Western Play-In Qualifier
Western Play-In Qualifier
The University of Western Ontario Men’s Squash team has won the OUA championships for 36 consecutive years – these guys are good.
Four of their top players – Matthew Henderson, David Mill, Akasham Rajagopaul; and Brett Schille – played off tonight to claim the last space in the 2019 NASH Cup men’s draw in front of a full house of spectators. The matches were intense…..and thankfully only played as 2 out of 3 as all of them went the distance.
Opening Round:
Matthew Henderson bt. Brett Schille 13-11; 7-11; 11-9
David Mill bt Akasham Rajagopaul – 12-10; 0-11; 4-11
Final
Matthew Henderson bt David Mill – 13-11; 7-11; 11-9
To say this is a game of inches would be an understatement for these matches. Most shots were played within millimetres of the tin. The opponents clearly knew each others game well and the gap in play was minimal. Rallies were long and no match was kept within the 30 minutes scheduled. A full crowd was on hand, which is more than a little impressive for a pre-tournament night. The PSA players who have arrived at London Squash had the opportunity to meet the members, and get to know there new home for the coming days. They now have an idea of what to expect in coming evenings.
Matthew Henderson came out on top but it wasn’t by much. Both matches were completed with a game three 11-9 score. The first was the result of his aggressive play by Matt winning the final two points in the first round with tight winners including a reverse boast off serve at 10-9. The finals came down to an equally tight margin, but with more tin involved as David Mill went for a pair of winners late in the third game which came up just short of target.
This will be Matt’s 3rd consecutive NASH Cup appearance and he will face Fernando Magdaleno of Mexico in the opening round.
Media Coverage
A big thank you to Peter Cobb @ 99.1FM; Ryan Pyette @ The London Free Press; and Mike Stubbs @ AM980 for the early event coverage. It means a LOT.
Tuesday September 17th – First Round Matches
Court 1 3pm Mary Fung-A-Fat (GUY; 106) vs. Eva Fertekova (CZE; 93)
Court 2 3pm Anna Kimberley (ENG; 75) vs. Sanne Veldkamp (NED;94)
Court 1 3:45 Jayden Shortt (CAN;410) vs. [11] Alex Noakes (ENG;182)
Court 2 3:45 [15] Fernando Magdaleno (MEX;241) vs Matthew Henderson (CAN)
Court 1 4:45 Hana Moataz (EGY; 142) vs. Ali Loke (WAL;79)
Court 2 4:45 Cristina Gomex (ESP; 76) vs. Sofia Mateos (ESP;126)
Court 1 5:30 Stu Hadden (IRL; 338) vs. [14] Cory McCartney (CAN;217)
Court 2 5:30 [9] Tristan Eysele (RSA;142) vs. Robert Dadds (ENG;294)
Court 1 6:30 Paula Jenkins (CAN;207) vs. Marie Stephan (FRA; 83)
Court 2 6:30 Cindy Merlo (SUI; 74) vs. Jelena Dutina (SRB;97)
Court 1 7:15 Connor Turk (CAN;269) vs. [16] Daroshem Khan (CAN;266)
Court 2 7:15 [10] Noah Browne (BER;147) vs. Charles De La Riva (CAN; 398)
Court 1 8:15 Nadiia Usenko (UKR; 100) vs. Alison Thomson (SCO;78)
Court 2 8:15 Catalina Pelaez (COL;73) vs. Catherine Giachino (CAN;285)
Court 1 9:00 Jon Geekie (SCO;329) vs. [14] Ben Coates (ENG;211)
Court 2 9:00 [12] Thomas King (CAN;203) vs. Guy Davidson (USA; 353)