- Alan Thatcher's Super Series Diary
Alan Thatcher will once again be on the spot in the heart of the City of London, bringing you reports on the action, and on the goings-on at Broadgate.
Also check out the Squash Grapevine
Here's Alan doing the introduction sequence
for Jean De Lierre's official tournament video production.
22-JunePALMER POWERS PAST LINCOU
TO FIRST SUPER SERIES TITLE
DAVID PALMER, the runner-up last year, bulldozed his way to a first PSA Super Series title with a storming finish against gallant Frenchman Thierry Lincou. The tall, powerful, muscular Australian won 15-9, 10-15, 15-7, 10-15, 15-4 in 91 minutes of often physical squash to win the Bank of Scotland-sponsored tournament inside a crowded marquee at London's Broadgate Arena..
The tone was set early in the match when Palmer drilled Lincou in the back of the calf with a full-blooded drive from point-blank range. There were frequent collisions as both players struggled to clear drop shots and were rewarded with a shove in the back or a knee in the leg, with Palmer often on the receiving end as the highly mobile Lincou fought tooth and nail.
Lincou, making his first appearance in the Super Series finals, was clearly the crowd's favourite, and Palmer was loudly booed after pushing the Frenchman out of the way. Both players received conduct warnings, but this match was much more than a purely physical confrontation. It was tactically absorbing within the contrasting context of Palmer's power play and Lincou's speed, mobility and accuracy.
One look at the scoreline shows how the game swung back and forth for the whole match. Whoever was ahead midway through the game won it, with the ascendancy swinging like a pendulum from Palmer to Lincou and back again until the crowd got what they wanted and cheered Lincou all the way to winning the fourth game to take it the full distance.
Unfortunately, the Frenchman had little energy left as Palmer dominated the fifth game and ruthlessly punished any errors from his opponent. Palmer, in his own words, began with a "nightmare" match on the opening day against Mark Chaloner but improved steadily throughout the week, beating Ong Beng Hee and John White to qualify from the Harrow Group on games countback, removing Peter Nicol in an epic semi-final confrontation, and finally outrunning Lincou in a terrific final.
"I was delighted with the way the week went after such a bad start," said Palmer. "I was hitting the ball well and moving better each day. Sure, there was a bit of physical stuff but that's all part of the game. You've got two players who want to occupy the same piece of the court and so there are bound to be collisions. But you just get on with things."
In his acceptance speech after receiving the trophy, Palmer referred to his earlier discussions with tournament promoter Satinder Bajwa about his controversial battle with Chaloner. He added: "Baj has put on a great tournament, as always. He and I have had several discussions this week, and I haven't agreed with everything he's said, but he's put on a great show. The crowds have been great all week and this Broadgate Arena is a superb venue for squash."
Lincou said: "I was very pleased to be in my first Super Series finals and was happy with the way I played. I know that I have still got a lot of improvements to make in my game and after this week I have learned a lot from every match and will go away to work on those parts of my game."
Palmer added: "I am booked on an early flight out of Luton to Belgium and then on to Australia, where I will be joining up with the Australian squad for some doubles practice and then looking forward to returning to Manchester for the Commonwealth Games. We've got a very strong squad and hopefully we can win heaps of medals."
ENTERTAINMENT ALL THE WAY
The evening schedule started with an entertaining doubles exhibition featuring Australia's Stewart Boswell, New Zealand's former world champion Ross Norman, and England's Chris Walker and Tim Garner, who later joined me at the back of the marquee to commentate on the final. Some well-rehearsed routines and some spectacular off-the-cuff inventiveness left the crowd enthralled.
Afterwards, compere Sue Wright invited Ross and Chris to the courtside, where the Kiwi handed over the £100 winnings after betting Chris that he would not be in the world top ten at the age of 35. Story & Photos
Peter Nicol then clinched the third place play-off by beating Scotland's John White 14-15, 15-9, 15-10 in a light-hearted match full of brilliant strokeplay and dazzling retrieving.
CONGRATULATIONS ...
Plenty of thanks are in order, to Baj for staging another great show, to the Broadgate Arena staff for their hard work, to Stuart Wareman of WSM for managing the media operation so well (and for the loan of his laptop throughout the week), to the ever-smiling staff in the Corney and Barrow wine bar for looking after us all so well, and finally, congratulations to compere Sue Wright and husband Neil Rose, who are expecting their first child.
