#Rachael Clyne

[innervoiceartblog]

Remember the nameless ones

Who survived the kiss of glacier

The years of lean and those of plenty

Whose genes slipped through pogroms

Who turned right instead of left

Whose soft, quick tongues made jokes of fate

Whose fingers shaped scraps into latkes

Who clung to their traditions, their songlines

Their medicine plants, their kinship

With Grandmother Earth, Grandfather Sky.

Blessed are the vanished ones

Whose habitat became expendable

Whose lives were extinguished by indifference

Whose pelts, horn and other body parts

Were worth more to those

Whose backs, walls and libidos they adorn

Those creeping, flying, swimming, leaping ones

Whose raucous calls, gauzy wings,

Webbed toes and gaudy hues

Will not be heard or seen again.

Give thanks to the myriad scavengers

Who scuttle and hover; who devour matter

Whose unseen industry tidies away death

Who rag-pick life from a mountain of leavings

Whose ingenuity fashions answers from decay

Whose webs and threads spin shrouds

Blessed are the wanderers who leave no trace

Who huddle under flyovers, in rotten wood

Who eat from skips and tips and gutters

Who sup from the kindness of strangers

Who sleep nightly under the infinite.

- Rachael Clyne

Artwork: "Birds are Gathered in God" (date unlisted) by MARYAM LAMEI HARVANI (Iranian, born 1985).

Acrylic on canvas

20 × 24

Maryam Lamei Harvani was born in Sarab, a historical city in Iran. After graduating in Graphic Design, she was awarded the National Art Prize and the art award from the Ministry of Science Research.

Her work is inspired by the Iranian Golo Morgh (Flower and Bird) paintings, a traditional Persian way of painting in which the flower is the beloved and the bird is the lover.”

#remember #life #heart and soul #art and soul #Rachael Clyne #birds are gathered in God #artwork #imagika #MARYAM LAMEI HARVANI

[sleepingpoetry]

One word can hold everything you need to know about the stare of sheep from sodden fields

about the cronk of raven through fog a dog straining its leash the mud-brown coat of its owner

about luminous moss down the middle of a lane the sepia mash of leaf that plasters its edges

about bleached sedge that echoes with toot of coot chitter of wren a dead branch that arches and dips into a ditch

– Rachael Clyne, Dank

#poetry #poet #nature #sounds #rachael clyne #atrium poetry

[mariastadnicka]

Tears in the Fence Festival 10-13 September 2020

Tears in the Fence Festival 10-13 September 2020

The Tears in the Fence Festival this year is on 10-13th September via Zoom video conferencing.

The Festival has a long history back to the 1990s and has always attempted to showcase a range of alternative voices associated with the magazine and workshop group. Each themed event stems from the issues of the day and attempts to continue conversations from the previous Festival. The Festival…

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#Aidan Semmens #Allen Fisher #Andrew Duncan #Cherry Smyth #Gavin Selerie #Geraldine Monk #Hari Marini #Harriet Tarlo #Jasmina Bolfek-Radovani #Jennifer K. Dick #Jessica Mookherjee #Joanna Nissel #John Freeman #L. Kiew #Lost Connections: Light and Darkness #Mandy Haggith #Maria Stadnicka #Molly Vogel #Olivia Tuck #Rachael Clyne #Rethabile Masilo #Rhea Seren Phillips #Sarah Cave #Sascha Akhtar #Simon Collings #Tears in the Fence #Tears in the Fence Festival

[dpdopensquash]

Rachael kept the best for last against Olivia

Rachael Grinham (Aus) 3-2 Olivia Blatchford Clyne (Usa)  11-8, 11-9, 7-11, 8-11, 11-6 (45m)

I will never stop saying it until the day she retires. I cannot BELIEVE the level of squash Rachael, who won everything under the sun, 42, is still playing. The intelligence of the game, the way she reads and anticipates, then makes her opponent run around the court, frustrating her, forcing her to make a few errors here and there, enough to string crucial points at crucial times…

Olivia, 26, fit and running beautifully, lobbing as well as Rachael, and that’s a huge compliment, made very few errors. Like 0 in the first game, then 1 per game, and 2 in the last one… Rachael was about the same, except the 4th where she gave away 7… The American didn’t put a foot wrong I feel. She played superbly, never let go of any cheap point, fought tooth and nail, and I still scratch my head how she lost the match… Funny really, as the Australian was down in each game, and we are talking realllly down, 8/1 kind of down. But came back each time, sometimes enough to win, sometimes not enough to win, but the same pattern every game. Until the last game where she zoomed out 5/0 9/3! And if Liv clawed back saving 2 match balls, Rachael, absolutely sublime of poise in the 5th, closed it down 11/6.

Rachael

I’m just relieved. I need to have a good day every time I play against those girls. Nowadays, I just try to enjoy my squash as much as I can, because the more I’m relaxed, the more I play well. I always try and tell myself not to go for too much, but in the 5th, I told myself that I had to make her work hard for it and win the points instead of me giving them away.

#rachael grinham #olivia blatchford clyne

[whitedeergirl]

The Holy Well

The Holy Well at Alderley Edge, Cheshire.

In place

When you give yourself to a place

it lodges in your bones.

Its mossy woods remember secrets

you poured into its waters,

your struggles through mud,

it gave you visions, songs

to sing to its racing stream,

oak to stand solid against your void,

hazel tips to brush skin,

wren’s beady eye to watch over you

its hearty clack for courage.

One night, years after,

you lie awake and remember.

You long to return to the bending stream

where aconite and orchids grow,

where imagination swift as the current

is caught by stoop of alder

rooted in black loam.

