All-Australia on finals day in Gold Coast
By HOWARD HARDING – Squash Mad International Correspondent

Hosts Australia are guaranteed gold medals in all competitions after dominating day four of the WSF World Doubles Squash Championships at the Carrara Squash Centre on the Gold Coast.

In the men’s competition, defending world champions Cameron Pilley and Ryan Cuskelly overpowered their Colombian opponents Andrés Herrera and Juan Camilo Vargas to have another shot at gold.

The pair from New South Wales won the match 11-5 11-7 and will face a challenge from second-seeded compatriots Zac Alexander and Rex Hedrick in the final.

“I thought we played really well, we probably lost a bit of concentration in the second where the ball got a little bit dead after the first game, but overall very confident,” Cuskelly said.

Pilley added: “We haven’t played together since the Commonwealth Games over a year ago so we are getting better with each match and getting more confident.”

Alexander and Hedrick were pushed by gritty South African duo Jean-Pierre Brits and Christo Potgieter (all pictured above), with the Australians eventually winning 11-9, 11-4.

“They (the South African pair) have looked dangerous the whole time and they’ve had some good results, so we knew it was going to be tough and a bit tricky but we thought we’d stick to our guns and do what we do well,” Hedrick said.

Partner Alexander added: “For us as a team it is getting through the first couple of points at the start of the game and the other boys (Cuskelly and Pilley) are so strong and attacking and are pretty much top 20 in the world still so we are the underdogs for sure.”

With no bronze medal playoff at the WSF World Doubles, both the Colombian duo and the South African pair will take home bronze.

Pilley will have a shot at a second gold in the championships when he pairs with cousin Donna Lobban in the mixed doubles final. Pilley and Lobban, the defending Commonwealth Games mixed doubles gold medallists, won through against Alexander and 17-year-old South Australian Alex Haydon 11-9, 11-7.

“It is nice to not play your absolute best and still come off with a two-nil win so we will take that,” Lobban (pictured) said.

“We thought our Aussie team-mates played really well today and it was a good game, so yeah we’re happy to be in the final.”

Making his senior Australian debut at the tournament, Ethan Eyles (also 17-years-old) will play off in the gold medal match with his partner Christine Nunn. Eyles and Nunn tamed their more experienced opponents, Catalina Pelaez and Matias Knudsen of Colombia, 11-10, 11-6.

Australia will take gold in the women’s doubles competition as well, with the final round robin match between Lobban/Nunn and Sarah Cardwell/Jessica Turnbull to determine the final position.

Cardwell and Turnbull are guaranteed a silver medal at worst on the final day, after defeating Colombian sisters Laura and Maria Tovar 11-8, 5-11 ,11-5 in what was day four’s tightest match.

The Colombian pair will be looking to stop an Australian clean sweep of medals, when they play Taylor Flavell and Selena Shaikh on the final day. The Victorian pair, who are making their national team debut in the tournament, defeated Jemyca Aribado and Aysah Dalidah of the Philippines 11-7, 11-6 on the penultimate day to give themselves a shot at world championship bronze.

WSF World Doubles Squash Championships, Gold Coast, Australia.

Men’s semi-finals:
[1] Ryan Cuskelly & Cameron Pilley (AUS) bt [3] Andrés Herrera & Juan Camilo Vargas (COL) 11-5, 11-7 (23m)
[2] Zac Alexander & Rex Hedrick (AUS) bt [5] Jean-Pierre Brits & Christo Potgieter (RSA) 11-9, 11-4 (35m)

Women’s 4th Pool round:
[2] Sarah Cardwell & Jessica Turnbull (AUS) bt [3] Laura Tovar & Maria Tovar (COL) 11-8, 5-11, 11-5 (26m)
[4] Taylor Flavell & Selena Shaikh (AUS) bt [5] Jemyca Aribado & Aysah Dalida (PHI) 11-7, 11-6 (18m)

Mixed semi-finals:
[1] Donna Lobban & Cameron Pilley (AUS) bt [3] Alex Haydon & Zac Alexander (AUS) 11-7, 11-9 (18m)
[4] Christine Nunn & Ethan Eyles (AUS) bt [2] Catalina Pelaez & Matias Knudsen (COL) 11-10, 11-6 (24m) 

