AF Smith Team Mmmm-Onnn get first win ever!!
Posted by Pat Foster on 19-Nov-2008Categories: News Comments: [comments closed]
Mmmm-Onnnn, tournament sponsor AF Smiths official representative team in this years event have pulled off their first win ever!!
They beat the soapy Squashers in the Division 2 draw in a nail biting match with Nick Hirn and Marcus Flannery pulling off the big wins.
Check out the AF Smith page for the full results
The Sofa King Greats come through….
Posted by Pat Foster on 18-Nov-2008Categories: News Comments: [comments closed]
The AF Smith Corporate Team Championships 2008 is 2 days in…
Check out the full results at Af Smith Team Champs 2008
AF Smith results…
Posted by Pat Foster on 17-Nov-2008Categories: News Comments: [comments closed]
Division 2, first round matches of the AF Smith Corporate Team Championships 2008 are complete.
Click here to go to the AF Smith page and view the results
James Stout - World Racquets Champion…
Posted by Pat Foster on 17-Nov-2008Categories: News Comments: [comments closed]
The full story from Roger Sherratt…
Members of the Stout family have been a permanent fixture at the BSRA for most of the past 30 years, starting with John who has been playing since the late 1970’s, and has contributed countless hours and enormous effort to coaching juniors. It might also be said that he has singlehandedly (with some assistance from his wife Karen) tried to produce a “Stout National Squash Team”! John has represented Bermuda in Rosebowl competition and in Senior CASA, but he would be the first to admit that his achievements have been surpassed by most, if not all, of his four sons who have all been avid squash players.
In addition to numerous club championships and Junior CASA appearances by the Stout boys, Michael has competed in the Junior World Championships in Egypt (1996, and Italy (1998). Andrew played in the Pan Am Junior competition in Guatemala (2006) along with his youngest brother, Chris.
James, the second oldest, has to be ranked as one of the finest ever squash players in both Bermuda and the Caribbean. As a youngster he won Junior CASA in every age group (Under 12, Under 14, Under 17, and Under 19,) and as if to prove a point he won the Under 17 title twice. He was a member of the most successful Bermuda Senior CASA Squad in the club’s history when, in 2003, they (Gary Plumstead, Nick Kyme, Tommy Sherratt, Sam Stevens, and James) comprehensively won the CASA title, winning all 25 of their matches while dropping just 4 games. James turned professional in 2005, training in Belgium along with World Squash Champion, David Palmer, and his greatest claim to fame in the squash world was being selected as Bermuda’s wild card entry in last years’ Endurance World Open Bermuda Squash Championship.
We all thought it couldn’t get much better than that for our gifted young Bermudian athlete - but we were wrong!
James took the position of Rackets and Real Tennis coach at the prestigious New York Tennis and Rackets Club, in September 2006, and this allowed him to resume playing a sport he had been introduced to whilst attending Cheltenham College in the U.K. At the age of 13, James developed a passion for the sport of Rackets, thanks in great part to the tremendous support and encouragement he received from Cheltenham’s Rackets coach, Mark Briars.
Rackets was first played in English Prisons during the 18th century, usually amongst gentleman who had been imprisoned as debtors. There was mention of Rackets at Fleet Prison in a poem written in 1749, and its popularity spread to other prisons and to public houses in London, and then to cities such as Bristol, Bath, Birmingham and Belfast. Charles Dickens mentions the game in Pickwick Papers, but in more recent times it has been played almost exclusively in some 36 courts in the U.K. and in North America. The courts are approximately 1 ½ times the width of, and 2 ½ times the length of a squash court. They are made of slate, and the games is played at a very fast pace with a white ball almost as hard as a golf ball which travels at up to 180 miles an hour.
James took an instant liking to the game, and has literally been unbeaten in competition since the age of 14. He gave it up for several years while playing professional squash in Belgium, but decided to get back into the game when he took up the position of rackets coach at the New York Racquets and Tennis Club.
James decided to take his rackets career seriously, practicing regularly and maintaining the high level of fitness he had developed as a squash pro. He remained unbeaten during the past 2 years, and in January 2008 he surprised the Rackets world by winning the coveted U.S. Open Rackets Championship in New York. One month later James pulled off a second superb victory when he won the British Open Rackets Championship. The then current world champion, Harry Foster of England, who had held the World Rackets Championship since 2005, was also competing but was beaten for the first time in 3 years in the semi-final by a player who James met and defeated in the final.
Challenging for the title of World Rackets Champion is peculiar to the sport because there is no annual World Championship Tournament as there is in squash, or most other sports. There are about 6 major rackets championships held each year, including the British and U.S. Championships, and in order to challenge the world champion, a player has to win at least 2 major tournaments and then apply for permission from both the Tennis and Rackets Association (T&RA) in the U.K., and the North American Racquets Association (NARA) to make a challenge. Armed with his two major wins in 2 months Stout earned the right to a challenge the world champion for his title.
