Squash

Medals galore for Team GB

Danny Caro — Thu, 14 Jul 2011 15:44:26 +0100

Team GB produced an astonishing record-breaking performance at the 13th European Maccabi Games in Vienna .

The 220-strong delegation won a mammoth 71 medals of which 31 were gold, 23 silver and 17 bronze.

The three-man swimming team of Trevor Pears, Hollie Singer and Naomi Ayrton claimed 19 medals between them.

Wonder kid Zak Zilesnick swept the board in Table Tennis, winning the singles, doubles and team gold in the Junior Boys tournament.

Ten Pin bowler Gary Ellis registered a perfect 300 score to win the European bronze in the Masters event. In total, GB claimed five bowling medals with Ian Davis taking silver in the singles.

The golfers also enjoyed a profitable week. Nicky Harris produced the round of the week at the testing Fontana course, going round in three under par to take the Men's Individual Gross. There were 15 other medals including gold for Tracy Capal and Louisa Tarn.

GB enjoyed unprecedented success in squash. Top seed Sam Levine clinched the Men's Open title. Matt Crawcour, the former world No. 69, pipped Dave Lazarus in the Masters final.

There was silver and bronze in the fencing with Richard Bernstein, Jonathan Bernstein and Lawrence Reid finishing second in the Team Sabre.

All three football teams returned with medals including gold for the Junior Boys and silver for the Women's team.

It was a ground-breaking event in Futsal with GB taking bronze in the Open event, silver in the Masters and bronze in the Juniors.

The action closed on Tuesday when Savannah Simmons won the Junior Singles tennis final and David Garcia picked up a third gold in badminton.

Team GB manager, Samantha Cohen, said: "Maccabi has devised a plan and we are already seeing the results.

Roll of honour

Thu, 14 Jul 2011 15:44:19 +0100

GOLD

Badminton: Junior Boys - D Garcia

Football: Open and Junior Team

Golf: Gross Individual – N Harris

Masters scratch: M Lerner

Open Net Individual: Z Talbot

Team Gross – Open

Ladies Open Scratch: LTarn

Ladies Handicap – T Capal

Open - Female team

Table tennis: Junior team

Boys doubles

Boys singles - Z Zilesnick

Squash: Men's team

Open - S Levine

Masters - M Crawcour

Swimming:

T Pears- 50m fly, 50m free, 100m free ,200m free

H Fisher- 50m free, 50m breaststroke, 50m fly, 100m breastroke.

N Ayrton - 100m free, 200m free.

bowling: Team Event – I Davis, G Ellis, J Nesbit, D Sasienie

SILVER

Badminton: Juniors - Y Goodlink

Fencing: R Bernstein, J Bernstein, L Reid

Football: Ladies - Open Team

Golf: Individual Gross - M Kuber

Open Net Individual - B Mesrie

Team Gross - Junior

Open Handicap - M Charles

Open Handicap - S Smouha

Squash: Masters - D Lazarus

Swimming: 50m freestyle -N Ayrton, 100m fly - H Fisher

200m medley - H Fisher

Freestyle relay - H Fisher/N Ayrton

Bowling: Singles - I Davis

Trios - I Davis, G Ellis, J Nesbit

Table Tennis: Boys doubles, Masters Team

Tennis: Masters Plate - S Carlin

Masters- S Cole

BRONZE

Fencing: Team Foil

FuTSAL: Junior Team

Golf: Individual Gross - R Alter

Open Handicap - M Phillips

Open Scratch - A Larchy

Squash:Open - D Nagler

Masters - D Lazarus

SWIMMING: H Fisher 50m backstroke, 100m free

N Ayrton 50m breaststroke, 400m free , 4x50 medley relay - Fisher/Ayrton

Table tennis -Junior Singles: Z Mandel, Masters Doubles - J Banks and I Lewis

Tennis-Masters - P Sheeter/ N Baum

Singles and doubles – K Collins

Squash stars rule

Danny Caro — Thu, 14 Jul 2011 15:44:06 +0100

Team GB squash boss, Rob Rackind, praised his squash after they swept the board in the squash competition.

A top-class line-up featuring Dave Lazarus, Sam Levine, 23, and former world No. 69, Matt Crawcour, 41, started the week in style with respective 3-0 victories over Germany, Poland, USA and France earning them the Team gold in the Men's Open competition.

Reflecting on the victory, Rackind said: "All the players performed within their skill level, and all stepped up when they had to.

"We set out what we achieved to do dominate the squash competition."

Squash coach Lazarus, 47, was in dazzling form, beating a 15-year-old French starlet. Lazarus has now achieved a double-figure medal haul in European and Maccabiah Games.

For Crawcour, it was a case of more silverware to add to a trophy cabinet the containing gold he won with Australia in 1993 and another for GB at the 1985 EMG.

The group also excelled in the individual events, finishing with three gold medals as well as silver and a bronze.

Levine lived up to his top seed billing by winning the Open title while Crawcour produced the goods in the Masters event.

There was also success for David Nagler who came third in his event.

Dan tops the Open

Thu, 24 Mar 2011 14:31:01 +0000

Squash: Daniel Poleshchuk has won the Welsh Junior Open.

Beginning his campaign as an under 17 competitor, the Israeli overcame highly-fancied Saad Shahid, a Muslim from Pakistan who is trained by veteran Maccabian David Lazarus.

Ido Burstein won the Boys Under 13 group, dropping only one game throughout the whole campaign, making Israeli players winners in two out of a total of five boys' categories.

Daniel, 15, on top of the world

Thu, 13 Jan 2011 14:19:19 +0000

Daniel Poleshchuk climbed to the top of the Under 15 world rankings after finishing third at the British Junior Open.

Playing his last competition in his age group, Poleshchuk was one of two Israelis in the Under 15 competition. Seeded five out of eight, he featured in a high quality field with the first four seedings going to Egyptian players.

Having dispatched the third seed in the quarter-finals, Poleshchuk went on to take the bronze, achieving the best performance ever by an Israeli squash player and the highest placed European in his age category.

Meanwhile, Roee Avraham found himself in the midst of a minor diplomatic spat. Whilst warming up on court with his opponent, the Kuwaiti Hussain Hussain, the Kuwaiti coach entered the court, muttered something in his player's ear, ushering him off the court, citing a pulled muscle as the excuse.

Readers of the JC will doubtlessly be relieved to hear that young Hussein Hussein made a miraculous recovery to play the next day.

Avraham, the No. 1 ranked Under 17 in Israel, did not allow this minor incident to divert his attention from the job at hand and eventually ran out in 20th place out of a field of 64 players.

Both Daniel and Roee were warmly hosted by the Sheffield Jewish community.

Rackind promises results for Team GB

Fri, 22 Oct 2010 09:57:40 +0100

Rob Rackind will chair the Team GB squash squad heading to Vienna for next year's European Maccabi Games in Vienna.

Rackind is looking to bring the youth players through the system as well as ensuring that provincial players have the same opportunity to participate as London based players.

Rackind has been involved in Maccabi Squash for more than 20 years, winning the national Maccabi Squash competition in 1988. He said: "I plan on using my knowledge to find a good blend of youth and experience and through this I will ensure that the GB squash team will deliver results in Vienna whilst acting as a springboard for Israel".

Trials, open to players of good club level standard, will be held at the Cumberland Squash Club in Hampstead on October 31.