DON'T MISS THE VIDEO
Canadian film-maker Jean De Lierre and his crew were hard at week all week, filming almost every match, and my thanks to so many players for their expert analysis alongside me during some long and often uncomfortable evenings in the sweltering commentary position high at the back of the Broadgate marquee. And the result of the big battle on court? Your Grapevine correspondent scraped home in the fifth after recovering from 2-1 and 7-0 down in the fourth! And, thanks to the expert guidance from my personal fitness trainer, Tim Garner (and maybe the effects of playing every day in this week's heatwave) I have managed to shed ten pounds in my battle of the bulge.
PALMER ENDS NICOL'S THREE-YEAR
OWNERSHIP OF SUPER SERIES TITLE
World
No.1 Peter Nicol suffered a crushing blow last night as he surrendered his
Bank of Scotland Super Series crown to Australian David Palmer. Nicol,
bidding for a fourth consecutive title, went down 15-6, 16-17, 12-15, 7-15
in 95 minutes of brutal combat in the stifling conditions at London's
Broadgate Arena.Nicol opened strongly to win the first game, controlling most of the rallies. He worked the ball deep and attacked with the volleys whenever possible to force Palmer up and down the court. But it all went horribly wrong in the second game as he lost his rhythm and allowed Palmer back into the match. Nicol began to look tired as Palmer hit back. The tall Australian scraped home in the second and third and the normally super-fit Nicol was a spent force as Palmer mopped up the fourth.
The packed crowd at the Broadgate marquee willed Nicol to bounce back, but to no avail. They were vociferous in their support of he London-based Scot, who now represents England, and there were loud boos as Palmer pointed his racket at the referee after one particular passage of play.
Palmer,
the world No.2, meets French outsider Thierry Lincou in tonight's final.
Lincou, appearing in his first Super Series play-offs, beat Scottish
powerhouse John White 15-9, 15-13, 15-7 in 50 minutes. We kept waiting for
the White fireworks show to begin, but it never materialised. He simply made
too many errors to knock Lincou out of his stride.
After the match White raced off court to complain to promoter Satinder Bajwa
about the standard of refereeing but it was a hollow gesture. During the
match he told referee Dean Clayton that he wanted to speak to the tournament
referee and demanded a change of officials. Clayton replied: "I am the
tournament referee and there are no other referees available."
Tonight he meets Nicol in the third place play-off, a match that many had
expected to be the final.
EARLY MORNING CALL ...
Peter Nicol will not be enjoying a lie-in after
his exertions last night. He will be joining the throng at Lambs Club first
thing in the morning to watch England v Brazil in the World Cup. Peter said:
"I wouldn't miss it for the world. It would be really easy to join in with
he big fry-up breakfast and the champagne , but I've got a third place
play-off to play ... and I'm really looking forward to it ..." Yes, Peter,
we understand ...
BROADGATE CHAOS THEORY
The staff at the Corney and Barrow wine bar at the
Broadgate Arena are gearing up for a 6a.m. start to get set up before the
football kicks into life on the big screen. If England win, the celebrations
are certain to go on all day, which means even more noise than usual outside
the marquee...
Full house expected at Broadgate
A full house is predicted for tonight's semi-finals and tomorrow's final. Crowds have significantly improved on last year and there was hardly a spare seat in the marquee last night as the final day's play in the qualifying groups unfolded.
Stewart Boswell and Ong Beng Hee, two of the rising stars in the world rankings, looked tired, drained and sluggish this week. Obviously the event has come at a time when players are usually taking a well-earned break from the game, and it is difficult to slot in tournament preparations to a period of rest and recovery. Normally, after one defeat in a knockout tournament, you would be on the next plane home, but with a round robin qualifying group the players have to quickly erase that bad performance from their mind and get back on court the next day and try all over again.
The media centre at the Broadgate Arena was awash with conspiracy theories last night following the 3-2 win by David Palmer over John White. White's two games kept him top of the group and meant that he avoided Peter Nicol in the semis, while Palmer simply had to win to remain in the event. White and Palmer are two big, tough guys. The press corps nominated Ian McKenzie and Fritz Borchert, the two shortest members of the media group covering the event, to ask the players if there had been any hint of collusion. The idea was that if either player threw a punch the swing would go over their heads. Sadly, they both ducked out.
