| |
28-Jan-04
An early look at
the British Closed
by Malcolm Willstrop
First thoughts were that John White had fallen on his feet when the
draw was made at Sports City before the Manchester/Pontefract v
Nottingham National League match. Second thoughts only confirmed the
first, since whichever half Lee Beachill landed in was obviously a
crucial factor. As if they don't meet enough he fell in Peter
Nicol's half.
White's main opposition to the final would appear to be Nick
Matthew, Adrian Grant and Alex Gough with perhaps Marcus Berrett to
add.
Apart from the fact that it includes Nicol and Beachill, the bottom
half looks nastier with James Willstrop, Mark Chaloner, Nick Taylor,
David Evans and Simon Parke. Some of these may be past their best,
but they are still capable of one-off results.
The top seed's recent form has been below par and three various
losses in a row to Beachill are not designed to keep confidence.
Opinion being that he is at his best in PSA events was hardly
confirmed when Beachill beat him in Kuwait.
More form lines came from Kuwait when Nicol produced, according to
him, his best form for a long time in beating Beachill
comprehensively. Matthew, up to eleven in the world, surprisingly
went down 3-0 to Dan Jenson in the qualifiers.
Certainly world form is in such a state of upheaval, anything can
happen. One thing is for sure, whoever wins the British Championship
will have to produce at least one and probably two world-class
performances.
So who of the top three is most likely and can anybody outside the
top three, who, after all, are two, three and four in the world,
disturb them?
Nicol's form in Kuwait suggests he may be the man. Things didn't run
his way in Qatar, Lahore and Vienna, but he seems to take delight in
picking himself up off the floor.
After a 2003 in which he appeared to acquire greater consistency,
White seems to have lost that thread and how much he wants to win
this particular title is open to doubt.
Beachill, twice a winner and runner-up last time, would certainly
like to register a third win, but the draw is not what he would
choose.
The quarter-final between him and clubmate Willstrop would certainly
not be either's preference, though it will create interest and may
please the crowd.
There is no doubt the British Closed with its world-class players is
a fascinating event and 2004's version promises much.
|
Willstrop beats White in Kuwait ...
... where Nicol beats Beachill
|
21-Jan
British Junior Open
the potted version
Since I have written a comprehensive report for the Magazine, I
didn't know how to approach a piece for the website or whether it
was appropriate in the circimstances. Nor am I contracted to anyway,
however, as Steve Cubbins has made clear it was nothing to do with
the absence of English players.
It does appear to be a no win situation: I am obviously going to be
criticised when I write, fair enough, but I am also, it seems,
criticised when I don't: no report on the British Junior Open, no
report on the World Women's game. It's a hard life, especially when
I do it for fun! I have players to look after.
Anyway here goes the British Junior Open potted version.
The opening of the Prospec court by Jonah Barrington on the site of
the historic Court 7 meant that six of the eight finals were played
on an all-glass court for the first time. Appropriately the new
court was named The Thomson Court in recognition of the contribution
of the family, the late Geoff, Pat and currently Ian, the club
chairman, have made and are making to Abbeydale Park SRC.
The composition of the finalists was 10 Egyptians, 3 Pakistanis, 2
Indians and 1 from Hong Kong - not a European or Australian in sight
- disturbing reading for some.
The feature of the Championship was the appearance of the Queen of
the British Junior Open, Omneya Abdel Kawy, who won the Under 19
title for an unprecedented fourth time in a row. The promising
Indian Joshna Chinappa was her final opponent and was not disgraced.
She is improving, has presence and will be back next time. El Kawy
has recently shown how difficult Chinappa's task was by winning a
quality WISPA event, the Vassar Class of '32.
The Under 19 Boys final was between the 5/8 seeds, Saurav Ghosal
(India), who showed up well at the last World Junior Championship in
Chennai, and Adel El Said (Egypt), contrasts in every way. One very
tall, one diminutive, one relatively slow-moving, the other
twitching and quick. In the event the Indian was far too good,
though it was not a great match in any sense.
The best match was perversely the first one: the Under 15 Boys final
between Amir Atlas Khan (Pakistan) and Mohamed Reda (Egypt).
The match was very high quality and Atlas prevailed 10/8 in the
fourth. I was impressed with Atlas in 2003, no less so in 2004.
I suspect Farhan Mehboob (Pakistan) was considered a good thing in
the Boys Under 17, but Omar Mosaed Abou Zeid was more than competent
and he came through 9-7 in the fifth in what was the second best
final for quality.
