Friday 16th, Quarter-Finals 2, more Masters ...

             Quarters Part One

Quarter-Finals part two:

[4] Alison Waters bt [7] Dominique Lloyd-Walter
       9/7, 9/4, 3/9, 7/9, 9/0 (72m)
[5] Laura Lengthorn bt [2] Vicky Botwright
       9/5, 9/5, 9/5 (42m)

[4] Adrian Grant bt [8] Simon Parke
       8/11, 11/6, 11/8, 11/8 (60m)
[2] John White bt [5] Peter Barker
    12/10, 11/6, 6/11, 11/3 (54m)

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NATIONALS REPORTS
from Howard Harding

Malcolm in Manchester
Willstrop at Sportcity

Alison Waters bt Dominique Lloyd-Walter
       9/7, 9/4, 3/9, 7/9, 9/0 (72m)

Waters wins Roller-Coaster
Steve Cubbins reports

Alison Waters reached her third consecutive Nationals semi-final, eventually coming out the right side of a roller-coaster match with a rematch of last year's quarter-final with friend and Middlesex team-mate Dominique Lloyd-Walter.

It wasn't a good start for the 2005 finalist as she went 7/2 down in the first to an opponent who looked more composed and more accurate.

But then, for no discernible reason, it all changed. Suddenly Alison was in front and on top, and Dominique was doing the chasing. Seven points in a row to take the 22-minute first, then quickly to 8/2 in the second and a repeat of last year's 3/0 looked on.

Dominique started to fight back at this point though, forcing six handouts and pulling two points back before succumbing to the inevitable, but the start of the third showed that the tide had turned again.

Stronger again, more confident in her shots and dominating the rallies, she moved quickly to 7/0 before finishing it in style with two forehand drives glued to the wall.

The fourth was the closest game of the match, Dominique was playing well now, hitting some lovely winners, but Alison was staying with her, indeed she moved ahead 6/4.

There followed a period of play with some, shall we say strange decisions, as Dominique was awarded two distinctly ungenerous lets, each followed quickly by equally generous strokes.

Anyway, the incidents seemed to fire Dominique up as she fought back, the crowd on her side, to level.

And then it all changed again. Alison came out firing in the fifth, was 7/0 up in no time, reached match-ball with a beautiful long drop, and accepted a stroke to complete the win.

Dominique was close, so much closer than last time, but it's Alison who's into the semi-finals ... again.

"We've been playing each other for ten years, and we're good friends, so we knew what to expect on there.

"She came out strong and I made a few errors, but when I could get in front and volley it she struggled to keep up with the pace. I think I must have eased off a bit in the fourth and Dom had nothing to lose and came back well."

"In the fifth I knew I had to get in front and dictate again and thankfully I managed to do that."

"Everyone wants to do well and play well in the Nationals, so I'm glad to be in the semis again. There's still five of us left in though and any of us could win, it's just who plays well on the day."

"At 7/2 in the first I just didn't believe in myself enough, when she got a couple of points back I thought 'oh, she's going to go on a run now' and I sort of panicked.

"The second ran away and in the third I just tried to stay in it, I wasn't thinking about winning at all at that stage.

"I had to come back in the fourth, that was hard and there were some funny decisions in there. But the fifth ran away again, I'd worked so hard to get the fourth I thought I'd won it there, then I realised I had another game to win and it was too late."

For the record, in PAR scoring:
22/19, 16/11, 9/16, 12/13, 12/2

Adrian Grant bt Simon Parke
       8/11, 11/6, 11/8, 11/8 (60m)

ADRIAN MIXES IT SO WELL…
Framboise reports

Saying that Simon didn’t do much wrong today is an understatement. He made three unforced errors in the whole match (Adrian 9 by the way). He was as fresh as can be, sharp, focused, and, as Adrian put it, “up for it”.

And it started beautifully for the Heaton Coach who didn’t have to force his talent to take the first game in 14 minutes of long rallies at a medium pace with tight, composed and controlled squash of a very high calibre.

But Adrian is a clever boy, and soon realised that he wouldn’t get anywhere letting the Old’ Man stay within his comfort zone, so he starting picking up the pace, and displayed a splendid array of shots, from some hard hitting to delicate volley drops and a few lobs to complete the picture.

