Racketball/ Squash57 Inter-County Championships
Nottingham - 11th/ 12th June
Follow this link to see all the photos from the weekend
For the first time since 2019, counties from across England returned to the Nottingham Squash and Racketball Club for the Racketball Inter-County Championships 2022. After the resounding success of the event 3 years ago, our inbox has been full with people asking when the next edition was going to be, so we're thrilled that we've been able bring the County Teams back for another weekend.
As before, the event was played over 2 days, with 12 Group stage matches and two finals over the course of the weekend. Defending Champions Devon returned as number 1 seeds, but with strong teams stepping up from Warwickshire, Dorset, and Yorkshire they were going to have to work hard if they wanted to be back-to-back champions.
2nd seeds Warwickshire opened their account in the first round on Saturday morning with a comprehensive victory over Leicestershire, the West of England team winning 5-0 without dropping a single game. 3/4 seeds Yorkshire had a similar scoreline against hosts Nottingham, with UK-Racketball legend Paul Norton leading his side to a 5-0 opening win.
The next matches were a familiar story, with 3/4 seeds Dorset and 1 seeds Devon racking up 5-0 wins against Shropshire and Lincolnshire respectively. It was going to come down to the later rounds for the top teams to try and break the deadlock to see who would compete for the title.
For the first time since 2019, counties from across England returned to the Nottingham Squash and Racketball Club for the Racketball Inter-County Championships 2022. After the resounding success of the event 3 years ago, our inbox has been full with people asking when the next edition was going to be, so we're thrilled that we've been able bring the County Teams back for another weekend.
As before, the event was played over 2 days, with 12 Group stage matches and two finals over the course of the weekend. Defending Champions Devon returned as number 1 seeds, but with strong teams stepping up from Warwickshire, Dorset, and Yorkshire they were going to have to work hard if they wanted to be back-to-back champions.
2nd seeds Warwickshire opened their account in the first round on Saturday morning with a comprehensive victory over Leicestershire, the West of England team winning 5-0 without dropping a single game. 3/4 seeds Yorkshire had a similar scoreline against hosts Nottingham, with UK-Racketball legend Paul Norton leading his side to a 5-0 opening win.
The next matches were a familiar story, with 3/4 seeds Dorset and 1 seeds Devon racking up 5-0 wins against Shropshire and Lincolnshire respectively. It was going to come down to the later rounds for the top teams to try and break the deadlock to see who would compete for the title.
Saturday afternoon saw some much tighter affairs towards the bottom of the groups. Nottinghamshire took on local rivals Lincolnshire, with Andy Hopwood closing out 13/11 in the fourth for the hosts and Ryan Bond beating Matt Dyter in 5 for the visitors. With Brett Perkins winning at 5 for Lincolnshire, Nick Hargreaves made Notts sweat - after going 2-0 up agianst Nigel Truman the Lincs man fought back to take it to a fifth, which Nick took 11/5 to send the match to 2/2 with just the second strings to play. A young Louie Truman put Lincs up 11/9 in the fifth, before Nick Ratnarajah fought back to go 2/1 up. In a match that had plenty of changes in momentum, Louie then took the next 11/7 and looked to have the match sewn up at 9/6 in the fifth. A comeback was always on the cards though, and Nick fought hard to turn it around and close the game out 11/9, bringing victory to Nottingham.
A similarly tight encounter saw the oldest team, Shropshire, take on Leicestershire for the honour of third place in Group B. A marathon match between Merv Davies and Steve Durrant at 5 set the tone for the encounter, with the Shropshire man using all his experience to put his team up on the board. Leicestershire fought back though, and like the Group A match the second strings went on with the match tied at 2-2. Chris Morris put his team up, and looked to have the match under control playing with his usual attacking flair, but John Freeman pulled out some high-quality defence to neautralise his opponent and take the win 3/1.
Special mention must be made of the Shropshire team, who entered a team entirely of Over 50s and managed to compete against some much fresher-faced opponents! The default Over-50s champions will surely look to defend their title next year, and perhaps score some more upsets against their younger rivals . . .
