"This is BRUTAL" - Super-Long Squash Rally - ElShorbagy v Makin

Check out this marathon MegaRally between Mohamed ElShorbagy and Joel Makin. Clocking-in at 4 min 8 sec this rally had everything, including a controversial finish! What would your decision have been? Leave your answer in the comments below ⬇️
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[@andres190393]

Bfff I've played games shorter than this point, I´d be on the floor breathing heavily at the end of a point half this long...

[@glenrichmond6260]

A champion in the Makin! ;)

[@kadenyung3653]

lol

[@TranquillShot]

Watching those balls go up and down the backhand side... That was so insanely relaxing. Round of applause for Mr Makin!

[@glenrichmond6260]

ive watched this several times now and i didnt even get tired once!!! ..

[@dismal_axe9881]

Joel was Makin it look easy out there against Elshorbagy

[@sportseditzzz4529]

Good one mate.

[@mathijsverschueren6869]

Haha

[@marcbritton4817]

I see what you did there ;)

[@bensharpdiscord]

Id say definitely a stroke. Plus impressive heart rate!!! Crazy rally..

[@sportseditzzz4529]

That was a stroke 100% though

[@jj9749]

I think a Let was about right

[@tan116A]

Yes, it looks like it. But I looked up the rules and it said - "If the player has done all he can to get out of the way, a let is played." So seems like the let call was fine here. Makin was trying very hard to get away to give Shorbagy room. Having said that, the refereeing in squash needs a lot more transparency.

[@jeffreychan6357]

lol I think many stroke calls happen when a guy has done all they can to clear but he/she's still in the way of the other player right? I really can't see how this is not a stroke

[@tan116A]

True. But I'm not the one who wrote the rules. I'm just the guy who read them

[@fordfactor]

The rule to consider is actually 8.9 Racket Swing, NOT 8.8 Direct Access. The ref had to decide if his swing (including reasonable follow through) was prevented or affected by the non-striker. Prevented = stroke, slightly affected = let. I think El Shobs follow through would have been prevented, so stroke. Note the commentators talking about the follow through would have taken the other guy's head off!

[@jomangeee9180]

INTERFERENCE Rule 12: " The player is entitled to a stroke (i.e. wins the rally) if the opponent did not make every effort to avoid the interference, OR if the player would have hit a winning return, OR if the player would have struck the opponent with the ball going directly to the front wall. "

[@user-iy8cy1fn4d]

great rally, poor decision

[@KentBlogMan]

Great rally but a decision that would be an embarrassment in a club match with a marker from the home team. I'm not a huge fan of El Shorbagy's (even though he's clearly a great player,), and I was delighted when I saw the result as I usually want the underdog to win, but this was a shocker of a decision. And why on earth did the video ref back it up? The whole point of them is to stop poor decisions like this. Just wonder if the video ref felt he or she was the more junior official and didn't have the courage to overrule the senior marker. The PSA officials should meet more often to try to ensure better consistency across the season. The worry is that if players don't think they'll get a stroke in these circumstances, they might be tempted to play a shot when it's clearly dangerous.

[@tan116A]

Yes, it looks like it. But I looked up the rules and it said - "If the player has done all he can to get out of the way, a let is played." So seems like the let call was fine here. Makin was trying very hard to get away to give Shorbagy room. Having said that, the refereeing in squash needs a lot more transparency.

[@chrisbatey2806]

Spot on with comparison to a club match home marker. Too often the professional marking isn't any better quality at all. Something needs to change- if the video ref system doesn't help, what hope is there???

[@iainmaciver7819]

Man!!

[@watching99134]

@@tan116A If you've done all you can but you're still blocking the front wall and/or swing of your opponent it's a stroke.

[@jelmerth]

Rule 10.a, really's longer than 250 seconds can't end in an stroke (;-D

[@bustertornado5433]

Rally was 248 seconds long, so just barely short enough that the rule doesn't apply.

[@Moose92411]

Let's hear some more tennis players talk about how their sport is harder. I'll wait.

