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The flicks of the trade: A Tactics special!

Published in Table Tennis

Monday, 02 September 2019 17:47

by Massimo Costantini, ITTF High Performance Manager

It all started about ten years ago, when players in East Asia, and more precisely in China at the National Championships, began to make systematic use of the backhand opening on the table, moving in advance to the centre of the table or even to the forehand area: it was the so-called backhand side flick, then also known as the “banana flick” because of the technical figure that the racket/wrist/forearm produce in performing this shot.

Of course, this kind of action is not a new occurrence on the table tennis scene; we can think of players like Petr Korbel or Tibor Klampar. Since then, the so-called “pivot” or “step around” – the footwork movement on the body axis to permit and perform the more powerful forehand topspin – has been pushed into the background.

In my opinion, and I would like to start a debate here, there is a possibility that the steady decline of China’s dominance has already begun. China’s mixed results are very evident across various tournaments. I already reported this trend in 2013 in one of my technical essays. Then I predicted the decline to happen within the next 8 to 10 years. The full extent of my argument can be found in one of my articles, recently posted on LinkedIn.

The Chinese style

In earlier days, we used to expect the usual phenomenon of a Chinese player, only barely out of their teens, playing internationally for the first time and leaving the Europeans and rest of the world defeated in their wake, then rising towards becoming one of the world’s top players in a very short time.

Today, however, we have Japan’s Tomokazu Harimoto born in 2003, and Chinese Taipei’s Lin Yun-Ju born in 2001, who started playing table tennis with a mentality of opening the rally and actually frustrating any attempt by the opponent to attack after their own serve. The Chinese, masters of the third ball of attack, saw themselves threatened by this show of strength on their own turf, one where they had prevailed for the past ten years.

Why then, are champions like China’s Ma Long or Fan Zhendong still the most credible candidates for the World Championships and the Olympic Games? The reason is that they have not been influenced by this trend, which I do not consider to be a good evolution of our sport. They have maintained their nature while capitalizing on the most effective of Chinese skills: making the best use of the forehand from the backhand side, which relies on the primordial use of footwork movement. This is the reason why they remain the best players.

What of Europe?

And Europe? Europe has failed to take the train of the aggressive game of the second ball – or maybe they missed it. There are too many players who, after serving, even find themselves pushing long and then hoping for the fifth ball of counter attack, or worse: playing fishing or lobbing.

If Asia expresses itself in a school in terms of theory and efficiency of the game, Europe still relies on individual talents. Hence extraordinary examples such as German legend Timo Boll, his compatriot Dimitrij Ovtcharov and Belarusian Vladimir Samsonov can still have their say.

But let us examine then what kind of “pasta” those like Harimoto and Lin Yun-Ju are made of. Later I will also discuss the Chinese players Wang Chuqin and Xue Fei, and Sweden’s Truls Möregård.

Evolution of styles

One does not need to have analyzed the most recent matches of the World Tour in Bulgaria and the Czech Republic to say that the short or long push on the serve-return is now part of the past, reminiscent of the playing style just more than a decade ago. Both have the sense of a backhand attack on the table, forcing the opponent to “defend” and pressing him with other shots at close range from the table, all for a rally of just 1.5 seconds or even less. And hence the serve is not so elaborate, but more simple, maybe 50% short and 50% long, just to allow them to be ready for the acceleration of the third ball.

It is a one-way game, an imposition of one’s own dictate in any situation, an extraordinary show of willpower. But it may be perhaps precisely because of a player’s young age that this can happen and therefore their freedom to express themselves reaches levels that remain out of reach for others. They think fast, act suddenly, move quickly: an explosive mix.

In my opinion, Wang Chuqin is a “threat” for everyone simply because he, like the other two mentioned above, grew up with a backhand flick and with the ability to impose his own game, and on top of that, he is a left-hander which, for that style, is a plus. Chuqin was lucky enough to grow gradually in terms of results, starting with the 2018 Youth Olympics Games in Buenos Aires, where he defeated Harimoto in a challenge at the highest level.

In fact, he was extremely comfortable to think like Harimoto and to play like Harimoto; the pen holder Xue Fei, born in 1999, was not as lucky. He was another promising star of the future with as formidable a potential as Chuqin, but his greatest opportunity was shattered just two years ago, in Olomouc, when he led 3-1 8-4 against the great Boll, but eventually losing. Winning that match would have projected him to the Olympus of the Chinese superstars, but with that defeat things went into a different direction.

Sometimes you got to have luck on your side. Here I have to make a technical clarification: the pen grip has the indisputable double advantage of loading the “sidespin backhand flick” with high rotation and providing the forehand with a powerful topspin. In fact, with the pen grip, the excursion of the racket reaches almost 360 degrees and the transition to the forehand is a natural motion, if only for the tradition of the Chinese masters.

