Lobban and Mohamed upset seedings in Brooklyn
By MATT COLES – Squash Mad Correspondent

Australia’s Donna Lobban and Egypt’s Farida Mohamed upset the seedings to beat Belgium’s Nele Gilis and South African Alexandra Fuller to reach the second round of the Carol Weymuller Open in Brooklyn.

In the first match of the tournament at the Heights Casino, the Australian World No.47 Lobban got the better of the British Open quarter-finalist in straight games, moving through to the last 16 with relative ease.

She plays Alison Waters next and Lobban said: “I’m probably my own harshest critic but I am pleased with that. I was a little bit loose in the third but for the first two games I did a good enough job of keeping it tight and that gave me my opportunities. I think I found a good balance of attacking and positivity but not headlessly.

“I haven’t played Alison in a PSA tournament for a long time but we played in PSL league in England a few times and always have a good game. It’ll be nice to play someone I haven’t played for a while.”

At the end of the evening, Mohamed got the better of her South African opponent in a five-game affair which lasted 44 minutes. She fell behind after the first game, but then came back to lead 2-1 before Fuller pushed the match into a decider. However, it would be the Egyptian that took it, booking her place in the second round.

The World No.52 will battle it out with compatriot, and World No.4, Nour El Tayeb in the on Friday evening. Meanwhile, Lobban will now face the tournament’s No.7 seed, England’s Alison Waters in the last 16 of the event.

Yathreb Adel survived a scare as she eventually defeated Rachel Arnold in a fifth-game tie-break, having fallen behind twice to the Malaysian. There were four tie-breaks in the match, with Adel making it through after a 55-minute battle, advancing to a match-up with New Zealand’s Joelle King in the last 16.

Zeina Mickawy and Mariam Metwally added to the Egyptian presence in the second round, as they defeated Menna Nasser and French wildcard Marie Stephan in straight games.

There was joy for France in the first round, with Melissa Alves overcoming Finland’s Emilia Soini, while England’s Victoria Lust and Malaysia’s Low Wee Wern also booked their places in the second round with victories over Menna Hamed and Haley Mendez, respectively.

There was a very enthusiastic crowd around the championship court to cheer on home-grown Mendez, world # 45. Haley has grown up playing and learning squash at the Heights Casino and so she seems very comfortable on her ‘home’ courts and certainly got some incredible and much deserved support. Haley did herself proud and managed to push Wee Wern very hard. Haley played some great squash and it was only a point here or there that separated the players. Haley made a few errors at some vital times in the match which really made the difference and gave Wee Wern the conclusive points to take the match 11-9, 13-11, 11-7.

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After beating one American, the Malaysian World No.24 will face the US No.1 in the last 16, with a battle against Amanda Sobhy now set-up.

Wee Wern said: “It’s good to be back (having been out injured for three years with three knee injuries). To be honest the game has changed since I came back with the tin being 17 inches. Also with the referee rule change I’m a bit at a loss and confused as you never know what call you’re getting!

“It was good to have a clean match and I’m just trying to enjoy my squash again. To be honest, I probably didn’t appreciate top level squash when I was five in the world and now it’s a long road back but it’s my goal. I’ve not played Amanda in a while and she’s been injured too. We are both hungry to get back on court.”

The seeded players come into the draw in the second round, with Nouran Gohar, Camille Serme and Joshna Chinappa among those who will also be entering the fray over the next two days. The last 16 is split across Thursday and Friday evening, with the top half of the draw playing on day two, the bottom half following on day three. 

PSA $51,250 Women’s Carol Weymuller Open, Heights Casino, Brooklyn, New York, USA.

