Sports Bulletin

Sports Bulletin Report ISLAMABAD:-Promising Pakistan squash player, Noor Zaman has won the title of Under-19 Asian Junior Individual Squash Championship 2022 and claimed gold medal after beating Joachim Chuah from Malaysia 3-1 in the final at Pattaya, Thailand on Sunday. According to available information from abroad, Noor Zaman won the championship match with the score-line of 11-9, 10-12, 11-5 and 11-9, as the match lasted for 52 minutes. Pakistani teenagers squash players took part in Under-13, Under-15, Under-17 and Under-19 categories competitions. Noor Zaman was only player, who grabbed the title.

Sports Bulletin Report ISLAMABAD:-Noor Zaman has booked his berth in the semifinal of the Under-19 discipline of the 29th Asian Junior Individual Squash Championship after beating Edward Thng from Singapore in straight games 3-0 at Pattaya, Thailand. The final score-line was 11-8, 11-4 and 11-6, as the match lasted 25 minutes.  According to Pakistan Squash Federation (PSF), Noor Zaman will meet Andrik Lim from Malaysia in the semifinal on Saturday at the same venue. Rest of Pakistani players lost their matches and started their packing to fly back to home. Nouman and Ahmed Khalil failed to show impressive performance in the Under-13 quarterfinals. Results: Boys’ Under-13 (Quarterfinal): Sim Yeak Wei from (Malaysia) beat Nouman Khan (Pakistan) 11-7, 11-6, 7-11, 11-3 (24 minutes) Mohammad Raziq Putra (Malaysia) beat Ahmed Khalil (Pakistan) 7-11, 11-5, 11-7, 8-11, 11-9 (38 minutes) Boys’ Under-15 (Quarterfinal): Aqil Mirza (Malaysia) beat Mubeen Khan (Pakistan) 5-11, 11-7, 11-3, 11-4 (29 minutes) Boys’ Under-19 (Quarterfinal): Noor Zaman (Pakistan) beat Edward Thng (Singapore) 11-8, 11-4, 11-6 (25 minutes)

Sports Bulletin Report ISLAMABAD:-Pakistani lad Noor Zaman moved into the quarterfinals of Boys’ Under-19 fixture of the ongoing 29th Asian Junior Individual Squash Championship at Pattaya, Thailand. According to Pakistan Squash Federation (PSF), around 200 players from 14 Asian countries, Chinese Taipei, Hong Kong, India, Indonesia, Japan, Korea, Kuwait, Malaysia, Pakistan, Philippines, Qatar, Singapore, Sri Lanka and Thailand are playing in various age categories. Results: Boys’ Under-13:  In 2nd round of the championship, Nouman Khan (PAK) bt Toma Ikeda (JPN) 11-6, 12-10, 5-11, 12-10 (29 Min).  He would play against Sim Yeak Wei from Malaysia in the Quarter Finals on 17 Jun, 22.  Mr Ahmed Khalil (PAK) bt Agastya Bansal (IND) 11-7, 12-10, 11-2 (24 Min). He would play against Mohammad Raziq Putra from Malaysia in Quarter Finals on 17 Jun, 22. Boys’ Under-15: In the 3rd round of the championship, Mubeen Khan (PAK) bt Matheesha Wijesekara (SRI) 14-12, 11-5, 11-6 (23 Min). He would play against Aqil Mirza from Malaysia in the Quarter Finals on 17 Jun, 22. Boys’ Under-17:  In the 3rd round of championship, No 2 Seed, Harith Danial (MAS) bt Usman Nadeem (PAK) 11-5, 11-8, 13-11 (30 Min). Boys’ Under-19: In the 2nd round of championship, Noor Zaman (PAK) bt Samuel Lau (SIN) 11-4, 11-7, 11-3 (13 Min).  He would play against Edward Thng from Singapore in the Quarter Finals on 17 Jun, 22. GU-15. In the 2nd round of championship, Whitney Wilson (MAS) bt Luiza Aftab (PAK) 11-3,  11-0, 11-2 (10 Min) whereas, No 2 Seed Zhe Sim Ong (SIN) bt Amna Malik (PAK) 11-1, 11-1, 11-4 (12 Min).

