 06-Apr:Heavyweight matches in last 16 There were some heavyweight matches in prospect when the second round was played today. Lincou breaks Shabana Opening on the championship court were the last two world champions, Thierry Lincou and Amr Shabana. Lincou lacked his usual accuracy in the first game and Shabana not only took it, but led 7/2 in the second. The Frenchman, however, is not world no one for nothing and, raising the pace, he took the game without dropping another point. At one-all Lincou would be a lot happier, since the Egyptian with a 2-0 lead is a difficult proposition. Shabana again led 7/5 in the third, but unforced errors were his problem and Lincou went 2-1 up. The fourth was a formality, as this time the world no 1 took the lead and broke Shabana's resistance. In truth Shabana offered little towards the end, and finished weakly. The match didn't reach great heights, since neither player played well at the same time and Lincou will be more severely tested by Jonathon Power. The Canadian was at the Club, beating Gregory Gaultier in an uneven match where, after a first game tie-break, all four games were won to low scores. Power never looked likely to lose and he will be happy with playing the quarter-final on the championship court. John White, fresh from his Calgary adventure and having survived a first-round five-setter with Alex Gough, found his form to beat David Palmer 3/1. Much of his practice in Canada was at altitude, which clearly has done him no harm. He will face a serious quarter-final challenge from Nick Matthew who beat Ong Beng Hee 3/0 in 72 minutes. The Malaysian offered a serious threat in three close games and seems to be recovering his appetite for the game. Another Willstrop/Ricketts Cracker Anthony Ricketts and James Willstrop played a massive match in New York and they followed with an even bigger one in Bermuda. Willstrop didn't impress against Durbach, but his squash in the first two games was quite outstanding as he put the ball to every good part of the court. Ricketts, in between his ranting at referee John Masarella for being English, ran much down, but Willstrop took a two games to love lead quite deservedly and after several monumental rallied. Ricketts, as he does, sought to impose himself physically and although Willstrop resisted, he lost the third and then the fourth quite easily. At two-all, although Ricketts had run a long way, the odds seemed markedly in his favour. But the youngster has shown resilience before and he took an early lead which he held throughout to reach his first match ball at 10/7. Ricketts saved it, but Willstrop won a well-deserved victory after 97 minutes of high quality squash. Nicol and Beachill with ease He will now face England teammate Peter Nicol, who may not have been at his sharpest, but was still far too good for Azlan Iskandar, who found the tin too often to be a threat. Nicol won comfortably 3/0 and will be happy that Willstrop played for 97 minutes. Lee Beachill was last on, the winner to play Karim Darwish, who saw off Olli Tuominen 3/0, facing Graham Ryding. Beachill clearly thrives in Bermuda and he was impressive, allowing the capable Canadian no freedom and dropping only a handful of points. He looks as if he will take some beating. Quality Quarters in prospect With Palmer, Shabana and Ricketts all sent packing, it might be thought that the quarter-finals would look bare. Have none of it! Lincou v Power, White v Matthew, Nicol v Willstrop and Beachill v Darwish. That's a line-up to make the mouth water and naming the outright winner looks no easier now than before the event. This will be my last offering from Bermuda, so I will have to leave the rest to Framboise. I had always planned to go back home at this stage, since I have things to do at Pontefract and a long-standing promise to take Susan to the Grand National to fulfil. With four Englishmen in the last eight, leaving is no problem, and with three in the bottom half there must be a good chance of an English finalist, to say nothing of Nick Matthew's prospects in the top half. Malcolm Willstrop |
| 05-Apr: Evening Matches at the Centre Last night's evening session on the glass court saw the matches Mansoor Zaman v Graham Ryding and Lee Beachill v Bradley Ball.  Zaman
was in more competitive mood than is often the case and he took the first
game before the Canadian settled better and gradually asserted for a 3/1
win. Ryding will now play Beachill who outclassed an anxious Ball, who did
not do himself justice.  The
winner of last year's Bermuda Open stroked the ball well and moved easily
as he put his fellow Englishman to all parts of the court. Instead of