Last in my list is Truls Möregård. The young Swede, also son of great traditions of medals and world titles, has opted for the game of control with a tireless effort to put the point in the pocket. Unlike that of his Asian colleagues, his effort is prolonged. Comparing the two different approaches is to compare runners competing in the 100 metre event with middle distance runners, whereby Truls would play the part of the middle-distance runner.

Another example of this approach would be Romanian Cristian Pletea. The protagonist of the unexpected victory against Harimoto, he has the same great ability as Möregård: to bring a “100 metre sprinter” player competes as if he were a middle distance runner. What are the chances they will make it?

To conclude, we are less than 11 months away from the Tokyo 2020 Olympic Games. I think the Chinese are once again favoured for three reasons: the habit of winning, maturity (age factor) and the presence of Liu Guoliang. It would not surprise me to see the President of the Chinese Association in the training hall to make many-balls drills and not even to see him on the bench, maybe just for Ma Long or Fan Zhendong’s men’s final, with – who knows?- Harimoto or Lin Yun-Jun or… perhaps someone else?

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Camille Serme excited to make Nantes debut

Published in Squash

Tuesday, 03 September 2019 02:44

Camille Serme is looking forward to playing in front of a home crowd

‘I can’t wait to see this new, iconic venue’
By MATT COLES – Squash Mad Correspondent

French No.1 Camille Serme is looking forward to making her debut at the Open de France – Nantes 2019 Presented by Tailor Capital when the country’s most prestigious PSA event takes place from September 9-14 at the Chateau des ducs de Bretagne.

The Open de France – formally known as the Open International de Squash de Nantes – featured on the PSA Challenger Tour in 2018, but has this year upgraded to a PSA World Tour Silver event, meaning it has attracted a number of the world’s leading players. The tournament will also use a best-of-three game format up to and including the quarter-finals, before reverting to the traditional best of five format for the semi-finals and beyond.

This will be Serme’s first appearance at the tournament, and the World No.3 is excited to play in Nantes for the first time on the PSA World Tour.

“I am looking forward to play a big event in France. I’ve been hearing a lot about this tournament from other players, so I’m happy to be able to play it this year,” Serme explained.

“The venue is going to be an other iconic squash scene on the tour. I can’t wait to see it for real.”

Serme will come into the tournament as the leading Frenchwoman in the game, sitting inside the top three in the World Rankings after reaching the final of both the Allam British Open and the CIB PSA World Tour Finals at the end of last season.

The Open de France draws in one of the most vocal crowds on the PSA Tour, and the 30-year-old believes that she will thrive on the support of her home spectators.

The Chateau des Ducs de Bretagne will be hosting the glass court

“I’m not thinking about it yet, but for sure it’s gonna feel special to play in front of my staff, my parents and my home country. I will use it as an extra boost, not pressure,” she explained.

The Open de France is the 2019-2020 season opener on the PSA World Tour, and the French No.1 is looking forward to getting started with her campaign after a quick turnaround in the off-season.

“This summer has gone so fast it’s crazy!” she admitted.

“It has been great to be able to work on different things with my new fitness coach, such as gym sessions and on track as well. I really love the training part of our job so I enjoyed the last two months.

“I am currently in Seattle for an exhibition tournament, so although Nantes will technically be the first PSA event of the season, I will have really good matches in the legs already.”

The Open de France features equal prize money for the first time, with $147,000 up for grabs across both draws. La Maison du Squash will host round one matches, while round two matches will be split between there and the Chateau des ducs de Bretagne. The Chateau des ducs de Bretagne will host all matches from the quarter finals onwards.

All of the action from the Chateau des ducs de Bretagne will be shown live on SQUASHTV (rest of world), Eurosport Player (Europe only) and the official Facebook page of the PSA World Tour.

Tickets are available for purchase via the tournament’s official website.

Article by MATT COLES (PSA). Edited by ALAN THATCHER.

Pictures courtesy of PSA

Posted on September 3, 2019

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PSA unveils 2019-20 World Tour calendar

Published in Squash

Tuesday, 03 September 2019 03:22

The 2018-19 PSA World Tour Finals at Cairo’s Mall of Arabia

Busy season ahead as prize money grows
By SEAN REUTHE – Squash Mad Correspondent

The Professional Squash Association (PSA) has announced the calendar for the 2019-20 PSA World Tour season, which will see 29 tournaments take place across five continents between September 2019 and June 2020.

The PSA World Tour is the pinnacle of professional men’s and women’s squash and makes up part of the new PSA Tour structure – which came into effect in August 2018 – alongside the PSA Challenger Tour and the WSF and PSA Satellite Tour.

In addition to the PSA Men’s and Women’s World Championships, the PSA World Tour comprises eight Platinum tournaments, seven Gold events, five silver events, seven bronze events and the season-ending PSA World Tour Finals, which will take place in Cairo, Egypt in June.

