Series Finals - National Doubles and East midland Open Singles ROUND UP!
The final event of the 2022 UK-Racketball Series took place in Nottingham on Saturday the 3rd of December and this year the Series Finals and National Doubles was our 100th UK Racketball event!
This UK Racketball event didn't disappoint, with some brilliant battles across all the Categories and the Doubles. There were upsets, first ever doubles game wins for some pairs and sore bodies all round. Finished off by celebratory cookies, pizza and beers at our post event player's party!
Starting off with the National Doubles event, there were some really great matches throughout the day. The top 2 seeds in the Open event Luke Bishop and Amber Marshall, and Paul Norton and Craig Chappell ended up meeting twice in tournament, and both matches did not disappoint. Both matches went right down to the wire, with some of the best attacking Doubles Racketball we have seen yet in our events.
In the end Norton and Chappell managed to battle through both times 2 games to 1, with the Final being 11/9 in the 3rd.
The Mixed event did not disappoint either, with three really strong pairings taking part. Mixed Doubles experts Patrick Osborn and Zoe Fennell were always going to take some beating, and they proved this as they pushed other event favourites Marshall and Bishop right the way through a 5 set thriller. The left/right hand combination providing some brilliant variations of play.
Bishop and Marshall are no doubles slouches though, and having played together for a number of years now know each other's game patterns really well. They managed to stay strong enough throughout to see the other pair off 11/8 in the 5th game in another really high quality encounter.
Both of the above matches were streamed live and the video can be found on our UK Racketball Facebook page here: https://fb.watch/heNxwB8jDD/
The first Open Norton/Chappell vs Bishop/Marshall match starts off at 2hrs 44 mins in and the Mixed Osborn/Fennell vs Bishop/Marshall match starts at 6hrs 15 mins in.
The other Doubles categories had some really entertaining games too, notably in the O60's where Fielding/Clarke managed to win their first ever game as a Doubles pairing, with none other than a perfect corkscrew boast winner at game point from Fielding to seal it!
Full list of the Doubles event winners below:
Open: Norton / Chappell, RUP Bishop / Marshall
Mixed: Bishop / Marshall, RUP Osborn / Fennell
O40s: Loska / Osborn, RUP Smith / Beel
O50s: Dennis / Evans, RUP Wase / Dodds
O60s: Osborn / Cordeaux, RUP Latif / Widdowson
(The moment of corkscrew victory for Fielding/Clarke captured on camera above!)
This UK Racketball event didn't disappoint, with some brilliant battles across all the Categories and the Doubles. There were upsets, first ever doubles game wins for some pairs and sore bodies all round. Finished off by celebratory cookies, pizza and beers at our post event player's party!
Starting off with the National Doubles event, there were some really great matches throughout the day. The top 2 seeds in the Open event Luke Bishop and Amber Marshall, and Paul Norton and Craig Chappell ended up meeting twice in tournament, and both matches did not disappoint. Both matches went right down to the wire, with some of the best attacking Doubles Racketball we have seen yet in our events.
In the end Norton and Chappell managed to battle through both times 2 games to 1, with the Final being 11/9 in the 3rd.
The Mixed event did not disappoint either, with three really strong pairings taking part. Mixed Doubles experts Patrick Osborn and Zoe Fennell were always going to take some beating, and they proved this as they pushed other event favourites Marshall and Bishop right the way through a 5 set thriller. The left/right hand combination providing some brilliant variations of play.
Bishop and Marshall are no doubles slouches though, and having played together for a number of years now know each other's game patterns really well. They managed to stay strong enough throughout to see the other pair off 11/8 in the 5th game in another really high quality encounter.
Both of the above matches were streamed live and the video can be found on our UK Racketball Facebook page here: https://fb.watch/heNxwB8jDD/
The first Open Norton/Chappell vs Bishop/Marshall match starts off at 2hrs 44 mins in and the Mixed Osborn/Fennell vs Bishop/Marshall match starts at 6hrs 15 mins in.
The other Doubles categories had some really entertaining games too, notably in the O60's where Fielding/Clarke managed to win their first ever game as a Doubles pairing, with none other than a perfect corkscrew boast winner at game point from Fielding to seal it!
Full list of the Doubles event winners below:
Open: Norton / Chappell, RUP Bishop / Marshall
Mixed: Bishop / Marshall, RUP Osborn / Fennell
O40s: Loska / Osborn, RUP Smith / Beel
O50s: Dennis / Evans, RUP Wase / Dodds
O60s: Osborn / Cordeaux, RUP Latif / Widdowson
(The moment of corkscrew victory for Fielding/Clarke captured on camera above!)
