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  Artemis Open 2008
31-Jan to 03 Feb
Men £7k, Women £3k, Edinburgh Sports Club
Tournament Director:
Simon Boughton
0131 539 7071
2007 Event
2006 Event
2005 Event
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3rd
FEBRUARY 2008 - FINALS |
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SARAH'S GOOD PERFORMANCE...
Favourite Alison Waters took an excellent start, 3/0 then 6/3 to
finally seize the first game 9/3, just too powerful and relaxed
for Sarah Kippax.
But it all changed in the second. Several (I counted five) slow
movements out of the backhand front corner cost Alison some
strokes, giving her opponent some reason to believe that she
make an impression. And Sarah started to play extremely well,
finding gorgeous drop shots that Alison, despite her speed,
couldn't retrieve.
And Sarah accumulated points after points, to reach 7/2. But it
all went downhill from there, she actually admitted afterward
that she just got tired....
Still, an excellent weekend for Sarah, who is such a touch
player, and I wish she could find a way to cut down on her
backhand errors (in the whole match, I counted 14 unforced
errors, and only two were on the forehand.. |
|
 "For
the several strokes I got out of the backhand front corner, I think that
I was trying to get the ball quickly, and hit it hard, instead of
slowing down and hitting it properly...
In the second, Sarah played very well, she was getting out of trouble by
lobbing most effectively, she did very well indeed in that game.
As far as the Nationals are concerned I'm really looking forward to it,
it's quite open, any one of us can win it, it should be a great
Championship.
I get a qualifier in the first round, and if I win, I get Tania in the
quarters. Tough draw, but I'm 5th seed, so I would have needed to be in
the top 4 to avoid the top girls. But then again, the one who is going
to win will have to beat everybody anyway...
And it's so nice to get back in Manchester, it's such a great venue,
such a great crowd...
Alison Waters |
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 "I'm
delighted to get into the final, especially as I didn't feel 100% for a
few days.
I thought I didn't play too badly, especially in the second, but at 7/2
up, I just run out of steam, Alison got in front of me, and at 2/0 down,
it felt like an uphill struggle."
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"I felt that I played so well in the third, when Peter was still trying
to win, that I succeeded to make him doubt.
I finally managed to find my length, was able to send the ball to the
back, and to find some nice shots at the front.
I've got so much respect for Peter, he drags me up, he is such a solid
professional, he trains so hard, he is such a great player.
I'm thrilled to bits to finally win a BSPA, and one of the strongest
with Colets probably, when you know that it's five tough matches in
three days... I happy that the training is paying off..."
"After the 2nd game, my body seemed to give up. It's 5 tough matches in
3 short days...
Up to there, I thought I played OK, although I never felt comfortable,
and then, it went from bad to worse. All credit to Daryl, he found his
length, and played really well.
I'm still happy with my event, I came here for a few matches, even if I
lost I was quite happy with my squash yesterday. Today, Daryl played
better...
 |
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STRANGE MATCH...
"He is a machine that boy", stated Daryl Selby as I was passing next to him
after the second game. "Surely he must be human", I replied. "No!" retorted
he.
Well, Daryl was wrong.... After two extremely gruelling grinding games, 27
and 14 minutes of long, eroding, impressive rallies where Peter was in
front, and Daryl would end up clipping the tin times and times again, Peter
eventually started to tire.
It has to be said that Daryl had played the perfect tactical game all way
through, applying pressure, attacking, but wasn't able to get pass his
opponent. But with Peter slowing down ever so slightly, suddenly, Daryl had
that much more time to adjust his shots, and found his length and drop
shots.
 Against
all odds, Daryl took the 3rd in 9 minutes. And then, it all went a bit weird
really. Peter, a bit tired I guess, became increasingly frustrated at
himself, and at the ref, who had a few decisions that appeared sharp to the
frustrated player. He lost the 4th in 4 minutes, 11/2.
And what probably didn't make it better, was when in the 5th, as Daryl was
now playing divine squash, and Peter was mentally desperately trying to come
back into the match, the ref award Peter with a conduct stroke for "ball
abuse" that made the whole audience chuckle, and Peter tip off the edge,
bless him.