First Round:
Melissa Alves (FRA) bt Emilia Soini (FIN) 3-0: 11-6, 11-6, 11-7 (23m)
Donna Lobban (AUS) bt Nele Gilis (BEL) 3-0: 11-6, 11-7, 11-5 (35m)
Victoria Lust (ENG) bt Menna Hamed (EGY) 3-0: 11-9, 11-5, 12-10 (35m)
Zeina Mickawy (EGY) bt Menna Nasser (EGY) 3-1: 11-9, 9-11, 11-6, 11-7 (42m)
Yathreb Adel (EGY) bt Rachel Arnold (MAS) 3-2: 11-13, 13-11, 10-12, 11-4, 12-10 (55m)
Mariam Metwally (EGY) bt [WC] Marie Stephan (FRA) 3-0: 11-4, 11-9, 11-6 (27m)
Low Wee Wern (MAS) bt Haley Mendez (USA) 3-0: 11-9, 13-11, 11-7 (38m)
Farida Mohamed (EGY) bt Alexandra Fuller (RSA) 3-2: 9-11, 11-8, 11-8, 10-12, 11-4 (44m)

Draw – Second Round:
[1] Nouran Gohar (EGY) v Melissa Alves (FRA)
Donna Lobban (AUS) v [7] Alison Waters (ENG)
[8] Salma Hany (EGY) v Victoria Lust (ENG)
Zeina Mickawy (EGY) v [3] Camille Serme (FRA)
[4] Joelle King (NZL) v Yathreb Adel (EGY)
Mariam Metwally (EGY) v [6] Joshna Chinappa (IND)
[5] Amanda Sobhy (USA) v Low Wee Wern (MAS)
Farida Mohamed (EGY) v [2] Nour El Tayeb (EGY) 

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

Pictures courtesy of JEAN ERVASTI  

Worcester Warriors forward Michael Fatialofa has made "good progress" in his recovery from his serious neck injury and has been moved out of intensive care in hospital in London.

Warriors issued a statement on Thursday to say the 27-year-old New Zealander has been moved to the Major Trauma Unit at St Mary's Hospital.

"Michael has been diagnosed with a spinal contusion," the statement read, adding that the injury was "a serious condition which causes compression on the spine".

It is now hoped that Fatialofa can be moved to the spinal injuries unit at Stoke Mandeville Hospital in Buckinghamshire, to carry on his recuperation from the injury he suffered less than a minute after coming on to the pitch against Saracens at Allianz Park on 4 January.

The statement continued: "Michael's condition remains serious but he is making good progress and he is showing encouraging signs of improvement.

"He has undergone surgery to relieve the pressure on his spinal cord caused by bruising and swelling.

"The hope is that Michael will soon be transferred to the internationally-acclaimed spinal injuries unit at Stoke Mandeville."

Fans and well wishers have sent cards for Fatialofa and his wife, Tatiana, as well as on the email address set up by the club - This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it..

Saracens owner Nigel Wray has apologised for the "ill-considered approach" to salary cap compliance which led to Saracens' relegation.

Premiership Rugby (PRL) released the Saracens report on Thursday.

Wray took "full responsibility" for failing to consult the league's salary cap manager before entering into co-investments with players.

"We should have been far better," Wray, who stepped down as chairman in January, wrote on the Saracens website.

"I am really sorry for the heartache that I have caused you due to my ill-considered approach to matters relating to salary cap compliance. My intention with co-investments was always to support players beyond their playing careers.

"I recognise that the actions of the club were described by the panel as 'reckless' primarily due to my failure to consult with PRL's salary cap manager prior to entering into any agreements and then disclosing the transactions to him. I take full responsibility for this.

"Equally important is the panel's determination that neither the club nor myself deliberately attempted to breach the cap."

Sarries will play in the Championship next term and had already been deducted 35 points and fined £5.4m in November for the three previous seasons' spending.

'Hugely disappointing for rugby - sports minister'

Sports minister Nigel Adams described the events at Saracens as "hugely disappointing".

Adams told BBC Sport: "I'm disappointed for the fans, sport should be a level playing field.

"It's hugely disappointing for rugby and it's absolutely right that the Premiership have taken the action that it has taken.

