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Select Gaming Kent Open 2014
10-15 Jun, Maidstone, England, $10k |
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15-Jun, Final:
[2] Jonathan Kemp (Eng) 3-1 [1] Steve Finitsis (Aus)
13-11, 10-12, 11-8, 11-9
(60m)
Kemp finishes on
a high in Kent
Jonathan Kemp brought the curtain down on a distinguished career in
impressive style by winning the Select Gaming Kent Open final
against Australian top seed Steve Finitsis.
Alan Thatcher reports
 Kemp
delighted the packed gallery at The Mote Squash Club in Maidstone
with a devastating display of skill as he reeled off a succession of
winners into the front corners.
Local fans had renamed the front right area of the court Kempy’s
Corner in tribute to his cultured backhand drop shots.
However, he was forced to battle hard throughout the match by his
tenacious opponent, who frequently matched Kemp’s quality in that
very same corner.
The opening rallies were full of intelligent, patient squash as Kemp
built a 9-5 lead. Finitsis then enjoyed a purple patch to lead 11-10
before Kemp regained control to nick it 13-11.
Finitsis, the 32-year-old world No.50 who is based in The Hague,
began the second game well to lead 5-2. Kemp drew level at 5-5 and
6-6 but Finitsis won four points in a row to hold game ball. Kemp
hit back again to make it 10-10 but Finitsis hit two quick winners
to level the match.
 Kemp
surged ahead in the third to lead 6-2 and then 9-4 and although
Finitsis recovered to take four more points, the 33-year-old left
hander from Ipswich closed out the game 11-8.
Finitsis won the first three of points of the fourth game
constructed a run of six points to move within touching distance of
his second Kent Open title. Finitsis fought back to draw level at
8-8 and 9-9, but Kemp won the final two points to end his career on
a positive note.
He said: “Once I had made my decision to retire I almost felt like
pulling out of the tournament but I am glad I didn’t. It’s great to
go out on a high like this, and I’d like to thank Steve for making
it such an enjoyable final. I’m glad it didn’t go to five.”
 As
well as receiving his trophy for a second year, the champion was
presented with a special commemorative shirt with the words “The
Kemp Open” on the back.
Finitsis said: “I was trying my hardest to win that match but if I
had to lose to anybody I’m glad it was Jonathan. He’s a great player
and I wish him all the best in his coaching career. This is a great
tournament and all the players are grateful for the way they are
looked after.”
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  Kent
Open 2014
10-15 Jun, Maidstone, England, $10k |
Round One
12 Jun |
Quarters
13 Jun |
Semis
14 Jun |
Final
15 Jun |
[1] Steve Finitsis (Aus)
11-6, 11-9, 11-7 (44m)
[Q] Youseff Abdalla (Eng) |
[1] Steve Finitsis
11-5, 11-7, 11-5 (42m)
[6] Declan James |
[1] Steve Finitsis
11-5, 11-3, 11-6 (38m)
[7] Todd Harrity |
[1] Steve Finitsis
13-11, 10-12, 11-8, 11-9 (60m)
[2] Jon Kemp
15 PSA titles for Jon |
[6] Declan James (Eng)
5-11, 9-11, 11-9, 11-3, 11-6 (92m)
Chris Fuller (Eng) |
[7] Todd Harrity (Usa)
11-4, 11-9, 11-9 (37m)
[Q] Mike Harris (Eng) |
[7] Todd Harrity
11-13, 11-8, 2-11, 11-5, 11-9 (67m)
[3] Charles Sharpes |
[3] Charles Sharpes (Eng)
11-9, 11-3, 11-3 (32m)
[wc] Steve London (Eng) |
Tom Ford (Eng)
11-9, 1-11, 11-8, 11-4 (52m)
[4] Greg Lobban (Sco) |
[4] Greg Lobban
11-4, 10-12, 11-8, 8-11, 11-3 (89m)
Richie Fallows |
Richie Fallows
11-8, 11-8, 6-11,
11-7 (41m)
[2] Jon Kemp |
Richie Fallows (Eng)
11-7, 11-8, 11-8 (24m)
[8] Adil Maqbool (Pak) |
[Q] George Parker (Eng)
11-7, 11-6, 11-6 (54m)
[5] Ben Coleman (Eng) |
[5] Ben Coleman
8-11, 11-8, 15-13, 11-3 (48m)
[2] Jon Kemp |
[Q] James Earles (Eng)
1-11, 11-5, 11-5, 11-9 (37m)
[2] Jon Kemp (Eng) |
11-Jun, Qualifying Finals:
Mike Harris (Eng) bt Phil Nightingale (Eng) 11-4,