FINAL DAY SCHEDULE

Women’s pool match (gold medal playoff):
Donna Lobban & Christine Nunn (AUS) v Sarah Cardwell & Jessica Turnbull (AUS)

Men’s Final:
[1] Ryan Cuskelly & Cameron Pilley (AUS) v [2] Zac Alexander & Rex Hedrick (AUS)

Mixed Final:
[1] Donna Lobban & Cameron Pilley (AUS) v [4] Christine Nunn & Ethan Eyles (AUS)

Pictures courtesy of CRAIG STEWART (Brisbane Sports Photography)

Clean sweep for Aussies in World Doubles
By HOWARD HARDING – Squash Mad International Correspondent

Australian cousins Cameron Pilley and Donna Lobban struck double Doubles gold on the final day of action in the WSF World Doubles Squash Championships as hosts Australia claimed eight medals across the three events at the Carrara Squash Centre on the Gold Coast.

Pilley and Ryan Cuskelly defended their world title, again claiming gold in the men’s event with victory over fellow Australians Zac Alexander and Rex Hedrick.

Cuskelly and Pilley set the tone early, racing to a lead in the first game and taking it convincingly 11-5. In the second, Alexander and Hedrick fought hard with Cuskelly taking issue with a number of refereeing decisions. The experienced duo from New South Wales managed to prevail in the second to secure a second straight world championship title.

“That second game was very much 50-50 and could have been anyone’s but very happy that we pulled back that deficit at the end of the last one,” Pilley said after the medal ceremony.

Cuskelly added: “They had us a little nervous at the end but they played some good squash – we’re just happy to have got the job done.”

Pilley partnered Lobban to take gold in the mixed decider as well. The combination, which was victorious at the 2018 Commonwealth Games, again proved too strong against compatriots Ethan Eyles and Christine Nunn, winning 11-5, 11-8.

The 17-year-old Eyles, making his Australian senior debut, was impressive in the final against his more experienced opponents.

Nunn added to her silver medal in the mixed and Lobban to her gold, with the pair teaming to win gold in the women’s doubles event.

The experienced duo, who were partnered for the first time in this tournament, were pushed by fellow Australians Sarah Cardwell and Jessica Turnbull.

Lobban and Nunn claimed a tight first game 11-9 and were up 2-0 in the second game before a heavy collision between Nunn and Cardwell sent the latter to the floor. Cardwell hit her head in the fall, but was cleared by medical staff and was able to resume the match.

Lobban and Nunn stayed composed despite the delay in play and went on to win the second 11-4.

“I’m really happy with how we played and stayed focus throughout the tournament,” Nunn said. “It’s been a good week and we’ve been able to build on every match.”

The two said their immediate concern after the match was for the health of their team-mate (Cardwell) but were elated with the result.

Victorian pair Taylor Flavell and Selena Shaikh ensured an Australian clean sweep of the medals, defeating Colombian sisters Maria Tovar and Laura Tovar in the 3rd-place play-off in the Pool 11-6 11-8. 

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WSF World Doubles Squash Championships, Gold Coast, Australia.

Men’s Final:
[1] Ryan Cuskelly & Cameron Pilley (AUS) bt [2] Zac Alexander & Rex Hedrick (AUS) 11-5, 11-10 (29m)

Women’s Final:
[1] Donna Lobban & Christine Nunn (AUS) bt [2] Sarah Cardwell & Jessica Turnbull (AUS) 11-9, 11-4 (28m)

Pool third place play-off:
[4] Taylor Flavell & Selena Shaikh (AUS) bt [3] Laura Tovar & Maria Tovar (COL) 11-6, 11-8 (15m)

Mixed Final:
[1] Donna Lobban & Cameron Pilley (AUS) bt [4] Christine Nunn & Ethan Eyles (AUS) 11-5, 11-8 (16m)

MEDAL WINNERS:

Women’s Doubles
GOLD MEDAL: Christine Nunn/Donna Lobban (AUS)
SILVER MEDAL – Sarah Cardwell/Jessica Turnbull (AUS)
BRONZE MEDALS – Selena Shaikh/Taylor Flavell (AUS) & Maria Tovar/Laura Tovar (COL)

Men’s Doubles
GOLD MEDAL – Ryan Cuskelly/Cameron Pilley (AUS)
SILVER MEDAL – Zac Alexander/Rex Hedrick (AUS)
BRONZE MEDALS – Jean-Pierre Brits/Christo Potgieter (RSA) & Andrés Herrera/Juan Camilo Vargas (COL)

Mixed Doubles
GOLD MEDAL – Cameron Pilley/Donna Lobban (AUS)
SILVER MEDAL – Ethan Eyles/Christine Nunn (AUS)
BRONZE MEDALS – Zac Alexander/Alex Haydon (AUS) & Catalina Pelaez/Matias Knudsen (COL)

Pictures courtesy of CRAIG STEWART, Brisbane Sports Photography

Welsh centre Joe Thomas has joined Premiership side Leicester Tigers for the start of the 2019-20 season.

