Wakefield Open Match Report
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This was the fourth year the series has returned to Wakefield and as ever, it has been a good one. The rivalry for the Series crown is heating up. This was event 7 and only 70 points separated the top two. Steve Widdison (O60’s) leads on 1455 points with Adam Grilli (O40’s) right on his tale with 1385 points. Richard Davies (O40’s) is a little way behind the leaders on 1050 but as current National Over 40’s champion and Wakefield Open winner in 2017 he will certainly be looking to close the gap.
In the A grade, we saw two groups battle it out for a place in the semi and quarterfinals. Richard Davies won group A although was pushed hard by keen competitor Snape. Chappell came through both of his group B matches 2-0 to book his place in the semi’s.
The quarterfinals consisted of two closely fought battles between the second and third placed players in each group. Matthew Morgan vs. Sanders followed by Snape vs. Richard Cobb the 2nd placers both prevailed with Snape and Morgan coming through their matches with convincing 2-0 victories. Snape and Morgan’s bid’s for the title was ended however when they came up against Chappell and Davies in the semifinals who took the wins 2-1 and 2-0 respectively.
The final was a battle between friends. Chappell is gutsy and feisty but on this occasion, as is so often when anyone is playing Davies in a UK-Racketball Final, Chappell didn’t have enough to break him down. Richard Davies came through 2-0 where he retained his 2017 Wakefield Racketball Open Title.
The over 50s had two groups of four players in each. In group A Paul Mancey got off to a good start defeating David Brown 2-0 and series veteran Andy Ruff 2-0 but then became unstuck against group A top seed, Mark Banfield.
England no. 1 Michael Wardle headed up group B with Paul Dodds seeded no.2. It began well for both competitors, who both overcame the challenges from David Chan and Spencer Cooper. This led to a group decider between Dodds and Wardle which came right down to the wire with Paul Dodds taking it 2-1. This set up a final between Mark Banfield and Paul Dodds. Last month Paul Dodds climbed 40 places in the National UK Racketball rankings- the highest climb out of anyone inside the top 50. Victory at Wakefield would have seen him climb to fifth place in the overall rankings however Banfield’s accurate and determined racketball saw him through 2-0, to take his first UK Racketball Series title of the year.
The over 60’s saw nine players competing. All except one was ranked inside the England top 27, making this another very competitive tournament on the day. Group B was the larger of the two groups with players having to win four matches to progress through to the final. Top seed Andy Mitchell managed to justify his seeding although he was taken all the way by Peter fielding in a game that he won 2-1. Fielding is yet to win a title but has been getting closer and closer in recent finals.
In the over 60’s group A, Stephen Widdison needed to come through in order to maintain his position at the top of the series rankings. He did this with a 2-0 victory over England no.9 Peter Marsden and David Browne, ranked no.11. His toughest game on the day was against Paul Halstead who had also overcome Browne and Marsden. Stephen Widdison managed to hang in, and close out to take the match 2-1. Andy Mitchell came through the final 2-0. This was Mitchell's first title since Devon & Exeter in 2017 so will be pleased to add an over 60s 2018 title to his collection.
With Stephen Widdison coming second in the over 60’s, this set up a possibility for Adam Grilli to leapfrog him to the top of the UK Racketball Series Rankings. Only a win would do and this one was likely to be the hardest tournament that Grilli had faced- Richard Davies, no.1 seed and current national champion, Michael Wardle, seeded no.3 and ranked no.3 in England, and Ryan Oscar, who recently won at Hallamshire and has been unbeaten in the over 40’s for a while.
It started off well for Grilli with a victory over Cobb, followed by an incredibly hard-fought win, as it always is, against Michael Wardle. On the day Grilli did not have enough to break down the ever-resilient Richard Davies with the match going all the way, and Davies claiming it 2-1. The group decider was between Davies and Loska- both players retrieved well, both hit good line and length. It was always going to be a long one but Davies, strong as ever took the over 40’s title. Winning both the A and the over 40’s is no small feat. Great effort from Davies on the day.
Next up on the UK Racketball Series we head south. First of all to Devon on the 29th of September, and then Chichester on the 27th of October. Both events are usually very well supported, so if you’re planning to play make sure you get your entries in soon!
This was the fourth year the series has returned to Wakefield and as ever, it has been a good one. The rivalry for the Series crown is heating up. This was event 7 and only 70 points separated the top two. Steve Widdison (O60’s) leads on 1455 points with Adam Grilli (O40’s) right on his tale with 1385 points. Richard Davies (O40’s) is a little way behind the leaders on 1050 but as current National Over 40’s champion and Wakefield Open winner in 2017 he will certainly be looking to close the gap.
