Saskatoon Boast 2017
14-19 Nov, Saskatchewan, Canada, $10k

Welshman Peter Creed, the top seed, was looking for redemption in his second Boast final, up against Switzerland's sixth-seeded Reiko Peter.

Creedy started error free and built a 5-2 lead. Reiko fought back to level. Creed went back to forcing the taller player high with tight length and mixing in drops low. Creedy had 5 game balls and Reiko redoubled his efforts to fight off 4 of them to fall just short of pushing it to a tiebreaker.

Creed started the second with 2 quickfire points off of uncharacteristic tins by the Swiss player. Reiko steadied the ship and levelled at 3-all. Creed kept forcing the tall player to the front at full stretch with accurate drops. The speedy Welshman kept scoring 2 points for every point his opponent logged. Stretched to an 8-5 lead, he was looking like he would cruise to take the game. Reiko forced Creedy to dive and use all of his speed to keep the ball up as he fought hard to claw back two points. Creed regained the front court to score three in a row and take a 2-0 lead.

Reiko seemed reluctant to take the court for the third. He hadn't found solutions to break up Creedy's movement or take enough time away to cause him to make errors. Creed continued to pressure Reiko with holds and drops and quickly mounted a 5-1 lead. A tin from the Welshman looked like a glimmer of hope for Reiko to mount a comeback. After forcing Creed to every corner on full stretch, he just couldn't seem to find a winner. 9-3 up, Creed was content to just absorb Reiko's pace and let him make his own errors.

A great rally at match ball ended with a tin from the Swiss player to crown Peter Creed as the 2017 Boast Champion!!!
 

Qualifying:

Finals:
Ahmed Hosny (Egy) 3-1 David Cromwell (Usa)   11-3, 6-11, 11-4, 12-10 (38m)
Kimesh Chetty (Can) 3-0 Thomas King (Can)              11-9, 11-5, 11-6 (43m)
Mario Yanez (Mex) 3-0 Kale Wilson (Tri)                    11-3, 11-5, 11-4 (25m)
Sean Conroy (Irl) 3-0 Brock Janzer (Can)                  11-6, 11-4, 11-2 (28m)

Round One:
David Cromwell (Usa) 3-0 James Landeryou (Can)             11-2, 11-5, 11-5 (17m)
Ahmed Hosny (Egy) 3-0 Jason Gelowitz (Can)                  11-6, 11-8, 11-8 (19m)
Kimesh Chetty (Can) 3-1 Marco Toriz-Caddo (Mex) 11-6, 6-11, 12-10, 11-7 (50m)
Thomas King (Can) 3-1 Sam Scivier (Can)           11-7, 10-12, 19-17, 12-10 (60m)
Kale Wilson (Tri) 3-0 Thomas Jackson (Can)                     11-7, 11-4, 11-7 (20m)
Mario Yanez (Mex) 3-0 Sam Burley (Can)                         11-3, 11-5, 11-0 (27m)
Brock Janzer (Can) 3-0 Derek Shevkenek (Can)                11-4, 11-4, 11-6 (14m)
Sean Conroy (Irl)3-0t Mateo Buitrago (Can)                     11-5, 11-2, 11-2 (19m)

Peter Creed (Wal) 3-2 Shawn Delierre (Can)

The first game began with both players finding length and testing their opponent's movement. Shawn took any opportunity to go into the smaller player's back and try and get cheap strokes. After several lets, he was rewarded with strokes. This frustrated Peter and he kept following excellent winners with cheap tins. Too many errors gave Shawn the first.

The second saw Creedy find solutions to the Canadian's erratic movement. He tightened his lines and gave Shawn little options aside from playing the ball. The scoreline was close up to 4-all when Peter pulled away. He would score three points in a row and Sean could never string together more than 1. Peter took the game comfortably with confidence building.

The third had Peter build a strong lead and keep a three point cushion. With Peter leading 8-4, Shawn let his racket go with two clean nick winners. Just as Delierre built momentum, Creedy weathered the storm by making three amazing diagonal gets and finishing with a deceptive drive that sent the Canadian on full stretch to the back corner and just short of getting it back. Peter was able to go point for point and take the game.

The fourth had Shawn renew his focus and play his best squash. He stretched to a 7-2 lead and it looked like Peter was trying to save his energy for the fifth. Creedy picked up three points near the end of the game but it was too little too late to stop it from going to a decider.

