Nicol pips Palmer in a thriller
By R. Ravi Kumar, the Gulf Times
MEN's Final
Peter Nicol (Eng) beat David Palmer (Aus) 3-2
15-12, 15-5, 10-15, 12-15, 15-10PETER Nicol overcame a serious ankle injury and a never-say-die rival to lift the 2001 Qatar Classic Squash trophy yesterday in a thrilling five-set match which went to the wire.
The world No 3 from England hung in there and slugged it out with world No 1 David Palmer of Australia for two hours to return a score of 15-12, 15-5, 10-15, 12-15 and 15-10.
Nicol, who has been a runner-up here twice, was determined from the start not to end up as second-best yet again and this showed in the way he played the first two games. Both the players adopted a cautious approach and the initial points trickled in, not from attacking gambits, but long and tiring rallies.
But Nicol slowly gained ground and started placing his shots rather well to get his nose ahead. He drew level from 0-5 to 5-5 and slowly pulled away to 10-7. At this stage, with five points going in a row to his rival, Palmer's shots became edgy and the sure touch which he has exhibited unfailingly so far, disappeared. He hit the tin repeatedly and Nicol had the opener in his pocket 15-12 in 25 minutes.
Leading 6-1 head-to-head with British Open champion Palmer, Nicol went into the second game with his tail up and immediately stacked up a healthy lead. The scoreboard read 10-1 in favour of Nicol and Palmer almost folded up. Even simple shots of the burly Aussie went haywire and he could notch up just five points in the second game. Nicol went 2-0 up in just 15 minutes.
"The first two games were easy. I thought I was getting all my shots right and putting the pressure on Palmer," said the Inverurie-born Nicol.
The trend continued right into the third game as the crowd got ready - having already seen Sarah Fitz-Gerald demolish Leilani Joyce 3-0 in the women's final - for another three-set finale.
But, with both players tied at 5-5, the real script unfolded. Nicol went down in a heap after Palmer ran smack into him while going for a soft-drop. A hush descended as the former champion limped off the court with a twisted ankle.
A doctor was summoned and, after a few anxious moments, Nicol walked back with difficulty still uncomfortable and gingerly putting his weight on the left leg.
This was the turning point as Nicol struggled to get back his nick while Palmer sensed the opportunity and twisted the knife in mercilessly. Within no time, the Aussie had raced to a 13-10 lead and wrapped up the game with two consecutive points.
"I was worried after the injury. But it was more psychological than physical," said Nicol who had had his ankle heavily strapped after the match.
The fourth game started in a tense atmosphere as squash got more physical with the crowd egging on the two. Despite losing the third game, an injured Nicol more or less dictated the pace of the game. But Palmer caught fire in the end and restored parity 2-2 with some sizzling shots.
As the decider got underway, the two players were tired for all to see with Palmer panting heavily. Nicol took the lead immediately and kept it throughout with Palmer breathing down his neck." It was very important for me to play well. I was cruising comfortably but my muscles were tightening up," said Nicol.
A point or two separated both and with Nicol leading 8-7 Palmer got a three-minute break for a bad hamstring cramp. Nicol protested against the break but when the match restarted Palmer could hardly move. The breather had not helped him.
Nicol, drawing on hidden reserves of energy, made life more difficult for him with excellently placed shots, and closed out the match 15-10. The marathon effort had taken him 120 minutes.
"I don't believe the way he played. I thought he was getting tired but even with a cramp he hung in there. It was a monumental effort," said Nicol of his tenacious opponent.
MEN: Peter Nicol (Eng) beat David Palmer (Aus) 3-2 (15-12, 15-5, 10-15, 12-15, 15-10)
