YEARS FIRST UAE NATIONAL JUNIOR SQUASH CHAMPIONSHIP CONCLUDES
The first Dunlop and Sri Lankan Airlines backed UAE National Junior Squash Championship of the year 2008 which was being held at the Lifestyle Health Club, City Center Hotel and Residence got over with ten finals being played on the last day of the week long event.
The top ranked players of almost every age group managed to take their respective titles with Egyptian girl Cherifa abou Alghar being the only player to take home two titles. The young 8 year old got past Jaida Hammam and Diya Chopra to take the Girl s Under 11 and Under 13 titles respectively.
In the Girl s Under 9 event Jaida Hammam managed to secure the first position with Vaishvi Seth taking the second spot. Jaida also finished second in the Girl s Under 11 event ahead of Malak Elgohany who finished third.
In the Boy s Under 9 event which featured the youngest competitor of the event, 3 years old Adham Hammam, (Jaida Hamam s younger brother), Abu Dhabi s Egyptian brothers, Zeyad Hassanien and Hussein Hassanien took the first and second spot respectively with Mazen Mohsen finishing third.
The Boy s Under 11 saw Khalid Hamdy lift the title with Tanmay Das finishing second and Saif Salem third.
Sandeep Ramachandran prevented a clean sweep for the alghar family when he overcame Cherifa s older brother Adham Abou Alghar in the final of the Boy s Under 13 event. Abdul Rehman Hamdy finished third. In the Girl s Under 13, Cherifa Abou al ghar took the winner s trophy with Diya Chopra finishing second and Mennah Ayman third.
In the Under 15 Boy s Abu Dhabi s Mubarak Mohsin lifted the title defeating Adham Abou Algar while Sandeep Ramachandran finish third.
Khalid and Abdul Rehman s older sister added the Girl s Under 15 title to the Hamdy family s list beating Diya Chopra in the final. Abu Dhabi s Fatima Farooq finished third.
In the Under 17 Boy s Syed Ahmed Ali got the better of Mubarak Mohsin while Kshitig Aggarwal finished third. Trishya Reddy won the Under 17 Girl s defeating Neeraja Shankar in the final, while Basma Hamdy finished third.
One of the main attraction of the championship was that the junior players could accumulate points towards the newly launched the National Junior Squash Rankings. We released the first UAE Junior Squash Rankings earlier this month based on the event we organized at the end of last year and looking at the entries at this year s first event one can see the positive effect the ranking has had on the players, said Maqbool Khawaja, the organizer of the championship. We are planning on having another such event in the next two months.
Last year Mr. Khawaja Maqbool organized four such events which grew with each time. Over 150 entries were received this time and this shows that the event is gaining popularity in the country which is a very positive sign, said Andy Stains, the Chairman of the UAE Squash Racquet Association.
Umbro Isotonic Sports Drink is the official drink of the event with Sri Lankan Airlines as the main sponsor, and Jotun Paints the co-sponsor.
Adil to play 30th consecutive National Final
16 year old Ahmed Farooq, of ADCO defeated Ahmed Dada in the Division one semi-final of the DUNLOP backed UAE National Men's PSA Challenger Series No. 1 being held at the Lifestyle Health Club, City Center Hotel and Residence.
Ahmed was very confident playing in his first senior tournament away from his home in Abu Dhabi fought till the very end to defeat Ahmed in three closely contested games. Ahmed won 11-10(1-0), 11-8, 11-7.
In the other semifinal Usman Basarat came back from two games down to beat Gavin Pinnington in five with a score of 9-11, 6-11, 11-7, 11-9, 11-2.
Super Division:
In the Sri Lankan Airlines backed Super Division, 19-year-old Preston University student Khawaja Adil Maqbool, the UAE men's Number 1 since 2001, got past Pakistan's Asif Khan in four games winning 8-11, 11-5, 11-5, 11-9. Winning the final tomorrow will give Adil a record 29th National Title win.