Shawn won the first 2 points and then Creedy turned on the afterburners, running up an 8-2 lead. Shawn had been getting to Peter's drops in previous games but now they were finding their mark with pinpoint accuracy. Shawn seemed to lose confidence and Creedy continued to pressure him with great length and outright winners in the front. 8-2 down, Delierre made one last push but couldn't stop the Welshman from getting to his second Boast final in a row.

Reiko Peter (Sui) 3-1 Nick Sachvie (Can)

The crowd was excited to see if the current Canadian champion could finally make it to the Boast final. Nick started the first game very strongly and had great control over the ball. After repeatedly moving the tall Swiss player deftly to the back corners and across court after working boasts, Sachvie was able to win the longer rallies.

Unfortunately, he was overconfident in his drops that he tried early in rallies and they found the tin. Nick was able to build a small lead and close out the first with an unfortunate stoke call against Reiko when a ball squirted out of the front corner and surprised both players and even though Nick had been going a different direction, the ball was still playable as it shot between the taller man's legs.

The second saw Sachvie finishing the first four points with excellent winners both in the front court and back. It was looking like the match was going to be very short if he could keep this form. He was up 5-1 and seemed to have a lapse in concentration and 3 tins and a flubbed return of serve and Reiko had the opportunity he needed to regain the lead. Back and forth lead changes up to 9-all and Reiko scored two quick points and was back in the match.

Nick was out of sorts in the third and let Reiko build a strong lead. You could see the frustration building as he continued to find the tin. He tried to reset and play straight but it was too late to stop the Swiss player from closing out the shortest game of the match.

The fourth stayed close but you could see a definite change in Reiko as his confidence built. Nick was still searching for consistency and was being forced to play several extra shots in points where he had control, due to the extreme reach and retrieval abilities of Reiko. Another brief lapse in focus for Nick gave three quick points to Reiko and he remained out of reach to take the match.
 

Shawn Delierre (Can) 3-0 Mike McCue (Can)

The first game started slowly with the players testing their length and their opponent's movement. After the first heavy interference and stroke call, McCue talked to the ref about not wanting to turn the match into a let and block affair. Three points later, Delierre put away a lose ball and Mike complained harshly that his line was taken. Shawn used the lapse in concentration to build a 3 point lead. McCue got fired up and pushed hard to level at 8-all. Shawn took the ascendancy to take the game on a hotly contested stroke.

The second started with a long rally with both players fighting with tough movements and great retrievals. The second point, Delierre tried to close McCue out in the backhand corner and decided to swing hard and very late, clipping Mike in the head with his racket. That caused an explosion of rage from the younger Canadian.

The ref went on court to calm the players down and get them refocused on playing squash. After weathering the storm, Mike was able to level at 5-all. From there, Delierre let his racket go with some clean winners and McCue was forced to relinquish the game.

The third saw Delierre continue to try for winners on any loose ball. McCue was controlled and closed the court well. It was level pegging to 5-all. Shawn found a new level of intensity and started surging to the finish line. The pace jumped and McCue desperately tried to hang on through the final few rallies but the Montreal native would not be denied a semifinal birth.

Peter Creed (Wal) 3-0 Eric Galvez (Mex)

Galvez comes out hammering the ball hard and low. Creedy is trying to neutralize the pace but making cheap errors. 4-love down, Peter returns to his game plan of "hitting straight and tight and using height". He mounted a comeback and took the lead. Eric started to get frustrated by speedy Creedy's retrieving. Galvez started to try and hit lower and lower and unfortunately tinned the final three points to hand the Welshman the game.

The second saw the Mexican try to find an answer to the lightning quick retrievals of last year's Boast runner-up. He tried to impose his will and keep the game straight, but Creed kept getting in front and upping the pace. In the most competitive game, the previous champion faded in the endgame.

The third saw Galvez resigned as Creed kept his foot on the gas and smashing it through the floorboards. The shortest game pushed the Welshman to a semifinal en route to redemption at the Movember Boast.

Reiko Peter (Sui) 3-1 Ahmed Hosny (Egy)

It was another night of anticipation of what Hosny was going to bring to the courts? He started playing calmly and making Reiko guess as to what was coming off his racket. Peter continued to try and play straight

The second started with Peter closing the court and tightening his lines. After Ahmed tried for 4 outright winners and clipped the tin each time, he gave up the ghost and conceded the second game to regroup for the third.