[@maksxd2002]

yep they're really arrogant

[@slimehound1934]

ONE ETERNITY LATER

[@tan116A]

Why the hell would you stir up this argument out of nowhere? I have played tennis and I have played squash. Both are extremely physical in their own way. Comparing the sports is pointless. And making such comments is naïve. You could look up crazy physical rallies/matches in tennis and say the same thing there ("Let's hear some more squash players talk about how their sport is harder"). Just because this was a great squash rally doesn't mean that squash IS harder by any means. Squash is a lot of start-stop play with the rubber ball refusing to bounce which means it needs huge power. Tennis has more running and less start-stop stuff but the ball and racquets are heavier; plus, it involves a lot of spin and varieties which squash just cannot have. Different games. Incomparable. Just that they're both physical.

[@Moose92411]

@@tan116A that's my point. They're both brutally hard sports, and neither has any ground to say that they're better athletes.

[@gregoriogarcia8895]

Two different sports. You'll burn more calories from squash because the ball is in play longer. Tennis shorter rallies but more physical. Love to play both precisely because they are so different from each other.

[@deskches8621]

Clearly a stroke! Why on earth a let?

[@erikschaepers]

Guys ! are you squash players? Makin clearly moved away from the ball, and Shorbaggy could have played without risk to his opponent. Yes Let

[@dompricemusic2701]

I don't say this very often, in fact I don't think I ever have, but this decision cost Shorbagy the match. A stroke would have levelled the games at 1-1, but instead Shorbagy went 2-0 down and lost the match 3-0. I think Shorbagy would have had enough in his locker to win the match if he'd won this point! Not very often where one single decision has this much impact but in this case it definitely did!

[@highperformancebodywork3542]

whats with makins change of grip from the receiving where it is right up high, and then for the rally its lowered? whats the reasoning behind that?

[@johnho6954]

Beautiful rally

[@purvikoradia7454]

Loved. It rally on fire

[@japeking1]

Stroke..... couldn't be anything else. Sad but true.

[@piotrsulikowski3262]

Taki spokojny meczyk bez spiny. Ewidentnie dla przyjemnosci

[@bagofj3117]

Wow...

[@malikibrahim1396]

Who is the refree

[@arrowmasterz7667]

Bro 160 shots that’s crazy

[@tonygloster8829]

Wow an amazing rally that’s how to play squash they must be superhuman incredible fitness 👏👏👏👏👏👏👏👏👏👏👏👏

[@sportseditzzz4529]

Best rally ever

[@caresnomore]

Great rally! Obviously a stroke there at the end, but that kinda makes up a bit for all those dubious calls that went Shorbagy's way over last years. At some point Mohammed had really became a favorite child of PSA, which translated to the refereeing department.

[@rothotborski]

The only reason for deciding a stroke is the video ref didn't want Makin to loose this rally...which is totally understandable imho :)

[@doriangray7925]

Stroke

[@johnsmith-yv7rp]

I guess they thought let cause the ball was getting behind shorbagy so tricky to volley? I dunno tho?

[@TheJohnCooper]

I thought he had it in shorbagy

[@mathieuvanacker2842]

what is a stroke? and why did the referee made a mistake? I'm new to squash

[@cameroncoates4863]

Close the voting polls because this already wins rally of the season.

[@scottparker943]

How many shots was that!!

[@user-pt2hi7xm7r]

Makin reminds me of a character from the movie Ghost in the Shell.

[@tomewall8982]

I think it was a stroke. The video ref may have been tired out by the long rally.

[@mellowfellow6816]

Video ref wants to see that rally again

[@joaovonhorn1583]

Who was the referee and where did he come from?

[@christiansenmarcus]

That really was a great rally in the.... ;)

[@mohrauf4504]

Does anyone know who won the match?

[@jalajupadhyay1491]

Makin won the match!

[@lillyretaj414]

Very good rally

[@gachahazel8585]

STROKEE THIS IS UNFAIR BOOOOOO ACTUALLY BRUTAL

[@samexelby8715]

Wow what a horrendous decision

[@Meeshu40]

Stroke , even watching slo mo many times no other decision can be given, Makin was clearly in front and there is no way Mo could have played the Ball. Great Rally though

[@mikafabz]

STROKE STROKE STROKE....

