SWITZERLAND BEATS USA 2-1

[Also: teams competition POOL DRAW]

United States coach Preston Quick commended the efforts of Todd Harrity and the gallant Mark Froot after the team had pushed the higher seeded Switzerland before losing 2-1 on day two of the teams’ event at the world junior men’s squash championships in Palmerston North.

USA-Switzerland: Todd Harrity of the USA provided their bright spot. Photo 2006 © e-pics.

Harrity won for the 14th seeded US, and with the tie level at a match each No.2 Froot started the final match by claiming the first game against Benjamin Fischer the US looked capable of toppling the 11th seeded Swiss.

Desperately tired and carrying a number of niggles down the right side of his body, Froot lost the second and third games but continued to scrap in the fourth. Twice he clung on as Fischer served for the match at 8-6, and caught up at 8-all before succumbing 10-8 on the final match ball.

It was the US’s best chance of improving on its seeding. Quick was resigned to the team not being able to finish any higher than 14th with no chance now of a place in pool C’s top two for the quarterfinals.

The US had already lost to the sixth seeded Germany 3-0, and has to play the No.3 seeds England in its final pool match. US No. 3 Harrity started the tie with a 9-3 9-3 10-8 victory in 35 minutes of Switzerland’s Livio Catenazzi, and No.1 Trevor McGuinness left himself too much working after losing the first to games against the more accomplished Nicolas Mueller, a ninth to 16 seed in the individual event.

Mueller won 9-9 9-0 9-7 in 27 minutes after McGuinness was ahead 7-5 in the third game, which left the combative Froot having to crank up again. Froot stuck at it for 43 minutes before losing 6-9 9-0 9-5 10-8.

“Todd and Mark have stepped up here to another level,” Quick said. “I could not have asked much more of them. I don’t know if Trevor is playing his best right now but even if he was he probably wouldn’t have won his match.”

It was Froot’s 10th match in nine days, and Quick said he had earned a well-deserved rest against England when McGuinness and Harrity would be joined by Reed Endresen.

ENGLAND SECURES GOOD MEDAL ROUND POSITION
England, four times a winner of the teams’ title, probably made sure of securing pool C, and avoiding the formidable top two seeds, Egypt and Pakistan, in the last eight in beating Germany 2-1. It was a close run affair after England No.1 Tom Pashley had to withdraw in the second game against Simon Roser with a lower back injury, which was hampering his leg movement.

England - Australia: England withstood a German flurry. Photo 2006 © e-pics.

England No.3 James Snell was a little too experienced for his German opposite in the opening match, winning 9-1 9-6 9-4 in 35 minutes. Pashley was not expected to beat Roser, the fourth seed in individual championship and the European under-19 champion.
However, it put the heat on them when Pashley withdrew down 1-0 in the second after losing the first 9-2. England had to win the deciding match between the long-haired Joe Lee, and German Norman Junge. Though Lee had beaten Lunge comfortably in the British Open under-17 semifinals it was no joyride this time.

The English team had an anxious time as the dogged German kept Lee on court for 74 minutes before conceding defeat 9-7 6-9 9-7 9-0. The third game was decidedly tight, and having won it Lee was able to deal more comfortably with a shattered Junge in the fourth.
Adding to the tension was Germany’s victory over England in the under-19 European Cup mixed event in Israel in May when they also collected the under-17 and under-15 titles in addition to Roser’s victory in the individual under-19 final.

Germany has to beat Switzerland in its final pool C match, which it should accomplish, to ensure a place in the quarterfinals.

Australia, unhappy at being seeded 12th, took out its frustration on the fourth seeded Malaysians in a pool D clash on the all-glass court at the Arena Manawatu Stadium. It was the biggest scrap so far, two matches going to five games, and the other to four before the relieved Malaysians prevailed 2-1.

The Australian No.3 Matt Reece battled Muhammad Asyraf Azan for an arduous 97 minutes, and survived match ball in the third game only to lose 9-7 9-5 9-10 4-9 9-4. Individual plate winner Zac Alexander then levelled the tie with a 3-9 9-3 9-7 9-10 9-4 decision over Malaysian No.1 Elvinn Keo in 61 minutes.

Ivan Yuen then lifted Malaysia to safety in holding off Nathan Stevenson 5-9 9-1 10-8 9-6 in 49 minutes.

New Zealand rested its No.1 Evan Williams for its transTasman battle against Australia on the last day of pool play in the final losing 3-0 to the fifth seeds Canada. In Williams’ absence Josh Thom stepped up to acquit himself well against Canadian No.1 Keith Pritchard in stealing the first game 9-2 and leading 4-0 in the second before Pritchard’s superior structured game allowed him to win 2-9 9-6 9-2 9-2 in 44 minutes.

Canada’s victory assured it of a place in the quarterfinals ahead of its remaining match with the Malaysians to decide which of them qualifies top of pool D.

Egypt and Pakistan have been winning their opening matches with ridiculous ease. In pool A the Egyptians conceded just 20 points against the ninth seeded Hong Kong, and 11 against Finland when it rested double world junior champion Ramy Ashour, and in pool B Pakistan gave up 14 against South Africa and five fewer in blitzing a hapless Ireland, the 15th seeds.

England Bench: The England squad is in good position for a reasonable finish, but has not realistic hope of denting Egypt or Pakistan. Photo 2006 © e-pics.