It was a bit sad for us to see Peter being so unhappy, as he was so
impressive throughout the event and the match up to there. But I guess that
it's all part of the game....
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BELLS WILL BE RINGING....
 That
was a news that couldn't be nicer to my hear, Miss Jayne Massarella,
has at last decided to make an honest man out of Sir Simon Parke, now
retired from PSA, and who suffered a painful loss (not pride, but aching!)
in the first round here against Alan Clyne.
Well, those two had been living in sin for long enough, I thought, and was
about time proprieties should be restore.
Seriously, I couldn't be happier for you guys, toutes mes félicitations....
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They
said...
Peter Marshall, minutes after his gruelling match against Peter
Barker:
"I'm perfectly fine, give me two or three hours, and I'm ready to do it
all over again.....!" |
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ALL FRANCE IS HERE...
What a great time to pick a weekend to come round to Edinburgh... Right the
time France Rugby comes to visit Scottish Rugby (if you don't
live in Europe, it's the famous Six Nations Tournament)!
At breakfast this morning at the hotel, I had the feeling I was home really,
I don't think there were more than 10% locals in the room, and that's
including Ali and Daryl!
Well, you must know my love for rugby, and I know one thing. Win or lose,
the "third half-time", as we call it, la troisième mi-temps, will be
friendly and fun, and fans of both side will drown their sorrow or celebrate
their joy with the same good spirit.
Not like a certain "sport" we know... |
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2nd
FEBRUARY 2008 - SEMIS |
 
Draws and
results updated saturday 21h20 |
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She didn't do
anything wrong, young Deon, but Alison had all the answers to
the questions the junior didn't have the time to ask! In all
departments, Alison was stronger, faster. However, Deon hits
well, and her lob (when it didn't get chopped!), is of high
quality indeed, and should be cultivated.
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"Deon had a tough match this afternoon, it went 3/1, and she was
probably tired.
"She is a nice player, she has some good shots, she is young and she has
plenty of time to progress."
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" Personally,
I thought I played very well, but I got chopped!
 "The
worst was when I played a good lob, probably my best shot of the match,
and she smacked it so hard! I could have laughed, it really took me
away, it did...."
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 "I was
just planted today, I don't know why, I just couldn't move. I had an
ankle injury before Christmas, but it's not for that I lost today! I was
actually moving quite well this morning...
"Must be the cold! I went to the bookshop earlier today, and my hands
that went purple!!!!!!! Only joking...
"Shame, I was really looking forward to that one, but nothing was
working. I was trying to concentrate on my game, getting my length
right, but for some reason, I couldn't move today..."
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Probably the best game I saw from Sarah, and the worst from
Tricia! Sarah cut her usual errors to keep only the lovely touch
she has, and Tricia was finding tin after tin after tin. Not
sure if it's because one was playing poorly that the other
played well, or the reverse!!!!!! Probably a bit of both....
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 "I felt I
didn't play well this morning at all, so I tried to come into this match
more aggressively and positively, even from the warm up, trying to hit
the ball hard, and also to moving well.
"I'm quite pleased with that, it's my first BSPA final I think, but
especially, I've been coming here for the past 3/4 events, and I've
finally made it to the final!!!!"
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BOYS
ARE GREAT....
 You
leave them having a "testosterone moment" at the end of the match,
mostly due to some strange referee's decisions, having a go at
each other, and the rest to Welsh Devil's usual ramblings that we
all know and love, and you come back 10 minutes later, they are laughing
their head off, having forgotten all about the argument.
Bless...
This match was the one too many for an Alex who hadn't played
squash since India really, and that is a long time away. Daryl
took his chances, on a warm court, Alex's funny shots were
retrievable, the rallies were long and disputed, and 'Old Timer'
just got a bit drained....
Still, some excellent moments in the match, and please Alex, go
on rambling, you are such an entertainment...
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 " I enjoyed it!
"We had some good quality patches, and the first two games were very good
at times, and very fast.
