INAUGRAL UK RACKETBALL SCOTTISH OPEN A BIG SUCCESS!
*English players manage to scrape through this time round*
Our fouth tournament of the 2023 Series took place at another new venue for the year. This time it was at Newlands LTC in Glasgow for the Scottish Open, and it was great to be able to mix in with the Scottish Racketball fraternity! We had a good bunch of English UK Racketballers making the trip up too, so some great match ups were on hand across the day.
In the Open event, match of the tournament was between Luke Bishop and Newlands Head Pro Matt Bedwell. They hadn't come across each other before and proved to be a really balanced match up. Bedwell prevailing 2/1 in games in about 45 minutes of intense play. Mike Harris came through the other side of the draw relatively unscathed, and managed to see off an very determined Bedwell in the Final 2/0 in nearly 40 minutes. Harris' first event of the 2023 calendar as he starts looking toward the British Nationals in July.
The B Grade had a great mixture of Scottish and English interest, with Paul Knocker Norton registering his third B Grade title of 2023, managing to get past Eddie Prust 2/0 in a quality final. Norton with patner Danny Weights then managed to secure his second win of the event by beating pre tournament favourites Luke Bishop and Amber Marshall in a brilliant Doubles final. This was a top example of how Doubles Racketball can be both entertaining and hard fought, with very few decisions to be made and lots of great exchanges of play throughout.
Marshall took her first title of the 2023 season in the Ladies Open event. The first one that we have had run this Series! It was nice to see a mixture of ages competing here, with the youngest player being 15 and the oldest O50. A great draw and Marshall showing her National Champion quality to come through it.
In the Over 50's there was a Scottish victor, with Mike Sutherland from Fife the victor in a really closely fought event. It was great to see a full draw of Scots here, hopefully see some of you guys in the British O50's draw in July! English Over 60's regular John Cordeaux showed his class in his category, taking the event without dropping a game in a strong draw. And finally in the O70s, Graham Greensall registered his first loss in that age group this year to Colin Cruickshank from Edinburgh, in a high quality 3/1 battle.
All of the above means that Paul Norton leapfrogs Graham Greensall to top the 2023 Series rankings for the first time! There is some movement in the middle order too, this can all be seen on the lists linked in below.
It was the first time we have run a UK Racketball Series event in Scotland and were very grateful to Newlands LTC in Glasgow for hosting us, and RASTA (Racketball Around Scotland) for helping promote the event among their players. It's great to see such a strong uptake in Scottish players for the event and it we are looking forward to doing battle with them once more in future Series tournaments. If any UK Racketball players fancy getting stuck in with the RASTA events you can check out their calendar on their Facebook page.
Full draws from Saturday's Scottish Open can be found on Sporty HQ HERE
Our fouth tournament of the 2023 Series took place at another new venue for the year. This time it was at Newlands LTC in Glasgow for the Scottish Open, and it was great to be able to mix in with the Scottish Racketball fraternity! We had a good bunch of English UK Racketballers making the trip up too, so some great match ups were on hand across the day.
In the Open event, match of the tournament was between Luke Bishop and Newlands Head Pro Matt Bedwell. They hadn't come across each other before and proved to be a really balanced match up. Bedwell prevailing 2/1 in games in about 45 minutes of intense play. Mike Harris came through the other side of the draw relatively unscathed, and managed to see off an very determined Bedwell in the Final 2/0 in nearly 40 minutes. Harris' first event of the 2023 calendar as he starts looking toward the British Nationals in July.
The B Grade had a great mixture of Scottish and English interest, with Paul Knocker Norton registering his third B Grade title of 2023, managing to get past Eddie Prust 2/0 in a quality final. Norton with patner Danny Weights then managed to secure his second win of the event by beating pre tournament favourites Luke Bishop and Amber Marshall in a brilliant Doubles final. This was a top example of how Doubles Racketball can be both entertaining and hard fought, with very few decisions to be made and lots of great exchanges of play throughout.
Marshall took her first title of the 2023 season in the Ladies Open event. The first one that we have had run this Series! It was nice to see a mixture of ages competing here, with the youngest player being 15 and the oldest O50. A great draw and Marshall showing her National Champion quality to come through it.
In the Over 50's there was a Scottish victor, with Mike Sutherland from Fife the victor in a really closely fought event. It was great to see a full draw of Scots here, hopefully see some of you guys in the British O50's draw in July! English Over 60's regular John Cordeaux showed his class in his category, taking the event without dropping a game in a strong draw. And finally in the O70s, Graham Greensall registered his first loss in that age group this year to Colin Cruickshank from Edinburgh, in a high quality 3/1 battle.