Sports Bulletin Report Pattaya (Thailand):-The 29th Asian Junior Individual Squash Championship is being played at Pattaya, Thailand. Over 200 players from 14 Asian countries including Chinese Taipei, Hong Kong, India, Indonesia, Japan, Korea, Kuwait, Malaysia, Pakistan, Philippines, Qatar, Singapore, Sri Lanka and Thailand are playing in various age categories. 15 members contingent Pakistani contingent including 8 male players, 5 female players and 2 officials are participating in the regional squash championship. Luiza Aftab of Pakistan overcame Sri Lankan opponent Kumudi Ekanayake 3-2 with the score-line of 9-11, 11-6, 9-11, 11-5 and 11-5. Results: Boys’ Under-13: Nouman Khan (PAK) got Walk Over against Wanchana Ruengrach (THA) Ahmed Khalil (PAK) beat Lokkesh Wigneswaran (MAS) 11-7, 11-7, 11-4 (16 Min) Boys’ Under-15: Azan Ali (PAK) and Mubeen Khan (PAK) got Bye Mubeen Khan beat Kul Oon Jayden (MAS) 9-11, 9-11, 12-10, 11-3, 11-8 (41 Min) Aryaveer Dewan (IND) beat Azan Ali (PAK) 11-8, 18-16, 7-11, 4-11, 11-1 (37 Min) Boys’ Under-17: Abdullah Nawaz (PAK) and Usman Nadeem Butt (PAK) got Bye Usman Nadeem beat Abdullah Khalifa (QAT) 11-7, 11-3, 11-5 (13 Min) Jooyoung Na (KOR) beat Abdullah Nawaz 11-7, 11-5, 9-11, 11-9 (39 Min) Boys’ Under-19: Noor Zaman (PAK) got Bye  Jujin Ikeda (JPN) beat Anas Ali Shah (PAK) 9-11, 11-7, 11-6, 7-11, 11-5 (54 Min). Gorls’ Under-15: Luiza Aftab (PAK) beat Kumudi Ekanayake (SRI) 9-11, 11-6, 9-11, 11-5, 11-5 (23 Min) Amna Malik (PAK) beat Warisara Chujit (THA) 11-2, 11-6, 11-7 (20 Min) Girls’ Under-17: Vicky Lai Yue Ying (SIN) beat Mehwish Ali (PAK) 11-7, 11-8, 11-8 (20 Min) Goh Zhi Xuan (MAS) beat Sana Bahadar (PAK) 11-3, 11-4, 11-0 (12 Min) Girls’ Under-19: Pooja Arthi Raghu (IND) beat Mariam Malik (PAK) 11-8, 11-6, 11-4 (20 Min).

Sports Bulletin Report KARACHI:-The 2nd Combaxx Sports Karachi Open Squash Championship 2022 for Boys and Girls being organized by Pakistan Navy and sponsored by Combaxx sports got underway on June 2 at Jahangir Khan Roshan Khan Squash Complex. Zubair Macha, General Manager Combaxx Sports graced the opening ceremony as special guest. Speaking on the occasion, Zubair Macha said: “The event is aimed to promote squash and unearthing new talent in squash so that our country is able to produce world class players once and we are able to regain lost glory in squash at international level.” Results: Boys’ Under-13 (Rpund-I): Huzaifa Shahid beat Faizan 11-5, 11-3, (13mins) Tahoor Tahir beat Shujjat Rehmat 11-5, 11-4 (10mins) Ayan Ali beat Ammar Khan 11-3 11-4 (14mins)  Syed Savi beat Usman Ilyaz 11-3 11-4 (15Mins) Haris Khalil beat Syed Yoza 11-4, 11-6 (10mins)  Abdul Haseeb beat Abdul Rafay 11-6 11-4 (12mins)  Omar Ahmad Usmani beat Raheel 11-3 11-4 (16mins) Abdul Ahad beat Nadem Ch 11-6, 11-7 (13mins); Boys’ Under-15 (Round-I):  Abdul Basit beat Hurr 11-0, 11-2 (7 min) Mohammad Danial beat Wajahat Rehmat Khan 11-3, 11-5 (6 min) Ali Ahmad Osmani beat Kashif Khan 11-2, 11-5 (8 min) Haris Shiraz beat Abdullah Irfan 11-4, 11-3 (6 min); Abdullah Shahid beat Umer Qamar 11-3, 11-5 (8 min); Zahid beat Abdul Ahad Imran 11-3, 11-4 (7 min); Reyyan Bin Kaleem beat Usman Zubair 11-6, 11-6 (9 min) Zohaib Khan beat Javaid  11-9, 11-2 (9 min) Boys’ Under-19 (Round-I):  Anas Dilshad Khan beat Omar Sarfraz 11-5 11-7 (12mins) Ayyan bin Kaleem beat Sheban Samin 11-4 11-5 (21mins) Mohammad Zaman beat Talha Imran  11-5 11-9 (17mins) Sufhan shamin Ammar Ali 11-3 11-5(19mins) Adnan Zaman beat Ammar Sheikh 11-9 13-11 (21mins) Shayyan Adnan beat Abdul Had Imran 11-8 2-11 11-9 (23mins) Abdullah Waheed beat Mehrab Khan 11-9 9-11 11-9 (20 mins)  Talha Saeed beat Abdullah Younis 11-8 11-9 (19mins) Girls’ Under-19 (Round-I):  Aina Sheikh beat Wania Tahir 11-5, 11-2 (7 min) Soha Ali beat Laiba Khan 11-3, 11-6 (6 min): Zehra omer beat Zunaira Khan 11-4,11-2 (8 min): Saliya Rashid beat Suhaima Fatima 11-0, 11-1 (4 min) Syeda Sara beat Aeyman Naseem 11-2, 11-4 (8 min) Aina Aziz beat Rumaan Fatima 11-2, 11-3 (7 min) Alina Zehra beat Damia 11-1, 11-1 (5 min); Nimra Batool beat Sameera Shahid 11-7, 9-11, 11-9 (15 min).