Your heart skips a beat as you walk

over the rise, down the slope where

your grief emptied itself.

The stream now swollen

with winter’s drenching

its banks a mud bath.

This time you stagger through – laughing.

By Rachael Clyne

If you look closely at the at the top photograph, you will see a small green leaf tucked into the mouth of the spring (although it is locally known as the Holy Well, it is in fact a natural spring). This leaf is replaced everyday; a task passed on from one Well guardian to another. This guardianship is a quiet, anonymous, generations-old tradition, which was still in practice when I visited the Well a few months ago. The present guardian was given the task by the old lady, who had looked after the well her whole life, before she passed.

Alderley Edge is a sacred landscape and very much alive, and the Holy Well is its beating heart.

“When you give yourself to a place,

it lodges in your bones.

Its mossy woods remembers secrets..”

More posts on the magic of Alderley Edge here, here and here

#Alderley Edge #folklore #holy well #old gods #poem #poetry #writer #writers of tumblr #writing #witchcraft #weirdstone of brisingamen #sacred landscape

[escopensquash]

Day Three roundup

Scots exit women’s draw as Lobban and Chadwick stun seeds - Lobban takes out Coll in massive men’s upset

Day Three started with men’s round two as the eight seeded players started their campaign against last night’s winners. As with with women’s draw, all eight won through to setup evening quarter-finals as predicted by the seedings.

The women’s quarter-finals started with top seed and former champion Emily Whitlock taking on fifth seeded Australian Donna Lobban - almost a local with husband Greg watching and the crowd definitely in her favour.

Had the seeding been done on highest world ranking, they would have been #1 and#2, and that closeness was borne out as Donna claimed two close first games, finishing both the stronger for 11-8,11-8 and almost pulling back Emily’s early lead in the third which the top seed took 11-9.

The fourth was a humdinger as Donna edged ahead to 10-8, but after saving those match balls, and four more in extended extra points, Emily edged home 18-16 to set up a decider.

Donna moved ahead gain in the fifth, and only needed two more match balls as she delightedly closed out the match 11-8 in 67 minutes.

Both Scots exited the draw as Alexandra Fuller overcame Alison Thomson in straight games 11-6, 11-5,11-8 in 28 minutes. Then, in an uncanny repeat of the top match, Rachael Chadwick went two up against third seed Lisa Aitken, who battled back to take the third and save two match balls in the fourth before finally falling 13-11, 12-10, 6-11, 11-13, 11-8 in just over the hour.

"I’ve never got close to Lisa,” said Rachael.  “She’s battered me every time before so I went in without any pressure. I had to pick the time to play on her forehand, she’s lethal there. I was pleased to sneak the first two, felt I should have won the fourth, and she was really up for the fifth, I was glad to win that one. This seems like a lucky tournament for me, I’ve had some good results here.”

In the final women’s quarter second seed Julianne Courtice let 10-6 leads slip in both the first two games against Satomi Watanabe, but took them both 12-10 before the former champion closed out the third 11-8in 31 minutes.

The men’s quarters started with a sensational upset - home favourite and 2018 Champion Greg Lobban, this time a 5/8 seed, ousting second seed and defending champion Paul Coll in straight games!   Greg maintained leads through the first two games then recovered from 2-6 down to closeout the match 11-8, 11-7, 11-8 in 45 minutes.

Five time champion Daryl Selby wasted no time in despatching Welshman Peter Creed 11-8, 11-6, 11-7 in 23 minutes to set up a semi-final against Lobban, a repeat of the 2018 final.

Wales’ Joel Makin added to the home nations’ interest in the semi-finals as he overcame determined resistance from Alan Clyne, taking the match 11-3, 5-11, 11-7, 11-5 in 49 minutes.

Last up it was top seed Karim Abdel Gawad against Declan James in a rematch of their thrilling encounter in the World Teamsin Washington. James took the first and had gameball for a two-love lead, but Gawad levelled in extra points. Long story short - it’s late, after all - Gawad prevailed in five,like he does, controlling the decider to win 9-11, 13-11, 11-8, 8-11, 11-4 in 80 minutes.

The Graded events continue tomorrow (yours truly is on at 9am) with the semi-finals starting at 17.00.

Women's Quarter-Finals [5] Donna Lobban (Aus) 3-2 [1] Emily Whitlock (Eng)  11-8, 11-8, 9-11, 16-18, 11-8(67m) [4] Alexandra Fuller (Rsa) 3-0 [8] Alison Thomson (Sco)   11-6, 11-5,11-8 (28m) [6] Rachael Chadwick (Eng) 3-2 [3] Lisa Aitken (Sco)  13-11, 12-10, 6-11, 11-13,11-8 (62m) [2] Julianne Courtice (Eng) 3-0 [7] Satomi Watanabe (Jpn)    12-10, 12-10, 11-8 (31m)

Men’s Quarter-Finals [5/8] Greg Lobban (Sco) 3-0 [2] Paul Coll (Nzl) 11-8, 11-7, 11-8 (45m) [3/4] Daryl Selby (Eng) 3-0 [5/8] Peter Creed (Wal)   11-8, 11-6, 11-7 (23m) [3/4] Joel Makin (Wal) 3-1 [5/8] Alan Clyne (Sco)   11-3, 5-11, 11-7, 11-5 (49m) [1] Karim Abdel Gawad (Egy) 3-2 [5/8] Declan James (Eng)   9-11, 13-11, 11-8, 8-11, 11-4 (80m)

#2020 #today #featured

[usopensquash]

Day TWO at Drexel

The 2019 FS Investments U.S. Open continues today in Philadelphia with 32 round tw matches, at Drexel University and the Racquet Club of Philadelphia.