And from that moment on, for we who saw Simon’s previous match against Daryl where the man retrieved the irretrievable, it was like life was turning the tables, and putting “the shoe on the other foot” I think you say in English. It was now Parkie who was finding some stunning drop shots, and Adrian who was retrieving astonishingly well and counter attacking at a pace that his opponent couldn’t match…

I very rarely saw a player (maybe Azlan Iskandar) who changed his game as much as Adrian did as he came from a “Lee Beachill game”, traditional length and width, based on his excellent fitness but without Beachill's success, to arrive nowadays to a “Simon Parke style”, superb retrieving, fast interceptions in the middle and a feather volley short game… That shows a lot of determination and ambition. Well done young man…

Tonight’s result didn’t surprise anybody, but I know that Simon will be disappointed. The match was very close, the last two games could have gone either way, he didn’t looked drained at the end of the match, and I’m pretty sure he would have liked to keep on going another game of two, and probably, another match or two…

"It wasn’t a great match, because I’ve lost. It was a bit stoppy starty, with no rhythm,.

"I played a lot with Adrian before, and well played to him. I’m a bit disappointed, but I had a good time, and I just want to say good luck to Adrian in the semis tomorrow…"

"Parkie and I have played so many times, we always have been battles, we know each other’s game so well…

"He had a couple of hard game and he was still going, all credit to him, he’s got a lot of heart, and I think that he was up for it today…

"My aim was not to outstretch the rallies, but try to make them longer still attacking, because you can easily fall into the trap of just keeping the rallies going and not do much with the ball, and that’s what I did in the first game…

"There were a lot of lets, but that’s nothing unusual between Simon and I, our movement seem to clash. There are two players with whom I have the problem, Simon, and also Thierry Lincou. With some other players, there are hardly any lets, but with Parkie and Lincou, I don’t know why, we seem to clash…

"Parkie’s strength is when you are ahead, and he steps up a notch where other players would chuck the game, he just keeps going. He did it in the previous round against Daryl, he was down 10/3 and he won the game.

"That’s Parkie all over. And that’s why today when he started coming back, I just kept my focus and didn’t relax…"

Laura Lengthorn bt Vicky Botwright
       9/5, 9/5, 9/5 (42m)

Laura takes the Lancashire honours
Steve Cubbins reports

This meeting between two county team-mates always looked an intriguing encounter. Vicky Botwright, higher seeded and higher ranked, but who had never progressed beyond the quarters in her home town event, and Laura Lengthorn, buoyed by her first-ever win over Vicky a few months ago in Wolverhampton.

In the event it was Laura who won again, getting the better of three similar games, each featuring a tight opening before she pulled clear - from 3-all in the first, 5-all in the second and 3-all in the third she took each game to five.

Vicky always looked a little on edge, frequently querying decisions and non-decisions with the officials while Laura just got on with it, staying focused and looking sharp. She hit some lovely winners, particularly towards the end of each game, playing well, really well, and taking advantage of a slightly below-par opponent who struggled to get her best game out for more than one or two rallies at a time.

"I don't really know how it happened, I just played well! I felt sharp, my movement was good, my drops and volleys were all going in. I'm just really, really pleased.

"I beat Vicky for the first time in Wolverhampton - I'd only ever beaten her once even in training, which we do all the time - and although she beat me 3/0 in Apawamis I'd only just come back after injury and I was pleased with how I played then so I still had the belief I could do it.

"I was always fit and strong, but I knew that to get to the next level, to really challenge the top ten, I needed to get faster, so that's what I've been working on recently.

"Even so, I really wasn't sure how it would go today so I'm pleased to have played so well and delighted to reach the semi-final for the first time.

"I lost to Linda Elriani in the last two events, and I knew that I'd be a 5/8 seed and that I'd have to beat one of the top four to get this far. Now it's me and Madeline, we're very close in the rankings so it should be a good match."

For the record, in PAR scoring:
13/7, 16/12, 13/9

John White bt Peter Barker
    12/10, 11/6, 6/11, 11/3 (54m)

JOHN IN GOOD FORM
Framboise reports

Like most shot makers, John has his “shot days”, and his “tin days”. Today was a shot day. Ten unforced errors in the whole match, including five in the game he lost. Relaxed, focused, hitting the ball so hard it actually curved and even finding a few lobs (yes, I know, what is the world coming to!), John was in control of his domain…

Peter made a few more unforced errors, 12, but what is interesting to be noted is that he made four in five rallies in the middle of the third, and still succeeded to win it, which will comfort him with the idea that he can play a higher percentage game, win some lose some, and still get away with it…

When they are not used to playing John White, it seems to take the players around two games to get used to the pace, and they have normally a good chance in the third. The whole story is do you still have enough left mentally and physically in the fourth to push the Tall Man in a fifth? Defending and trying to get your mark against that machine gun like constant hammering of shots must be absolutely draining…

Today, after playing excellent squash in the third to come back to 2/1, Peter took an awful start in the fourth to be led 5/0, with three decisions that seemed to have troubled his concentration, and before he knew it, he was down match ball 10/2, and would score only one more point before shaking John’s hand...