"On a court like that, there is nothing you can't get yourself out of with a
nice lob...
"Goughie is moving the ball really well, he never plays the same shot
twice, and it's very difficult to get into any rhythm even if at the
end, he got a bit tired...
"Happy to get into the final."
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"In the third Ali played better, and I'm a bit mentally rusty, that
allowed him to get a few points in a row...
"That's the reason why we are playing events like this, to get mentally
sharp, things you can't learn or practice in friendly matches, you need
that competitive edge.
"In PSA, we are all so close, it's so mental, and as you've seen today,
it often comes down to a couple of points here and there. You've got to
be mentally prepared..."
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|
 Apart
from the start of the third, where he was 3/0 up, and let Alister
run away with eight points in a row, Peter was in firm control of
the match.
He was well on the T, forcing young Ali to try shots from the
back to try and shorten a bit those rallies that were getting
longer and longer, and looking very very fresh indeed.
In passing, the second game, 11/2, still took 13 minutes, just to
show you how hard those boys worked tonight.
But Peter was just that much better, that much more accurate and
confident...
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"I've
never seen him play any better than he did in the second game, and at
the start of the third. There was absolutely nothing I could do. I was
really impressed..."
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2nd
FEBRUARY 2008 -
QUARTERS |
HONNEUR AUX DAMES...
Alison Waters didn't take
too much time to get rid of young Carrie Hasting, 9/5, 9/1, 9/1.
It was a much harder challenge for Deon Saffrey against junior
Kimberley Hay, 10/8, 2/9, 9/5, 9/3, who really really impressed me this
week. Her calm on court, her accuracy make me believe that England has a
nice element for the future there... Still Deon's experience and power
prevailed today...
For the rest of the ladies, just know that Sarah Kippax won 9/3, 9/3,
9/6 against Karen Shultz, and Tricia Chuah 9/3, 9/3, 4/9, 9/4 against
Lauren Selby, who produced a great match. |
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Alison
Waters bt Carrie Hastings 9/5, 9/1,
9/1 |
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"I tried to suss out Carrie's game and figured it out by the end of game
one.
"I felt confident and I am fairly fit but the courts are warm and I
didn't expect that to affect my game but I soon got used to it.
"Until the second game, I found it difficult to put the ball away and I
made a few errors but I was ok at the end."
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 "
I was nervous to begin with then I started to enjoy the game. I was
thinking about who I was playing and I tried to attack a lot and put as
many balls to the back as I could.
"Also I tried to take it early but the last game I began to play scrappy
and got a bit tired. At the end I felt my legs were tangled up!
"But at the beginning I felt my game was more consistent and accurate."
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"I was looking forward to playing Deon. By the second game I controlled
the game by my accurate movement but at the the last game I made too
many errors. It is a great experience to be here and I would hope improve on
my consistency on my accuracy in the future."
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Deon
Saffery bt Kimberly Hay 10/8, 3/9, 9/5, 9/3 |
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 "I was nervous. I hurt my ankle in the previous game and I was worried
about how that would affect my game.
"As I concentrated on the game, I felt comfortable and didn't worry about
my ankle. I did lose some concentration in the second game but I regained
it by the last game.
"My weakness was my loose shots and lack of concentration but I am glad I
won!"
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Tricia
Chuah bt Lauren Selby
9/3, 9/3, 4/9, 9/4 |
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 "I
felt my game was good today, I was very focused.
"I started off well and by the end of the first game she was guessing my game
and I felt under control.
"By the third game, she played a different game which I tried to stay in
control if. I didn't panic and didn't change my game which I felt was a
good point.
"I would like to be more efficient with my technique and play at a higher
pace, which I am working on at the moment."
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Sarah
Kippax bt Karen Shultz
9/3, 9/3, 9/6 |
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 "I
didn't know Karen so it was unknown how I would play.
"Karen is a fit, athletic player. I tried to relax and figure out how
she played. She picked up a lot of balls at the start of the match.
"I hope I can improve my accuracy this week-end."
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AS FOR
THE MEN....