Now on to the East of England Singles categories, there were some really good matches in some busy age groups across the day.
Notable instances were the A/B Grade Box 1 which went as close down to the wire as it could possibly have done. We had three players - Steve McClelland, Catherine Ruffle and Elliot Smith finish on 3 match wins, 1 match loss, 7 games won to 3 games lost each, all having beaten one another! In the end it came down to Steve having won just one more point and having lost one less point than Catherine to progress through to the final! Craig Lloyd progressing from a tough second box after a brutal 2 games to 1, 12/10 in the third semi final vs Alex Glencross.
We had some tight match ups all the way through the age groups, especially in the Over 70s where Dave Mudge first managed to see off Hans Billson 3/2 in the morning, then lost out in a quality battle vs Graham Greensall in the final 3/2. There was nothing in it all the way through with Graham just managing so sneak key points in the 5th game to close it out.
The full list of Winners are here:
A/B Grade: Craig Lloyd bt Steve McClennand
O40s: Ryan Loska bt Barry Talbot
O50s: Paul Thomas bt Chris Wase
O60s: Robin Chipperfield bt Peter Fielding
O70s: Graham Greensall bt Dave Mudge
As mentioned before, we streamed all of Court 10 on our Facebook page, check out the matches on here:
https://fb.watch/heNxwB8jDD/
Notable instances were the A/B Grade Box 1 which went as close down to the wire as it could possibly have done. We had three players - Steve McClelland, Catherine Ruffle and Elliot Smith finish on 3 match wins, 1 match loss, 7 games won to 3 games lost each, all having beaten one another! In the end it came down to Steve having won just one more point and having lost one less point than Catherine to progress through to the final! Craig Lloyd progressing from a tough second box after a brutal 2 games to 1, 12/10 in the third semi final vs Alex Glencross.
We had some tight match ups all the way through the age groups, especially in the Over 70s where Dave Mudge first managed to see off Hans Billson 3/2 in the morning, then lost out in a quality battle vs Graham Greensall in the final 3/2. There was nothing in it all the way through with Graham just managing so sneak key points in the 5th game to close it out.
The full list of Winners are here:
A/B Grade: Craig Lloyd bt Steve McClennand
O40s: Ryan Loska bt Barry Talbot
O50s: Paul Thomas bt Chris Wase
O60s: Robin Chipperfield bt Peter Fielding
O70s: Graham Greensall bt Dave Mudge
As mentioned before, we streamed all of Court 10 on our Facebook page, check out the matches on here:
https://fb.watch/heNxwB8jDD/
Full results from the day can be found on Sporty HQ here:
https://www.sportyhq.com/tournament/view/Event-12-UK-Racketball-Series-Finals-and-National-Racketball-Doubles-3rd-December-Nottingh
https://www.sportyhq.com/tournament/view/Event-12-UK-Racketball-Series-Finals-and-National-Racketball-Doubles-3rd-December-Nottingh
Main Tournament Information
What: National Racketball/ Squash57 Doubles
When: Saturday 3rd of December
Where: Nottingham Squash Club
Postcode: NG7 1BX
Closing Date for Entries: Friday 25th November
Cost: £40.00 per pair (£9.50 for high quality, quick dry sublimated print tournament t-shirt)
Covid Regulations: This event will comply fully with the Covid 19 regulations at the time of competition
More Information: Email Mark Fuller mark@starsportsdevelopment.com or call Mark on 07846 067505
To read the rules for Racketball Doubles follow this link
If anyone would like to play but don't have a partner please email mark@starsportsdevelopment.com several players are in this position so I will play match maker!
When: Saturday 3rd of December
Where: Nottingham Squash Club
Postcode: NG7 1BX
Closing Date for Entries: Friday 25th November
Cost: £40.00 per pair (£9.50 for high quality, quick dry sublimated print tournament t-shirt)
Covid Regulations: This event will comply fully with the Covid 19 regulations at the time of competition
More Information: Email Mark Fuller mark@starsportsdevelopment.com or call Mark on 07846 067505
To read the rules for Racketball Doubles follow this link
If anyone would like to play but don't have a partner please email mark@starsportsdevelopment.com several players are in this position so I will play match maker!
The Nottingham Open Singles will run the same as a normal UK-Racketball event with the same grades and tournament structure as normal.
