Wadi Degla Club to host $320,000 season finale
By SEAN REUTHE

The star-studded PSA World Tour Finals will be held in Egypt for the first time after an agreement was reached between the Professional Squash Association (PSA) and title sponsors CIB to bring the world’s leading squash players to the Wadi Degla Club in Cairo between June 8-13 for the 2018-19 edition of the season-ending tournament.

Featuring the world’s top eight male and female players, the CIB PSA World Tour Finals will act as the season finale to the 2018-19 PSA World Tour campaign. The event has been successfully staged in Dubai over the past three seasons at venues such as the Burj Khalifa, Dubai Opera and Emirates Golf Club.

The CIB PSA World Tour Finals will be the third major professional squash tournament to be held at the Wadi Degla Club after it hosted the 2016 PSA Men’s World Championships and the 2014 PSA Women’s World Championships.

“The PSA World Tour Finals always provides a fitting climax to the PSA World Tour season and we are excited to be staging this season’s tournament in Cairo,” said PSA Chairman and A. A. Turki Group of Companies (ATCO) Chairman Ziad Al-Turki.

“With a number of the sport’s highest-ranking players hailing from Egypt, squash already has significant presence and popularity in the country, and we hope to build on that by holding the World Tour Finals there.

“I would like to thank both the Wadi Degla Club and CIB for their support in staging this event, and I look forward to watching the action unfold in June.”

CIB Chief Executive and Board Member, Hussein Abaza, said: “We are delighted to sponsor the PSA World Tour Finals and remain committed to supporting world-class squash in Egypt. We have been involved in a number of major tournaments in the region already this season, while we will also serve as title sponsor for the PSA Women’s World Championships, which will bring the world’s best back to the Great Pyramid of Giza, one of the most iconic venues in sporting history.

“Our sponsorship of the PSA World Tour Finals will see us build on a successful partnership with PSA, and I for one cannot wait to see some of the greatest athletes in world sport take to the court in Cairo in June.”

Wadi Degla Squash Director, Karim Darwish, said: “We are excited to be bringing the PSA World Tour finals to Egypt for the first time in the tournament’s history, and I believe that the Wadi Degla Club will provide the perfect venue for squash’s season finale.

“The Wadi Degla Club is no stranger to hosting the world’s biggest squash tournaments and I look forward to welcoming players to Cairo on June 8th for what promises to be a thrilling week. I would also like to thank CIB for their support and look forward to working with both them and PSA in the coming months.”

The six-day event will bring together the greatest squash talents on the PSA World Tour, with a total prize purse of $320,000 split equally between the men’s and women’s events thanks to the generosity of sponsors CIB, ATCO, and also the Wadi Degla Club.

Players will be split into two groups of four and will play round-robin best-of-three matches in the group stages, with the top two from each group progressing to the knockout semi-finals and beyond.

To qualify for the CIB PSA World Tour Finals, players must finish in the top eight of the PSA World Tour Finals Leaderboard, with points on offer at all PSA World Tour events during the 2018-19 season.

Winning a PSA Platinum tournament also guarantees qualification for the World Tour Finals. World No.1 Ali Farag tops the men’s leaderboard and has already qualified after winning the PSA World Championships, J.P. Morgan Tournament of Champions and the Qatar Classic this season. He sits ahead of compatriot Mohamed ElShorbagy, whose wins at the U.S. Open and Hong Kong Open have seen him also qualify.

Karim Abdel Gawad is the other player to have already earned his place in Cairo after triumphing in December’s Black Ball Open. The other players in the top eight of the men’s leaderboard are Egypt’s Tarek Momen, Germany’s Simon Rösner, New Zealand’s Paul Coll, Peru’s Diego Elias and Egypt’s Mohamed Abouelghar.

India’s Saurav Ghosal and Colombia’s Miguel Rodriguez also remain in contention for a place in the top eight, with just four men’s PSA World Tour events left this season.

