Tuesday 13th, Men's Round One,    Women's Qualifying

'Old Guard' progress at Sportcity

One of the busiest days of the championships, as the top 32 men met in the main draw, plus two rounds of women's qualifying to completion, and the Masters start to roll in.

First up for the men was Manchester's favourite son Nick Taylor (who is also top seed for the O35), falling short against the evergreen Alex Gough, an Pontefract partners James Willstrop and Lee Beachill both easing through as the first session passed with no surprises.

The second session saw more of the 'old boys' qualifying - Simon Parke, Steve Meads (reaching his 16th consecutive second round!) and Hadrian Stiff all reaching round two.

The women's qualifying threw up two young stars from the Pontefract stable, Lauren Siddall and Kirsty McPhee, and two former top world 30 players, Vicky Hynes (ex-Lankester) and Karen Leach (ex-Hargreaves), making a return to nationals action.

Men's First Round:
Daryl Selby bt Shaun Le Roux   11/6, 11/7, 11/9 (36m)
Simon Parke bt Ben Ford          11/9, 9/11, 11/9,6/11, 11/5 (71m)
Adrian Grant bt Stephen Siviter  11/9, 11/8, 11/9 (38m)
Steve Meads bt Chris Simpson   11/4, 12/10, 12/10 (63m)
Lee Drew bt Peter Genever     12/10, 11/4, 7/11, 3/11, 11/7 (70m)
Peter Barker bt Jonny Harford   11/7, 11/8, 11/3 (33m)
John White bt Andy Whipp         11/6, 10/12, 11/6, 11/7 (43m)
Hadrian Stiff bt Tom Richards    11/7, 11/3, 11/6 (27m)

Alister Walker bt Jaymie Haycocks  12/10, 11/6, 11/5 (43m)
Alex Gough bt Nick Taylor              8/11, 11/6, 11/9, 11/6 (58m)
Lee Beachill bt Eddie Charlton         11/2, 11/1, 11/3 (22m)
Scott Handley bt Chris Tasker-Grindley  11/7, 11/5, 11/5 (25m)
Tim Vail bt Adrian Waller                11/6, 11/8, 1/11, 11/8 (34m)
Jon Kemp bt Peter Billson               11/4, 11/8, 8/11, 11/7 (32m)
James Willstrop bt Jethro Binns        11/3, 11/7, 11/6 (29m)
Alex Stait bt Tom Pashley                11/6, 11/5, 11/8 (28m)

Women's Qualifying Finals:
Lauren Siddall bt Louise Clark      9/5, 9/2, 9/1 (26m)  v Waters
Karen Leach bt Victoria Bell         10/8,10/9, 9/5 (48m) v Duncalf
Vicky Hynes bt Rachel Willmott     9/2, 9/7, 7/9, 9/2      v Botwright
Kirsty McPhee bt Stacey Sephton  9/0, 9/3, 9/5 (27m)   v Hill

Nationals En Bref

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Steve Meads bt Chris Simpson   11/4, 12/10, 12/10 (63m)

TRADITIONAL GRINDING…
Framboise reports

First game, 11/4, 12 minutes.
Second game, 12/10, 25 minutes.
Third game, 12/10, 22 minutes.

To say that those two love to make it last is an understatement…. Steve Meads invented the word rally, and Chris Simpson loves his up and down the wall too, let me tell you.

The Old Guard's aim was clear. Frustrate the spring chicken. And the plan worked to perfection. Do not misunderstand, those two never got aggressive toward each other, but there were a lot of lets, a few getting in the way, with a Steve Meads who was ready to rally all night if necessary, forcing young Simpson to adventure himself out of his comfort zone by playing shots a bit too early, a bit from too far away, a bit too high percentage…

It was not a flamboyant match, but it was an intense, focused, not letting anything away, and gruelling one. Those two play the same kind of game, a superb grinding traditional game. And it was close, o so bleeping close.

