Mon 20th Aug - (Qualifying Round 1)

Qualifying was played in front of a good crowd with the club busy from the junior tournament running alongside the main event. This gave the young aspiring juniors a chance to assess what they might need to do to play as a professional on the World Circuit. First up was top seeded qualifier Romain Tenant who had flown in yesterday from Stockholm where he is now based against local player Keith Timms. What looked on paper a mere formality was obviously not what Keith had in mind. A great spirited performance of which he can take heart from where he competed in all of the first three games only to fall a little short towards the end with Romain coming out victor.

Ryan Thompson dropped a game to the improving Adam Fuller whose summer training is starting to look like it is making a difference. Adam took the second game with the first two games fiercely contested leaving Ryan to work hard to secure the win in four games. Ben Ford looked very good today with a near faultless performance against Dutchman Rene Mijs from the Victoria Club in Rotterdam, it was only in the third game Ben lost his concentration and allowed Rene a chance of taking a game but he composed himself to overhaul the deficit and take the third and final game 14/12 to set up a game with fellow Englishman Shaun Le Roux who took only 22 minutes to beat local Essex boy Rory Pennell.

Jens Schoor from Germany arrived on the early flight out of Frankfurt this morning so was very grateful of a quiet area in the club gym where he could grab forty winks in lost sleep. Now refreshed fed and watered he enjoyed a good hard competitive match with Jason Barry with the third game going to 15/13 in Jens favour to give him a solid 3/0 victory. Irishman Arthur Gaskin showed how he has improved since working out of Yorkshire and accessing quality hits with a variety of professional players based up there. He disposed of top seed Daryl Selby’s younger brother Elliot who has only recently decided to join his brother and sister on the professional circuit and found the going tough but showed good heart and promise in the third game.

Robbie Temple was not looking too happy about playing in the tournament until we found out why. It was his 21st today and probably was not the ideal place to celebrate it as he was last on and alcohol seemed a distant memory if he was going to perform well. Well James Snell must have decided to help him celebrate allowing Robbie to come home with a 3/0 victory. A bottle of Champagne and a cake was the surprise waiting for Robbie on returning to the tournament desk to check tomorrow’s times. (He did offer to share it with his opponent in tomorrows match!!!!)

Last up on the show court was left hander Tom Pashley and Scotsman Stuart Crawford who looked on course to keep presenting early birthday presents to Tom. They took it in turn to win games with each player performing well in the games they won and the other wondering why they could not produce the performance of the previous game. Stuart will feel relieved to get through and Tom disappointed that he was unable to grab the victory.

More to follow tomorrow with the first two matches scheduled for 6pm followed by two at 7pm.

Paul Selby

Professional Squash Coach

Tues 21st Aug - (Qualifying Round 2)

A good crowd swelled by the parents and juniors from the tournament that had been running during the day watched a highly charged and action packed evening's entertainment. first up on court was the good looking Frenchman Romain Tenant as described by Catherine Mulvey one of the Tournament Organisers. He was up against England based Ryan Thompson from Namibia who was keen to build on his previous nights victory against Adam Fuller. The game started at a good tempo but Romain's  court presence made life difficult for Ryan who struggled to control the game and edge in front. Although Ryan took the second game it was Romain who seemed to have the upper hand over the four games with him coming out victor to face No2 seed Scott Handley in the Main Draw. The other court had the revitalised Ben Ford who slight shade of grey to his hair betrays his youthful movement around the court. Apart from a lapse in concentration during the third game where the heavily strapped ankle of Shaun Le Roux did not seem an issue Ben managed to haul back the lead and close out the game 13/11 to face Julian Balbo.