In the other semifinal Saqib Rafi upset second seed Aamir Khan in four games winning 7-11, 11-8, 9-11, 11-10(4-2). The match consisted of long and patient relliies, with Saqib winning at the end with a mistake from Aamir Khan.
Division 2:
Top seed Hisham Badr easily got past Elsharief Hassan 11-5, 11-6, 11-4 and Muhammad Bhatti ended the run of the talented 11 year old Sandeep ramanchadran winning in an epic five setter; 8-11, 11-3, 11-6, 9-11, 11-8.
The Chairman of UAE Squash Racquet Association, Andy Stains on this particular PSA event says, "Great to see a good level of squash played by a good mix of nationalities. And as chairman of UAE SRA, we are very pleased to have this tournament played here."
Umbro Isotonic Sports Drink is the official drink of the event with Sri Lankan Airlines as the main sponsor, and Juton Paints the co-sponsor.
Al Nasr Leisureland womens and mens Tournaments
Started from yesterday evening in AL NASR LEISURELAND squash club where different nationalities (INDIA, AUSTRALIA, GERMANY, PAKISTAN, EYGPT, ENGLAND, UAS AND UAE squash players are participating in this tournament.
Women squash Tournament Top seed player from MELBOURNE AUSTRALIA ERIN CLARKE said, I am really enjoying squash in Dubai, Dubai is beautiful and I am hoping to win and take the ANL women open squash trophy to AUSTRALIA after the tournament but I know I have to work hard for this trophy because in Q.final Lauren Brown (England) semifinal with Bernadette Freear (England) I hope I will meet tournament No 2 seeded squash player SANGEETA SURANA in the Final.
ERIN CLARKE beat Dr. JAIMALA SHUKLA From India and Doctor in Dubai.
In the ANL Amateur squash tournament top seed ASIF BHATTI will play his match today.
Tournaments are Sponsored By: CASAMIA STAR GESAMTPLANUNG REAL ESTATE DUBAI and Prince.
UAE National Junior Squash Championship gets underway.

The first national ranking junior squash tournament of the year, one of the biggest junior events in country ever with over 150 overall entries, got under way at the Lifestyle Health Club, City Centre Hotel and Residence, a Press release stated yesterday.
One of the main attractions of the junior championship is that since the UAE National Junior Ranking was launched earlier this month, this is the first event in which the junior can accumulate ranking points.
"We published the first UAE National junior ranking based on the results of the last tournament we organized in October last year and the response of juniors from all over the UAE is overwhelming. Compared to last event's 65 entries we have over 90 entries this time," said Maqbool Khawaja, the organizer. He is also coach of UAE's top men's (Khawaja Adil Maqbool) and women's players (Trishya Reddy), "I am very pleased that we have received such a positive response from the junior players in the UAE. I hope that such ranking tournaments will encourage juniors to train harder and play with more commitment as they will have a motivation of improving their ranking."
The tournament is being played in a round-robin format and will then move on to the semifinals and finals for the ten age groups, with an addition of the Boys and Girls under 9 categories this time.
There are separate age groups for boys and girls under the ages of 9, 11, 13, 15, and 17.
Dunlop is the title sponsor, Umbro Isotonic Sports Drink the official drink of the event along with Sri Lankan Airlines as the main sponsor, and Jotun Paints the co-sponsor.
Day 2 and 3: Sandeep and Hamdi continue to surprise, Farooq progresses.


11 year old Sandeep Ramachandran and 12 year old Abdul Rehman Hamdi continued their move towards a semifinal clash with each other with imposing wins over their senior opponents in the pre.quarterfinals of the Division 2 category of the UAE National Men's PSA Challenger Series No. 1 being held at the Lifestyle Health Club, City Center Hotel and Residence.
Egypt's Abdul Rehman Hamdi once again used his powerful drives and boasts to upset his Pakistani opponent, Nasim Ahmed, in a relatively short match winning 11-9m 11-3 and 11-7.
