Nash Cup Monday September 17th

The opening day of the 2012 Nash Cup produced some wonderful squash. The Canadians faired well but no locals made it to the second round this year, despite some great efforts.

Due to a few withdrawals (Yasir Butt could not get a visa and Zac Alexander could not recover in time from an injury sustained in Australia) there were 2 byes in the qualifying draw for Fred Reid (Canada) and Matt Seridiak (Canada). The London Squash Club members were treated to a great evening of squash with some mouth watering matches waiting for them tomorrow.

MIKAH FRANKLIN (BERMUDA) vs YESHALE CHETTY (CAN ) 12/10; 11/9; 11/4 (35 MINS)

YESHALE:

My shots were pretty good but the fitness is not quite there yet! Felt I controlled the first game and needed to win that. He stepped it up after that. I am pretty happy with the way I played and getting back to my best. Credit to Mikah, he was the better player today.

MIKAH:

He came out strong in the first game and I felt in the back foot. We were both trying to take the ball early. He had some great shots and a lovely hold which kept me on the back foot. I just tried to make each rally tough and make him earn it. The first 2 could have gone either way. I played a good 3rd game and felt I played a good solid game. Looking forward to tomorrow against Fred Reid – he is crafty! I will need to keep that court closed!

TOM PASHLEY (ENG) vs MAXIME BLOUIN (CAN) 11/4; 11/7; 11/4 (26 MINS)

TOM:

I’m happy to get through the first round. I’m moving and hitting well and hope to continue doing the same tomorrow. He was a little awkward to play, he was slow between rallies which made it hard to get comfortable in the beginning (clearly a tactical ploy!). I’m playing Adrian Dudzicki tomorrow, I haven’t seen him play much. He’s a good player and I’m looking forward to be playing him. I was here for the inaugural event 5 years ago- the hospitality is still amazing, and the club looks great after the renovations.

MAXIME:

I played really bad tonight! Felt like my legs were 150lbs and I didn’t have any energy. No excuses, I did have problems with my flight- arrived a day late and the airline lost my bag! He is a really good player and I needed my “A” game tonight and it wasn’t there.

ADRIAN DUDZICKI (Can) vs TASHLIN REDDY (Can) 11/6; 13/11; 11/5 (25 MINS)

ADRIAN:

Never played Tash before! Played his cousins before and most of them were here to support him tonight! I have been playing on different courts all summer so it took a bit of adjusting to get used to the traditional plaster but I felt I got off on the right foot. I had a lapse of concentration in the 2nd game and fair play to Tash, he punished me. I was lucky to get the 2nd. I have Tom Pashley tomorrow – never played him but am looking forward to it and feeling confident.

TASHLIN:

Got to the 2nd qualifying round last year which was very pleasing! This year was not meant to be! I let him get ahead in the game and had to play catch up. Took the ball in short too often. Needed to slow it down a bit more. When I controlled the T I felt I played better, especially in the 2nd where I had 2 game balls. I really should have capitalised on this and am disappointed not to have won a game.

TYLER HAMILTON (CAN) vs BRAD HANEBURY (CAN) 11/5; 7/11; 11/4; 11/5 (32 MINS)

TYLER:

Played pretty well for most of the game. Got a bit passive in the 2nd and Brad took advantage of this and deservedly took the game. I realized I needed to step up and attack the ball more, which I did. I’ve just got back from Costa Rica where we played on a 19” tin and as it was so hot, you just needed to push the ball around. Here 17” tin and colder, I had to change my game. Blessing in disguise and I had the extra game and got used to the courts. I have Eric Dingle tomorrow and I’m certainly not going to take him lightly as he played a great match tonight.

BRAD:

Great match! This was the best I have ever done against him (never taken a game) so I have to be happy with that! I felt his length was so good that he was always able to get onto the next shot with a volley and keep me under pressure. I actually felt I could have played better (not give him as much as I did) but I am still happy with the way I played. I got the wild card for winning the club championships and it was a wonderful experience. Thanks Jay!

ERIC DINGLE (CAN) vs CAMERON STAFFORD (CAYMAN) 11/4; 11/9; 9/11; 7/11; 15/13 (58 MNS)

CAMERON:

Gutted to have lost in the 5th after being 2-0 down and getting back to 2 all and having match balls. Don’t want to take anything away from Eric as he played a great game and was very fast. Really enjoyed the London squash club experience.

ERIC:

What a match! It was about as close as it could get! Great feeling to sneak out a win against a player at exactly the same level as you are. I went 2 -0 up, to be fair he did start slowly. I thought I stayed pretty consistent and he upped his game in the 3rd and 4th. I was 10-6 down in the 5th and decided to stay steady and make him win it. He went for a few things and before I knew it, it was 10 all. I’m very happy as 48 hrs ago I was not even in this tournament (there were some withdrawals). I have Tyler tomorrow, I’ve never played him, but am looking forward to it.

MICHAEL McCUE (CAN) vs ALBERT SHOIHET (CAN) 8/11; 11/3; 11/5; 11/8 (48 MINS)

MIKE:

A bit nerve-racking at the start as memories of the juniors came back to me (he had the better of me until the end of juniors). Struggled with the court a bit as it was both fast and slow – needed to find a good weight on the ball. Albert is one very talented squash player with superb hands. I needed to keep the court closed. Got Seridiak tomorrow – trained with him all summer, never beaten him, hopefully tomorrow!

ALBERT:

Disappointed. Great start but not as fit as I thought I was. I realize I need to train harder to get to that level. I got nervous in the big rallies and made too many errors. Good start to the season though, and I’m looking forward to a great season with the Western University.

JAMIE HICKOX (CANADIAN NATIONAL COACH)

As a country that does not have national or professional leagues, tournaments like these are crucial to the competitiveness development of our national athletes. Most of the top Canadians are here. This a great tournament and people like Jay Nash (founder and sponsor) are a great credit to Canadian squash. This is personally the 2nd visit I’ve had to the club (earlier in the summer I did a camp with the pro Dave Morrish), and it’s one of the few remaining squash club left.

DAVID MORRISH

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Photo Credit: Kim Atkinson