Nick Matthew/Ryan Cuskelly Exhibition

     Tuesday night Windsor Squash and Fitness was treated to the best squash it has ever seen (other than Wednesday nights Wilbur vs. Leavitt) as Nick Matthew (#3 in world) and Ryan Cuskelly (#16) came to town.  The evening started off with Nick and Ryan working with the juniors and discussing their favourite shots.  Then it was onto the court to work on those favourite shots.  Nick and Ryan helped feed and offer advice.
      After drilling for a bit, games of cutthroat began with Ryan and Nick mixing in.  All the juniors got an opportunity to rally with each of the guys.  Maxi took full advantage of this when he taxied Nick on a beautiful crosscourt.  It was great to see Ryan and Nick having so much fun with the juniors.  Graeme noted that it was the most intensity he has seen from them in a while.  
      Soon the sponsors arrived to play their games against the pros.  Darin Peterson, Derek Moore (London), Ty Stacyszyn, Amin and Sara Khan all got the opportunity to take on Nick Matthew.  Hannah Guthrie (courtesy of David Scarfone), Peter Urdell (London), Jody Brown and Mark Eugeni all took on Ryan.  While there were many entertaining rallies by all, it is safe to say that Ryan and Nick's world rankings are safe for now.

      After that it was time for the big event of the night.  Ryan vs. Nick.  We had a packed house and there was no extra viewing space at all.  The match had great rallies with amazing nicks and trick shots.  However, the players encountered something they have probably never seen before.... a streaker.  Yes, one unnamed Chatham individual decided that the match wasn't entertaining enough so he stripped down to his skivvies and streaked on the court.  No attempt was made by security (or anyone else) to bring him down.  If you want to see the full, unedited video you need to follow us on Twitter (@wsfjuniorsquash).
     After the match both guys were kind enough to do a Q & A and sign autographs.  All in all it was a great night for Windsor Squash.   I have posted photos here and if you could, email me so I can add yours to our collection.  It would be nice to have a nice collection of photos from the night.  If not, follow us on Instagram (windsorsquashandfitness) or check out snapd windsor.

Gary Waite Tour- Windsor

 

Gary Waite Tour Winners

  On Sunday, 32 juniors from around Southwestern Ontario gathered to take part in the 4th stop on the Gary Waite Junior Tour.  The Gary Waite Junior Tour is designed for up and coming squash players to experience what squash tournaments are like and to get some competitive experience.  Most of our experienced juniors played on the Gary Waite Tour before moving on to the next level of tournaments.  On Sunday, there was much amazing play from the youngest (under 10) division to the oldest (over 14) division.  Sebastian Stojanov, the youngest competitor, hung tough with the older kids and showed much improvement in his game.  Colin Moore is becoming a tour veteran and his improved backhand was in fine form.  Dylan Charles proved that hockey doesn't throw off his squash game.   Most importantly is seemed that everyone had a great time.  Follow us on Twitter @WSFJuniorsquash and Instagram @windsorsquashandfitness

Over 14                                                    

Champion- Aparna Maheshwari (Windsor)
Runner-Up- Hunter Gowan (London)
Grinner- Colin Moore (Windsor)

11-13                                                  

Champion- Sujai Shah (London)
Runner-Up- Rajan Sandhu (Windsor)
Grinner- Emily Guthrie (Windsor)

Under 11                                                    

Champion- Carter Furmanek (Windsor)
Runner-Up- Subhan Shabaz (Windsor)
Consolation- Serena Marcon Windsor)


   

UK Racquetball/ David Morrish

Saturday was a busy day at the club.  For starters it was our new assistant pro, David Morrish's first day at work.  And what a tough first day it was.  At noon it was "Bring a Friend" Day to squash and apparently our juniors have many friends.  Over 30 newcomers came out to try the game and a number of them immediately signed on to play more.
     Immediately after that, over 20 adults members came out to experience UK racquetball.  For those of you that don't know, UK racquetball is very much like squash only you play with a racquetball and racquetball racquets.  You wouldn't think that is would be that much different but surprisingly it was.  This is a great game for anyone looking to continue playing squash but not at as a physically demanding level.  The other great thing about UK racquetball is that players of two vastly different squash
abilities can still be competitive with each other.  In the end, Andrew Little walked away with a new UK Racquetball racquet.  Thanks to Dave for showing us this game.
    Be sure to stop by and say hi to Dave when you are in.