Playing in his first national men's event Hamdi overcame his nervousness in the first game once again and then dominated the next two games with his hard hitting play. "I am gaining confidence with each match. I played well today and hope I can play well tomorrow also as I have a really tough match."
A. Rehman now plays Mohd. Bhatti who upset the second seed Vettath Sukumarn in a see-saw five setter for a place in the semifinal.
India's Sandeep Ramachandram showed some of his good racquet skills in overcoming an older opponent, Mohd. Saleh Haji, in straight sets to book himself a place in the quarterfinal of his first national senior event. "I have a good chance of winning if I play well tomorrow, and I hope Abdul (Rehman) also wins so that we can play together." Sandeep and Abdul Rehman both train together with Khawaja Maqbool Ahmed, the father and coach of the UAE Men's Number one Khawaja Adil Maqbool.
In the other Division 2 matches top seed Hisham Badr got past Adham Coutry 3-0 and AUS student Elsharief Hassan overcame fellow AUS student Farhan Merchant for a place in the quarterfinal against Sarfraz Rao.
Super Division:
The Dunlop and Sri Lankan Airline's backed Men's Challenger Series started off with UAE Number 1 Khawaja Adil Maqbool brushing aside new comer Syed Hassan Ali 11-6, 11-2, and 11-8 in the first quarterfinal.
In the main round matches earlier new comer Neil Chambers beat Ahmed Jaffer 3-1 wheras Asif Khan got past Tony Webb in comfortable straight sets. Fourth seed Saqib Rafi got through to the quarters with a convincing 3-0 victory over Waqas Salahuddin and second seed Aamir Khan got the better of Moshin Mosa in straight sets in an all-Abu Dhabi tie.
Division 1:
In the Division-1 matches 16 year old Syed Ahmed Farooq, over came two hours of fatigue of coming from Abu Dhabi and got past Ashraf Amin in short but explosive 4 games which had a lot of attacking in it and then Mohd. S. Bahjat went down fighting the top seed Usman Basharat in straight sets.
Ahmed Dada and Gavin Pinnington on the other hand both had to go to the fifth to overcome their opponents Andrew Morley and Gerry Gibson, respectively, to book a place in the semifinals.
Umbro Isotonic Sports Drink is the official drink of the event with Sri Lankan Airlines as the main sponsor, and Jotun Paints the co-sponsor.
Day1: Teenagers Sandeep and Hamdi cause upsets
11 year old Sandeep Ramachandran and 12 year old Abdul Rehman Hamdi caused the main upsets in the first national junior and senior squash ranking tournament of the year as it kicked off at the Lifestyle Health Club, City Center Hotel and Residence yesterday with the Men's Division 1 and Division 2 first round matches.
Egypt's Abdul Rehman Hamdi caused the first upset of the tournament when he beat a much older fellow Egyptian, Ahmed Shindi, 11-9, 11-4 and 11-5. Playing in his first national men's event Hamdi overcame his nervousness in the first game and then dominated the next two games with his hard hitting play. "I am very happy with a win in my first match. I trained really hard and now it's helping me. I owe it to my mother's support."
Another teenager India's Sandeep Ramachandram also playing his first senior event overcame a much older opponent, Hisham Ycan with an identical 3-0 score. Sandeep seemed in control in the first game but then seemed to relax as Ycan tried to make a come back in the second and third game but eventually gave in to Sandeep's superior ball control. "I took it easy in the second a bit but then changed gear in the end of it and managed to win at the end. Just hope I can play well tomorrow as well and win, " said Sandeep after the match.
The Dunlop and Sri Lankan Airline's backed Men's Challenger Series started off with UAE Number 1 Khawaja Adil Maqbool brushing aside Muhammed Atiq in straight sets in the first match of the evening for a place in the quarterfinal of the Super Men's Division.
