Top seed Raneem El Welily through to meet Nouran Gohar
By SEAN REUTHE – Squash Mad Correspondent

World No.1 Raneem El Welily will appear in the semi-finals of the 2019-20 CIB PSA Women’s World Championship in front of Cairo’s historic Great Pyramid of Giza after her quarter-final fixture with World No.3 Nour El Tayeb was cut short after just three minutes.

El Welily and El Tayeb have met in all three PSA World Tour events they have played this season, with El Tayeb winning two of them, including their last meeting earlier this month in the U.S. Open semi-finals.

But she shook hands with her opponent after conceding seven points in a row in the opening game, meaning El Welily moves through to last four for the seventh successive time. El Welily is the only female squash player to win a tournament in front of the Pyramids and she is now one win away from appearing in the final in front of the last remaining wonder of the ancient world.

Meanwhile, World No.5 Nouran Gohar will feature in the third World Championship semi of her career after overturning a one-game deficit against England’s Sarah-Jane Perry to win 9-11, 11-8, 13-11, 12-10 in 57 minutes.

U.S. Open champion Gohar has been one of the form players on the women’s tour over the past six months, winning the British Open and reaching the final of the El Gouna International. She came close to going 2-1 behind, but fought back from two game balls down to take the lead, before closing out the decider on the tie-break.

“I don’t show a lot of emotion on court, so to do that shows a lot,” said 22-year-old Gohar. “I reached a semi-final here [in Egypt] twice I think, one of them was in El Gouna, so Egypt is my lucky place and I play my best squash here because the crowd give me great energy, even when at the beginning I wasn’t at 100 per cent. They had to give me that push to play and I didn’t want to disappoint them.

“I’m going to enjoy my rest day as a normal athlete because the last time I had an exam. I’m going to try and recover really well because each point was really tough. She didn’t give up at all, I was up in the third and the fourth but it was like she was leading. I’m really looking forward to my semi-final match now in a couple of days.”

Men’s World No.1 Ali Farag appeared on court in the CIB Men’s Egyptian Open after wife El Tayeb’s match, and he had to recover from a game down to get the better of English veteran Daryl Selby, who was appearing in his first PSA Platinum quarter-final since 2017.

Farag had won all four of his matches against the 36-year-old, including a 3-0 victory over the World No.17 in the opening round of the 2018-19 PSA World Championship. Selby played some consistent squash in the opener to take a game against the Egyptian for the first time.

Selby had a further opportunity in the third game when, after Farag levelled in the second, he led 9-6 after some trickery and deception enabled him to rattle off a succession of points. Farag came back at him though and held firm in the fourth to close out the win by an 8-11, 11-7, 11-9, 11-5 scoreline.

“Thanks to Nour [El Tayeb] and Karim [Darwish], they kept pushing me,” said Farag.

“I’m just very happy to be through that one for sure. I hope it’s another great match against Paul and that we can give the crowd a good one.”

New Zealand’s Paul Coll lies in wait in the last four after the World No.5 overcame Egypt’s Fares Dessouky in a physical, five-game battle. Coll was on the front foot after the first game, but Dessouky showed signs of his sublime racket skills to draw level. The match had been relatively free-flowing up to that point, but it soon became a scrappy affair as each player took a game apiece to set up a decider.

Some big calls from the referees played their part in adding to the drama of the match as a conduct stroke was awarded against Dessouky for blocking at 7-7 in the fifth, and Coll was able to maintain a cool head to close out an 11-6, 5-11, 11-8, 9-11, 11-9 victory in a mammoth 82 minutes.

The Kiwi will now aim to reach a maiden Platinum final but has beaten Farag in just one of their previous 10 matches, losing nine matches in a row. It will be their second fixture in a Platinum semi-final, with Farag winning 3-2 in the last four of the British Open back in May after 77 minutes of brutal squash.

“I’m really enjoying this new period of my game,” Coll said. “I started with a new coach, mental and tactical, so I’m really enjoying the start of the season, I’ve had a few good wins and a couple of good results. This is my first time playing in front of the Pyramids and it is another incredible experience in my squash career to be playing in this amazing location tonight.”

Quarter-finals continue on Wednesday October 30 from 18:30 onwards at the Pyramids. Matches will be shown live on SQUASHTV (rest of world), Eurosport Player (Europe only) and the official Facebook page of the PSA World Tour. 

2019-20 CIB PSA Women’s World Championship.