The final matches of the day saw Devon and Warwickshire justify their seedings, taking out Yorkshire and Dorset respectively with comprehensive 5-0 wins from both.
A similarly tight encounter saw the oldest team, Shropshire, take on Leicestershire for the honour of third place in Group B. A marathon match between Merv Davies and Steve Durrant at 5 set the tone for the encounter, with the Shropshire man using all his experience to put his team up on the board. Leicestershire fought back though, and like the Group A match the second strings went on with the match tied at 2-2. Chris Morris put his team up, and looked to have the match under control playing with his usual attacking flair, but John Freeman pulled out some high-quality defence to neautralise his opponent and take the win 3/1.
Special mention must be made of the Shropshire team, who entered a team entirely of Over 50s and managed to compete against some much fresher-faced opponents! The default Over-50s champions will surely look to defend their title next year, and perhaps score some more upsets against their younger rivals . . .
The final matches of the day saw Devon and Warwickshire justify their seedings, taking out Yorkshire and Dorset respectively with comprehensive 5-0 wins from both.
With Sunday morning's matches being played largely for pride, their were some tired bodies making their way out onto the courts for the first matches of the final day. Devon set up their title push that afternoon nicely, notching a 5-0 win over Notts with straight-games victories across the board. Not to be outdone, Warwickshire managed the same over Shropshire, meaning the 1 and 2 seeds would contest the final having dropped just 3 games between them over the weekend! Yorkshire and Dorset went on to confirm their places in the Bronze-medal match, the former completing a 5-0 win over Lincolnshire and the latter with a 4-1 victory over Leicestershire. With the finals just around the corner, it was wide open on paper . . .
Dorset looked hungry for a win as the Bronze-medal match got under way, with Andy Corben and David Lobo racing out of the blocks with some high-quality racketball to put their side 2-0 up. With the pressure on the remaining Yorkshire players, it fell to Glyn Saunders and Paul 'Knocker' Norton to put the Northern County on the board. Glyn went 1/0 up in the third-string match, and looked to be in a strong position to grind out the win on fitness. Meanwhile, Paul pulled some outrageous winners out the bag to put the pressure on Phil Sargent at 1, who nevertheless managed to absorb the pressure and keep his nose in front through the first two. At 10/9 down in the third, Knocker once again found some magic shots to force a tie-break, but was unable to close it out in the face of some excellent racketball from the Dorset number 1. With the match in the bag, Dorset could celebrate, and did so in style as Neil Chambers fought back to win 3/1 against Glyn, while Angus Bell completed the set with a 3/0 victory over Mike Reid in the dead rubber.
Dorset looked hungry for a win as the Bronze-medal match got under way, with Andy Corben and David Lobo racing out of the blocks with some high-quality racketball to put their side 2-0 up. With the pressure on the remaining Yorkshire players, it fell to Glyn Saunders and Paul 'Knocker' Norton to put the Northern County on the board. Glyn went 1/0 up in the third-string match, and looked to be in a strong position to grind out the win on fitness. Meanwhile, Paul pulled some outrageous winners out the bag to put the pressure on Phil Sargent at 1, who nevertheless managed to absorb the pressure and keep his nose in front through the first two. At 10/9 down in the third, Knocker once again found some magic shots to force a tie-break, but was unable to close it out in the face of some excellent racketball from the Dorset number 1. With the match in the bag, Dorset could celebrate, and did so in style as Neil Chambers fought back to win 3/1 against Glyn, while Angus Bell completed the set with a 3/0 victory over Mike Reid in the dead rubber.
Congratulations to Dorset on finishing third, we look forward to seeing them again next year and expect them to turn out hungry to make it to that final in 2023.
The first two matches of the Final told a similar story. This time, Warwickshire were looking to upset the seedings and dethrone the reigning champions Devon. Warwickshire got off to the perfect start, with Chris Hall beating Dave Palmer in 3 and Jordan Hardwick beating Phil Borrett, also in 3. At 2-0 down, Devon were feeling the pressure as Josh Smart looked to get them on the board against Jason Pike. The fourth-string match was incredibly tight, with momentum shifting one way and the other, but the Warwickshire man closed out two crucial tie breaks in the opening games, taking them 12/10 and 13/11. With the damage done, Josh couldn't maintain the intensity, and Jason closed out the match to take victory and the title! Guy Pearson beating James Snell at 2 meant it fell to Mike Harris to salvage some pride for the former champions, as he took on Miles Jenkins in the final match of the weekend.
