East of Scotland Masters Report

EAST OF SCOTLAND MASTERS – 23/24 JANUARY 2016

The East of Scotland Masters tournament was held at Grange Squash Club on 23/24 January 2016. This was the first time a Masters event had been held at the Grange and it was encouraging to record a significant increase in the number of competitors.

There were a total of 76 competitors who took part in nine mens’ events and two ladies’ events.

Christy Looby and the Grange Squash Club committee managed a very well organised tournament. They all worked hard to make all competitors welcome and provided an excellent catering service throughout the tournament. At the prize giving And McBean on behalf of all the competitors thanked Christy and the committee for all their hard work.

Thanks are also due to Eric Donohoe and SSRL (Lisa McKenna) for managing the entry and supporting the Grange committee in running the tournament. Mike Halpin, Yvonne and Dave Ferguson as well as Grange members Matt Bain, Dougie Brown and Andy Whitelaw supported the committee by providing refereeing services throughout the tournament.

Alex Sinclair and Ernie Cowell quickly assessed the East of Scotland results and updated the Masters Tournament Points. Alex emailed the updated points to his Masters’ distribution list of about 350 players who have participated on the Scottish Masters circuit over the previous 10 years’.

Alex Sinclair was unwell and could not compete in the East Masters. Despite this he still prepared and updated the Masters Tournament Points. We all wish a Alex a speedy recover and look forward to seeing back on the court in the near future.

Ladies O35

There were only two competitors and the final was played between Juliet Shaw and Pernile Thomson on Sunday afternoon.

Juliet started very well and comfortably won the first game 9/0. In the second Pernile fought back and won 9/2. The third and fourth games were very competitive but Juliet won 9/5 and 9/6 to win the O35 title.

Ladies O50

There were five competitors and the competition was played as a round robin. There were five matches played Saturday and five on Sunday.

In the first match of the day on Saturday morning Moira Atkinson played Eunice Bond. This was an excellent match which turned out to be the decisive match of the round robin. In the first game Eunice played some excellent drop shorts and was leading 8/3 but Moira fought back with some powerful drives and eventually won the game 10/9 after both players had game balls.

Eunice took the initiative in the second game and comfortably won 9/3. The third and fourth games were very competitive and Eunice won the third game and Moira won the game and to the match level at two games each.

In the final game which had attracted a large gallery Moira looked the stronger player but Eunice fought back from 4/8 to 7/8 before Moira won the last two points of the match to win 9/7.

In the other match on Saturday morning Joyce Leach beat Christina Graham 10/9 in the first game and went on to win 3/0.

In the afternoon matches Eunice Bond and Christina Graham both beat Norma Gregory 3/0.

The other match was between Joyce Leach and Moira Atkinson – this was a long and physical match which went to five games.

Joyce won the first game 9/7, Moira won the second 9/2, Joyce won the third 10/8 before Moira took control of the match and won the last two games 9/4 and 9/3.

In the early Sunday morning match Eunice Bond and Joyce Leach fought out an entertaining five game match which Eunice won by 3/2.

In the other matches Moira Atkinson and Joyce Leach beat Norma Gregory 3/0 and Eunice Bond beat Christina Graham 3/1. In the final match Moira beat Christina in a close match by 3/0..

Moira Atkinson won all four matches and therefore won the O50 title and Eunice Bond won three matches and was runner up. This was an excellent competition

MO35

There were eight competitors and the competition was played as a simple knockout.

In the quarter finals on Saturday afternoon the first seed Andrew MacBean comfortably beat Paul De Marco 3/0, David Morrison beat Matthew Hunter 3/0 and second seed Jonathan MacBride beat Craig Duff in a hard fought match 3/1.

The other quarter final was between Barry Masson and Steven Howie – this turned out to be a real battle between two very fit competitors. The match went to the wire with Steven Howie winning 10/9 in the fifth game!M35-Duff-Masson

In the first semi finals Andrew MacBean was given a walk over as Steven Howie withdrew. In the other semi final Johnathan MacBride beat David Morrison 3/1.

