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 Hithercroft
Open
2008
Oxfordshire, England, 27 May - 01 Jun, $10k |
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The finalists with Sponsors Dianne & Carey Sayer of Saros
Technologies |
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01-Jun, Final:
[1] Tom Richards (Eng) bt [3] Scott Handley (Eng)
11/3, 9/11, 11/0, 11/6 (44m) |
Richards reaps
Hithercroft reward
Alan Steptoe reports
It promised to be a good final and it was. Both players seemed
relaxed before the match. Richards got a very good start, keeping it
simple and making Scott work quite hard in the process. Scott came
out much stronger in the second, slowing the pace quite clearly,
working his openings and taking the second game to level the match.
We had all hoped that this would continue to the end for a thrilling
final, however after the brutal match with Shorbagy yesterday, the
crowd had NOT had enough, but the truth is Scott Handley’s body
definitely was telling him that enough was enough. So thereafter
Handley wasn’t really able to complete as I am sure he would have
liked to in the final two games.
Richards, on the other hand realised that he had to neutralise
Handley’s deadly back hand drop shot, (where most others counter
dropped and found that Handley could do that all night too) Richards
decided to lift them high across court, which was quite effective at
neutralizing some of Handley’s winners at least. Richards in my
opinion played an intelligent final, moving well he kept it simple
and mostly straight. Well done to Tom Richards on his first PSA
title, the first of many to come I am sure.
Steppie's Roundup
 The
entire tournament was a success once again for sure. The qualifiers
were especially good and entertaining this year, never quite sure
why more folks don’t pitch up to watch some of these high quality
matches. Luckily the photos came out really well this year too.
Quarter and Semi finals drew the biggest crowds and the ‘sponsors’
night on Friday always has a really good feel to it and is my
personal favourite.
I think my final thought this year will be to compliment the ‘new
generation’ in the form of Lewis Walters, Tom Pashley & Oliver Pett,
who not only impressed me with their squash but their overall manner
too.
Well done guys, look forward to seeing you back at Hithercroft next
year.
Extra Awards ...
There is only one title up for grabs here at the ‘Hithercroft Open’
so why not add a few new titles.
Best Player - Tom Richards (obviously)
Most improved - Joe Lee
Match of the tournament - Shorbagy / Handley.
Quote of the tournament - ‘Ben, this is not normal squash’
(Scott Handley) vs Shorbagy
Shot of the tournament - Scott Handley, forehand deceptive
drive (vs Shorbagy)
Until next time…
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 "My
intention was to slow it down, I had to be cagey. Obviously I was
feeling it a bit more today than Tom, whilst his game was a bit more
nervous, mine yesterday was a bit more attritional, a little bit
harder. Knowing that Tom likes to play at pace as well, I decided to
show it down a bit, play a bit more cagey and just try and relax,
enjoy it. I felt good going into the match, but felt my leg was a
bit stiff when I tried to get some quick movement in the knock up
and I was struggling a bit.
"I was protecting it a bit for a game and a half, but once I slowed
it down a bit and played some decent squash, I almost forgot all
about it. But I just constantly got dragged into to playing at a
quicker pace, and as soon as that happed, Tom was enjoying it and it
got me away from my game plan and it got me on a few rallies and it
started moving away from me.
"All credit to Tom, he did the right stuff, he kept the ball
straight, picked the balls up, kept his head, didn’t make many
mistakes and you know, I think it was a good final for everyone to
watch, I enjoyed it. Look forward to the next one."
 "I
think my match yesterday, helped me to get into the tournament,
today I felt a lot better, felt like I was hitting the ball pretty
well, moving it around well.
"Bit annoyed to lose the second, but came back pretty strong. He was
obviously struggling after yesterday's match but he is still able to
play great shots, great drops so you cant take your foot off the
gas, I was quite disciplined, trying to keep everything straight,
and make him work hard. Because he was still dangerous. His back
hand drop was awesome, its one of the best I the business.
"He hurt me a little bit with it today, but I was getting most of
them back. I was never too far out of position, so I was able to get
it back. I wasn’t putting in silly boasts, if he was going to win he
was going to have to win a hard match pretty much. Discipline is
something I have worked a lot on recently."
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31-May, Semis:
[1] Tom Richards (Eng) bt
[5] Ben Ford (Eng)
8/11, 11/9, 10/12, 11/7, 11/6
[3] Scott Handley (Eng) bt
[2] Mohamed El Shorbagy (Egy) 11/4, 7/11, 13/11, 10/12, 11/9 |
Third time lucky for local hero Handley at Hithercroft
It was third time lucky for Scott Handley when the Oxfordshire
squash star upset second seed Mohamed El Shorbagy in the semi-finals
of the Hithercroft Open to reach the final in his home town of
Wallingford for the first time.
A quarter-finalist in 2006 and semi-finalist last year, third seed
Handley was determined to maintain his progress in the third staging
of the event.
But El Shorbagy, a 17-year-old Egyptian studying at Millfield School
in the UK, was also eager to make the first PSA Tour final of his
brief career.
It was a marathon encounter - but the experienced 33-year-old
'underdog' withstood a saved match ball in the fourth game to go on
to record a popular victory, and a place in the 15th Tour final of
his career.