Quarter-Finals (Top Half):
[1] Raneem El Welily (EGY) bt [5] Nour El Tayeb (EGY) 3-0: 7-0 ret. (3m)
[4] Nouran Gohar (EGY) bt [7] Sarah-Jane Perry (ENG) 3-1: 9-11, 11-8, 13-11, 12-10 (57m)

Quarter-Finals (Bottom Half) October 30:
[3] Camille Serme (FRA) v [14] Hania El Hammamy (EGY)
[6] Joelle King (NZL) v [2] Nour El Sherbini (EGY)

Semi-Finals (Top Half) October 31:
[1] Raneem El Welily (EGY) v [4] Nouran Gohar (EGY) 

CIB Men’s Egyptian Squash Open.

Quarter-Finals (Top Half):
[1] Ali Farag (EGY) bt Daryl Selby (ENG) 3-1: 8-11, 11-7, 11-9, 11-5 (54m)
[5] Paul Coll (NZL) bt Fares Dessouky (EGY) 3-2: 11-6, 5-11, 11-8, 9-11, 11-9 (82m)

Quarter-Finals (Bottom Half) October 30:
[3] Karim Abdel Gawad (EGY) v Marwan ElShorbagy (EGY)
Baptiste Masotti (FRA) v Joel Makin (WAL)

Semi-Finals (Top Half) October 31:
[1] Ali Farag (EGY) v [5] Paul Coll (NZL) 

Report by SEAN REUTHE (PSA). Edited by ALAN THATCHER.

Pictures courtesy of PSA

England Women won the first Rugby X event by beating the United States in the final at London's O2 Arena.

The five-a-side indoor competition featured four women's teams, with the final ending 20-20, before England won 3-2 in the one-on-one format.

The men's tournament featured six sides and was won by Argentina, who defeated Ireland 25-15 in the final.

England failed to win a match as they were beaten by the Barbarians, Ireland and Argentina.

England Women overcame France 35-20 in their semi-final, before the final against the United States.

As it finished level, it was settled by the 'one-on-one' format, which involved one defender on the 5m line and one attacker 30m from goal with a ball. The attacker had 10 seconds to score, with the first team to three winning.

England men drew 30-30 against the Barbarians, who then triumphed 3-2 in the one-on-one, before England then lost 30-10 to Ireland and 55-15 against Argentina.

England have been fined a four-figure sum for crossing the halfway line as they lined up in a V formation to face the haka before their Rugby World Cup semi-final match against New Zealand.

World Rugby rules stipulate teams must remain within their own half of the pitch to receive the challenge.

Referee Nigel Owens and his team had to usher several England players back as they strayed over halfway.

England won the game 19-7 and will play South Africa in Saturday's final.

World Rugby said England breached tournament rules "relating to cultural challenges".

In 2011, France formed an arrowhead shape and advanced on New Zealand while they performed the haka before the World Cup final in Auckland and were subsequently fined £2,500 for breaching a "cultural ritual protocol".

England broke from the customary shoulder-to-shoulder stance and instead lined up in a V shape, with two prongs projecting towards the All Blacks, to receive the haka.

Captain Owen Farrell said England planned their response to show New Zealand they would not have things all their own way in their match.

"We didn't just want to stand in a flat line and let them come at us," said Farrell, who seemingly smiled during the haka.

Centre Manu Tuilagi added: "Everyone wanted to show that we were ready and together. It was something different that I think Eddie [Jones] suggested."

While New Zealand captain Kieran Read said England's haka reception had "no impact" on the match,

A video on World Rugby's Youtube channel called "England's incredible response to intense New Zealand haka" has been viewed more than four million times.

England's fine will be donated to charity.

GERMANTOWN, Tenn. – Sammy Swindell has secured a pair of opportunities to compete during the final Lucas Oil ASCS National Tour and World of Outlaws NOS Energy Drink Sprint Car Series events of the season.

Swindell is teaming up with Jared Sewell to tackle Tony Stewart presents the VANKOR Texas Sprint Car Nationals this Thursday and Friday at Texas Motor Speedway Dirt Track in Fort Worth, Texas.

“This deal recently came together and we’re excited to get to Texas Motor Speedway, where we’ve been successful almost every time we’ve raced there,” he said.

Swindell has four career starts at Texas with the ASCS National Tour, including a pair of podium finishes last year. He also charged from 18th to ninth in 2017 after recording a DNF during his series debut there.

Additionally, Swindell made four starts at the track with the World of Outlaws in the early 2000s. His best World of Outlaws result was a fifth-place outing in 2003.