The next two matches of the evening produced the closest finishes, Jens Schoor of Germany was up against Ireland's Arthur Gaskin, this provided a hard physical encounter with both players finding it hard to play tight enough to give the other player much room. A match peppered with decisions made it highly charged and climaxed in the fifth with Arthur squandering a match ball to allow Jens to finish off the match 14/12, leaving him to face Jesse Engelbrecht who had been watching the match from the balcony not aware at that time that this was to be his opponent when drawn out of the hat at the end of the evening. The other court was producing no less drama with England's Robbie Temple in a tough encounter with Scot Stuart Crawford, both players keen to progress meant scintillating rallies with no quarter given by either player. No one watching was keen to pick a winner as the games ebbed and flowed. With injury time outs and tight refereeing decisions it had everything you could ask from a spectator point of view, Robbie managed to hold his nerve and scrape home 13/11 only to find out he grabbed the short straw and get No1 seed Daryl Selby.

First round proper starts Wednesday at 6pm with 8 top quality matches to get through.

Paul Selby

Professional Squash Coach

Wed 22nd Aug - (1st Round)

A packed house at the Bishops Stortford Squash Club was treated to a feast of excellent squash and a dramatic finale in the first round of the BAA Squash Festival.

The evening started with number 3 seed Jonny Harford taking on Dutchman Neils Hoevenaars. The first two games were close affairs. Harford had to come back from what should have been significant leads enjoyed by Hoevenaars, who could do little to see those leads crumble as the Englishman gradually relaxed and showed improved concentration. Showing increasing signs of tiredness, Hoevenaars succumbed in the third to hand Harford a 3-0 win, 11/7 12/10 11/8.

At the same time on court number 2, Frenchman Mathieu Castagnet was in battle against Darren Lewis from Leicester. Quick and strong, Castagnet dominated the court and capitalised on his opponents mistakes. Lewis did well to push Castagnet hard in the third game and a t 9-9 Castagnet was awarded a let without seeming to ask for one. Gratefully, he accepted his second chance and managed to take the final 2 points to secure a 3-0 victory, 11/7 11/5 11/9.

Next up on the main court, in front of a packed crowd eager to see their local man, number 1 seed Daryl Selby was up against qualifier Robbie Temple, now based in Ealing. Looking a little rusty in his first competitive match of the new season, Selby was still too strong for a slightly jaded opponent who had endured an emotive 5 game epic the previous evening.

Temple often allows his emotions to boil over against what he deems as unfair decisions against him by the referee and this was the case in the second game when he received a conduct warning and pushed his luck too far before being awarded a conduct stroke against him. Showing improved maturity in the third game, he began to play better and pushed Selby more than in the first two games. Selby responded though and see ran out a comfortable 3-0 winner, 11/5 11/5 11/8.

Meanwhile, the inconsistency of number 4 seed, Jan Koukal from the Czech Republic, was being exposed by David Barnett who recently enjoyed success in winning the third Harrow Challenger tournament at Broxbourne. Barnett looked the favourite to go through at 2-0 up, but Koukal finally got his game together to come back strongly and take the match in 5, 8/11 9/11 11/7 11/7 11/4.

Luca Mastrostefano from Italy made short work of Neil Hitchens who had been awarded the wildcard place in the main draw. Hitchens stated that it was the higher pace that he's not used to that was his undoing and that it was a valuable experience he fully intended capitalising on in the future. The amiable Mastrostefano was generous in his praise for the spirit shown by young Hitchens after his 11/7 11/4 11/5 win.

The disappointment of the evening was the retirement through injury of second seed Scott Handley after only half a game. 9/6 down against Frenchman Romain Tenant, he decided to stop before doing too much damage to a hamstring strain that will now keep him out of the forthcoming Dutch Open. A grateful Tenant expressed his sympathy for Handley but vowed to make the most of what he considered a rest day when he takes on favourite Daryl Selby tomorrow.

Even though he lost 3-0, young German Jens Schoor looked highly impressive against number 8 seed Jesse Engelbrecht. Schoor, a clean striker of the ball and physically very strong and powerful, explained how being in the army has allowed him to be a full time professional player on the PSA tour. Engelbrecht, originally from Zimbabwe, but born in Durban, South Africa, and with an English mother and British passport, has recently qualified to play for South Africa and was relieved that he cam through a tricky match unscathed, 11/5 11/8 11/4.