But as he was up 10/9 game ball in the third and last game, Chris tinned the following three rallies to lose12/10 in no time…

It all came down to experience, and when it comes to that, Steve Meads wrote the book…
  

"I still play old squash, none of that Ramy Ashour kind of play…! No, he is so refreshing to look at…

"Let me put it this way. It was not pretty squash, but it’s about winning. If you want to see me play nice squash, come down to see a Surrey Cup match, that’s where you see me play nice shots, but I play only play one tournament per year, I think I’m allowed to go back to my old style for 1, 2 or maybe 3 matches in the year….

"I was really psyched up for this match, which is sad in a way… I’m still competitive…"

Lee Drew bt Peter Genever   
      12/10, 11/4, 7/11, 3/11, 11/7 (70m)

"That was hard work, he's a good player and you only have to give him a sniff and he takes it, which is exactly what happened.

"In the first two I was taking him short, but he countered that in the third, her was waiting for it and counter-dropped or cut it in hard and low.

"He came back into it well, and I was beginning to question myself. I just tried to really dig in at the start of the fifth, then at the end of it he hit a couple of quick tins and I got a quick winner to finish.

"At least it's got me into the tournament and I'm looking forward to a match with Peter, we haven't played too much competitively and he's really up there now so it will be a good test."

Daryl Selby bt Shaun Le Roux       
    11/6, 11/7, 11/9 (36m)

A COUPLE OF TINS
HERE AND THERE…
Framboise reports

This is one of those matches that would have gone on forever in traditional scoring, as we kept on changing hand… The players were really glad not to have to stay on court another hour, I’m sure…… God bless the one who switched to PAR…

Also one of those matches where you can safely say that the score doesn’t reflect the match whatsoever, as Daryl Selby and Shaun Le Roux were pretty close the all time, and the difference lay in the experience and calm that Daryl shown at the pivotal times, you know, the 6/6, 7/7 moments. Shaun, a bit younger, went for too much. Daryl was more patient.

And that’s what it all come down to really. The young man got a bit impatient, hit a few tins, then became a bit frustrated with himself, recovered, but next game, did it again, and his frustration mounted… Classic…

The match was played by two intense and motivated players but still perfect gentlemen. Not a word, not a nasty look to the ref, excellent behaviour on court in front of the two dads, who must be very proud of their progeny…
 

I was up 6/6 in the first, and 7/7 in the second, and I went for a few cheap points, where I shouldn’t, I should have kept on playing the way I was doing in the first place, but he plays at such a pace, it’s a big step from the qualifiers…

I tried to keep it up with him to 7/7, 8/8, but he was able to keep the intensity up, where I wasn’t, and he forced me to make the mistakes…

I would have liked to take a game, but I was happy with the way I played today compared with the previous times where I played him and where he absolutely chopped me, leaving only points… The score doesn’t reflect how tough that mach was and how long and disputed our rallies were…

It’s such a bouncy court, if you hit the ball too hard, it comes flying off the back wall, and you have the impression that you play everything in the middle, but if you don’t put enough pace on the ball, the other player can actually play it easily at the front, so it was all a question of finding the right balance…

Today, I guess I was trying to find my length, trying to take a bit of weigh off the ball, and not to spend too much energy, which nearly came to bite me in the backside when Shaun started to come back at the end.

I’m really glad to have that one out of the way, there are so many good British players nowadays, the first round can be really tricky…

Alex Stait bt Tom Pashley      11/6, 11/5, 11/8 (28m)

STAIT IN CONTROL
Framboise reports

A bit of a straight forward match this one, with a Tom Pashley a bit tense who wouldn’t let his arm play freely and found the tin far too many times in the first two games, and an Alex Stait who couldn’t do anything wrong, one unforced error in each of the first games, and with a short game out of this world.