“It’s like a three-eighths-mile track so it’s a good size for racing,” he said. “It’s wide enough you almost always have opportunities to pass other cars. If you had a bad draw you still should have opportunities even starting deep in the field to have a good finish and I’ve done that before.”

Swindell will wrap up the sprint car season the following weekend by driving for Trey Hoddick during the World of Outlaws Can-Am World Finals hosted by The Dirt Track at Charlotte in Concord, N.C., Nov. 7-9.

Swindell won the inaugural World of Outlaws race at The Dirt Track at Charlotte in May 2000 and he also visited Victory Lane there in 2012.

“We’ve been successful in Charlotte and won World of Outlaws races there,” he said. “It can be a wide and racy track so we’re looking forward to heading there.”

When California governor Gavin Newsom signed SB 206 into law last month, he called the decision the “beginning of a national movement.”

“I don’t want to say this is checkmate, but this is a major problem for the NCAA,” Newsom said. “It’s going to initiate dozens of other states to introduce similar legislation, and it’s going to change college sports for the better.”

On Tuesday, as more states continue to move forward with similar legislation, the NCAA finally got on board. In an unprecedented move, the NCAA’s top governing board voted unanimously to allow student-athletes to benefit from and be compensated for the use of their name, image and likeness.

While details were unclear, the NCAA indicated that it would modernize its rules on amateurism by January 2021, and has asked each of its three divisions to immediately consider updates to its policies and bylaws.

“As a national governing body, the NCAA is uniquely positioned to modify its rules to ensure fairness and a level playing field for student-athletes,” NCAA president Mark Emmert said in a statement Tuesday. “The board's action today creates a path to enhance opportunities for student-athletes while ensuring they compete against students and not professionals.”

Emmert was initially opposed to the idea of compensating players, even threatening to ban California schools from NCAA competition if the Fair Pay to Play Act passed. But the NCAA’s stance soon began to soften, and Newsom’s signing of the bill into law beginning in 2023 – along with advancements made by other states, including Illinois, New York and Florida – forced the NCAA’s hand.

Tuesday’s decision likely comes in an effort to avoid confusion and create a uniform policy across the country.

“We must embrace change to provide the best possible experience for college athletes,” said board chairman Michael Drake, also the president of Ohio State. “Additional flexibility in this area can and must continue to support college sports as a part of higher education. This modernization for the future is a natural extension of the numerous steps NCAA members have taken in recent years to improve support for student-athletes, including full cost of attendance and guaranteed scholarships.”

In a press release, the governing body listed a few principles and guidelines that it wants to abide by as it continues to iron out details and gather feedback, a process that is expected to run through April:

• Assure student-athletes are treated similarly to non-athlete students unless a compelling reason exists to differentiate.

• Maintain the priorities of education and the collegiate experience to provide opportunities for student-athlete success.

• Reaffirm that student-athletes are students first and not employees of the university.

• Protect the recruiting environment and prohibit inducements to select, remain at, or transfer to a specific institution.

While player compensation is expected to greatly affect college football and basketball, golf will also be impacted. Assuming the NCAA’s new policy falls in line with SB 206, college golfers would be allowed to sign endorsement deals with equipment, apparel and other companies, as long as those agreements didn’t conflict with that of the university. They’d also be able to sign with agents, and be paid for any golf-related employment opportunities, including golf clinics and private instruction.

The only hurdle – and it’s a big one – involves the amateur rules of the USGA and R&A, which state that “an amateur golfer of golf skill or reputation must not use that skill or reputation to obtain payment, compensation, personal benefit or any financial gain, directly or indirectly, for (i) promoting, advertising or selling anything, or (ii) allowing his name or likeness to be used by a third party for the promotion, advertisement or sale of anything.”

GolfChannel.com reached out to the USGA for a request for comment, but has yet to hear back. The governing body commented on SB 206 last month, saying in a statement:

“While we’re watching what is happening in California and various states, it’s simply too premature to contemplate all the ways this might affect the golf community in the future. We’re thankful for the working relationship we share with the NCAA and the ability to continue an open dialogue through this process.”

