Reflections on our inaugural PSA Satellite tournament
East Glos squash manager Mark Toseland looks back on an eventful weekend as East Glos held its first PSA Satellite Tournament from 24th to 26th February 2023.
Well, what a weekend that was! The talent that was on show throughout the whole weekend was spectacular. I have had the ambition to run a PSA Satellite tournament for a few years now, but I wanted to make sure we start it as we mean to go on, with the right team behind it to make it a success.
It was a non-negotiable fact for me that we run a men’s and women’s event together and build a relationship with our future sponsors to make it something they really wanted to be proud of investing in. Once we had the event registered, I certainly wasn’t expecting the high amount of interest that turned up and the strength in depth too.
Selecting a date when there wasn’t much going on in the UK within the PSA calendar was a good idea, as I think this may have contributed to the high demand. Furthermore, adding a one-day graded event to the finals day helped keep the club environment alive, providing plenty of spectators to support our local players and creating an atmosphere that the pro players could drive them on to bring out their best performances.
Day one saw the first rounds of the men’s and women’s 32 draws being played out. This was a fantastic day for all our local players, which saw them all progress through to the 2nd round, including unseeded players Amber Peacey and Nathan Mead.
Day two provided a list of upsets, noticeably Nathan Mead taking out the 3/4 seed and world #202, Joel Arscott, in a five-game thriller. Furthermore, Carys Jones taking out the 5/8 seed and world #207 Chloe Foster in another five-game thriller. This saw both of them reach the quarter-finals in the evening. Unfortunately, the second round saw the end of the tournament for 9/16 seed Tayne Turnock and unseeded Amber Peacey, who were up against some strong opposition; however, they didn’t go down without a fight.
After the monumental battles in the second round, it was too much too far for Nathan and Carys, who had to try to back up their previous performances in the quarter-finals against some much stronger opposition. Both still gave what they could; however, heavy legs got the best of them, and both lost out 3-0. We’re immensely proud of both Nathan and Carys for achieving the upsets they did, all with smiles on their faces and behaviour that is exemplary. As East Glos members, we are immensely grateful to you for representing us in that manner.
Then came the local 5/8 seeds, Will Salter and Ellie Jones, who started causing upsets of their own in the quarter-finals to see them both through to the semi-finals. Both players were on simultaneously, which saw a rapturous home crowd support come alive and out of their seats with roars a plenty whenever they won a point. Ellie took out the unseeded Egyptian, Engy Kamal, 3-1, who took out the ¾ seed and world #159 Erin Classen in the previous round. Will took out the ¾ seed and world #177 Elijah Thomas in another five-game thriller, grinding down the Kiwi after a 2-0 deficit to bring his knees to the ground after an excellent 75-minute battle.
Sunday saw the graded event with over 40 participants, including visitors from across the country from Shropshire, Derbyshire, Leicestershire and more visiting the club. The E Grade was hotly contested, with the East Glos Junior Mavericks really gunning for each other, and boy, did they demonstrate in front of a large crowd what they could do. Congratulations to Harry Wallace for beating our club coach Hannah Lewis for the first time. There was also a hum-dinger of a battle between Rosa Gray and Joseph Tyler, especially with the top seeds in the pro events, Perry and Torrie Malik, along with their dad and coach, Camron taking a keen interest in proceedings.
The semi-finals of the men’s PSA event saw Will Salter take on and lose 3-0 to a very strong and on-form #1 seed and world #107 James Peach. 9/16 seed Jack Mitterer created another upset and beat the #2 seed and world #121 Perry Malik in five games. In the women’s event, Ellie Jones took on the #1 seed, unfortunately, outclassed 3-0 in a solid and on-form performance from the world #84 and #1 seed Torrie Malik. Lastly, the 3/4 seed and world #144, Hana Ismail, took on the #2 seed and world #125, Lowri Roberts. This was not without its drama as Hana failed to show up on time and was very close to being defaulted for being late. However, Lowri agreed to play but unfortunately lost 3-1.
The finals of the graded events preceded the main finals, which saw East Glos members taking home some of the silverware.
Congratulations to the following graded winners:
- A grade: Winner – Damian Burgess; Runner-up – Matt Boal
- B grade: Winner – Amber Peacey; Runner-up – Owain Fullerton
- C grade:Winner – Justin Edwards; Runner-up – Adam Slater
- D grade:Winner – Will Tuffin; Runner-up – Lewis Stanley
- E grade: Winner – Joseph Tyler; Runner-up – Harry Wallace
The finals of the main PSA final brought the closing matches of the evening. These saw both #1 seeds Torrie Malik and James Peach winning 3-1 to take home the inaugural East Glos Open, PSA Satellite top prize of £350 each and a rather large trophy for their efforts.
None of this would have been possible without the help provided by the squash committee, club staff, sponsors, players and supporters, who were willing to help where needed throughout the weekend. Without the sponsors, we would not have the financial support to run such a high-calibre event. Thank you to Mallams, Nick Griffith Estate Agents, Park Lane Abseiling and FPC for providing the prize money to run the event.
Thanks to the squash committee members, Tony Briscombe, Ben Heuzé and Matt Boal, for their support throughout the weekend and making life a little easier for Hannah Lewis and me to look after the admin stuff. A massive shoutout to Hannah for all her help with this event. There aren’t many people that see the rough side of me leading up to these events. However, Hannah provides a reassuring influence on me, which helps keep my head together and on task to deliver.
Our unsung heroes are club members Jamie Carmichael and Joseph Tyler, who offered their help on so many occasions without even being asked. Jamie had initially intended to play in the event; however, an ankle injury in the preceding week forced him to withdraw and watch from the side lines. Jamie was at the event all weekend, offering assistance to mark matches and be a friendly face to chat with.
Joseph offered to take on marking duties for many games, especially the pro matches. I heard a lot of positive feedback about his marking, which gave me the confidence to let him mark the men’s semis and finals. Maybe we’ll see Joseph take on refereeing duties on the PSA world tour in the future, perhaps?
Thanks to everyone for making the event such a spectacular experience for everyone, including the club staff and management, which made things easier for me to stay focused. I can’t thank you all enough. Here’s to next year! Marky T signing out.