The Under 17 Girls final, all-Egyptian, didn't amount to much:
Raneem El Weilily proved far too good for a seemingly disinterested
Sara Badr.
The intruder was in the Girld Under 15 final: Au Annie (Hong Kong)
proved too controlled and resolute for a stressed-looking Shahenda
Osama and won convincingly - a win that should give her country a
lift.
The Under 13 finals were played on court 6. Waqer Mehboob, younger
brother of Farhan, made up for his brother's disappointment beating
Adel Zarka (Egypt) easily and in an all-Egyptian girls final Heba
Alaa Ahmed resisted a strong challenge in the first game by Merhan
Mahmoud to win, going away in the third 9/1.
I have to admit I do not deliberately read 'Points of View' - I
don't like the anonimity, but a mischievous club member, Stan
Cross, thrusts items at me, especially if they are damning!
So thanks to Ben for the vote of confidence - I hope you meant it!
|
Worthy U19 winners
BJO Gallery from
SquashPics |
02-Jan-04
New Era For
Court 7 At Abbeydale
Malcolm Willstrop reports on the opening
of the all-glass court in Sheffield
The opening of the all-glass Prospec court on the site of the
historic championship court by Jonah Barrington, took place on
Friday 2nd January, the first day of the 2004 British Junior Open.
The court was full to capacity to hear testimony to
those dedicated members and players through the years at the club,
many of whom were present on the night. British Open Champion of
yesteryear Fran Marshall, Mike Grundy and Dennis Thorpe filled that
category and other famous names, apart from Jonah, included Peter
Nicol, Rehmat Khan, Chris Robertson and Sue Wright.
John Pearson, of pioneers Ellis Pearson, now of
Prospec, related how glass courts came into existence through the
company, and Peter Nicol and Tim Garner of Eventis told how the
Prospec court found its way to The Crucible for the inaugural
English Open last August.
Ahmed Safwat, former professional at Abbeydale,
who sadly died in 2003, was recalled with affection. A most popular
man and a beautifully relaxed player of the highest class, he will
be missed by everyone in the squash world.
Jonah was invited to recount his titanic British
Open win over Geoff Hunt in the 1972 final, not having scored a
point for the first half hour; his win in 1980 in the British Closed
final over Gawain Briars at the age of 40, and finally Jahangir
Khan's 27-0 demolition of Maqsood Ahmed in the ISPA final.
He paid tribute to the Abbeydale Club for its
vision and particularly to the Thomson family, the late Geoffrey,
his wife Pat and the club's current chairman, Ian, whose dedication
to Abbeydale and squash has been instrumental in bringing the
Prospec court to Court 7.
Appropriately the court has been named after the
Thomson family.
Nick Matthew, at at all-time high of 11 in the
world, and world junior champion James Willstrop, at an all-time
high of 18, provided a singles exhibition and were joined by
Abbeydale professional Mark Hornby and former England international
Ian Robinson for a doubles challenge.
Graham Dixon organised the evening, which is
another significant chapter in the history of the Abbeydale Club. |
The new court is opened
Malcolm with Fran Marshall
The old Showcourt |
31-Dec-03
Looking Back 2003
Malcolm reflects on a turbulent
year at the top of the men's game ...
2003 hardly provided a smooth
passage for the world's leading players and few of them emerged
unscathed.
David Palmer had an appendix operation which became complicated.
A hip injury, which handicapped him in Qatar and Lahore, certainly
didn't help his cause and he will look back on a troubled year.
Jonathon Power was hard
done by in the final of the inaugural English Open, though that is
not to say he would have won, and an injury sustained in Qatar
prevented his appearance in the World Championships. He had two
massive clashes with Peter Nicol, at the British Open in
Nottingham and the World Teams in Vienna, looked to have them sewn
up and lost them both.
Nicol wasn't especially well in
Vienna and the draws gave him no respite there. Nor was he well in
Lahore and his demise there means that he has lost his treasured
number one ranking. If he wants it back, I have no doubt it is still
within his reach.
The ill-fated Lee Beachill had
an ankle operation in the Spring, but after a traumatic experience
in the World Teams semi-final, came good in the Qatar Classic,
beating Nicol and John White, for his most significant win
ever. A minor groin injury did him no favours in Lahore.
Of the top players White,
Anthony Ricketts and Thierry Lincou appeared to remain
sound, but that didn't exclude them from the vagaries of the sport.
