England claimed six titles at the 2010 World Masters Squash Championships, the 10th staging of the World Squash Federation event in Cologne, Germany.
Averil Murphy successfully defended her title in the Women’s Over-60 event, beating Australia’s No2 seed Marilyn Kennedy 11-9, 8-11, 6-11, 11-5, 11-4 in the final. The win was Murphy’s fourth title completing a wonderful achievement to be the first English winner of four World Masters titles.
Top seed Mark Cowley, the Over-55 British Open champion, defeated fellow Englishman Peter Alexander 12-10, 11-8, 13-11 in the Men’s Over-55 final.
In another all-English final, third seed Keith Jones beat outsider Peter Leary, a 9/16 seed, 11-4, 11-9, 11-9 in the Men’s Over-60 final.
Chris Ansell, also a British Open champion in the category, battled to an 11-4, 16-18, 8-11, 11-8, 11-2 win over fourth-seeded South African Antony Michael Martin to take the Men’s Over-65 final.
The ‘oldest’ title also went to England after top seed Malcolm Gilham overcame unseeded fellow countryman Raymond Rook 11-6, 11-2, 11-7 in the final of the Men’s Over-75 championship.
And 54-year-old Julie Field successfully defended her Women’s Over-50 title, beating second-seeded South African Lisa O’Grady 11-13, 11-4, 11-9, 11-4 in the final.
Australian Geoffrey Davenport claimed a record-equalling fourth title in the 2010 World Masters Squash Championships, the 10th staging of the World Squash Federation event in Cologne, Germany.
The 52-year-old favourite and defending champion defeated Scotland’s No3 seed Alan Thomson 11-9, 11-3, 11-8 in the final of the Men’s Over-50 event. Davenport won the Over-45 World Masters title in 2003 and 2006.
It was legendary fellow Australian Heather McKay who became the first winner of four World Masters titles in 1995.
A second crown also goes to Australia after former World Open champion Vicki Cardwell, the top seed, beat second-seeded Scot Pauline Douglas 11-5, 11-7, 11-3 in the Women’s Over-55 final.
There was popular home success in two women’s events: Favourite Sabine Schoene, a former world No6 from Munich, defeated Karen Meakins, from Barbados, 11-7, 11-8, 11-7 in the Women’s Over-35 final – and fourth seed Simone Korell produced a surprise German win after beating New Zealand’s third seed Judith Casbolt 11-9, 11-2, 11-7 in the Women’s Over-40 event final.
The biggest shock in Cologne came in the Women’s Over-45 event where unseeded South African Leora Greenwood battled through to the final where the 47-year-old beat Dutch opponent Bea de Dreu-Spitse 11-9, 11-3, 11-1 to take the title.
There was further unexpected South African success in the Women’s Over-65 event when second seed Sheena Worwood beat England’s Norma Fulling 9-11, 11-5, 11-8, 11-7 in the final.
There was New Zealand success in the Men’s Over-45 event where second seed Gary Duberly, winner of the Men’s Over-40 title two years ago, beat England’s Peter Gunter 11-4, 6-11, 11-4, 11-9 in a surprise final.
In the Men’s Over-70 final, Welshman Brian Phillips beat New Zealand’s defending champion Barry Gardiner 12-10, 11-2, 11-9 to win his first World title.
Ireland celebrated a pair of surprise titles: Third seed Barbara Sanderson celebrated her recent 70th birthday by upsetting top seed Averil Heath 8-11, 11-7, 11-5, 11-8 in the Women’s Over-70 final.
And popular Irishman Derek Ryan, a fourth seed, secured his first World Masters title in the Men’s Over-40 event after beating third-seeded Dutchman Lucas Buit 11-5, 11-3, 11-5 in the final.
Finally Frenchman Renan Lavigne celebrated his maiden appearance in the championships by winning the Men’s Over-35 title, defeating Dutchman Stephen Cooke 11-2, 11-3, 11-5 in the final.