The final match proved to be the most dramatic - and longest! Keeping an enthralled crowd on the edge of their seats until well after 10.00, Julien Balbo from France had the narrowest of victories against qualifier Ben Ford. The experienced Ford was close to taking a 2-0 lead until Balbo pinched a second game tie break 12-10 to level the score. Each player then shared the spoils in the next two games only for the full drama to unfold late in the fifth.

An increasingly tense affair raised the temperature even more after Balbo was given a no let after slipping over when he had match point at 10-9. Frustration boiled over and he had a conduct stroke awarded against him to dramatically go match ball down at 10-11. Impressively, he managed to galvanise himself and win the next three points to finally beat Ford into weary submission, 11/13 12/10 7/11 11/3 13/11.

After the drama and action witnessed by the crowd after the first round, they are thirsty for more and will be back in force for the quarter finals which start at 8.00pm tonight.

John Milton

Professional Squash Coach and Consultant

[3] Jonathan Harford (Eng) bt Niels Hoevenaars (Ned)    11/9, 12/10, 11/8 (35m)

"I'm pleased I won those first two games considering the leads he enjoyed in both! I seemed to relax when I was down and started hitting through the ball better rather than jabbing at my shots.

"He also had a conduct stroke awarded at the end of the second game so that I started 1-0 up in the third which must have frustrated him mentally. Bit harsh really, but you don't turn them down!"
Jonny Harford

"I had a good lead in the first two games and then just lost concentration and played too many unforced errors. Not long come back off holiday and I felt my legs getting tired in the third. Gotta go back to Holland now and practice for the Dutch …"
 

Niels Hoevenaars

[6] Mathieu Castagnet (Fra) bt Darren Lewis (Eng)      11/7, 11/5, 11/9 (45m)

"I was nervous at the start of the match as I haven't played any tough matches for the last three months, just trained hard. Didn't feel match sharp or fit and was wondering how I was going to play.

"Darren is quite consistent so I didn't want to get too many long rallies, although the last rally of the match was the longest!

"Very pleased with 3 -0 and look forward to playing Koukal probably in the quarters. He has been inconsistent lately so I could do well - hopefully!"

Mathieu Castagnet


"Tough first two games when he was getting everything back. He's very quick and strong and I made too many errors trying to finish rallies off too quickly. He had a few decisions go his way in the third game which was frustrating but he also played a very solid game.

"I'm not too unhappy with the way I played as I've been out with injury for most of the season. I'm now looking forward to going out to the Dutch Open next week".
 

Darren Lewis
 

[1] Daryl Selby (Eng) bt [Q] Robbie Temple (Eng)   11/5, 11/5, 11/8 (31m)

"I don't think I got too many decisions going for me in that match - especially the second when I had a conduct point against me for dissent.  But, I should learn to get on with it after what I might think is a bad decision and I don't do that well enough.

"Daryl was too good tonight, in all honesty. Better length and great movement. I tried to play too many shots and felt I was in most rallies but he played the better pressure shots. I don't have much coming up until the London Open, so it's back to the drawing board!"

Robbie Temple


"First match of the season so I was quite pleased really, even though it was quite scrappy. Robbie's a talented player capable of hitting a few nicks each game so I had to be careful to hit a good length and not open the court up too much for him.

"I thought I did that quite well - perhaps made a few more errors in the third than I wanted, but got the job done. I hope Jesse and Jens have a tough game now!"

Daryl Selby

 

[Q] Romain Tenant (Fra) bt [2] Scott Handley (Eng)   9/6 rtd (8m)

"Frustrating!! Slightly pulled my hamstring about 10 days ago but felt good and confident coming here today.