White, with the Qatar Masters
and English Open in the bag, looked well set to go to no 1 for the
first time in Lahore, but an inexplicable loss to Joe Kneipp
in the last 16 put paid to that, which must have left him very
disappointed.
Ricketts has burst on the scene
in the last eighteen months, but he has also had some ups and downs
as well as a couple of high profile contentious matches; Gregory
Gaultier in the World Teams and Amr Shabana in the World
Open. He may feel he has missed one or two opportunities, but he is
young enough.
And so to Lincou, who must
hardly be able to believe he is ranked no 1, so suddenly has it
happened. He is quite awkward to play with his square-on style, but
he will definitely face some serious challenges now.
If Lincou has had a problem
believing his luck, Shabana, the talented Egyptian, must think he is
in wonderland. I doubt if even he saw himself as World Champion,
even though he had been talking about taking himself more seriously.
Two players, then, for whom
Christmas came early, as it did for Nick Matthew. A
semi-final in Qatar, aided by opponents' injuries, though he was
one-all and 10-5 when Powr got injured, followed by a quarter0final
in the World Championships means he finds himself in the Super
Series Finals, along with another surprise, Joe Kneipp. With no
Palmer or Power, the eligible eight has an odd look to it.
Karim Darwish made the
world semi-final after two five-set wins over Olli Tuominen
and James Willstrop and then lost a tight 3-1 to Shabana. He
is young and may yet fulfil the expectations Egypt have of him,
though Shabana's success may reduce the pressure.
Gaultier and Willstrop are the
youngest challengers and the Frenchman has already an established
high world ranking, whilst the World Junior Champion is moving up
rapidly. They look to be serious threats, though Gaultier may have
to sort out temperament problems first.
The January ranking list
clearly reflects 2003 and makes for a 2004 full of interest.
Rank |
Prev |
Player |
Pts |
Ctry |
1 |
[5] |
Thierry Lincou |
808 |
Fra |
2 |
[2] |
John White |
745 |
Sco |
3 |
[1] |
Peter Nicol |
729 |
Eng |
4 |
[9] |
Lee Beachill |
567 |
Eng |
5 |
[11] |
Amr Shabana
|
481 |
Egy |
6 |
[3] |
David Palmer |
470 |
Aus |
7 |
[4] |
Jonathon Power |
448 |
Can |
8 |
[6] |
Anthony
Ricketts |
430 |
Aus |
9 |
[7] |
Karim Darwish
|
415 |
Egy |
10 |
[14] |
Joseph Kneipp
|
312 |
Aus |
|
Palmer & Power (#6&7)
Darwish & Lincou
(#9&1)
Shabana & Ricketts
(#5&8)
White & Beachill
(#2&4)
Nicol & Kneipp
(#3&10)
|
Willstrop's
Words - 2003 Archive |
Aiming for Number One
|
Qatar Classic Observations
On the Inside
|
Sort yourself out Greg |
French Farce
|
Bad timing from The Times
Willstrop's Andy Gill
| Prince John in
Sheffield |
15-Dec-03
Aiming for
Number One
One of the most interesting areas
for speculators in sport is when a player puts him or herself into
contention for the world number one spot.
Once in contention an inability
to reach the very top is seen as failure. Tim Henman is a
prime example.
Despite playing top-class,
watchable tennis, despite a wonderfully consistent Wimbledon record,
and despite setting a fine example of how to behave, he is often
more criticised than praised, which seems unjust. I hope and suspect
he can live with the injustice.
Squash is currently in a
fascinating phase: the redoubtable Peter Nicol remains at
number one, where he has been for a long time, challenged hotly by
the popular John White, who would have gone to number one had
he won the Qatar Classic.
David Palmer has had
illness and injury problems of late which have held him up;
Thierry Lincou is knocking on the door, but is not quite there
yet; Jonathon Power can still do it, but is more vulnerable;
Anthony Ricketts has made notable progress, besides seeming
to have the indian sign over White; Lee Beachill has tagged
on to the pack after winning in Qatar and now needs to consolidate.
No other player outside this
'Magnificent Seven' is going to be number one
immediately.
Age is a factor: Ricketts is
the youngest, then Beachill, Lincou, Palmer, Power, White and Nicol,
since with advancing years comes gathering senility finding desire
desire to keep doing it, a troublesome combination.
Remember that very few players
become established at number one - to see the truth of this look
back over the record books to Hashim Khan - and there are
some outstanding players who never quite made it: Chris Dittmar
and Qamar Zaman are two who come to mind.
So, what are the requirements?