Namibia 161 for 7 (Smith 59, Williams 45, Khan 4-19) beat Oman 107 (Khawar 41, Scholtz 3-14, Erasmus 3-19) by 54 runs

"Not again". That's what Namibia captain Gerhard Erasmus said was going through his mind as Khawar Ali was torching his bowlers to take Oman to 55 for 1 after five overs chasing a target of 162. Namibia have gone through more heartbreaks than most teams at the T20 World Cup Qualifier, failing in five qualification playoff matches spread across 2012, 2013 and 2015. That sense of déjà vu was especially present for Erasmus for he was in the XI when Oman upset Namibia four years ago at Malahide chasing 149 to clinch a place at the 2016 T20 World Cup in India.

This time Bernard Scholtz's introduction in the seventh over sparked a stunning fightback as Oman lost 6 for 32 to the left-right spin tandem of Scholtz and Erasmus to help Namibia secure a 54-run win and their first ever trip to the T20 World Cup. JJ Smit was named Man of the Match for his stirring counterattack in the first innings, blitzing a 20-ball half-century before taking two wickets at the end to clinch victory, Namibia's fifth straight after starting the tournament with back-to-back losses.

After overcoming the loss of Jatinder Singh, caught at deep square leg on the second ball of the chase, Ali had been toying with the Namibian pace bowling unit through the rest of the powerplay and took a special liking to Christi Viljoen. Ali drove, pulled and cut him for a trio of fours to start the second over, then pulled him over midwicket and drove him over long-on for a pair of sixes in the fifth.

But the wheels came off in the Oman chase upon the arrival of Scholtz. Aqib Ilyas tried to slog sweep the first ball he saw against the spinner and missed, struck on the back leg in front of middle for a straightforward lbw decision to end a 57-run stand. Despite being well ahead of Namibia's position - they had ended their own powerplay at 36 for 3 - Scholtz and Erasmus seized on Oman's batting hubris to run amok through the middle order.

Captain Zeeshan Maqsood was out sixth ball lofting a drive to long-off in the eighth off Erasmus. Ali charged impetuously at Scholtz four balls later to be out stumped for 41 off 25. Suraj Kumar produced a reckless heave first ball and was fortunate to be spilled by Smit on a straightforward chance at long-on, but refused to adjust his approach and slog swept Erasmus to Jan Frylinck at deep midwicket for 6 in the 12th. Kaleem swatted Scholtz to Frylinck at cow corner for 13 five balls later before Sandeep Goud skied a slog over mid-on for Erasmus to circle back for a sharp over-the-shoulder catch to complete a shocking and in some ways self-inflicted collapse.

Smit came back for a late spell to claim Khurram Nawaz with a full delivery in front of middle stump for a leg before decision and then induced a skier to backward point on the first ball of the 20th taken by JP Kotze to end the match.

As pivotal as Scholtz's spell was, there was no doubt that 23-year-old allrounder Smit would be Man of the Match for rallying Namibia with the bat. Erasmus looked like he may have made the same mistake as UAE earlier in the day by choosing to bat first as Namibia found themselves at 82 for 5 in 14 overs. Outside of Niko Davin's brief flurry in the powerplay, the rest of the top and middle order failed as Oman took command.

However, Smit and Craig Williams plundered 67 in a four-over sequence from the 15th through the 18th that turned the match upside down. Smit savaged Oman's spinners in particular, driving Nawaz's left-arm spin over long-off and extra cover for a pair of sixes in the 16th, then drove Ali's legspin almost out of the stadium into the top row of the second tier over long-off to bring up his half-century at a strike rate of 250. One ball later he swatted Ali over wide long-on for six more to leave Oman shellshocked.

Bilal Khan dismissed both Williams and Smit off a pair of full tosses in the 19th, adding to two exceptional deliveries in his opening two overs that claimed Stephen Baard at short midwicket on the first ball of the match and a nipbacker to bowl Kotze in the third. Namibia only added 12 runs off the final two overs as a result, but Khan's spell went to waste.

Namibia advance to the semi-finals where they will take on Papua New Guinea on Friday night. Oman get a second crack at claiming one of the final two berths at the T20 World Cup when they take on Hong Kong on Wednesday night in an elimination playoff.

FLORHAM PARK, N.J. -- The New York Jets didn't make any deadline trades Tuesday, but they have a mess to clean up -- a potential rift between star safety Jamal Adams and first-year general manager Joe Douglas.

Adams attacked Douglas on Twitter late Tuesday, saying he told Douglas last week that he wanted to remain with the Jets but the GM "went behind my back and shopped me around to teams, even after I asked him to keep me here! Crazy business."

The Jets talked with multiple teams, namely the Dallas Cowboys, who offered a 2020 first-round pick for Adams, ESPN's Ed Werder reported. After a few hours of intense speculation, Douglas opted to retain the Pro Bowl safety.