No real surprises there, but some great intense matches, Jon hanging in
there, Daryl v Andy firing away, Alex and Tim bursting with nicks and
top spins, and of course, of course, the Battle of the Peters.... |
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Daryl
Selby bt Andy Whipp
11/8, 11/8, 12/10 |
We had
two great openers of the day, with first an Andy Whipp
finally on court, sharp, fast and moving very well at the front,
and who gave Daryl Selby a good run for his money.
The first and third were close indeed, and the pace was fast as
well, nice to see Daryl place consistently at such a pace, the
work is paying off, mate. Andy played so much better than the
previous rounds, but just clipped a few tins at the crucial
times... And that cost him the match...
|
 "I
played ten times better today, but I was too tired, each time I got to
8/8, and I just faded away, it's so frustrating.
If I've had played that well for the previous rounds, I would have won
3/0, and I would have been much fresher then..."
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 "It's
such a close 3/0, he could have easily won the 3rd one, and the first
game was neck to neck all the way, even if, in the second, I felt more
comfortable. Maybe I just succeeded to put the ball away a bit better
than he did, but if I win 3/0 against a player like Whippy, I'm happy,
he is such a dangerous player
It's such a good preparation mentally, having two matches in the day,
and having to play again the next. It's something you can't really train
in a practice match.
Such a great event, it's such a ball for us squash players to play in
front of a packed crowd...."
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Alex
Gough bt Tim Vail
11/6, 12/10, 11/8 |
 For
the Welsh Devil, AKA Alex Gough, he had to battle
flipping hard for the first two games to get rid of Tim Vail.
One thing you've got to know, if you've got to play M. Vail,
don't play him around the Nationals, as it's always the moment
he gets his best results, as he trains maybe a bit more than he
normally would.
For the rest, normal day at the office, Tim nicking, Alex top
spinning, a lot of reading the other's game, a tremendous lot of
retrieving, intense volleying and great rallies...
In the third, Tim quite rightly got a bit tired, let Alex run
away to 8/3, but clawed back to 7/9, to then die gracefully. See
you in Manchester, Tim.... |
|
 "I
felt very sluggish today, from the start, I was
slow.... I think the reason why is that I didn't play three matches in
two days for a long time.
Also, he was moving me around too much, and I couldn't get my touch
going until the end. And that was far too late...
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"Phlegmatic"
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Alister
Walker bt Jon Harford
11/7, 11/9, 11/8 |
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"I played
better today than I did yesterday. My aim was to play at a high
intensity throughout the match, and we were very close up to 7/7, when
he faded away a little bit.
It was a solid performance, and I'm looking forward to playing Peter, we
normally have a good match, so, should be fun...
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 "I
wish I played a bit more matches, shame that I got byes, but still, got
two good matches, so that's fine.
In the first game, I took a bad start, but in the two next, I played
more positive, was quite aggressive, but when it got at 7/7, it was the
reverse, he's the one that got and played better...
But good match.
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 "I
was a bit slow at the start, not physically, I was obviously fresh, but
more mentally than anything else. He surprised me, well, no, that's not
that, I was expecting a solid, tough pace, but it was not what he did.
He just played very well, and when you are not mentally all there, it's
not really a good combination.
In the second, I got more into it, but he still managed to get to 6/6.
There, I pushed him physically with two long rallies, and that hurt him
a bit.
On a match like that, you can see why he got to number two in the world,
his width and length are just exceptional, and although he doesn't have
the physical attributes as he used to, he is still impressive.
Still, I was pretty confident that he would end up breaking down at some
point if I kept the same high pace. But even tired, he would never go
cheap, and he always went for good squash.
I have a lot of respect for him, never ever in a BSPA quarter final did
I have such a match, and I can say that I've already got something for
this week, and that I could go home right now.
Young people progressing in the squash circuit should take example and
learn from him.
Exceptional."
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Peter
Barker bt Peter Marshall
3/11, 11/6, 11/7, 11/2 |
MIGHTY MARSH...
 If
you are given that line out, Peter Barker, top 15,
against Peter Marshall, retired player, you would think,
bof, 3/0 in 20 minutes.