The reigning PSA World Champions and all Platinum event winners automatically qualify for the PSA World Tour Finals, which features a men’s and women’s event, both containing eight-player draws. The remaining places are allocated to the highest ranked players on the Road to Egypt Standings, and points will be on offer at all PSA World Tour events during the season.

The Canary Wharf Classic is always a sell-out in London

The announcement of the 2019-20 PSA World Tour calendar comes off the back of the release of the season’s broadcast schedule, which will see 18 PSA World Tour events broadcast live on SQUASHTV, Eurosport Player, the official Facebook page of the PSA World Tour, DAZN and a selection of mainstream broadcast channels across the globe.

“Since putting the new tour structure into place at the beginning of the 2018-19 season, we have seen an increase in prize money and playing opportunities across the tour and we fully expect that trend to continue throughout the upcoming season.” said PSA Tour Director Hannah Ridgard-Mason.

“The 2019-20 campaign promises to be one of the most highly-competitive and exciting seasons in recent memory, and we look forward to watching all of the action unfold over the next nine months.”

Prize money on the PSA Tour increased by 10 per cent last season to $7,600,000 and this is projected to grow once again during the 2019-20 campaign.

About PSA:
The Professional Squash Association (PSA) is the global governing body responsible for the administration of both men’s and women’s professional squash around the world. With over 950 registered players and more than 200 events taking place around the globe every year, the PSA World Tour and the PSA Challenger Tour – both managed and run by the PSA – showcases the game of squash at its highest level in some of the world’s most unique and stunning locations.

2019-20 PSA World Tour Calendar.

J.P. Morgan China Squash Open, PSA Platinum – Shanghai, China: September 4-8, 2019
Open de France – Nantes 2019 presented by Tailor Capital, PSA Silver – Nantes. France: September 9-14, 2019
Oracle NetSuite Open, PSA Gold – San Francisco, United States: September 24-30, 2019
FS Investments U.S. Open Squash Championships, PSA Platinum – Philadelphia, United States: October 5-12, 2019
CIB PSA Women’s World Championship – Cairo, Egypt: October 24 – November 1, 2019
CIB Egyptian Squash Open, PSA Men’s Platinum – Cairo, Egypt: October 25 – November 1, 2019
PSA Men’s World Championship – Doha, Qatar: November 8-15, 2019
Channel VAS Championships at St. George’s Hill, PSA Men’s Gold – London, England: November 19-24, 2019
Everbright Sun Hung Kai Hong Kong Squash Open, PSA Platinum – Hong Kong: December 2-8, 2019
J.P. Morgan Tournament of Champions, PSA Platinum – New York, United States: January 9-17, 2020
Pittsburgh Open, PSA Men’s Bronze – Pittsburgh, United States: January 22-26, 2020
Carol Weymuller Open, PSA Women’s Bronze – Brooklyn, United States: January 22-27, 2020
CCI International, PSA Men’s Gold – Mumbai, India: Dates TBC
Cleveland Classic, PSA Women’s Bronze – Cleveland, United States: January 30 – 3 February, 2020
Bahl and Gaynor Cincinnati Gaynor Cup, PSA Women’s Bronze – Cincinnati, United States: February 20-24, 2020
Canada Cup, PSA Men’s Silver – Toronto, Canada: February 21-25, 2020
The Walter Family Windy City Open, PSA Platinum – Chicago, United States: February 27 – 4 March, 2020
Canary Wharf Classic, PSA Men’s Gold – London, England: March 8-13, 2020
Black Ball Squash Open, PSA Women’s Platinum – Cairo, Egypt: March 8-14, 2020
Grasshopper Cup, PSA Men’s Gold & Women’s Bronze – Zurich, Switzerland: March 17-22, 2020
Macau Open, PSA Bronze – Macau, China: Dates TBC
El Gouna International Squash Open, PSA Platinum – El Gouna, Egypt: April 8-17, 2020
Manchester Open, PSA Silver – Manchester, England: April 21-26, 2020**
Sports Internacional Guatemala, PSA Men’s Silver – Guatemala: Dates TBC
Motor City Open, PSA Men’s Silver – Detroit, United States: Dates TBC
Wimbledon Open, PSA Men’s Bronze – London, England: Dates TBC
British Open, PSA Platinum – TBC, England: May 25-31, 2020
Mauritius Open, PSA Men’s Gold – Grand Bay, Mauritius: June 3-7, 2020
PSA World Tour Finals – Cairo, Egypt: June 29-26, 2020

**Dates subject to change

Website: www.psaworldtour.com

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

Pictures courtesy of PSA

Posted on September 3, 2019

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'Squad selection, snoring and sushi - my first World Cup'

Published in Rugby

Tuesday, 03 September 2019 04:56

In his latest BBC Sport column, Wales centre Hadleigh Parkes looks forward his first World Cup, waxes lyrical about sushi and talks about his search for a new room-mate in Japan.