Handley will face Tom Richards in the event's first all-English
final. But Richards, the top seed from Walton-on-Thames in Surrey,
was also taken the full distance in the other semi, ultimately
prevailing over compatriot Ben Ford, the fifth seed from Kent.
Richards, 21, is celebrating his second appearance in a Tour final -
but looking for his maiden success.
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Richards reaches the final
Alan Steptoe reports
Considering the past form of this week and the rankings you could be
forgiven for being a little anxious about the two semi finals here
at Hithercroft 08, perhaps it would be a case of ‘hang in there’ for
Scott Handley and Ben Ford. Ford and Handley had played very well in
patches but neither had found their best form in the previous two
matches. Whereas the two other competing finalists Richards and
Shorbagy seemed to be running on high octane fuel with a snipers
precision, backed up by supreme confidence.
In the event, any concerns were wiped away almost immediately as Ben
Ford took to the glass back court with favourite Tom Richards. Ford
seemed to have replaced any of his self confessed ‘nerves’ and
‘tentativeness’ he may have experienced against Gaskin yesterday
with solid confidence. Ben Ford had told me the previous day that he
expected himself to play much better since he was second favourite
playing Richards. So with this new found confidence Ford decided to
take the game to Richards from the first serve. Two short rallies,
two nicks and 2-0 Ford which pretty much says it all really, since
Ford had found his touch and was prepared to have a go at every ½
chance that came his way. He went for shots from all angles and I
lost count in the end, but the hit to miss ratio must have been
80%+. Richards tried come back to force the tie break but Ford was
not to be denied the first game.
Ford continued the second game where the first left off hitting at
least 4-5 more outright winners. But a two or three more missed
attempts from Ford and two good lengths from Richards enabled
Richards to just pip Ford at 11/9 to level at 1/1.
Ford comes out fighting again in the third, taking it to Richards by
stepping up the court a ½ pace and volleying more. Ford makes it to
8/5 with a perfectly weighted lob. Richards remained disciplined
hitting some perfect lengths and back hand volley drops. It was
Richards who eventually reached game ball first, but a forehand nick
return of serve saves the game for Ford. Next is Fords turn for game
ball and then Richards uncharacteristically found the tin on his
back hand volley drop. 2/1 to Ford.
The pressure was now on Richards and he held out well. He seemed to
intercept more in the fourth game working Ford harder now, often
trusting in his back hand volley drop again to hit tight winners.
Ford stayed with Richards to 6/4 but then three missed winner
attempts from Ford just clipped the tin which gave Richards the
momentum he needed to take the fourth. Once again though the
experience of Ford could be seen has he clearly took a break for the
last half dozed rallies, hitting lots of lobs in a clever effort to
make Richards cover a few more diagonals before the fifth and final
game.
Ford again starts well with two outright winners, but then followed
by two from Richards and two mistakes from Ford to hand the
advantage to Richards. Ford wasn’t finished yet though, as he
started to work very hard all over the court throwing in all he had.
Richards got the better of a couple of long rallies, but a stroke
and some tight volley drops from Ford back hand helped him recover
to 6-5. Richards now chose to exactly the right thing at the right
time. He goes back to extending the rallies and driving straight to
a length. Earlier Ford was able to get to these shots just about,
but now they were a couple on inches off the end of his racket.
Richards kept his head down and his cool to push through to take the
game and match 11/6.
Richards deservedly reaches his second PSA final after clawing his
way back from 2/1 down.
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 "I
am very pleased with the way I played, but gutted that I lost.
Straight away felt comfortable, hitting a good length which I wasn’t
doing yesterday, so soon as I started hitting a good length then it
gave the chance to attack, yesterday I never got the length in the
first place so I didn’t have the confidence to attack.
"I am a lot happier with the way I played because of the length with
gave me the chances. I said to people today that if I won the first
then it would give me a chance. The shots were ok, hit rate was very
high in the first at perhaps 8/10 but then the average went down as
I tried to force it a bit too much.
"I am happy with the way I played but just not happy with the
result.
 "Ben
came out firing, and not that many tins either, his nick to tin
ratio was pretty good. Its had to get a rhythm like that. Maybe I
would get a few good rallies and a small lead and then carry this
lead home, but then he would go and hit two ridiculous nicks. It was
tough but happy that I came through.
"It was mentally more tiring than physically I think, just trying to
completely concentrate all the time making sure that you don’t leave
everything on his racket but credit to Ben, I thought he played very
well. He made me feel uncomfortable by keep hitting the nick all the
time. It was quite long attritional long rallies, one of us was
going to go short if he had the chance.
"I am very pleased that I won from 2/1 down, you have to keep your
head since someone like Ben can just take the game away from you. "
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 "He
played very well, I have got a lot of respect for him, he has been
beating some of the top 10 players, so I am always going to be wary
of him. Got quite a good start, he snatched at a few balls in the
first game. Just kept my head, kept it simple. Second game he got
into it a little bit, my length dropped off slightly, made a couple
of mistake and that one was quite tight.
"Pleased with the third, really played some quite good stuff, hard,
quite hard but glad to win it. Fourth was a bit stop and start, both
tired, but patchy, lot my way, lost a bit of concentration, 10/8 up
made some mistake and lost it 12/10. Fifth, felt good, got a good
led, went for a drop shot from the back which just clipped the tin,
but he was no where near it. After that he came back to 5/5, I was
struggling a bit then, really tired I really had to dig deep.
