Adrian Waller 14-16, 11-4, 11-6, 11-8
(76 mins)
Chris Ryder
Adrian Waller 11-9, 11-3, 11-2
(40 mins)
Joel Hinds
Adrian Waller 11-5, 4-11, 11-8, 11-9 (48 mins) Jonathan Kemp
Chris Ryder (Eng)
11-4, 11-2, 11-5
[Q] James Evans (Eng)
Adil Maqbool (Pak)
6-11, 11-4, 11-3, 6-11, 11-7 [Q] James Earles (Eng)
James Earles 11-4, 15-13, 13-11
(45 mins) Joel Hinds
[4] Henrik Mustonen (Fin)
11-9, 13-11, 11-9 Joel Hinds (Eng)
Michael Harris (Eng)
11-8, 11-9, 11-3 [3] Joe Lee (Eng)
Joe Lee 11-5, 11-4, 3-0 retired
(23 mins)
Yann Perrin
Joe Lee 9-11, 11-6, 9-11, 11-4, 11-5 (55
mins) Jonathan Kemp
Yann Perrin (Fra)
11-2, 11-6, 11-5
Carlos Cornes (Esp)
Declan James (Eng)
14-16, 11-3, 11-6, 11-8
Steve London (Eng)
Declan James 11-2, 11-9, 11-7
(22 mins) Jonathan Kemp
[Q] Ben Ford (Eng)
11-6, 12-10, 11-0 [2] Jonathan Kemp (Eng)
Qualifying
Reuben Phillips (Eng) bt
Antoine-Camille Petrucci (Fra)
w/o James Evans (Eng) bt
Jonathan Geekie (Sco)
11-8, 15-13, 11-8 (41m) Ben Ford (Eng) bt Charlie Johnson (Eng)
8-11, 9-11, 11-3, 11-5, 11-2 (58m) James Earles (Eng) bt
Anthony Brindle (Gib)
11-1, 11-4, 11-4 (24m)
James Earles (Eng) bt Sebastiaan Weenink (Ned) 4-11, 11-8,
11-4, 5-11, 11-6 (50m)
Anthony Brindle (Gib) bt Jakob Dirnberger (Aut)
11-8, 4-11, 11-7, 12-10 (46m)
Charlie Johnson (Eng) bt Shinnosuke Tsukue (Jpn
11-7, 5-11, 11-9, 11-5 (35m)
Ben Ford (Eng) bt Chris Fuller (Eng)
8-11, 11-4, 11-5, 6-3 retd (46m)
James Evans (Eng) bt Robbie Downer (Eng)
11-7, 11-4, 11-9 (33m)
Jonathan Geekie (Sco) bt Jonny Powell (Eng)
11-5, 11-7, 11-8 (20m)
Antoine-Camille Petrucci (Fra) bt Richie Fallowes
(Eng) w/o withdrew due to illness
Reuben Phillips (Eng) bt Ollie Holland (Eng)
11-9, 11-7, 7-11, 5-11, 11-5 (72m)
Report
Courtesy of Alan Thatcher
Kemp Wins SE Leisure Kent Open
Jonathan Kemp’s adventurous array
of attacking shots proved the decisive factor as he overcame top seed Adrian
Waller to win the final of the SE Leisure Kent Open at The Mote Squash Club in
Maidstone, England.
In a battle of two left-handers,
Kemp’s ability to control the front half of the court made the difference as he
won 11-5, 4-11, 11-8, 11-9 in 48 minutes of fiercely-contested squash.
Against a supremely fit opponent,
whose 6ft 3in height enables enormous court coverage, the 32-year-old Kemp
needed to produce tight drops and good-length drives to move Waller around.
He achieved those twin objectives
for long spells of the match as he clinched his second PSA title in eight days
after winning the Ipswich tournament at his home club a week earlier.
Londoner Waller started strongly
and built a 4-1 lead in the opening game but Kemp soon found his touch and
reeled off 10 of the next 11 points.
His touch deserted him in the
second as Waller dominated proceedings, adding plenty of tight drops of his own
to some solid driving to the back corners.
The third and fourth games were
similar to the first as Waller built early leads only for Kemp to build long
runs of points.
In the third he moved to 8-3 ahead
before Waller responded, but Kemp was able to close out the game 11-8.
Again Kemp trailed 3-1 in the
fourth but this time powered his way towards the finishing line with a
succession of superb winners, including nicks and several reverse angles, that
put him 9-4 ahead.
Waller launched a solid and
determined revival to draw level at 9-9, but Kemp struck a winning volley to
reach match ball and clinched the title with a clinging drop shot.
