Three of Ireland’s leading squash players suffered quarter-final eliminations on Thursday, Conor Moran and Sam Buckley losing at the Helsinki PSA Challenger and Breanne Flynn beaten at the Abbas Family Squash Inspire in Columbia.
Moran, the PSA men’s No.172 rank, had two wins to his credit in Finland coming into his quarter-final, including the scalp of Edwin Clain, the Helsinki No.4 seed who is ranked 83rd on the PSA list.
However, Diego Gobbi, the Helsinki No.7 seed, wasn’t added to Moran’s hit list as the Brazilian, who is listed as the PSA No.105, eventually clinched a 2-3 win.
Moran demonstrated tremendous resilience, twice coming from behind to level at 1-1 and 2-2, but the deciding game got away from him early and he could only manage a single point.
Buckley, the No.8 seed in Finland, had comfortably seen off England’s Noah Meredith in his only match before the quarter-finals, and he got off to a flyer against No.3 seed Daniel Poleshchuk from Israel.
The PSA No.126 won the first game 14-12 but was then eclipsed in the next three by a player listed as No.75 by PSA.
In the USA, eight-seed Flynn, ranked No.128 on the PSA women’s list, came into her quarter-final buoyed by a 3-0 dismissal of Molly Chadwick, the No.251 PSA rank from Canada.
However, that dominance wasn’t repeated against Egypt’s Malak Taha, the PSA No.152, and she was beaten 0-3.
HELSINKI PSA CHALLENGER (Finland) – Quarter-finals
Conor Moran 2-3 (7-11, 11-5, 6-11, 11-7, 1-11) v Diego Gobbi (Brazil)
Sam Buckley 1-3 (14-12, 6-11, 7-11, 6-11) v Daniel Poleshchuk (Israel)
ABBAS FAMILY SQUASH INSPIRE (Columbia, USA) – Quarter-final
Breanne Flynn 0-3 (7-11, 10-12, 6-11) v Malak Taha (Egypt)
Ireland had double reason to celebrate on Wednesday at the Helsinki PSA Open as Conor Moran and Sam Buckley won their way through to Thursday’s quarter-finals with convincing 3-1 round of 16 wins.
Moran arrived in Finland having won the Curragh PSA Open final at Fitzwilliam on Sunday, a victory that lifted him seven places in the PSA rankings to 172.
He opened his Helsinki campaign with a 3-0 win on Tuesday against Christopher Gordon, the American ranked No.188 by PSA.
That was an encouraging start, but Wednesday’s win was different gravy as Edwin Clain, the Helsinki Open’s No.4 seed, came into the fixture ranked 83rd on the PSA list.
The French player’s pedigree didn’t matter to the 2025 Irish men’s Nationals champion, who raced into a 2-0 lead (11-8, 13-11). He slipped off (5-11) in the third, but enthusiastically punched his ticket to the quarter-finals 11-9 in the fourth game.
Moran will now play the Brazilian Diego Gobbi, the Helsinki No.7 seed, on Thursday at 3pm Irish time (5pm local). The PSA No.105 defeated England’s Robert Downer 3-0 in his round of 16 match.
Buckley, seeded No.8 in Finland, will face the third seed, Israel’s Daniel Poleshchuk, in his quarter-final at 5pm Irish time (7pm local) on Thursday. The Irish No.2, who came into the tournament at No.126 on the PSA list, had a round one bye on Tuesday.
That left him starting his campaign in the round of 16 against Noah Meredith, the No.162 from England, who won 3-0 against Yehia Essam, the No.195 from Egypt. Similar to Moran’s win over Clain, Buckley jumped 2-0 up (11-6, 11-3) before conceding the third (8-11).
Victory was then secured 11-4 in the fourth, setting up an encounter with Poleshchuk, the PSA No.75, who won his round of 16 match 3-0 against Abdullah Amr of Egypt.
Conor Moran flew out to Finland on Monday to play in this week’s Helsinki PSA Challenger having won the Curragh PSA Open at Fitzwilliam on Sunday. The 2025 Irish men’s Nationals champion defeated Laouenan Loaec of France 3-0 (11-3, 11-4, 11-6) in a 25-minute final.
Handed a bye in the opening round, Moran picked off the fifth-place Aaron Knox 3-1 – but only after the recent Ireland Junior World Championship player won the opening game 11-9 – and the third-place Alex Smith 3-0.
The Curragh Open victory lifted Moran in the PSA rankings to No.171, 16 places above the American Christopher Gordon, whom he will play at 2pm local time (12 noon Irish) on Tuesday.
Moran won’t be the only Irish interest in Finland as Sam Buckley, the No.125 rank, is also chasing PSA points. Buckley has a first-round bye on Tuesday and will start on Wednesday against either Noah Meredith, the No.162 from England, or Yehia Essam, the No.195 from Egypt.