In the final match of the tournament on Sunday afternoon the large gallery was entertained by both players and Andrew MacBean won comfortably 3/0.

Leading Masters Tournament Points

Pos. Name Pts Pld
1 Andrew McBean 1085 4
2 Peter O’Hara 475 2
3 Peter Buchan 290 1
4 Steven Howie 280 2
5 David Morrison 255 3
6 Mark James 245 1
7 Jonathan Macbride 210 1

MO40

There were seven competitors and the competition was played as a simple knock out.

In the three quarter finals on Saturday afternoon the three seeded players Angus Woodward, Roddy Campbell and Peter Buchan all had comfortable 3/0 victories against Douglas Emery, John Kynoch and Ralph Laing respectively.

In the semi finals on Sunday morning Simon Boughton beat Angus Woodford 3/0 in an entertaining match. In the other semi final Roddy Campbell played very well and beat Peter Buchan comfortably 3/0.

In the final Simon Boughton demonstrated his all round class by beating Roddy Campbell in the final by 3/0 and winning the O40 title.

Leading Masters Tournament Points

Pos. Name Pts Pld
1 Peter Buchan 905 4
2 Peter O’Hara 600 2
3 Douglas Emery 550 4
4 Roddy Campbell 485 3
5 John Kynoch 335 3
6 Angus Woodward 315 3
7 Simon Boughton 300 1

MO45

There were four competitors and the competition was played as a round robin with three matches on Saturday and three matches on Sunday.

In the Saturday matches Paul Jenkins and David Lindsay both beat Ralph Laing 3/0 and in the other match Peter Buchan beat David Lindsay 3/0.

On Sunday Paul Jenkins beat David Lindsay 3/1 in an entertaining match and Peter Buchan had a convincing 3/0 win against Ralph Laing.

The final match of the round robin was between Paul Jenkins and Peter Buchan who had both won their earlier matches. This turned out to be an excellent match with the contrasting styles of the deft touch of Paul and the physical competitiveness of Peter. The gallery was entertained with Paul winning the match 3/1 and the O45 title and Peter being runner up.

Leading Masters Tournament Points

Pos. Name Pts Pld
1 John Kynoch 1080 3
2 David Lindsay 1025 6
3 David Massey 590 5
4 Ralph Laing 440 4
5 James Stewart 415 2
6 Mark Beaumont 360 1
7 Paul Jenkins 300 1

MO50

There were nine entrants in the Mens’ Over 50 competition, allowing it to be played as a simple knock-out at an excellent venue at the Grange.

Saturday

The players who drew the short straws in having to play what amounted to an extra round on Saturday morning were Tom Smith and home player Christy Looby. In what was a keenly fought encounter, Christy took the first game and Tom the next, before that pattern was repeated and a fifth game decider was required. Tom won that game 9-5, his prize being a quarter final later in the day against Brian Robertson.

The quarter-finals were all completed on Saturday afternoon. In the first of those, Mark Adderley was the victor against Archie MacGillivary. Mark won the first two games before Archie fought back to win the third, but there was no panic by Mark who won the fourth comfortably for the match.

The morning five game encounter had clearly taken its toll on Tom Smith as he struggled to make an impression against Brian, who controlled things from the start for a straight-games win.

Meanwhile, a much closer match was developing on another court, where Rod Robinson took the first and a very close second (10-8) against Trevor Mitchell. Trevor got some reward for his efforts by winning the third game, but Rod managed to finish the job by winning the next.

In the last of the quarters, newcomer Les Symmons made an immediate impression by taking the first game against Chris Holt and then backing it up by winning the second. Chris is nothing if not determined and started his fightback by winning the third. He was able to keep the momentum in the fourth and, as Les began to tire, pushed on to win the decider.

Sunday

The upshot of Saturday’s matches was a semi-final line-up of Brian Robertson against Mark Adderley and Rod Robinson against Chris Holt.