The two players were scheduled to play two legs (matches) - one on James’ home court in New York, followed by the second leg at the Queen’s Club in England. Each leg consisted of the best of seven games, using the English scoring system in which a player can only win a point on his serve. Each game goes to 15 points. The champion would be the player who won the most games in both legs.
This was the first time in decades that two players contesting the World Championship had never previously played each other.
Watched by his parents, John and Karen Stout, James got off to a brilliant start in the first leg in New York, winning it by 4 games to one (15-10, 15-12, 12-15, 15-9, 15-12). This meant that in order to retain his title, Foster had to win the second leg in London by at least 4-1. In front of a packed crowd, including his parents and three brothers, Stout played at his brilliant best, taking the first two games 15-11, 15-6, to give him an unassailable 6-1 overall lead - and the coveted title. He became the youngest World Rackets Champion for 20 years. In accepting the trophy James paid tribute to both his coach at Cheltenham College, Mark Briars, and to Neil Smith, former world rackets champion, who coaches him at the New York Tennis and Rackets Club.
When asked about his victory Stout said, “I was ecstatic to win the world title. Most of the games were close, but I think my fitness made the difference, and at the end it was a comfortable win. I felt pretty confident going in. I’d prepared really well for the matches and playing professional squash certainly helped my fitness.”
When asked about his plans for retaining the title Stout commented, “I’d like to continue playing in all the major Rackets tournaments, and if I can continue to win them there won’t be a challenge for a while. As long as I keep on winning I keep the title.”
Not bad for a young man born in a country where most of us have never even seen a Rackets court!
AF Smith Corporate Team Championships Draws released…
Posted by Pat Foster on 12-Nov-2008Categories: News Comments: [comments closed]
32 Teams… 109 players…. 144 matches scheduled over 6 days… we are ready for the AF Smith Corporate Team Championships 2008.
Visit the tournament homepage to view handicaps, draws & schedule of play.
AF Smith Corporate Team Championships 2008
Bermuda beat New York
Posted by Pat Foster on 10-Nov-2008Categories: News Comments: [comments closed]
Bermuda v New York - Final Standings
*** JAMES STOUT IS WORLD CHAMPION***
Posted by Pat Foster on 09-Nov-2008Categories: News Comments: [comments closed]
James Stout, based in New York, ran away with the Rackets Singles World Championships title on Saturday 8 November at Queen’s with a scoreline of 15-11 and 15-6. In the first game, it took 20 minutes to get past the half way mark, but thereafter his superiority came to the fore, and in the final game of the Single title Harry Foster only got 6 points on the scoreboard. The match was played in front of a packed and excitable gallery, with applause and hollering at almost every point, and the outgoing Champion received a huge ovation at the presentation. The gallery contained many former rackets world champions, including Geoffery Atkins, and we were delighted to have a good sprinkling of North American visitors for the weekend
For the record, the First Leg was won by James Stout 4 games to 1, and the Second Leg was also won by James Stout 2 games to 0, both being best of 7 in each venue. In the Second Leg, Stout only neeed to go 2 games ahead to clinch it
Even start between Bermuda and NY
Posted by Pat Foster on 08-Nov-2008Categories: News Comments: [comments closed]
Bermuda v New York 2008 started off this evening at the BSRA. The only upsets in opening round of matches were Tony Muldoon losing out to Richard Von Hirschberg and New York stand in… David Gibbons (BSRA President!) losing to Bermudian Dave Turner.
So all is even for tomorrows matches beginning at 10am. Come down and support the team!
Bermuda host New York this weekend… Draw Available
Posted by Pat Foster on 05-Nov-2008Categories: News Comments: [comments closed]
The BSRA will be hosting 8 players from New York club, The Printing House in a squash/rugby packed weekend. Play begins on Saturday 8th November at 6pm.
Spectators are welcome. Entrance is free. Please come down and watch some great squash!
Check out the tournament home page Bermuda v New York Challenge 2008
AF Smith Team Tournament Gossip…
Posted by Pat Foster on 31-Oct-2008Categories: News Comments: [comments closed]
The closing date for entries for this years AF Smith Corporate Team Championships is fast approaching on November 9th so get your entries in!
The announcement of the opening of entries last week caused a few rumours to start flying around the club… Dave Elliott may make an appearance back on court… a super strong all womens team is looking to take the title… Mel Caines may be 100% fit and back on court… that Chris Dawson may remember to enter on time and last but not least was some general banter involving Bruce Robinson, Dan Sullivan, Christian Ince and handicaps…
New rumours are also starting to surface regarding whether Kevin Gillespie or Dave Turner will even be able to play after breaking their squash racquets last night (not in the normal course of play!)… whether Tommy Sherratt’s handicap is going to be considerably higher than in last months Rubis tournament!… whether Kim Morbey is actually going to play in this tournament or just spectate from the bar like the last one… whether Nick Kyme is going to make an appearance… whether we will get a team entry from the committee!… which one of the Brewer brothers has confirmed his entry with a new team… whether last years champions the’Worldly Wackers’ are going to defend their title….
Any other rumours you’ve heard of?? send them in to me with your entry form at patrickf@bermudasquash.com