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Pontefract Squash Club welcomed one of the biggest squash tournaments to the region as 12 champions were crowned at the 2016 North of England Masters Championships (21-23 October). England Squash Masters Chairman, Martin Pearse reports:
WO55/65 – With Julie Field in the draw, one of the six English World Champions from Johannesburg three weeks ago, it was always a tough ask for anyone to come close to her. But Sarah Howlett did in the final, leading 2/1 before Julie recomposed herself to clinch the last two in a 9/1 7/9 5/9 9/3 9/5 win.
WO50 – Fran Wallis was in a class of her own, beating both Hilary Kenyon and Shelly Walsh, 3-0. In the battle for second place, Kenyon beat her long-standing rival Walsh, 9/4 4/9 9/2 9/7.
WO45 – Tough matches as Sarah Parr, back after missing a season through injury, gave World No. 2 and Pontefract player, Andrea Santamaria a fright, the score line, 11/7 11/6 6/11 4/11 11/6 with the local girl coming through eventually.
In the bottom half, Izzy Tyrell beat Sam Mueller, 11/8 11/8 11/7, but Santamaria dominated all through the final, 11/6 11/4 11/5.
WO35/O45 – With Natalie Lawrence having to pull out with damaged ligaments, the round robin saw Louisa Dalwood record her first regional beating Natalie Townsend, 11/1 5/11 11/3 11/4 and Kalie Lawrence 9/11 11/9 11/5 11/7.
MO70 – Some big upsets here as Rodney Boswell crashed out to Chris Ansell, 9/0 9/7 7/9 6/9 6/9, the latter having demolished Mike Clemson, 9/6 9/6 9/1. No. 3 seed Adrian Wright fell at the hour mark to Roger Booker 9/2 5/9 3/9 9/7 7/9, the latter having inflicted the same sort of score line on Bill Wilson. Meanwhile, Martin Pearse was having to come back from the dead himself, with 60 minutes v John Robertson, 9/3 2/9 10/9 7/9 7/9 and in the semi, Booker, an 83 minute battle, 10/8 5/9 5/9 10/9 4/9. The final saw Pearse, 1-2 down to Ansell after suffering a third game whitewash, but in the last ever Hi Ho match, came back from a 2-6 deficit to win 9/6 9/4 to record his second consecutive 2016 Masters O70 Regional.
MO65 – With points and results all counting for International selection, Neil Nightingale did himself no harm in beating John Hithersay, 4/9 10/8 3/9 9/5 9/3 and Terry Norman, 9/3 9/1 retirement over Phil Godfrey, Terry Belshaw (5/8) took out No. 2 Peter Smith, 9/2 9/10 9/6 9/5, then Norman 3-1 before going the whole hog and taking out the World No. 2 Ian Graham, not himself, in a nail-biter, 9/3 10/9 7/9 10/9 3/9.
MO60 – With Ruston Bativala dropping out, it was expected that Mark Cowley would dominate, but Ian Holmes, after his Friday night training routine (only nine pints of top quality real ale) took him close, 9/4 9/4 3/9 5/9 9/2. In the bottom half, Simon Evendon cruised through to the final, beating a lack lustre Stuart Hardy before finding Cowley a handful in the final, 9/4 9/6 9/1.
MO55 – Neil Harrison had a scare against Tom Burton 3/2, whilst Ged Martin remained fresh with a walkover and an unexpectedly easy victory over Ian Bradburn, not his usual self. In the final, Martin recorded his first ever regional, beating the Durham player 9/5 3/9 9/2 9/3.
MO50 – David Box also claimed his first regional, scraping past his old adversary and rival Ray Burke in the semis, 5/11 11/6 3/11 12/10 7/11, in a match not for the faint-hearted. This result gave Box the confidence to go the whole hog having beaten Darren Withey, 6/11 11/5 11/9 13/11 and he duly did, beating No. 1 seed Marc Aldridge in the final in a tense thriller, 11/9 10/12 11/3 8/11 11/9.
MO45 – The return of Andrew Murray saw him sneak past Stuart Summers, not that sneaking was on the agenda for two such hulks on the squash court! Murray’s 8/11 5/11 11/9 12/10 11/8 victory saw him then nearly remove the No. 1 seed Andrew Cross five hours later. Cross won, not without some damage, 11/4 11/7 12/14 8/11 11/6. And so it proved as John Gliddon, fresh from a successful World Masters, cruised through the bottom half, very fresh, and recorded victory in the final, beating Cross, 11/5 11/8 11/6.
MO40 – Rich Green beat Joss Hargreave to enter the semi versus Christian Donelan and that went his way as well, 13/11 11/4 6/11 11/5, whilst in the top half, Devonian John Gallacher beat Giles Cook 3-0 and Matt Stephenson 3-1. Gallacher claimed another regional, 11/2 11/1 11/9 but Green was a happy bunny having reached his first final.
MO35 – Peter Pan (aka Jamie Goodrich) playing down two age groups, took out Paul Stroud 3-1 and then Marcus Hayes 3-1 to enter yet another final and claim another title. His opponent, newcomer Alex Preston, had beaten Stephen Davies, 11/8 4/11 10/12 11/3 11/9 and Mike Biggs, 11/5 5/11 11/3 5/11 11/5 and was undoubtedly tired. Goodrich, as fit as anyone on planet earth for his age, fell away on the first two versus Preston in the final, 12/10 8/11, making unusual errors at the front of the court. Once sorted in the Goodrich mind box, it was back to business, length, lob, volley, variety of pace and he won what must be well over his 20th Regional, 11/3 11/5. But congratulations to the newcomer.