More than 15 years after retiring from the professional game, Jonathon Power is still one of the best known names in the squash public consciousness. The former World No.1, who last year had a dazzling new court named after him, captured the public imagination with his spectacular shotmaking and personality on and off the court. The Canadian, who currently coaches Peru’s World No.5 Diego Elias, sat down with us for a Commonwealth Games Q&A session, looking back on his silver singles medal in the 1998 Games in Kuala Lumpur, the gold singles medal in the 2002 Games in Manchester, and looking forward to the upcoming Birmingham 2022 Commonwealth Games. What do you mean by misunderstood? “So, I’d never been in a real multi-sport games and I think, leading into that tournament, I’d beaten Peter Nicol six or seven times on the trot. And we weren’t playing for any prize money, so my care factor was really low. “I went to Bali with a bunch of guys and had a good time for 10 days before the event and played no squash and just did it because it was part of the Squash Canada mandate. I didn’t have any sort of understanding. “But then I got there and was around all the other athletes and got a sense of the village and the environment and what it all meant.” What changed the way you understood the Games? “I was pretty young at the time, so I didn’t really have any understanding. But [it all changed] once I got the response from back home, and realised how much people cared. “I played the final with Peter, and he won, and he played a great match. It was really well received and it was a close match. I realised that it was more important than typical tour events. So I really prioritised that, for Manchester. “The difference between the Commonwealth Games back then and now, is all the best players in the world were from the Commonwealth. I think there were nine out of the top 10 in Manchester. “Manchester [where Power beat Nicol, who was by this point representing England, in the final] was so special. I got to have a rematch with Peter in the final and played a great, great match and got some revenge there. So we both got to share in what it was like to win the gold and in different sort of time periods. And that was a great memory and different to any other event I played. Is revenge something you were focusing on before that 2002 final? “Oh yeah, the two of us were just ferociously competitive at that point. It was at the peak of our rivalry. Every tournament was me and him at that point. So yeah, definitely it was about avenging that. Plus it was in England and he was playing for England so it was meaningful for sure, in our rivalry.” After you beat Peter Nicol in Manchester, the BBC did a roundup of the Commonwealth Games, going through all the sports, and listed you as the ‘Best Entertainer of the Games.’ Can you talk to that a little? “That’s news to me – I just found out right now! Maybe on the dance floor after I won the goal that was the Entertainer of the Games’ moment. I’d say I’d give it that, as I definitely had a good time with the victory! “But I think my style was very much that you never knew what you were going to get. You’d come in and it could be it could be anything. I think the the anticipation [for the crowd] of not knowing what was going to happen was fun. It’s fun in any sport to go to something and not know if it’s all going to kick off, or what can happen. “I think I woke up every morning – and I still do in my life – and I don’t know what’s gonna happen! It could all blow up or it could all be great. I lived every match like that and I lived every day like that.”

