Day 5 of Team Competition

Out final day in Eindohoven. Tomorrow we will head back to Canada. We were set to play New Zealand in the 5/6 today at 11am. The order of play was 1,3,2. 

Chloe was up first, she had a some trouble settling into the match but once she gain confidence she made some great shots. Chloe won 3-1 putting us in the lead 1-0. 

Maddie was up next. She already played the girl earlier in the tournament and won in a very close 5 set match. She was nervous but it didn't show because she played well and won 3-1. 

Another win for Canada!! We didn't have to play the #2 match because we were up 2-0. We placed 5th. Upsetting our 8th seeding and matching the Canadian Girls team's 5th place finish at the 2013 World Juniors. 

We went back to the hotel and relaxed for a little bit before the closing ceremonies banquet. It was at a local sports complex. Unfortunately, I don't have any of the pics on my phone but I will upload them once I get them. 

We are catching a 7am train to Amsterdam tomorrow for our flight home. 

Day 4 of Team Competition

We had a great day today. Our match against Hong Kong was at 2:30pm. We had a late buffet breakfast then heading to the club around 1pm. 

Hong Kong is seeded 4. Behind Egypt (1), USA (2) and England (3). We knew we had a tough match today. The order of play was 2, 1, 3. Sophie, Chloe and Maddie to finish it off. 

Sophie had a tough match to start us off. It was rough with lots of lets. Sophie tried to play a clean game but the other girl kept running into her and being very physical. She lost 3-0 but it was really close. 

Chloe was on next with more pressure because Hong Kong had to win one more match to win the encounter and advance to the 5/6 play off. She lost the first game but it was really close with some questionable reffing. She fought hard in the next three games and squeezed them out. Chloe won her match 3-1.

Maddie had the most pressure because matches were tied 1-1. She was a little shaky in the beginning because of nerves but won the first game 14-12. After she relaxed a bit more and got used to her opponents style she was able to win the next two games 11-5, 11-8. 

Win for team canada!! We will play for 5/6 tomorrow at 11:00am. 

Day 3 of Team Competition

We had a fun morning but a tough evening today. 

This morning we rented bikes at our hotel and went on bike ride around the city. Our hotel feels like it's in the middle of nowhere but since it's so flat here we got downtown in about 15 minutes. We explored a few of the local parks and there were a some art exhibits set up. There is also a carnival in town but we couldn't find it today so we are going again tomorrow morning. 

Biggest picnic bench we've ever seen. It was at one of the art exhibits. 

We got back to the hotel around 3:30 and relaxed until we caught the 5pm shuttle to the club for our 7pm match up against USA who are seeded 2nd. The order of play today was 3, 1, 2. 

We had a tough match. Everyone played well but couldn't outlast the U.S. We lost the encounter 3-0. Tomorrow we will play Hong Kong in the 5-8 playoff. We are hoping to upset our seeding (8th) and place 5th. 

We will play tomorrow at 2:30pm. Our match won't be on the show court though. 

Day 2 of Team Event

We played Switzerland at 12:30 today. We knew this one was going to be tough because they are seeded right behind us. The order of play was 1, 2, 3. I had a rest day today so Chloe, Sophie and Maddie played. 

Chloe won the first match 3-0. She moved her opponent around the court and played some good shots. 

Sophie had a tougher match against the #2. Sophie played great squash but couldn't finish it off so ended up losing 3-2. 

With matches tied 1-1 Maddie had to win in order for us to make the top 8. (Quarter finals). She played well and had some great attacking shots. She won the match 3-0. The final score of the match up was 2-1. 

Our next match up was Egypt at 7pm so we had a few hours to kill. There is a sports complex right beside the Squash club with a go karting track so our whole team went. We got decked out in suits and helmets to make us look like we were race car drivers. I have never seen such a complicated track, it's 10x better than the one at Western Speedway in Victoria. There were hills, turns, ramps..

Richard was the winner. Lapping everyone a few times. 

We had a tough time against Egypt. The order of play was the same as this morning: 1, 2, 3. Sophie took the evening off so Chloe, Maddie and myself played. Playing their team was a great experience but we all lost quiet badly in 3. The top two on the Egyptian team are ranked #12 and #15 in the world.

We placed 2nd in our Pool so we will still advance to the Quater finals at 7pm tomorrow against the U.S. 

We won't know what court we are on until tomorrow but there is a good chance we will be on the show court with live streaming. Here is the link: 

http://wsfworldjuniors.com/live/

Go Canada go!!

Day 1 of Team Event

We started the Team event today at 2:30 against South Africa. The order of play was 3, 2, 1. Chloe had a rest day so I played position 3, Maddie played position 2 and Sophie played position 1. We won the match up confidently 3-0 without losing a game. 

We have by far the best cheering section. Everyone on our team brought noise makers, hats, decorations, tattoos.. 

My brother, Luke, is our team "Mascot"

After the match we went downtown to an Italian restaurant with the U.S. Team. And then back to the hotel for an early night because everyone is tired. 

Tomorrow we will play Switzerland at 12:30pm and Egypt at 7pm.