All of the above means that Paul Norton leapfrogs Graham Greensall to top the 2023 Series rankings for the first time! There is some movement in the middle order too, this can all be seen on the lists linked in below.
It was the first time we have run a UK Racketball Series event in Scotland and were very grateful to Newlands LTC in Glasgow for hosting us, and RASTA (Racketball Around Scotland) for helping promote the event among their players. It's great to see such a strong uptake in Scottish players for the event and it we are looking forward to doing battle with them once more in future Series tournaments. If any UK Racketball players fancy getting stuck in with the RASTA events you can check out their calendar on their Facebook page.
Full draws from Saturday's Scottish Open can be found on Sporty HQ HERE
Scottish open introduction
For the first time in our history, UK Racketball travels up to Glasgow to one of Scottish Squash's top clubs, Newlands LTC. This lovely venue has a great Racketball uptake and is a hub for Scottish Racketball, having already hosted several Scottish National Racketball Championships in the past few years.
With top local players such as Head Coach Matt Bedwell (a National Championships regular), Scottish Masters team player Mark Ford, and also several semi pro Scottish Squash players in the mix, our A Grade regulars are likely to have their work cut out at the top end!
We are also looking forward to having a few post event beers with out Scottish counterparts, and hopefully aim to build up a top event with bigger and better to come going forward. Due to there being so many players travelling up and staying over we will be looking to sort out a social post event! Stay tuned with the event details to find out more closer to time...
With top local players such as Head Coach Matt Bedwell (a National Championships regular), Scottish Masters team player Mark Ford, and also several semi pro Scottish Squash players in the mix, our A Grade regulars are likely to have their work cut out at the top end!
We are also looking forward to having a few post event beers with out Scottish counterparts, and hopefully aim to build up a top event with bigger and better to come going forward. Due to there being so many players travelling up and staying over we will be looking to sort out a social post event! Stay tuned with the event details to find out more closer to time...
online entry through sportyhq
For 2022 UK-Racketball have partnered with SportyHQ to make online entries work even smoother
Follow this link to enter online - https://www.sportyhq.com/tournament/view/Event-4-Scottish-UK-Racketball-Open
We have created a user guide to walk you through the process and make it as easy as possible - follow this link to access online - https://www.uk-racketball.com/series-faqs.html
Follow this link to enter online - https://www.sportyhq.com/tournament/view/Event-4-Scottish-UK-Racketball-Open
We have created a user guide to walk you through the process and make it as easy as possible - follow this link to access online - https://www.uk-racketball.com/series-faqs.html
main tournament details
What: Scottish UK-Racketball Open
When: Saturday 6th May
Where: Newlands
Postcode: G43 2QE
Club Webpage: https://clubspark.lta.org.uk/NewlandsLTC
Cost: £17.50 (£9.50 for high quality, quick dry, sublimated print tournament t-shirt)
Closing Date: Friday 28th April
More Information: Email [email protected] or call Mike on 07789 394617 if your enquiry is urgent.
When: Saturday 6th May
Where: Newlands
Postcode: G43 2QE
Club Webpage: https://clubspark.lta.org.uk/NewlandsLTC
Cost: £17.50 (£9.50 for high quality, quick dry, sublimated print tournament t-shirt)
Closing Date: Friday 28th April
More Information: Email [email protected] or call Mike on 07789 394617 if your enquiry is urgent.
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
Doubles – limited to 8 pairs, Racketball rules apply, follow this link for more information - http://www.uk-racketball.com/racketball-doubles-rules.html
If you are unsure which category to enter please email [email protected] or if your enquiry is urgent call Mike on 07789 394617.
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
Doubles – limited to 8 pairs, Racketball rules apply, follow this link for more information - http://www.uk-racketball.com/racketball-doubles-rules.html
If you are unsure which category to enter please email [email protected] or if your enquiry is urgent call Mike on 07789 394617.
Club Facilities
Newlands Squash Club has a fantastic set up of 5 glass backed courts. 4 of which run back to back with each other with ample viewing and seatiung for spectators. It is one of the Premier venues in Scotland and also has a great bar and social area to boot. We are really looking forward to starting up at this venue and mixing in with the Scottish contingent!
Club Location
Newlands LTC
18 Mochrum Rd,
Glasgow
G43 2QE
Website: clubspark.lta.org.uk/NewlandsLTC/Squash/Squash
Contact: [email protected]
18 Mochrum Rd,
Glasgow
G43 2QE
Website: clubspark.lta.org.uk/NewlandsLTC/Squash/Squash
Contact: [email protected]
