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Head UK Grand Prix Finals
22-24 June 2005">
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BSPA UK GRAND PRIX |
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Head UK Grand Prix Finals
22-24 June 2005, Abingdon |
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24-Jun, Finals:
[1] Rebecca Macree bt [2]
Stephanie Brind
6/9, 10/8, 9/2, 9/7 (48m)
[1] Nick Matthew bt Peter Genever
11/9, 11/8, 10/11(0-2), 11/5 (52m)
CATCH UP GAME…
Framboise on the finals
It was a really funny game, not funny
Ha Ha Ha, but funny as Stephanie Brind needed to be led 7/2 (in the
second), 7/1 (in the third) or 7/0 (in the fourth) against ex top 10
Rebecca Macree to actually come back into the game and fight her way
back…
Felt a bit “7, wake up time…”
 It
all started very well for Stephanie, who shot up 5/1 before being caught
up 5/5. She was playing to the same standard as the day before against
Pam Nimmo, and succeeded to put the Feline Lady under pressure, forcing
her to make several tins that gave her the game 9/6 in 9 minutes.
But Rebecca seemed to be able to handle Stephanie’s short game and
fantastic drop shots and lethal boasts much better than the Scot the day
before. I’m not technical enough to explain why or how, but Miss Macree
was on the ball so quickly that, instead of being put under pressure by
the short shots, she was in fact in perfect position to attack and
distribute the game, as she was in front of her opponent…
 The
three next games would look terribly similar: Rebecca would zoom up to 7,
then Stephanie would climb slowly slowly up, rally per rally, point per
point… The suspense was intense… was she going to get back, wasn’t she???
But Rebecca played her opponent
beautifully, finding perfect crosscourt lobs that systematically pushed
Stephanie to the back, varying the pace… And Miss Brind found a great
number of backhand boasts and sharp drop shots from the back of the court,
but because of the pressure she was under (not to mention that her legs
must have been aching from her previous day's titanic encounter…), she
started to find a lot of tins as well…
 And
it was quite significant that the last point of the game would be a
backhand boast which was so devastating with Pam the day before, that
would seal her fate by ending up in the tin, giving the match to Rebecca
Macree, who has now established a record of four successive victories in
the BSPA Finals, a record that may reveal itself to be difficult to beat, or
even equal…
[1]
Rebecca Macree bt [2] Stephanie Brind
6/9, 10/8,
9/2, 9/7 (48m)
 "I
don’t miss the circuit at all. Well, I miss the brain excitement,
going here, going there, being active, but I don’t miss the
training, let me tell you!
"What am I going to do? Having a good time, that’s what, going out
with my friends, and not worry about anything. I spent my life
worrying about things, about missing planes, trains, waking up at 4
am… Now I refuse to worry about anything… I enjoy getting up at 11
in the morning, having a drink in the evening with my friends…
"Only when my money runs out I will starting thinking about what I’m
going to do with my life. But for now, I’m just going to enjoy my
life…"
Rebecca Macree
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NICK STRONG, PETER RELAXED…
It was one of those encounters that you cannot predict… Nick Matthew
at the top of his form, recovering from a year of worries with his back,
determined to re-establish himself at the top of the Men’s game, and
Peter Genever, the Worrier himself, never satisfied with his
performances, always trying to be a better person, a better player,
Gentleman Peter, as I call him…
 Well,
we had a nice show, yet again!
Having nothing to lose, Peter was relaxed and focused, attacking well,
hitting hard and precise, good length, good lobs and width. Nick, in
training, was a bit unsure of himself, as ever. I wish that boy would
realise what the rest of the world knows, that he is a great player…
So Peter attacked from the word go, Nick retorted beautifully, perfect
traditional squash, a few up and down the wall, just enough to evaluate
technique, not too much to become boring, a few great nick kills from
Sheffield Wonder Boy, some superb crosscourt kills from Peter, long and
disputed rallies, varied attacks and defence, lots of running from both
men…
All the games were close, Peter always threatening, Nick always on his
guard, could not relax, until the last game where his opponent finally
accepted defeat…
A very entertaining final for a good crowd who came to enjoy a nice day of
squash in Abingdon…
[1] Nick
Matthew bt Peter Genever
11/9, 11/8,
10/11(0-2), 11/5 (52m)
"I’m NEVER in an exhibition mode,
Framboise!!!!!