Talent, which inspires
work ethic - all great champions in all sports emphasise hard
work - and then to remain injury free - Stewart Boswell is a
present example of an ill-fated player, it seems - and to be
focused and ambitious, almost to the point of obsession.
I would emphasise though, the
desirability of staying as normal as possible; a social life and
other interests, not too difficult in squash, where even the best in
the world are club-based.
If the player wants it badly,
then not making number one may seem a disaster.
But being amongst the world's
best is hardly a failure and ought not to be seen as such.
Malcolm Willstrop |
|
07-Dec
Observations on
the Qatar Classic ...
The defeat of Anthony Ricketts by Mohammed
Abbas was one of many shock results in the Qatar Classic. I
doubt if many thought that the elegant and skilful Egyptian could
curtail the athletic and powerful Aussie.
Nick Matthew must have
thought Christmas had come early, as his opponents dropped like
flies. However he was one-all and 10-5 up against Jonathon Power,
and David Palmer was fit enough to put out Joe Kneipp 3/0, so
Matthew deserves credit for taking his opportunities.
Another surprise, to me at
least, was Mark Chaloner's win over Gregory Gaultier. I
didn't quite understand why he took the selectors to task for not
picking him for the World Team Championship - the two players for
whom he might have seen himself as a replacement both won all their
matches and he could hardly have been selected ahead of Peter Nicol
or Lee Beachill. However you look at it, he could not have played
Gaultier in the match against France and his form prior to selection
had been moderate by his standards. Good to see him back to form.
Adrian Grant was another
young English player to take advantage of his opportunities. A win
over Ong Beng Hee, then over Mark Chaloner gave him a quarter-final
slot before Thierry Lincou proved too strong for him.
With Jonathon Power having
already withdrawn from the World Open and some doubts about David
Palmer's fitness after his problems in Doha, there is a wide open
look about the championship in Pakistan. It would be just like
Peter Nicol to come back with a bang, but there will be many
players fancying their chances.
Lee Beachill has hardly
been the luckiest of players, but when Ricketts lost to Abbas he
must have felt Lady Luck was at last in his corner. To his credit he
won the title by beating the world number one and two, and those
close to him will hope that this is the beginning of the fulfilment
of an obvious talent.
Having Peter Nicol in his
corner in the final can hardly have done him any harm!
John White constantly
performs on the big PSA occasions: winner of the Qatar Masters, the
inaugural English Open, runner-up in last year's World Open and now
in the Qatar Classic. No mean record for the popular Aussie/Scot.
Stewart Boswell's future
seems in serious doubt. Although the problem has been diagnosed, the
cure is harder to find, it seems. It is very hard on him - he was a
major player and a leading contender for the top spot.
England Squash's World
Performance Team have had more than their fair share of criticism,
so the recent successes of Jenny Duncalf, Nick Matthew,
Adrian Grant and James Willstrop, as well as Alison
Waters and Peter Barker, should quell the critics.
Interestingly all six are
coached by World Performance Coaches on a personal basis.
|
|
28-Nov
On The
Inside
As an insider perhaps I can add to the
Willstrop-Darwish debate. One of the many anonymous website writers
has James's size as a major disadvantage and cites his lack of
patience and dedication as main problems, while 'Alasdair'
emphasises 'his relative lack of mobility'.
James and I realised a long
time ago that his size and slowness were going to be serious issues
and since we have failed to overcome them and haven't, sadly, heard
of the Aussie style of movement, whatever that is, we decided that
the end of 2004 was his deadline to make the grade. After all, he is
20 now and we can't wait forever.
I suppose we had been falsely
encouraged by him winning the World and European U19 titles, 12
British titles, 3 PSA titles (only modest events) and the Variety
Club of Great Britain's Young Sportsman of the Year 2002, to go on
as long as 2004.
However we have almost come to
terms that he will never make it and he has been considering
alternative careers for a while.
Readers may not know that he is
quite musical and he is currently in talks with a recording agency
of some standing. He is also on the books of a New York modelling
agency. They are not interested in his looks, of course, but have
told him that if very tall men are required he could be in work.
Obviously being tall is not all negative!
University is, of course, an
alternative as he has suitable qualifications, but he is not sure he
can afford Blair's £3,000 a year.
Apart from acknowledging his
glaring weaknesses, it may be that making him play squash from a
very early age, I have burnt him out and that is maybe why he set
2004 as a deadline.
To those contributors who saw
some magic in his racket, some merit in his willingness to play the
ball and in his calm disposition and that he does win from time to
time, we would both like to say thank you for your confidence and
support.
