England
Climbs Back Into Women's European Championship Final
by Howard Harding
5-1-11
After losing in last year's semi-finals following 32 successive title
successes, England fought their way back into the women's final of the
European Team Squash Championships after a 3/0 victory over Ireland in
the Division 1 semi-finals of the European Squash Federation event at
the Esport Center in Espoo, Finland.
World No2 Jenny Duncalf
led the
comeback triumph after beating Irish champion Madeline Perry 11-5,
11-0, 13-11. England completed their win over the fourth seeds with
victories by Sarah Kippax and Dominique Lloyd-Walter.
The third seeds will
met top seeds
Netherlands in the final - but the title-holders dropped the opening
match against France when French number one Camille Serme beat former
world champion Vanessa Atkinson in straight games.
But Dutch champion
Natalie Grinham
restored order with a 3/0 win over Isabelle Stoehr before third string
Orla Noom played one of the games of her life by fighting back from 2-0
down to beat France's Coline Aumard 9-11, 3-11, 11-3, 11-8, 11-8 to
take Netherlands into their ninth successive final.
England reached the
men's final for
the 19th year in a row with a comprehensive 4/0 win over Netherlands.
The defending champions will meet France for the fourth successive year
after the second seeds defeated first-time semi-finalists Italy 4/0.
But it was in Division
2 that the
day's biggest excitement took place when hosts Finland celebrated a
popular win over Scandinavian rivals Sweden to ensure promotion to
Division 1 next year.
Olli Tuominen put the
hosts ahead
with an 11-6, 11-0, 11-8 win over Rasmus Hult, but team-mate Matias
Tuomi then lost to championship veteran Christian Drakenberg in four
games.
But when Henrik
Mustonen then beat
Gustav Detter 3/0, it was enough for Finland to celebrate its countback
victory - and a place in next year's elite top eight for the first time
since 2009.
"Our men's team has
performed as I
have expected," said a delighted Finnish national coach Mike Harris. "I
am very proud and satisfied with them all. I knew we would be strong in
our match against Sweden in the morning. We have worked more than a
year for this particular match that would take us to the final and to
Division 1."
RESULTS: European Team
Championship, Espoo, Finland
Division 1: Men's
semi-finals: [1] ENGLAND bt [3]
NETHERLANDS 4/0 James Willstrop bt
Piedro Schweertman 11-2, 11-5, 11-6 Nick Matthew bt Dylan
Bennett 11-7, 9-11, 11-2, 11-5 Daryl Selby bt Rene
Mijs 11-3, 11-6, 12-10 Peter Barker bt
Sebastian Weenink 12-10, 11-8
5th - 8th place
play-offs: [4] WALES bt [7]
SCOTLAND 2/2 (Wales win 7-6 on games countback) Peter Creed lost to
Alan Clyne 2-11, 6-11, 1-11 Alex Gough lost to
Chris Small 9-11, 11-5, 9-11, 7-11 David Evans bt Stuart
Crawford 11-2, 11-2, 11-2 Nic Birt bt Harry
Leitch 11-7, 11-7, 11-7
[6] GERMANY bt [8]
CZECH REPUBLIC 4/0 Simon Rosner bt Jan
Koukal 11-4, 11-2, 11-8 Rudi Rohrmuller bt
Jaroslav Cech 11-8, 11-9, 11-4 Jens Schoor bt Petr
Martin 11-8, 11-5, 11-9 Andre Haschker bt Pavel
Sladecek 11-8, 11-7, 12-10
Division 2: Men's
semi-finals: [6] DENMARK bt [1]
SPAIN 3/1 Kristian Frost Olesen
lost to Borja Golan 11-8, 11-4, 7-11, 7-11, 9-11 Morten W Sorensen bt
Alejandro Garbi Caro 11-7, 11-9, 3-11, 8-11, 11-6 Rasmus Nielsen bt David
Vidal 11-2, 7-11, 11-8, 11-8 Michael Frilund bt Ivan
Flores 11-8, 1-11, 11-3, 13-11
[2] FINLAND bt [4]
SWEDEN 2/2 (Finland win 7-5 on games countback) Olli Tuominen bt Rasmus
Hult 11-6, 11-0, 11-8 Matias Tuomi lost to
Christian Drakenberg 11-7, 9-11, 10-12, 9-11 Henrik Mustonen bt
Gustav Detter 11-8, 11-7, 11-6 Arttu Moisio lost to
Romain Tenant 7-11, 6-11
5th - 8th place
play-offs: [5] SWITZERLAND bt [7]
BELGIUM 3/1 Nicolas Mueller bt
Stefan Casteleyn 15-13, 9-11, 11-5, 11-8 Patrick Miescher bt
Mark Burke 11-8, 11-6, 11-8 Reiko Peter bt Tom de
Mulder 11-8, 11-6, 11-8 Jonas Daehler lost to
Jan van den Herrewegen 4-11, 8-11, 7-11
[3] IRELAND bt [8]
HUNGARY 3/1 Arthur Gaskin lost to
Mark Krajcsak 5-11, 7-11, 11-8, 5-11 Steve Richardson bt
Sandor Fulop 11-3, 12-10, 9-11, 11-9 Derek Ryan bt Marton
Szaboky 11-7, 11-3, 11-1 Graeme Stewart bt
Andras Torok 7-11, 11-2, 11-6, 11-2
9th - 12th place
play-offs: [9] SLOVAKIA bt [11]
AUSTRIA 3/1 Tomas Toth lost to
Aqeel Rehman 6-11, 4-11, 7-11 Peter Kviecinsky bt
Daniel Haider 4-11, 11-5, 11-8, 11-9 Marek Manik bt Jakob
Dirnberger 11-7, 9-11, 11-9, 7-11, 11-5 Miroslav Celler bt
Marcus Greslehner 12-10, 11-7, 6-11, 11-1
Division 2: Women's 3rd
qualifying round: [6] CZECH REPUBLIC bt
[4] BELGIUM 2/1 Lucie Fialova bt Kim
Hannes 11-9, 11-5, 11-7 Veronika Koukalova bt
Yara Delagrange 11-9, 6-11, 11-6, 11-5 Klara Janoskova lost to
Nele Gilis 11-9, 7-11, 10-12, 11-2, 5-11