World No.1 Raneem El Welily heads up the women’s leaderboard and has qualified for Cairo courtesy of her title win in October’s U.S. Open. She is followed by World No.2 Nour El Sherbini, who won both the PSA World Championship and the Tournament of Champions.

New Zealand’s Joelle King is the other automatic qualifier after lifting her maiden Platinum title at the Hong Kong Open in November.

Egypt’s Nour El Tayeb, France’s Camille Serme, England’s Sarah-Jane Perry, Wales’ Tesni Evans and Egypt’s Nouran Gohar make up the rest of the top eight.

English duo Alison Waters and Laura Massaro, and Unites States No.1 Amanda Sobhy sit just outside the top eight and face a race against time to earn a qualifying berth with three women’s PSA World Tour events left.

Two more Platinum tournaments remain this season, with the El Gouna International and Allam British Open still to come in April and May.

The men’s XII Torneo Internacional PSA Sporta, Bronze tournament, which is held in Guatemala between May 29 and June 2, will be the last ranking PSA World Tour event of the season.

Tickets for the season-ending CIB PSA World Tour Finals will go on sale soon.

The full CIB PSA World Tour Finals Leaderboard

Pictures courtesy of PSA 

Mohamed ElShorbagy lies in wait, looking for revenge
By ELLIE MAWSON

Defending champion Miguel Rodriguez has been pitted on the same side of the draw as last year’s runner-up Mohamed ElShorbagy after the draws for the 2019 Allam British Open were released today (Tuesday April 16).

Taking place between May 20-26 at the University of Hull Sports and Fitness Centre, the British Open is squash’s longest-running tournament and Rodriguez will return to defend his crown 12 months after becoming the first South American ever to lift the prestigious title.

The 33-year-old from Bogota receives a bye into round two, where he will face either Switzerland’s Nicolas Mueller or New Zealand’s Campbell Grayson. The World No.7 is seeded to play World No.2 ElShorbagy in the quarter-finals in a rematch of last year’s final.

ElShorbagy, a two-time British Open champion, also receives a bye in round one and could come up against crowd favourite and three-time runner-up James Willstrop in the last 32 if the Englishman can get the better of India’s Ramit Tandon.

Top seed Ali Farag will face either compatriot Mostafa Asal or Frenchman Gregoire Marche in round two and will have to navigate a tricky draw that could see him play the likes of World No.11 Marwan ElShorbagy, World No.8 Mohamed Abouelghar and World No.3 Tarek Momen en route to the final.

Elsewhere, Germany’s Raphael Kandra will look to follow up his giant-killing run to the semi-finals of last year’s tournament and he will take on Marwan ElShorbagy – who he beat en route – in round two.

England’s top male player Declan James gets a bye into the second round, where he will face former World No.3 Omar Mosaad in a battle of the giants. Both players are 6ft 4in tall.

The women’s draw is headed up by 2018 runner-up Raneem El Welily, who will face either 2008 runner-up Jenny Duncalf or World Junior Champion Rowan Elaraby in the second round.

World No.1 El Welily is seeded to play United States No.1 Amanda Sobhy in round three, World No.7 Nouran Gohar in the quarter-finals and World No.3 Nour El Tayeb in the semis.

Five-time winner Nicol David will appear at the final tournament of her distinguished career after announcing her decision to retire at the end of this season. The legendary Malaysian will take on compatriot Rachel Arnold in round one, and a win for the 35-year-old will see her lock horns with El Tayeb.

World No.2 Nour El Sherbini beat El Welily to win her second British Open title last May, and she will begin her tournament against either fellow Egyptian Mayar Hany or France’s Coline Aumard.

She is pitted on the same side of the draw as former champions Laura Massaro and Camille Serme and is seeded to face the latter in the semi-finals.

World No.6 Sarah-Jane Perry, the highest-ranked English player on the PSA Tour, will play either Hollie Naughton or a wildcard in the second round as she looks to do one better than her runner-up finish in Hull in 2017.

