Fri 20th May

Introduction - Details - Information - Club Facilities

Reports - Results

A Grade, B Grade, Over 40s, Over 50s, Womens

Grade A

Opening rounds

Two late entries into the A draw changed things considerably with PSA stars Rob Downer and Henrik Mustonen coming in as 5 and 6 seeds. Both struggled early on with Downer only narrowly coming through his first round against Bennett and Grilli taking the first off Mustonen with his high pace and variety of shot before both fought back and recovered.

Selby fell to ever improving Mustonen in the quarters, with Mustonen again losing the first.

Daniel Weights pushed Jeal all the way.
Mark Webster made short work of Will Bennett.

Semi Finals

Top 2 seeds against the 2 PSA squash boys.
Jeal looked brilliant against Downer, he never trailed at any point and was always one step ahead.

Top seed and national number 7 Phipps pushed Mustonen all the way but in the end didn’t have the legs to come through with a victory.

Final

Mustonen had been getting better every round which must have worried Jeal going into the final. Jeal took the first but this was no different to any other Mustonen match of the weekend and was no surprise when the Fin began to come back in the 2nd. The rallies were extended and these seemed to be working in Mustonens favour as he levelled the set at 1-1.

The third however was a Jeal racketball master class, hard fast boasts, fading drives and moving onto the half volley saw him in complete control. To Mustonens credit he didn’t give up on a single ball and made Jeal continually play one extra shot, the problem was that by the end it didn’t look like Jeal would ever miss and just kept Mustonen completely on the defensive. 2-1 Jeal and another demonstration that a racketballer can beat the professional squash player.

B Grade

It was a tough 1st game of the day for Sam Jeal losing narrowly to Charlie Yerrell in one of the best B matches of the day. David Herron and Paul Whitby both came through there groups without dropping a game.

The runners up group could have gone either way with both Thatcher and Mabey pushing Jeal hard.

The winners group came down to a straight battle between Heron and Yerrell for the B crown. Herron took the first with a varied display of attack and control. Yerrell fought back in the second getting Herron on the end of more and more rallies which began to take there toll. The third was close but Yerrell found the nick on a couple of occasions giving him the edge to take the match 2-1. This was probably the highest standard B grade match the series has seen so far and a great end to the day.

A great turn out again at the Mote and some fantastic Squash to watch afterwards, we will be back next year!

Over 40’s

There was a strong turnout for the o40 category which included the 2011 National o40 finalist Mark Thornley. The 8 contestants were divided into 2 pools of 4 players but unfortunately there was an early drop out in Pool A which would result in that Pool having fresher legs for the knockout part of the competition. In pool B, which was quickly renamed the pool of death, Marc Thornley took on local hero Mark Steeden (National o40 semi finalist) and came up short in a very closely fought 2 game match. Next up was Patrick Osborn who played Pedro Proena. Pedro was the surprise package of Pool B, and his soft touch approach caught Patrick on his heels as he raced to an unassailable lead in the first game. Patrick clawed his way back into the match and eventually won 2-1. After an 90 minute regroup Marc took on Patrick, local adversaries from the Woodford Wells Club in Essex. Marc committed racketball suicide as he drilled a succession of power drives into the tin and before the marker arrived he had lost the 1st game. Marc settled down in the 2nd but Patrick came out on top 2-1. Mark then played Pedro and was more prepared for Pedro's deft style and won 2-0 in a controlled manner. There was a quick turnaround and Pedro took on Marc who, after his 123 mph speed gun demonstration, had decided that his best approach would be to play to his own strengths and pummel the visitor into submission. This saw Marc go 1-0 down and then face a succession of consecutive match points in the 2nd before he managed to save himself from drowning in the pool of death and come out the eventual winner 2-1. It was fitting that the last match of Pool B was to have Mark play Patrick to decide the top 2 slots. The match was beamed up to the bar at the cost of the tennis from Roland Garros and in an excellent 1st game of aggressive match play Patrick pulled ahead 1-0. After that the batteries went out of Patrick's legs and Mark was the runaway and deserved winner. So, at the end of the Pool B matches, the order was Mark Steeden, Patrick Osborn, Marc Thornley & Pedro Proena.In the playoffs Mark Steeden played Rob Watkins (2010 National o45 winner)

Patrick Osborn was handed a walkover for 3rd slot thanks to the pull of the Champions League Final.