God you would be wrong.
The first game was a surprise for everybody, I guess for Marsh,
he probably didn't expect to win it so "easily", 11/3. From that
moment on, Barker was much more in the game, even if Marsh's
unorthodox style surprised him one or twice, quite rightly.
 But
where he surprised ME, was when Marsh was down 5/0 in the 3rd, I
believed the end was near. But he dug in, found some fantastic
deep shots, and climbed back to 6/6, and 7/8, to only bow down
11/7...
The determination, the will, the skills, the ball sense, the
intelligence of that former number 2 are purely and simply
astonishing. And I can only steal Peter Barker's conclusion to
our little after match game, "Exceptional". |
|
 JOANNA,
MY SAVIOUR...
There is ALWAYS one person, one lovely volunteer, who is keen to help on an
event. And on this one, it's Joanna, who used to work at the club at the
reception, and who is adorably efficient.
She arrived yesterday at the perfect time, just as the second round started,
when I really REALLY was starting to fade away, and her help on the coverage
of certain matches was an incommensurable support.
Today, she'll be covering the ladies matches, and I'll try and report about
the rest. Wish us luck... |
WHATEVER
HAPPENED TO...
If you followed Complete Legend Steve C's report last year, you may remember
a little piece he did
on a few club members here.
 Well,
if you are wondering whatever happened to them, you'll be happy to hear they
are all safe and sound [and their combined age is now exactly 300!].
"Please tell your readers that
we've all made it! See you next year..."
As they say, Inshallah....! |
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1st
FEBRUARY 2008 - SECOND ROUND |
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Lauren
Selby bt Susie King 3/2 |
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"It was a bit
of a tough match, rather argumentative with the ref, a lot of stop
start, not really enjoyable, neither for us or for the spectators, I
would say....
And a bit frustrating...
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Triciah
Chuah y bt Claire Kidd 3/0 |
|
 "At
the same time I'm happy with my game, and also frustrated. I let her get
away with the second game 8/0, to come back at 5/8, to finally lose 9/5.
And if only I could have taken the 3rd...
Still, I'm happy, before I had the feeling that I couldn't compete, that
I would lose 27/0, now I felt I could compete, I got a lot of balls
back...
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AND WE
ARE RUSHING...
 It's
now 6.07pm, and I'm still on the desk slaving away... Needless to say I
haven't had the time to breath yet, but that's not important, what is, is
that another shock, Kimberlay Hay confirms her good form by beaten
compatriot Rachel Willmott 3/1.
No trouble at all for Alison Waters, 3/0 against Lauren Gray,
a player she used to play in juniors, and who hasn't played for a while,
although she made a few nice shots, said Alison, or Deon Saffery
against Helen Macfie 3/0.
But a good battle for Carrie Hastings who got a lot of trouble
getting rid of Isabelle Tweedle, 9/3 in the 5th...
 Then
a surprise, a 3/2 victory for Lauren Selby, sister of, against
Susie King, in a match that was a bit controversial, a lot of
discussions with the ref, and both players getting annoyed...
A good match from Scot number 1 Claire Kidd against seed number 2
Triciah Chuah, and some straight victories for Sarah Kippax against
lovely Scot Frania, what a great girl that one is, and also for Karen
Schultz against Fiona Moverley. |
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|
MEN ,
THE RETURN...
And I missed the start of Alex Stait against Daryl Selby, but
it seemed from up there that Alex was never really in the match, and just
returned the ball. I know he's been doing a lot of coaching, did that play a
role? He says no, that it doesn't. And surely, he knows!
Now, about the match Andy Whipp v Stacey Ross. Mmm, neither of
them were happy with their performance. Both tired, both inaccurate they
said...
Still Andy managed to string a few points at the end of the 5th, while
Stacey seemed to completely run out of steam...
|
Andy
Whipp bt Stacey Ross 3/2 |
NEXT ON...