 "No,
seriously, at 7/2 in the third, I relaxed ever so slightly, and
Peter took his chance… I believe that he deserved to win one of the
first two games, so it was actually fair that he should win that
one…
Actually, when he was down 2/0, I was expecting his head to go down,
but it didn’t, he kept pushing, and that’s all to his credit, and
pleased the crowd…
"Peter was playing at a faster pace than anybody else I played for
the past two days, which was perfect for me, as I needed to be
pushed. It shows that I still have to work on my game, on my
fitness…
"I played Peter a lot when I was a junior, and he was never more
dangerous than when I passed him in the rankings, because he started
to relax, and having nothing to lose, he always played extremely
well…
 "As
far as next season is concerned, the game is so open nowadays, there
are a dozen players that are potential top four… So, it all comes
down to not to get carried away after a good win, or get too
disappointed after a bad loss… My goal is to get myself in the
position to regain my fifth ranking, and work hard enough to be able
to challenge the top four…But then again, I’m not the only one that
says or believes that…
"It’s funny, every year I’m getting stronger, but every year, it
seems to get harder and harder… I just hope that this year, I’ll
stay injury free, as it really took a lot out of me to have that
back problem… It’s not so much being out of the game, but it’s
spending so many weeks building up your confidence in your game…
"But this year, I’m working hard to prevent any injury…
Nick Matthew |
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Head UK Grand Prix Finals
22-24 June 2005, Abingdon |
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Thu 23rd,
Semi-Finals:
[1] Rebecca Macree bt Laura Hill
9/4, 9/1, 9/6 (36m)
[2] Stephanie Brind bt Pam Nimmo
7/9, 9/4, 9/7, 3/9, 9/6 (54m)
[1] Nick Matthew bt Marcus Berrett
11/5, 11/6, 11/6 (30m)
Peter Genever bt Peter Billson
11/6, 11/7, 11/8 (32m)
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Wed 22nd,
Men's Quarters |
 "I
played her a couple of times, and it’s always a tough match. Today
was a good match again, a very hard game. I felt fit and strong, so
I kept on attacking…
"In the first two games, I was far too loose, I should have gone
tighter much sooner…
"In the third, I was playing all right, but then I lost
concentration, I let her in, and lost my way…"
Laura Hill |
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23-Jun, Semi-Finals:
Framboise
reports from Abingdon
REBECCA: STRONG AS EVER…
What a lady Miss Rebecca Macree is… I know, I know, she has got
some detractors who do not appreciate some of her behaviour on court…
But as a performer, as a person, as a fighter, one can only respect and
admire the retired player.
 And
what a body she has… She is absolutely stunning, isn’t she…
But her opponent today, number 15 in the English rankings, Laura Hill,
is no push-over… No end of the season here, no break, no holiday, Laura
came to beat her opponent, not to dwell on her qualities…
It was the first time I saw Laura play, and I like her game, in
particular her smashing short hit, whether in forehand low drive or
cross court, not to mention that I did appreciate the variety of her
game. And yes, she is also a very attractive young lady, make no
mistake…
Laura didn’t get much chance to show us the extent of her talent in the
first two games, as Rebecca was controlling the rallies pretty well.
Fifteen minutes later, Macree was up 2/0, 9/4, 9/1.
Then, as sometimes happens when one is a bit short of match practice,
she seemed to suffer a bit on the fitness front, and Laura seized her
chance. Attacking extremely well, dropping the ball in all directions,
she quickly took the lead 4/1. Rebecca, sensing danger, closed up at
4/4.
 The
rest of the game was extremely close and of an excellent standard
indeed, with some great long rallies, nice running from both players,
with a Laura who felt that everything could happen if she was to take
the third.
But today Rebecca was as strong mentally as she ever was. She stuck in
there, and eventually sealed her victory in the longest game of the
match, 9/6 in 17 minutes, with an exquisite backhand boast that died
delicately in the nick.