Brian made few mistakes as he gained the upper hand against Mark and denied Mark many opportunities to get back into it. In the other match, Chris showed good focus and determination to keep the scoreboard ticking over in his favour. Both matches were won 3-0, meaning the final later in the day would be between Brian and Chris.

Brian had the distinct advantage in the final of being physically the fresher player, a consequence of Chris electing to play in two age groups in the tournament and subsequently reaching the final of both. Having won the O55s event, Chris had little left in the tank and, despite giving his best effort (as always), Brian was able to win in straight games.

 Leading Masters Tournament Points

Pos. Name Pts Pld
1 Brian Robertson 1380 6
2 Chris Holt 705 3
3 Graeme Patullo 585 3
4 Archie MacGillivray 390 5
5 Steven Polli 360 1
6 Ronnie Carter 320 2
7 Duncan Fraser 295 2

MO55

This was the largest entry with 14 competitors and the competition was played as a simple knock out.

In the first round there were wins for Ken Daly 3/0 against Rolf Hansen, Richard Easton 3/0 v Keith Gristwood, Neil Rayner 3/0 v Andy Whitelaw, Norman Paterson 3/0 v Lance Marshall, David McAleese 3/0 v Dick Bird and Keith Murray 3/0 v John Black.

In the quarter finals top seed Chris Holt was too strong for Ken Daly and won comfortably 3/0. In a very competitive tie local player Ken Maxwell beat Richard Easton 3/2. Ken recovered from 1/2 to win the last two games 10/8 and 9/7 and the match. Norman Paterson playing his first Masters tournament of the season met in-form Neil Rayner. Norman showed good form to win a competitive match 3/0. In the last quarter final Keith Murray originally from Stonehaven but now playing in the North West of England showed good all round skills to beat David McAleese 3/0 in a competitive match.

In the semi finals on Sunday morning Chris Holt played very well and beat Ken Maxwell 3/0 in a close match. In the other semi Keith Murray was too strong for Norman Paterson and won 3/0.M55-Holt-Robinson

In the final Chris Holt played Keith Murray. Chris started strongly, taking the ball early and moving Keith all round the court and comfortably won the first game 9/1. He continued his good form in the second game and led 7/2 before Keith recovered and played some good drop shots to win the second game 9/7. The third game was decisive with both players playing well – it was very close but Chris won 10/8 and with Keith tiring, Chris won the fourth game 9/1 and the O55 title.

Leading Masters Tournament Points

Pos. Name Pts Pld
1 Alan Thomson 930 3
1 Chris Holt 930 3
3 Neil Rayner 710 3
4 Keith Gristwood 685 5
5 Alan Law 595 3
6 Richard Easton 560 6
7 Dick Bird 485 3

MO60

There were nine competitors and the competition was played as a simple knock out.

The seeded players all won their quarter finals, but by different margins. John Rae was made to work hard by Allan Murray before winning 3-1. It was a similar story with Emilio Fazzi just beating Jim Webster 3-1. John Charles, looking a little rusty after a month long layoff due to injury eventually beat Walter McAllister 3-2. Eric Donohoe beat Ken Mitchell 3-0 in the last quarter.

The first semi was John Rae v Emilio Fazzi. Despite an excellent record against Emilio, John contrived to find himself 1-2 down before normal service was resumed in the last two games giving John a 3-2 win. The second semi was a game of three halves M60-Rae-Donohoewith Eric winning the first two games 10/8 9/7 before John dominated the next two games 9/3 9/4 and raced to a 7/2 lead in the fifth game. Eric clung on doggedly and finally won the final game 10/8 on his seventh match ball.

In the final John Rae was very sharp and started well going 2-0 up rapidly. Eric managed some resistance in the third game before John won that 9/5 for a comfortably win.

Leading Masters Tournament Points

Pos. Name Pts Pld
1 John Rae 1320 7
2 Paul Harris 1200 5
3 Eric Donohoe 795 6
4 Jim Dougal 760 3
5 John Charles 660 4
6 Dave Taylor 600 3
7 Emilio Fazzi 480 3

MO65

There were seven competitors and the competition was played as a simple knock out.

