SportsShoes Blog

in richmond virginia playing the above event, a suoer series and one of the biggest event of the year.

played david etherington 1st round and won 11-5 11-6 11-5 which set me up against campbell grayson, kiwi no.2 and world no.61. i took the first set 11-7. the second was really tough,point for point all the way with each of having game balls. eventually i took it 15-13. this took alot out of him physically and mentally and even though the 3rd wasnt easy but once i got a lead it was only going one way and i managed to win it 11-3 match time 58mins.

real happy to qualify for me first super series. see how we go…

played last night against eric tepos. won the 1st 11-1 and was 10-5 up in second and the altitude kicked in and just snook the second 13-11 ! pushed really hard in the third but unfortunelty jus lost it 12-10 and lost the next 2games 11-1 11-8. i physically pushed as hard as i could but the altitude just got the better if me. next time!!

On the weekend was the above event in galway. Just before the event id picked up a viral infection so wasnt sure how i’d go but in the 1st round i played lewis walters of england and won comfortably 11-6 11-7 11-6. next up was romain tenant of france -  a very classy player with plenty of flair and a really difficult game to read. winning the 1st and 2nd 11-8 was crucial , however midway throught the 3rd my engin started t wear dwand in the fourth it was anyones! at 11-10 down i hit 3 grea winners to seal the match 13-11. i was relieved to win bt my virus was obvious and in the semis even more so where i lost to gilly lane of america 11-5 in the fourth. a bit dissapointing but thats the way it goes sometimes..

landed in guetamala early this week to play the above event. got here plenty of time to acclimatise t the altitude of 6000 feet. i have a tough opponent in eric tepos of mexico tomorrow. in normal conditions it would be quite straight forward but here itll prove a tough test. looking forward to it andd hopefully can keep the momentum of the last few events up!

Tough match last night V Patrick Chifunda which I managd to win in 5 11-8 10-12 11-5 8-11 11-2. It wasn’t the greatest of displays. A hot, bouncy court was more favourable to his style but in the end I was physically stronger. I played a really solid 5th set which was needed. Next up is Liam Kenny, the Irish number 1, so a lot to gain here. It will be a tough match but looking forward to it!

unfortunatly I went down to Liam Kenny 3-0 in 69 mins. I didn’t play badly but didn’t play great. Although it must be said “hats off” to Liam, I thought he played a good match. Each game was nip and tuck untill towards the end of each set Liam was more clinical and patient where I was trying to be the aggressor which was definitely the wrong tactic on a hot court with a high tin..

Next stop Montreal for the Sanctuaire Classic.

In Washington DC playing in the above event. 1st round today v Andrew Mcdoughal of Canada. I started pretty strong 11-3 up in the 1st… But a bit of a lapse in concentration gave Andy a chance to get into the match and he took the second 16-14. Even though I lost it I took alot out of him and I managed to close the next 2 games out 11-3 11-4. Tough match tomorrow v Patrick Chifunda

first event of the new year was th MP OPen, an Irish Gran Prix event. I made the way to the final with relative ease but was far from playing well. My first 2 rounds were in 3 but concentration levels were way off. In the semis i played keith Moran and again won in 3. I was a little better but knew i needed a big improvement to win in the final.

Here i played Derek Ryan and lost in 3. Physically i was fine but just wasn’t match sharp. That is kind of what i needed though, so with some tough practise games lined up, i should be perfect for the next event in washington DC in febuary …

had a good ten day lay off from training over the xmas period. been back training since the 2nd. mainly consisting of alot of cv and weights directed at the main muscle groups to get strength levels back up. going into to some plyometrics and SAQ this week though. and some lg squash.. next event is a small gran prix january 23-25 but mainly gearing towards maryland capital open, washington DC, mid feb…

last one of 2008 - a big one, the Irish Nationals.. played 1st round last night and won comfortably enough in 3.. gets tougher from here but really looking forward to it and pushing for a good end to the year!!