Top seeds England and Germany will meet in the final of the European Junior U19 Team Squash Championships after 2/1 victories over Wales and France, respectively, in the semi-finals of the European Squash Federation event in Germering, Germany.
The climax will mark the 26th successive appearance in the climax for defending champions England since the inaugural championship in 1984. Meanwhile, hosts Germany are celebrating their ninth appearance in the final - but their first since lifting the title for the first and only time in 2006, following their historic 3/0 triumph over England.
The favourites had to fight back from a match down in a dramatic semi-final against fourth seeds Wales. Hywel Robinson put the underdogs ahead with a 9-11, 11-9, 12-10, 11-2 victory over Englishman Chris Fuller - but newly-crowned European Junior Individual champion Anthony Graham steadied the English ship by dismissing Welshman Sam Cantle 11-7, 11-9, 11-6.
In the decider, Warwickshire's Sarah-Jane Perry showed why she won the women's individual title when she battled to an 11-9, 11-5, 10-12, 11-9 win over Welsh opponent Natalie Pritchard to clinch victory for the title-holders.
The star of the German team was 18-year-old left-hander Raphael Kandra who, in the second match of the tie against third seeds France, resisted a determined fight-back from Lucas Serme to beat the individual championship runner-up 11-7, 11-7, 9-11, 4-11, 11-5 to make certain of the hosts' place in the final.
Rudi Rohrmuller had already put the second seeds ahead by beating Antoine-Camille Petrucci 11-4, 11-3, 14-16, 11-4 - and France then claimed a consolation point when Melissa Alves beat local star Franziska Hennes 2/1 in the best-of-three final match.
Final:
[1] ENGLAND v [2] GERMANY
3rd place play-off:
[3] FRANCE v [4] WALES
5th place play-off:
[10] SCOTLAND v [5] CZECH REPUBLIC
7th place play-off:
[6] BELGIUM v [9] SWITZERLAND
9th place play-off:
[7] NETHERLANDS v [13] SPAIN
11th place play-off:
[8] FINLAND v [11] DENMARK
13th place play-off:
[15] IRELAND v [16] HUNGARY
EUROPEAN SQUASH NEWS
RESULTS: European Junior U19 Team Squash Championships, Germering, Germany
Quarter-finals:
[1] ENGLAND bt [10] SCOTLAND 3-0
Alex Ingham bt Christopher Ferguson 11-7, 7-11, 11-7, 11-8
Chris Fuller bt Ian Jubb 11-6, 11-9, 11-2
Kimberley Hay bt Morgan McGuire 11-0, 11-4
[4] WALES bt [6] BELGIUM 3-0
Hywel Robinson bt Sam van Brusselen 11-4, 11-2, 11-7
David Haley bt Laurens Mostmans 3-11, 11-9, 3-11, 11-5, 11-7
Tesni Evans bt Gaetane Hitchins 11-3, 11-5
[3] FRANCE bt [5] CZECH REPUBLIC 3-0
Antoine-Camille Petrucci bt Daniel Mekbib 11-13, 11-6, 11-13, 11-8, 11-8
Geoffrey Demont bt Zbynek Standera 8-11, 11-4, 11-4, 16-14
Emilie Lamilango bt Anna Klimondova 11-4, 11-8
[2] GERMANY bt [9] SWITZERLAND 2-1
Rudi Rohrmuller bt Marco Graziotti 11-6, 11-8, 11-3
Raphael Kandra bt Dario Bosch 11-4, 11-8, 11-6
Franziska Hennes lost to Fabienne Oppliger 4-11, 8-11
9th - 17th place play-offs:
[8] FINLAND bt [15] IRELAND 3-0
Henrik Mustonen bt Neil Martin 13-11, 11-8, 11-7
Ville Hiltunen bt Joey Roberts 12-10, 11-4, 11-7
Saara Saloranta bt Rachel Black 11-3, 11-8
[13] SPAIN bt [14] AUSTRIA 2-1
Hugo Varela Campo bt Marcus Greslehner 11-8, 11-6, 3-11, 14-12
Fausto Gomez bt Martin Schober 11-1, 11-6, 11-1
Sara Esperon lost to Sandra Polak 4-11, 11-6, 10-12
[11] DENMARK bt [12] SWEDEN 2-1
Philip Tran lost to Johan Detter 10-12, 2-11, 4-11
Mark Povlsen bt Gustav Runersjo 11-9, 11-3, 8-11, 7-11, 11-7
Bine Lind bt Jenny Lindstrom 11-6, 11-9, 11-3
[7] NETHERLANDS bt [16] HUNGARY 2-1
Rick Penders bt Peter Hoffman 18-16, 11-4, 12-10
Tim van der Pluijm lost to Mate Vass 11-8, 6-11, 8-11, 7-11
Milou van der Heijden bt Fatime Farkas 11-9, 11-1, 11-4
Semi-finals:
[1] ENGLAND bt [4] WALES 2-1
Chris Fuller lost to Hywel Robinson 11-9, 9-11, 10-12, 2-11
Anthony Graham bt Sam Cantle 11-7, 11-9, 11-6
Sarah-Jane Perry bt Natalie Pritchard 11-9, 11-5, 10-12, 11-9
[2] GERMANY bt [3] FRANCE 2-1
Rudi Rohrmuller bt Antoine-Camille Petrucci 11-4, 11-3, 14-16, 11-4
Raphael Kandra bt Lucas Serme 11-7, 11-7, 9-11, 4-11, 11-5
Franziska Hennes lost to Melissa Alves 0-11, 11-8, 8-11
5th - 8th place play-offs:
[10] SCOTLAND bt [6] BELGIUM 2-1
Christopher Ferguson lost to Sam van Brusselen 4-11, 11-9, 5-11, 6-11
Kevin Moran bt Tom de Mulder 11-9, 9-11, 9-11, 11-7, 11-8
Mhairi Charlton bt Nathalie Philipsen 11-6, 11-6, 11-6
[5] CZECH REPUBLIC bt [9] SWITZERLAND 2-1
Roman Svec bt Patrick Miescher 11-9, 11-6, 11-5
Zbynek Standera lost to Marco Graziotti 4-11, 6-11, 5-11
Anna Klimondova bt Fabienne Oppliger 11-1, 11-2, 11-4
9th - 12th place play-offs:
[13] SPAIN bt [8] FINLAND 2-1
Daniel Pascual lost to Henrik Mustonen 7-11, 5-11, 1-11
Fausto Gomez bt Ville Hiltunen 11-7, 11-6, 11-8
Ana Arosa Rodriguez bt Saara Saloranta 11-4, 11-3, 14-12
[7] NETHERLANDS bt [11] DENMARK 2-1
Rick Penders bt Philip Tran 7-11, 11-6, 11-6, 11-6
Tim van der Pluijm bt Rasmus Jessen Petersen 12-10, 11-9, 11-6
Anne Jongerden lost to Anna Sophie Jensen 9-11, 4-11
13th - 17th place play-offs:
[15] IRELAND bt [14] AUSTRIA 2-1
Neil Martin bt Marcus Greslehner 11-4, 18-16, 11-7
Hugo Diamond bt Sebastian Koberl 11-6, 8-11, 14-12, 11-3
Rachel Black lost to Sabrina Rehman 6-11, 6-11
[12] SWEDEN bt [17] ITALY 3-0
Johan Detter bt Alberto Matteazzi 11-2, 11-7, 11-3
Alex Christensson bt Marco d'Adam 11-4, 11-5, 11-1
Matilda Ravn-Holm bt Elisabetta Priante 11-6, 11-2
[16] HUNGARY bye