Finding himself backs against the wall 2/0 down, young Pashley, 18, started to relax and found at last some exquisite drop shots that put his opponent under real pressure, and still down 10/5 match ball, he kept on kicking, saving three match balls in the process to finally admit defeat 11/8…

"Yes, I did relax a bit in the third, but most of all he played better in that game…

"I feel free and relaxed at the moment, and when I feel like that, I play good shots, and when I don’t, that’s when I play bad shots…

"He is young, so he is probably used to play up and down the wall, but I get bored playing like that, so I changed things a bit… He is a very talented young player, he reminds me a lot of Peter Barker at the same age, very strong and skilful…

"I’m looking forward to playing James, it’s always fun to play against him, because he is such a talented and fair player, so, I’m just going to enjoy it and try my best to cause him a bit of trouble…"

James Willstrop bt
Jethro Binns       
11/3, 11/7, 11/6 (29m)

"It was sort of comfortable out there although Jethro put up a good resistance and made me work hard…

"We often talk about that kind of opening game about the same way, don’t we, Jethro was a qualifier, he studies at the same time, so he is not at the top of his game yet, it’s a good start for the tournament.

"But it’s more than that, at the same time, I’m working on things, I’m trying to find a good rhythm, working specifics out, not just going through the motions, and I try to win as well as I can…"

Alex Gough bt Nick Taylor              8/11, 11/6, 11/9, 11/6 (58m)

CRAFTY SQUASH…
Framboise reports

What those two spring chickens know about squash is nobody’s business. It was such a pleasure to see them trying to trick each other with superb delaying, great tight drives, wonderful retrieving and patient squash mixed with totally out of the book shots.

I never saw Nick Taylor play that well, I have to say, and I fully understand why he was world number 14. His long game is so tight, he absorbs his opponent's attack or by a nasty redrop, or by a cunning volley drop, and if that doesn’t work, we lob it away to make sure we can have a bit of a breather…

I don’t think Nick had much expectation on this match, although Alex’s extreme fatigue from Swedish Open when he got to the final, beating Karim Darwish in a splendid five-setter could have opened the door to the second round for him. But boy did he give us a demonstration of how squash should be played. The only reason why he didn’t win the match is because his fitness is not as good as it used to be, obviously. But the mental, the tactic, the know how, the instinct, the logic, all that was in place.

And if I had a kid I wanted to teach squash to, I would leave him with Nick with my eyes closed. Impressed? Yes I was…
  

"I have to play good squash now, because I can’t rely on my fitness anymore. If only I had been playing like that when I was on the tour…

"Since I’ve been teaching, it’s been 4 years since I opened my Academy, and 2 years that I’ve now been working with Manchester City Council, my ball control is much better now I’m feeding the ball a lot. And it was not about the winning today, it was about playing good squash and physically hanging in there.

"But Goughie is just unbelievable for his age, although he is a bit younger than me, I was working him hard, he was not enjoying it, I know that, but he was just superb out there. His width is so good, it’s absolute perfection, and that’s the reason he is still where he is now…"

Peter Barker bt Jonny Harford   11/7, 11/8, 11/3 (33m)

I landed yesterday from Oregon. It’s a long way, I didn’t realise how long it was… But I feel good. My mind was telling me that no, no, I shouldn’t be feeling good, but my body was quite alright…

If anything, it was my mind that was not as sharp, but fortunately, I was a bit too quick at the front for him today…

When I heard the draw, I was not that happy, as Johnny was probably one of the strongest qualifiers, but actually, it probably did me a hell of a good, to start with a strong player right away…

I’m happy to fight another day, that’s all I say…



I was tired, I felt tired from the start. I didn’t hit a good enough length, which meant he was in control, and then I got even more tired!

I’m happy though, squash has been good recently, I’m happy to qualify, but today, Peter was just too good, and I’m not too disappointed…

Simon Parke bt Ben Ford          11/9, 9/11, 11/9,6/11, 11/5 (71m)

"Towards the end of the last game he started picking up more of my shots, but I think it was a lack of confidence on my part, I didn't really believe I was going to win.