DRAWS & RESULTS  |  TWITTER FEED  |  PHOTO GALLERIES |  LIVE SCORES  

Day TWO Results

12.00 GC  [1] Raneem El Welily (Egy) 3-0 Nadine Shahin (Egy)11-5, 11-4, 11-5 (23m) DR  [3] Nouran Gohar (Egy) 3-1 Nele Gilis (Bel)11-1, 5-11, 11-2, 11-9 (45m) RE  [15] Yathreb Adel (Egy) 3-2 Julianne Courtice (Eng)11-3, 11-9, 6-11, 4-11, 11-5 (47m) RF   [13] Salma Hany (Egy) 3-0 Low Wee Wern (Mas) 11-5, 11-7, 11-2 (25m) 12.45 GC  [4] Karim Abdel Gawad (Egy) 3-0 Mostafa Asal (Egy)11-7, 11-9, 15-13 (49m) DR  [7] Diego Elias (Per) 3-1 George Parker (Eng) 11-6, 9-11, 11-4, 11-4 (47m) RE  Joel Makin (Wal) 3-1 Iker Pajares (Esp)11-7, 11-7, 8-11, 11-2 (55m) RF  Gregoire Marche (Fra) 3-1 Cesar Salazar (Mex)8-11, 13-11, 11-5, 10-6 rtd (61m) 13.45 GC  [5] Joelle King (Nzl) 3-1 Olivia Blatchford Clyne (Usa)12-10, 11-7, 5-11, 11-5 (43m) DR  [9] Annie Au (Hkg) 3-1 Rachael Grinham (Aus)11-6, 11-6, 9-11, 11-4 (39m) RE  Sivasangari Subramaniam (Mas) 3-1 [10] Alison Waters (Eng) 11-5, 4-11, 11-7, 11-9 (41m) RF  [6] Sarah-Jane Perry (Eng) 3-0 Hollie Naughton (Can)11-7, 11-6, 11-8 (29m) 14.30 GC  [3] Tarek Momen (Egy) 3-2 Abdulla Al Tamimi (Qat)7-11, 11-7, 11-9, 5-11, 11-6 (65m) DR  [8] Miguel Rodriguez (Col) 3-1 Cameron Pilley (Aus)11-9, 5-11, 11-1, 11-7 (49m) RE  Mazen Hesham (Egy) 3-2 Omar Mosaad (Egy) 9-11, 6-11, 11-6, 11-3, 11-4 (61m) RF  Raphael Kandra (Ger) 3-1 Fares Dessouky (Egy) 9-11, 12-10, 11-5, 11-7 (59m) 16.00 GC  [2] Camille Serme (Fra) 3-0 [wc] Sabrina Sobhy (Usa)11-5, 11-7, 11-4 (26m) DR  [4] Nour El Tayeb (Egy) 3-0 Tinne Gilis (Bel) 11-6, 11-1, 11-1 (19m) RE   Rowan Elaraby (Egy) 3-0 [11] Victoria Lust (Eng) 11-6, 11-3, 11-5 (26m) RF  [14] Hania El Hammamy (Egy) 3-2 Nada Abbas (Egy)12-10, 9-11, 10-12, 11-9, 11-4 (70m) 16.45 GC  [2] Mohamed ElShorbagy (Egy) 3-1 Borja Golan (Esp)11-8, 5-11, 11-7, 11-9 (68m) DR  [5] Simon Rosner (Ger) 3-1 Nicolas Mueller (Sui)11-3, 12-10, 5-11, 11-7 (49m) RE  Zahed Salem (Egy) 3-1 Marwan ElShorbagy (Egy) 9-11, 12-10, 13-11, 11-5 (51m) RF  Campbell Grayson (Nzl) 3-0 [wc] Andrew Douglas (Usa)11-7, 11-4, 11-7 (45m) 17.45 GC  [7] Amanda Sobhy (Usa) 3-1 Olivia Fiechter (Usa)11-4, 8-11, 11-8, 11-7 (34m) DR  [8] Tesni Evans (Wal) 3-0 Melissa Alves (Fra)11-1, 17-15, 11-9 (40m) RE  [16] Joey Chan (Hkg) 3-0 Lee Ka Yi (Hkg)11-6, 11-8, 11-6 (25m) RF  [12] Joshna Chinappa (Ind) 3-2 Donna Lobban (Aus)7-11, 11-3, 11-6, 10-12, 11-9 (50m) 18.30 GC  [1] Ali Farag (Egy) 3-0 Daryl Selby (Eng)11-4, 11-6, 11-6 (38m) DR  [6] Paul Coll (Nzl) 3-0 Saurav Ghosal (Ind)13-11, 11-6, 11-3 (53m) RE  Adrian Waller (Eng) 3-1 Declan James (Eng) 11-2, 8-11, 13-11, 11-8 (59m) RF  Ryan Cuskelly (Aus) 3-1 Mathieu Castagnet (Fra) 12-10, 9-11, 11-9, 11-7 (70m)

#today #2019 #double_size #day two

[egyptiansquash]

PSA World Champs Released

The draws for the 2018/19 PSA World Champs have been announced today, and will take place between February 23 - March 2.

128 of the world’s greatest male and female squash players will descend on Chicago for the most prestigious title in squash as they battle for a record prize purse of $1 million, which is the highest in the sport’s history.