Now the wait for the squad announcement is over, I'm so excited about my first World Cup.

It's going to be an amazing tournament: a lot of fun but also a lot of hard work. To hear your name read out is something very special and I'm just excited about getting out to Japan and getting stuck in.

No matter who you are and what your status in the squad, you certainly have those nerves when you're waiting to find out if you've been included.

You'd like to be confident but, until you hear your name read out, you don't get that sense of relief. You have to be on edge a little bit and that's a good thing because it shows how much depth there is in Wales at the moment.

We found out on Sunday, live and at the same time as all the fans watching online. Then on Monday morning it was back to training.

When we all saw each other, there were a few 'congratulations' here and there and a few handshakes or fist-bumps. It's a pretty special thing to be able to go to a World Cup.

Then we had our team photo and got given our new training kit and bags with the World Cup logos on them. Those little bits of detail help it all sink in.

We'll need to pack that this week because it will go to Japan separately from our flight. A little bit of organisation will be required, which could test a few of the boys!

We have to organise a big bag for Japan and then a bag to go to Ireland for this weekend's game - hopefully the boys will be able to plan ahead.

Mixed emotions and the search for a room-mate

All 31 of us selected were delighted on Sunday, but we were all disappointed for the nine guys who missed out.

You feel for those boys and, to be fair to them, they all sent us a message on our World Cup WhatsApp group to wish us all the best in Japan.

There were some tough calls for the coaches to make, having to give those players that bad news. Difficult decisions are part of the job for coaches, and it's our job as players to make those decisions difficult.

One of those who missed out was Owen Lane - my room-mate, 'The Lane Train' - and I thought he played really well against Ireland on the weekend. He scored his try and put in a great effort on his debut.

The competition is pretty fierce on the wing and, unfortunately for him, he missed out. But I do think he has a massive future.

On a personal note, it's another roomie down for me after my original room-mate, Gareth Anscombe, was ruled out of the World Cup because of injury.

We'll have to wait and see what happens now.

I heard that James 'Cubby' Davies said he doesn't want to room with his brother Jonathan because he's too "boring".

I couldn't possibly comment on that, but it could mean I'll be on 'Cubby Tours' in Japan. Maybe he'll lead me astray!

As there's an odd number of players with 31 in the squad, the captain Alun Wyn Jones gets his own room.

That's always the case, unless there's a big snorer! If there is someone who snores a lot, they tend to sleep in a room on their own.

Bring on the sushi!

Apart from the rugby, what I'm most looking forward to about my first trip to Japan is the food!

I'm a massive fan of Japanese cuisine. I like sushi, chicken teriyaki, salmon teriyaki - all that kind of stuff. I think we'll be looking at a few food blogs, seeing what's out there. Hopefully the weight I've lost this pre-season won't come back on!

When you're touring, it's all part of it, experiencing different cultures and cuisines. In Argentina, for example, the steaks were amazing.

And then you go to South Africa and you try the meats and the braai and stuff like that. It will be awesome to experience some Japanese culture.

Sometimes we won't have seats at dinner time and we'll be sitting on the ground, so you've got to embrace that kind of thing.

You don't always have to eat at the hotel. The way I look at it, at the start of the week, I like to eat somewhere a bit different, but then towards the end of the week in the lead-up to the game, I tend to eat at the hotel.

You're not always going to eat out - we are there for a purpose, it's not a jolly - but you do want to experience new cultures.

My parents will be flying over, as will my three brothers at different times, but my wife Suzy won't be able to come because she's expecting our first child in November.

It's gutting because it would have been amazing to have her there, but both of us were very keen to start a family, so it's only a small sacrifice to make.

To go to a World Cup, with all the fans from around the world and all the teams, it's going to be really exciting and something you have to pinch yourself about.

Hadleigh Parkes was speaking to BBC Sport Wales' Dafydd Pritchard.

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'If Wales win World Cup, maybe I'll get Webb Ellis tattoo' - Davies tackles tournament with brother

Published in Rugby

Monday, 02 September 2019 14:19

He is the Olympic silver medallist preparing for his first Rugby World Cup after being named in Wales' 31-man squad.

And the breakthrough is even sweeter for James Davies who will share the experience with his brother Jonathan.

Elder sibling Jonathan is a double Grand Slam winner, and was a British and Irish Lions series winner in Australia in 2013 and Lions man of the series against New Zealand four years later.

James is a relative novice at international level - with five Wales caps compared with Jonathan's 75 - but is no stranger to the big stage after his experience in rugby sevens.

Davies the younger was a key was part of the Team GB squad that reached the final in Rio 2016.

In Brazil, he rubbed shoulders with some of the greatest sporting athletes on the planet, all ideal preparations for rugby's biggest global tournament.

"I'm pretty relaxed and take everything in my stride," said Davies.

"They call the Olympics the biggest show on Earth, so it's probably good preparation.

