BEACHILL & WRIGHT CLAIM NATIONAL TITLES
From Howard Harding
Upsets in both finals of the National Squash Championships at the Manchester Velodrome led to Kent's Sue Wright winning her fourth women's title and Yorkshire's Lee Beachill claiming the men's title for the first time.
Fifth seed Sue Wright took 58 minutes, saving two game balls in the fourth game, to overcome top seed Fiona Geaves, the 1995 champion from Gloucester, 10-9 9-2 3-9 10-8.
"I got tense in the fourth game, probably because I saw the winning post too early," said the 30-year-old from Biggin Hill, now based in Aylesbury and appearing in her fifth successive final.
Laid low by viral pneumonia in 1999, Wright made a dramatic return to competitive action last October when she reached the final of the British Open as a qualifier. A mild recurrence of the illness which followed caused her to withdraw from tournaments until the Nationals.
"I wanted this title so much this time - especially after coming back from illness and wondering whether I could do it again," said the plucky new champion, who will next play this Tuesday, for her Birmingham club Edgbaston Priory in the National League. "I was determined to prove the seeding wrong - when somebody knocks me down, I fight back."
In a classic 'war-of-the-roses' clash on the all-glass court at the National Cycling Centre, Yorkshireman Lee Beachill crushed Manchester's Nick Taylor 15-13 15-5 15-8 in the men's final - with supporters from the new champion's Pontefract club significantly out-cheering Taylor's more plentiful local fans.Beachill, the 23-year-old 13th seed who becomes the lowest seed to win the title in the event's history, was also marking a significant turning point in his career since injury and illness. In January 1998, he crushed two vertebrae in his back in a road accident and was told he would never play squash again, then later was struck down with salmonella poisoning.
"After an uninterrupted two-month period of intense training last summer, I was at last able to approach this season with the right preparation," said the new champion, who won the South African Open in September, the Pittsburgh Open in January, then lost a close five-game quarter-final battle with the eventual winner John White in the Flanders Open earlier this month.
"This run has given me a lot more confidence, and it's all gone just right for me this week in Manchester," added the world No21, who expects to break into the world top twenty next month.Beachill was fantastic reports Ian McKenzie.
It has happened remarkably quickly. The boy has become a man, and the top man. He had presence on court, and was dominating. He couldn't be shaken out of it - the ball was driven hard, he returned clinging down the walls. Balls smashed across to pass him were intercepted almost at will, balls smashed low to twist and turn him were cut down from the top of the bounce with fast hands and sucked down into the front corners.The first game was close, Taylor was faultless in establishing a 7-1 lead before Beachill was into his game. But slowly the straight rallies restricted his opponent - he cut the balls off and picked shots that drew cheers from his Pontefract club supporters. The lead was pegged back point by point. Taylor was too eager and continued to attack as he was able to do at the start. But errors cost him dearly, and Beachill had everything covered.
The second went quickly, 15/5, and in the third Taylor, desperate for points, fluctuated between attack and trying to drive the ball past Beachill, but Beachill was no to be shaken from his vice-like grip on this match.
"If yesterday was the best I've ever played, this was a different game, but it was as good. Hopefully there's still more to come", said a delighted Beachill afterwards.