ENGLAND POWERS AHEAD

Colin McQuillan in Vienna 4/27/2000 ©Squashtalk 2000.

France performs well.

[full men's draw] [full women's draw]

The English made their expected hard-hitting start on their double defence of the European Team Squash Championships.

The men defeated their Austrian hosts 4-0 in the opening match of the event and the women duffed up both Switzerland and Denmark. Ten rubbers in all and not a game relinquished. Simon Parke, the England number one, led the men while the British Champion; Peter Marshall saved his energy for the double bill in the second qualifying round against France and Belgium.

Cassie Campion, the world champion, led the women against Switzerland but took a rest against Denmark while Tania Bailey, the former world junior champion, moved in at third string against Denmark.

Del Harris, back in the team at the age of 30, and Mark Chaloner complete the daunting England men's line-up. The women's engine room is driven by Linda Charman and Stephanie Powers

It is hard to see anyone stopping either of the England teams now that Scotland have bizarrely decided that merely having the strongest men's team in the world is enough. It is not necessary, apparently to actually send them into competition. France will need to be dealt with severely in the men's second round, though. Led by the fast rising Thierry Lincou, they not only put Belgium down 4-0 on the first day, but also went on to unexpectedly rout the fifth seeded German men by the same margin. They finished the day on top of Men's Pool A

Finland topped Pool B after comprehensively defeating both The Netherlands and Sweden. Wales, who went to the last World Team Final with their two-man squad of Alex Gough and David Evans, contrived to drop Gough's first-string point to Reto Donatsch of Switzerland in their one match of the day. They may need to sharpen up when their lightweight lower order faces both Finland and The Netherlands in the second round.

The major men's surprise of the day came in Pool D when Ireland, having crushed the Czech republic early in the day, went down 3-1 to Italy after their workhorse player, Stevie Richardson, failed to show in time after a long day at his new job in the City of London.

European Team Squash Championships in Vienna

Men's 1st qualifying rounds -
Pool A: [1] ENGLAND bt [9] AUSTRIA 4-0
Simon Parke bt Clemens Wallishauser 9-4 9-2 9-0
Del Harris bt Gerhard Schedlbauer 9-1 9-6 9-0
Peter Marshall bt Markus Rossler 9-3 9-2 9-0
Mark Chaloner bt Andreas Fuchs 9-1 9-5 9-0

[4] FRANCE bt [9] BELGIUM 4-0
Thierry Lincou bt Stefan Casteleyn 9-3 9-3 3-9 7-9 9-0
Renan Lavigne bt Marc Christie 9-3 9-1 9-1
Jean-Michel Arcucci bt Nicolas van Caesbroeck 9-2 9-1 9-2
Gregory Gaultier bt Fabrice Fievet 9-1 9-2 9-3

[8] AUSTRIA bt [9] BELGIUM 3-1

Clemens Wallishauser lost to Stefan Casteleyn 6-9 9-1 0-9 2-9
Gerhard Schedlbauer bt Peter Pastijn 9-6 9-4 9-6
Leopold Czaska bt Marc Christie 9-0 9-2 9-4
Wolfgang Rothbacher bt Nicolas van Caesbroeck 9-2 9-6 9-2

[4] FRANCE bt [5] GERMANY 4-0
Thierry Lincou bt Oliver Kowalski 9-6 9-5 9-0
Renan Lavigne bt Simon Frenz 9-10 9-4 9-1 9-1
Jean-Michel Arcucci bt Florian Poessl 9-5 9-0 9-8
Gregory Gaultier bt Stefan Oppolzer 9-0 9-1 6-9 9-0

Pool B: [3] FINLAND bt [10] NETHERLANDS 4-0
Olli Tuominen bt Lucas Buit 9-2 9-5 9-7
Juha Raumolin bt Tommy Berden 5-9 9-7 9-1 9-4
Timo Tuominen bt Ronald Cune 9-4 9-4 9-1
Janne Kyttanen bt Laurens-Jan Anjema 9-2 10-9 9-0

[2] WALES bt [7] SWITZERLAND 3-1
David Evans bt Lars Harms 9-7 9-1 9-0
Alex Gough lost to Reto Donatsch 3-9 2-9 0-9
Greg Tippings bt Andre Holderegger 9-3 9-1 9-1
Gareth Davies bt Dany Oeschger 9-1 9-0 9-1