Level pegging in the third to 6-all, Reiko forged ahead to 9-6. Ahmed fought back to 9-8 and 10-9. Three hard fought rallies that ended in stoppages that Ahmed thought were strokes and Reiko thought were no-lets. The ref made them play lets to much chagrin from both players. A long last rally had Reiko step on Ahmed's foot while he was trying to get to a ball in the back and the ref refused to give him a let.

The fourth saw several changes in attitude from the dark horse Egyptian. He started strong and controlling and tinned a couple deceptive drops. Then his demeanour changed and he seemed to have given up, he was walking without urgency to balls and trying deceptive winners. 3 successful nicks changed him completely and he resumed a straight game pushing Reiko to the corners.

The tall Swiss player refused to give in. He weathered a storm and put Hosny back into complacency. An anticlimax as the heavily favoured player stopped the new pro from Egypt with three quick dominant points.

Nick Sachvie (Can) 3-1 Dimitri Steinmann (Sui)

The first of this highly anticipated match saw these two very fit athletes working to establish length and accuracy. Both players were probing for weaknesses and finding none. The game of cat and mouse continued, with smooth movement and great retrieving and precise shots. Nick was able to finally establish some control with more creative shots and was able to close it out.

Dimitri started out the second game much stronger, showing spectacular retrieving and taking advantage of a few uncharacteristic Sachvie errors to build up a 5-1 lead. Nick seemed to be carrying the play, but was not getting the results. He was able to draw almost even before Steinman was able to close it out with some great play and a couple of lucky bounces.

The level of urgency in the fourth game was much higher, with both players going after the winners. The middle stages saw more attritional play, with no clear advantage gained. Dimitri's retrieving was all full display, extending every rally. A couple of crucial errors by Steinman was the difference in the 11-9 game.

Nick appeared much more calm and in control, patiently waiting for errors and pouncing on them. The movement, sportsmanship, and quality of this match was world class, with errors at the end by Dimitri making the difference.
 

Shawn Delierre (Can) 3-1 Tristan Eysele (Rsa)

The Canadian two time Boast Champion built a strong lead in the first, putting lots of work into the legs of the game South African. At 9-2 there was a small momentum shift as Tristan scored three solid points. Shawn regained his composure and closed out the game.

The second was a virtual carbon copy with Delierre building a strong lead getting 8 game balls and Tristan was only able to fight off 2 before conceding the game. The third started off with three unusual errors from Delierre and Eysele built a strong lead. Shawn seemed to clear his head and fought hard back with 7 straight points.

Fighting off two match balls, Tristan seemed to find a new gear. He was able to fight hard and refuse to let any ball bounce twice and squeaked out a 13-11 victory on a tight no-let decision. The fourth saw Delierre resuming strong form but Tristan was not about to give up. He continued to fight through many lets and interferences but in the end the previous champion was too strong.

Michael McCue (Can) 3-0 Cory McCartney (Can)

 The first game featured some beautiful shotmaking by McCartney. McCue, however, patiently established his length and made devastating use of holds to send his opponent to all corners of the court. The second game saw McCue establish further control of the pace. A spirited comeback bring it back level at 6 all, but Mike was able to bring it home with a strong push. McCue stormed out to a 6 love lead. The investment made into Cory's legs was really paying off as he was unable continue retrieving at a high enough level. Game 3 also featured a corkscrew serve winner.

Eric Galvez (Mex) 3-0 Mario Yanez (Mex)

 This was a heated battle and had the potential to be a changing of the guard. Yanez looked strong but Galvez is an experienced campaigner and held the lead throughout the first game. The second was very close and level pegging to 5-all. Galvez tightened his lines and refused to open the court to Mario's skillful racket. The veteran pulled away to close the game for a 2-0 lead.

The third was extremely close with both players refusing to give an inch. Yanez had complained all match about Eric's movement to and off the ball and at 8-7 up Galvez appeared to deliberately move into Yanez as he went for a drop shot. The ref gave a no let and said he'd been warned to play the ball. This invigorated Eric, who started to hit the ball with ferocious pace. A few contentious lets and aggressive rallies later the elder statesman was able to finish the match.