In addition to one of the sport’s most iconic titles, points for the season-ending PSA World Tour Finals will also be up for grabs as players battle for a top eight place on the PSA World Tour Finals Leaderboard, which will see them qualify for June’s showpiece event in Cairo.

Matches from the glass court will be shown live on SQUASHTV (rest of world), Eurosport Player (Europe only) and the official Facebook page of the PSA World Tour (up to and including quarter-finals, excluding Europe and Japan). Semi-finals and finals will also be broadcast on mainstream channels around the world such as BT Sport, Fox Sports Australia and Astro.

British Open website: www.allambritishopen.com
Twitter: @BritOpenSquash
Tickets are available via Ticketmaster 

2019 Allam British Open, University of Hull, Yorkshire, England.
Men’s Main Draw:
[1] Ali Farag (EGY) [bye]
Mostafa Asal (EGY) v [17/32] Gregoire Marche (FRA)
[9/16] Raphael Kandra (GER) [bye]
[9/16] Marwan ElShorbagy (EGY) [bye]
[9/16] Diego Elias (PER) [bye]
Alan Clyne (SCO) v [17/32] Borja Golan (ESP)
[17/32] Adrian Waller (ENG) v George Parker (ENG)
[8] Mohamed Abouelghar (EGY) [bye]
[5] Paul Coll (NZL) [bye]
Abdulla Mohd Al Tamimi (QAT) v [17/32] Mazen Hesham (EGY)
[17/32] Max Lee (HKG) v Todd Harrity (USA)
Cameron Pilley (AUS) v [17/32] Lucas Serme (FRA)
[17/32] Tsz Fung Yip (HKG) v [WC] Joshua Masters (ENG)
Fares Dessouky (EGY) v [17/32] Mathieu Castagnet (FRA)
[9/16] Joel Makin (WAL) [bye]
[3] Tarek Momen (EGY) [bye]
[4] Simon Rösner (GER) [bye]
Eain Yow Ng (MAS) v [17/32] Tom Richards (ENG)
[9/16] Omar Mosaad (EGY) [bye]
[9/16] Declan James (ENG) [bye]
[17/32] Greg Lobban (SCO) v Ivan Yuen (MAS)
[9/16] Zahed Salem (EGY) [bye]
[9/16] Saurav Ghosal (IND) [bye]
[6] Karim Abdel Gawad (EGY) [bye]
[7] Miguel Rodriguez (COL) [bye]
Campbell Grayson (NZL) v [17/32] Nicolas Mueller (SUI)
[17/32] Cesar Salazar (MEX) v Chris Simpson (ENG)
Karim Ali Fathi (EGY) v [17/32] Leo Au (HKG)
[17/32] Daryl Selby (ENG) v Ben Coleman (ENG)
[WC] Patrick Rooney (ENG) v [17/32] Youssef Soliman (EGY)
[17/32] James Willstrop (ENG) v Ramit Tandon (IND)
[2] Mohamed ElShorbagy (EGY) [bye]