[1] Rebecca Macree bt Laura Hill
9/4,
9/1, 9/6 (36m)
 "I
went for the winners in the last game, because I was starting to be
a little tired, whereas in the first two, I was playing well,
playing long… So I just went back to basics, and went for the
length, and it worked well in the end…
"Overall, I was happy about my
 performance
today… Well, apart from my hair that kept on falling in front of my
eyes… that was quite embarrassing!"
Rebecca Macree |
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MATCH OF THE DAY…
The encounter between Pam Nimmo, world number 20, and
Stephanie Brind, world number 21 was a perfect match. Good quality
squash, long rallies, two extremely fit and determined young ladies,
suspense, we had it all…
 After
a slow start in the first, behind 1/5, the Scot Beauty equalised at 5/5
to take the game 9/7 in 9 minutes. She seemed on a high, and took an
easy advance in the second, 4/0.
She seemed so at her ease, so confident, I thought she was going to
cruise to victory. Once again, I couldn’t have been more wrong, as she
was not able to score another point in that game, won by Drop Master
Stephanie 9/4 in 10 minutes.
Today, Miss Brind could have dropped shots from the changing room while
staying on her head… She went for extremely daring shots that were
practically irretrievable…
Pam was very focused, extremely determined, and ran an awful lot during
this match. She covered a lot of ground picking up Stephanie's magic
drop shots, especially after losing the third game 9/7, to take the
fourth quickly 9/3.
The fifth was absolutely superb squash. Stephanie at her best, Pam
fighting for every point, running like a lunatic, never giving up an
inch, but her opponent relentlessly attacking with an astonishingly
precise short game eventually got the better of the Scot, 9/6 in the
decider.
That was a VERY good match…
[2] Stephanie Brind bt Pam Nimmo
7/9, 9/4,
9/7, 3/9, 9/6 (54m)
 "We are so
close in the world ranking now, she is just one place above me, so
it was bound to be a close game… And the thing with Pam is that you
need to play a perfect shot, whether drop shot or boast every time,
otherwise you comes down on you like a ton of bricks…
"I've felt for a few weeks now, that I can drop from anywhere, and
it’s great when it actually comes off!
"I must say I’m happier than last year, as it’s here that I actually
hurt myself, twisting my ankle quite badly… Much better this year so
far…
"I’m really hungry to play at the moment, as I played very few
matches since Mamut Open (the 4th match in 3 weeks)… I actually
started to train this week, as every day for two weeks I just rested
and did nearly nothing, or very little…
"I don’t have any plans for the next weeks, no tournaments, I’m just
going to train and rest…
Stephanie Brind |
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 "This
was the best ladies match I’ve seen in more than 20 years of
squash…"
Alan Horton |
 "I
played very well in patches, but I was a bit up and down really…
"I thought I coped with the court quite well, as it’s a court that's
very dead, and which suits her very well, as she drops the ball
superbly from the back, shots that are very difficult to pick up…
"She played a very high risk game that paid off…"
Pamela Nimmo |
Pam aided by boyfriend Nathan |
NO PICNIC FOR NICK…
Don’t believe the punishing score, as Nick Matthew and Marcus
Berrett offered us a great show today.
OK, there was very little doubt in our mind about the outcome of the
match, but still, those two were playing a similar kind of game, and
offered us a perfect demonstration of what traditional squash is all
about: you hit good length and width, you drop nice shots, you lob when
in trouble, and you run all over the court…
A lot of respect between the players, a nice atmosphere of friendship
and enjoyment of being on court, in other words, a perfect behaviour, a
wonderful 40 minutes of perfect squash…
[1] Nick Matthew bt Marcus Berrett
11/5,
11/6, 11/6 (30m)
 "I
know that when I play Marcus, I can never relax, as he always comes
back… This tournament is part of my training, so I enjoy a close
game, but I still do not trust my fitness, so I was glad he pushed
me, but equally glad that he couldn’t keep on pushing for too long!