Defending men’s champion and current World No.1 Mohamed ElShorbagy has been drawn against England’s Joshua Masters in round one and is featured on the same side of the draw as three-time winner Ramy Ashour.

ElShorbagy and Ashour contested both the 2012 and 2014 finals - both of which are regarded as two of the greatest squash matches of all time - and could potentially meet in the semi-finals.

Ashour - who is yet to play this season due to a knee injury - will play Australia’s Ryan Cuskelly in round one. The Egyptian is unseeded for the first time since the 2006 World Champs.

World No.2 Ali Farag is seeded on the opposite side of the draw and he will take on England’s Daryl Selby in round one. Farag has the likes of Peru’s Diego Elias and New Zealand’s Paul Coll in his path to the final, while he is predicted to play World No.3 Simon Rösner in the semi-finals. The Ladies

Reigning women’s World Champion and world number 1 Raneem El Welily begins her tournament against South Africa’s Alexandra Fuller as she bids to continue her strong start to the season, which has seen her take two PSA titles so far.

The 30-year-old was thwarted in the final of this tournament in 2014 and 2016, but finally got her hands on the trophy in December 2017 courtesy of a 3-1 victory against two-time winner Nour El Sherbini in Manchester. They are seeded to do battle in the title decider once again.

El Welily is predicted to meet World No.3 Nour El Tayeb in the semi-finals, but El Tayeb must come through a difficult draw which contains 2013 World Champion Laura Massaro if she is to play to her seeding.

Meanwhile, El Sherbini begins her tournament against Satomi Watanabe of Japan and is predicted to play United States No.1 Amanda Sobhy in a mouthwatering third round fixture.

In addition to prize winnings totalling over $72,000, the winner of the World Championships will also qualify for the season-ending PSA World Tour Finals, which pits together the reigning World Champions and all seven PSA World Tour Platinum winners.

The 2018/19 PSA World Championships will take place at Chicago’s Union Station, while matches from rounds one and two will also be held at MetroSquash and the University Club of Chicago.

2018/19 PSA World Champs Men’s Draw

[1] Mohamed ElShorbagy (EGY) v Joshua Masters (ENG) Cesar Salazar (MEX) v Arturo Salazar (MEX) Campbell Grayson (NZL) v Nathan Lake (ENG) Leo Au (HKG) v [15] Raphael Kandra (GER) [16] James Willstrop (ENG) v Ivan Yuen (MAS) Tayyab Aslam (PAK) v Victor Crouin (FRA) Alan Clyne (SCO) v Daniel Mekbib (CZE) [Pre-Qualifier] v [6] Miguel Rodriguez (COL) [8] Marwan ElShorbagy (EGY) v Mathieu Castagnet (FRA) Grégoire Marche (FRA) v Greg Lobban (SCO) Youssef Ibrahim (EGY) v Nicolas Mueller (SUI) Ramy Ashour (EGY) v [14] Ryan Cuskelly (AUS) [9] Mohamed Abouelghar (EGY) v Declan James (ENG)

Shahjahan Khan (PAK) v Chris Simpson (ENG) Tom Richards (ENG) v George Parker (ENG) Todd Harrity (USA) v [4] Tarek Momen (EGY) [3] Simon Rösner (GER) v Omar Mosaad (EGY) Vikram Malhotra (IND) v Richie Fallows (ENG) Borja Golan (ESP) v Rex Hedrick (AUS) Ben Coleman (ENG) v [12] Max Lee (HKG) [11] Saurav Ghosal (IND) v Dimitri Steinmann (SUI) Karim El Hammamy (EGY) v Lucas Serme (FRA) Joel Makin (WAL) v Tsz Fung Yip (HKG) Youssef Soliman (EGY) v [5] Karim Abdel Gawad (EGY) [7] Paul Coll (NZL) v Karim Ali Fathi (EGY) Christopher Binnie (JAM) v Cameron Pilley (AUS) Mohamed Reda (EGY) v Nafiizwan Adnan (MAS) Eain Yow Ng (MAS) v [13] Fares Dessouky (EGY) [10] Diego Elias (PER) v Adrian Waller (ENG) Zahed Salem (EGY) v Mazen Hesham (EGY) Abdulla Mohd Al Tamimi (QAT) v Mostafa Asal (EGY) Daryl Selby (ENG) v [2] Ali Farag (EGY)

2018/19 PSA World Champs Women’s Draw

[1] Raneem El Welily (EGY) v Alexandra Fuller (RSA) Lee Ka Yi (HKG) v [17] Hania El Hammamy (EGY) [26] Nadine Shahin (EGY) v Low Wee Wern (MAS) Tinne Gilis (BEL) v [9] Alison Waters (ENG) [15] Victoria Lust (ENG) v Danielle Letourneau (CAN) Anna Serme (CZE) v [21] Emily Whitlock (ENG) [25] Fiona Moverley (ENG) v Lucy Turmel (ENG) Menna Hamed (EGY) v [8] Nouran Gohar (EGY) [7] Laura Massaro (ENG) v Amanda Landers-Murphy (NZL) Coline Aumard (FRA) v [28] Nele Gilis (BEL) [30] Rowan Elaraby (EGY) v Nicole Bunyan (CAN) Nikki Todd (CAN) v [12] Annie Au (HKG)