Sports Bulletin Report GLASGOW (Scotland):-India’s squash players enjoyed a fairytale day as they won India’s first – and then second – ever gold medals in the finals of the 2022 WSF World Doubles Squash Championships in Glasgow, Scotland. The country, the first in Asia to win a World Doubles title, beat England in the mixed and the women’s doubles, with England securing a gold of their own in the men’s doubles final. India had been beaten finalists in the mixed doubles in 2016 and the men’s doubles in 2004. However, they may have felt confident in the mixed doubles final, with Ghosal and Pallikal Karthik No.2 seeds and their opponents, England’s Adrian Waller and Alison Waters, seeded fourth. In an electric start, Ghosal and Pallikal Karthik blasted their way into a 9/1 lead in the first game, with Waller and Waters unable to cope with the combination of power and accuracy both Indians had in spades. While the English duo did eventually manage to find a foothold in the match, the lead India had was too great and the No.2 seeds took the first game 11/6. In the second game, both sides went on scoring runs. India, though, were able to keep their noses ahead for the majority, with the duo eventually securing an 11/8 win to take the historic title. Afterwards, Pallikal Karthik, who returned to the game after three years out and having become a first-time mother to twins last October, said: “It’s just been a long journey for me to be here. And I’m just very, very excited to be playing with Saurav and being with the whole Indian team. There’s a lot of gratitude from me just being here today. “The plan was to always come back [to squash]. But in between it didn’t really seem likely. But I think I just had the right people with me, Saurav kept pushing me wherever he was in the world! And then obviously my husband [IPL cricketer Dinesh Karthik], my in-laws, my parents, all just making me be back here and playing again.” Ghosal added: “I think India is an emerging country. We are trying to do our best to put our foothold on the world squash map. Of course, countries like England and Australia and now Egypt have done exceedingly well and their history is very rich. This generation is trying to create create some history so that the next generations can follow us.” No sooner had Pallikal Karthik completed her post-match interviews than the 30-year-old was back on court, this time securing India’s second gold medal of all time and of the afternoon. Alongside Joshna Chinappa, Pallikal Karthik once again put England to the sword. After taking the first game 11/9, India were pegged back by an 11/4 second-game loss to women’s No.2 seeds Sarah-Jane Perry and Alison Waters. Although Perry and Waters had already beaten the Indian pair back in the group stage of the tournament, today there was to be no repeat, with Chinappa and Pallikal Karthik recovering to take the third 11/8. Chinappa said afterwards: “I feel great. After we lost to them a few days back, we really wanted to come out with a very strong plan. Fortunately, I have a very strong partner, so that helps me quite a bit on court!” Pallikal Karthik added that it was incredible to win her second gold medal of the day and that she would use the experience of the tournament as a springboard for the 2022 Commonwealth Games in Birmingham, England. After two demoralising defeats for England, there was joy for them in the last final of the day, as top seeds Declan James and James Willstrop broke home hearts with a 2-0 win over Scottish No.6 seeds Greg Lobban and Rory Stewart. At 10/8 down in the first game, the prospect of England’s long hunt for a championship gold – which they hadn’t won since 1997 in Hong Kong – seemed looming. James and Willstrop recovered spectacularly, though, saving the game balls and taking the first game 11/10 before winning the second 11/6 to take the title. “That was tremendous,” Willstrop said after the match. “We knew that we had to just be absolutely on it. We gave them full respect because they deserve it. And hopefully we deserve it. We’re chuffed to bits. “It’s a huge event, it’s a world title. We’re so grateful to Scottish Squash, to the WSF and for everyone who’s joined together to put this together and make it a huge event. “It’s a great facility, isn’t it? And it’s good memories from Glasgow [where the 2014 Commonwealth Games were played] for some of the old geezers in the team. So yeah, we’re thrilled with it. And we’re glad to be up here playing!” Lobban, meanwhile, reflected on the positives of a week