accepting that he was unlikely to win and get the most he could out of the
match, Ball seemed edgy and made many unforced errors.Without knowing why the scheduling was for only two matches, it seems to me there was scope for at least one more match at the Centre. Two good reasons: to give a large crowd better value, and to give two more players exposure on the championship court. Ending the night at 8.30 seemed early to me. [8] Karim Darwish bt Dan Jenson 11/6, 12/10, 11/3 (39m) [13] Graham Ryding bt Mansoor Zaman 8/11, 11/9, 11/9, 11/9 (46m) [2] Lee Beachill bt Bradley Ball 11/3, 11/4, 11/6 (30m) |
One for the
Purists The last match at the club was one for the purists as Karim Darwish took on Dan Jenson, two eminently watchable players. Jenson is a beautifully structured player, whose movement since his injury does not quite match his squash. Darwish is as good with the racket as anyone, perhaps vulnerable at the highest levels when the going gets really tough. The Egyptian had early control, moving the ball deftly as Jenson strove to impose his own stamp on the game and he took the first game comfortably. But the Australian was in his stride now and he had the best of the second game, unluckily losing it on a tie-break. There was one unaccountable decision early in this game, when the referee gave a let instead of a stroke to Jenson which was so far out that even Jenson was caused to let out a roar of amazement. Decisions as wide of the mark as this from referees of world standing do little to improve relationships between players and officials. Two down to Darwish playing fluently is a problem and he quickly asserted to 7-1. Despite a brief recovery, there was no way back and Darwish ran out a 3/0 winner after an entertaining match. |
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 AT
THE CLUBMalcolm Willstrop watches the matches on the BSRA courts ... Ricketts overpowers Razik The first of the day's matches at Bermuda Squash Club was between Anthony Ricketts, resurgent after his Tournament of Champions win in New York, and Shahier Razik, the Canadian whose recent form has been below his best level. Were it a boxing match it probably would never have been allowed - the frail, forlorn-looking Razik against the heavyweight aggressor Ricketts. The Australian, as is his wont, soon asserted himself with the officials, demanding oddly to be told which side to serve from every rally - that's a new one to me. Razik's paceless, delicate game doesn't suit Ricketts in some ways, but when the Canadian had an opening the same lack of power prevented him from finishing. He battled well enough, but in truth he never even ruffled Ricketts' feathers enough to get him really vocal. The scoreline doesn't flatter Razik, but it does illustrate the hopelessness of his task. [11] Anthony Ricketts bt Shahier Razik 11/6, 11/6, 11/4 (44m) Durbach tests Willstrop James Willstrop and battle-hardened Rodney Durbach were next on and it turned out a much closer-run thing than might have been anticipated. Durbach settled the quicker and controlled the first game at 7/2. Willstrop came back to 6/8 and 7/9, but the South African deservedly won it 11/7. The young Englishman found better depth in the second, led 8/3 before Durbach eventually levelled at 10-all, aided by some deft touches in the front right. Willstrop won the tie-break 14/12 and quickly went 2/1 up, playing a little better without ever convincing. There had already been a blood stoppage for Durbach in the second game and Willstrop was finding the court slippy and wanting it wiped, whereas the South African had no problem with it. Willstrop went clear in the fourth, 8/3, but a series of unfocused rallies brought another tiebreaker, which the fifth seed won 13/11, much to his relief I suspect. Durbach certainly played determinedly well, but Willstrop will have to play at a higher level to beat Ricketts tomorrow. [5] James Willstrop bt Rodney Durbach 7/11, 11/10(4-2), 11/6, 11/10(4-2) (64m) |
 Olli tames Joe The third match promised plenty, but delivered very little, as Olli Tuominen faced up to Joe Kneipp. The Australian seemed very testy and spoke to the referee Ian Allanach in the first game in an unacceptable manner, especially as the referee's decision was correct and his explanation clear and concise. It seemed as if he didn't want to be on court, as the Finn got down to work purposefully, moving well and using the drop to advantage.
Surprisingly Kneipp grew less and less
interested, seemingly wishing he was elsewhere and Tuominen ran away with
it 3/0. Even he must have been surprised at the ease of it all, since
everyone knows Kneipp can play.