11-7, 10-12, 8-11, 11-5 (72m)
Youssef Abdalla (Eng) bt James Evans (Eng)
11-6, 10-12, 11-5, 11-4 (40m)
George Parker (Eng) bt Reuben Phillips (Eng)
11-13, 11-7, 11-3, 11-4 (41m)
James Earles (Eng) bt Sam Ellis (Eng)
11-8, 13-11, 11-3 (34m)
10-Jun, Qualifying Round One:
Michael Harris (Eng) bt Jonny Powell (Eng)
11-2, 11-4, 11-2 (18m)
Phil Nightingale (Eng) bt (7) Phil Bull (Eng) 11-6,
12-10, 9-11, 7-11, 11-4 (50m)
George Parker (Eng) bt (8) Josh Masters (Eng)
11-6, 11-5, 13-11 (43m)
Reuben Phillips (Eng) bt Suleman Khan (Pak)
11-5, 11-4, 12-10 (25m)
Youssef Abdalla (Eng) bt Nick Mulvey (Eng)
11-3, 11-3, 11-7 (24m)
James Evans (Eng) bt Jonathan Geekie (Sco)
12-10, 11-7, 12-10 (43m)
Sam Ellis (Eng) bt (6) Anthony Brindle (Gib)
11-3, 11-9, 11-5 (23m)
James Earles (Eng) bt Joel Makin (Eng)
11-5, 11-6, 11-3 (29m)
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15-Jun, Final:
[2] Jonathan Kemp (Eng) 3-1 [1] Steve Finitsis (Aus)
13-11, 10-12, 11-8, 11-9
(60m)
14-Jun, Semis:
Top seeds through to Kent final
Alan Thatcher reports
Top seeds Steve Finitsis and Jonathan Kemp will meet in the
final of the Select Gaming Kent Open after seeing off Todd Harrity
and Richie Fallows in two entertaining semi-final battles.
Finitsis overcame Harrity 11-5, 11-3, 11-6 in 38 minutes of
controlled driving. Harrity knew what to expect after seeing
Finitsis dominate earlier opponents but could not match the quality
or the consistency of the Australian world No.50.
Harrity battled manfully but was too frequently worked into awkward
contortions trying to retrieve situations set up by his opponent’s
relentless accuracy.
Finitsis has worked out all the angles and nuances of The Mote’s
showcourt, and his backhand crosscourts frequently found a dying
width and length. The straight stuff is phenomenal. The crosscourts,
to a dying length, are more difficult, but he’s mastered the pace
and angles to perfection.
It will be a fascinating final against Jonathan Kemp. Kemp knows
those angles off by heart. He overcame the fierce resistance posed
by Richie Fallows in an absorbing contest that was full of
top-quality squash with endless variety.
Fallows took on Kemp in drop-shot contests, matched him for width
and length, and for most of the game kept his trap shut, which was a
major improvement on the previous evening.
Kemp, however, works the ball into areas of the court that can
embarrass even the best of players, and his tight, soft backhand
drops and volley drops, on to Fallows’ forehand, clung so tightly to
the side wall that Richie had nothing to hit.
It’s a fascinating concept, to hit drop shots deeper into the court,
into an area where 99.9 per cent of adult males want to rush in and
bash a big crosscourt, only to find there’s nothing to hit. It
works. And learning how to deal with it is all part of Richie’s
education.
He has performed admirably this week, but Kemp clearly is not ready
to retire just yet. Just when you think he’s looking tired, he
produces the most phenomenal array of shots to work his way back
into a position of control.
Tomorrow’s final will be his last PSA match. It promises to be a
classic. Playing Finitsis will be fascinating contrast of styles.
I hope Fallows will be back next year to build on the tremendous
progress he has displayed this week. He has an important role to
fulfil as a motivational presence for the next generation of young,
ambitious players.
Kemp, meanwhile, shines a light for the game as a smiling, technical
genius.
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13-Jun, Quarters:
Fallows and Harrity upset Kent seeds
Alan Thatcher reports ... photos by Kim Roberts
RICHIE FALLOWS lit the celebration candles on his19th birthday cake
three days early last night after storming into the semi finals of
the Select Gaming Kent Open at The Mote Squash Club in Maidstone.