In the A grade, we saw two groups battle it out for a place in the semi and quarterfinals. Richard Davies won group A although was pushed hard by keen competitor Snape. Chappell came through both of his group B matches 2-0 to book his place in the semi’s.
The quarterfinals consisted of two closely fought battles between the second and third placed players in each group. Matthew Morgan vs. Sanders followed by Snape vs. Richard Cobb the 2nd placers both prevailed with Snape and Morgan coming through their matches with convincing 2-0 victories. Snape and Morgan’s bid’s for the title was ended however when they came up against Chappell and Davies in the semifinals who took the wins 2-1 and 2-0 respectively.
The final was a battle between friends. Chappell is gutsy and feisty but on this occasion, as is so often when anyone is playing Davies in a UK-Racketball Final, Chappell didn’t have enough to break him down. Richard Davies came through 2-0 where he retained his 2017 Wakefield Racketball Open Title.
The over 50s had two groups of four players in each. In group A Paul Mancey got off to a good start defeating David Brown 2-0 and series veteran Andy Ruff 2-0 but then became unstuck against group A top seed, Mark Banfield.
England no. 1 Michael Wardle headed up group B with Paul Dodds seeded no.2. It began well for both competitors, who both overcame the challenges from David Chan and Spencer Cooper. This led to a group decider between Dodds and Wardle which came right down to the wire with Paul Dodds taking it 2-1. This set up a final between Mark Banfield and Paul Dodds. Last month Paul Dodds climbed 40 places in the National UK Racketball rankings- the highest climb out of anyone inside the top 50. Victory at Wakefield would have seen him climb to fifth place in the overall rankings however Banfield’s accurate and determined racketball saw him through 2-0, to take his first UK Racketball Series title of the year.
The over 60’s saw nine players competing. All except one was ranked inside the England top 27, making this another very competitive tournament on the day. Group B was the larger of the two groups with players having to win four matches to progress through to the final. Top seed Andy Mitchell managed to justify his seeding although he was taken all the way by Peter fielding in a game that he won 2-1. Fielding is yet to win a title but has been getting closer and closer in recent finals.
In the over 60’s group A, Stephen Widdison needed to come through in order to maintain his position at the top of the series rankings. He did this with a 2-0 victory over England no.9 Peter Marsden and David Browne, ranked no.11. His toughest game on the day was against Paul Halstead who had also overcome Browne and Marsden. Stephen Widdison managed to hang in, and close out to take the match 2-1. Andy Mitchell came through the final 2-0. This was Mitchell's first title since Devon & Exeter in 2017 so will be pleased to add an over 60s 2018 title to his collection.
With Stephen Widdison coming second in the over 60’s, this set up a possibility for Adam Grilli to leapfrog him to the top of the UK Racketball Series Rankings. Only a win would do and this one was likely to be the hardest tournament that Grilli had faced- Richard Davies, no.1 seed and current national champion, Michael Wardle, seeded no.3 and ranked no.3 in England, and Ryan Oscar, who recently won at Hallamshire and has been unbeaten in the over 40’s for a while.
It started off well for Grilli with a victory over Cobb, followed by an incredibly hard-fought win, as it always is, against Michael Wardle. On the day Grilli did not have enough to break down the ever-resilient Richard Davies with the match going all the way, and Davies claiming it 2-1. The group decider was between Davies and Loska- both players retrieved well, both hit good line and length. It was always going to be a long one but Davies, strong as ever took the over 40’s title. Winning both the A and the over 40’s is no small feat. Great effort from Davies on the day.
Next up on the UK Racketball Series we head south. First of all to Devon on the 29th of September, and then Chichester on the 27th of October. Both events are usually very well supported, so if you’re planning to play make sure you get your entries in soon!
Wakefield Open Results
| a_b_wakefield_open_results_2018.pdf |
| o40s_wakefield_open_results_2018.pdf |
| o50s_wakefield_open_results_2018.pdf |
| o60s_wakefield_open_results_2018.pdf |
Wakefield Draws and Schedule 6th September
Only one draw has had a minor change with Gianni Loska out for Matthew Morgan all the other draws remain the same.
Please click on the files below to see the updated A/ B Grade and the schedule with timings for the day.
Please click on the files below to see the updated A/ B Grade and the schedule with timings for the day.
| wakefield_open_draws_6th_sep_a_and_b.pdf |
| wakefield_open_draws_6th_sep_schedule.pdf |
Normal Tournament Rules at Wakefield
Register at least 15 minutes before your scheduled match time.
Winners referee the next match on the court they have just finished on.
You must be ready to referee by the time that the next players have finished knocking up, if not then the UK-Racketball forfeit comes into effect and you will have to referee the next 3 matches on that court.
When refereeing please write the name of both opponents and the grade on the score sheet.