"But I feel sorry for the fans. The fans who go and watch these games like to think they are playing on a level playing field and Saracens have taken a decision not to do so. They have to take their medicine."

Asked whether the situation had left a lasting stain on the sport, Adams added: "I think it's absolutely right that the Premiership is going to undertake a review - it's a huge signal to the other clubs and it's crucial if you have a set of rules you adhere to them so it's only right you have a review.

"It has been a very sad period and something that the game's got to put right."

Premiership Rugby has released the report into Saracens' breaches of the league's salary cap that led to their 35-point deduction and £5.36m fine, and paved the way for their subsequent relegation.

Saracens said they were "keen" for the report to be published, with chairman Neil Golding saying it would "provide much-needed context and clarity".

Premiership Rugby (PRL) chief executive Darren Childs said: "We are pleased to be able to finally publish the full judgement.

"Now that everyone can see the details, the decision will show that Premiership Rugby has taken firm action to enforce the regulations and our management of the salary cap has been endorsed by the panel."

So what have we learned from the 103-page document, which covered the last three seasons? Here is a summary of what has emerged.

The key information

Although confidential information is redacted in the version published by PRL, the identities of those involved in the deals are in the public domain because of the full report having been leaked.

There are several new pieces of information revealed in the judgement:

More on those £924,000 contributions

The total contribution to property co-investments with players was £923,947.63. The names of the players are redacted, but the figures are £451,188.92, £219,932.36 and £252,826.35.

In this section of the report, the starkly contrasting positions of PRL salary cap manager Andrew Rogers and Wray are detailed.

Rogers says there was a "misconceived" and "concerted and deliberate attempt" to take those contributions outside of the salary structure.

Wray contested this view, saying he entered into "bona fide commercial transactions" - not for "an additional reward" for players.

He said: "While it is important to me to help the club's players prepare for a life outside rugby and it is certainly the case that where I know and trust an individual, I am more favourably disposed to an idea they pitch to me and to entering into a business relationship with them, my motivations when making investment decisions are ultimately always commercial."

Having regarded both positions, the panel ruled that "we are satisfied that these capital contributions were salary", relying on its finding that the loan from Wray was not repayable in the salary cap year.

An £800,000 overspend on image-rights valuations

In the report, it emerges part of the overspend in the 2018-19 salary cap year related to the image rights valuation of a player.

It says Rogers identified £800,000 of salary "on the basis of an alleged overpayment by Mr Wray, Mr Silvester [Saracens director Dominic Silvester] and Mr Leslau [Nicholas Leslau, a director of Saracens until September 2019]" - for "30% of the shares in [redacted]".

Rogers disputed the purchase price, but Wray and Leslau both defended the valuation they had used.

The panel decided "Mr Rogers was reasonably entitled to conclude that the purchase price for the [redacted] shares was above the true market value to the extent of £800,000".

Plus £95,000 of hospitality payments

The report also looks at the activity of a hospitality business called MBN Promotions - which has since become Premier Team Promotions Ltd and is owned by Wray's daughter Lucy and her husband Tony. Lucy Mercey - formerly Lucy Wray - was, until Thursday, a director of Saracens.

MBN paid a player £30,000 in 2016-17, £30,000 in 2017-18 and £35,000 in 2018-19, but details of these payments or the relevant agreement between MBN and the player were not disclosed.

The report also states "no evidence was provided by Saracens to show any events that [player] had in fact attended".

Saracens accepted this was an "oversight" and apologised for the non-disclosure. However, the club's position was these payments were "arm's length commercial transactions" and should not be deemed salary.

The panel rejected Saracens' challenge that the three payments should not be included in the salary cap.

Co-owned £1.35m property to be lived in by player

This section of the report concerns a sum of £319,600.76 relating to a 20% stake in a £1.35m property lived in by a player.

It states Wray and fellow Saracens director Silvester each provided 10% of the purchase price, equating to £135,000. They also contributed £234,223 for refurbishment work on the property.