There is, I suppose, a chance
he may change his mind about retirement, but as 'anon' so boldly
says, 'he lacks dedication' and refuses to report for training
before 8.30am on each day - and it is well known that he likes to
drink and has a girlfriend, so I don't think there's much hope.
Whatever the future holds we
have always believed that it is best to achieve at the time. So
James will at least look back and tell his grandchildren that
although he didn't make the grade - whatever that implies - he was
the best under 19 player in the world in 2003 by a country mile!
For the record I think Peter
Nicol is the best mover in the modern game, and Jansher was perhaps
the best ever and neither of them are Aussies.
My hope for the New Year is
that people will put their real names to their opinions - there is
surely no shame in that unless they have something to hide.
Also for the record, I see
Anthony Ricketts as a more immediate challenger for the no. 1 spot
and of the younger players being debated only three currently have a
realistic chance of making it to no. 1 eventually, and they will
remain anonymous!
Malcolm Willstrop |
There has been a lively debate on
'points
of view'
about the relative merits of the crop of up and coming youngsters
... here is an inside view ...
The
tall and the short of it ...
Thinks: "I wish I'd had
Peter as a son instead ..." |
Pontefract to host
inaugural Super 8's
Gerrard, the London-based management company
who have sponsored a race at the world famous National Hunt Festival
at Cheltenham for several years, move into squash sponsorship for
the first time when they sponsor the Super 8's championship,
starting at Pontefract this weekend.
Eight top under 23s, including
world junior champion James Willstrop, England senior International
Nick Matthew, Adrian Grant and Peter Barker make up the top event,
and there are Super 8's for under-19, 17, 15 and 13 age groups. The
Under 23s begin on Thursday, the younger events on Friday, with the
finals on Sunday afternoon.
Local boy Willstrop is
currently playing the Valid Dutch Open in Maastricht, but he comes
into the event on the back of a quarter-final in the British Open
and six wins out of six for England in the World Team Championships
in Vienna.
Matthew was also a member of
the England team, and both he and Grant reached finals of strong PSA
events recently. Barker, the fourth of the leading players, arrives
in Pontefract having just won a PSA title in Florida.
The Under 19, 17, 15 and 13
events include virtually all the country's leading players, and
Pontefract's Kirsty McPhee, Shaun Le Roux, Neil Cordell, Adam
Taylor, Sam Wileman, Deon Saffery and Andrew Cross are all likely to
make an impression.
The Super 8 Championships are
the brainchild of Steve Evans, the former Great Britain Rugby League
International who works for Gerrard as Sponsorship Director, andc
Paul Walters, the Marketing Director for Dunlop.
Squash Legend Sarah Fitz-Gerald
will be in attendance throughout the Championships and she will
present her unique view of the game to the spectators. |
Full details
from the Super8s |
02-Nov-03
More on Gaultier
It needs to be said that anyone
who was not present to see the behaviour of Gregory Gaultier in the
semi-final and final of the World Team Championships, a showpiece
event for squash, is in no position to judge.
I have been involved in the
game for most of my life, which must prove that I love it, and
Gaultier's behaviour in his matches with Lee Beachill and Anthony
Ricketts was probably the worst I have ever seen. I can only
remember, and my recall is still good, one comparable situation, and
that was twenty-five years ago!
Why I feel so strongly about it
is not because England lost, but because there is no place in the
game for such vulgar conduct.
Gaultier's repeated mouthing of
the f-word at the referee in the semi-final were as obvious as they
were disgusting. His mimicking of Beachill's shots (he also did it
against Ricketts) is beyond contempt and illustrates his arrogance.
In
face some time ago, when I heard he was offending senior players
with his lack of respect, I discussed the problem with him in an
effort to help him. He clearly didn't think my advice was worth
much, though I may be proven right in the long term.
In an age when there is much
wrong in sport, I believe that it is worth standing up for respect
for opponents and referees, honesty and fair play - old-fashioned
and naive as it may appear to some.
It would be easy for the
French, whose players apart from Gaultier behave properly, to forget
what he was like in the euphoria of the victory. They should not,
and would be well advised to take action against him to make sure he
does not transgress again.
One Frenchman in Vienna
described Gaultier to me as having the physique of a 23-year-old and
the mentality of a 13-year-old. Yes, a Frenchman. And it's true.
Perhaps therein lies the problem.
I would say that while there
will always be a minority who derive some pleasure out of such
performances, all those players, coaches and referees who spoke to
me were as disgusted as I was, and they included some distinguished
figures.
