Sunday 15th, The Final:
[2] Lee Beachill (Eng) bt [Q] Simon
Parke (Eng)
9/15, 15/8, 15/4, 15/4 (84m)
Beachill Breezes to
English Open Title
Steve Cubbins on
the final
 Yorkshire's
Lee Beachill provided a home winner in the Mamut English Open in
Sheffield, beating surprise finalist, and fellow Yorkshireman Simon Parke
in four games.
The first game, which took 25 minutes to complete, started with a series
of long, punishing rallies. Beachill was playing precise, safety-first
squash, as if testing just how good Parke's summer training programme had
really been.
Parke was carrying on in the same vein as in previous rounds, running
everything down, and showing more aggression in the early exchanges. It
paid off, as he was able to maintain an early 3-1 lead, and extend it to
8-5, 11-8, and aided by a couple of nicks, took the first game 15-9.
But if Parke's week-long tactics were paying dividends, it was Beachill
who had the long-term plan. From 5-5 in the second Beachill started to
ease away, taking the game 15/8 to level the match.
As Beachill's precision forced Parke to scramble more, opportunities arose
for Beachill to put the ball away, which he did. The rallies were long and
punishing, but Beachill was the favourite for most of them.
The final two games went 15/4, 15/4 and although Parke enjoyed an ovation
for winning a tremendous rally on Beachill's first match ball the title
was Beachill's on the next point.
"That was hard," said the new champion, "very hard. Simon's proved all
week he's competing with the best, playing top eight squash, and tonight
was no different.
"He didn't let me get settled in the first, and I was lucky to win a
couple of crucial points to get ahead in the second."
Parke, though disappointed to lose, was well pleased with his week's work.
"I expected to qualify, and maybe beat one top 20 player, but everything
else has been a bonus," he said. "But after about the hour mark I found
more and more balls starting to get away from me, and that's when Lee's
strong. My other matches were all an hour, so that was a zone I'm not used
to and it told."
Beachill was also pleased with his work. "For the first tournament of the
season, I had a couple of ideal first two matches to get back into it, and
then two hard matches. I've got better as the week's gone on, and that's
what you have to do to win tournaments.
Beachill, who makes no attempt to hide his ambition of becoming world
number one, added: "I intend to just carry on doing the same."
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Final Video Clips
Parke starts strongly ...
... but Beachill takes control
The Presentation Team
Tim Garner (Eventis), Simon Parke, Alan Moody (Mamut), Lee Beachill,
Angus Kirkland (Eventis)
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