England In Bid For European Double In Austria

England In Bid For European Double In Austria

England are seeded to retain both the men's and women's titles in the 34th European Team Squash Championships which get underway in the Austrian capital Vienna today.

Debutants Turkey will join a total of 25 nations competing in the four-day event being staged in the Wellness Park Oberlaa, which was the venue for the Men’s World Team Championships in 2003 and the European Team Championships in 2000 and 1987.

England's men, holders of the European title since 1993 and now also reigning World Team Champions, take on old foes Scotland, the fifth seeds, in the opening tie in Pool A.

Fierce rivals France, the No2 seeds who clashed with England in the past six European finals, meet sixth seeds Sweden in their opening tie.

England and Netherlands are seeded to meet in the women's final for the fourth successive year.  Favourites England, winners of the title every year since the inaugural women's event in 1978, face fifth seeds France in today's opening tie in Pool A, while second seeds Netherlands – led by world number one Vanessa Atkinson – meet Germany, the sixth seeds, in the Pool B opener.

Men's first qualifying round (seeding in brackets)

Pool A:
[1] ENGLAND v [5] SCOTLAND; [4] WALES v [8] SPAIN

Pool B:
[2] FRANCE v [6] SWEDEN; [3] NETHERLANDS v [7] GERMANY

Pool C:
[9] FINLAND v [17] AUSTRIA; [16] ISRAEL v [24] GIBRALTAR

Pool D:
[10] IRELAND v [18] ITALY; [15] BELGIUM v [23] ISLE OF MAN

Pool E:
[11] DENMARK v [19] UKRAINE; [14] CZECH REPUBLIC v [22] TURKEY

Pool F:
[12] SWITZERLAND v [20] RUSSIA; [13] HUNGARY v [21] SLOVAKIA

Women's first qualifying round - Pool A:
[1] ENGLAND v [5] FRANCE; [4] SCOTLAND v [8] SPAIN

Pool B:
[2] NETHERLANDS v [6] GERMANY; [3] IRELAND v [7] DENMARK

Pool C:
[9] BELGIUM v [16] WALES; [12] CZECH REPUBLIC v [13] FINLAND

Pool D:
[10] SWITZERLAND v [15] NORWAY; [11] AUSTRIA v [14] ITALY