[@gordoncampbell4706]

Wow, first Tesni Evans and now Joel Makin. Congratulations to the Welsh dragons, hard earned wins. There are no freebies at this level, in spite of the armchair referees opinions. Apparently petulant outbursts are unacceptable, who knew? Thanks again PSA Squash TV for bringing this fantastic game to the world. Cheers!

[@piotrsulikowski3262]

Widac ze nie graja zeby koniecznie wygrac tylko dla przyjemnosci zeby po prostu pograc.

[@samuelgrandmaison7247]

Great rally! Judging by the comments, I'm one of the few who agrees with the let call here instead of the stroke. ElShorbagy was not planted, ready to hit when he asked for let. He was gassing out under pressure, decided to find a let opportunity to stop the rally instead of continuing and possibly lose. Makin was not in the direct line of the shot, made every effort to get out of the way and had clear advantage even if his shot was loose. Glad the ref didn't let ElShorbagy get away with it so late in the game. Tight call, squash is very hard to ref.

[@robertdrake48]

Makin has to clear not only for the ball but for the racquet. It's this latter issue that might influence a ref in this case. Also, El Shorbagy need not be "planted," as far I know. His swing has to be reasonable, that's all.

[@bvdp4886]

@@robertdrake48 I agree with Sam BigHouse

[@omarghadir]

He can hit the ball and makin’s head in the process

[@robertwhough]

159 strokes? yes?

[@JaisimhaAllalghatta]

A super long rally and ending up in a let :-)

[@NirmalKumar-xw3ko]

A whopping 162 shots rally !!!

[@ellibarrott4762]

I play squash and know that was a stroke. It's either ask for a let and get a stroke or injure your opponent. That decision was a stroke for definite. where did they see something that made them decide on a yes let? Don't understand the logic of people these days

[@highperformancebodywork3542]

they must have felt he was stretching to get it, and the follow through danger wasn't likely... but yeah nonsense call, stroke everyday

[@lordjimbo2]

All that for a let.....hahaha, pro squash, ladies and gentlemen!

[@jj9749]

the rally was so good we want to see it again

[@TheJohnCooper]

160 shots in that rally! You're welcome

[@ShellysAshes]

Awful decision on the stroke, and that's coming from a fellow Brit.

[@saqibzia5104]

Was 1000% stroke for ashorbgy but referees kidding yes let hahahahaha

[@shahg25]

My whole matches are shorter than this rally

[@gabes44800]

Joke referee

[@japeking1]

I think he rather wimped out....he could have played a shot.... not with a full blooded swing but hell, this is the world number one and he's asking for a soft point. Play it again, Sam and win it properly.

[@naveedenam4045]

a point is a point whether you world number 1 or 100. It shouldn't be a different rule just because he was world number 1. That was a stroke, 10 out of 10 times.

[@japeking1]

@@naveedenam4045 Yeah, just watched it again and you're right. It really looks a dead set stroke. Only thing is, a professional ref, presumably having watched the actual thing in live 3D and having the full match progress to this point , made a decision which just has to be accepted and, in this case, recovered from. I would think that ME in future would refuse to play with that ref ( I remember being allowed to ask for a change of ref back in my interclub years ) if he thinks he is biased or inconsistent but other than that you just have to grin and bare it. I might have just stormed of in disgust. But I wouldn't have been able to return the service in the first place so I really shouldn't have made the comment at all.

[@_ianonymous_1726]

Umm stroke, but ok🤷🏻‍♂️😂

[@jomangeee9180]

Squash refereeing is controversial to say the least, but dare I say that VAS is well known for being biased in favor of British players! I think for squash to move forward there has to be a solution, maybe simplify the rules?!

[@tan116A]

I looked up the rules and it said - "If the player has done all he can to get out of the way, a let is played." So seems like the let call was fine here. Makin was trying very hard to get away to give Shorbagy room. Having said that, the refereeing in squash needs a lot more transparency. They need to have clear cut rules so that the commentators and the referees are not at odds almost every game.