The Nottingham Open has been running since 2010 and is often one of the biggest events in the Series. The Nottingham tournament courts are superb, the bar is cozy and location central, the perfect place to finish the year's Series.
Main Tournament Details
What: Nottingham Racketball Open
When: Saturday 3rd of December
Where: Nottingham Squash Club
Postcode: NG7 1BX
Closing Date for Entries: Friday 25th November
Cost: £17.50 (£8.50 for tournament t-shirt)
More Information: Email admin@uk-racketball.com for more information or if your enquiry is urgent call Mark on 07846 067505
To have a look at the history of the Nottingham Open follow the links on the navigation bar above and trace the event back to 2010.
The Nottingham Open has been running since 2010 and is often one of the biggest events in the Series. The Nottingham tournament courts are superb, the bar is cozy and location central, the perfect place to finish the year's Series.
Main Tournament Details
What: Nottingham Racketball Open
When: Saturday 3rd of December
Where: Nottingham Squash Club
Postcode: NG7 1BX
Closing Date for Entries: Friday 25th November
Cost: £17.50 (£8.50 for tournament t-shirt)
More Information: Email admin@uk-racketball.com for more information or if your enquiry is urgent call Mark on 07846 067505
To have a look at the history of the Nottingham Open follow the links on the navigation bar above and trace the event back to 2010.
east midlands open hall of fame
national doubles grades
Open Championship - County, national or good club player
Women’s Championship - All ages and abilities, these events have a great range of players which makes for a fun and competitive day.
Mixed Championship - All ages and abilities, men and women
Men’s O40 Championship - For players over the age of 40
Men’s O50 Championship - For players over the age of 50
Men’s O60 Championship - For players over the age of 60
If you are unsure which category to enter email admin@uk-racketball.com or if your enquiry is urgent call Mark on 07846067505
Women’s Championship - All ages and abilities, these events have a great range of players which makes for a fun and competitive day.
Mixed Championship - All ages and abilities, men and women
Men’s O40 Championship - For players over the age of 40
Men’s O50 Championship - For players over the age of 50
Men’s O60 Championship - For players over the age of 60
If you are unsure which category to enter email admin@uk-racketball.com or if your enquiry is urgent call Mark on 07846067505
Singles Grades
Nottingham Racketball Open Grades
It is important to remember that UK-Racketball Series events are designed to be inclusive. Although the A grade does attract the best racketball players in the country the events really are for players of all ages and abilities. We have never had a competitor who felt they were not good enough for an event when they took part.
A Grade – County, national or good club player
B Grade – Regular club player
Women’s – All ages and abilities, these events have a great range of players which makes for a fun
and competitive day.
Over 40’s – For players over the age of 40
Over 50’s - For players over the age of 50
Over 60’s – For players over the age of 60
Over 70's - For players over the age of 70
If you are unsure which category to enter please feel free to contact Mark Fuller directly on 07846067505 or email mark@starsportsdevelopment.com and we will be happy to advise you.
It is important to remember that UK-Racketball Series events are designed to be inclusive. Although the A grade does attract the best racketball players in the country the events really are for players of all ages and abilities. We have never had a competitor who felt they were not good enough for an event when they took part.
A Grade – County, national or good club player
B Grade – Regular club player
Women’s – All ages and abilities, these events have a great range of players which makes for a fun
and competitive day.
Over 40’s – For players over the age of 40
Over 50’s - For players over the age of 50
Over 60’s – For players over the age of 60
Over 70's - For players over the age of 70
If you are unsure which category to enter please feel free to contact Mark Fuller directly on 07846067505 or email mark@starsportsdevelopment.com and we will be happy to advise you.
Club Facilities
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Nottingham Squash Club is one of the best Racketball centres in the country with 10 courts a gym which players can use to warm up and cool down and a lovely bar that overlooks the picturesque Park Estate. If you have time between matches Nottingham Castle and city centre are both within walking distance.
For the past two years the club has hosted the National Racketball Championships. Close to the M1 the club is central and ideal for players to access from all areas of the UK. |
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club location
Nottingham Squash Club
Tattershall Drive
The Park
Nottingham
NG7 1BX
Tattershall Drive
The Park
Nottingham
NG7 1BX
what happened last year . . . East midlands open and national doubles 2021 - report and results
After a disappointing 2020 in which the UK Racketball Series couldn't be held, 2021 was an opportunity for everyone to get back on court and start competing again. That we were able to hold 7 events in 2021, including the inaugural British Racketball Open, and these Series Finals and National Doubles in Nottingham, is a testament to the community and every last individual who makes these events possible.