In the first quarter final Emilio Fazzi won 3/1 against Warren Cameron. Warren won the first game 8/10 but Emilio recovered to comfortably win the next three games and the match. Dave Sturman played very well against Alex Everingham. Dave clinically beat an out-of-sorts Alex 3/0. In the other quarter final Ian Ross beat Phil Leak in a closely contested match 3/0.

In the first semi final John Rae played Emilio Fazzi. Both players also entered the O60 competition and met each other in the semi final – they agreed to play a double header! John beat Emilio 3/2 – details of the match are covered in the O60 report.

In the other semi final Dave Sturman played Ian Ross. Dave started well and led 7/3 but Ian fought back and won the first game 9/7 and continued his good form to win the second game 9/4. In the third game Ian led 7/4 but Dave fought back well and won the third game 10/8. In the decisive fourth game Ian raced to 8/1 but Dave again fought back to 8/7 before Ian held his nerve and won the fourth game 9/7 and the match.

In the final on Sunday John Rae played Ian Ross. John played very well and comfortably beat Ian 3/0 and won the O65 title.

Warren Cameron beat Phil Leak in the final of the Plate.

Leading Masters Tournament Points

Pos. Name Pts Pld
1 Jim Dougal 1350 6
2 John Rae 1290 8
3 Ian Ross 940 5
4 Dave Sturman 850 5
5 Alex Sinclair 835 5
6 Emilio Fazzi 515 4
7 Warren Cameron 440 4
8 Phil Leek 400 4

MO70

There were nine competitors and the competition was played as a simple knock out.

It was a strong entry, which included all five of those who played in the 2015 National team, plus three players who reached 70 this season.

In the quarter finals, the most closely contested match was between Mike Gibson and Bernard Starkey. Mike went 2-1 up in games and was two points from the match when serving at 7/7, but Bernard recovered well to eventually win 3-2. In the other quarter-finals, Ken Reid beat Alfie Thomson 3-0, Dave Brown beat Vinnie Taylor 3-1 and Chris Jeffry beat Ken Scott 3-0.

In the semi finals, Dave Brown beat Ken Reid 3-2, with Ken losing from 2-1 up and serving at 7/7 in the fourth. In the other semi-final, Bernard Starkey again staged another remarkable come back, against Chris Jeffry, from 0-2 games down, and 8/8 in the third, to eventually win 3-2.M70-Starkey-Jeffrey

In the final Bernard, yet again, came back from 1-2 games down to beat Dave Brown 3-2 and win the O70 title.

Thus Bernard, despite some narrow escapes, preserved his unbeaten run in the Over 70s events this season, and is very much the leader in points in the Over 70s age group.

In the Plate event Vinnie Taylor was the winner, after beating Mike Gibson and John Morrison.

Leading Masters Tournament PointsM70 final-Brown-Reid

Pos. Name Pts Pld
1 Bernard Starkey 1440 5
2 Chris Jeffrey 1095 4
3 Ken Reid 788 6
4 Ian Nicholson 520 2
5 David Brown 480 2
6 Alfie Thomson 450 3
7 Vincent Taylor 375 2

MO75

There were only two competitors and the final was played on Sunday afternoon, with Vinnie Taylor, completing a busy couple of days’ squash, winning 3-0, against Derek Bathgate.

Leading Masters Tournament PointsM70-75-Taylor

Pos. Name Pts Pld
1 Vincent Taylor 390 2
2 Andy Jack 105 1
3 David Rogan 80 1
4 Derek Bathgate 30 1

Dates for your Diary in 2016

Grampian Masters at Aberdeen Squash and Rackets Club on 27/28 February 2016 – closing date for entries 19 February 2016

Douglas Laing’s Scottish Masters Nationals at Scottish Squash Rackets Club, Glasgow on 12/13 March – closing date for entries 4 March 2016

For details of 2016 Masters Tournament see SRRL website

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