"Got to the end and it could have gone either way. I was trying to
stay solid and not make any mistakes, last one I think it just hit
the tin, a volley. Delighted to see it hit the tin. It was hard,
really really hard. I was just trying to use all of my experience to
just get through it.
See Tom there thinking that this was great (spoken with a cheeky
grin)
 "That was
absolutely a hard game today. All credit to him he played better
than me today. First game I had a very poor start, I have to have a
look at that, maybe I didn’t warm up very well. The second I came
back played much better, very tight. Half way in the second I got
tired at that point, I don’t know why.
"Third game I was playing no risk at all. I should have played
length, I was impatient with that last ball.
"But anyway I am pleased I am getting back to my level again, I
played better than yesterday and I am getting better and better and
better.
"I am playing in Pakistan soon, playing Tom Richards.
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Scott shocks Shorbagy
All eyes were on the colourful young Egyptian as the crowd
anticipated another hard match. The local crowd were hoping for a
faster start from Handley, but I don’t think than anyone expected
Handley to come out of the blocks this quickly, especially Shorbagy.
The first game seemed over in a few minutes as Handley quickly
showed us that he had not come here to play exhibition squash, first
game Handley 11/4.
Shorbagy knew he had a game on his hands now and fired himself up
for the second game. Ford did not re-appear to referee this match
immediately, and a favour was asked of local club player Alan Horton
to step in, Shorbagy was not happy, but his protests found deaf ears
from the tournament director Neil Thompson. Perhaps this fuelled the
onslaught of winners which flowed from his racket as he raced to a
7/1 lead in the second game. An immediate response like this from
the Egyptian was exactly what he needed.
Both players knew the significance of the crucial third game. From
the middle of the game it became a frantic battle of speed and
nerves. At this point it had was clear that the quips from the young
Egyptian which seem to unsettle Joe Lee the day before, were not
working on Handley. In fact he turned the tables by delivering the
witty one liners himself. Handley made it to game ball first at 10/7
largely on the strength of his back hand drops yet again. At 10/7
and 10/8 Handley tried to pick off some drops from the back of the
court in order to finish off the game, both clipping the tin. Stroke
to the Egyptian to force the tie break. Then two mistakes from
Shorbagy (missed fore hand flick and a service return into the tin).
2/1 Handley.
They battled to 7/7, now winners were mixed with mistakes from both
players in equal measures. Both athletes now struggling to maintain
their concentration, even to the extent that Shorbagy didn’t really
want the floor mopped. Both players asking for lets repeatedly,
neither willing to play the ball at a disadvantage. Handley was now
getting very fired up following a couple of decisions, Handley
reaches game ball first at 10/8, lets and no lets followed to the
exasperation of the players. An out of character “C’mon” shout from
Handley as his back hand drop once again found the nick. The
atmosphere was electric once more at Hithercroft, the crowd sensing
and willing that Handley would make the final this time, however
Handley could not find the winner to finish the match, instead
hitting a drop shot into the tin. Eventually it was Shorbagy who
just managed to pinch the game from under Handley’s nose.
At this point we were all fearing that Handley had somehow managed
to snatch defeat form the jaws of victory again as he had done in
the fourth against Barrington last year.
The fifth and final game was pure drama for the appreciative
spectators, but by contrast looked painful for two competitors both
mentally and physically. It was Handley who started the stronger, a
perfect band hand volley drop and several unforced errors from
Shorbagy put Handley into a 5/1 lead. There were now lets upon lets
as Shorbagy failed to clear his back hand. Handley consistently
refused to go around him or to the back of the court unless the shot
was put there firmly. Shorbagy now muted with concentration, clawed
his way back to 5/5. It was Handley’s turn to find his voice,
expressing his dissatisfaction time and again to Ben Ford who had by
now taken over refereeing duties. First 6/6, then 7/7.
Strangely then, what I thought was a harsh stroke to Shorbagy, was
evened up by the same decision for Handley immediately afterwards so
the score stood at a fever pitch 8/8. Handley then found that rare
deceptive forehand drive that he seems to keep for special occasions
(I think I suggested it was shot of the tournament last year when he
produced it against Barrington), the same result occurred this time
with Shorbagy sent completely the wrong way only to see the ball
dying the back corner. A final tin from Shorbagy presents the match
to a very grateful and relieved Handley.
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30-May, Quarters:
[1] Tom Richards (Eng) bt
[7] Morten Sorensen (Den) 11/2,
11/4, 11/9 (33m)
[5] Ben Ford (Eng) bt Arthur Gaskin (Irl)
6/11, 14/12, 11/9, 9/11, 11/8
[3] Scott Handley (Eng) bt [8] David Vidal (Esp)
11/7, 9/11, 11/4, 11/6
[2] Mohamed El Shorbagy (Egy) bt [Q] Joe Lee (Eng)
11/9, 11/9, 11/6 |
30-May,
Quarters:
Top three through to
Hithercroft Semis
There were no upsets in the quarter-finals in Oxfordshire as the top
three seeds all came through their quarter-finals unscathed, to be
joined by fifth seed Ben Ford who survived a brutal encounter with
Arthur Gaskin..