"You know, Marcus hardly trains, so I’ve got to make sure that I
beat him at the moment, I couldn’t justify losing against him, what
with all that time spent on training, and for what??? But he beat me
enough when I was younger, it’s my turn now…
"And I must say I was very proud to outlob the Master of Lobs! Mind
you, I stayed with the Meads family last night, and this morning I
trained with Steve and he made me play so many lobs… So I've got to
thank him for that one…"
Nick Matthew |
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HEARD ON COURT:
During Nick Matthew/Marcus Berrett, after Marcus couldn’t get to a
drop shot:
Nick: “I thought you might have got that…”
Marcus: “A couple of years ago, I might have got it…”
Nick: “You’re quicker now than you were a couple of years
ago…”
So much hate…
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BILLSON MISSED HIS CHANCE…
A Peter Genever in a perfect spirit, focused, in a good frame of
mind, against a Peter Billson slightly tense, not really in the
match, who withheld his arm throughout more or less the whole game…
Genever never gave a chance to his opponent. His length was precise, he
was controlling the rallies firmly planted on the T, and pushed his
opponent to make error upon error, eventually taking away from him any
confidence he had.
As it often happens, Billson only started to relax and play at his best
level when down 0/2 and 1/6 in the third. Nothing to lose, hey?
At last we saw the Billson that beat Alex Gough the previous day,
inventive, sharp, daring… And the match started there and then… OK, a
bit too late, I admit it, but those two then gave us some pretty good
rallies, disputed and at a very high pace…
A regal…
But too little, too late, a Genever confident and concentrated couldn’t
be destabilised, and ended a mighty good performance 11/8 in the third
after only 32 minutes…
Peter Genever bt Peter Billson
11/6, 11/7, 11/8 (32m)
 "How
many tins was that????
"I was mentally drained tonight… I had to check out of my hotel at
10, and it was a long day going around the town without a base or a
place to rest…
"Peter went off very quickly, and I couldn’t get the rallies going
long enough. Also, I started to tighten up when I clipped the tin so
many times…
"Then, in the third, as I was match ball down, I didn’t have
anything to lose and started to relax… But we still had a few good
rallies to finish, so I’m happy…
"I’m about to start a bit of training with the boys from Manchester,
like Andy Whipp or Nick Taylor… That will do me a hell of a good…"
Peter Billson |
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 "I
think I played the ball well tonight, and I was also pleased with
the way I played last night. Nice and calm, getting into a rhythm
... that's the way to play squash well, isn't it.
"Now, it's going to be tough tomorrow!
"But I'm really satisfied with my game today, especially as I felt
that I was expected to win, whereas last night I was playing 'the
Boss' Ross and there was no pressure."
Peter Genever |
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Head UK Grand Prix Finals
22-24 June 2005, Abingdon |
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Wed 22nd,
Men's Quarters
[1] Nick Matthew bt Ben Garner
11/8, 11/5, 11/10(3-1) (33m)
Marcus Berrett bt Steve Meads
9/11, 11/2, 11/7, 11/8 (42m)
Peter Genever bt Stacey Ross
11/10(4-2), 11/9, 11/5 (41m)
Peter Billson bt [2] Alex Gough
5/11, 11/7, 3/11, 11/7, 11/9 (46m)
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Christine Bishop,
referee |
Steve's happy ... for now ...
 "What am
I going to do for the next two months? Enjoy the sun I guess…
"No, more seriously, I just had Hong Kong number two player,
Dick Lau, who came and trained with me for the past three weeks.
He left a bit tired, I think… He made me smile, because just
before he left, he told me “You’re still quite fit”…
"No, I’m not
going to come out of retirement, but I might, I might start
playing for the over 35 soon… if Tim Garner starts playing, that
is…!!!"
Steve Meads |
 "Yes,
I went for the attack approach today, but as I just took some
holidays myself, like Nick, I struggled with the fitness today…
And as Nick was not giving any cheap points away, it was a very
hard game…
"But I guess it was better that it could have been… I’m now off to
Australia, as one of my brothers has emigrated there, so I’ll go
and visit him and take the opportunity to play a tournament
there…"
Ben Garner |
 "It
was really a strange match today, I struggled with my
concentration, and so did Alex, he was like me in and out. He was
just back from Pakistan, and he was obviously very tired from the
trip, I really feel that in normal circumstances, he should have
beaten me…
"With Alex, he is so good at counterattacking, you’ve got to keep
it very tight, but today, like I said, he was not as quick as he
normally is…
"I’m not training that much at the moment, as I’ve accepted a
headcoach position at the Manchester Northern for now a year, so
I’m concentrating on that really, but I still play my league
matches, North West Counties and Yorkshire ..."