The White-Palmer encounter was certainly THE match of the tournament so far, with both players delighting the audience with some breathtaking skills, ferocious power and unbelievable retrieving. John White repeatedly dived across the floor, did the splits at least half a dozen times, and was in serious danger of doing lasting damage to a sensitive part of his anatomy after playing a couple of shots between his legs.
Now White faces Thierry Lincou of France in the semi-finals. Lincou is fast, and will relish the opportunity to take on White's full attacking artillery. As for John White, few people in the history of the game have played the game the way he does. He opts for full-on, flat-out attack from the first to the last point, and I expect Lincou to be doing a lot of the diving around court this evening.
Nicol v Palmer promises to be a classic. "The tournament starts now," was how David Palmer summed up his feelings having scraped through on countback after the Broadgate branch of Mensa had worked out the mathematical implications of last night's results. Nicol has enjoyed a recent run of supremacy against the tall Australian and regained the No.1 slot in the rankings that Palmer enjoyed temporarily towards the tail-end of 2001. Palmer said: "I started with a nightmare against Mark Chaloner but I put that behind me to play well against Ong Beng Hee, and again against John White. So I am looking forward to playing Peter and hopefully doing better than last year, when I lost to him in the qualifying group and in the final."
Peter Nicol is full of confidence and said: "Some of the players have looked a little tired this year and maybe the tournament has come at a bad time for them in their calendar, but I have been working fairly hard since the British Open and feel I am moving well and feeling strong. David started badly this week but has obviously improved each day so I know I will need to be on my guard. You don't want to peak too soon in any tournament. I have managed to win all three of my matches this week and am obviously pleased with that, and just want to keep things going smoothly against David."
Spare a thought for Mark Chaloner, the unluckiest man in the tournament this week. After beating Ong Beng Hee last night he felt he had done enough to claim a place in the semi-finals, only for his hopes to be dashed by Palmer's 3-2 win over John White. I hope he will be able to join me in the commentary box this evening, along with his girlfriend, Sussex player Caroline Heal, who kept her emotions in check splendidly as she talked me through Mark's match against John White. Producer Jean De Lierre was captivated with Caroline's voice, and suggested we worked together more often. I'm not arguing!
NICOL TO FACE PALMER
IN REPEAT OF 2001 FINAL
England's world No.1 Peter Nicol meets Australian David Palmer in tonight's semi-finals of the Bank of Scotland Super Series. It's a repeat of last year's final, when Nicol followed up a win over Palmer in the qualifying groups by beating him again to take his third consecutive Super Series title. He is now after an unprecedented four in a row and looks in unstoppable form.
Nicol
had already won his Fleet qualifying group, and finished the day three
programme by beating his England team-mate and close friend Chris Walker in
a dead rubber. Earlier, Palmer knew he had to beat Scotland's John White to
remain in the tournament. After 62 minutes of pulsating, all-out attack by
both players, Palmer triumphed 15-5, 6-15, 15-10, 8-15, 15-9 before a packed
crowd at London's Broadgate Arena. Palmer finished second in the Harrow Group behind White, nosing ahead of England's Mark Chaloner on countback. Chaloner played immaculate squash to beat Ong Beng Hee but it was all in vain as he failed to qualify. He must have felt terribly disappointed. Interviewing Nicol at the end of the evening, he could hardly believe it. He was psyched up to face Chaloner before learning of Palmer's promotion.
White
faces France's Thierry Lincou in the second semi-final. Lincou finished
second behind Nicol after ending the hopes of Australia's Stewart Boswell,
who once again finished the match looking tired and lethargic. Some of these
guys have clearly been resting after the end of the season and are unable to
cope with the demands of the Super Series round-robin format.Boswell clearly tanked the third game and competed only spasmodically in the fourth as Lincou moved forward to the semi-finals.
18-June
NON-STOP
NICOL STEPS UP A GEAR
Peter Nicol is speeding up his game. The PSA are probably posting a warning
to all members as we speak following yesterday's Board meeting in London.
Nicol began and finished in electric form last night against Stewart Boswell
as he clinched a place in the semi-finals of the Super Series semi-finals at
the Broadgate Arena in London. He beat Boswell 15-7, 13-15, 15-12, 15-4 in
72 minutes and will be disappointed at being detained on court for more than
an hour.
He dominated the opening game but let things drift a little in the middle
segment of the game but reasserted his authority in the final game to roar
home in less than eight minutes. Tonight he faces his old chum Chris Walker,
who once again looked jet-lagged as he lost in straight games to the fast
hands of Thierry Lincou. Nicol now tops the Fleet Group with two wins and
Boswell and Lincou meet this evening to decide who joins him in the
semi-finals.