[16] Salma Hany (EGY) v Tsz-Wing Tong (HKG) Melissa Alves (FRA) v [29] Samantha Cornett (CAN) [31] Zeina Mickawy (EGY) v Haley Mendez (USA) Rachel Arnold (MAS) v [3] Nour El Tayeb (EGY) [4] Joelle King (NZL) v Heba El Torky (EGY) Ho Tze-Lok (HKG) v [23] Mayar Hany (EGY) [18] Joey Chan (HKG) v Sarah Cardwell (AUS) Ineta Mackevica (LAT) v [14] Joshna Chinappa (IND) [13] Nicol David (MAS) v [Pre-Qualifier] Olivia Fiechter (USA) v [24] Millie Tomlinson (ENG) [27] Rachael Grinham (AUS) v Lisa Aitken (SCO) Jenny Duncalf (ENG) v [5] Camille Serme (FRA) [6] Sarah-Jane Perry (ENG) v Vanessa Chu (HKG) Enora Villard (FRA) v [20] Yathreb Adel (EGY) [32] Nada Abbas (EGY) v Liu Tsz-Ling (HKG) Milou van der Heijden (NED) v [10] Tesni Evans (WAL) [11] Amanda Sobhy (USA) v Julianne Courtice (ENG) Hollie Naughton (CAN) v [19] Olivia Blatchford Clyne (USA) [22] Mariam Metwally (EGY) v Christine Nunn (AUS) Satomi Watanabe (JPN) v [2] Nour El Sherbini (EGY)

#World Champs #Chicago

[limejuicer1862]

Wombwell Rainbow Interviews: Rachael Clyne

Wombwell Rainbow Interviews

I am honoured and privileged that the following writers local, national and international have agreed to be interviewed by me. I gave the writers two options: an emailed list of questions or a more fluid interview via messenger. The usual ground is covered about motivation, daily routines and work ethic, but some surprises too. Some of these poets you may know, others…

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[squashsiteblog]

San Francisco Round One

Mixed Fortunes for American hopes as NetSuite Open gets underway

There were mixed fortunes for America’s two top women Amanda Sobhy and Olivia Blatchford in the first round got underway in San Francisco.

Sobhy, the highest ranked American-born female player of all-time, was in scintillating form as she romped to a straight-games victory over Australia’s former World No.1 Rachael Grinham.

The 25-year-old, who missed most of the 2017-18 season after rupturing her achilles tendon, played with aggression from the outset and utilised her full attacking arsenal to secure an 11-5, 11-4, 11-4 win after just 22 minutes of play.

“I’ve worked really hard this summer and had a good training block to work on the issues that developed after the injury and on any imbalances in my movement,” said Sobhy, who will now face number three seed Camille Serme of France in the second round.

“Rachael in incredibly tricky to play and hits some incredible shots, so I’m just happy to get a decent performance in and get that first win. I’ve played a few team events in the last month but its a completely different vibe at a major event so I’m happy to get that first one out of the way.

“I’m exited to play Camille tomorrow. I’m the underdog now and have no pressure on me but I want to go out there and prove that I belong on this stage. I want to get my ranking back to where it was before the injury and I’ll have the home crowd, and some friends, behind me so there’s even more incentive to win.”

Blatchford, who, following injury to Sobhy, has overtaken her as the US No.1, however fell to a 3-1 defeat to Frenchwoman Coline Aumard on a day that also saw Milou van der Heijden, Donna Lobban, Fiona Moverley, Salma Hany, Hollie Naughton and Nadine Shahin - the last two with upset wins over Yathreb Adel and Dipika Karthik - book their places in the second round.

In the men’s event the opening round featured a compelling all-French battle between Mathieu Castagnet and Lucas Serme which went the way of Castagnet after 63-minutes of compelling, attritional squash.

The opening game alone lasted 20 minutes as the pair probed for openings before the more experienced Castagnet struck the first blow as he sneaked the opening game. The 31-year-old then doubled his lead courtesy of an equally tight second game and while Serme struck back to take a comfortable third, Castagnet regrouped to take control in the fourth game and complete the win.

“I’ve had a lot of injuries over the past few years so I’m just enjoying being on court and I’m trying to have fun out there as much as possible,” said Castagnet.

“We are friends but we both train very hard every day to win matches so we have to go on there and do a job. It’s a nightmare to play someone you know very well, but I’m just happy to have won and be in the next round, which I’m excited about.”

Egyptian Karim Ali Fathi prevailed in arguably the match of the day as he outlasted Mexican Cesar Salazar in a 68-minute five-game thriller, coming back from 6-3 down in the decisive fifth to clinch a second round berth where he will take on Germany’s Simon Rösner.

“I lost in my first tournament of the season in Pakistan before I came here so I was a bit nervous at the beginning,” said Fathi.

“I was trying to give it everything I’ve got. I was chasing everything and that got to his head, and I think that’s how I won. Sometimes you just have to throw tactics out the window and fight for everything. We were both tired and breathing hard at the end but I guess it went my way this time.”

England’s former World No.1 James Willstrop was amongst the other winners on the opening day as he beat Scoland’s Alan Clyne 3-0 with fellow 9/16 seeds Abdulla Al Tamimi, Saurav Ghosal, Ryan Cuskelly, Gregoire Marche and Mazen Hesham also triumphing.