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Hithercroft Quote Box ...
with commentary from Alan Steptoe |
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[1] Tom Richards
(Eng) bt
[7] Morten Sorensen (Den)
11/2, 11/4, 11/9 (33m)
"Think
I got a pretty good start and he was a bit slow at the start. He
probably feels he played quite badly, but I think I controlled it
pretty well. Overall I don’t think I gave him much to aim at,
generally controlled it quite well. In the third didn’t concentrate
as well as I could have done, it was nip and tuck and I stepped off
the gas a little bit. I felt very sharp at the beginning and ready
to go really. I feel quite confident at the moment and in my
fitness, which means you can relax a bit more, I have trained pretty
hard."
 "I
had a bad start and he had a great one, its not usual for players to
play that well right from the start. I was playing a bit too slow,
standing at the back. I knew I had to change it but I couldn’t
really get in to the rhythm because he was attacking the ball so
much, he was playing awesome. The way he was playing there he could
beat some of the buys out of the top 30 maybe. Parts of the second
game I played alright, but in the third I had to do something, so I
tried to step up the court, to get in front an volley much more,
make a bit of pressure.
"The difference (in the third) was that I made a few stupid mistake
and he didn’t. I had a shot to go to game ball and all I had to do
was hit a straight drop shot and I put it straight into the tin. I
wasn’t that tired (breathless) but I could have kept going. I would
have loved to have got that game. I can’t be unhappy really to lose
to a guy who plays like that.
Richards was super sharp again, effortless movement and absolutely
on fire today. Never gave Sorensen a chance to get in to it at all.
[5] Ben Ford
(Eng) bt Arthur Gaskin (Irl)
6/11, 14/12, 11/9, 9/11, 11/8
"It
was awful, it was just terrible, no short game, just slow, nothing
was going well. I just hung in there that’s all I was doing.
"He was controlling most of it. I did in patches and had enough
confidence to hit a winner. He played well though, all credit to him
there."
 "It
was tough, but I can’t say I am too happy about the result at the
end. The second one turned out to be a crucial game, I played pretty
well up until game ball, then a rush of blood to the head…and it
sort of gave him a sniff to get into the match… I played well for
three-quarters of it… but to throw it away from there.
"The fifth was just a poor game from the two of us, nobody really
took initiative, he played well to get from 4/3 up to get to 8/4 up.
I came back well to get to 8 or 9, I was just living off his
mistakes really and you just can’t do that. The last rally he played
a good rally and I tried chasing the ball. Bit disappointing really,
been a frustrating season but I have whole summer training ahead and
then come back stronger."
Personally I thought that Ben’s appraisal of himself was a little
harsh. To me he seemed to play to his strengths, he used the height
of the court, defended well, didn’t make too many unforced errors,
mixed up the pace and used all his considerable experience, and by
the way…he won. His control of the ball on his back hand cross court
flicks at the nick produced many more winners a than tin, in fact he
calmly dispatched a nick there to win the match. Ben told me in his
interview that he was actually quite up tight and even nervous, but
to me his whole court presence and expression was one of total self
confidence. I guess I am saying that I wouldn’t mind to play a bit
of squash with Ben, but Poker….no forget it.
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[3] Scott Handley
(Eng) bt
[8] David Vidal (Esp)
11/7, 9/11, 11/4, 11/6
"Bit
like yesterday to start with, bit lethargic. New ball was really
bouncy, didn’t really control it. My game is trying to move the ball
around and go for a few shots trying to control it and I was just a
bit too loose you know. Eventually I was controlling the rallies a
bit more and making him do a lot of work. But the first game was
like the first yesterday, being a bit tentative, not aggressive
enough, but finished both yesterday and today a lot better, bit more
aggressive, moving the ball around.
"But to be honest with you he surprised me, he was quite controlled,
played quite well, he didn’t make that many mistake and even though
I hit the ball to the front he covered it quite well. The experience
and the mental strength has paid off a bit really. Like yesterday,
got a bit tired in the second and just needed to up it and get
through that mental barrier. Finished yesterday and today quite
positive really, finished quite strong and feel ok. "
Awesome straight drops from Handley as usual, super tight. Played
the one and only trickle boast I have seen all tournament, perfectly
timed and an outright winner. I don’t think I have yet seen Scott
lose a drop shot rally. Tomorrow he will need to be on good form
from the start in order to contain the flamboyant Shorbagy.
[2] Mohamed El Shorbagy
(Egy) bt
[Q] Joe Lee (Eng) 11/9, 11/9, 11/6
 "The
question I was asking myself before the match, was how were my legs
going to respond after the previous days. In the end my legs were a
bit heavy but I didn’t feel out of breath or anything. Yeah, learnt
a lot, did well in the last PSA tournament as well. "
Massive improvement on since we last saw Joe Lee here at
Hithercroft. Perhaps a quiet and unassuming person but with an
underlying steely determination and lots of natural talent in my
opinion. Surely one to watch.
 "Very
very happy with the way I played. Yesterday was very bad, but today
much better. There was a lot of pressure because this match was very
important because I am the Egyptian U19 No1 and he is the English
No1. The pressure was on me because I won the British Open.
