Cambs Squash

Robert Dadds

Elsje Van Es

Regular readers to these columns will be starting to get used to reports about the success of our players. So now we have this fantastic web-site we hope to bring regular news from the Squash Scene regarding the County’s players

This week’s report features 9-year old Nadine El-Refee, a definite star for the future – remember you read it here first!! and goes all the way through to the WISPA tour with news 2 of our top ladies Carrie Hastings and Kira Pettersen playing in the Swedish open as part of the WISPA tour.

Suffolk Open
In this weekend’s Suffolk Junior Opens there was a Cambridgeshire win-double with Hunts County’s Elsje Van Es and Comberton’s Robert Dadds
winning the titles.

Elsje, just back playing after ankle surgery was decidedly “ring rusty” and had to dig deep from 1-2 down to get past Bucks County Player Roisin McNeil in 5 hard fought sets. Robert on the other hand was in blistering form and swept past the field winning all his games 3-0.

Nayera El Refee finished a creditable 4th in the u/17 event whilst the diminutive Nadine finished 6th in the u13 event.

Pontefract Open
Whilst his Sisters were in Suffolk elder Brother Ahmed El Refee was gearing himself for the up coming National county u/19 finals by competing in the top flight Pontefract U/19 Silver event.

A 1ST Round, 3-0 win against Lincolnshire’s Matthew Thornton put Ahmed in with National top 15 player Ted Jeal. Coping well with all Ted’s trickery Ahmed did well extending the match to 4 sets.

Peterboro’s Daniel McGinn was also competing in Pontefract and drew Richard Underhill in the 1st round. Richard saw Daniel dismantle his county colleague Olly Holland in recent county match and was “totally focussed” for the encounter and the Nottingham No1 got through in 3 hard fought sets.

Daniel eventually went on to win the Plate

Swedish Open
Cambridgeshire players were also featuring in the prestigious Swedish open.
Whilst current County champion Kira Pettersen made it through to the final qualifying round before going down to Czech player Olga Ertlova Hunts County club mate Carrie Hastings defied the seedings to reach her first WISPA semi final.

After beating 5th Seeded Dutch player Milo Van Der Heiden Carrie then got past English colleague Fiona Moverley coming from 2 sets down.

The semi with the no1 seed Sarah Kippax was match too far as the 9th ranked English Player, Kippax, proved too strong – however a fantastic achievement from Carrie.