"Sadly, halfway through the first game I felt it getting sore and beginning to pinch. I couldn't see me getting through the match without doing some serious damage so I had to retire.

"I should be playing the Dutch and British GP in the next two weeks but I'll have to miss them and get ready for the European Club championships in Budapest".

Scott Handley


"I felt really good after two matches of qualifying but feel sorry for him. I wish him well for his recovery.

"Now, all the French players are in the same half, so we could all be playing each other sometime! But, I do have a touch match against Daryl next!!

"Well, I have had a good 'rest day' today so will be fresh for him tomorrow. I would like to say how good it is here at Bishops Stortford. Everyone is so friendly and the organisation is great, everyone is so helpful and the food is great! And my English is getting better everyday!"
 

Romain Tenant
 

[8] Jesse Engelbrecht (Rsa) bt [Q] Jens Schoor (Ger)   11/5, 11/8, 11/4 (23m)

"That was fairly comfortable I'm pleased to say. I felt he was tired from his tough match yesterday when he just managed to win a tie break in the 5th. He seemed tired halfway through the first game actually, so I felt pretty confident through the whole match. He hits the ball really well though and he's going to be a strong player.

"Glad I met him early in his career! Great tournament - really good to be here where everyone is so welcoming."

Jesse Engelbrecht


"Yes, I was a bit tired tonight although I felt fine during the day. But, he played at a pace that I don't have at the moment so I need to learn how to adapt and become stronger and more powerful. He played the deep corners well and I felt under pressure all the time.

"I'm in the army in Germany which is great because I'm in the sports group which allows me to be a professional squash player.

"There is no sponsorship for squash players in Germany so this is a great system where we can earn the same pay as a standard soldier but after the first three months of basic training I only have to do one day a month of military service. I'll stay in the army for a total of 23 months and then see how I'm doing with my squash."

Jens Schoor

 

[5] Julien Balbo (Fra) bt [Q] Ben Ford (Eng)    11/13, 12/10, 7/11, 11/3, 13/11 (78m)

"Nightmare! No length, he hit good winners. All my shots were in the middle and he hit nicks.

"So, I struggled and the referee made all the decisions against me.

"But Ben played really well - tight and good shots. I'm very happy to get through!

"I thought I didn't get any good decisions from the referee but maybe I'm wrong.

"Sometimes it happens that way but it makes it very difficult to concentrate."

Julien Balbo

 

Thursday 23rd Aug (Qtr Finals)

[1] Daryl Selby (Eng) bt [8] Jesse Engelbrect (Rsa)       11/2, 11/7, 11/2 (35m)

"I felt smoother tonight and am pleased with the way I'm hitting the ball. I thought I pressured Jesse well and even when I was on the wrong end of a rally, I still managed to win it, which frustrated him I think. I hit a good length and was positive at the front.

"It's a hot bouncy court tonight and difficult to put the ball away but I made very few errors. I've put some heavy training in this summer and that's the first time I've felt it come through in a match and that feels good. Great crowd tonight.

"It's really good to see some familiar faces still here 15 years after they were cheering me on as a junior!"

Daryl Selby

"I felt that every good shot I played, he got it back with interest. He was stronger, fitter and played a flawless tight game. He's obviously had a big summer of training and it really shows.

"Normally we have tight matches - I think this is the first time I've lost 3-0 to him. He was too good tonight."

Jesse Engelbrecht

 

[7] Luca Mastrostefano (Ita) bt [3] Jonathan Harford (Eng)    4/11, 11/4, 11/6, 11/2 (40m)

"I started off well, playing good squash and took the first game comfortably. Then he started to attack to the front more and I gradually got more tired and he exploited it well.

"I'm actually quite pleased as I came here with the aim to win one match and I've done that."

Jonny Harford

"I usually start well but he started much better today. I think he was quite tired from his previous match so, once I got my movement sorted out I seemed to get better.

"I moved him well in the last three games and felt that I got stronger physically as the game went on. I've played him twice before and lost both so tonight it was third time lucky."
 