It is worth recalling that, at
Manchester's Commonwealth Games, bad behaviour of a minor nature
compared to Gaultier's left Olympic observers unimpressed, which
they made plain.
For those who accuse me or the
English camp of 'sour grapes, forget it. The game itself is bigger
than any national bias, and I am concerned for it.
Malcolm Willstrop |
Malcolm responds to some
of the comments on his comments ...
I too am convinced about the need
for players to be mentally tough, but that quality should not be
confused with conduct of an unacceptable nature.
Gaultier's performances
against Beachill and Ricketts were extraordinarily uneven and I
would not associate such extremes with mental toughness, which
surely implies consistency of effort.
Dan Kneipp says that
Beachill did nothing about Gaultier's blocking, but I am not sure
what he was meant to do. He appealed for lets appropriately and was
often denied them. Surely it was up to the referee.
It is not Beachill's way to
be demonstrative and it it more to his credit that he remained
dignified under such provocation.
Nor do I disapprove of
Ricketts' response. He remained cool for a long time, but eventually
decided enough was enough. Once he took action there was only going
to be one winner, and the ensuing game was 9/0 - not a great
advertisement for Gaultier's mental toughness, or physical, for that
matter.
Anyway, well done Ricketts,
and congratulations to the Aussies on their success.
Ian McKenzie can hardly be
accused of bias towards the English - he is New Zealander, and
although he lives in this country I have never heard him express any
love for the English squash player. I shouldn't think for a moment
that he cared whether France or England won the match - beforehand,
anyway. As a journalist, he would probably have preferred a French
win.
I don't agree with Martin
Bronstein when he says that leaving James Willstrop out of the
semi-final was a mistake by the England management. There is no way
England would have gone into the match without Peter Nicol, despite
the Power encounter, so Willstrop would have played at three. Since
Nick Matthew, who replaced him, played exceptionally well and won
3-0, the result would have been the same.
I was not party to the
decisions made, but I agreed with them totally. Willstrop needed a
break after five matches in five days and a hard encounter with
Canada's Shahier Razik. Matthew was a more than able deputy and had
England made the final and selected Willstrop it would certainly
have helped to have him fresh. |
27-Oct-03
Sort yourself out, Greg ...
Although it was hard to imagine
that Gregory Gaultier could come up with a more distasteful
performance than he gave against England's Lee Beachill in the World
Team semi-finals, he managed to disgrace himself and his country
even more in the final against Australia.
Anthony Ricketts, suspecting he
might be provoked by the unpopular Frenchman, clearly set out to
remain calm. And so he did, until Gaultier's continual gestures and
mimicking, as well as his vulgar haranguing of the referee, finally
got the better of him.
The unsightly scenes at the end
of the fourth game did little for the game of squash, but let it be
made clear that Gaultier was entirely to blame.
Happily Ricketts won the fifth
game 9-0 and Australia won the title, since it would have been a
travesty for France to win.
What is hard to understand is
why the French management and team didn't bring Gaultier into line.
If they have tried and failed, then they should rid themselves of
him until he learns to behave. If they don't do something soon, they
will all be tarnished.
You have to wonder, too, at
Gaultier's intelligence, or lack of it. Does he not realise that on
the PSA tour he will soon be alienated and that not many of his
opponents will remain as dignified as Lee Beachill did?
The referees didn't help much.
Some penalty strokes for abusive conduct might have made some
impression, even on Gaultier, but there wasn't even one in the two
matches.
Sort yourself out, Gaultier, or
find another sport. Squash doesn't need you on the evidence of
Vienna. |
Full
details from Vienna |
25-Oct-03
FRENCH
FARCE
Malcolm Willstrop on
THAT World Team semi-final ...
Tuesday's
draw, which gave England a quarter-final against Canada, a match of
final proportions, meant that the rest or the task was going to be
problematic.
France had progressed to the semi-final with less damage and a 2-1
win over Scotland, who have no chance at this level at three.
I doubt if either camp envisaged a Nick Matthew v Jean-Michael
Arcucci encounter: the English saw it Matthew v Renan Lavigne, the
French probably James Willstrop v Arcucci.
In the event Matthew was far too good: striking purposefully, he
only went from strength to strength and crushed the Frenchman
impressively 3/0.
Peter Nicol, who followed and Lee Beachill, who played last, both
hard extreme but opposite problems: it seemed unlikely that Nicol
could recover in time from his epic with Power, which took him deep
into his reserves.