Women’s Main Draw:
[1] Raneem El Welily (EGY) [bye]
Jenny Duncalf (ENG) v [17/32] Rowan Elaraby (EGY)
[17/32] Samantha Cornett (CAN) v Alexandra Fuller (RSA)
[9/16] [12] Amanda Sobhy (USA) [bye]
[9/16] [14] Salma Hany (EGY) [bye]
Amanda Landers-Murphy (NZL) v [17/32] Joey Chan (HKG)
[17/32] Emily Whitlock (ENG) v Liu Tsz-Ling (HKG)
[7] Nouran Gohar (EGY) [bye]
[5] Joelle King (NZL) [bye]
Low Wee Wern (MAS) v [17/32] Fiona Moverley (ENG)
[17/32] Yathreb Adel (EGY) v Haley Mendez (USA)
[10] Alison Waters (ENG) [bye]
[9/16] [11] Annie Au (HKG) [bye]
Olivia Fiechter (USA) v [17/32] Zeina Mickawy (EGY)
[17/32] Nicol David (MAS) v Rachel Arnold (MAS)
[3] Nour El Tayeb (EGY) [bye]
[4] Camille Serme (FRA) [bye]
Lisa Aitken (SCO) v [17/32] Milou van der Heijden (NED)
[17/32] Mariam Metwally (EGY) v Julianne Courtice (ENG)
[9] Tesni Evans (WAL) [bye]
[16] Hania El Hammamy (EGY) [bye]
[WC] Lucy Turmel (ENG) v [17/32] Nele Gilis (BEL)
[17/32] Rachael Grinham (AUS) v Tinne Gilis (BEL)
[8] Laura Massaro (ENG) [bye]
[6] Sarah-Jane Perry (ENG) [bye]
[17/32] Hollie Naughton (CAN) [bye]
[17/32] Millie Tomlinson (ENG) v Danielle Letourneau (CAN)
[15] Joshna Chinappa (IND) [bye]
[13] Victoria Lust (ENG) [bye]
Melissa Alves (FRA) v [17/32] Olivia Blatchford Clyne (USA)
[17/32] Mayar Hany (EGY) v Coline Aumard (FRA)
[2] Nour El Sherbini (EGY) [bye] 

Pictures courtesy of PSA

Mark McCafferty will step down as Premiership Rugby chief executive at the end of the current season, to be replaced by Darren Childs.

McCafferty has spent 14 years in the post, delivering numerous rights deals as well as helping negotiate the recent sale of a Premiership stake to CVC.

Childs will leave his present role at digital broadcaster UKTV to take up the Premiership Rugby role.

"Mark has played a pivotal leadership role," chairman Ian Ritchie said.

"The growth of the club game in England and Europe during that time has been tremendous."

England scrum-half Danny Care says Billy Vunipola's controversial social media post is not something that will divide a dressing room.

England number eight Vunipola defended the now-sacked Australian international Israel Folau's assertion that "hell awaits" gay people.

On Tuesday, the Saracens forward was given a "formal warning" by the Rugby Football Union.

Care, who plays for Harlequins, believes many players who did 'like' the post would now change their mind about doing so.

Listen to the latest episode of the Rugby Union Weekly podcast here.

Leicester would be much deeper in the relegation mire were it not for the "phenomenal" George Ford, says Tigers and England team-mate Ben Youngs.

Fly-half Ford was instrumental on Friday as Leicester beat Newcastle 27-22 to go eight points clear of Falcons, who are bottom of the Premiership.

"I dare say without him, I don't know where we would be," Youngs told the Rugby Union Weekly podcast.

"He's a world-class player and he's showing that to everyone."

Defeat at Kingston Park would have left the Tigers on the verge of relegation to the Championship, but two tries from Guy Thompson and 12 points from Ford coupled with a valiant late defensive effort secured a priceless win.

Youngs, who is out for the rest of the season after shoulder surgery, says Ford's game management was crucial in delivering a result that may have preserved Leicester's Premiership status.

"I just think he's been unbelievable the last few weeks. His game control at the weekend was just phenomenal," he continued.

"He has continued to grab the bull by the horns and steer the ship. Given the adversity, to play like he has, is credit to him.

"But we still have three games to go and the Premiership has been just crazy. Until we are guaranteed safety, I will still be watching very nervously."

'No choice' over shoulder surgery

Youngs is expected to miss about three months following his surgery, and should return in time for England's World Cup training camps later in the summer.

He says he had no choice over the timing of the operation after picking up the injury against Scotland during the Six Nations.

"At the time I felt it but thought it was OK and it would settle. I then had it scanned [following the Six Nations], went and saw the specialist, and he said 'you just can't play'," Youngs added.

"I saw him at 12.30 and was being operated on at two o'clock so it all happened pretty quickly.

"You never want to miss games but it happened and I didn't really have a choice in it. But it should be 12 weeks and a pretty simple recovery time provided there are no hiccups."