Luca Mastrostefano

Friday 24th Aug (Semi Finals)

Semi-Finals at Stortford
John Milton reports, photos by Andrew Mulvey

After an entertaining start to the evening with a fun doubles tournament organised, the serious stuff got under way with the number one seed Daryl Selby taking on Italian Luca Mastrostefano in the first semi final.

Selby looked as if he was going to carry on the way he played in yesterday's quarter final, taking the first game comfortably 11/4.

Mastrostefano also started the same way as yesterday - slowly - allowing Selby to dictate the pace and tactics. However, things changed in the second game with the Italian taking the ball in to the front earlier and managing to keep Selby from dictating from the T the way he had in the first game.

Selby also seemed to ease back a little as well, and only just managed to take the game 11/9 after Mastrostefano had enjoyed a 6-1 lead that should have been sufficient for him to take the game. It was a similar story in the third game, Mastrostefano going 5-0 up. Again, he let the lead slip, with Selby playing better length to close down his opponent and it was tight all the way up to 9-9. The Italian pressed again though and reached 10 first by an exquisite backhand drop, and then clinched the game when Selby wasn't given a let in the next rally.

The fourth game was closer throughout, even though Mastrostefano enjoyed a 3-0 lead. This was the only time there was clear daylight between them though and once Selby levelled at 5-5, it was nip and tuck all the way until a final Selby push to squeeze through the final points and deny his worthy opponent any chance of reaching the final.


Balbo wins another marathon
The second semi final produced an epic spectacle between two Frenchmen who know each other's game inside out. Julien Balbo is only ranked slightly higher than his young opponent Mathieu Castagnet, and the difference between them was also marginal.

Like Selby in his match, Balbo got off to a good start, taking it 11/4, but then Castagnet came back and took the next two games to lead 2-1. With each game lasting around 20 minutes, the players started to lose accuracy and both were tempted to go short too early.

This led to some spectacular play which was appreciated by the crowd who were absorbed with a match that was increasingly difficult to call. The fourth game was close up to 5-4 to Balbo and then he reeled off 5 points in a row to take the game. Castagnet looked a beaten man, particularly when he went 6-0 down in the fifth, and there was only token resistance as Balbo pushed through 11-5 to reach the final after 88 minutes.

An interested Selby was watching and must have enjoyed the effort and tremendous physical battle that he and the rest of the capacity crowd had witnessed, with the knowledge that he will be meeting the victor in less than 24 hours!

The final starts at 6.30pm tomorrow following what promises to be a highly entertaining afternoon when there will be a pro-am tournament with the highlight of world top 10 player, Nick Matthew making an appearance.

 

Stortford Quotes (Semi Finals - 24th Aug)

"I felt good in the first game and started really well. Then Luca changed his tactics and I eased back a little, and you can't do that at this level. "He played well and credit to him. Yesterday I pushed hard all the way through the match but today it was just in patches. I was a bit lazy today and couldn't get any kind of flow into my game, but it's still early season and I'm happy to win." Daryl Selby

"Like yesterday I started slowly but got better as the match went on. I had a really good lead in the second, 6-1, and I should have won that game. "I'm a little disappointed that I couldn't do that. I was too loose really and didn't close him down well enough. But it was a close game and I could have won three games with just a little bit more luck. "Still, it has been really good here this week and I feel confident going on to the Dutch Open next week where I start playing in the qualifying on Tuesday." Luca Mastrostefano

"That was such a tough match - a good match but so tough. It was a very big match for us. "We know each other's game so well and have played so many times and it's always a war! "I went 2-1 up but felt anxious starting the fourth and felt it was always going to go go into a fifth game. I'm happy with my length this tournament but will go away and work on my drops and volleys to progress. "He attacked more than me in the really long rallies and I ended up doing more work. I hope he wins tomorrow of course. "I am exhausted now, but I want to play well at the Dutch ..." Mathieu Castagnet