Although he gave Thierry Lincou a hard time of it, the tank actually
ran dry and the Frenchman, who played some excellent squash,
certainly contributed to that. It was a fine match, played in
sporting manner, well received by an appreciative packed house.
Gregory
Gaultier, who definitively, does not follow the sporting example of
his captain and surprisingly urged on by the rest of his camp, gave
a vulgar and arrogant display.
Beachill, who had not had a match of any consequence throughout the
championship, understandably began slowly, but although Gaultier won
the first, Beachill had began to play.
He quickly took the second, but a renewed effort by Gaultier, who
played in fits and starts, gave him a 2/1 lead. Beachill quickly
levelled at two all and with the ball cooling down romped to 7-1 in
the fifth.
A burst ball with renewed
bounce gave Gaultier hope and gradually and with much posturing, and
mouthed abuse towards the weak referee, who admonished him not at
all, and square-on blocking in the front right, he levelled at
7-all. Beachill saved match ball and served for the match at match
at 9-8.
He didn¹t make it and it was
the Frenchman who got home 10-9.
Throughout a distasteful display by Gaultier, which included
mimicking one of his opponent¹s winning shots, how low can you sink?
Beachill remained sporting and
dignified, so England may have lost a match, but gained some
approval. Certainly several people, none of who were English, whom I
respect, have said as much. |
24-Oct-03
World Team Quarters ...
The draw did no favours to either Canada or
England when it brought them together in the quarter-finals.
Nor did the intransigent organisers act sensibly when, despite
protestations from England's management and incredulity from
Jonathon Power, they insisted on playing the match on an outside
court with limited viewing. The court was full at half past three
for a start time of five o'clock. Spectators were right up to the
glass back wall, reminiscent, for some, of the days when crowds were
allowed to overspill at football and cricket matches.
There was little room for coaches and players and with matches in
full flow in either side - one between Austria and USA, where noise
was violent for obvious reasons, the scenarios was nightmarish.
To their credit Peter Nicol and Jonathon Power got on with it and it
was Nicol who promptly asserted, with quality drops and finely paced
lobs, to a 2/0 lead.
But then the lack of work since bronchitis at The British Open
became apparent, the Canadian maestro applied subtle touches - 2/0
became 2/2 and in the fifth 5-1 to Power. But Nicol is never done
with and showing fortitude that once would have served him well at
Bannockburn and now at Agincourt, he levelled at 5 all, eked errors
out of Power's increasing self-doubt and got to 8-5. The Canadian
fell at this point, cramped violently, it seemed, and produced a
performance of Oscar-winning dimensions. Referee Jack Allen found
his way through the crowd onto the court like the Sheriff of
Nottingham and instructed Power to play on, as the fall was
self-inflicted. The Canadian rose to his feet, tottered almost
comically around.
Nicol served for the match and that was that. So it was on James
Willstrop's young, but square shoulder to close out England's
semi-final place against Shahier Razik. The World Junior champion
took immediate control and selecting shots appropriately from
Razik's paceless game, he won the first 9-3 comfortably. Razik began
to use delicately floated angles and feathered drops to effect and
aided by errors in the middle part of the game he levelled at 1-1.
Willstrop maintained composure and in the third he squeezed the
errors and led 2/1. At the beginning of the fourth, Razik's knee
with into Willstrop's calf and as the rules allow he was allowed
time to recover.
After treatment for a dead leg Willstrop recovered in half an hour
and quickly got back on course to lead 6-3. Two conduct strokes
against Razik, both for racket abuse, settled the match and England
were set for a semi-final with France. |
01-Oct-03
Bad timing from The Times
It is hard to understand what was behind Matthew
Syed's and The Times' disgracefully inaccurate and ill-timed article
on the game of squash last Friday.
Whether Syed was trying to
carve out a career in journalism by being sensational or whether The
Times needed to bolster readership with mindless controversy would
be interesting to know.
In the event Syed, a
professional table tennis player who has a world ranking of over 100
and who plays a tediously defensive game, thought fit to criticise
the sport of such wonderful champions as Peter Nicol and Sarah Fitz-Gerald,
to say little of the great names of the past - Jahangir Khan, Jonah
Barrington and Geoff Hunt, all of who are still actively involved in
the game.
The idea that the game is
'heading for oblivion' is clearly so ridiculous and proves that Syed
is no advertisement for a Cambridge education. Nor is his dishonest,
non-existent research.