As was expected, these two showed no quarter and entered into a marathon match to entertain the loyal supporters who stayed to the end. Fantastic retrievals and innovative shot-making combined for some brutally long rallies, and as Miles took the first the reigning national champion was under huge pressure to get his side on the board. His experience came to the fore, however, and Mike's class shone through as he turned defence into attack and won the next three games 11/4, 11/9, 11/5 after 80 minutes of racketball.
Congratulations to the 2022 Racketball Inter-Counties Champions Warwickshire, and we lookk forward to seeing all of you back again next year for the return of this event!
The first two matches of the Final told a similar story. This time, Warwickshire were looking to upset the seedings and dethrone the reigning champions Devon. Warwickshire got off to the perfect start, with Chris Hall beating Dave Palmer in 3 and Jordan Hardwick beating Phil Borrett, also in 3. At 2-0 down, Devon were feeling the pressure as Josh Smart looked to get them on the board against Jason Pike. The fourth-string match was incredibly tight, with momentum shifting one way and the other, but the Warwickshire man closed out two crucial tie breaks in the opening games, taking them 12/10 and 13/11. With the damage done, Josh couldn't maintain the intensity, and Jason closed out the match to take victory and the title! Guy Pearson beating James Snell at 2 meant it fell to Mike Harris to salvage some pride for the former champions, as he took on Miles Jenkins in the final match of the weekend.
As was expected, these two showed no quarter and entered into a marathon match to entertain the loyal supporters who stayed to the end. Fantastic retrievals and innovative shot-making combined for some brutally long rallies, and as Miles took the first the reigning national champion was under huge pressure to get his side on the board. His experience came to the fore, however, and Mike's class shone through as he turned defence into attack and won the next three games 11/4, 11/9, 11/5 after 80 minutes of racketball.
Congratulations to the 2022 Racketball Inter-Counties Champions Warwickshire, and we lookk forward to seeing all of you back again next year for the return of this event!
Finals
Bronze Medal Match - Yorkshire (3/4) v Dorset (3/4)
Yorkshire 0-5 Dorset
Paul Norton 0-3 Phil Sargent (9/11, 7/11, 11/13)
Mike Reid 0-3 Angus Bell (4/11, 7/11, 4/11)
Glyn Saunders 1-3 Neil Chambers (11/8, 7/11, 2/11, 2/11)
Billy Hawes 0-3 David Lobo (6/11, 4/11, 9/11)
Dom Pegg 0-3 Andy Corben (5/11, 3/11, 5/11)