The European Junior champion from London, the only unseeded player
in the last eight, came through a brutal 89-minute barn-stormer with
Scotland’s Greg Lobban to set up a showdown with Jonathan Kemp
today.
In a thrilling five-game classic, the England-Scotland rivals threw
everything at one another in the match of the tournament so far.
Fallows took the first and third games but couldn’t shake off the
higher ranked man from Inverness. Lobban, 34 ranking places higher
than Fallows at 71 in the world, took resilience to a whole new
level as he dug in, retrieved with breathtaking athleticism and
forced the match into a decider.
But West Ham fan Fallows is running on full confidence after his
first PSA win a fortnight ago in Switzerland and he got over the
line with an equally gutsy display in the fifth. The 11-4, 10-12,
11-8, 8-11, 11-3 scoreline told only half the story. The rapturous
applause for both players at the end signaled they had witnessed a
classic that mixed brutal physical investment with an amazing array
of racket skills, with the referees also keen to join in the action.
Afterwards, Fallows conceded he was tired at the end of the fourth
but was quick to regain his focus. “As soon as I walked onto the
court at the start of the fifth I felt energised, ” he said. “It was
a great match and I’m more than happy to have beaten Greg. He’s a
terrific player so I’m taking that as another marker of my
progress.”
Kemp reverses the tide against Coleman
Jonathan Kemp, the reigning Kent Open champion playing his farewell
PSA tournament, marched into the semi-finals with an imperious,
late-night display against the in-form Ben Coleman.
Coleman, with three recent PSA tournament victories under his belt,
won a tight first game 11-8, but Kemp typically began playing more
solidly once his body warmed up. He opened up a 5-2 lead and
maintained his advantage all the way through.
The third game was the deciding battle. And Kemp won it with the
occasional, but beautifully timed, reverse angle. So many younger
players are coached out of playing this particular shot that they
call it an old man’s shot, or a club player’s shot.
However, if you are a world-ranking professional and you are
constantly deceived by it, my advice is to offer a warm round of
applause and get on with the game.
Apologies for digressing. Kemp weathered a fierce storm and fought
back from 10-7 down to win 15-13. Coleman’s head dropped in the
fourth and the winners, and one or two more reverse angles, flowed
from Kemp’s racket as he mopped up 11-3 to book his place in the
semi-finals.
Harrity hits back to halt Sharpes
Todd Harrity, meanwhile, produced a phenomenal recovery in the fifth
game to upset the seedings and knock out No.3 seed Charles Sharpes
in another dramatic quarter-final.
The American world No.92 fought back from the seemingly hopeless
position of 9-4 down in the fifth game with an astonishing
succession of winners. He reeled off seven points in a row as
Sharpes, the world No.62, suddenly found his touch drying up.
The match was close all the way through, with Sharpes winning the
opening game 13-11 courtesy of two tins from his opponent from
11-11. Harrity won the second 11-8 but Sharpes was in outstanding
form as he nailed the third 11-2.
Harrity was far from finished as he won the fourth 11-5. Sharpes
dominated the early stages of the fifth and moved from 4-1 to 7-2,
then to 9-4.
A place in the semi-finals beckoned but a dramatic swing of fortune
occurred as Harrity feathered in a succession of drops and volley
drops after some brutal rallies.
Harrity now meets top seed Steve Finitsis in a further examination
of his credentials.
James hits the Dec as top seed Finitsis powers on
The challenge of England’s Declan James foundered at the hands of
number seed Steve Finitsis, although his defeat could probably be
traced back 24 hours.
James, the world number 78, battled through a 92-minute first round
affair with Chris Fuller that drained the reserves and left him
facing a huge challenge against the super fit Aussie who had spent
half the court time disposing of his first round opponent.
Finitsis used his head as much his his court craft to keep the
rallies long, the ball tight and errors few as he closed the match
out 11-5, 11-7, 55-5 in 42 minutes to set up a semi-final clash with
Todd Harrity of the USA
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12-Jun, Round Ones:
Five English through to Kent quarters
Alan Thatcher reports ... photos by Kim Roberts
Australian top seed Steve Finitsis, American star Todd Harrity,
and Scottish number two Greg Lobban join five English players in the
quarter-finals of the Select Gaming Kent Open.
This PSA $10k, celebrating its fifth year at The Mote Squash Club in
Maidstone, England, once again provides a platform for rising home
talent to impress on the international stage.