"I think it'll be a lot different to walking round and seeing [swimmer] Michael Phelps."

Davies has an Olympic rings tattoo among his well-documented collection of body art, and will add another if Wales reach the World Cup final in Yokohama on 2 November.

"We'll see how it goes first; if the squad makes it to the final or wins the World Cup maybe I'll get a massive 'Webb Ellis' on my back," said Davies.

The Scarlets flanker is wary of covering up his tattoos to adhere to Japanese culture. Last September, tournament organisers said players had been asked to cover up tattoos, which have an association in Japan with the notorious yakuza crime syndicates.

"I've heard about the mafia [with tattoos] so hopefully I don't get kidnapped!" joked Davies.

"I've been to Japan before, there's a lot of sushi and a lot of traffic.

"It's very different to Westernised countries but hopefully we can see a bit of it and have a good time while working hard."

While Davies was celebrating his call-up, he has also thought about his Scarlets team-mates who were left out of the squad, including props Rob Evans and Samson Lee.

"It's great for the 31 but it's savage for the boys who are missing out so it's important for everyone to realise that," said Davies.

"There's a lot of players who don't get the opportunity. When we went to the Olympics, the squad was more than halved so it was savage, it's the rubbish part of it.

"For one reason or another, Rob Evans and Samson Lee haven't been picked and they're world-class players so I know they will be gutted."

It was all celebrations in the Davies' household, though, with the brothers set to become only the third Welsh siblings to be part of the same World Cup squad.

Richard and Paul Moriarty were part of the travelling party to Australia and New Zealand in 1987 followed by Craig and Scott Quinnell 12 years later when the tournament was hosted by Wales.

"There are two good sets of brothers there so hopefully we can do it justice," said Davies.

"It's nice for the family, mum and dad are over the moon, and to share the journey with a family member is quite special.

"The family atmosphere has been congratulatory, it's hard to put into words for mum and dad. Jon and I just get on with it and we're chuffed to see each other going but it's on to the next job now.

"I think Jon was more nervous about me getting picked than he was for himself.

"I remember watching the Lions selection and being on pins for him because it would have been more difficult for him to get in.

"You just look out for each other, and because he missed the last World Cup it's great to see him here fit and raring to go."

The Davies brothers played together for Wales for the first time against England in August 2019.

It did not end well for James, who was forced off with a head injury in a challenge that involved his brother, and which could have derailed his World Cup ambitions.

"That summed up my season, I don't want to moan or whinge but it's been one of those years," said Davies.

"I had a knock on the head from 'Goldenballs' and I think he wanted to keep the limelight on himself!

"It was frustrating but it hasn't done too much harm. From the year I've had with injuries, I'm pleased where I am.

"I don't know if surprised is the right word for how I felt after being selected, I've trained well and gave myself more of a chance than most people did.

"Just to find out I got the nod when there are so many good players in the back row has been great.

"It's just the start now and I'm happy to be among it all."

The older brother is a proud man.

"I don't think he seems that excited, but I'm chuffed to bits for him," said Jonathan.

"He struggled last year with injuries and worked extremely hard over the last few months to be on the field training.

"He's been in a lot of pain but hopefully he can keep improving and giving a great account of himself."

But there will be no chance of the brothers sharing a room in Japan.

Jonathan said before the England game that his younger brother was too messy. A riposte was inevitable.

"I am happy I am not rooming with him and that's fine by me," James said. "There is no comeback to that because I am pretty messy.

"I would never room with him though because he is too boring.

"What would you rather?!"

Boring is never a word you would apply to James Davies.

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McInally to captain Scotland at World Cup as Jones & Hutchinson miss out

Published in Rugby

Tuesday, 03 September 2019 06:41

Stuart McInally has been named Scotland captain for the Rugby World Cup, but centres Huw Jones and Rory Hutchinson are among the squad's major omissions.

Forwards Josh Strauss, Matt Fagerson and Magnus Bradbury also miss out after coach Gregor Townsend announced his 31-man squad on Tuesday.

Edinburgh hooker McInally has been chosen ahead of John Barclay and Greig Laidlaw to captain the Scots in Japan.

"I was injured for the last World Cup, so this makes it sweeter," he said.

"It was a very proud moment when I was asked to be captain."

Adam Hastings travels as cover for Finn Russell at fly-half.

Nine men were always going to be left disappointed as Townsend whittled the squad down from 40 when the final player pool for the competition, which begins on 20 September, was presented at Linlithgow Palace.

"It's been a tough process getting down to 31 players, but we are very happy with the squad we've selected," Townsend said.

The battle for midfield slots was the most competitive in this squad and it is where some notable omissions were inevitable.

Glasgow Warriors' Jones made an explosive start to his Test career, littered with tries in big games, but his poor form over the past year has cost him a World Cup place.

Hutchinson seemed to be the coming man, with the Northampton Saints' centre scoring twice on his first Test start against Georgia at the weekend.