After receiving his trophy from
tournament sponsor John Powell, Kemp said: “I played well in patches and was
pleased to see Adrian looking tired at times. After a tough semi-final against
Joe Lee I knew it was going to be a battle today.
“My tactics worked well for most
of the time and I was pleased to catch Adrian with a couple of crosscourts when
he came across to cover the straight shot.
“After organising my first
tournament in Ipswich last week I now appreciate all the work that goes on
behind the scenes so I would like to congratulate the team here at The Mote for
running such a superb event.”
The Kent Open
is sponsored by SE Leisure, Craft Insure, Shepherd Neame, The Mote Squash Club
and Harrow Sports.
Top seeds Adrian Waller and
Jonathan Kemp meet in the final of the SE Leisure Kent Open.
Waller powered past wild card Joel
Hinds in straight games but Kemp had to battle for almost an hour to subdue a
phenomenal challenge from No.3 seed Joe Lee
Londoner Waller withstood a fierce
fightback from Hinds in the opening game. Hinds was game ball down at 10-6 but
produced a sustained spell of attacking squash to reach 9-10 before Waller
clinched it on a flat-nick volley-kill off the serve.
The Birmingham-based Hinds looked
a little subdued during the second as a confident Waller powered through for the
loss of just three points.
The third was even more one-sided
as Hinds was clearly running on empty. After two intensely physical victories in
the opening rounds against No.4 seed Henrik Mustonen and Yorkshire qualifier
James Earles, his lack of recent match play was clearly evident against a
superbly honed athlete like Waller.
Waller said: “I had a
good start to the match but Joel found his rhythm, gradually making the game
frantic. At 10-9 up, I hit a crosscourt volley nick to win the game. That gave
me confidence for the next game.
“In
the next two games, I found a better height of the shot to get the ball to the
back of the court, pinning Joel into the corners. That gave me more
opportunities and I put together a good run of points. I felt I didn’t drop
concentration or make many errors, maybe just one or two.
“I’m
playing Jonathan in the finals and although we’ve travelled and toured together.
I don’t recall us playing a competitive match. I know what to expect. He always
give 110 per cent.”
The final promises to provide a
fascinating contrast in styles.
The extravagantly talented
32-year-old Kemp had to hit back from two-one down in games to beat rising
Surrey star Lee.
From 4-4 in the fifth game, Kemp
unleashed a succession of dazzling winners, striking nick after nick to nullify
a quality performance from Lee.
Kemp admitted: “At 4-4 I thought I
ought to start going for a few winners and it paid off. Believe me, that was
Plan Z. Joe played extremely well and didn’t give me the opportunities to
attack.
“He is very good at the
counter-drops and lobs, which neutralises my game.”
Lee said: “I was just two or three
minutes away from a top-30 performance. I felt fairly comfortable throughout the
match but Jonathan produced a spell of unplayable shots.
“People say he might not be the
fittest player in the game but you’ve got to be incredibly strong to step up the
court like he did in the fifth and attack in the fashion.
“He is one of the best players I
have ever come across for attacking shots. He is also a very fair player but I
lost focus early in the fourth and fifth games.”
Report
Courtesy of Alan Thatcher
All-English Semi-Finals In Kent
Open
Top seed Adrian Waller withstood a
fierce onslaught from former champion Chris Ryder to reach the semi-finals of
the SE Leisure Kent Open.
Waller’s 76-minute victory ended
Ryder’s unbeaten record at The Mote Squash Club as the match developed into a
compelling, physical and hugely entertaining quarter-final battle.
Ryder, twice a Kent Open champion
at The Mote, winning marathon finals against Aaron Frankcomb and Max Lee, was
clearly up for the fight against an opponent nine years his junior.
The opening game lasted 25 minutes
and Ryder forced his way back from 6-2 down to take the lead at 10-9. Waller hit
back to hold the upper hand and Ryder saved two game balls before clinching the
tiebreak 16-14.
The effort clearly took its toll
as Ryder succumbed 11-4 in a 10-minute second game. Ryder suffered a hand injury
at the start of the third game but returned to the court after a three-minute
injury break.
Waller managed to stay in front
throughout to win it 11-6 and the fourth followed a similar pattern with rallies
that demanded an enormous physical investment from both players.
From 8-8 the crowd were willing
Ryder to take the match to five, but it was Waller who finished in decisive
fashion.
Waller meets Joel Hinds in the
last four after the 25-year-old wild card from Birmingham subdued gritty
Yorkshire qualifier James Earles.
The hard-hitting Hinds dominated
the opening game but the second and third were full of brutal rallies as Earles
retrieved with incredible speed and shared the spoils at the front of the court.