All matches are best of 3 games unless best of 5 is indicted.. Tiebreak at 10-10 with the game going to the first player to be 2 points clear.
Spirit of the UK-Racketball Series – All our events are competitive but they are also fun. Lets should be lenient, strokes only rarely given.
Winners referee the next match on the court they have just finished on.
You must be ready to referee by the time that the next players have finished knocking up, if not then the UK-Racketball forfeit comes into effect and you will have to referee the next 3 matches on that court.
When refereeing please write the name of both opponents and the grade on the score sheet.
All matches are best of 3 games unless best of 5 is indicted.. Tiebreak at 10-10 with the game going to the first player to be 2 points clear.
Spirit of the UK-Racketball Series – All our events are competitive but they are also fun. Lets should be lenient, strokes only rarely given.
Wakefield Draws - 4th September
Open the files below to view the draws for this Saturday's event in Wakefield.
The schedule with timings will be released tomorrow.
The schedule with timings will be released tomorrow.
| wakefield_open_draws_4th_sep_a_and_b.pdf |
| wakefield_open_draws_4th_sep_over_40s.pdf |
| wakefield_open_draws_4th_sep_over_50s.pdf |
| wakefield_open_draws_4th_sep_over_60s.pdf |
Wakefield Racketball Open Entry List 3rd September
The entry list for the Wakefield Racketball Open is now online. It's a big entry for the Over 50's and 60's but the A and B have had to merge to run.
| wakefield_open_entry_list_2nd_sep.pdf |
Introduction
The Wakefield Racketball Open 2017 is the sixth event on the UKRB calendar and the second in the North. This is the fourth time the series has visited Wakefield and it’s gearing up to be a good one. Last year across the board all grades held closely fought battles. The A grade in particular was a nail biter for spectators with clashes of styles between the hard hitting Russel and pace controlling Davies. In the end Russel began to run out of stem leaving Davies to claim the title 2/1.
Wakefield Sports Club is a friendly, lively venue, run entirely by its members. The club has four squash courts, three of which are glass backed.
Wakefield Sports Club is a friendly, lively venue, run entirely by its members. The club has four squash courts, three of which are glass backed.
Enter Here
Click Here for online entry.
Main Tournament Details
What: The Wakefield Racketball Open
When: Saturday 8th September
Where: Wakefield Sports Club
Postcode: WF1 3RR
Cost: £12.50 (£5 for tournament t-shirt)
or
£70.50 for whole series entry (including 2 t-shirts)
Online Entry: Click here to enter online
For more information contact Mark Fuller mark@starsportsdevelopment.com or 07846 067505
When: Saturday 8th September
Where: Wakefield Sports Club
Postcode: WF1 3RR
Cost: £12.50 (£5 for tournament t-shirt)
or
£70.50 for whole series entry (including 2 t-shirts)
Online Entry: Click here to enter online
For more information contact Mark Fuller mark@starsportsdevelopment.com or 07846 067505
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
Beginner – This is for players who have recently started racketball. Players who have previously played squash to a high level and have now started playing racketball may be better off in the A or B grade.
If you are unsure which category to enter please feel free to contact Mark Fuller directly on 07846067505 or email us at info@uk-racketball.com and we will be happy to advise you.
If entries to a category are not sufficient grades may be merged, however all participants will always be informed in advance and they will have a choice if they would still like to play, this has never happened in the last three years.
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
Beginner – This is for players who have recently started racketball. Players who have previously played squash to a high level and have now started playing racketball may be better off in the A or B grade.
If you are unsure which category to enter please feel free to contact Mark Fuller directly on 07846067505 or email us at info@uk-racketball.com and we will be happy to advise you.
If entries to a category are not sufficient grades may be merged, however all participants will always be informed in advance and they will have a choice if they would still like to play, this has never happened in the last three years.
Facilities
- One enclosed court (with a glass door)
- Three glass backed courts with viewing gallery
- Professional Coach for both Adult and Junior Squash Coaching
- Showers and changing rooms
- Bar and social rooms
Location
Wakefield Squash Club (Circled)
Address:
College Grove Sports Ground
Eastmoor Road
Wakefield WF1 3RR
T: 01924 365007
Directions from the M1: From Junction 41, follow signs to the city centre then pick up signs for Wakefield Rugby Club which will take you right to the club.
Website: http://wakefield.xtreemhost.com/
Click here for online entry.
College Grove Sports Ground
Eastmoor Road
Wakefield WF1 3RR
T: 01924 365007
Directions from the M1: From Junction 41, follow signs to the city centre then pick up signs for Wakefield Rugby Club which will take you right to the club.
Website: http://wakefield.xtreemhost.com/
Click here for online entry.
History
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