... were Tim Vail against Farzan Rasheed. Another
good match from Tim, with a Farzan getting better as the match
went on. Still, Tim prevails by fighting back, coming back from
6/1 down in the 3rd, and 8/2 in the 4th...
|
Tim Vail
bt Farzan Rasheed 3/0 |
 A
tough but very fair match between Alex Gough and
Campbell Grayson, from New Zealand, now based in Halifax,
and who trains with Paul Hornsby. Long rallies in the first,
very close in the second, ended on a tie-break in favour of the
Welsh Devil.
Coming back from 2/0 down seemed a bit too much for young
Campbell, who strung tin after tin in the last game.
But it was a very pleasant match indeed, and if Campbell had
taken the second, Alex could have had another match on his
hands...
PETER
AND PETER...
At the same time, we had Peter Barker facing Oliver
Pett, a straight win for Peter, who slightly struggled in
the first game, to got a good control after that...
Joanne, the lovely student whose been helping me for this round,
said, " I enjoyed watching Oliver and Peter. I had not seen
Oliver before but had heard from Peter as he is is in the top 20
of the world! It was very interesting to watch them both as I
saw that some rallies were quite brisk with sharp accuracy and
others flagged a little with tiredness. However I was impressed
with their fitness and accuracy."
A SQUASH LESSON...
 Well,
I never had the chance to see Marsh at his best, and if
what I could see tonight against Joe Lee was only a
glimpse of what he used to be, no wonder he was so powerful and
lethal.
Not the best shotmaker in the world, but an accuracy, but a
capacity to read his opponent's game and therefore able to take
the ball so early, but a sense where to put the ball. A bit like
if you were giving a squash lesson, and try and show where the
ball should go in the best scenario. Well, that's where Marsh
would put it.
Never falling in the trap of playing short, always surprising
his opponent by delaying his shots to the limit, Peter Marshall
was never taken out of his comfort zone by a tired Joe Lee, who
still makes far too many tins. I'm no specialist, but it looks
to me that this boy needs a bit more strength on the quads, to
allow him to stabilise his body better when hitting the ball
under pressure.
But hey, what do I know...
|
Peter
Marshall bt Joe Lee 3/0 |
|
"I think he
had a rather tiring earlier match, and I guess he was a bit tired from
that. Also, he got a bit frustrated, because the game was so tight, and
he was trying to play shots from the back.
I think it's good for younger player to battle like that on court,
tactically, it's important, I went through that phase at his age, you
think you are going to win matches, and you don't. But that's good
experience.
Maybe he should have varied the pace a bit more, and also maybe be a bit
more patient..."
"The early match took a lot
out of me, not just in the legs, but also in the head. And when you play
against somebody with such an accuracy... I don't know, maybe if I had
been fresher, I would have done better...
I also think that I switched game plans too quickly, I didn't stick to
one long enough.
David Campion said that I got him tired at some point during the match,
but then I did a few unforced errors in a row, and he got his breath
back...
But I guess that's what you are supposed to do, back it up after a good
win.
 |
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Daryl
Selby bt Alex Stait 3/0 |
|
 "I
was moving well, hitting well, while Alex said several times to himself
"stop feeding the ball", and I know he's been coaching...
I've been training a lot recently, trying to reassess my game, and add
new things, and I thought that I would take a step back maybe in January
with all that training, but it doesn't seem that I am.
It's such a great event to come to, it allows us to play competitive
squash, and try out things, like I'm trying to work on at the moment,
like being more aggressive, and forward thinking, not just sending the
ball back...
 "I've
been injured - the knee again - since Christmas, which is really a shame
as I was playing really well.
I'm massively unfit, and he played very well too. Shame, I could have
done with a few matches, but today, I was way out of the pace..."
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Alex
Gough bt Campbell Grayson 3/0 |
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"I felt comfortable in the
first game, but he started to play better, still I took a good start and
just kept it going.
The second was much closer, altough I was up 5/1, but he stepped the
pace up, and my width was particularly bad, and he was fast, very very
fast, and I became a bit puffy.
In the third, I think he made so much effort in the 2nd, he was probably
tired...
"Training with Paul has made a huge difference, in New Zealand, I had so
much to travel to get games, not enough players...
I think today was all down to Alex' experience, he played the big points
better than I did.
