Day TWO Preview:
BRING ON THE
SERIOUS JOCKEYING
Wednesday Preview
After the opening comes the serious jockeying for
position. Unlike the Super Series Finals which uses a similar pool format,
here it's only the group winner that progresses (no-one wants to be in the
3rd/4th playoff, do they).
So there's no second chances. The schedule is laid out such that the two
top-ranked players meet in group deciders on Thursday, but if they slip up
along the way it could be all over. No second chances. Two wins out of two
and you're in with a shout. Two losses and you're out. One of each and
it's out of your hands.
James Willstrop could be said to have come of age with his win over
John White in Kuwait. White has obtained his revenge since, but it
wasn't easy, and in this format Willstrop is capable of pulling out
game-winning runs of points. And so is White ...
Peter Nicol could be weighed down with promotional cares (not that
you'd notice in last night's match), and Nick Matthew has been
picking up scalps at an alarming rate, so an upset could be on the cards.
But don't bank on it.
Third match sees a re-run of the Bermuda final. Then, David Palmer
was worn out by a marathon semi-final against Power and it was quite
comfortable for Lee Beachill. This time ... Palmer dashed up to
Birmingham for a long National League tussle with Gaultier after playing
White here in the first match.
Thierry Lincou was nervous before yesterday's match - he knows he
has to start getting the results that propelled him to world number one.
He gained revenge over Nick Matthew yesterday, while Ong Beng Hee
had a good run-out with his old training partner. Tonight it gets serious.
So it could be all over for some tonight. Then again it could finish with
everyone level and the calculators being brought out ready for Thursday's
deciders. Let's just watch the squash first
Day ONE Preview:
The Canary Wharf
Classic gets under way tonight in London's Docklands, with some of the
world's top squash stars in action in one of the world's most spectacular
settings for squash.All matches are
best of five games, using a new scoring system - PAR
(point-a-rally) to nine, with two clear points needed after 8-all. In
tennis tie-break style though, even 27-25 will go down as 10-8 on the
scoresheet.
First up is a
replay of the dramatic World Open final in 2002, with world number one
John White taking on David Palmer, who pipped him by the narrowest margin
in Antwerp. This is their first tournament meeting since then. Palmer will be a
man in a hurry, with a car standing by to whisk him off to Euston station
for the 7.45 train he needs to catch in order to play number one for
Edgbaston in their National League semi-final.
Then it's France's Thierry Lincou, who
hasn't had the best of times since becoming world number one in January. Lincou's last outing in Bermuda saw him crash out in the first round to
Yorkshire's fast-rising Nick Matthew, who seems to be inheriting Lincou's
'Mr Consistency' mantle. In tonight's replay Lincou will surely be looking
for revenge. Co-Promoter Peter
Nicol will then take a break from his duties on the sound system to
take on his old training partner and room-mate Ong Beng Hee. They
know each other's game inside out, so expect some breathtaking rallies and
outrageous attempted winners.
Finally Bermuda Open champion Lee Beachill squares up again to
Pontefract team-mate James Willstrop, the world junior champion. In
the National quarter-finals Beachill was largely untroubled by Willstrop,
but, although they both played National League last night, Willstrop
should be the fresher for this one and the scoring system could just suit
his game. |
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