"I would like to credit Mohamed Ali Anwar Reda, his advice was
exactly right, and I would like to thank him very much. In the first
I focused very well and in the second I lost a bit of concentration.
I just kept it tight, just kept the ball tight. I am looking forward
to tomorrow, I know that he will have much more support, but I will
play better tomorrow, I am getting better each day. "
Very entertaining and a natural showman in additional to
exceptional skill and flair make this young Egyptian a crowd
favourite. I doubt if he would get away with protracted discussions
and such antics with a professional referee. In my opinion referees
will need to draw the line somewhere, but I think that squash needs
personalities and characters, so I am hoping that they draw the line
in the right place.
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Hithercroft
Open
2008
Oxfordshire, England, 27 May - 01 Jun, $10k |
Round One
29-May |
Quarters
30-May |
Semis
31-May |
Final
01-Jun |
[1] Tom Richards (Eng)
11/3, 11/5, 11/6 (21m)
[Q] Olly Pett (Eng) |
[1] Tom Richards
11/2, 11/4, 11/9 (33m)
[7] Morten Sorensen |
[1] Tom Richards
8/11, 11/9, 10/12, 11/7, 11/6
[5] Ben Ford |
[1] Tom Richards
11/3, 9/11, 11/0, 11/6
[3] Scott Handley |
[7] Morten Sorensen
(Den)
11/6, 12/10, 5/11, 11/2 (52m)
James Snell (Eng) |
[LL] Chris Truswell
(Eng)
11/7, 11/9, 11/1 (32m)
Arthur Gaskin (Irl) |
Arthur Gaskin
6/11, 14/12, 11/9, 9/11, 11/8
[5] Ben Ford |
[5] Ben Ford (Eng)
11/8, 12/10, 11/8 (43m)
Siddarth Suchde (Ind) |
Ryan Thompson (Nam)
11/7, 11/6, 10/12, 11/5 (68m)
[8] David Vidal (Esp) |
[8] David Vidal
11/7, 9/11, 11/4, 11/6
[3] Scott Handley |
[3] Scott Handley
11/4, 7/11, 13/11, 10/12, 11/9
[2] Mohamed El Shorbagy |
[Q] Tom Pashley (Eng)
9/11, 11/8, 11/2, 11/6 (45m)
[3] Scott Handley (Eng) |
[Q] Joe Lee (Eng)
14/12, 11/9, 6/11, 11/8 (54m)
[6] Rob Sutherland (Wal) |
[Q] Joe Lee
11/9, 11/9, 11/6
[2] Mohamed El Shorbagy |
[Q] Lewis Walters
(Eng)
9/11/, 11/1, 7/11, 11/4, 11/8 (60m)
[2] Mohamed El Shorbagy (Egy) |
28-May, Qualifying Finals:
Lewis Walters bt Joan Lezaud
11/7, 11/9, 10/12, 11/7 (77m)
Joe Lee bt Darren Lewis
9/11, 11/9, 11/2, 11/5 (44m)
Tom Pashley bt Jason Barry
11/6, 11/7, 7/11, 11/1 (40m)
Olivier Pett bt Chris Truswell
11/4, 8/11, 11/2, 11/5 (34m)
27-May, Qualifying Round One:
Joan Lezaud (Fra) bt Jaymie Haycocks (Eng)
12/10, 11/8, 5/11, 19/17 (75m)
Lewis Walters (Eng) bt Phil Nightingale (Eng)
7/11, 11/4, 11/5, 9/11, 12/10 (70m)
Darren Lewis (Eng) bt Eddie Charlton (Eng)
11/9, 11/8, 2/11, 12/10 (58m)
Joe Lee (Eng) bt Lewys Hurst (Wal)
11/6, 11/8, 11/7 (38m)
Jason Barry (Rsa) bt David Barnett (Eng)
11/9/ 11/6, 8/11, 11/2 (45m)
Tom Pashley (Eng) bt Fabien Verseille (Fra)
11/9, 3/11, 12/10, 11/6 (45m)
Chris Truswell (Eng) bt Paul Johnson (Eng)
11/3, 11/7, 11/7 (18m)
Olivier Pett (Eng) bt Stuart Crawford (Sco)
11/9, 9/11, 9/11, 11/8, 11/9 (60m)
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29-May, Round One
Lee leaps into
Hithercroft Quarters
English qualifier Joe Lee produced a notable upset in the first
round of the Hithercroft Open when he ousted sixth-seeded Welshman
Rob Sutherland to claim an unexpected place in the quarter-finals.
Lee, the 18-year-old British Junior champion from Surrey, battled
for 54 minutes to overcome Sutherland - ranked almost 40 places
higher in the world. The Walton-on-Thames teenager now faces Mohamed
El Shorbagy - but the second seed from Egypt was taken the full
distance by Lewis Walters before beating the English qualifier from
Nottingham in 60 minutes.
