WHO'D BE A
SQUASH PUNDIT ...

White versus Nicol. The World number one, the man whose deadly array of shots is best suited for this first-to-9 shootout,  against the man who has dominated the top of the rankings for five years. Anyone could have predicted who would contest the final of the inaugural Canary Wharf Classic. Anyone.

Except they would have been wrong.

White versus Nicol is for 3rd and 4th. Quite a warm-up act, and  the full house will be surely treated to a spectacular display.

Then it's on to the main event, Lincou versus Willstrop with another two number ones.

Thierry Lincou was briefly number one at the start of the year, but has been struggling with injury, and apparently self-belief, for most of 2004. Getting to the final will do the Frenchman's confidence no harm, and he'll be keen not to be added to young Willstrop's already impressive list of scalps.

James Willstrop has been number one at every level he's played. He's still World Junior Champion and is being widely tipped as a future world number one (not that the tipsters have got much right over the last few months). You can't even say he'll have arrived if he wins this one - he 'arrived' several tournaments ago, and the surprising thing is that it's not surprising that he's in the final.

"There is no way I am leaving this building without a victory tomorrow," he pledged to the crowd last night.

Sounds like a trip to the bookies is called for ...

FRIDAY SCHEDULE

15.00 (Corp Chall):
Barclays Capital v CSFB

18.00:
Peter Nicol bt John White
9/6, 4/9, 9/10, 10/9, 10/8 (59m)

19.30pm:
THE FINAL
(best of seven)

Thierry Lincou v James Willstrop



The Canary Wharf
Court awaits ...