DRAWS & RESULTS

#psa #sanfran

[squashsiteresults]

22-Feb: Windy City Qualy Finals

[7] Lucas Serme (Fra) 3-0 Farhan Zaman (Pak)    11/8, 11/2, 11/9 (33m) [3] Leo Au (Hkg) 3-0 Raphael Kandra (Ger)   11/3 rtd (7m) [8] Campbell Grayson (Nzl) 3-1 Todd Harrity (Usa)   11/9, 10/12, 11/5, 11/5 (56m) Olli Tuominen (Fin) 3-2 [2] Nafiizwan Adnan (Mas) 11/3, 12/14, 11/6, 7/11, 11/8 (71m) [4] Nicolas Mueller (Sui) 3-1 Arturo Salazar (Mex)  8/11, 12/10, 11/7, 11/7 (52m) Joe Lee (Eng) 3-0 Alister Walker (Bot)  12/10, 11/3, 11/8 (43m) [5] Alan Clyne (Sco) 3-0 Ben Coleman (Eng)    11/2, 11/2, 11/4 (33m) Karim Ali Fathi (Egy) 3-2 [1] Gregoire Marche (Fra)  9/11, 5/11, 11/6, 11/2, 11/3 (61m)

[8] Mayar Hany (Egy) 3-2 Kanzy El Dafrawy (Egy)    6/11, 11/5, 9/11, 11/5, 11/3 (49m) [7] Samantha Teran (Mex) 3-2 Milou vd Heijden (Ned)  11/7, 8/11, 11/13, 11/8, 11/7 (61m) Hania El Hammamy (Egy) 3-0 [6] Millie Tomlinson (Eng)   11/7, 11/7, 11/7 (34m) Sam Cornett (Can) 3-1 [2] Coline Aumard (Fra)    4/11, 11/8, 12/10, 11/6 (48m) [5] Fiona Moverley (Eng) 3-2 Hollie Naughton (Can)  11/3, 11/7, 7/11, 12/14, 11/7 (49m) Nele Gilis (Bel) 3-2 [4] Rachael Grinham (Aus)   7/11, 8/11, 11/7, 11/5, 11/5 (71m) [3] Nadine Shahin (Egy) 3-0 Tong Tsz-Wing (Hkg)  11/6, 11/8, 12/10 (34m) [1] Salma Hany Ibrahim (Egy) 3-0 Misaki Kobayashi (Jpn)  11/9, 11/7, 11/2 (24m)

#windy city

[nutshellsandnuggets]

Rachael Clyne - One Poem

Dear Adolf Know that I am here and you are not. Despite your satanic efforts your industrial solutions from Mittel-European to the Middle East they say every solution creates another problem. And we have you to thank for that. Rachael Clyne appears in several anthologies and magazines, her latest collection: Singing at the Bone Tree, (Indigo Dreams, 2014). www.rachaelclyne.com

#Poetry #Rachael Clyne

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Day THREE

It could be a long day at ESC, with Men’s Round Two tarting at noon, followed by the Women’s and Men’s quarter-finals from 15.30, all eight matches on court five - and the Graded events start this evening too ...

We’ll be streaming Court Five (in three batches), you can follow progress on the Live Draws and  Twitter Feed, and we’ll round it up at the end ...

Women's Quarter-Finals  [5] Donna Lobban (Aus) 3-2 [1] Emily Whitlock (Eng)  11-8, 11-8, 9-11, 16-18, 11-8(67m)  [4] Alexandra Fuller (Rsa) 3-0 [8] Alison Thomson (Sco)   11-6, 11-5,11-8 (28m) [6] Rachael Chadwick (Eng) 3-2 [3] Lisa Aitken (Sco)  13-11, 12-10, 6-11, 11-13,11-8 (62m)  [2] Julianne Courtice (Eng) 3-0 [7] Satomi Watanabe (Jpn)    12-10, 12-10, 11-8 (31m) Men’s Quarter-Finals  [5/8] Greg Lobban (Sco) 3-0 [2] Paul Coll (Nzl) 11-8, 11-7, 11-8 (45m) [3/4] Daryl Selby (Eng) 3-0 [5/8] Peter Creed (Wal)   11-8, 11-6, 11-7 (23m) [3/4] Joel Makin (Wal) 3-1 [5/8] Alan Clyne (Sco)   11-3, 5-11, 11-7, 11-5 (49m) [1] Karim Abdel Gawad (Egy) 3-2 [5/8] Declan James (Eng)   9-11, 13-11, 11-8, 8-11,11-4 (80m) Men’s Round Two  [2] Paul Coll (Nzl) 3-0 Fergus Richards (Sco)11-4, 11-5, 11-6 (30m)  [5/8] Greg Lobban (Sco) 3-0 Sean Conroy (Irl)11-6, 11-6, 11-5 (32m)  [3/4] Daryl Selby (Eng) 3-0 Dougie Kempsell (Sco)    11-5, 12-10,11-7 (35m) [5/8] Peter Creed (Wal) 3-1 Robert Downer (Eng)    11-3, 11-4, 7-11, 12-10 (44m)  [5/8] Alan Clyne (Sco) 3-0 Rory Stewart (Sco)   11-7, 11-4, 11-8 (40m)  [3/4] Joel Makin (Wal) 3-1 Jamie Henderson (Sco)   12-10, 11-4, 11-7 (28m) [1] Karim Abdel Gawad (Egy) 3-1 Abhay Singh (Ind)  11-6, 8-11, 11-6, 11-7 (38m) [5/8] Declan James (Eng) 3-1 Miles Jenkins (Eng)   11-9, 11-8, 6-11, 11-9 (46m)

FULL DRAWS | TWITTER FEED | PHOTO GALLERY | STREAM & REPLAYS

#2020 #today #featured

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Day One Roundup

Quartet of Americans claim wins on opening day

The opening day of the 2019 FS Investments U.S. Open Squash Championships saw an American quartet - Andrew Douglas, Olivia Blatchford Clyne, Sabrina Sobhy and Olivia Fiechter - claim victories to move into round two of the PSA Platinum tournament taking place in Philadelphia.