Gold Medal Match - Devon (1) v Warwickshire (2)
Devon 1 - 4 Warwickshire
Mike Harris 3-1 Miles Jenkins (9/11, 11/4, 11/9, 11/5)
James Snell 0-3 Guy Pearson (5/11, 9/11, 4/11)
Dave Palmer 0-3 Chris Hall (5/11, 2/11, 2/11)
Josh Smart 0-3 Jason Pike (10/12, 11/13, 3/11)
Phil Borrett 0-3 Jordan Hardwick (7/11, 7/11, 2/11)
Yorkshire 0-5 Dorset
Paul Norton 0-3 Phil Sargent (9/11, 7/11, 11/13)
Mike Reid 0-3 Angus Bell (4/11, 7/11, 4/11)
Glyn Saunders 1-3 Neil Chambers (11/8, 7/11, 2/11, 2/11)
Billy Hawes 0-3 David Lobo (6/11, 4/11, 9/11)
Dom Pegg 0-3 Andy Corben (5/11, 3/11, 5/11)
Gold Medal Match - Devon (1) v Warwickshire (2)
Devon 1 - 4 Warwickshire
Mike Harris 3-1 Miles Jenkins (9/11, 11/4, 11/9, 11/5)
James Snell 0-3 Guy Pearson (5/11, 9/11, 4/11)
Dave Palmer 0-3 Chris Hall (5/11, 2/11, 2/11)
Josh Smart 0-3 Jason Pike (10/12, 11/13, 3/11)
Phil Borrett 0-3 Jordan Hardwick (7/11, 7/11, 2/11)
Group Results
| Inter Counties 2022 Group Stages.pdf |
day 1 - saturday
Warwickshire 5 - 0 Leicestershire
Miles Jenkins 3-0 Ally Mutch (13/11, 11/6, 11/1)
Guy Pearson 3-0 Steve Smith (11/4, 11/3, 11/2)
Chris Hall 3-0 Andy Beel (11/7, 11/5, 11/7)
Jason Pike 3-0 Steve Durrant (11/6, 11/2, 11/8)
Robbie Fortune 3-0 Richard Jackson (11/6, 11/4, 11.3)
Yorkshire 5 - 0 Nottinghamshire
Paul Norton 3-1 Nick Hargreaves (11/6, 9/11, 12/10, 11/7)
Fi Moverly 3-0 Nick Ratnarajah (11/3, 11/4, 11/1)
Glyn Saunders 3-1 Andy Hopwood (11/4, 3/11, 11/3, 11/9)
Billy Hawes 3-0 Matt Dyter (11/4, 11/1, 11/4)
Dom Pegg 3-0 Ivan Garrahan (11/7, 13/11, 11/9_
Dorset 5 - 0 Shropshire
Phil Sargent 3-0 Cameron Parky (11/3, 11/8, 11/3)
Angus Bell 3-0 Chris Morris (11/6, 11/1, 11/9)
Neil Chambers 3-0 Chris Wase (11/5, 11/7, 11/8)
David Lobo 3-1 Barry Talbot (12/10, 11/7, 11/13, 11/8)
Marc James 3-2 Merv Davies (6/11, 11/6, 14/12, 10/12, 11/6)
Devon 5 - 0 Lincolnshire
Mike Harris 3-0 Nigel Truman (11/2, 11/4, 11/5)
James Snell 3-0 Louie Truman (11/3, 11/4, 11/1)
Dave Palmer 3-0 Ady Proctor (11/6 11/5, 11/5)
Josh Smart 3-0 Ryan Bond (11/3, 14/12, 11/2)
Phil Borrett 3-0 Brett Perkins (11/4, 11/5, 11/3)
Shropshire 2 - 3 Leicestershire
Cameron 0-3 James Bowden (3/11, 1/11, 7/11)
Chris Morris 1-3 John Freeman (11/8, 8/11, 7/11, 9/11)
Chris Wase 3-1 George Orton (11/3, 15/13, 5/11, 11/6)
Barry Talbot 1-3 Steve Smith (2/11, 3/11, 11/7, 8/11)
Merv Davies 3-2 Steve Durrant (10/12, 11/7, 11/5, 8/11, 11/7)
Nottinghamshire 3 - 2 Lincolnshire
Nick Hargreaves 3-2 Nigel Truman (11/9, 11/4, 6/11, 9/11, 11/5)
Nick Ratnarajah 3-2 Louie Truman (9/11, 11/9, 11/6, 7/11, 11/9)
Andy Hopwood 3-1 Ady Proctor (11/7, 7/11, 11/5, 13/11)
