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Sunday -
THE FINALS
Last day at the Velodrome |
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Men's Final:
[4] Lee Beachill (Yorks) bt
[1] Peter Nicol (Yorks)
15/8, 13/15, 15/5, 15/10 79m
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Women's Final:
[1] Cassie Campion (Norfolk) bt
[2] Linda Charman-Smith (Sussex)
9/5, 9/6, 9/2 36m
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BEACHILL STILL THE CHAMPION
"Come on Beach, you're the man!", was the cry from the massed
Pontefract ranks as Lee Beachill homed in on his second successive
National title.
Beachill had taken the first game 15/8, keeping world
champion, world number one and top seed Peter Nicol under his control.
"I just felt I had to get the ball past him before going for anything
short," explained Beachill afterwards.
It was Beachill, throughout the match, who controlled
the pace, pushing Nicol around the court. "He just keeps getting
everything back," said Beachill, "but you've got to keep him
behind you or he'll take you apart. I was lobbing well to both sides, and
he wasn't really doing anything with them."
Nicol rallied to take the second 15/13, but the pattern
resumed in the third, with Beachill almost toying with the world champion
towards the end of the third game, which he took 15/5.
Nicol again started the fourth better, but once Beachill
had levelled at 8-all it was all Nicol could do to keep with the
Pontefract hero. At 12-10 down Nicol retrieved at least three impossible
balls, but it still wasn't enough. It seemed that all of Pontefract was
their to cheer their man as Beachill clinched the final game 15/10 to
create a bit of squash history.
"Lee played really well," said Nicol. "I
wasn't moving as well as I can, but all credit to Lee, when he plays like
that he can beat anyone."
"I knew there was a really good game in me this
week," said a delighted Beachill. "I'm just glad it came in the
final with so many friends and supporters here to watch and cheer me
on."
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Pontefract are happy
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Women's Final:
[1] Cassie Campion (Norfolk) bt
[2] Linda Charman-Smith (Sussex)
9/5, 9/6, 9/2 36m
CASSIE CLAIMS NUMBER FOUR
Cassie Campion claimed her fourth National title at the Velodrome today,
with a comprehensive 3/0 victory over second seed Linda Charman-smith in
36 minutes.
"I had a game plan," said Cassie, "but I
was quite nervous to start with and made a few errors." Charman-Smith
took a 5-1 lead in the first game primarily on those Campion errors. The
rest of the match was dominated by Campion, driving her opponent to all
corners of the court, then putting the ball away for winner after winner
with Charman-Smith stranded.
"I got my game together during the first," said
Campion, "and I felt really strong in the third."
Campion's fourth title leaves her one short of Sue
Cogswell's five. "I had a look at the book before today and saw that
Sue had five," she said. "Hopefully I've got a few more years in
me to go for that record. It's good to be back to something like my best
form after so long out of action."
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Men's O40:
[1] Bryan Beeson (N'bria) bt [3/4] Paul Millington (N'bria)
8/10, 9/3, 9/5, 9/7 55m
Women's O35:
[1] Pauline Nicholson (Cumb) bt [2] Carol Ann Page (Cambs)
9/5, 9/6, 9/0 25m
14.00 Men's O35:
[1] Jason Nicolle (Notts) bt [2] Darren Bradbury (Warks)
9/1, 10/8, 9/0 47m
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Beeson, Nicolle, Nicholson
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Last day at the Velodrome
Sunday 24th Feb is the last day for the National Championships at the
Velodrome. Home of the event for the last three years, the National
Cycling Centre has provided a tremendous venue for one of the UK's top
squash tournaments. From 2003 the event moves to the new National Squash
Centre, literally just across the road from the Velodrome. The new
facility, part of the 'SPORTCITY' complex being developed for the
Commonwealth Games, will be tested during the British Open in April. |
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