Marc Thornley, having staggered to the finish line against Pedro decided to concede his playoff and headed off for a curry.

Pedro Proena came last but not least and we thank him for making the effort to come all the way from Portugal for the competition and we hope to see him again in the near future.

Summary

Group A

Rob Watkins again showed his strength in the UK-Racketball competitions once again coming through his group without dropping a game.

Group B

Group B had been named the “group of death” by the guys unlucky enough to be drawn into it. 1 player larger than group A, the “group of death” included Mark Steeden, Patrick Ozborn, Mark Thorney and Pedro Proena all of who would probably feel they could have a go at beating Watkins on a good day. The two Marks were the first match up but it was the man in form Steeden who came close to beating Lord at the nationals a couple of weeks ago who came through in a close 2-0.

Pedro was the Potugeses wildcard of the group, he came over especially to play in the event and none of the regulars really knew what to expect. He came close twice with his variety of drops and fading boasts earning a lot of winners but he failed to take either Thorney or Ozborn despite forcing them to a deciding set. “I must get used to this black ball” he told me afterwards.

Final

It was a battle from the off between Steeden and Watkins. Watkins was tanking the serve as he likes to do with Steeden looking to contain and counter punch. The first went to Watkins 11/6 but the second could have gone either way with both players fighting hard. Both players began to get annoyed as the finish line approached with the marker and with each other but the racketball remained a high quality throughout. “Fortunately I don’t have to play him that often as he’s older than me” was the quote from a frustrated Steeden after the final.

Over 50’s

Group A

Graham Greensall had the bad luck of being landed in the same group as the unknown Manuel Costa. It was a close battle but Costa had too much in the end.

Group B

Series veteran James Murphy continued where he left off from the Manor claiming group B without losing a single game.

Final

Murphy got off to a good start with tight slow shots down the wall which contained Costa’s hard hitting and attacking play and ended up taking the game 11/8.

With the start of the second the tide turned with the momentum flowing only 1 way and Costa finding the width to control the play. Murphy always digs deep but it wasn’t enough to contain Costas flair and with the game in his hands and Murphy doing all the work it was always only going one way.

The third Costa started where he left the second and it looked to be all over but nerves began to get the better of him and experienced Murphy began to fight back.  Murphy was giving him nothing and Costa had to win it if he wanted to claim his first UK-Racketball Title. He did with 2 great winners including a forehand straight kill, Murphy didn’t do a lot wrong in the end but Costa was to strong.

Women’s

Another good entry in the women’s draw with the Manor’s winner Matilda Parslow, Kathryn Milne and the women’s over 35s finalist Sam Mueller all looking to take the 2nd Women’s title of the season. The tournament was a straight round robin and saw some fantastic matches played in a great spirit.

Sam had to battle hard to get past Matilda, but despite lots of great retrieving play in the end it Sam just hit to hard and came through 2-0.

Natalie was just too strong for Matilda but didn’t quite have enough to beat Kathryn in a match that turned into one of the most competitive and close encounters of the day as they battled it out for 2nd place.

Women’s Final

Sam Mueller and Kathryn Milne could have faced off in the nationals were it not for the luck of the draw and with both women in the same age group this was always going to be a hotly contested match for the Mote title. In the end Mueller just had a little bit more than Milne despite being pushed hard in both sets.

Results

A Grade, B Grade, Over 40s, Over 50s, Womens

A Grade

B Grade

Over 40s

Over 50s

Womens

Match Schedule

Kent Racketball Open, much more than just a tournament...