Matt Dyter 2-3 Ryan Bond (4/11, 11/2, 11/6, 7/11, 7/11)
Colm H 0-3 Brett Perkins (8/11, 10/12, 6/11)
Warwickshire 5 - 0 Dorset
Miles Jenkins 3-1 Phil Sargent (5/11, 11/3, 11/5, 12/10
Guy Pearson 3-0 Angus Bell (11/2, 11/5, 11/6)
Chris Hall 3-0 Neil Chambers (11/4, 11/4, 11/4)
Jason Pike 3-1 David Pike (11/5, 11/8, 7/11, 13/11)
Jordan Hardwick 3-0 Andy Corben (11/7, 11/4, 11/6)
Yorkshire 0 - 5 Devon
Paul Norton 0-3 Mike Harris (4/11, 4/11, 8/11)
Fi Moverly 1-3 James Snell (7/11, 7/11, 11/9, 3/11)
Mike Reid 0-3 Dave Palmer (2/11, 7/11, 2/11)
Glyn Saunders 0-3 Josh Smart (3/11, 8/11, 8/11)
Billy Hawes 0-3 Phil Borrett (7/11, 9/11, 5/11)
Miles Jenkins 3-0 Ally Mutch (13/11, 11/6, 11/1)
Guy Pearson 3-0 Steve Smith (11/4, 11/3, 11/2)
Chris Hall 3-0 Andy Beel (11/7, 11/5, 11/7)
Jason Pike 3-0 Steve Durrant (11/6, 11/2, 11/8)
Robbie Fortune 3-0 Richard Jackson (11/6, 11/4, 11.3)
Yorkshire 5 - 0 Nottinghamshire
Paul Norton 3-1 Nick Hargreaves (11/6, 9/11, 12/10, 11/7)
Fi Moverly 3-0 Nick Ratnarajah (11/3, 11/4, 11/1)
Glyn Saunders 3-1 Andy Hopwood (11/4, 3/11, 11/3, 11/9)
Billy Hawes 3-0 Matt Dyter (11/4, 11/1, 11/4)
Dom Pegg 3-0 Ivan Garrahan (11/7, 13/11, 11/9_
Dorset 5 - 0 Shropshire
Phil Sargent 3-0 Cameron Parky (11/3, 11/8, 11/3)
Angus Bell 3-0 Chris Morris (11/6, 11/1, 11/9)
Neil Chambers 3-0 Chris Wase (11/5, 11/7, 11/8)
David Lobo 3-1 Barry Talbot (12/10, 11/7, 11/13, 11/8)
Marc James 3-2 Merv Davies (6/11, 11/6, 14/12, 10/12, 11/6)
Devon 5 - 0 Lincolnshire
Mike Harris 3-0 Nigel Truman (11/2, 11/4, 11/5)
James Snell 3-0 Louie Truman (11/3, 11/4, 11/1)
Dave Palmer 3-0 Ady Proctor (11/6 11/5, 11/5)
Josh Smart 3-0 Ryan Bond (11/3, 14/12, 11/2)
Phil Borrett 3-0 Brett Perkins (11/4, 11/5, 11/3)
Shropshire 2 - 3 Leicestershire
Cameron 0-3 James Bowden (3/11, 1/11, 7/11)
Chris Morris 1-3 John Freeman (11/8, 8/11, 7/11, 9/11)
Chris Wase 3-1 George Orton (11/3, 15/13, 5/11, 11/6)
Barry Talbot 1-3 Steve Smith (2/11, 3/11, 11/7, 8/11)
Merv Davies 3-2 Steve Durrant (10/12, 11/7, 11/5, 8/11, 11/7)
Nottinghamshire 3 - 2 Lincolnshire
Nick Hargreaves 3-2 Nigel Truman (11/9, 11/4, 6/11, 9/11, 11/5)
Nick Ratnarajah 3-2 Louie Truman (9/11, 11/9, 11/6, 7/11, 11/9)
Andy Hopwood 3-1 Ady Proctor (11/7, 7/11, 11/5, 13/11)
Matt Dyter 2-3 Ryan Bond (4/11, 11/2, 11/6, 7/11, 7/11)
Colm H 0-3 Brett Perkins (8/11, 10/12, 6/11)
Warwickshire 5 - 0 Dorset
Miles Jenkins 3-1 Phil Sargent (5/11, 11/3, 11/5, 12/10
Guy Pearson 3-0 Angus Bell (11/2, 11/5, 11/6)
Chris Hall 3-0 Neil Chambers (11/4, 11/4, 11/4)
Jason Pike 3-1 David Pike (11/5, 11/8, 7/11, 13/11)
Jordan Hardwick 3-0 Andy Corben (11/7, 11/4, 11/6)
Yorkshire 0 - 5 Devon