Assistant national coach David Campion was present to check the
progress of many of his charges with five all-English battles on the
schedule.
In the longest match of the night, No.6 seed Declan James beat his
Nottingham team-mate Chris Fuller in a 92-minute marathon.
 James
meets top seed Finitsis in the last eight after the tall Australian
overpowered Youssef Abdalla in straight games.
European junior champion Richie Fallows took just 24 minutes to beat
Pakistan's Adil Maqbool to set up a quarter-final clash with
Scotland's No.4 seed Greg Lobban.
Bizarrely, Lobban lost the second game 11-1 but hit back to beat
young England hopeful Tom Ford 3-1.
Second seed Jonathan Kemp, the reigning Kent Open champion, also
lost a game for just one point but he too hit back to win a tough
battle with Yorkshire fighter James Earles.
Kemp, who is appearing in his final tournament after announcing his
retirement from the PSA Tour, faces a tough quarter-final against
the in-forrm Ben Coleman, who won a brutal battle with 18-year-old
qualifier George Parker.
American No.7 seed Harrity beat qualifier Mike Harris in straight
games and now meets No.3 seed Charles Sharpes. The British Under-23
champion withstood fierce pressure in the first game against wild
card Steven London to win from 8-7 down but then took control to win
the next two games 11-3.
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11-Jun, Qualifying Finals:
Abdalla faces top seed Finitsis
after halting home hero Evans
Alan Thatcher reports ... photos by Kim Roberts
 Youssef
Abdalla ended the run of The Mote's James Evans and was rewarded
with a tie against top seed Steve Finitsis in the first round of the
Select Gaming Kent Open.
James Earles' reward for beating Sam Ellis is a tie with
number two seed Jonathan Kemp in this PSA Challenger 10 event in
Maidstone, while Mike Harris faces American Todd Harrity
after surviving a marathon match with Phil Nightingale. George
Parker overcame Reuben Phillips and now meets Ben Coleman.
 Harris
led by two games to love before Nightingale mounted a massive
recovery to take the match to a fifth game. Even when he is tired
the 6ft 5in Nightingale's phenomenal reach keeps him in the rallies,
but Harris regained his control to take the fifth 11-5 to clinch
victory in 72 minutes.
Abdalla won the first seven points of his match to silence a packed
gallery who had come to to support home hero Evans. The Invicta
Grammar School head boy worked his way into the match and the second
game was a massive battle. Evans led 8-5 and survived a flurry of
points from Abdalla to win it 10-8.
However, the effort drained his reserves of energy and Abdalla was
able to build a big lead at the start of the third and fourth games
as his tired opponent struggled to find any rhythm.
Parker played solid, powerful squash to topple the higher-ranked
Phillips, who announced after the match that he was taking a long
break from the game this summer.
Earles will fancy a crack at number two seed Kemp, who recently
announced his impending retirement from the PSA Tour. But Ellis was
kicking himself after squandering an 8-2 lead in the second game.
Earles powered through the third as Ellis found his touch and
control deserted him.
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10-Jun, Qualifying Round One:
Evans stuns Geekie in Kent Open repeat
Alan Thatcher reports ... photos by Kim Roberts
 The
Mote’s James Evans repeated his Kent Open victory over
Scotland’s James Geekie to reach the qualifying finals of the Select
Gaming Kent Open.
Playing on his favourite home court, Evans claimed another
straight-games victory but it required a monumental fightback in the
third after trailing 10-4 to his much taller opponent. Evans won
12-10, 11-7, 12-10 in 43 minutes of entertaining squash that had the
packed gallery roaring their support and groaning in despair as the
score see-sawed one way then the other.
Fresh from an exam at Oakwood Park Grammar School, where he is head
boy, Evans raced into a 5-1 lead in the opening game before falling
off the pace and allowing Geekie to hit back to lead 7-5. Evans hit
back to lead 10-9 and despite Geekie levelling the scores he closed
out the game 12-10.
Evans was much tighter in the second game, building another 5-1 lead
and surviving another mid-game wobble. Geekie dominated the opening
stages of the third game to lead 9-3 and he reached game ball at
10-4. However, Evans showed great resilience and tenacity to win
eight points in a row to win the match as the home crowd cheered him
home.
He faces talented Egyptian-born Londoner Youssef Abdalla in
the qualifying finals. Abdalla took just 24 minutes to overcome Nick
Mulvey 11-3, 11-3, 11-7 with a devastating display of attacking
squash.