Softball Doubles Tournament

     On Saturday afternoon 16 squash players competed in the 2nd annual softball doubles tournament.   Softball doubles is played with a softball on a singles court.  That may sound crowded but you would be surprised how much room there is.  Here is a video on softball doubles.  Keep in mind that this is being played on an actual softball doubles court.
     It was a very eclectic collection that gathered to compete for the $80.  On paper it appeared the favourite teams were Kabir Bhangoo/Ryan Guthrie & Graeme/Phil Dimitrov.  Matches were very close and no one team was dominating.  The semi finals saw Dalla Bona squared play Guthrie/Furmanek.  On paper the team of Craig Guthrie/Stan Furmanek didn't put fear into anyone.  However, once they stepped on the court the magic began.  After shaking off the rust in the first few games, Furmanek caught fire, hitting winners all ofter the place.  It was too much for the Dalla Bonas and they were relegated to the 3/4 game.  On the other side of the draw, Willams/Dimitrov took on Obremk/Demarco.  Obremk/Demarco are crafty veterans of softball doubles and were too much for Graeme/Dimitrov to handle.
     The finals were a rematch of the first match of the night in which Obremk/Demarco dominated Guthrie/Furmanek.  However the finals were a different story.  It was clear to all the spectators in attendance that all the squash during the afternoon had taken a toll on Obremk/Demarco's fitness levels.  Guthrie/Furmanek appeared to get younger as the day went on.  In the end, Guthrie/Furmanek took the match 2-0.
     All in all, it was a fun day of squash and everyone is already looking forward to the next tournament.

Canadian Junior Open

     294 of the best juniors from all around the world descended upon White Oaks this weekend.  The calibre of squash was so high it made a typical Ontario Gold event look like a mid-summer training session.  Players that have dominated the Ontario circuit were suddenly struggling with these new players.  12 of our juniors set out to match their skills with the rest of the world.  After the first round, only Stefan Houbtchev (still technically our junior playing in his last junior tournament), Berto Mill and Natasha Pensler remained in the main round.  That said, everyone of our juniors played strong and were able to stay in many rallies.
    In the consolation round we started to find some more success.  Sara Khan, Amin Khan, David Mill, won and advanced to the next round in the consolation.  Stefan was defeated in the second round of the main draw and ended up playing his old training partner, David Mill, in the next round.
    As the tournament headed toward Tuesday, less of our juniors remained in the draws.  Stefan was forced to withdraw in the 4th round of the consolation due to an injury.  Aparna and Ananya met each other in a sister showdown in the finals of the Bronze draw with Aparna winning it in the end.  But the highlight for Windsor Squash was Natasha Pensler.  Although Natasha lives in the states she has been coming to Windsor to train with our juniors.  Natasha lost in the finals of the U13 to a fellow American.  Well done Natasha!
    Despite being a very long weekend, the juniors gained a lot of experience playing, watching and listening on how to be successful at such a high level.  Complete draws can be found here.  Follow them on Instagram @ windsorsquashandfitness

Ontario Junior Closed Championships

  

    This weekend, 14 of Windsor’s juniors headed up to Vaughn to participate in the Ontario Junior Closed tournament.  Overall, 130 juniors from across Ontario came to compete and attempt to become provincial champion.  The competition was very tough but our juniors held their ground. 

     

    Luca Dalla Bona, Aaron Nagy, Amin Khan, Sara Khan, Ananya Maheshwari, Aparna Maheshwari, Berto Mill and David Mill all won their first round matches.  This was a big turning event for some of these players as this was the first time they have been able stay in the main round of a Gold event.  However, that also meant even tougher competition in the next round.  Only Amin and Ananya were able to move on past the first round. 