In the other Division-2 matches Anurag Uniyal beat Taher Surti in a closely fought match with a score of 11-10(3-1) in the fifth. American University's Elsharief Hassan beat Ahmed Zeeshan 3-1 and another AUS student Adham Courty beat Kevin O Connor 3-0. Ahmed Abou Alghar and Mohd. Bhatti beat Ali Mohsin and Sharif Waquib 3-0 respectively. Sarfraz Rao edged past AUS student Saeed al-Mazroui in a tense 3-2 match.
In the Division-1 matches Mohd. S. Bahjat got past David Cowie with a 3-1 score and Gavin Pinnington beat Fabien Maupas 3-0.
Umbro Isotonic Sports Drink is the official drink of the event with Sri Lankan Airlines as the main sponsor, and Jotun Paints the co-sponsor.
Al Nasr Leisureland Tournaments
Cherifa Abouelghar (Egypt Under 11 Champion in action at ANL)
Men's League Dates Announced
| Start Date: |
24th March |
| Last Date for Registrations: |
17th March |
| Last Date for Payment: |
30th March |
Captains: Please see latest information in the Captain's Area and register here.
Aspiring Captains / New Teams please contact Chris Wind for details and a password to the Captain's area to be able to register your team (you need a minimum of 4 players and a home court to be able to register a team)
New Players who would like to play in the league, please have a look at the Clubs section of this website for a club nearest you, or most convenient to you, and contact them directlly to join one of their teams. We have many requests, but unfortunately, dubaisquash.org cannot place players in teams - you will have to find your own way into a team, or form your own.
2 Upcoming Tournaments Announced
UAE National Junior Rankings Launched
A National Ranking scheme for UAE Juniors under 17 has been launched. 4 separate categories for Girls as well as Boys (<11, <13, <15 and <17) are supported.
These rankings are fed by the various Junior Tournaments being held at various times around the UAE. Please keep an eye on the events portion of this website if you have (or are) a Junior interested in joining in the rankings.
If you are interested in holding a Junior Tournament of your own, or simply interested as to how these rankings work, please click here.
Captain Underpants' mysterious injury explained at last!!
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The intrepid undercover investigative journalists of the DSO (the 3 letter acronym of the investigative arm of DubaiSquash.Org) has uncovered the details of Capt. U's recent disappearance from top-flight (well not quite) squash.
Seems he has injured his foot.
According to informed sources Captn. U was behaving himself until lured inside a domicile by the promise of the proverbial 'OFTR', which turned into several empty glass cannisters.
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Unable to automobile home, and since his flying powers had deserted him, he bravely decided to walk (in a fashion). A kindly trucker, spotting Captn. U offered a lift. Since U's flight powers were still lacking he had to climb the heights into the cabin.
Upon release at his destination he courteously thanked the good driver and stepped out of the cabin quite forgetting that his flight powers were gone for the night...
THUMP.
Not 1, but 2 Match reports - for the same Match!
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Reporter Drunc of the Flyers:
The first of many squash socials took place between The Hayya Flyers and The Makateers on tuesday night with some quality long rallies taking place and some players posted missing in action.
First up from each camp was Ross and "GC - the roadrunner" Dustin trying to find out who could hit the ball the hardest. Not a dropshot to be seen, but some fine long rallies entailled and the onwatching gallery were amazed to find out at the end of a very long†match that Ross had secured a 3-0 victory that didnt reflect the closeness between the two gladiators.
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Next up was veteran Keith against "Pieman" Elton. More long rallies ensued with Keith trying to psych out the Pieman by going for jogs inbetween games. This seemed to put Elton off slightly and a number of errors were made by the Flyers No. 1, but eventually he digged deep into his pie reserves and dug out a hard fought 3-2 victory.
The other Flyers players of the evening "Druncen" Duncan and "Debs", "D2G" Dalton didnt even manage to get a game as the Makateers mob of Bharat and Mick must have heard that these two bruisers were in town and made their respective excuses of dodgy ankle and getting lost in Dubai !
It goes without saying, that on completion of play, all adjourned to the watering hole next door for some liquid refreshments and agreement of another match next tuesday at the Lakes Club.