Another winner at the Curragh Open at the Fitzwilliam was Scotland’s Robyn McAlpine, who bounced back from her quarter-final exit on Friday in the IACT Fitzwilliam PSA Ladies to win three matches, including the final 3-0 (11-3, 11-8, 11-4) against Juliette Permentier of the Netherlands.
Another Scot, Peter Maccari, clinched the Men’s B title with four round-robin wins, while Janco Hesse won the all-Irish men’s C final 3-0 (11-7, 14-12, 11-8) against Eoin Tynan.
Eight clubs have already completed the 2025/26 affiliation process, taking advantage of the early bird rate €120/£110 before the October 1st deadline.
There is a key change this year for players – you must have a valid competitive membership to participate in any Squash Ireland-sanctioned leagues or tournaments.
This regulation comes into force from October 1st, and players can affiliate through their clubs or directly themselves via SportyHQ.
Squash Ireland said: “By affiliating your club and yourself, you gain access to important benefits like insurance coverage and funding eligibility for clubs and discounted training courses for players.
“Complete your affiliation today to ensure your eligibility and to secure all the benefits for the upcoming season.”
Squash Ireland is participating in X4 Rackets, a combined four-racket female sports event in County Cavan on September 27th from 4:30pm to 6:30pm.
It’s a unique leadership and participation event for women and girls of all ages hosted by Cavan Sports Partnership in collaboration with Squash Ireland, Table Tennis Ireland, Badminton Ireland and Tennis Ireland.
The Ballyconnell Community Centre meet-up is a Women-in-Sport-funded four-sport initiative. It will hear from several guest speakers on topics related to leadership, self-empowerment and volunteering.
There will also be an opportunity to try out all four racket sports and connect with like-minded coaches, players and volunteers. Signing up in advance is essential, and a goodie bag will be provided.
Breanne Flynn has won the IACT Fitzwilliam Ladies PSA Open title, impressively seeing off Elise Romba of France 3-0 in the final in Dublin.
Seeded No.3 for the 16-player, $3,000 PSA Satellite tournament, Flynn came into Saturday’s title decider against the No.1 seed having defeated Polly Clark, the No.2 seed from England, 3-1 in Friday night’s semi-final.
Romba, for her part, booked her final ticket with a 3-1 in over Australia’s Erin Classen, but the French left-hander was never allowed to get into her stride against the faster-paced Flynn, who raced to title victory in just 23 minutes.
The Irish player demonstrated her intent when taking the first game 11-5, and while the two games that followed were more keenly contested, Flynn held sway to take the title 11-9 and 11-8.
The success is a timely fillip for Flynn, who started her season last month with two tournaments in Australia, followed by a 25th-place finish at the European Championships at Chartres.
That preparation held her in very good stead back in Dublin, where she won four matches in three days. That streak culminated with her victory over Romba, who is ranked 120th on the PSA list, 11 ahead of the 131-ranked Flynn.
Ireland’s Breanne Flynn has emphatically played her way into Saturday’s IACT Fitzwilliam Ladies Open final.
The 16-player $3,000 PSA Satellite event featured quarter- and semi-finals on Friday, and Flynn, the Irish No.2 who is ranked No.3 at the Dublin event, chalked up successive 3-1 wins over the English duo of the eighth-seeded Polly Clark and second seed Isabel McCullough.
Flynn’s win over Clark took 38 minutes, with victory confirmed with an 11-4 game four, and her encounter with McCullough took six minutes longer before that success was confirmed with an 11-5 game four.
Flynn, who started her season with two tournaments in Australia followed by a 25th-place finish at the European Championships in Chartres, will now play Elise Romba, the No.1 seed, in Saturday’s final, starting at 2pm.
Romba needed 35 minutes to win her semi-final 3-1 against Australia’s Erin Classen, having been taken to five games earlier in the day by Wales’ Ellie Breach. The French player is currently ranked 120th on the PSA chart, 11 ahead of Flynn in 131st place.
SEMI-FINALS
Elise Romba [1] WON 3-1 (9-11, 11-7, 11-2, 11-4) v Erin Classen [4]
Isabel McCullough [2] LOST 1-3 (9-11, 10-12, 11-6, 5-11) v Breanne Flynn [3]
FINAL
Romba [1] v Flynn [3] – Saturday, 2pm (live on SQUASH TV)
Breanne Flynn will be the lone Irish interest in Friday’s IACT Fitzwilliam Ladies Open quarter-finals following Thursday’s round of 16 matches.
Seeded No.3 for the 16-player PSA Satellite tournament, Flynn needed just 17 minutes to run up a 3-0 win over fellow Irish player Shriya Drawid to get her campaign up and running.
She now faces Polly Clark, a 3-0 winner over Zoe Yeomans, who represented Ireland at the recent World Squash Junior Championships in Cairo.
There were six Irish players in total at the start line, and the remaining three – Hannah McGugan and Lydia McQuillan – all made 0-3 exits.