In a post-deadline news conference, Douglas confirmed that he fielded offers for Adams, but claimed he didn't initiate any of the conversations. He said his policy is to listen to all offers, and that no player -- except for a franchise quarterback -- is untouchable.

Moments after the news conference, Adams fired off two tweets.

"Any reports of me asking to be traded from the New York Jets are completely false," he said.

Any reports of me asking to be traded from the New York Jets are completely false.

— Jamal Adams (@TheAdamsEra) October 29, 2019

In the next tweet, Adams revealed that he met last week with Douglas and coach Adam Gase and expressed a desire to stay in New York, but was told Monday by his agent that Douglas was shopping him around the league.

At the end of the week last week, I sat down with the GM and Coach Gase and told them I want to be here in New York. I was told yesterday by my agent that the GM then went behind my back and shopped me around to teams, even after I asked him to keep me here! Crazy business.

— Jamal Adams (@TheAdamsEra) October 29, 2019

Douglas, in a scheduled interview with The Michael Kay Show on ESPN New York radio, responded to Adams' tweets. He called it a "simple miscommunication," adding, "We did not call anyone. We were not shopping Jamal, I can promise you that."

But that could be considered semantics, though, because the Jets engaged the Cowboys in talks and made a counter offer, a source said.

"Teams have been calling us ever since there was a social-media issue a few weeks back," said Douglas, referring to Adams deleting the Jets from his social media bio. "My message was clear, that Jamal was an absolute stud and we're not interested in moving him. Teams continued to call. I was always taught where I'm from, if a team calls, you listen to what they have to say."

In the end, the Jets felt the offers weren't good enough, Douglas said.

Douglas said Adams is "absolutely" part of the team's long-term plan, but this storyline probably won't fade away. While he claimed publicly that he wants to be with the Jets, Adams indicated to friends that he'd like to play for the Cowboys, sources said.

The Jets also received interest in running back Le'Veon Bell and wide receiver Robby Anderson, Douglas confirmed. One team offered a fourth-round pick for Anderson, ESPN's Chris Mortensen reported, but the Jets were seeking a second-rounder.

Douglas said he spoke to Bell and Anderson after the deadline. He said he didn't have a chance to speak with Adams, but was planning to do so.

"We were not shopping any of those players," Douglas said, claiming the Jets (1-6) had no plans to hold a fire sale.

Bell tweeted a video late Tuesday, saying he's glad he wasn't traded.

"I am happy as hell to be a NY Jet," he said. "I'm happy to be here in spite of all the trade rumors and talks. I am here and I am happy to be here. But everybody has to have a little bit of patience. I promise we're going to get this turned around."

patience is key... pic.twitter.com/ajE7NnNbFx

— Le'Veon Bell (@LeVeonBell) October 29, 2019

Bell didn't speak with reporters after Sunday's 29-15 loss to the Jacksonville Jaguars, fueling speculation that he has had enough. He vented frustration in the locker room in front of his teammates, a source said.

Adams, 24, is regarded as one of the few building block players on the Jets, but he has become disenchanted with the losing. The Jets are 10-29 since drafting him. Teammates have said Adams seemed down in recent weeks, not his usual optimistic self.

He appeared dejected after the Jacksonville game, one of his worst games as a pro.

"I don't come from losing," he told reporters. "I don't know how else to say it. It's frustrating. It's tough. I'm fighting it each and every day. ... It's been three years, man. I just want to win."

MINNEAPOLIS -- Nelson Cruz's $12 million option for next season has been exercised by the Minnesota Twins.

The 39-year-old designated hitter agreed in January to a contract with a $14 million salary for 2019 and the club option.

He hit .311 with a team-high 41 homers and had 108 RBIs in 120 games. He spent two stints on the injured list for a wrist problem that led to a torn tendon. Cruz was 2-for-10 with a solo home run as the Twins were swept by the New York Yankees in the American League Division Series, and the Twins said after that series they planned to exercise the option.

Cruz would have received a $300,000 buyout if the option had been declined and would have become eligible for free agency.

If you homer off Stephen Strasburg in the World Series, don't you get to re-invent the home run trot? Alex Bregman sure tried to -- he held onto his lumber until after he rounded first base, finally dropping it at the feet of Washington 1B Ryan Zimmerman. Maybe he's showy, or maybe like Moses Serrano in Major League, Bregman just really likes his bats.