Billy Vunipola has been given a "formal warning" by the Rugby Football Union after the England player defended Israel Folau's social media post claiming "hell awaits" gay people.

The 26-year-old number eight liked the post by Folau and called for people to "live their lives how God intended".

Vunipola, who has also been warned by his club Saracens, has been "reminded of his responsibilities" by the RFU.

During a meeting, the RFU said Vunipola had "expressed genuine regret".

"The warning will be retained on his disciplinary record for a period of five years and may be taken into account in future disciplinary proceedings," the RFU said in a statement.

"During the meeting the player expressed genuine regret at his public comments and understood that he had caused hurt and offence as a result of his actions.

"He has been reminded of his responsibilities as an England player and as an ambassador for the game, which values inclusivity and respect."

Vunipola released his own statement on Monday saying he had not intended to "cause suffering".

"I can see that my recent post has hurt people," said the Sarries forward. "My intention was to express my belief in the word of God.

"These beliefs are a source of great strength, comfort and guidance in my life. Anyone who knows me, knows I live with kindness and love towards ALL people."

Folau's contract was terminated by Rugby Australia because of a "high-level breach" of his code of conduct.

Vunipola is set to feature for Saracens in their European Champions Cup semi-final against Munster on Saturday as the English champions aim to reach a fourth final in six years.

Sarries director of rugby Mark McCall said the controversy has been "a distraction", and is "thankful the club and RFU have acted quickly".

"He's obviously had a challenging few days," McCall told BBC Sport.

"As a team we see the matter as having been dealt with and we want to talk about the rugby and concentrate on the rugby."

BROWNSBURG, Ind. – One year after a crash prevented him from competing in the Freedom 100, USAC star Chris Windom is heading back to Indianapolis Motor Speedway.

Windom is returning to Belardi Auto Racing and partnering with Jonathan Byrd’s Racing to compete in the 17th annual Indy Lights Freedom 100 at Indianapolis Motor Speedway on May 24.

The 27-year-old USAC champion will be piloting the No. 17 Belardi Auto Racing/Byrd Racing NOS Energy Drink-sponsored Dallara.

Last year Windom planned to compete in the Freedom 100 with Belardi, but damage from a practice crash prevented him from competing in the race.

“After a disappointing ending to last year’s run for the Freedom 100, I’m very thankful to be given another opportunity to go back to Indy with the Belardi/Byrd team,” said Windom. “I really enjoy working with everyone on the team and I feel like we can be strong contenders for this year’s race. The Freedom 100 is obviously Indy Lights Presented by Cooper Tires’ most prestigious race and something that will be special to be a part of. I have to thank Belardi Auto Racing and Jonathan Byrd’s Racing along with NOS Energy Drink for giving me the opportunity, and I hope that I can give them a great showing on one of the biggest stages in racing.”

“We are happy to welcome back Chris Windom and Jonathan Byrd’s Racing, a partnership we see being very successful,” said Belardi Auto Racing’s owner Brian Belardi. “Chris has proven himself time and time again in dirt cars, and I am positive he will be able to do it in an Indy Lights car. All I am thinking about now is May and the Indianapolis Motor Speedway.”

No stranger to the Indianapolis Motor Speedway or the Indianapolis 500, this will be Jonathan Byrd’s Racing’s first time participating in the Freedom 100.

“Things did not go as we had planned last May, but Chris was quick out of the box and learned a lot about what to do and what not to do at the Speedway,” said David Byrd of Jonathan Byrd’s Racing. “I’m grateful to be able to work with Brian and the Belardi Auto Racing team again to give Chris another much deserved shot at the Freedom 100, as we work to keep a multi-time USAC national series champion on the Road To Indy.  In addition, we’re excited to have the support of NOS Energy Drink in this endeavor, as they have quickly become a massive supporter of Chris and of short track racing.”

