Last day at the Velodrome
Men's Final:
[4] Lee Beachill (Yorks) bt
[1] Peter Nicol (Yorks)
15/8, 13/15, 15/5, 15/10 79m
Women's Final:
[1] Cassie Campion (Norfolk) bt
[2] Linda Charman-Smith (Sussex)
9/5, 9/6, 9/2 36m
"Come on Beach, you're the man!", was the cry from the massed Pontefract ranks as Lee Beachill homed in on his second successive National title.
Beachill had taken the first game 15/8, keeping world champion, world number one and top seed Peter Nicol under his control. "I just felt I had to get the ball past him before going for anything short," explained Beachill afterwards.
It was Beachill, throughout the match, who controlled the pace, pushing Nicol around the court. "He just keeps getting everything back," said Beachill, "but you've got to keep him behind you or he'll take you apart. I was lobbing well to both sides, and he wasn't really doing anything with them."
Nicol rallied to take the second 15/13, but the pattern resumed in the third, with Beachill almost toying with the world champion towards the end of the third game, which he took 15/5.
Nicol again started the fourth better, but once Beachill had levelled at 8-all it was all Nicol could do to keep with the Pontefract hero. At 12-10 down Nicol retrieved at least three impossible balls, but it still wasn't enough. It seemed that all of Pontefract was their to cheer their man as Beachill clinched the final game 15/10 to create a bit of squash history.
"Lee played really well," said Nicol. "I wasn't moving as well as I can, but all credit to Lee, when he plays like that he can beat anyone."
"I knew there was a really good game in me this week," said a delighted Beachill. "I'm just glad it came in the final with so many friends and supporters here to watch and cheer me on."
Pontefract are happy
Women's Final:
[1] Cassie Campion (Norfolk) bt
[2] Linda Charman-Smith (Sussex)
9/5, 9/6, 9/2 36m
CASSIE CLAIMS NUMBER FOUR
Cassie Campion claimed her fourth National title at the Velodrome today,
with a comprehensive 3/0 victory over second seed Linda Charman-smith in
36 minutes.
"I had a game plan," said Cassie, "but I was quite nervous to start with and made a few errors." Charman-Smith took a 5-1 lead in the first game primarily on those Campion errors. The rest of the match was dominated by Campion, driving her opponent to all corners of the court, then putting the ball away for winner after winner with Charman-Smith stranded.
"I got my game together during the first," said Campion, "and I felt really strong in the third."
Campion's fourth title leaves her one short of Sue Cogswell's five. "I had a look at the book before today and saw that Sue had five," she said. "Hopefully I've got a few more years in me to go for that record. It's good to be back to something like my best form after so long out of action."
Men's O40:
[1] Bryan Beeson (N'bria) bt [3/4] Paul Millington (N'bria)
8/10, 9/3, 9/5, 9/7 55m
Women's O35:
[1] Pauline Nicholson (Cumb) bt [2] Carol Ann Page (Cambs)
9/5, 9/6, 9/0 25m
14.00 Men's O35:
[1] Jason Nicolle (Notts) bt [2] Darren Bradbury (Warks)
9/1, 10/8, 9/0 47m
Beeson, Nicolle, Nicholson
Sunday 24th Feb is the last day for the National Championships at the Velodrome. Home of the event for the last three years, the National Cycling Centre has provided a tremendous venue for one of the UK's top squash tournaments. From 2003 the event moves to the new National Squash Centre, literally just across the road from the Velodrome. The new facility, part of the 'SPORTCITY' complex being developed for the Commonwealth Games, will be tested during the British Open in April.