Today’s matches were split between the glass court inside Drexel University’s Daskalakis Athletic Center, the traditional ‘side court’ located at the same university and also the Racquet Club of Philadelphia - and it was at the glass court that Brooklyn-based wildcard Andrew Douglas claimed his biggest win on the PSA Tour as he scalped Frenchman Lucas Serme.

Douglas, ranked at World No.119, had never made it past the first round of a Platinum event before but the University of Pennsylvania junior played with poise and control to defeat the World No.36 by an 11-6, 11-9, 7-11, 11-5 scoreline after 75 minutes, and he will face New Zealand’s Campbell Grayson for a place in the third round.

"I didn’t expect to be here, but it’s an amazing feeling,” said 21-year-old Douglas afterwards.

“I have to thank everybody that has come to cheer me on. It means a lot for them to come out and support me and undoubtedly I wouldn’t have been able to do it without them.

“I think he was probably a bit nervous, so I wanted to put pressure on him and I wanted to really enjoy the last game without thinking too much about the score and that’s what ended up helping me win the match and maybe helping him feel a bit on edge. I just tried to enjoy every minute on this court and I played well.”

Grayson, meanwhile, got the better of Egypt’s Youssef Soliman at the Racquet Club of Philadelphia in what was the longest match of the day at 107 minutes, while England’s George Parker came through a four-game battle with fellow Englishman Tom Richards at the university to complete what he regards as the biggest win of his career to date.

The World No.40 from Leicester produced a focused performance to get the better of Richards, winning 11-3, 9-11, 11-3, 15-13, despite Richards having three game ball opportunities in the fourth.

"Some people might not understand it, but confidence-wise that’s the biggest win of my career so far," Parker said.

"When it was 10-10, I felt a bit sick deep down in my stomach because I lost so many 3-2s last year to people like [Daryl] Selby, against [Adrian] Waller I was 10-9 up in the fifth and had match balls, so I had that in my mind when I was playing. I was probably a bit aggressive with him and it got a bit heated, but when you’re fighting at the bottom for scraps at No.40 in the world like me, it means everything."

Connecticut-based Spencer Lovejoy was the other US player in action in the men’s draw, and he went down in straight games to Egypt’s Mazen Hesham.

In the women’s draw, wildcard Sabrina Sobhy marked her return to the U.S. Open for the first time since 2016 with a 3-1 victory over Egypt’s Mayar Hany to reach round two in Philadelphia for the first time.

The first two games were nip and tuck as Sobhy edged the opener 13-11, before Hany came back to take the second 11-8. Sobhy, playing in front of home support, steadied her nerves in the third to restore her lead, and she was in complete control in the fourth as she attacked with vigour to earn a round two spot against No.2 seed Camille Serme.

“I was happy with my performance today, the first match of any tournament is always a little nerve-wracking,” Sobhy said.

“Especially with it being in the US, I have family and so many friends that have come out to watch me, so I didn’t want to underperform and lose in 20 minutes after they’ve come out here all the way. I found my game, felt comfortable and enjoyed it out there. I’m looking forward to it [playing on the glass court] a lot. I haven’t really processed it a lot yet. Any tournament on the glass court is a fantastic experience and I’m really looking forward to it.”

US No.2 Olivia Blatchford Clyne was also in action as she came up against England’s Lucy Turmel, with the match going the way of the American by an 11-6, 5-11, 11-9, 11-7 scoreline.

She will now take on New Zealand’s No.5 seed Joelle King for a place in round three.

“It feels fantastic, it definitely wasn’t an easy day at the office,” said Blatchford Clyne afterwards.

“Lucy is a fantastic young player and these young ones come and nip at your heels. I’m used to being the young one and trying to nip at other people’s heels! It’s a new experience with someone trying to hunt you, but I’m very happy to be through today."

World No.40 Olivia Fiechter was the other US player to win on the opening day of action as she dispatched England’s Emily Whitlock in four games and she will clash with the country’s No.1 player, Amanda Sobhy, in the next round.

Haley Mendez came close to making it five Americans in the last 32, but she narrowly went down 3-2 to Australia’s former World Champion Rachael Grinham, despite fighting back from five match balls down in the decider.

#today #2019 #day one #roundup #double_size

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Day ONE at Drexel

The 2019 FS Investments U.S. Open kicks off today in Philadelphia with 32 round one matches, at Drexel University and the Racquet Club of Philadelphia.