"I am still alive - but only just!! It is so tough to play him. The ball comes back so many times. You have to play the ball 5, 6, 7 times more than usual to win the point so you have to be ready mentally to play him. "I started well but he made no mistakes in the second game. In the third game, I felt better and pushed forward and volleyed more. At the end of the third game we played an unbelievable rally and even though I lost it and the game on that point, I just felt he was dead, he had put so much effort into winning it. "I think I won the match with that rally. "I hope I recover well now to play a good final tomorrow. I just have to say that I think the referee has something against me - I had a conduct stroke against me in the fifth and I have to talk to him and ask him if there is a problem. We have to talk and see if we can have a better understanding." Julien Balbo

Saturday 25th Aug (Final)

Selby celebrates in the Stortford Sun ...
John Milton reports

At last! A sunny, decent weather day! After five days of almost constant rain, the sun really shone on finals day at the BAA Bishops Stortford Squash Festival 2007. The squash also lived up to the standard of the weather too.

It all started with a Pro-Am tournament in aid of Leukaemia Research. Not only did local stars, Rory Pennell and Neil Hitchins come along, but the Bishop's Stortford members were treated to an appearance from World no. 8 player Nick Matthew.

However, the star of the tournament was Andrew Mulvey who has been one of the principle volunteers during the tournament week [and chief photographer] and was in truly inspired form. As soon as the Pro-Am finished, the top billing match was ready to start.

Local favourite and number one seed Daryl Selby was meeting the French number five seed, Julien Balbo. Most of the audience thought that Daryl was a certainty to win following his easier passage through to the final compared to his opponent's, especially following Balbo's 90 minute epic the previous evening with his compatriot Mathieu Castagnet. It was far from easy though.

The first game was a close affair, with neither player enjoying any more than a two point lead at any time. Selby just managed to take it 11/9 but then Balbo came back strongly in the second, pushing hard to 6-2 and 10-5 leads. He managed to close the game out at 11-8 to level the scores. More was to follow from Balbo who, looking far stronger than anyone had anticipated, raced to a 9-4 lead in the third, just two points short of going into an unexpected 2-1 lead.

Selby had different ideas, reeling off five points in a row to get back to 10-10. Balbo didn't get any more game balls as Selby clinched the game 13/11.

There was no way back for Balbo after that. It was close for the first four or five rallies in the fourth game, but Selby then pushed hard to open up a clear lead and eventually take the game and title 11/6.

It was the end to a highly successful festival week where every level of squash had been covered ranging from young school children who had never picked up a racket before, to juniors at every age level from under 11 upwards, to club players enjoying social squash activities, to some of the world's best professional players gathering together for the PSA tournament.

A true festival of squash and a hugely successful week.
 

John Milton

"Not my best squash today but I did just enough, so I'm pleased to win. It feels good to win a title in my first tournament of the season.

"He surprised me a little - I didn't think he would be that strong after his battle yesterday. But it was his final as well as mine and he's a strong lad and put a great effort in.

"At 4-9 down in the third game, I was in a bit of trouble but I managed to get back into it and nick the game. It was very difficult for him then.
 

Daryl Selby

"The turning point was in the third. The first game, I felt really good but in the second I felt okay but thought I would struggle to finish each game. I pushed hard in the second, had a few lucky shots and he made a few mistakes.

"But at 9-4 up in the third, I was so sad I couldn't win it. It was mentally tough to come back after that.

"I congratulate Daryl for winning and I am also very pleased for myself as my coach and I have changed some things in our training this summer and I really feel that we a re heading in the right direction.

"Finally, I just want to say what a good tournament this has been; so well organised, anything we asked for someone made an effort to give, plus everybody has been so friendly here.

"I really hope they manage to find the money to organise another one next year. I know I will be back and so will many other players be eager to come as everybody will hear what a good tournament it is. Thank you Bishops Stortford!"

Julien Balbo

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