It was hugely entertaining squash
for the packed gallery and even though Hinds is always a popular visitor to The
Mote, many were willing Earles to extend the match as long as possible.
Seeing two athletes slug it out in
this fashion produces the purest form of sporting combat and Hinds was mightily
relieved to leave court with a 3-0 win under his belt.
Ironically, after so many
punishing rallies, the match-winning shot was a miscued backhand drop shot that
spun down off the front wall and died in the front left corner with Earles
stranded.
Quick victories for Jonathan Kemp
and Joe Lee made it an all-English line-up in the semi-finals.
Stylish No.2 seed Kemp dominated
play throughout to overwhelm Declan James in 22 minutes, while Lee was on the
way to a similar victory when his opponent Yann Perrin fell heavily and retired
with a hamstring injury.
Watching national coach Chris
Robertson will have been pleased to see four English players win through, with
two pulsating semi-finals in prospect.
The Kent Open is sponsored by SE
Leisure, Craft Insure, Shepherd Neame, The Mote Squash Club and Harrow Sports.
Report
Courtesy of Alan Thatcher
Home Heroes Tumble As Stars Light
Up Kent Open
Kent trio Ben Ford, Steven London
and James Evans crashed out of the $10,000 PSA Challenger 10 SE Leisure Kent
Open at The Mote Squash Club in Maidstone.
Veteran Ford, 37, came close to
taking the second game off No.2 seed Jonathan Kemp but the effort clearly took
its toll as he lost the final game 11-0.
Kemp meets Declan James, who
overcame London after losing a marathon opening game 14-16.
Young qualifier Evans, roared on
by a packed gallery at his home club in the county town of Kent, found the gulf
in quality too much to handle as he fell to former champion Chris Ryder.
Following two straight-games
victories in qualifying, the Invicta Grammar School head boy started brightly
with a flurry of winners before Ryder took control in ruthless fashion.
Twice a champion at The Mote,
Ryder will be hoping the crowd will be on his side as he bids to maintain his
unbeaten record at the club in the quarter-finals when he faces top seed Adrian
Waller.
The 6ft 3in Waller was in
outstanding form in front of England's national coach Chris Robertson as he
dispatched fellow Londoner Reuben Phillips in just 27 minutes.
Equally impressive was another
Londoner, No.3 seed Joe Lee, who beat Devon's Michael Harris in straight games
and now meets Frenchman Yann Perrin.
Wild card Joel Hinds, from
Birmingham, sprung a major surprise when he ousted No.4 seed Henrik Mustonen but
the Finn was suffering from a heavy cold which hampered his movement in a
physically taxing contest.
Hinds faces Yorkshire qualifier
James Earles, who finished strongly to beat Pakistan's Adil Maqbool 11-7 in the
fifth game.
The Kent Open is sponsored by SE
Leisure, Craft Insure, Shepherd Neame, The Mote Squash Club and Harrow Rackets.
Local
Heroes Reach SE Leisure Kent Open Main Draw
Locals Ben Ford and James Evans
won through to the main draw of the SE Leisure Kent Open, a PSA Challenger 10
tournament at The Mote Squash Club in Maidstone, England
Kent veteran Ford, 37, fought back
from two games down to beat Herts youngster Charlie Johnson.
Teenager Evans, for the second day
running, put his homework to one side as he left school to beat a full-time
professional in straight games at his home club.
After beating Robbie Downer on
Tuesday, he overcame a second Portsmouth-based player in Jonathan Geekie.
Evans looked dominant in the first
and third games but had to work hard to fight back from 9-6 down in the second
to clinch an abrasive tiebreak 15-13.
His victory came after he had been
appointed Head Boy at Maidstone's Invicta Grammar School earlier in the day.
His reward is a difficult first
round tie against the experienced Chris Ryder, who has won this tournament twice
and has never lost at The Mote.
Ford, who played alongside Evans
in the Kent team at the weekend in the English inter-counties championship,
rolled back the years as he overcame Johnson. Both players had won through from
a three-match pre-qualifying programme on Monday, but it was Ford who finished
the stronger.
His artistry with the racket
frequently left Johnson flat-footed and he faces an equally talented shot-maker
in the main draw with a first round clash with 32-year-old No.2 seed Jonathan
Kemp, who arrives in Kent fresh from winning his own tournament in Ipswich at
the weekend.
Top seed Adrian Waller meets
another talented Londoner, Reuben Phillips, who was awarded a walkover yesterday
after his French opponent, Antoine Petrucci, withdrew through injury.
The top qualifying seed,
Yorkshire's James Earles, swept past Gibraltar's Anthony Brindle in just 24
minutes and meets Pakistan's Adil Maqbool in the first round.