However, Townsend has chosen Peter Horne and Chris Harris as back-up to the expected first-choice pairing of Sam Johnson and Duncan Taylor.

The back-row was another fiercely contested area that was always going to be tough to narrow down.

Strauss, now back in his native South Africa with Bulls, and Glasgow's Fagerson showed up well in Tbilisi, but that was not enough to book a seat on the plane to Japan.

Edinburgh's Bradbury has paid the price for a lack of match action after a rib injury ruled him out of the first three World Cup warm-up games.

Scotland squad

Forwards: John Barclay (Edinburgh), Simon Berghan (Edinburgh), Fraser Brown (Glasgow Warriors), Scott Cummings (Glasgow Warriors), Allan Dell (London Irish), Zander Fagerson (Glasgow Warriors), Grant Gilchrist (Edinburgh), Jonny Gray (Glasgow Warriors), Stuart McInally (capt) (Edinburgh), WP Nel (Edinburgh), Gordon Reid (Ayrshire Bulls), Jamie Ritchie (Edinburgh), Blade Thomson (Scarlets), Ben Toolis (Edinburgh), George Turner (Glasgow Warriors), Hamish Watson (Edinburgh), Ryan Wilson (Glasgow Warriors).

Backs: Darcy Graham (Edinburgh), Chris Harris (Gloucester), Adam Hastings (Glasgow Warriors), Stuart Hogg (Exeter Chiefs), George Horne (Glasgow Warriors), Peter Horne (Glasgow Warriors), Sam Johnson (Glasgow Warriors), Blair Kinghorn (Edinburgh), Greig Laidlaw (Clermont Auvergne), Sean Maitland (Saracens), Ali Price (Glasgow Warriors), Finn Russell (Racing 92), Tommy Seymour (Glasgow Warriors), Duncan Taylor (Saracens).

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Cap Henry Gets First All Star Victory

Published in Racing

Tuesday, 03 September 2019 03:29

ORRVILLE, Ohio — Nearly sweeping the entire program, Cap Henry left Wayne County Speedway on Monday evening $5,000 richer, finally etching his name in sprint car racing history as an Ollie’s Bargain Outlet All Star Circuit of Champions presented by Mobil 1 main event winner.

The driver of the Lane Racing/Beer Barrel Bourbon No. 4 accomplished his feat in exciting fashion, utilizing his pole position to lead all 30, non-stop circuits around Wayne County Speedway, all while holding off defending All Star Circuit of Champions title holder Aaron Reutzel.

Henry’s campaign at the front of the field was engulfed in slower traffic for much of the 30-lap distance. On top of that, the former All Star Circuit of Champions Rookie of the Year was forced to manhandle an ultra-fast, but tricky and choppy surface, nearly costing Henry his victory when steering issues became a factor in the final corner.

In fact, Henry’s margin of victory over Reutzel was a mere 0.024 seconds.

Buddy Kofoid chased Reutzel and Henry to the final checkers, followed by Cory Eliason and Dean Jacobs.

“Man, this is awesome,” Henry said in victory lane. “I feel like we’ve been trying to do this for like ten years. I can’t thank the guys from Lane Racing enough. They work extremely hard and actually had to rebuild this car two weeks in a row after I crashed it. They are great to work for; a great team.”

Starting from the pole position, Henry set the pace early, instantly jumping out to a commanding lead over Aaron Reutzel, Greg Wilson and Buddy Kofoid. Lapped traffic entered the picture early with Henry reaching the back of the field with only six laps knocked off the scoreboard. Solidly in second at the time, Henry’s momentum downshift in traffic allowed Reutzel to close the gap, actually making a bid for the top spot on lap nine. The slider through turns one and two failed allowing Henry to escape into the distance.

By lap 15, Reutzel was pressuring Henry for the lead yet again, utilizing periods of even heavier traffic to chase down the former All Star full-timer. Despite running up on the leader, Henry seemed to find another gear, once again separating himself from the Clute, Texas-native in traffic.

Ten laps later, Reutzel was all over Henry one more time, this time battling nearly nose-to-tail as the lead pair diced through slower cars.

In the meantime, it was apparent that the rut that had formed between turns three and four was giving Henry some trouble. Lap after lap, Henry would hit the rut and find himself nearly losing his balance. Although Henry was able to power his way out of the near-mess, the final lap nearly proved otherwise.

As Henry drove into turn three for the final time, the rut at the bottom of the speedway struck again sending the familiar No. 4 up the track. Henry’s mishap was an opportunity for Reutzel, ultimately opening the bottom groove.

In a desperate attempt to maintain the lead, Henry rocketed back down the track and drag raced Reutzel to the finish, actually making contact just before the flagstand. Suffice it to say, Henry came out victorious, finally kicking the All Star monkey off his back.