Top seed Tom Richards successfully began his bid to reach his
expected place in the final when he despatched fellow Englishman
Olivier Pett in just 21 minutes. The victory takes Richards, 21,
also from Walton-on-Thames, to a quarter-final clash with Denmark's
seventh seed Morten Sorensen. |
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Hithercroft Quote Box ...
with commentary from Alan Steptoe |
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[1] Tom Richards
(Eng) bt [Q] Olivier Pett (Eng)
11-3, 11-5, 11-6 (21m)
 Pretty
happy, always nice to get the first round out of the way and yeah,
pretty happy with that really. Just tried to be quite controlled and
not make too many errors, I’ve not played on that court for a couple
of years and just trying to get used to it again. Tried to stay in
control and stay in front if I could. Happy to be through.
Awesome accuracy, just too good for Olivier at the moment. Backed
up his No1 seeding.
 "It
was a big pace difference, mentally just struggled with it a bit.
Had to slow the ball down, had to slow my head down a bit. Take it a
bit more one shot at a time, mentally a bit tired from the last two,
but yeah getting better, getting stronger. I can only take positives
out of the whole thing really. He was very accurate, unbelievably
accurate.
"I can't say I played badly, but mentally didn’t really deal with it
as well as I should have or could have I don’t think, but yeah
really happy, felt fine. The more times I can get on court with
people like that then you can start to deal with the pressure a bit
differently. I just wasn’t able to impose any of my game on him, he
was fast, strong and just too accurate, he hit the corners well.
Great attitude and wise words from such a promising young man.
[7] Morten W Sorensen
(Den) bt James Snell (Eng)
11-6, 12-10, 5-11, 11-2 (52m)
 "Well
it wasn’t the match of my life, I was a bit lazy and a bit slow I
was standing at the back and when you do that he was pretty good at
attacking me, I didn’t get going really until the fourth when I felt
like I moved up the pace a bit, I don’t know if he was tired or if
it was the pace but that one went pretty quickly, when I got the
pace going a bit that really was the difference. He played very well
and is very quick. "
 "Don’t
think I played very well, I felt he was really awkward to play, he
gets a lot back and seemed to always get there, felt like he
shouldn’t be getting it back but he does and in an unorthodox way. I
should have been more patient. I won the 3rd and stepped up the pace
a bit. It was 3-2 to him in the fourth and the ball broke and I
completely lost concentration and he won 3 or 4 point quickly. I’m
pretty disappointed really. "
Didn’t see this game, Morten happy, James not.
[3] Scott Handley
(Eng) bt [Q] Tom Pashley (Eng)
9-11, 11-8, 11-2, 11-6 (45m)
 "Generally
pretty disappointed, thought I had a pretty good chance of winning.
Not really very good during the first game, he kept the pace high. I
won the first, then we had a very long rally in the second and then
I made a stupid mistake and then another stupid mistake and another
one after that. I was struggling a bit after that, he got more
confident and started to control me and made me to all the work,
that was the difference really. It was a good opportunity to do well
and I just have to keep working hard."
Personally I think he did do very well. Tom looked a bit less
sharp after two hard days before, but a very promising young talent
and there is no shame in losing to the vastly experienced Scott
Handley.
[8] David Vidal (Esp)
bt Ryan Thompson (Rsa)
11-7, 11-6, 10-12, 11-5 (68m)
 "Suffering
from ‘tinitis’ tonight was trying to be quite positive, trying to be
quite aggressive, buts that not really my game really, lost some
length. I thought I did pretty well to get the third came back well
in that one. He doesn’t kill you with the ball but he is a good
counter puncher kind of squash. I actually don’t think I played that
well in the first two, bit disappointing really. Its been a
difficult few days really, trying think about what kind of game I
was going to play. The courts are pretty bouncy really and if you
float it, its just going to sit up anyway and so its easy to get
drawn into that. Struggling with fitness a bit last few months with
the injury. "
 "Yeah
it went very well, I am trying to get used to the courts in England,
the courts are much colder than the courts in my home town in
Mallorca. There the courts are more bouncy and you are not able to
play to the front. I was moving him and he was moving me but he was
more tired that me and in the end he was making unforced errors. I
just took the first and in the second I tried to get the ball to the
back, back back and then short. Here I discovered that you can put
pressure at the front and that’s how squash should be. "
David says he isn’t used to playing at the front so much, but his
drops were quite tight today and were causing much of the problems
for Ryan. |
[2] Mohamed El
Shorbagy (Egy) bt [Q] Lewis Walters (Eng)
9-11, 11-1, 7-11, 11-4, 11-8 (60m)
Nobody gave
young Lewis Walters a chance really. But the fact is Lewis
definitely came to play and make his mark and he achieved that 100%.
Shorbagy survived with a ‘dodgy’ pick up at 8/8, which I was
watching closely from ground level and even then I am not sure if it
was up or not but the ref gave it ok.
Worse was to come for Lewis as he ran Shorbagy in to all four
corners in total control of the rally, then Shorbagy scuffed the
ball off the frame at full stretch and the ball screwed on to the
front wall. Two shots later and the Egyptian was it the next round.
So close for Lewis but Shorbagy lives to fight another day.
 "The
first game I played really well and each game got better. The first
won 11/5 or 11/6 or something, but then he came out in the second
and just stepped up a volleyed everything. I wasn’t really ready for
it, couldn’t really deal with it, he must have hit 6 or 7 just
outright winners.