in which Scottish teams played above their seedings and won silver and bronze medals in the men’s draw, a bronze medal in the mixed, and secured impressive fifth-place finishes in the mixed and women’s draws. He said: “The tournament was fantastic. I had a good run in the men’s with Rory and with Lisa [Aitken] in the mixed draw. Tonight, we came really close. “It’s tough to take but looking at the bigger picture, getting to the world championships is a big achievement that we’re very proud of. This is the first time Rory and I have played together in a major competition, so to come second in the men’s draw is a great achievement. We knew coming in we were one of the best teams and had a really good chance, so I’m pleased we came away with something.” Elsewhere, there were a number of other matches to decide final positions, including both South Africa and Australia ending the day with two wins apiece. At the medal ceremony, WSF President Zena Wooldridge and Scottish Squash President Mark Adderley thanked the players, partners, volunteers and everyone else who had made the tournament a success. Wooldridge added: “I think you’ll agree this has been an absolutely fabulous week of squash. Having been denied World Championships for nearly two and a half years, it’s just fantastic to be back.” Results: WSF World Doubles Squash Championships Finals Mixed Doubles Final: [2] Saurav Ghosal/Dipika Pallikal Karthik (IND) (11/6 11/8 22mins) [4] Adrian Waller/Alison Waters (ENG) Women’s Final: [3] Joshna Chinappa/Dipika Pallikal Karthik (IND) (11/9 4/11 11/8 40mins) [2] Sarah-Jane Perry/Alison Waters (ENG) Men’s Final: [1] Declan James/James Willstrop (ENG) (11/10 11/6 51mins) [6] Greg Lobban/Rory Stewart (SCO) All Other Results Mixed – Third/Fourth Playoff [5/6] Joel Makin/Tesni Evans (WAL) (8/11 9/11 28mins) [7/8] Greg Lobban/Lisa Aitken (SCO) Mixed – Position 01-08 [13/16] Rory Stewart/Georgia Adderley (SCO) (4/11 11/7 11/8 43mins) [5/6] Ryan Cuskelly/Rachael Grinham (AUS) Mixed – Position 09-16 [9/10] Vikram Malhotra/Joshna Chinappa (IND) (4/11 6/11 14mins) [9/10] Mohammad Syafiq Kamal/Aifa Azman (MAS) Women’s – Position 09-12 [11/12] Alexandra Fuller/Cheyna Wood (RSA) (11/10 10/11 11/10 34mins) [11/12] Abbie Palmer/Kaitlyn Watts (NZL) Women’s – Position 05-08 [5/6] Georgina Kennedy/Lucy Turmel (ENG) (5/11 11/3 4/11 25mins) [7/8] Georgia Adderley/Lisa Aitken (SCO) Men’s – Third/Fourth Playoff [5] Alan Clyne/Douglas Kempsell (SCO) (11/9 10/11 11/9 61mins) [2] Daryl Selby/Adrian Waller (ENG) Men’s – Position 01-16 [10/12] Rhys Dowling/Rex Hedrick (AUS) (11/9 9/11 11/10 63mins) [13/15] Tsz Kwan Lau/Henry Leung (HKG) Men’s Position 01-16 [16/18] Jean-Pierre Brits/Christo Potgieter (RSA) (10/11 11/7 11/3 33mins) Bernat Jaume/Joel Jaume Izcara (ESP) Men’s – Position 01-16 [7/9] Peter Creed/Emyr Evans (WAL) (11/5 11/5 23mins) [13/15] Addeen Idrakie/Sai Hung Ong (MAS) Men’s – Position 01-16 [3] Zac Alexander/Ryan Cuskelly (AUS) (11/7 11/8 23mins) [4] Eain Yow Ng/Ivan Yuen (MAS) Men’s – Position 17-32 [7/9] Vikram Malhotra/Ramit Tandon (IND) (11/7 11/10 37mins) Elliot Morris/Owain Taylor (WAL)

Sports Bulletin Report ISLAMABAD:-Top seed Mohammad Asim Khan has won the title of DHA Islamabad International Squash Championship after overcoming Noor Zaman 3-2 in the final at Jacaranda Family Club (JFC) Islamabad on Wednesday. The final score-line was 10-12, 11-5, 11-7, 7-11 and 11-6, as the championship match wasted 43 minutes. World No. 58 and top seed Mohammad Asim Khan had to struggle hard in the court to win the final, as his opponent Noor Zaman was also in farm. Noor Zaman, who defeated high ranked player in the semifinal and was full confidence to claim another upset victory. Both local players displayed top quality squash in the first game that went up neck-t-neck and Zaman finished at tie-break 12-10. Mohammad Asim won the second game at 11-5 and leveled the match score 1-1. He maintained the same pace in the third game by showing some quick work in the court and won at 11-7. Noor Zaman bounced back in the match after thrashing Asim 11-7 in the second last game of the match. However, in the fifth and final game, Mohammad Asim got rid of Noor Zaman 11-6 to become the champion. At the end in the closing ceremony, chief guest, former World Champion and squash icon Jehangir Khan distributed the trophies and cash prizes among the players and appreciated the game of young lads. Before this, tournament secretary Inam-ullah Khan presented the report of the DHA International Squash Championship 2022.

