Malcolm

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Malcolm Willstrop at the Nationals

A day to say "I was there when ..."

The gods certainly did not look with favour on James Willstrop in the first half of the season, but having seen the injustice of it all, they have relented and are set on making amends.

Well in advance they removed champion Nick Matthew, who was in Manchester yesterday and is on the road to recovery. Then, as if that was not enough, they got rid of Lee Beachill, Willstrop's nemesis, at the eleventh hour.

Beachill, whose record in this championship is second to none, was devastated at the suddenness of it all. To his credit he turned up yesterday, looking very uncomfortable, to explain his predicament to a disappointed crowd. His dismay was there for all to see.

So Willstrop played three games with Saurav Ghosal, the personable Indian champion, to provide some entertainment and to give himself a workout in a week when he has done very little.

The resurgent John White, looking very sharp, battered Adrian Grant into submission. The first two games were quick as Grant strove forlornly to stem the tide and though he did a little better in the third, he was never going to win.

So to a final that should disappoint no-one. White and Willstrop haven't met for a while, but their matches are invariably spectacular. Remember The Crucible a few years back, that was some match.

With White in such form, Willstrop will need to be at his bear to stave him off. Or will the gods intervene again, just to make sure?

Jenny Duncalf, controlling the temperament that is sometimes her downfall, resisted Madeline Perry in a hard battle. Duncalf's range is greater then nearly all of her opponents, and she has moved well throughout her matches.

She will be hard to beat today, though Alison Waters, who has survived two five setters, did well to repel Laura Lengthorn who had put out Vicky Botwright.

For a while Lengthorn looked as if she might have an edge, but Waters improved as the game progressed and ran out a convincing winner.

The women's final offers much too, so today is one of those days to say "I was there when ....."


Thursday at Sportcity Malcolm on the first set of quarters Madeline Perry who has done well in recent times saw off the persistent part-time Laura Hill in three games without being seriously threatened. There were too many lets and strokes with neither girl willing to get on with it, so there was not much to excite a sizeable crowd. Perry will face Jenny Duncalf, who produced a quality display to beat reigning champion Tania Bailey who, despite winning the firstg ame comfortably, looked increasingly uncomfortable from then on. Duncalf has considerable range of shot and, as she assumed increasing control, she played with delightful touch and skill. It was an impressive performance by Duncalf and she has every chance of beating Perry if she keeps her temperament in check. Lee Beachill has a record to be proud of in these championships and, despite the evergreen Alex Gough's recentwin over Karim Darwish, Beachill was always in clear control when Gough conceded at 2-0 down and well behind in the third. James Willstrop was probably surprised to be facing Tim Vail rather than Jon Kemp, but Vail put up an attractive show, attacking with flair and conviction whenever he could. Reasonably enough Willstrop always had matters in hand and produced some shots of his own. So Saturday's crowd are granted the match they all want: Willstrop v Beachill. Since they have been at Pontefract together for twenty years the match has a surreal feel about it. But despite all that they rarely fail to please. As the whole world knows Beachill has an unblemished record against Willstrop, but if anything affects the outcome I think it is morelikely to be the un-natural atmosphere of their meetings. Good news: an online firm were betting. Bad news: the women are still playing traditional scoring. Tonight should be fascinating, Simon Parke will certainly be ready to run against Adrian Grant and he's had a day's rest, and Peter Barker will be looking to prove himself against John White, in form and as eager as ever. Vicky Botwright will be sternly challenged by the improving Laura Lengthorn in a North-West derby and Alison Waters, who survived narrowly against Lauren Siddall, will need to raise her game against Dominique Lloyd-Walter.
MEN'S PREVIEW The withdrawal of champion Nick Matthew was disappointing, not just for the player himself but for the tournament as a whole. With him in place there was a desirable balance to the semi-finals, without taking away from his replacement Adrian Grant. From what I had heard it did not seem likely that Matthew would line up, and even if he had he would have been seriously under-prepared. So James Willstrop is the top seed, though the redraw still means a prospective semi-final meeting with clubmate Lee Beachill, something both, I am sure, would have preferred as a possible final. John White, whose love of playing is transparent, has found rich vein of form and he will be difficult to beat. With Matthew out of the way, probable meetings with Peter Barker in the quarter-finals and Grant in the semis, he will fancy his chances. There is an interesting blend of youth and age about the event: White, Alex Gough, Simon Parke and Stephen Meads representing age - and well, at that - with plenty of youngsters in the mix. Local hero Nick Taylor predictably drew a crowd in his first round against Gough, and second round matches which catch the eye include Gough v Alister Walker and Parke v Daryl Selby. Neither look nailed on. The quarter-finals,as is usual these days, shouldbe very inviting, and predicting a winner is noeasy matter. I would be surprised, though, if the winner is not one of Willstrop, Beachill or White - it is not conceivable that all three will fall short. Beachill has a proud record to defend: three titles and five consecutive finals: Willstrop has yet to win it, which must act as a spur forh im, and White will see his recent form as a great boost. Theonly certainty, though, is that Manchester Leisure, with Jim Quigley and his experienced team, will provide the organisation and friendliness the British Championships warrant. One who will definitely not be playing is the recently-retired Peter Nicol. In passing let us not forget the he has made to the championship in the past.
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