It's
a similar situation in the Harrow Group, with John White blitzing England's
Mark Chaloner to clinch his place in the semi-finals. Scotland's White, the
hardest hitter in the game, collected his second win in the tournament by
beating Chaloner with a sensational display of attacking squash. White won a
hugely entertaining encounter 15-12, 15-9, 15-7 in 46 minutes. Chaloner
battled hard throughout but White was clearly on song. The first two games
were close, with White just tightening up at crucial times towards the end
of each game to pull away from his opponent. He then unleashed a ferocious
attacking spree in the third game, displaying his full repertoire of
dazzling shots to leave Chaloner stranded.
London-based Malaysian Ong Beng Hee, a training partner of Nicol, bowed out
of the tournament after losing to Australia's top seed David Palmer, who
looked happier and calmer after the histrionics on show yesterday against
Chaloner. Palmer had threatened to quit the tournament and go home after
losing his opening math, but apologised to tournament promoter Satinder
Bajwa for his behaviour and was as good as gold as he forced Beng Hee to
take a close examination of his tactics before next season. Beng Hee looked
a dejected figure as he allowed the match to slip away from him, and stayed
slumped in his chair long after the match had finished and the following
contest had begun.
SOUTH AFRICA SNUB COMMONWEALTH GAMES SQUASH
Rodney Durbach, the South Africa No.1, kindly joined me in the commentary
box at the Broadgate Arena last night and revealed that his home nation will
NOT be sending a squash team to compete in the Commonwealth Games in
Manchester next month. At first I thought Rodders was enjoying a little
wind-up live on air, but it soon became clear that he was deadly serious.
South Africa is a sport-loving nation, so for them to ignore the
Commonwealth Games squash tournament is a massive snub to the country's
leading players, and Durbach in particular, for whom an appearance in the
Games would be a major career highlight. Grapevine looks forward to
receiving an explanation from the South African squash authorities. Also
commentating with me last night were New Zealander Glen Wilson (coach at
Lambs Club and a member of the NZ Games squad), former Essex star Robert
Graham (now a PSA board member based in Santa Barbara, California) and the
lovely Caroline Heal, the Sussex player who was brave enough to comment on
the match involving her boyfriend, Mark Chaloner.
Once again the crowds at the Broadgate Arena were up on last year, with the
audience again getting excellent value for money with four matches of high
quality squash.
Fleet Group;
Peter Nicol (Eng) bt Stewart Boswell (Aus) 15-7, 13-15, 15-12 , 15-4 (72
mins)
Thierry Lincou (Fra) bt Chris Walker (Eng) 15-9, 15-3, 15-7. (33 mins)
Harrow Group:
David Palmer (Aus) bt Ong Beng Hee (Mal) 15-11, 10-15, 15-5, 15-7. (64 mins)
John White (Sco) bt Mark Chaloner (Eng) 15-12, 15-9, 15-7. (46 mins)
PALMER GETS HOT UNDER THE COLLAR
AS CHALONER TURNS UP THE HEAT
PHEW!
As London sweltered in a sudden and unexpected heatwave, temperatures rose
on court at the Broadgate Arena in London as Mark Chaloner and top seed
David Palmer opened proceedings in the Bank of Scotland Super Series finals.
In a bad-tempered battle lasting one hour and 46 minutes and containing 69
refereeing decisions, Chaloner caused the day's major upset by winning
15-11, 8-15, 15-11, 15-8. Palmer frequently left the court to argue with the match officials and grew more and more frustrated as the match progressed. Chaloner maintained a calm persona as Palmer psychologically self-destructed. The Australian world No.2 had spent the earlier part of the day in a PSA board meeting. Maybe that's what left him looking stiff at times and argumentative.
There were no such problems in the second battle on court between John White and Ong Beng Hee, with both players assisting the match officials by sportingly calling their own shots down or out. White was an erratic mixture of dazzling brilliance and unforced errors, but the spectacular winners outnumbered the drills into the tin to give him victory 15-11, 9-15, 15-6, 15-7 in 66 minutes.
World No.1 Peter Nicol began his quest for a fourth consecutive Super Series title with an emphatic victory over Thierry Lincou of France, winning 15-7, 15-13, 15-5 in 46 minutes. Nicol was looking sharp. He was quick on to the ball and was prepared to attack from the off. He rated his recent British Open victory over Lincou as one of the fastest matches he had ever played in and was clearly in the mood to continue where he left off in Manchester.