It was obvious tonight that Peter has enriched his game, no more of those endless up and down the wall trying to exhaust his opponents out rallies, they’ve been replaced with a more diverse squash, in particular a lovely boast and some millimetres above the tin short shots. Like for Adrian just before him on court, it’s a sign of ambition and maturity in my book...

"Overall good.

"In the third, I didn’t exactly fall asleep, he started to play much better, he is one of the up and coming lads, he has had some pretty good results lately, he must have enjoyed playing in Manchester, in front of his coach and his family, and I thought he played well tonight…

"In the fourth, I went back to a more lengthy game, I was more patient, I caught him off guard a few times, and thought that it would be silly to lose now, so I tried not to give him any cheap points.

"At the start, my timing was slow, I was not moving well, and got a few cheap strokes and made it hard for myself, but the more the match went on, and in the fourth in particular, my timing improved, and I’m glad to get the fourth for points, that’s good for tomorrow’s semi…

"It’s good to keep those youngsters down!"

"I tried to slow the ball down, because when you are moving so fast, it’s hard to move AND to be precise. I was too negative tonight, John does open the court, and when he does, you’ve got to take advantage, but I didn’t. I didn’t, because he plays at such a pace, you find yourself always on the backfoot…

"I hadn’t played him for two or three years, I guess that if I was playing him a bit more often, I would get used to the pace, like I did in the third… Trying to break his rhythm, that’s the most important when you try and beat him. I tried for a game and a half, first part in the first, and in the third. That's just not enough…

"I’ve been working for a few months on varying my game a bit more, because it was not enough to beat the top players, and when I started to get good results, like against LJ and Beachill a few weeks back, it’s because I was taking my game to my opponent instead of being on the defensive…"

Thursday 15th, Quarter-Finals 1, more Masters ...

Quarter-Finals part one:

[3] Madeline Perry (Irl) bt [8] Laura Hill (Derbys)  
       9/6, 9/4, 9/0 (39m)
[3] Lee Beachill (Yorks) bt [6] Alex Gough (Wal)
       11/3, 12/10, 7/0 rtd (38m)
[6] Jenny Duncalf (Yorks) bt [1] Tania Bailey (Lincs)
        2/9, 9/3, 9/5, 9/3 (63m)
[1] James Willstrop (Yorks) bt Tim Vail (Sussex)
        11/9, 11/6, 11/5 (28m) 

Duncalf dumps champion Bailey

The first day of quarter-final play at Sportcity saw an upset which guarantees a new women's champion as Jenny Duncalf dethroned reigning champion Tania Bailey. Duncalf meets Ireland's Madeline Perry for a place in the final after Perry beat Laura Hill, the only part-timer to make the last eight.

In the men's matches Pontefract team-mates Lee Beachill and James Willstrop ended the challenges of 'old guard' members Alex Gough and Tim Vail, in the process setting up their fifth meeting in seven years with the younger top seed yet to register a win.
   

En Bref Issue #3

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Jenny Duncalf (Yorks) bt Tania Bailey (Lincs)
        2/9, 9/3, 9/5, 9/3 (63m)

Duncalf dethrones Bailey
Steve Cubbins reports

A new women's National Champion is guaranteed after Jenny Duncalf turned in one of her best performances to deny Tania Bailey in the defence of the title she won last year.

At the start it looked as though the reigning champion would prevail. Both were making some errors as they worked their way into the match, but Jenny was being made to work harder, several times having to repeatedly retrieve deep on the backhand side, and although it took 14 minutes the pressure told. 9/2 to Tania.

Jenny took early control in the second, moving quickly to 4-0. Tania recovered to 5-3, and it seemed that the demons in Jenny's mind might resurface, but she held firm and eased away again to level.

An early lead for Jenny in the third was whittled away too, and at 5-all the game got bogged down in a series of long exchanges, lets and hand-outs. Once again Jenny came out the stronger, taking the next four points and the lead after a crucial 23-minute game.

And she looked strong from the start of the fourth too. 4-0 became 4-3, but for the third time Jenny held her ground, and finished the match with five straight points - all her own winners - as Tania saw her title slip away.