“When I hit that rut on the white flag lap, I messed the steering up. I felt bad about running Aaron (Reutzel) almost to the infield, but we wanted an All Star win and I wasn’t going to lift,” Cap Henry continued. “I kept trying to crash through that hole the entire race. That last lap, it about got me. I definitely panicked there.”

“He was able to maintain a nice pace the entire race,” Reutzel said of Cap Henry. “Lapped traffic wasn’t too bad for me, but there were a few cars that were trying to make it hard for us. I was just trying not to crash, honestly.”

The finish:

Feature (30 Laps): 1. 4-Cap Henry [1]; 2. 87-Aaron Reutzel [4]; 3. 11N-Buddy Kofoid [3]; 4. 26-Cory Eliason [5]; 5. 9-Dean Jacobs [9]; 6. 70X-Justin Peck [6]; 7. W20-Greg Wilson [2]; 8. 11-Dale Blaney [8]; 9. 70-Brock Zearfoss [20]; 10. 13-Paul McMahan [11]; 11. K4-Chad Kemenah [7]; 12. G1-Tim Shaffer [13]; 13. 3-Jac Haudenschild [16]; 14. 38K-Jordan Ryan [14]; 15. 97-Max Stambaugh [15]; 16. O7-Gerard McIntyre [17]; 17. 22-Brandon Spithaler [21]; 18. 23-Carson Short [23]; 19. 8-Cole Duncan [22]; 20. 45-Trevor Baker [12]; 21. 16M-Danny Mumaw [19]; 22. 99-Skylar Gee [24]; 23. 81-Lee Jacobs [10]; 24. O8-Dan Kuriger [18]; 25. 57X-Andrew Palker [25]

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Sheppard Rules Weedsport SDS Run

Published in Racing

Tuesday, 03 September 2019 03:30

WEEDSPORT, N.Y. — Matt Sheppard beat out Danny Johnson and Larry Wight in a stunning three-car battle to win Monday night’s Super DIRTcar Series big-block modified feature at Weedsport Speedway.

Once Sheppard got out in front, it was his show at the front of the field. Johnson finished second but led much of the first half of the race. Johnson and Wight battled wheel-to-wheel in the waning laps but Johnson edged the Gypsum Racing No. 99L to put himself on the second step of the podium. Wight flashed across the line in third.

For the eighth time in 2019, Matt Sheppard climbed atop his No. 9s Big Block Modified to celebrate a Super DIRTcar Series victory. Sheppard is now inching away from Erick Rudolph and Mat Williamson in the standings as the season winds down.

“It got pretty wild there,” Sheppard said. “I got rolling on the bottom and Danny [Johnson] was caught in the middle. I think we were trying to lap Jimmy [Phelps] and he couldn’t get by him and I couldn’t get by Jimmy. We were jammed up for a long time. Then all of a sudden here comes Larry [Wight] around the outside of all of us.”

Sheppard retook the lead from Wight shortly thereafter.

“We were fortunate to get through that mess of lap cars out in front. Then after the yellow and I figured I better go back to the top because of anybody’s going to drive around me it’s Larry Wight,” noted Sheppard.

A system of soaking rains moved through the area in the morning of the race. That appeared to have created a much different set of track conditions on the historic Weedsport Speedway than the drivers were expecting or used to.

“The top surprised me a little bit. I had thought the top was going away and I was glued to the bottom. Then I found a little something at the top of one and two. Larry showed us the line up there. I was quite surprised had the end of the race to be running the top instead of the bottom,” Sheppard detailed.

Fan-favorite Hall of Famer, The Doctor Danny Johnson was the early leader until Sheppard and Wight pounced.

“Matt [Sheppard] has been good all year. You gotta give credit where credit is due,” Johnson said.

“We ran a good race and just needed to be a little bit better,” said Johnson with a grin and an emphasis on little. The second-place is one of the best finishes in a while for the No. 27j.

He needed a little more to take the fight to Sheppard.

“I think he [Sheppard] was running the top a bit better and I was stuck in the middle. I thought I was good there but obviously I wasn’t.”

The finish:

Feature (100 Laps): 1. 9S-Matt Sheppard [5][$7,500]; 2. 27J-Danny Johnson [3][$4,000]; 3. 99L-Larry Wight [7][$2,500]; 4. 91-Billy Decker [8][$1,800]; 5. 88-Mat Williamson [14][$1,600]; 6. 5H-Chris Hile [10][$1,400]; 7. 111-Demetrios Drellos [9][$1,300]; 8. 83X-Tim Sears [12][$1,200]; 9. 6H-Max McLaughlin [6][$1,100]; 10. 25-Erick Rudolph [18][$1,000]; 11. 19-Tim Fuller [16][$800]; 12. 98H-Jimmy Phelps [25][$700]; 13. 35-Mike Mahaney [4][$600]; 14. 93-Danny Varin [21][$575]; 15. 42P-Pat Ward [19][$550]; 16. 21A-Peter Britten [11][$525]; 17. 26-Ryan Godown [17][$500]; 18. 18-Anthony Perrego [24][$500]; 19. R2-Rusty Smith [27][$500]; 20. 14J-Alan Johnson [2][$500]; 21. 11R-Rob Bellinger [20][$500]; 22. 32R-Ronnie Davis [1][$500]; 23. 15-Todd Root [23][$500]; 24. 2L-Jack Lehner [26][$500]; 25. M1-Dave Marcuccilli [30][$500]; 26. 37-Paul StSauveur [28][$500]; 27. 3-Justin Haers [22][$500]; 28. 121-Gary Tomkins [15][$500]; 29. 9X-Tyler Trump [13][$500]