Pool C:
[14] Denmark bt [19] Slovakia 4-0,
[11] Spain bt [18] Israel 4-0,
[15] Greece bt [18] Israel 3-1,
[11] Spain bt [14] Denmark 3-1

Pool D:
[12] Ireland bt [17] Czech Republic 4-0,
[13] Italy bt [20] Slovenia 4-0,
[16] Hungary bt [17] Czech Republic 3-1,
[13] Italy bt [12] Ireland 3-1

Women's 1st qualifying rounds -
Pool A: [1] ENGLAND bt [8] SWITZERLAND 3-0
Cassie Campion bt Agnes Mueller 9-2 9-7 9-0
Linda Charman bt Manuela Zehnder 9-6 9-1 9-0
Stephanie Brind bt Gaby Schmohl 9-3 9-0 9-0
[4] SCOTLAND bt [5] DENMARK 3-0
Pamela Nimmo bt Ellen Petersen 4-9 9-7 9-0 2-9 9-3
Senga Macfie bt Julia Dorn-Jensen 9-1 9-0 9-3
Claire Waddell bt Line Hansen 9-2 9-0 9-0

[4] SCOTLAND bt [9] WALES 3-0
Senga Macfie bt Katrina Hogan 9-0 9-3 9-4
Claire Waddell bt Hannah Davies 9-1 9-0 9-0
Lisa McKenna bt Louise Griffiths 9-0 9-4 9-2

[1] ENGLAND bt [5] DENMARK 3-0
Linda Charman bt Ellen Petersen 9-4 9-1 9-3
Stephanie Brind bt Julia Dorn-Jensen 9-1 9-1 9-1
Tania Bailey bt Mette Jorgensen 9-3 9-2 9-3

[8] SWITZERLAND bt [9] WALES 2-1
Agnes Mueller bt Karen Hargreaves 3-9 9-7 3-9 9-2 9-1
Gaby Schmohl lost to Katrina Hogan 8-10 2-9 0-9
Olivia Hauser bt Hannah Davies 9-3 9-2 9-2

Pool B: [3] NETHERLANDS bt [6] SPAIN 3-0
Vanessa Atkinson bt Natalia Meneu 9-2 9-5 9-4
Daphne Jelgersma bt Elisabeth Sado 9-7 9-0 9-7
Denise Sommers bt Laia Sans 10-9 9-2 9-6

[2] GERMANY bt [7] BELGIUM
3-0 Sabine Schoene bt Kim Hannes 9-1 9-5 9-1
Sabine Baum bt Katline Cauwels 9-1 9-4 9-1
Karin Beriere bt Loreline Pira 9-5 9-1 9-3

[2] GERMANY bt [6] SPAIN 3-0
Sabine Schoene bt Elisabeth Sado 9-3 9-2 9-0
Karin Beriere bt Laia Sans 9-5 10-8 9-2
Daniela Grzenia bt Olga Puigdemont 9-5 9-0 9-5

[3] NETHERLANDS bt [10] FRANCE 2-1
Vanessa Atkinson bt Isabelle Stoehr 10-8 9-2 9-7
Daphne Jelgersma lost to Corinne Castets 9-3 4-9 9-2 4-9 1-9
Denise Sommers bt Mylene Demuylder 9-2 9-5 9-2

[10] FRANCE bt [7] BELGIUM 2-1
Isabelle Stoehr bt Kim Hannes 9-1 10-8 9-5
Corinne Castets bt Katline Cauwels 9-7 9-1 9-7
Noellie Boden lost to Sil Schryvers 4-9 0-9 2-9

Pool C: [18] Israel bt [11] Austria 2-1,
[14] Italy bt [15] Norway 2-1,
[15] Norway bt [11] Austria 2-1, [
14] Italy bt [15] Slovakia 3-0,
[18] Israel bt [15] Slovakia 3-0

Pool D: [12] Ireland bt [17] Slovenia 3-0,
[13] Finland bt [16] Hungary 3-0,
[12] Ireland bt [16] Hungary 3-0,
[13] Finland bt [17] Slovenia 3-0