"I thought that there were either two ways that he is going to come
out in the third, he is either gonna do the same thing again and
come out and hit lots of winners or he would do what he did in the
first, so I thought that I would just try to keep it as tight as
possible and try to work it without opening up the court too much.
"At 2/1 up I was pretty tired after that, so in the fourth I thought
that I would try to get a lead and hold on to it as long as
possible. It didn’t really happen though and at 7/3 down I came back
and stayed with him for a while. In the fifth I just tried to take
it point at a time really. I was a bit annoyed about that pick up
really, it would have made a big difference and I knew he was
getting tired."
 "Tough
match of course. I had to be mentally strong today at 2/1 down. I
played a slow game, I was a bit tired actually.
"Then at the end of the fifth I had a the lucky shot, and I thank
god that I had a very lucky shot. He played very well, he had two
hard days before and I expected him to be tired, but he was not
tired today. Looking forward to tomorrow. "
Lots of charm and skill from yet another talented young Egyptian,
surely destined for the highest level.
[Q] Joe Lee (Eng) bt
[6] Rob Sutherland (Wal)
14-12, 11-9, 6-11, 11-8 (54m)
 "Tight
all the way through, quite similar to yesterday, we both made a lot
of mistakes early on. I was lucky enough to win the first two. It
was harder physically today, we were both getting a lot back. At the
end of the second there was a huge rally, which I won I think and
then his head dropped a bit and he made a few errors at the end and
that game me the second. Maybe that gave him a slight rest at the
end of the second.
"Then he game out a lot fresher for the third than I did. Maybe
that’s because I kept more switched on at the end of the second.
Then I had to take a it during the third because I just don’t know
if we could keep it going. During the third I was trying a bit to
concentrate on what I was going to do in the fourth. I think what
happed was that perhaps he was controlling many of the rallies, but
when I did get in front, that was effective."
[5] Ben Ford (Eng) bt
Siddharth Suchde (Ind)
11-8, 12-10, 11-8 (43m)
"He
wanted to play at as high a pace as possible, but I just float the
ball about because I am probably not as fit as most of them. I think
his style just suited me really."
 "I
got good leads in all of the games but, it was a bit of a question
of self destructing really, when you keep giving 4 or 5 cheap points
per game its tough and kept hitting the tin which you can afford to
do at this level. Found the tin from all over the court really,
pretty consistent."
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Lisa (joint tournament chef) with Ryan Thompson |
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28-May, Qualifying Finals:
English
Quartet make Hithercroft main draw
It was an English clean sweep in Oxfordshire as Lewis Walters, Joe
Lee, Tom Pashley and Olly Pett all secured their places in the main
draw ...
Lewis Walters bt Joan Lezaud
11/7, 11/9, 10/12,
11/7 (77m)
"He seemed to get a slow start, I got into it pretty quickly, I got
a lead and took the first, it was fairly comfortable didn’t take too
long. The he started to get into it a bit more, he was hitting the
ball a lot better and was getting a better length and I had to work
a lot harder. I got a little bit tired in the third and wasn’t able
to volley so much. In the fourth I was knackered and just tried to
keep the ball up. I got a good lead 7 or 8 but then he came back but
I was just trying to concentrate on each ball and each rally. I was
trying to keep it on his backhand as much as possible, I was putting
it in tight in the front and he would struggle to get it off the
wall and give me 2 or 3 strokes per game, whereas his forehand (he
is a left hander) was pretty strong so I tried to keep it off of
there."
Joe Lee bt
Darren Lewis 9/11, 11/9, 11/2, 11/5 (44m)
 "He
seemed nervous to start, he missed a lot of shots. It was quite
close in the second and once I lost that I decided to change it,
either to slow it down or to go the other route and speed it up.
Once he got the second he stepped up the court a bit more and got in
front, he had more confidence then and he got a good length and so I
couldn’t get mine, he played very well then, very well."
 "We
both got a fast start, but it wasn’t great squash, rallies were
ending in tins rather than shots. He forced the pace in the first,
hitting low and hard and stopped my volleying, cos he knew I liked
to volley. I thought we were playing a similar style. I managed to
sneak the second and in the third I seemed to steady up a bit more.
The fourth I was more relaxed and felt I could go for my shots a bit
more. A year ago I was just getting the ball back under pressure,
but now I have been working on doing something with it. Would be
interesting to play Shorbagy next."
Tom Pashley bt
Jason Barry 11/6, 11/7, 7/11, 11/1 (40m)
 "Wasn’t
the pretty of matches, quite happy with the first two games, felt I
controlled most of the rallies, yeah played well for the first two,
but the third I just felt awful, I let the third go to concentrate
on the fourth. Regrouped for the fourth and got control again, he
hit a few tins which helped. I am just happy to get through
qualifying and into the main draw”
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Olivier Pett bt Chris Truswell 11/4, 8/11, 11/2, 11/5 (34m)
 "Really
tired tonight from the start, he didn’t give me much either. The way
I was feeling I couldn’t just grind it out either, he just kept
pushing and pushing. I just got back from the US and that maybe
caught up with me tonight."
 "Been
through a rough patch, just trying to enjoy my squash again, trying
to use my racket skills, to play squash. Went good, bit nervous to
be honest, worried before but just wanted to get on court and see
what happened, played well, it all went well. I changed the pace,
didn’t let him settle, tried to use the height of the court and
angles to try to attack the opponent in every dimension, you can do
damage up there as well."
