EUROPEAN SCENE – 8^TH AUDI HUNGARIAN MASTERS SZEGED – JUNE 08

Masters Squash is very much on the increase as squash associations worldwide are waking up to the fact that junior squash is not the be all and end all and in fact Masters players not only take up the vast majority of playing power and attendance, they completely underpin the finance and structure of the sport. More and more European associations are hosting Masters Tournaments and it is possible in future you can plan a mini break in a great venue with a Masters Tournament attached……….

With this in mind, I was told by certain players to play in the Hungarian Open as it was the best value and organised overall package Tournament they had ever been to. So after some phone calls to a few others, we did………

The 8^th Audi Hungarian Masters Open hosted players from Sweden, Holland, Czech Rep, Slovakia, Croatia, Serbia, Turkey, Hungary, Germany, Ireland, Russia, Ukraine, Lithuania and one or two more besides. The tournament is probably one of the best overall packages in terms of organisation you will ever encounter. Picked up from the airport, shuttle service organised everywhere by Miklos and Zoltan all food provided noon and night including fantastic fillet steaks and to James Ockwell’s delight, they supplied him with non stop Turkish Delight. There were amazing daily prizes. Yours truly won the first days – an hour long training session in a 2 seater aeroplane flying over the city and countryside of Hungary and the borders of Romania. Fantastic scenery but it certainly was a relief when I was back on terra firma.

The squash catered for all standards and your English contingent all won their age groups.

In the O45’s James Ockwell, as urbane as ever, with 4 capuccinos to every beer played very well to win a tight match with Nick Peel, albeit 3/0.

In the O50’s Dr.Evil played Mini-Me in one of the earlier Round Robins and the contrast in styles was extreme. Dr.Evil, scowling furiously, marmalising the majority of the balls into the corners at 150 mph but Mini-Me prodding and poking, scuttling and scampering, found the five years difference just a bit too much. However, the spectators thoroughly enjoyed it as the rallies weren’t short. Into the Final Dr.Evil morphing into Mark Cowley, found himself 0/1 and 5/8 down to the Chief Inspector who seemed to be in complete control. A crucial miss at 8/5 saw Cowley nerveless as ever, equal, then take a 2/1 lead in another tight game. Finally, the match went to Mark 3/1 but Stuart, (my room mate) was still furious a long time later that he let the match slip. One thing was proven, Cowley is up towards the Bradburn league when it comes to recovery from alcohol intake!

Mini Me, aka David Adams, and still coaching in Munich umpteen years after he left his native Somerset, was also in the O55’s and this he won easily with no one anywhere near his standard, as did your Chairman in the O60’s event beating another expat who lives in the Netherlands, Keith Flanigan.

The O35 was won by Budapest coaching pro Colin White (originally from Belfast) and the O40’s by two locals as was the Womens O35 and O45. The O35 and O40 and to a lesser extent the O45 will be able to test the best World age group players but after that age group the majority of Europeans haven’t been playing the game long enough to challenge the top English and South African players.

England Squash Masters will keep you posted on all foreign tournaments we are notified about.