Paul Norton 0-3 Mike Harris (4/11, 4/11, 8/11)
Fi Moverly 1-3 James Snell (7/11, 7/11, 11/9, 3/11)
Mike Reid 0-3 Dave Palmer (2/11, 7/11, 2/11)
Glyn Saunders 0-3 Josh Smart (3/11, 8/11, 8/11)
Billy Hawes 0-3 Phil Borrett (7/11, 9/11, 5/11)
day 2 - Sunday
Nottinghamshire 0 - 5 Devon
Nick Hargreaves 0-3 Mike Harris (1/11, 5/11, 7/11)
Nick Ratnarajah 0-3 James Snell (4/11, 8/11, 1/11)
Andy Hopwood 0-3 Dave Palmer 6/11, 1/11, 7/11)
Anuj Savani 0-3 Josh Smart (3/11, 1/11, 9/11)
Ivan Garrahan 0-3 Phil Borrett (6/11, 4/11, 2/11)
Warwickshire 5 - 0 Shropshire
Miles Jenkines 3-0 Cameron Parky (11/3, 11/3, 11/5)
Guy Pearson 3-0 Chris Morris (11/7, 11/5, 11/4)
Chris Hall 3-0 Chris Wase (11/3, 11/1, 11/3)
Jordan Hardwick 3-0 Barry Talbot (11/6, 11/4, 11/8)
Robbie Fortune 3-0 Merv Davies (11/3, 11/6, 11/6)
Yorkshire 5 - 0 Lincolnshire
Paul Norton 3-0 Nigel Truman (11/3, 11/7, 11/9)
Mike Reid 3-1 Louie Truman (11/7, 11/9, 7/11, 11/3)
Glyn Saunders 3-2 Ady Proctor (7/11, 11/9, 11/6, 9/11, 11/6)
Billy Hawes 3-0 Brett Perkins (11/5, 11/1, 11/6)
Dom Pegg 3-1 Tim (4/11, 11/6, 11/4, 11/7)
Dorset 4 - 1 Leicestershire
Phil Sargent 0-3 James Bowden (8/11, 7/11, 4/11)
Angus Bell 3-0 George Orton (11/7, 11/5, 11/4)
Neil Chambers 3-1 Steve Smith (8/11, 11/7, 11/6, 11/6)
David Lobo 3-0 Nick Marshall (11/6, 11/2, 11/1)
Marc James 3-0 Andy Beel (13/11, 11/6, 11/9)
Nick Hargreaves 0-3 Mike Harris (1/11, 5/11, 7/11)
Nick Ratnarajah 0-3 James Snell (4/11, 8/11, 1/11)
Andy Hopwood 0-3 Dave Palmer 6/11, 1/11, 7/11)
Anuj Savani 0-3 Josh Smart (3/11, 1/11, 9/11)
Ivan Garrahan 0-3 Phil Borrett (6/11, 4/11, 2/11)
Warwickshire 5 - 0 Shropshire
Miles Jenkines 3-0 Cameron Parky (11/3, 11/3, 11/5)
Guy Pearson 3-0 Chris Morris (11/7, 11/5, 11/4)
Chris Hall 3-0 Chris Wase (11/3, 11/1, 11/3)
Jordan Hardwick 3-0 Barry Talbot (11/6, 11/4, 11/8)
Robbie Fortune 3-0 Merv Davies (11/3, 11/6, 11/6)
Yorkshire 5 - 0 Lincolnshire
Paul Norton 3-0 Nigel Truman (11/3, 11/7, 11/9)
Mike Reid 3-1 Louie Truman (11/7, 11/9, 7/11, 11/3)
Glyn Saunders 3-2 Ady Proctor (7/11, 11/9, 11/6, 9/11, 11/6)
Billy Hawes 3-0 Brett Perkins (11/5, 11/1, 11/6)
Dom Pegg 3-1 Tim (4/11, 11/6, 11/4, 11/7)
Dorset 4 - 1 Leicestershire
Phil Sargent 0-3 James Bowden (8/11, 7/11, 4/11)
Angus Bell 3-0 George Orton (11/7, 11/5, 11/4)
Neil Chambers 3-1 Steve Smith (8/11, 11/7, 11/6, 11/6)
David Lobo 3-0 Nick Marshall (11/6, 11/2, 11/1)
Marc James 3-0 Andy Beel (13/11, 11/6, 11/9)
Draw and schedule
It's almost time for one of the best Racketball weekends of the year. 8 teams head to Nottingham to compete and battle it out for this years crown. Will Devon retain their title...