TANIA NOT HERSELF…

In the first game only, Tania made eight unforced errors, and six in the second. She didn’t seem comfortable out there today. Her timing was weird, her choice of shots sometimes unwise, her length far too short…

Jenny took full advantage of the situation, and when the number one seed smelt danger, the young English hope was totally in confidence, precise, imaginative, mixing her shots with clairvoyance and flair.

In other words, unstoppable…

"I had an absolute shocker of a time in the few months before Christmas, but I've changed my training regime and tried to change a few things around. I felt the underdog tonight and didn't have any pressure on me.

"Last time I played Tania I was too erratic, snatched at things so I went on wanting to play a decent game of squash and not rush things, Tania's so steady you can't attack too soon.

"The middle of the third was crucial, she started coming back and there was a period with lots of lets, I just battled to stay in there. "Don't wander, keep stuck in" I told myself. I knew she was getting tired and I still felt confident that I could pull it out.

"It's my third semi-final, I lost to Linda in the previous two so now it's Madeline. We train together all the time but I can't remember the last time we played. We know each other's games inside out so it's not going to be easy ..."

"Everyone is a good player nowadays, so I didn’t go on there thinking I was going to win, so it can’t have been too much pressure on myself. I take one match at a time, and Jenny is a great player, she proved it, she had so many great results in the past, so I knew it was going to be tough.

"My backhand drop shot is normally my best shot, but tonight, the first ones I played went in the tin, and I started to become negative with it.

"I’m a bit disappointed of course, I didn’t think I would be going home so early, but tonight I played like I had no life in my legs, like if I was stuck to the floor…

"I knew it was a tough draw, especially with Jenny being seeded lower, as she is always very dangerous when she is relaxed…

"My length was not good enough, and I opened up the court. Her length was much better than mine, my timing was certainly not as good as it should have been, but she played better than me on the day, and that’s all there is to it."

For the record:
Under PAR scoring, it would have been:

11/19, 15/7, 17/13, 12/5.

Madeline Perry (Irl) bt Laura Hill (Derbys)    
    9/6, 9/4, 9/0 (39m)

Two and counting for Madeline
Steve Cubbins reports

It's four years since Madeline Perry's only previous outing in the British Nationals. Yesterday she recorded her first win in the event and today her second took her into her first semi-final.

Laura Hill, the Derbyshire firefighter who was the only non-professional to make the quarters, gave the Irish champion a good run for her money for two games.

In a cagey opening it took ten rallies to reach one-all, and it developed into an even contest, both players working the ball around the court and moving freely. From 5-all Madeline started to get on top and took the next four points, all on her own winners.

The start of the second was just as tight as the first - after 14 rallies it was just 2-all with both players making a few errors. There weren't many particularly short rallies, but once again Madeline started picking up the points, particularly with her backhand drives and drops.

At 7-4 some tremendous retrieving by Laura went unrewarded and Madeline quickly doubled her lead.



The first two games had taken 16 and 15 minutes. The third was to take just four with Laura winning a single service as Madeline's shots found their mark. She reached match ball with the best shot of the match, a volley kill from deep, then a crisp drive to finish.

So a first Nationals semis for Madeline, and a second quarter-final for Laura which leaves them with contrasting memories and ambitions.

"We had a knock on the court earlier today and we both struggled to get a length. You don't realise how different and hard it is on there until you try it.

"Laura's disappointed she didn't show her best on there today, but Madeline's professionalism shone through today."

For the record: Under par scoring it would have been:
  19/17, 19/13, 10/1.

"Up to last year I was concentrating on getting to the top 10 in the world, so I didn’t really focus on the Nationals. Last year, I got to the top 10, so now I can turn my attention to the Nationals…

"Everybody has a lot of respect for Laura, she’s done very well. I'd never played her before, but she was pretty much what I was expecting, very strong physically…

"It’s really exciting to be back here. Four years ago, I was not in contention, but this year, I think it’s pretty much open between three or four players. After all the pressure and attention in Belfast I've had a fairly poor run, but I feel I'm back to normal now, and and I’m up for it."

"That was just poor squash, not good enough. I was really looking forward to playing Madeline, we have very similar games, and we got into a few good rallies, but I just wasn't very good out there.

"It doesn't help if you only play on a glass court once in a blue moon, I could have done with a knock on there yesterday, but it's the same for both of us.