He was in the Albert Hall for
ten minutes, spoke to nobody despite the fact that players, coaches
and administrators were all accessible. Clearly he did not want to
know the truth.
As someone who has spent a
lifetime in the game - I have coached rugby and cricket extensively
when I was a schoolteacher - a sport which demands athleticism of
the highest order, racket skills and a strong mind is never heading
for oblivion.
That it is watchable and
entertaining was amply shown at the Albert Hall, Nottingham, where
Friday evening was almost full and Saturday and Sunday were sold
out.
My advice to Syed would be to
find another career, where his dishonesty will bring him greater
rewards, and my advice to The Times is to serve sport better by
reporting squash's many successes rather than support distortion and
inaccuracy.
An apology from Syed and The
Times would not go amiss. |
Full
details of
THAT article in
The Times
|
08-Sep
Willstrop's Andy Gill
The Andy Gill Memorial is
one of the longest-running tournaments in the country, and this was
its twentieth running. At no time has it lost its standing, and
indeed in recent times a C event has been added to the existing A
and B events.
This year's champion was
James Willstrop, beating Nick Taylor in the final.
Full report |
|
17-Aug-03
Prince John in Sheffield
English Open Final
Opinion was no doubt divided as to which of
Jonathon Power and John White would become the first ever Prince
English Open Champion, and appropriately it was White, Prince
sponsored, who was that winner, 3/1. But it was by no means clear
cut.
Although Power lead 7/5 in the first, a run of fine rallies took
White to 9/5 and from there he was never headed as he steadily drew
clear to win 15/11.
Power doesn't particularly like the pressure that White's hitting
imposes on him, but in the second he took an early lead and from 9/5
he eased comfortably to 15/7 to level things up.
The third game was to prove crucial. The Canadian maestro led
early, and went to 11/6 effortlessly, although there were an
increasing number of lets. White recovered to 12/11 and a conduct
stroke, not really required in the context of a game which had been
sporting enough, put him on level terms at 12/12.
Worse was to follow for Power: at 13/13 he hit a scorching backhand
winner which, in his pleas to the referee he said he buried - and
indeed he did. But White was given an unwarranted let and Power's
game ball had gone. Maybe the whole match turned on that that
misguided decision.
Anyway, White took a 2/1 lead and from early in the fourth asserted
to 13/8. After fierce rallies which took Power to 9/13 and then
11/13 he was denied yet another stroke.
Even then we were not done with. At match ball 14/11 Power was
refused another justifiable let and everyone was left in limbo as
the referee eventually pronounced in White's favour.
It is not satisfactory to have to write about referees and decisions
when the squash and the players are top class, but there is no
denying that the referee played a crucial
part in the outcome of the match.
No doubt, either, that the ref got plenty
wrong. Tony parker was in the the crowd, and as the best referee on
duty he should have been in charge.
White deserved his win - he looked good throughout the event. His
improved contract should be on the table tomorrow morning!
|
Willstrop's Words
from Sheffield
Willstrop's Words
from Sheffield |
06-Jan-03
Kawy's a Star
The star of this year's British Junior Open
was undoubtably Omneya Abdel Kawy, recording her third
British U19 win in a row and her sixth in total.
Kasey Brown, her final opponent, played nervously
and didn't do herself justice, but Abdel
Kawy was in fine form and Brown will have another day.
After a titanic match Safeerullah Khan took
the Boys U19 title beating the gifted, but delicately-balanced -
mentally that is - Dylan Bennett. Khan had a match ball to win 3/1
and the Dutchman led 8-4 in the fifth before finally losing 10-9.
The quality of the final was fair, but the excitement was top class.
The likeable Joshna Chinappa scored a
significant win for India in taking the U17 Girls title, beating a
promising Australian newcomer Donna Urquhart, who, seeded 9/16, will
be more than happy to have made the final.
Chinappa knew too much for her, and her success
will do much for the emerging Indians, who performed so well at the
Boys World Championships in Chennai in December.
Egypt dominated the younger age-groups, with
Raneem el Weilily winning her 3rd Open in retaining the Girls
U15 title, and the capable Tarek Momen winning his second
Open in the Boys U15.
Amir Khan, younger brother of fourth-placed
U19 Khalid, both sons of former player Atlas Khan, caught the eye in
taking the U13 boys title with some ease.
35 countries were represented here, and it is hard
to think of any potential winner who was not here, so the winners
can count themselves the best in the world.
|
Willstrop's Words
from the
British Junior Open
Willstrop's Words
from the
British Junior Open |
|