In the second for example, I had two game point, but I wasn't patient
enough, but he was...
 |
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Peter
Barker bt Oliver Pett 3/0 |
|
 |
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Jon
Harford bt Alan Clyne 3/1 |
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"I didn't feel
fresh as much as I wanted to as I had a game earlier today.
I go to the front of the court quite easily which was a good strength.
My legs are nearly done now!
However I felt confident with this match against John. I wish I
had made it to the 5th... I am a little disappointed with that."
 |
|
And to
finish...
 Two
great matches to finish, unfortunately for the Scot crowd, Jon Harford
beats Alan Clyne 3/1. Here is what Joanna had to say on the match...
"This match was interesting, Alan Clyne is extremely quick with his fit
cardiovascular endurance but John was fit as well but his movement was quick
too but not as fast. It was a great match. I thought though at times that
Alan was a little desperate to win some rallies so some mistakes occurred.
Both very accurate, quick and good players."
Then we had a splendid exhibition from Hadrian Stiff at the front of
the court, but still a victory for Ali Walker.
Still, as Daryl commented "it was a great game of squash, really enjoyed it,
you both moved very well, very good at the front..." |
|
Ali
Walker bt Hadrian Stiff 3/1 |
|
"Hadrian is a
good player, a very good player. You know these guys, they don't play on
the tour anymore, they can pick their events and play their best then!
I felt I was a bit heavy at the front, but also because he was playing
so well there.
But it's all a great preparation for the Nationals, and I'm very happy
to get a win here...
 |
|
|
"I just
couldn't keep the pace up, the body started to break down, a bit like I
did against Bianchetti in the League...
Why did I stop the circuit? Because I lost the will to win, when I was
in my mid late twenties. Now, like a few players, Andy Whipp, Marcus
Berret, at another level, as we get older, we understand squash much
better than we did when we were young. I play squash much better now
than I ever did, it's just the body that cannot sustain the pace for
long enough..."
 |
|
|
1st
FEBRUARY 2008 - FIRST ROUND |
|
LONG DAY AHEAD...
 Didn't
start well, I must say, as the hotel I was booked in "forgot" to mention to
the Club that they were under refurbishment, and that I was awaken this
morning at 8 by the noise of four polish plumbers banging away that not only
cut the heating system, but also the water!
What did they think, that I wouldn't notice??Bless..
Still, Super Simon Boughton, the Club Pro, saved me, picked me up
early morning, and found me a lovely room in a hotel right at the corner of
the club, that was supposed to be full, but the word "Frog in distress"
seemed to have done the trick...
So, now washed, rested, I'm ready to face the music, and the two rounds of
men and women that are waiting for me.
Well, I was told that I'll have the lovely Joanna to help out tonight as
well, so, everything is under control people, why are you panicking???? |
 |
|
Helen
Macfie bt Harriet Ingham 3/1
"I didn't know what to expect, I only knew I was playing a 15 years old
girl, and they are usually pretty good! And she was.. If you give her
control, she hits some very good shots....
This is my club, so I wanted to represent it, and it's always very nice
to play in a tournament.
"During the first two games, I was snatching a lot, I wasn't patient
enough, and made a lot of silly errors.
Then in the 3rd, I seemed to relax, enjoy it more, and cut the errors.
But in the 4th, I did two tins, and it was all downhill from there...
I enjoyed it still, it was a good experience...
 |
|
LADIES
FIRST...
First on was English junior Kimberlay Hay, that showed a lot of
control today as she faced the "emotional" Senga Macfie, from
Scotland, who used to play for England as a junior, I'm told, to reach a
very decent level.
Now aged 39, Senga hasn't lost both her touch and her self-destructive
demons, that push her to alternate superb winner with monologues that cannot
help her staying in the match really. Shame, as she is obviously bursting
with talent...
Still, Kimberlay kept her concentration at all times, and after losing the
first, just kept on going to add point after point to finally take the match
3/1.
|
 Kimberly
Hay bt Senga Macfie 3/1
"It was only my second BSPA, the first one was Boston, I lost in the
second round.