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"I
was mentally and physically weak, and he was playing very well and he
was hungry for it, which I was lacking… Now, back to the drawing
board, and let’s find some motivation…"
"I
was lucky to have a really good start. My game plan was to try to
surprise him, as I was hoping he wouldn’t be ready for a very fast
pace right from the start. And luckily enough, he wasn’t.| Worrying
Trends ... Some of the behavioural trends are disturbing: addressing referees arrogantly is not acceptable and there seems to be a lot of mistrust amongst certain players, who continually doubt their opponent's pickups. Let's not emulate the way of soccer, with its commonplace cheating, defiance of officials, bad language ... ... there will never be an Olympic place on that basis. Malcolm Willstrop  |
| 04-Apr: Technology to the fore The Bermuda Masters is a spectacularly successful event, but history is being made through the sponsoring company Virtual Spectator, who are on show with a view to developing their involvement in the game. Their sophisticated equipment produces high quality pictures and they have such control of technology that there is no doubt that they could make a massive contribution to the scientific study of the sport. Let us hope they are as impressed with the play they see at the Jessie Vesey Centre as the squash world will be by their expertise and technology. Horizon, working alongside, but not on co-operating with Virtual Spectator, are already producing pictures live for the internet. They did so in Kuwait, where rain intervened and prevented much play at the championship venue, for the first time and Bermuda, where rain will not be a problem, is their second venture. A visit to PSALIVE.tv will enable visitors to register, after which a password will be given, which will enable enthusiasts to watch live matches for a small fee and to watch replays soon after for even less. These developments are exciting indeed and it is hard not to imagine that squash enthusiasts will not take advantage of such opportunities, especially as so little cost. Bermuda, apart from setting a standard running World status squash championships, is certainly the breeding ground for technology which may be just what the game is looking for. It may even be that it will lead to players being properly rewarded for their efforts. And Squash Too ... There are several matches today of interest: Olli Tuominen v Joe Kneipp & Dan Jenson v Karim Darwish, both at the club, will not be available to viewers, but Adrian Grant v Azlan Iskandar will be fascinating and available, and the great Peter Nicol and holder Lee Beachill can also be seen live. Heady days indeed! |
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| 03-Apr: FIRST LOOKS ... Just had my first look at the glass court at Jessie Vesey Centre, and spectacularly splendid it looks. Main man, Ross Triffitt, is fully occupied directing the final touches before tomorrow's matches, and the Virtual Spectator team are setting up their impressive equipment as they break new ground for the game of squash. Quite a Contrast As usual at these major events, there is a dramatic difference in every way between playing at the club and on the showcourt. Those who have drawn the short straw will hardly be happy in Bermuda: the main court at the club is hot and bouncy and reasonably enough lacks the grandeur of the magnificent glass court. The playing requirements will also be completely different. The atmosphere at the centre is cooler and the court will take a shot more readily, though I did notice this afternoon that working with Peter and Lee they were sweating profusely and breathing hard enough. Matches at the club will be longer and more stamina-sapping, and rallies hard to win. Squash players of world level are not given to complaining by and large. They know the differences exist, so they accept their lot - not that they have much choice. Let the Action begin Although preparation is very necessary there comes a time when players and all around them can't wait for the action. Main matches on Monday are Gregory Gaultier v Simon Parke, John White v Alex Gough, Nick Matthew v Shahid Zaman and Mohammed Abbas v Ong Beng Hee - not bad for the round of 32! It's A Hard Life Just in case any reader thinks I am having it easy here, I have been working hard with Lee, Peter and James, risking my life daily on the scooters popular in Bermuda, and today, having walked to the glass court, I got soaked through on the return journey. The sun's coming out again, though, and I guess I'll manage ... Malcolm Willstrop |
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| 02-Apr: It's Anyone's In Bermuda The
current state of the men's game has never been better illustrated than in
the 32 man draw for the Bermuda Masters next week.No one can possibly state with any degree of confidence who the winner will be and there are at least three potential matches in the last sixteen which would stand as finals: Thierry Lincou v Amr Shabana David Palmer v John White Anthony Ricketts v James Willstrop Lincou is world number one, Palmer won in Kuwait, Ricketts won the Tournament of Champions, Willstrop won the Pakistan Open, White in Chicago and most recently in Canary Wharf, and Shabana is producing consistent world-class form. Yet three of these will be out of the event in the last 16. It must be quite devastating for the players concerned, but does prove how healthy the game is. Amidst all that, I have not mentioned Lee Beachill, Peter Nicol, Jonathon Power or Nick Matthew. Interestingly, although Lincou and Beachill are one and two in the world neither has won any of the last six events. You might think, with their consistency, that they are due a win. Not even a clairvoyant could predict who will win in Bermuda and while no quarter is easy, Beachill looks to have a good chance of playing Nicol, Ricketts or Willstrop in the quarters. Were there betting on the event, which sadly there is not yet, it would be 4/1 the field. From all accounts the irascible Palmer played very well in Kuwait, but getting past friend John White can scarcely be a certainty, especially as White comes off the back of Canary Wharf. After our four-match exhibition tour in Calgary it was a midnight flight to Toronto, then to Bermuda, arriving early afternoon. What a beautiful place, green and colourful with the blue ocean always in sight. I'm currently in the beautiful Princess Hotel, in the best hotel room I have ever had, resting from the demands of the past week, getting ready for the world class squash which awaits ... Malcolm Willstrop |
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