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Second report by D2G
Historically, kings that were challanged by dominant rivals either negotiated terms or simply fled before the prospect of total anihalation... and it came to pass that last night history was re-enacted.
The record shows that GC emerged from the carnage of his 0-3 defeat at the hands of MacRoss undeterred by the prospect of having lost just a skirmish in the greater battle. Pieman crossed swords with MacKeith in a bitter struggle that seriously reduced time at the pub counter. Pieman heroically overcame brazen intimidation tactics to vanquish the Mac chieftan 3-2.
All remaining conscripts to the Mac clan surrendered without appearance, relinquishing arms and titles to the Flyers. At the end of the day, solidarity and sheer weight of numbers had the opposition buying drinks. A good time was had by all.
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The Dark Side
It all began with a trip to visit the Dark Side!! An intrepid Flyers expeditionary force assembled on the fringes of the civilized Galactic Empire to stock up on supplies and to plan their mission.
Alas, an instant setback was delivered in the form of an announcement that "Princess" Deb had been captured by men in uniform and being held quite close to a Black Hole.
Undeterred by Debs' plight (well Nokia's were used, jokes were made but still the men did not release him in time to join the mission) the merry band continued on their way. Since light sabres were missing (as Dr. Evil's MiniMe units had stolen them) Pool cues had to do and battle was joined.
As the battle raged, the Dark forces gathered and began to play tricks on the Flyers' minds. They slowly lost the ability to reason and communications were drowned out by the din. They were assaulted by a band of midgets with pointy parts all of whom were clearly from the Dark Side. The heat of the battle, the loud noises and flashing lights made it extremely difficult to judge who was being overcome or not. It is believed all made it though and returned safe to the civilized Galaxy. Only slowly are all the parts of the story coming to light. Stay tuned.
So, what of Deb, you may ask? Well, it seems the name has had to be changed due to the nature of the event that had befallen him, so it was decided on that very night that henceforth he would be "D2G". (This is quite apart from the logical fact that he could not remain a Debutante [in the classical sense] forever). This intrepid reporter, in fact, has paid a large sum of money to get a recent photo of him:
The Glove Remains Undefeated!
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After the Middle East Tour of selected venues and challenges, the Glove returned to the UK undefeated and followed this up with a great victory in the Nottinghamshire County leagues on the evening of return.
"Despite some hearty lunches and a few tinnies I was pleased with my performance" say's the Glove.
The Flyers obvously were wary of the mans return, fearful that he could introduce the English homeland game style and strategy.
Dr. E commented "We heard that the Glove had not been washed since the last time so had to be very careful.
No doubt there will be a next time...........watch this space†
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Adil Makes it to Final Qualifying of Canadian Classic
Dubai based Adil Maqbool reached the final qualifying round of his final tournament in his North American tour of 2008. Playing in the prestigious $60,000 Canadian Squash Classic being held Toronto, Canada, Adil overcame a much older and experienced opponent in a relatively short match.
The Preston University student drew Australia's Wada Johnstone who is currently ranked 81 in the world and is also a member of the Australian National Squash Team. Adil won the first game with a comfortable 11-8 margin and then went on to take the second 11-9. the third was the longest and the closest game of the match with Adil finally won on tie breaker witha final score of 13-11.
"I found my pace early in the match today and after a few points i was really confident with my shots. Winning three games to love against Wade is really a good result for me as he is quite experienced and is well known for his comebacks."
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"I have reached the main round of all the four events i have played on this tour and hopefully tomorrow I will be able to make it through another main round."
Adil now plays the world number 40, Canadian number 2 Shawn deLiere for a place in the main round.
Adil has enjoyed a fairly successful month in the North American region finishing in the top 17 of the Tournament Of Champions, and in the top 9 of the Vancouver Open, The Washington Open and the Halifax Open, which has seen him reach a career high ranking of 76 in this months published Professional Squash Rankings.
This is Adil's last event before he heads back to Dubai for a few weeks rest† folowed by a few weeks of training before the Kuwait Open in April.