"Last year I got Peter Nicol, and I was 10/5 up in the first and only just won it in the end, and it happened again today in the second. My bottle's not as good as it should be in those situations, I'm too nervous to just go for it."

"I knew it was going to be tough, he's very skilful and reads the game well. You can't play at any sort of pace on these courts, it makes it a much harder game.

"I had two big comebacks, it worked in the first but the second just slipped away from me. He's a cunning player and I'm glad to get through."

Alister Walker bt Jaymie Haycocks 
12/10, 11/6, 11/5 (43m)

"He did well, he had nothing to lose and hit some very good shots. I was up in the first and let him back in, but I took control in the second, went 6/0 up and felt comfortable after that.

"I played Alex in the English Open, he won 3/0 but they were all tie-breaks, so I'm looking forward to that one."





"I played really well in the first, but played two stupid shots at 10-all, I went for two kills early in the rallies and missed them both.

"At the start of the second and third I was feeling my legs, but as the games went on my game started working much better, I was moving him around more, not just going for long rallies to the back which he's so good at.

"But overall I'm very pleased with my week. I got further than before, so the target has to be second round next year. Matches like that show you where you need to be, strength, fitness, discipline ...

"Next it's my first tournament out of Europe, Iran at the end of February."

Lee Beachill bt Eddie Charlton
     11/2, 11/1, 11/3 (22m)

"I enjoyed that, it's good to play someone of that standard.

"I'm a bit tired but he's so strong and he holds the ball better than anyone I've ever seen, every shot has an element of deception and he's so accurate.

"I didn't play that badly, but I didn't get many points, he moves the ball around so much ..."

John White bt Andy Whipp
     11/6, 10/12, 11/6, 11/7 (43m)

JOHN BACK IN MANCHESTER
Framboise reports

This is one of the matches that could have been an upset. Two mad attackers who love to hit and run, brain cells often disconnected from the rest of the body, going for flamboyance and finding brilliance after complete failure, we knew we were in for a good time…

The crowd was numerous and openly (not to mention loudly) supporting Andy Whipp from round the corner Cheshire… The atmosphere was electric, the squash was too. Some very fast rallies, zoom zoom, and then some long and patient and by the book ones, ending by a winner from one or the other.

John could/should have won in three really, as he was comfortably 10/6 game ball up in the second, and managed to let his opponent play his best squash of the match to clinch the game 12/10.

All credit to Andy. He fought for every ball, on every point, gave everything he had, and offered us a splendid entertainment, and gave the Scot a good run for his money. But like Whipp stated, there is a big gap between beating top twenty and top ten ...
  

It was OK, considering that I landed only yesterday morning 9am…. So you’ve got to deal with the jetlag, and get used to the difference with a glass court, but you get by…

I never played him, so I didn’t know what to expect, he played very well, he is a quick boy, he puts away the ball quick as well, so I tried a few things, a few lobs to keep myself out of trouble…

OK, it was not the top of my game, but a win is a win. And I was quite excited to come back here this year, as I didn’t come last year, I’m really happy to be here…

I really thought I could create an upset today, I know I can beat the top 20 players, but there is a big gap with a top 10 one…

He is so hard to play, I like to push forward and volley, but he plays the ball so close to the tin, so you can’t volley. And if I played a loose shot, he put it away better than I did…

And it’s the old dance, when the score gets to 6/6, 7/7, the better player tends to win the 3 4 next rallies. If you look at our score, they are all 6, or 7… That tells you something…

I was tired, I enjoyed it, I always enjoy my squash…

Scott Handley bt Chris Tasker-Grindley  11/7, 11/5, 11/5 (25m)

24 matches in 21 days, that’s what I’m at the moment, and I feel good!