"I wasn't nervous, I don't do nervous. Working and playing works for me, there's less pressure on me when I play, it's not my life. It's nice to be able to give some of these girls a hard game, it's just a pity I can't beat them.

"Next year ..."

Lee Beachill (Yorks) bt Alex Gough (Wal)  
       11/3, 12/10, 7/0 rtd (38m)

FLAT BUT STILL FIGHTING…
Framboise reports

From the moment Alex Gough stepped on court, he didn’t have his normal energy or dynamism. For the whole of the first game, he was reactive more than proactive, and the three three points he got were from a stroke and two tins from Lee Beachill…

I knew he was bound to be tired, no, correction, flat as a pancake, after his mad last week and his superb performances here. But it needs to be stressed that Lee was up to his old self, length and width from Hell mixed with his famous “One Drop Shot” - he only needs one, his opponent being plastered all over the back wall… Not much chance to attack or to step in front really…

But in the second game, pride overtaking exhaustion and pain, the Welshman started to hurt his opponent with his top spin, his volleying, his speed, his good guesses and interceptions, forcing him to find the tin a few times, to lead 9/7.

But that’s when Lee just sped up and went up a notch. Gough just physically couldn’t follow. Levelled at 9/9, he put his hands on his knees for the first time of the match, finding it hard to breathe. Is it there that his injury occurred? Not sure.

Failing to take that game, down 2/0 and now visibly in pain and unable to move properly due to what seems to be a hamstring injury to his left leg, Mr Gough had no choice that surending the match at 7/0 in the third.

Such a shame to end like this a tremendous run, but as Lee kindly put it “not bad for a player who is nearly 40...”

I know the great results Alex had last week, the great run he had in Sweden, but he is an old git nowadays, and this week, he played Nick Taylor in the first round, never an easy draw in Manchester, and then yesterday he played Alister Walker, probably the worst 19/16 he could have drawn and did a beautiful performance there again…

So I knew it must have been catching up with him. But he moves very well for a player who is nearly 40!!!!!!!! No, he is pretty amazing, all credit to him, he keeps amazing people with what he does on court…

I was seeded 13 when I got my first win, and I think that players always come back where they do well.

"I think my run in the Nationals is my best achievement, I love the crowd, love the atmosphere, I love to come here, and I will keep on coming as long as I can, as long as I’m allowed and they let me…

I don’t feel any pressure any more on this event, whatever happens happens, there are a lot of young players out there who want this title. So I’ll try and fend off everybody the way I did tonight.

When I’m playing the way I played tonight, and move the way I did, I’m difficult to beat…

Lee Beachill

James Willstrop (Yorks) bt Tim Vail (Sussex)
        11/9, 11/6, 11/5 (28m) 

FLAMBOYANT TIM…
Framboise reports

If Tim Vail described his performance tonight as "being alright", his coach Ian Robinson and the rest of the appreciative crowd thought he played absolutely brilliantly. And so did I…

I don’t think that the spectators were expecting such brilliance from an slightly round-bellied not too young “unknown” player, but I’ve been lucky enough to see “Vole” enough in the English Premier League to know how much his magical racquet can produce.

And although he doesn’t ever get to play on the glass court, he is typical of the sort of player who would thrive on there, and I’m sure that if he got a bit more practice, he would be pretty dangerous.

So Tim, having nothing to lose, played his game, went for his shots, and surprised James a few times, before the Pontefract man took the measure of his opponent and started to absorb what could have been a winner for any other player, to make it a superb and irretrievable counterattack.

A very good quality match, with short rallies mostly, but entertaining and a perfect end to this first quarter finals night…

Tim had a really good win against Jonathan Kemp yesterday, I really didn’t expect that, I know he is a very skilful player, so I was very focused from the start…

I was trying to get some rallies in at the beginning, not to make it too short, and then I wanted to move him up to the front, as it’s the fitness and the speed he lacks at this level of the game, but his racquet skills are superb. And I wanted to squash any hope out from early on, because if you give a bit of confidence to that type of player on that court, you never know what may happen!

As far as my semi with Lee is concerned, I’ve been at the wrong end of things for a long time now, and it’s about time they turned around!

Anyway, I know it’s going to be bloody tough!

James Willstrop

I’m so not used to it out there on the glass court, but during the warm up, I felt good, I felt relaxed.

Of course, if I could have taken the first game, things could have been a bit different, but I was happy with the way I played, I thought it was alright.

But he played better, and he deserves to win.

Tim Vail

Wednesday 14th, Last 16

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