World Jr Men's Championships, North Palmerston NZ, TEAM POOL RESULTS DAY TWO:
[Complete Pool Draws/Results]

POOL 1:
EGYPT 3, FINLAND 0:
Omar Mosaad(EGY) beat Pyry Poikolainen(FIN)    9-2 9-4 9-0 [19mins]
Tarek Momen(EGY) beat Karri Salonen(FIN)    9-0 9-4 9-0 [15mins]
Mohd Ali Anwar Reda(EGY) beat Petteri Siren(FIN)    9-0 9-0 9-1 [13mins]

HONG KONG 2 - JAPAN 1:
Max Lee(HKG) beat Yuuta Fukui(JPN)    9-7 9-4 4-9 9-7 [48mins]
Leo Au(HKG) beat Bumpei Kawano(JPN)    9-6 9-1 3-9 9-1 [49mins]
Shinnosuke Tsukue(JPN) beat Alan Tsang(HKG)    9-4 9-3 6-9 9-5 [44mins]

Netherlands 3 - FINLAND 0:
Tom Hoevenaars(NED) beat Pyry Poikolainen(FIN)    9-2 9-3 9-2 [17mins]
Sander Kock(NED) beat Petteri Siren(FIN)    9-0 9-0 9-1 [15mins]
Frank Hartkoren(NED) beat Aatos Mannroos(FIN)    9-0 9-1 9-0 [13mins]

EGYPT 3 JAPAN 0:
Omar Mosaad(EGY) beat Yuuta Fukui(JPN)    9-0 9-4 9-3 [19mins]
Tarek Momen(EGY) beat Bumpei Kawano(JPN)    9-0 9-0 9-0 [11mins]
Mohd Ali Anwar Reda(EGY) beat Tatsuya Shinkubo(JPN)    9-0 9-0 9-0 [9mins]

POOL 2:
PAKISTAN 3 - IRELAND 0:
Aamir Atlas Khan(PAK) beat Rory Byrne(IRL)    9-5 9-0 9-0 [18mins]
Yasir Butt(PAK) beat Conor O'Hare(IRL)    9-0 9-1 9-0 [14mins]
Farhan Mehboob(PAK) beat Chris O'Kane(IRL)    9-1 9-0 9-2 [20mins]

SOUTH AFRICA 3 - ZIMBABWE 0
Jason Cole Niven(RSA) beat Deepesh Patel(ZIM)    9-3 9-1 9-0 [18mins]
Rudi Willemse(RSA) beat Ahmed Hassan(ZIM)    9-3 9-5 9-6 [32mins]
Richard Dodd(RSA) beat Zardeen Wazir(ZIM)    9-0 9-1 9-0 [18mins]

INDIA 3 - IRELAND -0
Harinder Pal Sandhu(IND) beat Rory Byrne(IRL)    9-4 4-9 9-1 9-3 [52mins]
Naresh Kumar(IND) beat Conor O'Hare(IRL)    9-1 9-5 9-4 [26mins]
Vikram Malhotra(IND) beat Chris O'Kane(IRL)    9-1 6-9 9-2 9-3 [42mins]

PAKISTAN 3 - ZIMBABWE 0
Yasir Butt(PAK) beat Deepesh Patel(ZIM)    9-0 9-2 9-6 [19mins]
Farhan Mehboob(PAK) beat Ahmed Hassan(ZIM)    9-1 9-6 9-0 [20mins]
Bilal Zaman(PAK) beat Ainsley Gannaway(ZIM)    9 -4 9-0 9-0 [15mins]

POOL 3:
ENGLAND 2 - GERMANY 1
Simon Rosner(GER) beat Tom Pashley(ENG)    9-2 1-0 Retired [13mins]
Joe Lee(ENG) beat Norman Junge(GER)    9-7 6-9 9-7 9-0 [74mins]
James Snell(ENG) beat Florian Silbernagl(GER)    9-1 9-6 9-4 [35mins]

SWITZERLAND 2 -USA 1
Nicolas Mueller(SUI) beat Trevor McGuinness(USA)    9-0 9-0 9-7 [27mins]
Benjamin Fischer(SUI) beat Mark Froot(USA)    6-9 9-0 9-5 10-8 [43mins]
Todd Harrity(USA) beat Livio Catenazzi(SUI)    9-3 9-3 10-8 [35mins]

POOL 4:
MALAYSIA 2 - AUSTRALIA 1
Zac Alexander(AUS) beat Elvinn Keo(MAS)    3-9 9-3 9-7 9-10 9-4 [61mins]
Ivan Yuen(MAS) beat Nathan Stevenson(AUS)    5-9 9-1 10-8 9-6 [49mins]
Muhd Asyraf Azan(MAS) beat Matt Reece(AUS)    9-7 9-5 9-10 4-9 9-4 [97mins]

CANADA 3 - NEW ZEALAND 0
Keith Pritchard(CAN) beat Josh Thom(NZL)    2-9 9-6 9-2 9-2 [44mins]
Andrew McDougall(CAN) beat Christopher Lloyd(NZL)    9-5 9-4 6-9 9-4 [52mins]
Dave Glass(CAN) beat Lui Syder(NZL)    9-5 9-0 10-8 [39mins]