England’s Chris Walker lost in straight games to Stewart Boswell (Australia) after flying in from America earlier yesterday to take the place of Jonathon Power, who was injured in training last week. Walker battled gamely, mixing a combination of stunning winners with wonderful athleticism, but Boswell possesses a mature squash brain and simply motored through the match to win 15-11, 15-11, 15-9 in 55 minutes. Boswell moves superbly, he possesses a great squash brain, he loves to attack, and he seems destined for a world top three slot with in the next 18 months.
Tonight he faces Peter Nicol in the key match in the Fleet Group, which kicks off proceedings at 5pm, while Walker faces Lincou. In the Harrow Group, Palmer hopes for better things against Beng Hee, while White meets Chaloner.
16-June
GRAPEVINE EXCLUSIVE:
INJURED POWER OUT OF SUPER SERIES
Sad news on the eve of the PSA Super Series finals in London
– Canada’s flamboyant showman Jonathon Power has been forced to withdraw
because of injury. Power’s manager, Jason Matthison, emailed the Grapevine
from Canada with the news.
He said: “Jonathon injured himself in training on Thursday
and has been forced to withdraw from the Super Series. It’s the same old
injury that keeps on hanging around, and during training on Thursday he
pulled his
gluteus minimus again! The prognosis is that he will be out of
action for a minimum of two weeks.” Power’s injury comes at a crucial time
for the Canadian squad, with the Commonwealth Games now little more than a
month away.
Power’s absence is sad news for London squash fans, who were looking forward
especially to his scheduled battle with world champion Peter Nicol on
Wednesday. England's Chris Walker, the second reserve, now steps into Power’s
shoes in the Fleet group, which also includes Aussie Stewart Boswell
and Frenchman Thierry Lincou, who are both making their Super Series debuts.
Although obviously disappointed by Power’s absence, event organisers will be
expecting plenty of fireworks from Walker, who celebrated his 35th birthday
last week. Walker flies in from the USA tomorrow (Monday). First reserve was
Paul Price, who was offered the spot but is still in Australia so was unable
to compete.
World No.1 Nicol is bidding to become the first player to win the event four
years in a row and take home the first prize purse of 20,000 dollars. The
total prize fund is $50,000 as the event begins tomorrow (Monday) under the
new banner of the Bank of Scotland Investment Services. Once again the ASB
glass court will be constructed inside a marquee at London’s Broadgate
Arena, with sell-out crowds expected for Thursday’s semi-finals and Friday’s
final.
The Super Series seedings are based on performances in last year’s major
events, which explains why Australia’s current world No.2 David Palmer is
top seed ahead of Nicol. Palmer heads the entries in the Harrow group, along
with England’s world No.9 Mark Chaloner and first-time entries John White of
Scotland (world No.6) and Ong Beng Hee of Malaysia (world No.10).
NICOL FACES POWER SHOWDOWN IN LONDON
AS HE CHASES FOURTH SUPER SERIES TITLE
World No.1 Peter Nicol aims to put this week's shock defeat to Alex Gough behind him as he bids to win a fourth consecutive PSA Super Series title in London next week. Nicol, who surrendered his BSPA crown in Wednesday night's semi-final in Nottingham, faces a tough time in the Fleet Group half of the Super Series draw at the Broadgate Arena.
He faces a succession of difficult encounters against Thierry Lincou (France), Stewart Boswell (Australia) and Jonathon Power (Canada) in what is already being described, World Cup-style, as the Group of Death. Competing in the Harrow Group are David Palmer (Australia), John White (Scotland), Mark Chaloner (England), and Ong Beng Hee (Malaysia), who took advantage of the work that Nicol made Gough do to claim the BSPA title in Thursday's final.
Nicol said: "It looks a tough schedule but I am really looking forward to it. I can't wait for it to begin. I am looking forward to meeting Jonathon again after beating him in the French League play-offs recently and I hope we can both put on a great match for the London spectators. The whole draw looks incredibly strong and there will be no easy matches in either of the groups."
The star-studded event is sponsored by the Bank of Scotland Investment Services and play begins each day at 5pm, hopefully the perfect time to catch the financial district workers as they leave their nearby offices in the Broadgate Centre, which is next to London's Liverpool Street station.