ABERDEEN LEGENDS OF SQUASH SATURDAY AFTERNOON REPORT
Former
world No.1 Jonathon Power opened up his Mr Chips Aberdeen Legends of Squash
campaign with victory over Tim Garner at the Aberdeen Squash & Racquets Club
this afternoon.
The
Canadian wrapped up an 11/6, 4/11, 11/9, 11/5 win in just 30 minutes over
Garner who had, just 18 hours previously, claimed his first ever victory
over Peter Nicol.
Power
later faces a Saturday night showdown with old rival Nicol. A win for Power
will earn him a place in tomorrow’s final, whereas a win for Nicol will see
the winner of Pool B decided by games and points difference. Power said:
“I’m going to have to relive some of the old notebooks I have on Peter
before tonight.”
In Pool A,
the former world No.3 Simon Parke won his match with Anthony Ricketts by
default after the Australian was forced to retire from the tournament after
sustaining an injury in his match against Ireland’s Derek Ryan last night.
This means the winner of Parke vs Ryan tonight will go straight through to
the final.
Saturday
afternoon results:
Simon Parke bt Anthony Ricketts def.
Jonathon Power bt Tim Garner 11/6, 4/11, 11/9, 11/5
ABERDEEN LEGENDS OF SQUASH FRIDAY REPORT
Home
favourite Peter Nicol suffered a shock defeat to Tim Garner on the opening
night of Scotland’s first Legends of Squash event at the Aberdeen Squash and
Racquets Club, sponsored by Mr Chips.
The
long-time friends and business partners fought out an entertaining 42-minute
encounter in which Nicol took the first game 11/9, before Garner, who
reached a career high ranking of No.26, battled back by taking the next two
games 11/9 11/9.
Nicol
wasted no time in winning the fourth 11/5 in under 6 minutes to ensure the
match went to a sudden death deciding point, which is the format all the
matches are using this weekend.
In a
pulsating rally lasting over a minute, it was Garner who forced the error
from Nicol to earn his first ever victory over the former world No.1. After
the match, Garner joked: “I knew eventually I would find a scoring system to
allow me to beat him.”
Garner’s
victory followed an unfortunate incident in which the former world No.3
Anthony Ricketts had to retire from his match with Derek Ryan, the world’s
most capped squash player from Ireland, after he suffered an injury to his
ankle.
The match
was level at a game all when midway through the third at 6-6, Ricketts went
down when chasing a short ball. The Australian was forced to retire from
the match and subsequently the tournament.
Friday
evening results:
Derek Ryan bt Anthony Ricketts 7/11, 11/6, 6/6 ret.
Tim Garner bt Peter Nicol 9/11. 11/9, 11/9, 5/11, 1/0
Aberdeen Set For First
Scottish
Legends of Squash Event This Weekend
Aberdeen Squash and Racquets Club will welcome squash star
Peter Nicol
and a host of other legends for Scotland’s first Legends of Squash event
this weekend.
It is
12 years since Nicol was beaten by Canada’s
Jonathon Power
in the final of the 1999 British Open in Aberdeen and the draw has ensured a
blockbuster rematch in the Granite City between the two rivals on Saturday
night.
The
draw is as follows
Pool A
Anthony Ricketts (Australia) –
The
former world No.3 who won the British Open and Tournament of Champions
events in 2005. Ricketts also twice won the silver medal in the Men’s
Doubles event at the Commonwealth Games.
Simon
Parke (England) –
The
former world No.3 who beat Power in the final of the 1999 US Open.
Derek
Ryan (Ireland) –
The
most capped squash player in the world who recently won his 200th cap for
his country.
Pool B
Peter Nicol (England) –
The
former world No.1 and four-time Commonwealth Games gold medallist from
nearby Inverurie.
Jonathon Power (Canada) –
The
former world No.1 and 2002 Commonwealth Games champion.
Tim
Garner (England) –
The
former world No.26 from Sussex.
Looking forward to the clash with his old foe Power, Nicol said: “I have
been waiting 12 years to get my revenge on Jonathon Power here in Aberdeen
since the disappointment in the British Open final in 1999. The event will
be a wonderful weekend of squash with great matches between old rivals and
the opportunity for kids and club members to train with the legends in the
many clinics that are organised. It should be great fun.”
The
event, sponsored by Aberdeen Squash and Racquets Club, Mr Chips and Rosehill
Fish Bar, is part of the Legends of Squash tour which was launched by Nicol
last year and provides an opportunity for players who have retired from the
Professional Squash Association Tour to continue playing the game at a high
level and to battle their old rivals on court again, as well as providing
plenty of entertainment for the spectators.
Individual tickets for Saturday night’s session are now sold out and a
limited amount of tickets are left for Friday, Saturday afternoon and
Sunday. Tickets are priced from only £15 and can be booked via e-mail on
aberdeen@legendsofsquash.com.
Package tickets are also available for the whole weekend which includes
dinner, drinks and a squash clinic with the legends. More information on
tickets can be found at
www.legendsofsquash.com.
Timetable
Friday 23rd September
6pm:
Anthony Ricketts vs Derek Ryan
Followed by a club junior vs Jonathon Power
7.30pm: Peter Nicol vs Tim Garner
Saturday 24th September
12
noon: Derek Ryan vs Simon Parke
Followed by a club junior vs Anthony Ricketts
1.30pm: Tim Garner vs Jonathon Power
6pm: Anthony Ricketts vs Simon Parke
Followed by a club junior vs Derek Ryan
7.30pm: Peter Nicol vs Jonathon Power
Sunday 25th September
12
noon: 3rd/4th place play-off between pool runners-up
Followed by legends doubles
1.15pm: Final between pool winners
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