Click on the draw and schedule below to see the order of play. Under the schedule is the current team orders.
Click on the draw and schedule below to see the order of play. Under the schedule is the current team orders.
| inter_counties_2022_draw.pdf |
| inter_counties_2022_schedule.pdf |
Introduction
Over the weekend of the 11th/12th of June Racketball Inter-Counties will take place at Nottingham Squash Club. Three grades will compete, The Open, Women's and Over 50's and will mirror the format of our incredibly successful event in 2019.
In one location and over one weekend, all teams will competed to decide who would be crowned champion. This is a fantastic social event with players from all over the country making the trip to Nottingham to compete. In 2019 we had 20 sides take part which made for a brilliant atmosphere!
Refereeing/marking is done by the teams that are competing, and is split evenly between the teams.
All matches are played with the Dunlop Black ball. This is the official England Squash ball that has been used all year for the Series, including the British Open and National Championships.
If you need anymore information please email [email protected]
MAIN TOURNAMENT DETAILS
What: Racketball/Squash57 inter-counties
When: Saturday 11th and Sunday 12th June
Where: Nottingham Squash Club
Postcode: NG7 1BX
Closing Date Entries: Friday 22nd May
Cost: £60.00 (team of 5), £36.00 (team of 3)
More Information: Email [email protected] or call Mark on 07846 067505
Open Grade - Inter counties 2022
- The Open section will run the same as it did in 2019.
- Teams of five players, any age or gender.
- All matches will be singles, best of 5 games PAR to 11.
- Teams will be play a round robin group with winning teams making it through to the knockout stages.
- All teams are guaranteed at least 3 matches over the weekend.
- See report below on how this competition worked in 2019.
Women's - INTER COUNTIES 2022
- Inter-County Women's will run the same as in 2019 with teams of 3 competing.
- This category is restricted to just women players but of any age.
- All matches will be best of 5 games to 11 PAR scoring.
- Tournament format will depend on number of entries but will likely be group stages with leading teams progressing into a knockout.
- All teams are guaranteed at least 3 matches over the weekend.
- See report below on how this competition worked in 2019.
Over 50's - INTER COUNTIES 2022
- Over 50's Inter County Championship in 2022 will run the same as it did in 2019 with teams of 5.
- Matches will consist of 3 singles fixtures and 1 doubles fixture.
- Players participating in the same fixture cannot take part in both the singles and doubles. This can however be changed around before the next fixture.
- If matches are tied at 2-2 then the team that has won the most individual games will be the victor.
- If matches and games are both tied then the result will be determined by points count back.
- Teams score a point for every match won as well as a bonus point for an overall fixture win. If a team wins 3/1 they will score 4 points and their opponents will score 1. If the score is 2/2 the winning team will score 3 points and their opponents 2.
- All matches will be best of 5 games. PAR to 11 scoring.
- Tournament format will depend on number of entries but will likely be group stages with leading teams progressing into a knockout.
- All teams are guaranteed at least 3 matches over the weekend.
- See report below on how this competition worked in 2019.
Inter-Counties Racketball Eligibility Rules
You are eligible to play for a county team if you were born in the county; live in the county; or have represented the county in the past. The only exception to this rule is if you have played for another county: you must have one year without playing for a team in order to then play for a new county.
For example if you represented Norfolk in 2018 and then moved house to Yorkshire and wanted to move counties to Yorkshire you would need to not represent a team in 2019. In 2020 you would then be free to play for Yorkshire.
Players can play in multiple teams for the same county. For example if you represented Devon in the women’s competition you could also participate in the Devon’s team in the Open competition.
You are eligible to play for a county team if you were born in the county; live in the county; or have represented the county in the past. The only exception to this rule is if you have played for another county: you must have one year without playing for a team in order to then play for a new county.