I’m moving really well at the moment, I didn’t have any injuries for the past 10 months, so now I’m just enjoying the benefit of playing a lot of matches. And when you are moving well, you can use it to get quicker on the ball…

I knew that Chris had had a long day yesterday, so I just tried to keep the pace up, relax and enjoy my squash…



My last match last night was brutal, so I didn’t have too much left in the legs this morning. I guess that if I hadn’t been so tired, maybe I could have picked up a couple of games, but he was just too good for me. I’m happy though because I played much better than I did last time we played, about two weeks ago, where he was awesome mind you.

Still I was able to learn from that last match, I changed my game a bit, varied my pace and shots a bit more, but he was too much for me today.

But I’m very pleased with my result last night.

Jon Kemp bt Peter Billson 11/4, 11/8, 8/11, 11/7 (32m)

"Pete's a very skilful player, if you give him time at the front he's very tricky. The first game was ok, but I had to pull back a few points in the second to get to two-nil.

"The start of all the games was close, but I managed to get a couple ahead in the fourth which was enough.

"I've had a bit of time off with injuries and illness, so haven't done too much in the last couple of weeks, it's good to get the cobwebs out of the system."

Tim Vail bt Adrian Waller 
     11/6, 118, 1/11, 11/8 (34m)

PATCHY VAIL
Framboise reports

I remember one thing from my playing squash days. Beware of players with just that little bit of a tummy, as they normally aren’t as fit as they could be, and they compensate for it with the touch from hell. Tim Vail fits the profile to perfection.

He has shots that no one else has as far as I know. You just cannot read his game, end of story. So it’s all a question of focus for the Sussex Man, and of course, of fitness, as he seems to have had injury upon injury upon injury for a few years.

And if I was a young player like Adrian Waller, looking to get some experience and learn the craft of squash, nobody better than Tim. I was actually quite surprised how well young Adrian, built like a giant but still only 17 years old, coped with the pressure and the change of direction imposed by Vail, especially for such a big guy (he is according to him, 6 2, 6 3…)…

In the first game, Tim was just out of this world, playing astonishingly well, only to stop and look at the daisies in the second, finding himself 8/2 down in a matter of minutes. Finding both his breath and his concentration, he tempted a come back, but Adrian was far too advanced scorewise to let go of that one.

If the second was all Tim really, five minutes and it was all over 11/1, the fourth was a very nice game, quite close up to 6/5 for Tim who suddenly found all his shots to find nicks literally all over the court. Zoom, poor Adrian was down match ball 10/6 before he knew it, tried and saved 2, but surrendered on a yet again superb back hand drop shot…

In the first game he was a bit faster than I was, I was a bit flat from my matches yesterday, and he played a series of good shots as he always does. That was not a good game for me…

In the third game, I took a very bad start, he played a few good shots, and the points just went on so quickly!

Today, I felt comfortable when I was competing in the rallies, but then in the last two games, my pace fell, I was not moving so well, and I found myself chasing around the court all lot.

When you play against Tim, the points go so quickly, and especially in that 11 scoring, it’s impossible to get it back…

I did my ankle just before Christmas playing Hampshire league, and I just didn’t have enough squash since then. So, the ankle, also a groin injury before that! But my back is alright now I’ve changed cars, thank you for asking!

I’m just not match fit, neither mentally or physically, and I got myself sucked into an up and down the wall game, finding myself not doing anything, and that’s not my game.

I’m glad to get it out of the way really, whereas for tomorrow, I’m so glad to play Kempie. In all these years playing squash, I’ve never played him, and I’m willing to give it a go…

Lauren Siddall bt Louise Clark      9/5, 9/2, 9/1 (26m)    plays Waters
Karen Leach bt Victoria Bell         10/8,10/9, 9/5 (48m) plays Duncalf
Vicky Hynes bt Rachel Willmott     9/2, 9/7, 7/9, 9/2      plays Botwright
Kirsty McPhee bt Stacey Sephton  9/0, 9/3, 9/5 (27m)   plays Hill

Four for the main draw
Quick summary from Steve Cubbins

Two rounds of play today for the women, and in the finals it was two youngsters and two returning stars who made it through.