We owe a huge thank you to the series sponsors, new and old, as well as the 6 host clubs across the country who helped us put on such fantastic events. It's been a great season, capped off by the series-ending East Midlands Racketball Open and National Racketball Doubles, which saw some fiercely competitive matches throughout the day.
The event kicked off with the largest draw, the Over 60s. Group winners Manuel Costa and Yac Latif featured in a play-off to reach the semi-finals, with Paul Bennett waiting for them. Manuel saw off Yac with a closely-fought 2/1, before beating Paul 2/0 to reach the final. In the top half, Terry Horne beat Graham Appleby 2/0 with some great racketball being played. In the final, 10 years after he won the East Midlands Over 50s, Manuel came through 2/0 to take the silverware for the Over 60s.
In the Over 50s, David Evans dropped just one game on the way to the final, winning his group and getting past Merv Davies in the semi-final. Waiting for him was an in-form Chris Wase, who looked dangerous from the get go and after taking a tight first game, looked to have the match in the bag. A brief comeback from David looked to get the crowd going, but it wasn't to be as Chris closed out the match 2/0 to take the title in Nottingham.
In the Over 40s, Ryan Loska cruised through to win without dropping a game, while in the B Grade Daniel Hindmarch and Chris Burton won their groups to contest the final. Some tight high-quality racketball from both saw a game which swung between the two, before Daniel managed to close out the first. From there, he looked in control, and went on to take the final 2/0. In the A Grade, National Champion Mike Harris headed a strong group, but despite the challenge he still came through to take the title, winning every match 2/0.
The Over 60s doubles was perhaps the closest grade of the day, with 3 pairs finishing within 1 point of each other. Yac Latif/Richard Wells, and Sue Gotham/Simon Dillon finished tied on 6 points each, with the former taking second place by virtue of winning the match between the two. The winners, however, were Terry Horne and Gary Westwood with 7 points, separated only by the extra game scored in the 2/1 defeat to Sue and Simon.
In the Over 50s doubles, Chris Wase backed up his singles title with another for the doubles, he and partner Merv Davies winning all 4 of their matches. They were pushed all the way by runners-up Daniel Fernandez and Patrick Osborn, but the Shrewsbury pair proved too strong in the end. The Over 40s doubles was a similar story, with Marc Thornley/Adam Grilli and Andrew Beel/Steve Smith both winning their first 3 matches to set up a winner-takes-all final, in which Thornley/Grilli eventually came through for the win. The Mixed Doubles saw some big names pair up, with top seeds Luke Bishop/Amber Marshall proving too strong for the rest off the group.
The Open Doubles was set up for a tantalising final, with UK Racketball Series regulars Luke Bishop/Mike Harris seeded to meet the Abbeydale pairing of Adam Auckland/Ollie Turner in the final. The former were relatively unchallenged in the group stages and looked very strong, while Auckland/Turner had to fight a bit harder to come through their group. Ultimately, both pairings came through undefeated, and set up what looked to be a cracking final for the last match of the day.
Bishop/Harris came out of the blocks strong, giving themselves a 3 point cushion going into the final stages of the first game with some solid racketball and very few errors. However, Auckland/Turner weren't about to roll over, and some quality attacking shots from both soon overturned the deficit. Adam in particular showed his class, bringing out some of the shots that took him to 105 in the PSA rankings. After the first-game comeback, an upset looked to be on the cards, and Bishop/Harris had to regroup. Both pairings recognised how crucial the start of the second game was, resulting in a blistering pace and some fantastic rallies. Again, Bishop/Harris showed their experience to keep the errors down and apply the pressure, eventually closing out the second to take the match to a decider. Some early winners from the racket of Luke gave them a lead in the third, and they never looked back, taking the match 2/1 and with it, the title of National Doubles Champions.
Congratulations to the UK Racketball Series Champion 2021: Amber Marshall!
Amber's great run today, winning the mixed doubles as well as the Women's Grade was enough to ensure she finished the 2021 Series as Champion.
Special thanks have to be made to event sponsors Colton Packaging, and of course our series sponsors. It was a fantastic day of racketball, and a great finish to a year in which it didn't always look like racketball would be played. Our thanks to every single player who's made this series possible, both today and throughout the year - without you this series wouldn't happen. We look forward to seeing you all again next year, when we hope to run even more events and continue to bring the UK Racketball Series to clubs across the country.