For example if you represented Norfolk in 2018 and then moved house to Yorkshire and wanted to move counties to Yorkshire you would need to not represent a team in 2019. In 2020 you would then be free to play for Yorkshire.
Players can play in multiple teams for the same county. For example if you represented Devon in the women’s competition you could also participate in the Devon’s team in the Open competition.
What happened in 2019 . . . the inter-counties report and results
The first ever racketball/squash57 inter-county finals took place this weekend at Nottingham SRC, which saw 19 teams travel from 12 different counties to compete for what is sure to be the first of many competitive weekends. The event was played over 2 days, with a total of 29 fixtures throughout the weekend, with the teams and spectators being treated to some top class racketball/squash57 with the likes of Tim Vail, Mike Harris and Zoe Fennell all competing for their respective counties.
The Open event saw some thrilling ties and numerous upsets throughout. Group A, saw Yorkshire upset the 1 seeds, Sussex with a 3-2 win. However, with Yorkshire unable to convert their earlier match against Oxfordshire, it saw them, the eventual losers of Group A. A noteable match in this tie was with Ben Hedger and Fiona Moverley who had a grueling 5 setter, Hedger was the eventual winner with 2 tins from Moverley at 10-10. The 'group of death', Group B, saw some great battles, in particular between Buckinghamshire and Dorset. However it was Warwickshire who proved too strong and too consistent for their opponents who qualified with Dorset into the semi-finals. Group C again saw a hugely strong Devon side take their group by storm, followed by Essex and then Wiltshire.
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The Open event saw some thrilling ties and numerous upsets throughout. Group A, saw Yorkshire upset the 1 seeds, Sussex with a 3-2 win. However, with Yorkshire unable to convert their earlier match against Oxfordshire, it saw them, the eventual losers of Group A. A noteable match in this tie was with Ben Hedger and Fiona Moverley who had a grueling 5 setter, Hedger was the eventual winner with 2 tins from Moverley at 10-10. The 'group of death', Group B, saw some great battles, in particular between Buckinghamshire and Dorset. However it was Warwickshire who proved too strong and too consistent for their opponents who qualified with Dorset into the semi-finals. Group C again saw a hugely strong Devon side take their group by storm, followed by Essex and then Wiltshire.
Click here to access the videos
Follow this link for all of the photos
The Women's event was a simple round robin between Essex, Devon and Yorkshire and took place on the Saturday. Despite the size of the event being smaller, the racketball/squash57 on display was of great quality and played in great spirit. Zoe Fennell was an exceptional performer on the day as expected, however the Essex side were still unable to breakdown their slightly more experienced opponents from Yorkshire and Devon. The tie between Devon and Yorkshire saw a thrilling first tie battle between Rosie Connell and Jo Perriam, with Connell having the expertise to close the match out in 5. She was followed by her team match Paula Arrowsmith, who herself managed to fend off a fierce competitor from Devon in Caroline Wright, which ultimately secured Yorkshire the first ever inter-county racketball title. Elspeth Edwards cemented Yorkshire's dominance in another great encounter with Karen Bealey of Devon, Edwards was too strong on the day and secured the victory 3-0 for her county.
The Over 50's event has arguably been one of our most exciting events this year with 6 counties competing in a format that has 3 singles matches and 1 doubles match. Group A consisted of the 1 seeds, Essex, who did prove too strong for their competitors Norfolk and Kent, and were able to bypass the quarter finals stage to go straight through to the semi-finals. A notebale result here was an upset caused by Rob Hanbrook of Norfolk, who performed out his skin to overcome Essex's Fred Cooke in 3 games. Group B was much more fiercely contested, which saw the 3/4 seeds Buckingahmshire overcome the 2 seeds, Devon to automatically qualify for the semi-finals. Yorkshire and Devon battled it out and were the first fixture to draw their match and triggered the games countback rule, which thanks to Adrian Henley and Pete Doman taking the first game 11/6 in the doubles, they became eventual overall winners of the tie, 7-6 on games count back.
Results
| e4_inter_counties_2019_results_open_division_draw.pdf |
| e4_inter_counties_2019_results_over_50s_draw.pdf |
| e4_inter_counties_2019_results_womens_draw.pdf |