The 23-year-old played for Dragons and Ospreys in Wales and, most recently, for New Zealand club Otorohanga.

"I'm really excited about the opportunity to join Leicester Tigers. They are a massive club with a big history of success," said Thomas.

Tigers have also signed 22-year-old Newcastle-born fly-half Johnny McPhillips from Ulster Rugby.

McPhillips said: "I'm incredibly excited to be joining such a prestigious club like Leicester Tigers."

Tigers head coach Geordan Murphy added: "Joe has a very good skill-set, he was highly rated on his way through the ranks in Wales and now he is keen to come in here and take on a new challenge with Leicester.

"Johnny was very well regarded as a young player in the Irish system and he has gained some good experience of senior rugby with Ulster."

Meanwhile, 20-year-old Tigers prop Joe Heyes has signed a new contract with Leicester. The club have not disclosed the length of the deal.

John Barclay hopes playing at a "really special" Rugby World Cup in Japan can help banish memories of missing out on the tournament four years ago.

The back-row was omitted by Vern Cotter for the 2015 edition after finding himself largely frozen out of the Scotland squad.

And the 32-year-old says it remains the biggest regret of his career.

"My biggest disappointment in 15 years of rugby was to not get picked for that squad," Barclay told BBC Scotland.

"It's something that motivated me not just this year, but motivated me to get back involved with Scotland and really push for that. I'd love to go to another World Cup."

'I've still got a lot to prove'

Barclay made his Scotland debut against the All Blacks in the 2007 World Cup one day before his 21st birthday. He was a mainstay of the side four years later for the tournament in New Zealand and has amassed 71 caps.

"I went to my first [World Cup] when I was just a kid," he said.

"I didn't really understand the position I was in and didn't play a lot. The second one, I went as a regular starter and it'll be a different dynamic this time.

"I've still got a lot to prove to myself and to the team and I would just love to go to a World Cup in Japan with Scotland. To be part of this group would be really special."

Barclay joined Edinburgh last season but had to wait 10 months before making his debut in March after suffering a horrendous Achilles injury in his final appearance for former club Scarlets.

He says the goal of being part of Gregor Townsend's squad for Japan kept his spirits high during the painstaking recovery process.

"It's something I thought a lot about when I was injured, when I was struggling to hit milestones in my recovery," said Barclay.

"Mentally I feel pretty fresh, I don't feel drained from a season which can be the case sometimes.

"My body feels really good. There's a lot of training to do but for me it was great to get a few games in, have a bit of a break and then begin this road to the World Cup."

'I don't know how you can pick this squad'

Townsend named a training squad of 44 which will be whittled down to 31 once the head coach has a closer look at his options during a training camp in Portugal and summer Tests against France and Georgia.

Barclay believes, if he is selected, it will be the strongest Scotland World Cup squad he will have been part of.

"I genuinely believe, and I've been playing with Scotland a long time, this is a team that has some depth and some quality," he said.

"I sat on the team bus and said to some of the guys, 'I don't know how you can pick this squad'.

"In years gone by you could easily pick a 31, but this time there are going to be some guys who probably deserve to be on the plane missing out because you can only take 31. That can only be a good thing for us as a squad."

The popularity of auto racing at county fairs on the East Coast during the early 1930s served as the catalyst from which the SPEED SPORT brand was born 85 years ago.

An abundance of midget dates at county fairs across the region annually attracted numerous Midwest-based car owners, drivers and crews, and many of them utilized an area of East Paterson, N.J., which eventually became known as Gasoline Alley, as their base of operations.

