European Club Championships, Paderborn, 2005

Men's Pools [final results] Women's Pools [final results]

Senga Macfie Practices her right hook on reporter Martin Bronstein
(photo: © 2005 SquashTalk)

PADERBORN FRIDAY mid-day.

The final pool rounds produced very little excitement – as expected. Maybe in future years the European Squash Federation should consider changing the rules so that clubs can only use one foreign player.

The ridiculous situation – which is not new – is that Paderborner’s top four players are all British. Top seeds Hungary have a Frenchman and two Englishmen as their top three players. The intent has always been, so I have been told by Chris Stahl who heads up the ESF, to make sure the European Club Championships is a true club event. We are not close to that yet.

ABSENT STARS
Some of the top players who appeared on the initial team sheets have failed to appear. Sarah Fitz-Gerald and Linda Elriani were entered with a team that failed to read the rules and so had to withdraw. Vanessa Atkinson was due to head up ISC Bordersholm of Germany, but is in Turkey doing public relations duty on behalf of WISPA . This levels the playing field somewhat which means that Pontefract of England, a true club team of Yorkshire players, are in with a very good chance of taking the title.

David Palmer was also the victim of an illegible team so he will not be playing. So the only really big stars here in Paderborner are Peter Nicol and Greg Gaultier. If the England champs Colets don’t stop the Hungarians in the semi-final, it is almost certain that Nicol and Gaultier will meet in Saturday’s final.

…..AND ONE BANNED PLAYER
The Scottish women’s champions, Edinburgh Sport Club are going to end up bottom of their group due to the fact that their nominated number one Senga McFie was not allowed to play, even though she flew here with the team.

And thereby hangs a tail. It seems that Senga and her ex-boyfriend (they had been together for ten years) had a disagreement. Senga, who is known for her eccentricity and unique squash skills, lost it completely and punched Simon in the face.

“It was a right hook, a good punch,” she told me.

“Did it knock him out?” I asked.

“No but it should have done,” she replied.

“Did you hurt your fist?”

“No.”

“Then you didn’t punch him hard enough, I admonished her.

What’s this got to do with the Edinburgh Sports Club? Sadly, the punch took place in the club and Simon is a member of the staff. Worse still there were dozens of witnesses. The club took a dim view of her behaviour and suspended her membership for three months, two weeks before the championships. The club had won the Scottish title some months ago and sadly, she had paid the entry fee and bought her tickets….a total expenditure of 500 quid ($900).

She arrived in Paderborner not knowing whether her club would be small-minded and ban her from playing. They were and they did. So the best club player in Scotland was banned because of a ‘domestic’ dispute which surely is no business of the club’s. And did they ever make an enquiry as to whether he deserved a punch on the chin?

Senga is one of the most naturally gifted players I have seen. Only a unique turn of mind stopped her going to the very top. Her absence on the court here is a sad omission.

I head a for a quick siesta now and hope that the semis, which start at 1700hours, will produce the excitement that has so far been lacking. By the end of play today we will know which teams will be in tomorrow’s final.

Men's Semifinal Matchups:
Colets (UK) vs Rozsadombi Sport (Hungary)
Paderborn I (Germany) vs Herlev/Hjorten (Denmark)

Men's Pools Summary Results: [men's detailed results]
Pool A: 1. Rozamdombi Hungary (4-0); 2. Royal Cham Switzerland (2-2); 3. Yliveska Finland (0-4)
Pool B: 1. Paderborn Germany (4-0); 2. Newlands Scotland (2-2); 3. VS Squash Austria (0-4)
Pool C: 1. Herlev/Hjorten Denmark (5-1); 2. Gotenberg Sweden (4-2); 3. Paderborn II Germany (3-3); 4. Borderline Italy (0-6)
Pool D: 1. Colets UK (6-0); 2. Impuls Belgium (4-2); 3. Celtic Ireland (2-4); 4. Ettelbruck Luxembourg (0-6).

Women's Pool Summary Results: [women's detailed results]
Pool A: 1. Bordersholm Germany 4-0; 2. Antibes France (2-2); 3. Edinburgh (0-4)
Pool B: 1. Pontefract England 4-0; 2. Can Melich Spain (2-2); Mikkeli Finland (0-4)
Pool C: 1. SAS Wien Austria 4-0; Odense Denmark (2-2; Sutton Irleand (0-4)