Entries closing very soon! This is the first time that The Harrow UK-Racketball Series has been linked to a Professional Squash Association Event (PSA). Alan Thatcher, the weekends PSA promoter has outlined everything that’s going on during the day in the clubs special package below, we even have a hotel deal for all competitors so even if you’re not local and fancy some great racketball and much more read on...

UK-Racketball Series and PSA Kent Open Special Weekend Package Deal.

An action-packed and fun-filled weekend is being planned round the UK- Racketball series at the Mote Squash Club in Maidstone on Saturday May 28th. As well as all the fun Racketball activities, the tournament takes place alongside the PSA Kent Open, which is one of the leading professional events in the UK.

After the racketball is finished, the two PSA semi-finals are scheduled for 5pm and 6pm on the showcourt.

We then immediately swing into the tournament barbecue on the balcony and can pop back inside to watch the Champions League final (Manchester United v Barcelona) on the club TV. Then it’s music time followed by some serious partying at one of Maidstone’s many nightclubs. If you want to make a weekend of it, you can take advantage of the special rates being offered at the excellent Village Hotel in Maidstone (next to Junction 6 on the M20). The rate is £69.00 for a twin room (inc B and B) and the hotel has a swimming pool, sauna and gym for those who want to sweat out the Saturday night hangover! To make your booking, while rooms are still available, please contact Christine West at The Village. Her direct line is 01622 656914 and email is: christine.west@village-hotels.com

After a big Sunday breakfast it’s back to the club for some fun doubles and lunch before the PSA final begins at 3pm. If you want to play doubles on the Sunday morning, please email Kent Open Tournament Director Alan Thatcher on alan@squashuk.com To book your place in the UK-Racketball series enter online now.

Tournament Introduction

Kent is one of the strongest racketball counties and has always been a target for the Harrow UK-Racketball Series, we are really pleased that in 2011 we have been able to bring the Mote Squash Club on board.

For the last few years The Mote Squash Club has been the host to the Kent PSA $10,000 tournament and Festival of Squash. This is the first opportunity (of hopefully many) that UK-Racketball has had to run our own event alongside such a well established and prestigious squash event. The Kent Open is much more than just a squash tournament, the event has a junior tournament, a double’s event, parties and lots more.

The Kent PSA $10,000 is one of the biggest and best run professional squash events in the UK. As the UK-Racketball event is being run on the semi finals day of the PSA event, all entrants will have the opportunity to watch some fantastic squash and see some of the world’s most promising young stars. Another great excuse to play a UK-Racketball event, as if you needed another one.

Click here to download The Mote entry form

Tournament Details

Venue: The Mote Squash Club

Willow Way
Maidstone
ME15 7RN

Date: Sat 28th May

Closing date for entries: Fri 20th May

Tournament Information

The tournament will be run over 1 day.

All draws and start times will be published on this page the week of the event.

All entries are guaranteed a Harrow 2011 UK-Racketball Tour t-shirt.
As the tournament is played all in one day we are planning for about a 9:30am start (although this could be later depending on entries and will be confirmed closer to the date) the finals will be around 6:00pm in the evening.

We guarantee every competitor will have at least 3 matches with the format will be either group stages through to knockout, monrad or straight knockout, depending on numbers of entries. We will always ensure that every competitor has at least three, best of three, matches. Scoring will be American to 11 and best of 3 games. The tournament is sanctioned by England Squash and Racketball and has a grade 1.5 status.

Top prises for the Winners, Runners-up and plate winners for all categories (except beginners)

New to 2011 the beginners category, just started playing, fancy a tournament, play against people of a similar standard for our new discount rate of £10.00.

Top Ranking points for the English National Racketball Ranking List. And earn points towards your UK-Racketball series rankings (see how they work here).

6 separate categories to choose from Men’s A, Men’s B, Women’s, Over 40s, Over 50s, Beginners. 

or

Click here to download The Mote entry form

or

Download a form from
www.englandsquashandracketball.com

We hope that you enjoy The Harrow 2011 UK-Racketball Series, for pictures of the club and its location please see below.

Club Facilities

Postcode: ME15 7RN