2005 Event

15-Oct, FINAL:

[3] Bradley Ball (Eng) bt [2] Laurens Jan Anjema (Ned)
      11-6, 8-11, 6-11, 11-6, 11-10 (3-1)

Ball Bags Berkshire Title
Chris Tom reports from Williamstown

In a fitting climax to a great week of squash, third seeded Bradley Ball rallied back from a four-point deficit in the fifth game to overtake second seeded Laurens Jan Anjema in a tiebreaker and to win the first ever Berkshire Open championship.

“I’m a very, very happy boy,” said a tired but smiling Ball. “This is the biggest tournament I’ve ever won. I was able to beat two players ranked above me. This will do my ranking a lot of good.”

From the start, both players proved they were up to the challenge of a finals match. Ball took the early lead as he maintained control of the tee and his now-familiar low hard drives and volleys into the nick. While Anjema never seemed comfortable in the first and was unable to mount any sustained attack, Ball continued to hold centre court and won the first game handily.

Anjema came out strong in the second and immediately turned the tables. Becoming more offensive, Anjema began to control the tee as Ball forced a couple of early mistakes. But Anjema could not hold on to his early 4-0 lead as Ball himself upped the pace later in the game and eventually tied the score at 8-8. Anjema responded with a deceptive drop from the backcourt to retake the lead and then received a gift as Ball foolishly guessed off the serve and gave Anjema double game ball at 10-8 and eventually, the game.

By the third game, Anjema’s quickness and stamina had become apparent as he continued to move Ball around the court. As Anjema’s shots repeatedly forced him to move from corner to corner, Ball began to tire and his length and accuracy suffered. Down 6-2, Ball began to press with risky shots from the back, and while he found the nick on a few, he made too many as Anjema won the crucial third 11-6.

“Halfway through, I had to change my plan,” Ball said afterwards. “In straight lines, he’s unbelievable. I had to find a way to move him around and put some pressure on him. It was too late in the third but I used (my new plan) in the fourth and fifth.

In that fourth game, Ball did begin to move Anjema around and the Dutchman began to showfatigue himself. Fighting through his own exhaustion, Ball continued to retrieve Anjema’s attacking shots and kept the score tied up to 8-8. While Ball kept fighting for every shot, Anjema appeared to let up late in the fourth and let two crucial shots pass by him uncontested, giving Ball the game 11-8.

With the title riding on the line, neither player could pick up much momentum early on in the fifth. However, a combination of two errors by Ball and a renewed volley attack by Anjema gave the Dutchman a 7-3 lead midway through the fifth. Four points from elimination, Ball rallied once again.

“I told himself I have to dig deep again,” Ball said. “I just stayed in the points and he made a couple of mistakes to get me back in.”

Ball’s tenacious play was rewarded, and Anjema made two unforced errors to help Ball retie the score at 7-7. From there, Ball picked up three stroke calls and suddenly had triple match ball. Anjema, though, would not go down without a fight himself. The Dutch Open champ stayed focused and hit a gusty cross court drop in the face of game ball to tie the match at 10-10. A poor volley by Ball then gave Anjema the lead back, and a match ball of his own. Once again, Ball responded and hit a backhand volley into the nick and retied the score at 11-11. With his fourth match ball at 12-11, Ball received his big break as his crosscourt bounced awkwardly off the nick and stayed attached to the sidewall. Surprised by the ball’s movement, Anjema could only look on helplessly and the ball hit the ground and ended his championship dreams.

In the awards ceremony, both players expressed the appreciation for the fans and tournament director Zafi Levy for organizing this inaugural event.

“I wanted to thank all the guys I spent time with Saturday night,” Ball said. “They helped me feel relaxed here and I had a real good time. It’s just nice to be rewarded after putting in a lot of work over the last six months.”
 

• Draw & Results
       

photos by Scott Moscowitz

photos by Scott Moscowitz

 

"I'm still speechless. I can't believe the ball hit the nick. "That's how it is under these new rules, that every point is so important." Laurens Jan Anjema

11-6, 8-11, 6-11, 11-6, 11-10 (3-1)

Qualifying finals:
Daryl Selby (Eng) bt Arthur Gaskin (Irl) 11/3, 11/3, 11/7
Sherif Moustafa Kamel (Egy) bt Siddarth Suchde (Ind) 8/11, 11/7, 11/9, 11/10(4-2)
John Russell (Eng) bt Pat Bedore (Can) 11/8, 11/3, 11/2
Niall Rooney (Irl) bt Ryan Donegan (Usa) 7/11, 11/7, 11/8, 11/5