     Saturday was a tough day for most of our juniors, as many of them were knocked out.  Come Sunday only Ananya, Amin, Sara, Usman, Hannah, and David still had matches to play. 

     Ananya cruised to another tournament win, barely losing any points.  Well done Ananya!  Despite having match ball in the ¾ match, Amin could not hang on in a very close and exciting match.  Sara Khan lost in the semis of the consolation and Usman lost in the consolation finals.  Aparna won the consolation of her draw and Hannah cruised to a Bronze division victory and David won the ¾ match.

     Overall, there was definitely an improvement in our play.  Each tournament our juniors are getting closer to winning against the rest of the province and everyone is noticing.  Windsor usually brings the biggest contingent to any of these tournaments and people notice how much our players are improving and supporting each other. 

     On a side note, many of our parents were approached by people that came down to our tournament (October, Gold #2) and they all commented on how it is the best tournament on the calendar and it is becoming a “must attend” part of the squash season.  The other positive thing that everyone experienced was how friendly people were when they were out in the community.  Well done Windsor!

    Final results can be found here and pictures here.

Fall Down Classic

   102 players entered the first big tournament weekend of the year.  Very few were left standing on Sunday afternoon.  Literally.   Whether it was the many squash games or the after-squash outings, the weekend was a tiring one.  Play started Friday with many of our younger juniors gaining their first tournament experience and shortly after saw the first rounds of the adult draws get underway.  I use "adult" loosely because no matter what draw you were in, it seemed it was full of our juniors.  In Open draw, Micaala Seth upset (?) (or beat up) Brad Hanebury to advance in the main round.  Many of the favourites advanced through the other rounds.
       Play began early on Saturday with matches becoming tougher.  Junior Mackenzie Elliott raised many eyebrows with her play in the C Draw.  However, the big thing that was was noticed was the recurrence of Khan vs. Bradd.  The Bradds from Sarnia descended on Windsor with their entire family and it seemed like they were in every draw and it seemed like they were playing a Khan every time you turned around.  However, the news of the day was all the close double matches.  At one stretch there were 5, 5-gamers in a row.  Because of this, the doubles matches became very backed up and matches continued until midnight on Saturday.
        On Sunday the draws were finally widdled down to the finals.  In the Open final, Steve Poirier of London couldn't slow David Mill down, allowing David to take it 3-0.  The A Final had two of the bigger tournament players trying to share court space as Paul Gabrael and Robert Stevens of London looked to take the A title.  The match lived up to everything it promised with long rallies and great shot-making.  Unfortunately for Windsor, Gabreal went down in a very close game 5.
     The B Final was a story of two different games.  Deidre Bradd played a high pressure game against the soft hands and retrieving of Ryan Guthrie.   However, in the end, Guthrie couldn't match the pace of Bradd's shots.   Another loss for Windsor.
      The semi-finals of the C draw saw Usman Khan upset his older cousin, Sara Khan.  Usman entered the finals playing the best squash of his career and exuding confidence.  However, he met up Betsy Carson, a very steady and methodical player who refused to play Usman's game.  Usman lost in 3 games.
     The 40+ final was like a scene from Groundhog Day.  David Guthrie and Al Valente play each other very often and know each other's game inside out.  However, Valente could not match David's shot-making today as David eased to his second 40+ victory.
     In the juniors event, Rajan Sandhu got his monies worth as he also ended up filling in in the C draw.  This experience must have helped him as he took the junior title of Zara Khan.
     The usual suspects dominated the doubles again this tournament.  Eugeni/Hanebury were barely pushed on their path to the championship.  Local favourites, Caille/Houbtchev won the B doubles. Out of towners, Etheridge/Bissonette won the C doubles over Hewer/Shaw.  Holman/Corchis easily won the women's draw and Seth/Stevens took the Mixed title.
     Possibly the biggest winner of the weekend was Dan Barisic as Dan won the C Draw Bracket Challenge.  Dan walked away with $200 and the juniors added $200 to their fund.  Final results can be found here.  You can find complete brackets here.  If you want to continue the squash fun, Nov 21-23 is the Simon Warder Tournament.  This is a very fun tournament and supports a great cause.