Peter Billson |
Alan
Horton with
Andy Catchpole of Head UK
Arriving at Abingdon ...
Tim ponders the odds
Stop me and buy one, says John ...
More refs ... John and Wendy
Raring to go ...
Peter Billson
Abingdon Greats Galleries
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22-Jun, Men's Quarters:
First day upsets at Abingdon
The first day's play of the end of season Grand Prix finals in Abingdon
witnessed two upsets in the men's quarter-finals as Peter Billson
overcame second seed Alex Gough in five games, and Peter Genever
beat 3/4 seed Stacey Ross.
Framboise reports on Day one from Abingdon
 A
VERY INTERESTING MATCH…
The first match of the day between Marcus Berrett (on his way to
Italy where he accepted a position of head coach), and Steve Meads
was maybe the most interesting encounter of the day.
Good traditional squash, with both players varying their game, long
rallies well constructed, lobs, nice touch as ever from Marcus, perfect
fitness and determination from Steve as usual… They gave us a very nice
show, thank you very much.
Steve came out blasting from the start and rightly took the first game.
Marcus regrouped, and stepped up two gears in the second, leaving little
time to his adversary to find his rhythm (only 6 minutes…). The third and
fourth were very close (7/7 in the 3rd, 6/6 in the 4th), but every time,
Marcus seemed to find the right drop shot at the right time, and Steve
never gave up but eventually run out of steam…
Marcus Berrett bt Steve Meads
9/11, 11/2, 11/7, 11/8 (42m)
 "I
was a bit late, as is always the case when you are trying too hard…
I was supposed to meet a friend at his squash club that’s about 20
minutes from here, because I know where it is, and then, we were
supposed to get a lift from there to here. But he had trouble
getting there on time, and then there was an accident on the A34, so
I really arrived straight on time, went on there, without having
time to think…
"Steve was very concentrated, and played very well in the first
game. I took that time to get into the match and focus…
"But you know, you can never relax when you play Steve, as he never
lets anything go, and he never gives up. Thank God he has slowed
down a bit, so I concentrated on keeping the game at the front. But
his strongest point is his toughness, and the fact he always keeps
going… "
Marcus Berrett |
HIT AND RUN…
Nick Matthew was the obvious favourite in the second quarter of the
evening against up and coming Ben Garner. But Nick knew not to
overlook his opponent, as he probably remembered how Ben pushed John White
to five a year ago in
the English Open…
 Ben
started extremely fast, hitting very hard, trying to get Nick out of
position, and it nearly paid off in the first game, as the two players
were racquet to racquet 7/7, 8/8. But Nick seized the game in 13 minutes
11/8.
Like a few players, Ben just had a nice break, and was not at his physical
peak today… and basically couldn’t sustain Nick’s pace for much longer. In
the middle of the second, he just didn’t have enough juice in the legs
anymore, and Nick cruised 11/5.
But the last game was much closer, as Ben saved 4 match balls in all, came
back from 7/10 to impose a tie-break, placed another great kill back hand
to come back from 11/10 to 11/11, but couldn’t save the fifth match ball.
In 10 minutes, Mr Matthews walked with the third 13/11…
[1] Nick Matthew bt Ben Garner
11/8, 11/5,
11/10(3-1) (33m)
 "This
is the start of the season for me really, as I took two weeks of
holidays before the French League Finals. And actually, I was glad
that I didn’t have to play the decider there, thank God my teamates
already won before I went on with James…
"Then, I went to la Réunion, and I had 2 matches in 10 days! And
that was a nice break under the sun. It’s funny how you do need a
break, to be able to start enjoying it again…
"For, for a week now, I’ve started working again on my own, as DP is
in the States at the moment. So I’ve been doing a lot of bike work,
up and down Sheffield, for about two hours at a time, and then the
gym, basically building up my fitness for Pakistan…"
Nick Matthew |
A WEIRD ENCOUNTER…
 One
of those matches where victory seemed obvious, and never was…
Alex Gough seemed so much in control of the match, as he took the
first game 11/5, then relaxed a bit in the second, pushed by a very
tenacious Peter Billson, losing it 7/11, but taking the match
firmly in hand yet again in the third, 11/3.