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Pittman Ends WoO Drought At Grays Harbor

Published in Racing

Tuesday, 03 September 2019 03:39

ELMA, Wash. — With a dominant performance Monday night at Grays Harbor Raceway, Daryn Pittman earned his 84th career World of Outlaws NOS Energy Drink Sprint Car Series victory — tying his idol Stevie Smith on the all-time wins list.

“That’s pretty cool,” Pittman said. “That’ll take a little while to sink in.”

Smith had two wins at Grays Harbor. Pittman’s victory was his first at the raceway and his third win of the season with Roth Motorsports.

It took seven months — since his 83rd win in February — and 30 grueling laps around three-eighths-mile raceway to get win number 84.

He put himself in position to get the victory by first winning his Drydene Heat race and then finishing second in the DIRTVision Fast Pass Dash behind fellow Oklahoma driver Shane Stewart. Stewart was eager for another win – having not won since June.

Their desperation to hold the checkered flag again manifested in the first three laps. They drag raced past the soaring green flag; their bumpers aligned. Sailing into turn one, Stewart went low, Pittman high. The Killer Instinct Crossbows No. 5 car edged Pittman by half a car into the corner and on exit.

Carrying more momentum off turn two, Pittman crept his way alongside Stewart down the backstretch. Before entering turn three the two almost made contact forcing Pittman to halt his run. The lead was now in Stewart’s control.

Pittman had let too many victories slip through his fingers. He wasn’t going to let another opportunity drive away. He powered back to the outside of Stewart in turn one and kept alongside him down the backstretch.

Knowing Pittman was there, Stewart launched his car to the bottom of the track in turn three. Pittman stayed high, allowing himself to build momentum around the top and dive underneath Stewart on the exit of the turn. They again drag raced side by side down the front stretch. When turn one approached, Pittman stayed in the throttle, darting past Stewart for the lead on lap three.

The Roth Enterprises No. 83 car then began to pull away. However, a few laps later Pittman slid out of the racing groove into loose dirt in turn two, sending his car sideways. Dancing with the throttle and steering wheel, he worked his way out of the mistake. But Stewart was now back within striking distance.

On lap 11 Stewart was side by side with Pittman due to a caution for a slowing Jason Sides. When the race restarted, Pittman accelerated back in front of the field. Stewart was no longer behind him, though. An aggressive Carson Macedo snuck his way by Jacob Allen and Stewart on the restart to move into second.

The rookie wasn’t able to keep pace with the determined veteran. Pittman pulled away to a comfortable lead. On lap 19 he was again forced to give it up. Stewart came to a stop in turn four due to power steering issues and brought out the caution.

On the restart, Macedo gave Pittman a scare. The California-native stayed with him down the front stretch and held onto his bumper down the backstretch before diving underneath the No. 83 car into turn three. The high side continued to favor Pittman, though. He used the available grip to launch ahead of Macedo and maintain his throne as the leader.

“I gave away a chance at winning 40 grand at Jackson (Motorplex) by choosing the outside, and trust me that’s haunted me for a while and the next race I’m going to lose by choosing the inside, and I told myself that,” Pittman said. “Won the first restart against Shane and never saw him and Carson scared the crap out of me there on the last one.”

With Pittman pulling away to more than a second lead, Macedo had to turn his attention to fending off 10-time series champion Donny Schatz. The reigning champion worked his way around Macedo for second on lap 23, but the Kyle Larson Racing driver was ready for a brawl to the finish.

Macedo powered through the ruts in the track to keep pace with Schatz and capitalized on the North Dakota driver’s slip up with three laps to go to move back into second. With an 11th championship on the line and the season quickly coming to an end, Schatz is not willing to give up points. He stalked Macedo in the closing laps and snuck his way by him on the final lap to finish in the runner-up spot for the second night in-a-row.

“That’s the way it goes,” Schatz said. “We had to race our way there. At one point we were back in fifth or sixth. To get back up there is good. Consistency wins races. We’ll keep plugging away.”

Macedo admitted he made a mistake by staying up high in the closing laps, allowing Schatz to get back by him. However, he is happy with a podium finish in his first appearance at Grays Harbor Raceway.

To see full results, turn to the next page.

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