Sports Bulletin Report ISLAMABAD:-Top seed Mohammad Asim and Noor Zaman have qualified for the final of the DHA Islamabad International Squash Championship after winning their semifinals at Jacaranda Family Club (JFC) Islamabad on Tuesday. In the first semifinal, World No. 58 and top seed Asim Khan from Pakistan defeated compatriot lad World No. 90 Israr Ahmad with a game score of 8-11 (Retired Hurt). After 11 minutes Israr Ahmed Khan could not continue his match owing to injury problems despite of starting the match with confidence and played some good strokes too against Asim. Later, in the second semifinal, World No 149 Noor Zaman from Pakistan toppled World No 86 Addeen Iddrakie from Malaysia 3-1 and claimed an upset victory to reach in the final. Noor Zaman tackled his opponents brilliantly and did not allow Adden to put any pressure on him in the first two games, which Noor won at 11-5 and 11-9. Malaysian guy did some well in the third game and succeeded to makr match score 2-1. Noor won the fourt game at 11-6 to confirm his place in the final. The final will be played on Wednesday (March 30, 2022) at the same venue between Mohammad Asim and Noor Zaman at 3:00pm. Results (Semifinals): Mohammad Asim (Pakistan) beat Israr Ahmed Khan (Pakistan) 8-11 (Retired Hurt) Noor Zaman (Pakistan) beat Adden iddrakie (Malaysia) 11-5, 11-9, 6-11, 11-6 (34 minutes).

Sports Bulletin Report ISLAMABAD:-Top seed Asim Khan (Pakistan), Israr Ahmad (Pakistan), Addeen Iddrakie (Malayisa) and Noor Zaman (Pakistan) have book their berths in the semifinals of the DHA Islamabad International Squash Championship after defeating Ahsan Ayaz (Pakistan), Seif Shenaway (Egypt), Yassin Elshafei and Edwin Clain (France) respectively in the quarterfinals Jacaranda Family Club (JFC) Islamabad on Monday. The DHA Islamabad International Squash Championship is being organized at Jacaranda Family Club (JFC) Islamabad that carries a prize purse of US$ 12,000. The semifinals will be played on March 29 while final on March 30 at the same venue. Results (Quarterfinals): Asim Khan (Pakistan) beat Ahsan Ayaz (Pakistan) 11-7, 11-6, 11-5 (33 Min) Israr Ahmad (Pakistan) beat Seif Shenaway (Egypt) 11-9, 15-13, 11-5 (37 Min) Addeen Iddrakie (Malayisa) beat Yassin Elshafei (Egypt) 11-8, 11-3, 9-11, 11-5 (41 Min) Noor Zaman (Pakistan) beat Edwin Clain (France) 11-13, 9-11, 11-7, 11-9, 12-10 (50 Min) Semifinals (Fixtures): 1st semifinal: Asim Khan (Pakistan) vs Israr Khan (Pakistan) 2nd semifinal: Adden Iddrakie (Malaysia) vs Noor Zaman (Pakistan)