DRAWS & RESULTS  |  TWITTER FEED  |  PHOTO GALLERIES |  LIVE SCORES  

Day ONE Results

12.00 GC   Nadine Shahin (Egy) 3-0 [wc] Laila Sedky (Usa)  11-2, 11-6, 11-6 (21m) DR   Nele Gilis (Bel) 3-0 Tsz-Wing Tong (Hkg) 11-5, 11-7, 11-6 (36m) RE   Julianne Courtice (Eng) 3-0 Danielle Letourneau (Can)11-3, 11-9, 12-10 (31m) RF   Low Wee Wern (Mas) 3-2 Mariam Metwally (Egy) 11-8, 9-11, 11-8, 7-11, 14-12 (59m) 12.45 GC   Mostafa Asal (Egy) 3-0 Ramit Tandon (Ind)11-5, 11-3, 11-9 (42m) DR   George Parker (Eng) 3-1 Tom Richards (Eng)11-3, 9-11, 11-3, 15-13 (60m) RE   Iker Pajares (Esp) 3-1 Tsz Fung Yip (Hkg)13-11, 6-11, 11-8, 12-10 (58m) RF   Cesar Salazar (Mex) 3-1 Alan Clyne (Sco)11-9, 11-8, 7-11, 11-8 (48m) 13.45 GC   Rachael Grinham (Aus) 3-2 Haley Mendez (Usa) 6-11, 11-7, 4-11, 11-4, 13-11 (46m) DR   Tinne Gilis (Bel) 3-0 Lisa Aitken (Sco)11-5, 11-8, 11-7 (31m) RE   Sivasangari Subramaniam (Mas) 3-2 Coline Aumard (Fra)9-11, 11-3, 11-6, 7-11, 11-9 (55m) RF   Hollie Naughton (Can) 3-0 Alexandra Fuller (Rsa)11-5, 11-7, 11-7 (29m) 14.30 GC   Mazen Hesham (Egy) 3-0 [wc] Spencer Lovejoy (Usa)11-4, 11-3, 11-9 (27m) DR   Cameron Pilley (Aus) 3-1 Greg Lobban (Sco) 11-7, 11-9, 7-11, 11-6 (56m) RE   Abdulla Al Tamimi (Qat) 3-0 Leo Au (Hkg)12-10, 11-7, 11-3 (39m) RF   Raphael Kandra (Ger) 3-2 Tayyab Aslam (Pak) 8-11, 11-3, 6-11, 11-7, 11-3 (47m) 16.00 GC   Olivia Fiechter (Usa)  3-1 Emily Whitlock (Eng)11-9, 4-11, 11-4, 11-3 (37m) DR    [wc] Sabrina Sobhy (Usa) 3-1 Mayar Hany (Egy)13-11, 8-11, 11-9, 11-3 (48m) RE   Rowan Elaraby (Egy) 3-0 Ho Tze-Lok (Hkg)11-5, 11-8, 11-8 (30m) RF   Nada Abbas (Egy) 3-2 Zeina Mickawy (Egy)5-11, 11-7, 11-9, 5-11, 11-6 (61m) 16.45 GC   [wc] Andrew Douglas (Usa)  3-1 Lucas Serme (Fra) 11-6, 11-9, 7-11, 11-5 (73m) DR   Nicolas Mueller (Sui) 3-1 Richie Fallows (Eng)11-4, 11-13, 13-11, 11-4 (50m) RE   Borja Golan (Esp) 3-0 Arturo Salazar (Mex)11-7, 11-5, 11-7 (35m) RF   Campbell Grayson (Nzl) 3-2 Youssef Soliman (Egy) 11-5, 13-15, 11-7, 6-11, 12-10 (107m) 17.45 GC   Olivia Blatchford Clyne (Usa) 3-1 Lucy Turmel (Eng) 11-6, 5-11, 11-9, 11-7 (45m) DR   Melissa Alves (Fra) 3-1 Milou van der Heijden (Ned) 12-10, 11-5, 9-11, 11-7 (42m) RE   Lee Ka Yi (Hkg) 3-0 Millie Tomlinson (Eng) 11-7, 11-2, 11-4 (26m) RF   Donna Lobban (Aus) 3-0 Liu Tsz-Ling (Hkg)11-4, 11-2, 11-5 (19m) 18.30 GC  Ryan Cuskelly (Aus) 3-0 Vikram Malhotra (Ind)11-7, 11-7, 11-7 (31m) DR   Daryl Selby (Eng) 3-1 Karim Ali Fathi (Egy) 9-11, 11-7, 11-7, 11-6 (56m) RE   Adrian Waller (Eng) 3-1 Karim El Hammamy (Egy)8-11, 12-10, 11-2, 11-5 (54m) RF  Mathieu Castagnet (Fra) 3-0 Youssef Ibrahim (Egy)11-9, 11-9, 11-7 (48m)

#2019 #double_size #today #day one #sticky

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Women’s Semis: Top seeds storm into Final

The PSA Challenger 20 women's final will be contested by the top seeds after impressive semi-final wins by Olivia Blatchford Clyne and Hania El Hammamy at Edinburgh Sports Club on Saturday evening.

[1] Olivia Blatchford Clyne (Usa) 3-0 Rachael Chadwick (Eng)  11-3, 11-8, 11-9 (31m) [2] Hania El Hammamy (Egy) 3-0 [4] Alexandra Fuller (Rsa)  11-4, 11-4, 11-4 (25m)

Blatchford Clyne was up against England's unseeded Rachael Chadwick, who had produced the only two seeding upsets in the draw to reach this stage. Her run was ended though as the American #2 raced to a three-nil win in just over half an hour.

From 3-all in the first Olivia didn't concede another point, and established good leads in each of the next two. In both Rachael closed the gap but couldn't quite get on terms as Olivia closed out the match.

"Rachael appeared out of nowhere for the world juniors in Chennai 09 and you could see she was a bit different, and very effective," said Olivia. "She's had some good results so I knew I had to be onto it from the start, I'm just pleased to win and especially pleased to make my first final since Colombia two years ago.

"Recently I've only played the bigger tournaments and I've had a run of only getting one game, so it's also good to know that I'll be having four matches in a row here!"

Second seeded Hammamy, the newly re-crowned British Junior Open U19 Champion, was in devastating form against Alexandra Fuller, the South African falling behind early in each of the three games and never able to catch up as Hania piled on the pressure and kept the flow of winners rolling.

"I played Alex three years ago and it was tough, so I knew I had to be sharp from the beginning," said Hania. "I'm pleased with how i played, I had a game plan and I'm glad I was able to stick to it and not lose focus.

"Olivia and I have played three times and it's 2-1 to me, so it should be a good final tomorrow."

DRAWS & RESULTS | TWITTER FEED | PHOTO GALLERIES

#today #semis #womens #featured #2019