[@jomangeee9180]

I think we can agree that had MO attempted to play the ball he more likely than not would have struck Makin; according to IINTERFERENCE Rule 12: " The player is entitled to a stroke (i.e. wins the rally) if the opponent did not make every effort to avoid the interference, OR if the player would have hit a winning return, OR if the player would have struck the opponent with the ball going directly to the front wall. " I mean you don't need rules to be biased you just make your own as you go a long

[@tan116A]

JO MANGEEE This is from the PSA world tour website (psaworldtour.com/news/view/3950/squash-rules-the-basics-explained )- A 'Let' is where the rally is played again - which the referee deeming that the INTERFERENCE WAS ACCIDENTAL or if the officials are undecided. A 'No Let' is where the referee rules against the appeal of the striker and awards a point to the retreating player. In this situation the referee is deeming that the retreating player provided unobstructed access and that interference was minimal, therefore the appealing striker could have played a shot. A 'Stroke' is when the point is awarded to the appealing player. A stroke is awarded when the referee deems the the incoming striker is in position to play a shot but suffers interference due to the outgoing player NOT MAKING EVERY EFFORT TO CLEAR. I’m no Shorbagy fan. So please refrain from condescending language before you know your facts. Here are the rules. Make your own judgement.

[@jomangeee9180]

OOPS, I was talking about the referee not you, my bad! www.ussquash.com/officiate/online-rules/

[@jomangeee9180]

In any case, that brings me to my original point the rules are unclear, and you will find different interpretations in different places. In this did the player make every effort to clear? According to the International Squash Federation he did not "a player must make every effort to clear, so that when the ball rebounds from the front wall the opponent has 1- fair view of the ball 2- unobstructed direct access to the ball 3- reasonable space to make a swing 4- freedom to strike any part of the front wall. www.worldsquash.org/ " You can argue that MO did not have any of these at one point or another. It is just a Match no more no less but only in VAS you will you find two games decided by a ref in favor of a UK player!

[@shahg25]

That is equivalent to a draw in soccer

[@muhammadkhan7481]

Worst refereeing I have ever see in professional squash. A referee can only make a sincere mistake once in a game at this level. This was a repeatedly flawed and one-sided refereeing. This person should be banned from referring PSA tournaments.

[@tan116A]

Yes, it looks like it. But I looked up the rules and it said - "If the player has done all he can to get out of the way, a let is played." So seems like the let call was fine here. Makin was trying very hard to get away to give Shorbagy room. Having said that, the refereeing in squash needs a lot more transparency. There needs to be more reasoning because it is so so subjective!

[@davidjousse5993]

Please stop your rant; even if a player made all he could but did not cleared the access to the ball, it is still a stroke. That is in the rules too.

[@tan116A]

David Jousse psaworldtour.com/news/view/3950/squash-rules-the-basics-explained Read the rules, dumass.

[@stevehughes1510]

The ball was traveling at a million miles an hour , no chance to kill it or for delicate drops etc. The decision from both refs was a disgrace......they should be fired.

[@Fuzcapp]

Obvious stroke. IN fact, i can't understand how both players didn't have a stroke ...

[@rodeolo1]

Utter disgraceful refereeing....absolute shambles...

[@samexelby8715]

Worst decision I've ever seen

[@michaelmitchell8567]

Let was fair there.

[@frazbest]

I was going to smash the racket if stroke wasnt given in my favor after all this.

[@VictorTorres-fh3mi]

mohamed elshorbagy solo echó a perder lo que hubiera podido ser un buen punto. en algunos golpes ambos se estorbaron pero a mi parecer al final Mohamed se cansó.

[@adrianprice533]

Some really poor play here. Hitting the ball directly where your opponent is over and over. Also is that ball full of red bull. It's practically got wings.

[@JonesTonesGuitar]

160 hit rally.....and then a typical crappy call

[@billmclaren9390]

This type of camera lens is naff it does nothing for the game as a viewer.

[@squashtv]

No choice I'm afraid as the balcony is so close to the court

[@billmclaren9390]

Thank you for the explanation , will just have to endure it ! again thanks

[@squashtv]

Qatar next, which is usually very easy to get cameras exactly where we want them :)

[@afterlife101spirit]

Stroke. Bloody useless, ref.

[@kaamran]

It's not a point

[@David-jv3dw]

Stroke

[@PaulGagnonDouglas]

Stroke

[@MrAlik1962]

Stroke