“All these cars and drivers showed up in East Paterson in the end of June and stayed until early October,” Chris Economaki, National Speed Sport News’ longtime editor and publisher, recalled prior to his death in 2012. “Everybody lived in a furnished room in that town. There were no hotels, and no motels. There was no money anyway.”

Dick Vieldhouse, a local resident and race fan, recognized the need for a source of racing news. He went to the local newspaper in East Paterson — The Bergen Herald — to sell the editors on the idea of adding auto-racing news and results.

“They put out a weekly broadsheet newspaper for the town. It was like an eight-page tabloid. Sometimes it was 12 pages,” Economaki said. “This guy Vieldhouse went to them with the idea that with all the auto-racing people in town living in furnished rooms, they should publish some auto-racing news in the paper.”

The editors liked the idea, but they needed Vieldhouse to sell some racing-related advertising to support the additional editorial content.

Vieldhouse quickly sold an advertisement to Pyroil, which was heavily involved in the sport at the time, and racing news found a home on the back page of The Bergen Herald during the summer of 1932.

The coverage soon escalated to two pages, and in 1933 it became the back three pages. When the 1934 season started, auto racing was featured on four of the paper’s pages.

“The people in East Paterson complained about all this auto-racing news all over the paper,” Economaki noted. “They wanted to read about the school board and what the mayor was doing.”

During the summer of 1934, William Kay and Louis Fournier, owners of The Bergen Herald, developed a plan to satisfy their local readers along with those craving auto–racing news. Kay and Fournier knew the company that produced The Ridgewood News in nearby Ridgewood, N.J., had recently opened a new printing facility. They approached the paper’s owners with the idea of expanding the racing section of The Bergen Herald into a separate tabloid publication.

On Aug. 16, 1934, the East Paterson Herald Publishing Co. produced the first issue of National Auto Racing News.

In that issue, Kay and Fournier presented their vision for the future of the publication:

“We will in the future, as we have in the past, endeavor to give our racing fans all of the news from all of the tracks all of the time. Our constant endeavor since the inception of the Auto Racing Section has been to increase our service to our readers. That will continue to be our policy. We will welcome constructive criticism and helpful suggestions. We want this to be your paper. Our only aim and desire is to give you what you want in the way you want it.”

“It’s obvious from the very first issue that William Kay and Louis Fournier fully understood the paper’s role as a promotional tool for auto racing,” said Corinne Economaki, who succeeded her father as publisher of National Speed Sport News from 1990 to 2011. “They knew if they could help grow the sport, the paper would grow with it.”

And that’s exactly what happened.

After a brief publishing hiatus when auto racing was shut down during World War II, National Auto Racing News returned as National Speed Sport News in February 1943 with William Kay continuing as editor.

As the paper evolved, off-track news, regional columns and personality profiles were added to the editorial mix and letters from readers became a key element.

MISANO ADRIATICO, Italy – Michael van der Mark ended Friday’s World Superbike practice at the top of the speed charts at Misano World Circuit Marco Simoncelli, but it wasn’t all good news for the Dutchman.

Despite leading the session with a best lap of 1:36.021, van der Mark crashed in the final moments of the session as he was exiting the final corner of the track.

He was quickly tended to by track medical staff, who took him to the medical center where he was diagnosed with multiple injuries, including polytrauma, a concussion and fractures to his right wrist and ribs.

As a result, the Yamaha rider will sit out the remainder of the weekend. He will also be forced to undergo surgery on his wrist at a later date as a result of the crash.

?? (1/2) @mickeyvdmark will miss the remainder of the Misano #WorldSBK weekend. The @PataYamahaWSBK rider fractured the trapezium and radius in his right wrist in his FP2 crash. The radius fracture will require surgery.#YamahaRacing | #WeR1 | #RiminiWorldSBK pic.twitter.com/ww1DExsJ0q

— Yamaha Racing (@yamaharacingcom) June 21, 2019

Kawasaki’s Jonathan Rea ended the day second fastest on the speed charts, .008 of a second off the time set by van der Mark. Rea also crashed during the practice session, but was uninjured.

Ducati’s Álvaro Bautista was third fastest on Friday, followed closely by Sandro Cortese and Alex Lowes.

STATESVILLE, N.C. – CarShield will sponsor Niece Motorsports and Ross Chastain in Saturday’s Saturday’s NASCAR Gander Outdoors Truck Series CarShield 200 presented by CK Power at Worldwide Technology Raceway.

