Liverpool Cricket Club Open D2: Elsirty and Smith Win Five-Game Epics as El Torkey Topples Top Seed Khan

Moustafa Elsirty and defending champion Ben Smith capped a dramatic second day at the Liverpool Cricket Club Open with five-game wins, after Kareem El Torkey had knocked out top seed Faraz Khan. 

El Torkey had needed all five games to get past Ireland’s Sam Buckley on day one, winning the decider 11-9, and he went the distance once more in round two, only this time to upset the No.1 seed. 

Khan is ranked 36 places above the young Egyptian but there was little to split them in the first three games, with the American winning games two and three 11-9, 12-10, after El Torkey had taken the opener 13-11. 

But from 2-1 down, El Torkey took control, racing through game four for the loss of only one point, before closing out victory 11-4 in the fifth, setting up a quarter-final clash with fellow unseeded player Alasdair Prott. 

The Scott had beaten Martin Svec earlier in the day in what was the first match of round two to go to five, with the Inverness-born player also coming back from 2-1 down to win. 

Those results followed 3-0 wins for No.7 seed Viktor Byrtus, and Malaysia’s Ameeshenraj Chandaran, who upset fourth seed Mazen Gamal in a dominant display. 

There were 3-1 victories for Muhammad Asim Khan and Emyr Evans, over Darren Pragasam and Dewald van Niekerk respectively, but the real drama was still to come on court 5. 

Last year’s champion Smith was playing his friend and Pontefract training partner Lwamba Chileshe, who had the home crowd on his side having previously played league squash for Liverpool Cricket Club. 

Cheered on at every point he won, Chileshe went toe-to-toe with the No.2 seed for more than an hour, winning games two and three after losing the first, then finding himself on the brink of glory at 10-10 in the fourth. 

He was unable to get over the line as Smith clinched the tie break, but the New Zealander had another opportunity in the fifth, this time with a match ball at 11-10 up, having saved two himself after being 10-8 down. 

Ultimately, though, it was Smith who prevailed, saving match ball before clinching glory moments later, albeit in controversial style, as the referee gave a no let on a backhand drive down the line, despite Chileshe making contact with Smith as he attempted to chase it down.

The 79-minute duration meant Elsirty and Mohamad Zakaria didn’t start their encounter until past 9pm, more than an hour after their scheduled start time, but anyone hoping for an early night had another thing coming.

The pair had gone head-to-head three weeks ago in Denmark, with Elsirty winning 3-1, and at 2-0 up here, it looked as though he was heading for another win. 

But back came Zakaria, using the full range of precision and finesse that has catapulted him into the limelight at the age of just 16, countering Elsirty’s physical dominance. 

From 2-0 down, the rising star forced a decider by taking games three and four 11-5, 11-8, and quickly established a 5-2 lead in the fifth. 

The more experienced Elsirty erased that lead, and some, winning six points on the bounce to move 8-5 up, and then, despite a Zakaria fightback, within two points of glory at 9-8. 

Zakaria thought he had levelled the score when Elsirty tinned a backhand, but the referee asked for a let to be played, unsure of whether the 16-year-old’s serve was good or not, despite it appearing to hit an inch or so above the line. 

Elsirty won the rally that followed to bring up two match balls, and secured his spot in the last eight on another refereeing decision, this time a stroke after a Zakaria backhand drop. 

The quarter-finals of the Liverpool Cricket Club Open begin at 5:30pm on Thursday, March 28, with all four matches streaming live on the SQUASHTV Live Streaming YouTube channel.
 
Results: 
Moustafa Elsirty (EGY) bt [6] Mohamad Zakaria (EGY) 3-2: 13-11, 11-9, 8-11, 5-11, 11-8 (86m) 
[2] Ben Smith (ENG) bt Lwamba Chileshe (NZL) 3-2: 11-6, 5-11, 5-11, 12-10, 13-11 (79m) 
Kareem El Torkey (EGY) bt [1] Faraz Khan (USA) 3-2: 13-11, 9-11, 10-12, 11-1, 11-4 (51m) 
Alasdair Prott (SCO) bt [5] Martin Svec (CZE) 3-2: 9-11, 11-5, 7-11, 11-6, 11-7 (49m) 
[8] Emyr Evans (WAL) bt Dewald van Niekerk (RSA) 3-1: 11-8, 11-5, 9-11, 11-5 (62m) 
Ameeshenraj Chandaran (MAS) bt [4] Mazen Gamal (EGY) 3-0: 11-7, 11-2, 11-4 (29m) 
[7] Viktor Byrtus (CZE) bt Ivan Perez (ESP) 3-0: 11-3, 15-13, 11-8 (44m) 
[3] Muhammad Asim Khan (PAK) bt Darren Pragasam (MAS) 3-1: 11-9, 11-7, 7-11, 11-8 (49m)