Peter Creed (Wal) 3-0 Sean Conroy (Ire)

Game 1 started out with both players eager to find their lines and establish length. The game was even at 4 all before Creed established a firm control of the T and rattled off 7 straight points, taking advantage of a few unforced errors and shots that started spraying into the middle.
The second saw a continuation of the same trend. Strong, even rallies with precise length ended on small mistakes by Sean and Creed was able to establish a 6-1 lead. Sean showed nothing but heart, putting in the effort to mount 2 surges that were killed by heartbreaking shots into the tin.
An entirely different Sean Conroy showed up for the third game. Showing aggression and confidence, he used power and creativity to roar out to an 8-2 lead. A stroke call against him seemed to rattle him and it was all the opening that Creed needed to take control of the game, bringing it all the way back to 10 all. Creed's experience through the contentious points took him the rest of the way home.

Ahmed Hosny (Egy) 3-1 Chris Gordon (Usa)

From the start he could tell this was going to be a hard-fought match. Both players are tall and lanky and take a lot of square footage on the court. Some trailing leg interferences were noted by the referee that immediately gave movement warnings to both players. Hosny was a complete unknown as he turned pro 3 months ago and this was his first trip outside of his home country. Some unfocused tins from Gordon handed Ahmed the first game.

The second started slowly but Ahmed tried to hit some winners that found the tin. After relinquishing a small lead Chris continued to remain focussed and by the time he was up 7-2, Hosny had resigned from making an effort and was content to let the much higher ranked player have the game. The The third saw Ahmed build a strong lead with amazing nicks and winners. He continued to build momentum that Gordon couldn't seem to quell.

Hosny comfortably won and was looking strong into the first half of the fourth. Gordon realized that time was running out and made one last push to try and take the fourth. He got to 9-all and Ahmed increased his aggression to have the American stretched to all corners of the court. The final onslaught of this unknown player was enough to pull out the huge upset of a player ranked 450 places higher in world rankings.

Reiko Peter (Sui) 3-0 Matias Tuomi (Fin)

In game one, Reiko Peter seemed almost 10 feet tall, dominating the court from the T. Maria's struggled to find the answer, while retrieving with determination as Peter built up a 9-2 lead. Matias seemed to find the answer in precise hitting and brought the Game back to 6-9, before Reiko was able to close it out.

The pace in the second game was much higher, with big power and many more short attacks. This style of game seemed to suit Matias well and he carried the game to several game balls. Reiko dug down deep and was able to bring the play back into his terms, expending less effort and controlling the middle. He was able win 13-11.

In the 3rd game, Matias showed flashes of pure brilliance, with spectacular retrieving and touch. Unfortunately, brilliance was needed for every point he was able to take away from Peter. He was in full control of the court. After the rally of the tournament, featuring dives from Matias, which he won on a gorgeous top spin drop shot, Reiko was able to close it out.

Nick Sachvie (Can) 3-0 Miled Zarazua (Mex)

The first shot of the match was an attacking boast by Miled, which led into an exchange at the front. Not your typical feeling out process. Nick Sachvie, the reigning Canadian, was absolutely clinical, dominating his smaller Mexican opponent.

The second game started the same way, except Nick started finding the nicks. On a 5 love serve from Sachvie, Zarazua absolutely punished the ball into the crosscourt nick. This seemed to envigirate his game, and he was able to bring the play into the front court, where he was more comfortable. He got within 1 point at 5-6, but Nick asserted himself and rattled off the rest of the points to take the 2 game lead.

The third game was very entertaining. Miled was able to keep the match on his racquet with speed and touch. Unfortunately, he also ran into troubles with unforced errors. This allowed Nick to close out with comfort what was a much more evenly played game.

Dimitri Steinmann (Sui) 3-0 Kimesh Chetty (Can)

There was high hopes for the Saskatchewan player to do well tonight. This new adversary was on a different level than his previous two opponents. As the Swiss player continued to keep the rallies long, we could see that Chetty's fitness was being tested. Kimesh started well, but as the game wore on, he was frustrated by two no-lets and his ability to retrieve started to wane.

Dimitri continued to play confident straight squash and forced the Canadian to retrieve again and again. The Swiss player took the first comfortably. The second saw some new energy from Chetty and he held his own up until 8-all, when the young Swiss player closed out the win in the business end of the game. The third saw Steinmann in the lead and in cruise control, happy to watch Kimesh run diagonals until he was a half step behind.

Unfortunately the local had not enough stamina to keep up the level of intensity he showed in his first two matches. Even in the loss he impressed all of Saskatoon and firmly cemented himself as the province's strongest player.
 

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