I don't know what I'm expecting really, I just assume that all the girls
will be very good, and I'm trying to do my best..."
 |
Next
court, we had Senga's sister, Helen Macfie, 36, a ful
time landscape in architecture student, who was battling away
against 15 years old Harriet Ingham (if you are English,
you'll know of the Ingham's family, they are a squash players'
family).
And the little Harriet has got a good future, I must say. She
hits terribly well, she know how to be patient (sometimes!), and
is a fighter. Still, far too many unforced errors against a
Scottish lady who's experienced served her well, and Helen will
play in the second round against Deon Saffery.
 Then
we had another Scotland favorite, Frania G'n-Buchert, who
played a tight and disputed match against Elina Kononem,
in a very good spirited encounter, although poor Elina wears a
mark of a ball on the thigh that must have hurt...!
But no bad feeling whatsoever between the two ladies! Frania
3/1.
|
 Frania
G'n-Buchert bt Elina Kononem 3/1
"Elina doesn't stop, and she runs, and runs, and runs, and she gets
everything back, and it's very nice to play a tough match against her.
I'm hoping to get a space on the doubles' Scotland team, and for the
single, I'm trying to play as many WISPA as I can, to try and get a
decent ranking.
But as at the moment, there is no way I can go full time, I'm just
trying to enjoy my squash, and play as much as I can when I can..."
 |
|
|
 Claire
Kidd bt Katie Quarterman 3/0
"It was very hot on there, and it was hard to get the ball to settle
down. Today, I tested my fitness, and we had long rallies that probably
a year ago I would have lost, but that I won today...
I played very well, I thought I was moving well around the court, there
was not much I couldn't get back, and I'm happy with the work I did on
my fitness".
 |
|
 |
|
AND THE
BOYS...
A still not settled down Andy Whipp open the hostilities on court
against funnily enough the young brother of my late "French" coach - Shah
Jahan Khan - Obaid Jahan Khan. Those two players were both quite
determined to win this match , and a few words were exchanged, but nothing
that the calm ref couldn't handle very quickly.
A 3/1 victory for Andy, who'll need to raise his game soon if he wants to
stay in the event... But he knows that.
Then a lot of matches I couldn't even glimpse at, like Daryl Selby
who beats Carl Hampson 3/0, seems easy, but the first game seemed
pretty long to me... Also Stacey Ross who despatched of a Rory
Pennell that got better as the match unfold, still a 3/0 victory for
Stacey...
We had an interesting match on the central court, Paul Franck, Scotland
Performance Director, against Alex Stait, which yet again, I couldn't see,
but I got Roger Flynn, Scotland National Coach, who's bound to know
something about squash, his view on it.
|
Alex
Stait bt Paul Franck 3/1 (14/12 in the 4th)
"I think he played at a pace too fast for him in the first, and that
after that, he had to calm it down. And he managed that by lobbing
absolutely everything, that got me frustrated, and the more he would be
tired, the more he would lob, and the more I would be frustrated...
 "It
was a tactical match between a Paul Franck that hadn't played a
competitive match for several years, and a player like Alex Stait.
It was tactical in the sense that playing a young bloke at his own game
is probably not a good idea. So Paul adjusted his game, and succeeded to
break him a few time. Still, a couple of errors at a crucial time, and
it's all over...
But Paul succeeded to frustrate Alex just enough, and squash is not
about the physical aspect, you know, there is a lot of things going on
out there...
 |
And we get to Alex Gough, who came here in preparation
for the Nationals, after his niggling injury that he got during
the Team Words in India.
He had a tough game against Steven Siviter, who got a
long five game yesterday which he managed to win 12/10 against a
young player, Rudy, but was up and running today against Wesh
number 1.
Both players were happy to play long rallies, Alex was patient,
and Steven very determined. End result, a very pleasant match
that Steven will be proud of.
|
Tim Vail
bt James Jacobsen 3/0
 "The
back is not too bad, I saw the physio yesterday, so it' going to be fine
for a few days.
I just played tight and sensible, just keeping it tidy and under
control. | | |