Have a good Christmas, and we'll see you in 2022!
We owe a huge thank you to the series sponsors, new and old, as well as the 6 host clubs across the country who helped us put on such fantastic events. It's been a great season, capped off by the series-ending East Midlands Racketball Open and National Racketball Doubles, which saw some fiercely competitive matches throughout the day.
The event kicked off with the largest draw, the Over 60s. Group winners Manuel Costa and Yac Latif featured in a play-off to reach the semi-finals, with Paul Bennett waiting for them. Manuel saw off Yac with a closely-fought 2/1, before beating Paul 2/0 to reach the final. In the top half, Terry Horne beat Graham Appleby 2/0 with some great racketball being played. In the final, 10 years after he won the East Midlands Over 50s, Manuel came through 2/0 to take the silverware for the Over 60s.
In the Over 50s, David Evans dropped just one game on the way to the final, winning his group and getting past Merv Davies in the semi-final. Waiting for him was an in-form Chris Wase, who looked dangerous from the get go and after taking a tight first game, looked to have the match in the bag. A brief comeback from David looked to get the crowd going, but it wasn't to be as Chris closed out the match 2/0 to take the title in Nottingham.
In the Over 40s, Ryan Loska cruised through to win without dropping a game, while in the B Grade Daniel Hindmarch and Chris Burton won their groups to contest the final. Some tight high-quality racketball from both saw a game which swung between the two, before Daniel managed to close out the first. From there, he looked in control, and went on to take the final 2/0. In the A Grade, National Champion Mike Harris headed a strong group, but despite the challenge he still came through to take the title, winning every match 2/0.
The Over 60s doubles was perhaps the closest grade of the day, with 3 pairs finishing within 1 point of each other. Yac Latif/Richard Wells, and Sue Gotham/Simon Dillon finished tied on 6 points each, with the former taking second place by virtue of winning the match between the two. The winners, however, were Terry Horne and Gary Westwood with 7 points, separated only by the extra game scored in the 2/1 defeat to Sue and Simon.
In the Over 50s doubles, Chris Wase backed up his singles title with another for the doubles, he and partner Merv Davies winning all 4 of their matches. They were pushed all the way by runners-up Daniel Fernandez and Patrick Osborn, but the Shrewsbury pair proved too strong in the end. The Over 40s doubles was a similar story, with Marc Thornley/Adam Grilli and Andrew Beel/Steve Smith both winning their first 3 matches to set up a winner-takes-all final, in which Thornley/Grilli eventually came through for the win. The Mixed Doubles saw some big names pair up, with top seeds Luke Bishop/Amber Marshall proving too strong for the rest off the group.
The Open Doubles was set up for a tantalising final, with UK Racketball Series regulars Luke Bishop/Mike Harris seeded to meet the Abbeydale pairing of Adam Auckland/Ollie Turner in the final. The former were relatively unchallenged in the group stages and looked very strong, while Auckland/Turner had to fight a bit harder to come through their group. Ultimately, both pairings came through undefeated, and set up what looked to be a cracking final for the last match of the day.
Bishop/Harris came out of the blocks strong, giving themselves a 3 point cushion going into the final stages of the first game with some solid racketball and very few errors. However, Auckland/Turner weren't about to roll over, and some quality attacking shots from both soon overturned the deficit. Adam in particular showed his class, bringing out some of the shots that took him to 105 in the PSA rankings. After the first-game comeback, an upset looked to be on the cards, and Bishop/Harris had to regroup. Both pairings recognised how crucial the start of the second game was, resulting in a blistering pace and some fantastic rallies. Again, Bishop/Harris showed their experience to keep the errors down and apply the pressure, eventually closing out the second to take the match to a decider. Some early winners from the racket of Luke gave them a lead in the third, and they never looked back, taking the match 2/1 and with it, the title of National Doubles Champions.
Congratulations to the UK Racketball Series Champion 2021: Amber Marshall!
Amber's great run today, winning the mixed doubles as well as the Women's Grade was enough to ensure she finished the 2021 Series as Champion.
Special thanks have to be made to event sponsors Colton Packaging, and of course our series sponsors. It was a fantastic day of racketball, and a great finish to a year in which it didn't always look like racketball would be played. Our thanks to every single player who's made this series possible, both today and throughout the year - without you this series wouldn't happen. We look forward to seeing you all again next year, when we hope to run even more events and continue to bring the UK Racketball Series to clubs across the country.
Have a good Christmas, and we'll see you in 2022!
Results
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