And then, it all went terribly wrong for the Welshman, and extremely well
for the Englishman. Alex, normally so quick to move, always so early on
the ball, with a lethal anticipation, was always a bit late today,
obviously not having had the time to recover from his last Pakistan trip…
But Peter played beautifully well in the last two games, precise, wrong
footing his opponent soooo many times… A superb performance really, one he
can be proud of…
Peter Billson bt [2] Alex Gough
5/11, 11/7, 3/11, 11/7, 11/9 (46m)
"I was really struggling today Not
so much from the trip or jetlag or anything like that, but more from
the tournament itself, the hard flooring, the physical matches, a
bit of bruising here and there…
"And today, my body was just aching from everywhere, and I just
couldn’t move…"
Alex Gough |
SUPERB PETER…
By the time these two went on court, we were very few still watching, as
it was getting late… But shame for the ones who left, as Peter Genever
and Stacey Ross really gave their best, with in particular the
longest game of the day, 19 minutes, 14/12 in the first game for Peter.
 3/3,
4/4, 5/5, Peter then takes the lead, only to be caught up 8/8, then two
game balls for Stacey, 10/8, 10/9, Peter gets the tie-break, but will need
three game balls to finally clinch the game 14/12. Lots of great rallies,
very balanced, you attack, I do to, I find a perfect length, but what
about mine kind of game. Really nice stuff…
Again very close in the secons, 4/4, 5/5, 7/7, then once again, Peter just
a bit more incisive, gets to 10/7, but yet again will need three game
balls to get a strong mental ascendant on his opponent, 11/9 in 10
minutes, leading now two games to love…
And even if the last game’s score seems punishing, 11/5, Stacey didn’t let
it go that easily (a fault that he can have sometimes, when he seems to
move in and out of matches), and fought hard until 9/5… Overall, a very
solid performance from Mr Genever, and a very concentrated Mr Ross…
Peter Genever bt Stacey Ross
11/10(4-2), 11/9, 11/5 (41m)
 "I pulled a
muscle in the Mamut Dutch, and since, I’ve been trying to recover
from it. So, I’ve been keeping fit, but I’m out of match practice, I
feel so rusty, it’s so frustrating…"
Satcey Ross |
Thursday: Semi-Finals
Thursday sees the women's competition get under way, as Rebecca Macree
comes out of retirement as she attempts to claim a fourth straight GP
Finals title.
With four semi-finals on the agenda, the Abingdon crowd is set for another
treat ...
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| PREVIEW: Top men back from their travels
Heading the men’s draw is World no.7 Nick Matthew, who gained entry
to the 8 man draw through his impressive victory in the Artemis Edinburgh
Open in January, and should be fresh after his recent
'holiday' in La Réunion. He will be challenged by second seed Welsh no.1 Alex
Gough, himself just returned from
Pakistan.
However, the player to watch out for may be third seed
Marcus Berrett, who has dominated the BSPA Head Grand Prix for the
last two seasons. Added to that is the fact that this will be Berrett’s
last competitive outing in the UK before he takes up a coaching position
in Italy in September and he will be looking to bow out on a high.
Macree's Final Fling
 Top seed in the women’s event is former World no.4 Rebecca Macree.
Having retired from the professional tour
in February Macree will no doubt be
looking to round off a successful career with an incredible 4 straight
Grand Prix titles!
Her main opposition is likely to come from Stephanie
Brind & Pam Nimmo, currently ranked 21 and 20
in the World. |
Abingdon Squash & Racketball
2004 Winners, White & Macree |
Abingdon Squash &
Racketball Club
Northcourt Road, Abingdon,
Oxon, OX14 1NN
Tournament Director,
Alan Horton:
07885 308204 or
Alan.horton@jet.uk
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"I played
OK, it’s just that little bit of control that you need when you
play these top guys… I wasn’t able to get enough balls out of his
reach (I think I must have lobbed all the shots for about 5
rallies!!!!!!!!!)