Windom and Belardi Auto Racing will take part in a refresher oval test at Kentucky Speedway prior to the Freedom 100. Practice for the 17th running of the Freedom 100 begins on May 20.

BOLINGBROOK, Ill. – WeatherTech Racing, together with Scuderia Corsa, will field the No. 62 WeatherTech Ferrari 488 GTE in the LMGTE Am Class for drivers Cooper MacNeil, Toni Vilander and Rob Smith at the 24 Hours of Le Mans.

MacNeil will be running his sixth Le Mans with a third place run to his credit in 2017. Vilander will be running his eleventh 24 hours with two wins to his credit. Smith won the event in 2017 in the JMW Ferrari, bringing the combined race count to 16 for the WeatherTech Racing trio at the Circuit de la Sarthe. Combine the driving experience with the WeatherTech Racing Ferrari being prepared by Scuderia Corsa and that gives the team a lot of confidence for the June race.

“I think we have the pieces to do well this year,” MacNeil said. “We have our own entry, Toni Vilander, and we were able to get Rob Smith who won the race two years ago to run with us. Combining these three attributes with Scuderia Corsa running the car could be a winning combination. We had a perfect run in 2017 when we finished third the year Rob won. We have a solid amount of speed in the car with the three drivers so we just need to have another perfect race. Much easier said than done at Le Mans.”

“This will be my eleventh Le Mans start, I have two wins, come second twice and finished third once,” Vilander said. “The Ferrari is a well-balanced race car and works very well at Le Mans. Sometimes we struggle a bit on the long straights but overall its good. The last sector with fast corners is very nice and we can make-up ground. I am looking forward to going back to Le Mans and having a good run. The GTE AM class has a lot of cars and good driver line-ups. We need to perform really well to be in a position to fight for the win. I have a feeling that with Cooper and Rob, with their experience, we will do well.”

“Wow, what a driver line-up,” Smith exclaimed. “I am delighted to be joining such an amazing team for the 24 Hours of Le Mans. The race is the highlight of my 2019 season, and I think we should be very competitive indeed. As well as the great run I had the 2017 race, I have participated in three seasons of the European Le Mans series, being runner up in 2016, and winning the championship in 2017. Le Mans has always been the pinnacle of racing for me and I am delighted to be going back in 2019 with WeatherTech Racing.”

The team will travel to Le Mans, France, for the pre-test weekend June 2 and return for the race to run June 15-16.

WELCOME, N.C. – Richard Petty Motorsports has announced the extension of its sponsorship agreement with WIX Filters, a global manufacturer of filtration products.

WIX Filters will remain as the team’s official filter and will continue as a key technical partner. WIX Filters will supply Richard Petty Motorsports with filtration products and will also provide development support to the No. 43 Chevrolet Camaro ZL1 driven by Bubba Wallace in the elite Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series.

As part of the partnership, WIX Filters will continue its technical support of Richard Petty Motorsports and their ECR Engines by supplying air and oil filters. The team will use WIX Filters to guard their ECR Engines from contaminants like dirt, grime and dust at the track.

“WIX Filters’ motorsports history started over six decades ago when we supplied racing legend Richard Petty with filters for his stock car engines,” Jennifer Gibson, brand manager for WIX Filters, said. “We are excited about a partnership of two iconic brands in the racing industry and look forward to equipping the No. 43 Chevrolet Camaro ZL1 with the filters it needs to land “Bubba” Wallace in the winner’s circle.”

WIX Filters will have brand identification beneath the hood of the No. 43 Chevrolet Camaro ZL1 in the Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series. In addition, the logo will be featured on the b-post of the No. 43 Chevrolet Camaro ZL1, as well as on team equipment, the transporter, and the driver and pit crew suits for the entire Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series season.

“We began racing with WIX Filters in the 1960s, and generations of our drivers have driven to victory lane with WIX,” Richard Petty, owner of Richard Petty Motorsports, said. “We are proud to continue our association with the No. 1 filter in motorsports and we look forward to accomplishing even more in 2019.”