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27-May, Qualifying Round One:
Favourites Fall in Hithercroft
Qualifying round one saw the exit of both top seeds Jaymie
Haycocks and Stuart Crawford in two marathon encounters ...
Alan Steptoe reports ...
Joan Lezaud (Fra) bt Jaymie
Haycocks (Eng)
12/10, 11/8, 5/11, 19/17 (75m)
These two started at a very high
pace and just kept on going and it has to be said that the sport of
squash just seems too slow for Lezaud - ok a ridiculous statement
but the Frenchman is lightening quick for sure.
Jaymie tinned three attempted winners in the first game which is
significant given the end result. The first game went all the way to
10-10, then two deceptive winners from Lezaud to take the lead. The
second saw them tight all the way but it was Lezaud who pushed ahead
2-0. Haycocks still seemed to be quite calm and he started the third
game even calmer and this seemed to be the difference, tighter
squash and confident controlled finishes enabled Haycocks to pull
one back.
The fourth game saw the two players engaged in a brutal battle,
Lezaud pushing to finish the match and Haycocks trying to force a
fifth. The rallies were longer and Lezaud seemed to be forcing
himself to be patient, in the end neither would give way and the
scores just kept adding up 11/11, 12/12….17/17. Lezaud was the very
lucky recipient of a mishit from the tip of the frame which he duly
acknowledged. Finally Lezaud takes the lead at 18/17 and Haycocks'
boast out of the back finds the tin. The No1 seeded qualifier was
out.
Jason Barry
(Rsa) bt David Barnett (Eng)
11/9/ 11/6, 8/11, 11/2 (45m)
Barnett perhaps not on his best for
tonight and Jason Barry was ready and willing to take advantage and
take his chances.
Barry played at a high pace and kept pushing and pushing making very
few mistakes, thereby forcing Barnett to play winners if he were to
pick up points. Barry took the first 11/9 but then a relatively
quick 11/6 followed, putting all the pressure on Barnett, who then
seemed to relax and play more like himself, getting on to the ball
much quicker to forge an early lead, Barry staged a comeback but
could not prevent Barnett from taking a game back.
The fourth game saw some straighter and more patient squash again
from Barry, forcing some errors from Barnett and some he made
himself, Barry took a lead which he worked very hard to hold on to
and deservedly ran out a 3-1 winner. Barry just lost out to Tarek
Momen two years ago here, but tonight he has removed one of the
pre-tournament favourites.
Lewis Walters
(Eng) bt Phil Nightingale (Eng)
7/11, 11/4, 11/5, 9/11, 12/10 (70m)
“Very tight but he took it on the day. Mentally ok, been working a
lot on mental strength recently. Haven't been entering tournaments
just working really hard for the past few months, so it's very
disappointing to get nothing, that’s the brutal side of squash”
"Last few times we played its been 3-2 to me. Phil is really hard to
break. Hard to play because I am doing so much work to get around
him. I often thought I was in control and then one bad shot and I am
chasing the ball again. Looking forward to playing Joan, that was
3-2 last time too, see how it goes tomorrow”
Darren Lewis
(Eng) bt Eddie Charlton (Eng)
11/9, 11/8, 2/11, 12/10 (58m)
"Slow start, it's all a bit of a blur to be honest. Second was
patchy. Played much better in the third and fourth. Need to be
fitter. Pleased that I dug in and fought a bit. Difficult to get a
rhythm, Darren is a bit unorthodox at times and it's difficult to
play him. He ran me off court a bit really. Need to work on my
strength and stability."
“Tried to keep straight, especially on the backhand, didn’t want to
mess with his forehand. He slowed it down a bit which made me go
short too early and he countered very well at the front. In the
fourth he got a lead (6-2) then we started having longer rallies and
I started to straighten up again. Looking forward to tomorrow ...”
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 "Very tired
in the fourth. Hard first game which I tried to make it all fast and
the second was the same. I lost my tactic in the third game when I
tried to change from fast to slow (during the rallies), then I just
went back to all fast in the last game."
 "I
only arrived last night from the nationals and so didn’t expect too
much. I was sticking to my basic game and trying not to force it as
I lost to David twice before.
"Great to be back at Hithercroft. I have just been playing at
altitude in Johannesburg and so the courts seem slower here. David
is very hard to beat since he has been a pro for a long time."
Chris Truswell
(Eng) bt Paul Johnson (Eng)
11/3, 11/7, 11/7 (18m)
"Started ok with quite a high pace and good lengths from him and he
took it short well. I am just not quick enough to the front. I was a
lot steadier in the second, but still too slow going forward. He was
very quick on to the ball. I got a bit of a lead in the second and
thought maybe I had a chance to take a game but its difficult if you
don’t play all this level every day”
Best of the rest ...
I was not able to see the two of the youngest players Tom Pashley
and Olivier Pett, but the scores tell the story well
enough with two very impressive wins from the England juniors. Pett
must be particularly pleased having won a very tight match (4 x 11/9
scores) to put out the second seeded Stuart Crawford.
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May I welcome
you to the third Hithercroft Squash Open. 