Lauren Siddall, fresh from her appearance on Sky's Soccer AM, was in control for the most part against Louise Clark, only faltering after taking a 5/-0 lead in the first, but quickly reasserting to book a second consecutive date with Alison Waters - "Iwant more than four points this time," the Soccerette commented.

She is joined by Pontefract team-mate Kirsty McPhee, who ended the run of surprise package Stacey Septhon. The Australian with an English grandparent failed to make an impact in the first two games - "too fit, too strong" was her comment - and relinquished a 4-0 lead in the third as Kirsty booked a date with Laura Hill.

Boasting just four games a week between them, Karen Leach and Vicky Hynes emulated the 'old guard' in the men's event as they both overcame young opposition.

Leach came from behind to take the first 10/8 against Victoria Bell, and at 6/0 in the second it looked as if the Welsh international had weathered the storm. But the young Cumbrian fought back only to lose the second even more narrowly, 10/9. From the mid-point of the third Leach pulled away to reach the first round ten years after her last appearance, where Jenny Duncalf awaits.

Hynes completed two weeks' worth of squash in one day - she plays once a week these days - as her racket skills and precision proved too much for a Rachel Willmott whose earlier exploits in coming from two games down eventually caught up with her.
  

"Thank heavens that's over! I started well then lost concentration. I knew that she'd had a very hard match earlier so I had to keep on making her move.

As long as I put it in the corners I would be ok, but she certainly didn't give up in the third though.

"I'm not sure how I'll be tomorrow, but I'm very happy to be through."

She had very good shots, I had to be wary of her racket skills, but once she got a bit tired she played a few loose shots and some errors..

"I've no preference for who I get in the main draw, but if I get Alison I want to get more than the four points I got against her last year ..."

Rachel Willmott bt Victoria Lust
7/9, 4/9, 9/2, 9/2, 9/4 (74m)

"I was getting very frustrated in the first two games, I knew I had to change my game, my mentality more than anything else.

"I seem to be getting good at comebacks these days ..."



"Rachel upped the pace after the second, kept me at the back and stopped me playing the short game I like, I also started playing a bit looser, which didn't help.

"It was a good scrap though, I enjoyed it, even if it didn't look like it."

Victoria Bell bt  Lauren Selby 
9/6, 9/4, 9/4 (35m)

"That's easily the best I've done in this event, I didn't even expect to win my match!

"My crosscourt drops were working well, but I didn't know what to expect, it was a case of going on and seeing what happened, and it will be the same for my next match, no expectations ..."


1

Lauren Siddall bt Emma Chorley
9/2, 9/5, 9/1 (27m)

"The start of the match was delayed as she got stuck in traffic coming up from Somerset.

After five and a half hours in the car I knew she wouldn't be on top form so I just tried to keep her quiet and wait for the mistakes.

"The second game was very tough, very long rallies, but I could see she was struggling a few times after that."

Kirsty McPhee bt
Susannah King
9/3, 9/6, 2/9, 9/6 (62m)

"It was getting a bit physical at times, but she was making mistakes in the first two which was the main difference.

"Then in the third we collided and I ran into her back and got a nosebleed. When I came back on I couldn't get her behind me and everything was a bit loose.

"Not pretty squash, but one more round to go to the main draw ...

Louise Clark bt Gemma Davies 9/7,9/4, 9/0 (26m)

"I was a bit nervous to start with, but got into it as the match went on. I was 7/3 down in the first, it might have been a different story if I hadn't come back and taken that one.

"Still, it's not surprising I was a bit rusty since this is my first tournament since starting Uni in April, so it's pleasing to get this far ..."

Stacey Sephton bt
Leonie Holt
9/0, 9/1, 8/10, 9/5 (54m)

"I was all over her in the first two, then she changed her game and it was much harder. I had a few match-balls in the third, but it became a good match.

"It's hard not knowing anyone, difficult to prepare. I went to have a look at Kirsty's match but that was when she was off with her nosebleed!"

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