Seven of the eight round of 16 matches at the Fitzwilliam went to seeding, with the only upset result being the 1-3 defeat for the No.7 ranked Ana Munos by Robyn McAlpine, the former Irish Junior Open winner from Scotland.
PSA Satellite IACT Fitzwilliam Ladies Open – Round of 16 results
Elise Romba [1] WON 3-0 (11-1, 11-3, 11-3) v Francesca Whyte
Ellie Breach [6] WON 3-0 (11-7, 11-6, 11-7) v Hannah McGugan
Ana Munos [7] LOST 1-3 (9-11, 11-7, 9-11, 7-11) v Robyn McAlpine
Erin Classen [4] WON 3-0 (11-2, 11-2, 11-3) v Lydia McQuillan
Breanne Flynn [3] WON 3-0 (11-6, 11-0, 11-2) v Shriya Drawid
Polly Clark [8] WON 3-0 (11-7), 11-4), 11-3) v Zeo Yeomans
Karolina Sramkova [5] WON 3-0 (11-1, 12-10, 11-4) v Tereza Siroka
Isabel McCullough [2] WON 3-0 (11-4, 11-0, 11-4) v Ella Walsh
Quarter-final fixtures
Romba [1] v Breach [6] – Friday, 1:45pm
McAlpine v Classen [4] – Friday, 1pm
Flynn [3] v Clark [8] – Friday, 1pm
Sramkova [5] v McCullough [2] – Friday, 1:45pm
The Federation of Irish Sport, the voice of Irish sport, has called for a decisive Budget 2026 commitment from Government to secure the role of sport in Ireland as a driver of health, community, and economic growth.
In its 2026 pre-budget submission, the Federation of set out the case for sustainable investment to safeguard and grow the sector.
The primary ask of Government is for a 10 per cent Compound Increase in Core Funding from 2025-2028. The National Governing Bodies (NGBs) and Local Sports Partnerships (LSPs) are the engines of citizens’ engagement with and continued participation in sport.
A multi-annual increase in Core Funding will provide stability and financial clarity for NGBs and LSPs to plan for long term development. This will have a direct impact on improving public health and well-being and foster social inclusion, while also driving economic growth and increased tax revenues.
The second key Ask for Sport in Budget 2026 is for a government commitment to research and publish a report on an additional one per cent betting levy for sport. The creation of an additional one per cent levy would yield approximately €40-50million extra per annum for sports.
The Federation is calling on Government to undertake a formal assessment of the proposed additional one per cent levy, with a view to designating the additional revenue specifically for participation and community sport.
Mary O’Connor, CEO of the Federation of Irish Sport, said: “The Government has the power to make a meaningful impact on the sports sector in Ireland by recognising Sport’s social, health, and economic value and to prioritise core funding for long term impact. Return on investment is clear: for every €100 invested in sport the return is €209.
“While investment by Government in Sport and Physical Activity has increased significantly over the lifetime of the National Sports Policy, it is time for sport funding in Ireland to be in line with our European counterparts and match the EU average.
“With the current National Sports Policy in its final two years, we want Government to recognise Sport as a public good within national policy going forwards. Backing sport means backing communities all over the country.”
The Federation of Irish Sport – the voice of Irish sport – represents 110 member organisations, comprising over 13,000 clubs. There are an estimated 2.09m active participants in sport and physical activity and the value of Sport to the Irish economy is €3.7bn (GVA).
Squash Ireland has published the 2025/26 international season selection policies for senior and junior players. The selection panels are seeking to select the strongest possible team for international representation. Here is an overview:
Junior Selection Policy
The selection panel consists of the Head Coach, Junior Performance Coach and Junior Development Coach.
There is no requirement to have competed on the Irish tour for two or more seasons to be eligible for selection.
The U23 National Championships has been added to the compulsory tournament list for U19 players seeking World Team Championship selection. This provides the selection panel with an opportunity to assess the players’ form closer to the World Championships.
Playing up an age group is again permitted. However, it will require written permission from the selection panel. The selection panel has a strong desire for players to compete within their own age group, so the number of players permitted to play up will likely decrease.
Senior Selection Policy
The minimum age for selection to a senior team has increased from 14 to 16 years of age. While there is no specific minimum age for squash at the Olympic Games, this change aligns with Olympic selection policy norms.
The number of compulsory domestic tournaments for top-ranked PSA players has been tiered depending on PSA ranking. Top 100-ranked players are only required to compete at the National Championship, for example.
This encourages top-ranked players to prioritise improving their PSA World Ranking and is aligned with the High Performance Strategy. Essentially, we want more players ranked inside the top 100 of the PSA World Rankings and are encouraging players to pursue this.
The Head Coach has been added to the selection panels and will chair both the men’s and women’s selection panels. Other members of the panel remain unchanged.
(Various sections have been added and updated, including anti-doping, communication to be directed to staff, and reasons for de-selection. These are largely mirrored in both the Junior and Senior policies)