Evans’ Kent team-mate Josh Masters was an early casualty, going down
in a high-paced encounter with George Parker. Masters led 9-5
in the third but tinned a drop shot which led to Parker mounting a
determined recovery to close out the match 11-6, 11-5, 13-11 in 43
minutes.
The longest match of the night saw Phil Nightingale beat Phil
Bull in five games to claim a place in the finals against top
qualifying seed Mike Harris, who had enjoyed the shortest encounter
of the evening, an entertaining stroll with title sponsor Jonny
Powell.
Parker meets Londoner Reuben Phillips, who withstood a
third-game fightback from Pakistani Suleman Khan to win 11-5, 11-4,
12-10. Sam Ellis meets number two seed James Earles
after both enjoyed straight-games victories against Anthony Brindle
and Joel Makin.
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Preview
The Select Gaming Kent Open squash tournament was forced to overcome
a last-minute drama when top seed Ali Anwar Reda was forced to
withdraw.
The world No.41 from Cairo was unable to secure a visa to leave
Egypt. This forced a reshuffle of the draw and promoted top seeded
qualifier Richie Fallows, the European junior champion who
trains at Bexley, into the main event at The Mote.
Fallows, who is coached at Bexley by Ben Ford, meets Pakistan’s
world No.98 Adil Maqbool fresh from winning his first PSA
title in Kriens, Switzerland.
Fallows, 18, beat Egypt’s world No.53 Zahed Mohamed in the Kriens
final and said: “I’m ecstatic at my first senior pro tournament win.
I just hope I can carry that form forward into the Kent Open.”
The Kent Open begins on Sunday 8th June with a pre-qualifying
tournament which pitches eight locals in with the professionals.
Eight days of top-class squash come to a close with the final on
Sunday June 15.
Australian Steve Finitsis takes over as number one seed with
reigning champion Jonathan Kemp at two. Both meet qualifiers
in the first round of the main draw.
British Under-23 champion Charles Sharpes, from Surrey, is
installed as No.3 seed with Scotland’s Greg Lobban at four.
Sharpes tackles Kent’s wild card Steven London, from Park
Langley, while Lobban meets in-form England youngster Tom Ford,
who recently won the Pretoria Open in South Africa.
Another English player in form is Essex ace Ben Coleman, who has
completed a hat-trick of tournament wins in the past month in
Aberdeen, Ipswich and Madrid.
He is seeded to meet Kemp in the quarter-finals. Not only is an
all-English showdown on the cards, but a Coleman win would bring
down the curtain on a distinguished career for the stylish
left-hander Kemp, who has announced his retirement from the PSA Tour
at the age of 33.
The Kent Open will be his final event and Tournament Director Alan
Thatcher said: “I am sure Jonathan would love to go all the way and
win his final PSA Tour event. He made a lot of friends at The Mote
last year and he is a wonderful role model.
“He plays with style and a smile and however well he performs we
will honour his contribution to the sport with a special
presentation.
“I have seen Jonathan play in various tournaments all over the world
and I will never forget how close he came to beating four-times
world champion Amr Shabana in Richmond, Virginia, a couple of years
ago.”
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KENT OPEN FACT FILE
The Kent Open is celebrating its fifth year as
a PSA world-ranking tournament at The Mote.
All four winners so far have used Harrow rackets: Alan Clyne, Chris
Ryder, Chris Simpson and Jonathan Kemp.
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The Pre-Qualifying tournament starts on Sunday, with Mote members
Adrian Humphries, Darren Heathfield, Matt Hazzard, Paul Newvell,
Marcus Robson and Jason Goodayle, joining Canterbury pair Joe Magor
and Tom May in a shoot-out with eight pros (including Maidstone’s
Bradley Masters).
The two winners go through to the Qualifying Tournament on Tuesday
and Wednesday alongside The Mote’s James Evans and Jonny Powell, and
Maidstone’s Josh Masters.
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Total prize money for the Kent Open is 10,000 dollars (roughly
£6,000). The winner takes home just under £1,000.
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The Kent Open features free coaching sessions from the professionals
for local juniors each day next week. The sessions start at 4pm from
Tuesday to Friday.
A free Ladies Day session starts at 1pm on Saturday week, the day of
the semi-finals.
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The finals weekend is being billed as the biggest party in squash,
with a variety of fun events built into the schedule around the
semi-finals and the finals.
A doubles tournament will be staged with cash prizes attracting some
serious teams from around the south of England.
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