 18
Feb
Malcolm Willstrop's
final thoughts on the
British Championships 2003After the disappointment of a
semi-finals day which failed by far to live up to its promise, Finals day
rewarded the sell-out crowd. With Tania Bailey clearly below par, Alex Gough
unable to raise his game after his exploits against John White, the horrid
Linda Charman/Rebecca Macree match, only the Peter Nicol/James Willstrop
semi-final provided any entertainment.
The finals, though, certainly made up for it. The
fairy-tale success of Cassie Jackman was a story of its own, and her obvious
joy at winning gave the impression she could hardly believe it after all her
trials.
The men's final was a classic 94-minutes of sustained
quality between two players with mutual respect and a desire to play the
game as it should be played.
The post-match eloquence of the world number one does the
sport much good and it was clear that winning the title meant as much to him
as it did to the ladies' champion.
Colin McQuillan, Dicky Rutnagur and Howard Harding did a
good job, squeezing press inches out of the reluctant sports editors for the
Times and Telegraph, with the Sunday People also providing welcome coverage.
The Manchester Evening News, of course, featured the
championship heavily and their support of squash is much appreciated. They
had, apparently, an incredible 3,000 entries for a squash competition during
the championship.
It was good to see the likeable Anthony Ricketts with his
attractive girlfriend Shelley Kitchen much in evidence. He was part of a
very entertaining interlude between the finals, with Sarah Fitz-Gerald and
James Willstrop and clearly enjoyed every moment of it. The fastest climber
in the PSA rankings this season, Ricketts is a real asset to the sport.
It was also good to see David Evans in something like the
form of which he is capable. He put aside the in-form Marcus Berrett and
played well in a 3/1 loss to Lee Beachill, despite over-reacting to the
referee's judgements. One decision looked seriously wrong to me, but the
rest was in his mind.
The worst match I saw was the semi-final between Linda
Charman and Rebecca Macree. What the large crowd made of it I'm not sure,
but only a small percentage could have taken any pleasure from it.
The best match was without doubt the men's final, and
other matches to make an impact were Vicky Botwright's five-setter with
Cassie Jackman, Alex Gough's win over John White, and James Willstrop's
87-minute win over local hero Nick Taylor.
Much credit to Jim Quigley and his men for their efforts.
The venue is marvellous and the general atmosphere seemed better than ever.
Add to that the splendid crowds and the British Championships well rewarded
the sponsors who supported it.
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