Headquartered close to Worldwide Technology Raceway, in nearby Saint Peters, Mo., CarShield offers vehicle service contracts designed to pick up where automobile owners’ existing warranty drops off and to fill gaps in coverage. CarShield was founded in 2005 by principals Nick Hamilton, Mark Travis, and Rick Brettelle and specializes in shielding its members from the high cost of automobile repairs by offering a wide range of flexible vehicle service plans.

Earlier this month, Chastain announced a change of direction declaring his efforts in the Truck Series would become his primary focus, a departure from his original intention of driving full-time in the NASCAR Xfinity Series.

Since then, Chastain’s pursuit of the Truck Series title has taken on a life of its own and affectionately coined on social media as the “Melon Man Challenge,” – a nod to his family’s roots in the watermelon farming industry.

“The opportunity to get on board with Ross and Niece Motorsports for the CarShield 200 was just too good to pass up,” said Hamilton. “CarShield’s relationship with Ross dates back to 2016 and we’re thrilled to partner with Niece Motorsports this weekend. As the entitlement sponsor of the race, it makes sense to expand the program to include a high-profile, on-track element. Ross is a proven winner and we’re happy to back him in the ‘Melon Man Challenge’ as he looks to pick up another win this weekend and work his way inside the top 20 in points.”

Chastain has earned one win, three top-five and nine top-10 finishes in Truck Series competition in 2019 and currently sits 35th in points.

In order to qualify for the division’s playoffs, Chastain must collect another win and race his way into the top 20 in points over the next six races before the checkered flag in the regular-season finale at Michigan Int’l Speedway in August.

“I’m going to the racetrack with the best team in the business so I’m confident that we can win another race and work ourselves inside the top 20 over the next six races,” explained Chastain. “I’m proud that Nick, Travis, Rick and the CarShield team have jumped in with both feet this weekend. We’re expecting to run up front, look to win another race, and put what happened at Iowa Speedway behind us.”

“We are thrilled to have CarShield come on board this weekend at Gateway,” said team owner Al Niece.  “Ross and this team are fired up and looking to visit Victory Lane again.”

LE CASTELLET, France – Stewards have denied Ferrari’s request to review the decision to penalize Sebastian Vettel during the Canadian Grand Prix on June 9.

Vettel crossed the finish line first that day in Montreal at Circuit Gilles Villeneuve, but a five-second penalty for  rejoining the track in unsafe fashion and forcing Lewis Hamilton off track dropped Vettel to second in the race results.

After initially opting not to appeal, Ferrari then requested a right of review, via the FIA’s International Sporting Code. The right of review allows competitors to present new evidence not available before the end of the event.

After reviewing this new evidence on Friday at Circuit Paul Ricard in France, stewards issued a statement saying, “There are no significant and relevant new elements which were unavailable to the parties at the time of the competition concerned.”

LE CASTELLET, France – Valtteri Bottas topped the Formula One practice charts on Friday afternoon at Circuit Paul Ricard.

Bottas’ best lap, 1:30.937, put him at the top of the overall practice charts by nearly half a second over his teammate and championship leader Lewis Hamilton.

“It was not easy in the beginning; everyone struggled in the morning because the track was much more slippery than usual,” said Bottas. “But the track ramped up quickly, I could feel big gains on a lap-by-lap basis, especially in the corners. The more the track improved, the better the balance of the car felt. Despite the balance issues, the car was quick out of the box which is always a good start. We’ve made good changes between the sessions and I felt much more comfortable in FP2, which is why the lap time was better. It’s really warm out there, and it will only get warmer, so tires are going to be on the limit, especially on Sunday. We still struggle with the balance over the course of the entire lap, so we’ll have a good look at the data tonight to see what we can improve for tomorrow.”

Hamilton, who was fastest in the first practice, had a rough afternoon compared to his teammate Bottas. He suffered through a four-wheel slide in turns three and four and came back onto the track in front of a fast closing Max Verstappen.

Verstappen was forced to go around the outside of Hamilton, running off track in the process. Stewards later confirmed they’d look into the incident between Hamilton and Verstappen.

Ferrari’s young gun Charles Leclerc was third fastest, .649 of a second slower than Bottas. Sebastian Vettel was fourth fastest in the second Ferrari, with the McLaren of Lando Norris coming home an impressive fifth fastest Friday.