| Quarter-Finals: Fri 15th Aug at the Crucible
WILLSTROP'S WORDS
Views from the Crucible Compere
Jonathon Power bt Nick Matthew
15/8, 15/9, 15/5 (49m)
John White bt Ong Beng Hee
15/10, 15/12, 15/14 (66m)
Anthony Ricketts bt Peter Nicol
8/15, 17/16, 12/15, 15/12, 15/13 (109m)
David Palmer bt Lee Beachill
15/10, 11/15, 15/9, 15/9 (77m)
RICKETTS REAPS HIS
REWARD - AT LAST
[5] Anthony Ricketts bt [1] Peter Nicol
8/15, 17/16, 12/15, 15/12, 15/13 (109m)
It was a long time coming, but Anthony
Ricketts has finally beaten his nemesis, world number one Peter Nicol. The
pair have met time after time in quarter-finals of major PSA events with
Nicol emerging the winner every time.
Tonight it was different. There were the
same lung-busting rallies, outrageous retrieving and equally-outrageous
winners from both of them as they kept the Crucible crowd on tenterhooks for
almost two hours of gripping, quality squash. Malcolm Willstrop rated it in
his top ten matches ever.
There was never much in it in any of the
games. Nicol took the first with a run of points, but after that neither
could get away - because neither of them would yield.
Ricketts grew more determined and more
confident as the elusive win approached. "I knew I could win from the
start", said Ricketts, "as long as I could keep it together at the right
times."
He did, and his racket threatened the high
court lighting when he clinched victory.
"We've played so many times it's made me a
better player", said Ricketts. "It was anyone's game in the end. At 13-11 in
the fifth, I thought 'I've been here before, let's learn from past
mistakes'".
He did. He won. At last.
Nicol was rueful in defeat: "I'm
disappointed, obviously. We've played lots of times and most of them were
close. He was always going to win one sometime, it's just a pity it had to
be here, I'd have loved to win this tournament."
POWER ON CRUISE CONTROL
[4] Jonathon Power bt [Q] Nick Matthew
15/8, 15/9, 15/5 (49m)
The final quarter-final proved a step too
far for Nick Matthew and the Sheffield faithful who stayed for a late-night
masterclass from Jonathon Power.
When Matthew joined in with the joking early
on in the match is was clear that this wasn't going to be a meaningful
contest.
It was good, light-hearted fun, and it kept
the crowd entertained and not up too late.
Power's first serious test will come
tomorrow when he faces David Palmer in a repeat of their dramatic World Open
semi-final in Antwerp.
PALMER TAKES IT
ONE GAME AT A TIME
[2] David Palmer bt [7] Lee
Beachill
15/10, 11/15, 15/9, 15/9 (77m)
In what seemed a quiet match after the epic
that preceded it (see below), David Palmer continued to progress in his
first tournament after a five-month layoff with a confident enough 3-1
victory over Lee Beachill.
Beachill never hit the form that he is
capable of, and although he took the second, Palmer was in control for the
most part.
"It was an up and down performance," said
the World Champion. "First game good, second game bad, but overall I'm happy
with my form and the win.
"Lee can hurt you from the front, so I had
to be patient and wait for the opportunities. "
So Palmer moves into the semi-finals at the
Crucible.
"I haven't thought about that yet," he said. "First tournament
back, I'm taking it one game at a time and seeing how it goes."
It seems to be going alright so far.
WHITE WALKS PAST BENGY
[3] John White bt [6] Ong Beng Hee
15/10, 15/12, 15/14 (66m)
John White advanced to the semi-finals with a convincing 3-0 win over
Malaysia's Ong Ben Hee in the opening match of the night.
Beng Hee stayed in touch for the majority of
the first two games, in a match that featured more rallying than many
observers expected. However, in both games White pulled away from 10-10 to
clinch both games.
"Bengy's playing well - up to a point,"
commented one seasoned observer. "But when it comes to the crunch John's got
that bit more drive and bite."
White raced into a 9-3 lead in the third,
and it looked all over, but Ong fought back to level at 10-10 once more, and
went ahead at 13-12. Again though, White was stronger at the death.
At 14-13 White was denied what looked a
clear stroke as Beng Hee hit the ball back at himself in the middle of the
court. Only a let was given, and Bengy took full advantage. 14-all. White
chose one, and Bengy went for an ambitious drop that ended the match rather
than prolonging it as he'd hoped.
"Bengy's so quick at the front of the court
I had to alter my normal game to counter him," explained White afterwards.
"I rallied much more than I normally do, and looked to volley straight
whenever I could, waiting for Bengy to open up the court and give me a
chance. It worked."
WILLSTROP'S WORDS
Views from the Crucible Compere
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