In May 2019, Saracens disclosed to PRL a "Declaration of Trust in respect of the property".

Rogers made the case that there had been "a payment of salary of £319,600" in the 2017-18 salary cap year, because it was a benefit in kind. In outlining this position, he said the sum deferred was a loan, that it was "doubtful" the player would have been able to secure such a loan elsewhere, and he had immediate use of the property.

Saracens disputed this, saying that this was an "entirely arm's length commercial bargain".

The panel sided with Rogers.

Saracens' challenge of salary cap

A considerable portion of the Saracens judgement concerns the club's challenge "that the salary cap provided for by the regulations is illegal on the grounds that it is contrary to competition law".

This challenge failed.

How did the panel reach the penalty decision?

In reaching its decision on what the penalty for the breaches should be, the panel heard evidence from salary cap manager Rogers and Saracens.

Rogers said he disagreed with the suggestion Saracens had been "open and transparent" and said the club had been "reckless in its approach to the salary cap".

In this section, the panel notes Saracens' breaches were "not deliberate, but in our view they were reckless", that Saracens had not admitted any of the breaches, that they were charged with a failure to co-operate in 2015 (leading to a settlement and sanctions) and that they had not fully cooperated with Rogers.

It uses the analogy that Saracens were issued with a "yellow card" in 2015, and therefore "the repeated failure to disclose breaches, which it has admitted, make the position all the more stark".

Saracens argued that to deduct points for "technical" breaches was "unfair punishment and is contrary to the spirit and underlying purpose of the regulations".

The panel disagreed with this view.

Despite viewing the breaches as "very serious", the panel ultimately decided that imposing a 70-point deduction would be "disproportionate" and that a 35-point deduction would be "sufficient to mark the seriousness of the breaches" over the three seasons covered by the report.

Saracens were subsequently handed automatic relegation for next season as they would not have not been in compliance with the salary cap this season as well. There was no panel decision for this, as it was a Premiership Rugby decision which Saracens agreed to.

INDIANAPOLIS – USAC has announced multiple rule changes and enforcements to be utilized this season, with several pertaining to all three USAC national divisions.

– In USAC Silver Crown Series, AMSOIL National Sprint Car Series and NOS Energy Drink National Midget Series competition, lapped cars will be sent to the tail of the field for all restarts during the feature event.

– All radius rods must be one piece on cars for Silver Crown, National Sprint and National Midget competition in 2020. No spring rods or shock dampers will be allowed.

– The weight rule for Silver Crown has been increased to a 1,675-pound minimum, with driver. Rules regarding added weight for aluminum blocks will remain the same.

– Specific to the AMSOIL National Sprint Car Series, split qualifying will be retained for 2020.  For events where more than 36 cars are in attendance, qualifying will be split into two flights. Cars will only qualify against other cars in their flight and fill heats one and two or heats three and four.

For lineup purposes, the fastest qualifier in the slower flight will be considered the No. 2 seed. That will continue through the field and be used to grid feature lineups. Qualifying points will be awarded to the overall fastest six.

– For the feature lineup, positions seven through 10 will be filled by the heat race winners in order of heat races. If a car in the top-six feature invert wins a heat race, the available spots seventh through 10th are filled by qualification order of cars qualified for the feature.

– If there are 30 cars or less, three heat race events will be conducted. If there are 31 or more cars in attendance, four heat races will be conducted.

– The weight rule for sprints has been increased to a 1,375-pound minimum, with driver.

– Specific to the NOS Energy Drink National Midget division, no split qualifying will be held.

For the feature lineup, positions seventh through 10th will be filled by the heat race winners in order of heat races.

If a car in the top-six feature invert wins a heat race, the available spots seventh through 10th are filled by qualification order of cars qualified for the feature event.

– If there are 30 cars or less, three heat race events will be conducted. If there are 31 or more cars in attendance, four heat races will be conducted.