Sat 31st, Day THREE:
down to the finals
Two more rounds to play
today as the BSPA and WSA events were whittled down to the final
two ... quarters at lunchtime and semis this evening, with lots
of Graded matches throughout the day ...
WSA Semis:
Fiona Moverley (Eng) 3-1
[1] Lucie Fialova (Cze)
11/4, 11/7, 6/11, 11/2 (34m)
[4] Nele Gilis (Bel) 3-1 [8] Georgina Kennedy (Eng)
11/3, 6/11, 11/9, 12/10 (47m)
BSPA Semis:
[2] Shaun Le Roux (Rsa) 3-0 [3/4] Eddie Charlton (Eng)
11/7, 11/5, 11/7 (38m)
[1] Daryl Selby (Eng) 3-2 [3/4] Jaymie Haycocks (Eng)
11/8, 8/11, 11/7, 11/13, 11/6 (81m)
Semi-finals
While the men's BSPA final will be as predicted by the seedings,
the women's WSA event is sure to produce an unexpected champion
in Edinburgh tomorrow.
 Unseeded
Fiona Moverley continued her giant-killing run with a 3-1
win over top seed Lucie Fialova. The Englishwoman
capitalised on a good 4-0 start in each of the first two games,
taking the first comfortably 11-4 and forging ahead in the
second after Fialova had closed the gap to 7-8, finishing it
11-8.
The Czech was quickly out of the blocks in the third though,
forcing the pace and making Moverley work harder, then pulling
clear from 6-all to reduce the deficit 11-6.
"She dragged me into her game in the third," admitted
Moverley afterwards, "but once I managed to slow it down again
in the fourth it was much more comfortable."
So it was, and a 6-1 lead became 9-1 as Fialova realised she
wasn't winning this, Moverley taking it 11-2 to reach the final.
 The
second semi was a really tough battle for two of its four games.
Nele Gilis looked in control in the first as she
recovered from 1-3 to take the game 11-3 in fairly quick time.
But Gina Kennedy is nothing if not a battler, and she
battled mightily to force her way back into the match, racing to
a 9-2 lead in the second before levelling 11-6.
For the next two games the pair slugged it out with hardly a
point between them, tough rallies, tremendous retrieving and
great entertainment for the crowd. Gilis found two lovely
winners from 9-all in the third to regain the lead, spurned
match ball at 10-9 in the fourth with a tin, but forced two
final errors out of Kennedy to close out the match after 47
minutes.
"If I hadn't won that game I would have lost the match," said
a relieved Gilis, "she was fitter than me today. I just had to
try to keep it tight, she's a real tough cookie!"
 The
first men's semi was shorter than that at 38 minutes - Shaun
Le Roux taking advantage of his [much] easier afternoon
match than Eddie Charlton.
"I knew he'd had a long match this afternoon, so I wanted to
make it as tough as possible at the start," said Le Roux,
who took the first 11-7 and effectively sealed the second going
6-1 up before taking it 11-5.
"Eddie found something extra in the third, and his shots
started going in, it sometimes happens like that you're often
more dangerous when you're tired!"
Charlton's surge of energy provided some entertaining rallies as
he took the lead 7-4 in that third, but Le Roux kept making him
work hard and it told as the South African closed out the match
11-7 to reach his second Edinburgh final.
His opponent in the final will be appearing there for the third
year in a row, but defending champion Daryl Selby
certainly had his work cut out tonight to keep that run going.
Jaymie Haycocks also had a tough match this afternoon,
but as Selby said afterwards, "I kept expecting to get tired
and slow down, but he just never did!"
 It
was a brutal match, both players being patient when required,
and rapid in running down the other's attacks when they came.
After three tough games Selby led two-one and looked to be
closing in on the final as he edged ahead 10-9 in a fourth game
that had gone point for point.
At this point two no lets, two lets he thought should be
strokes, and a final no let left Selby feeling hard done by five
times, and Haycocks walking off having levelled the match 13-11.
Despite a couple of miracle lobs from Haycocks that rolled along
the back wall, Selby always had the slight edge in the decider,
and after 81 minutes reached the final again 11-6.
"That was a good day," said a relieved winner, "I'm just glad
I've only got one match tomorrow!"
WSA Quarters:
[1] Lucie Fialova (Cze) 3-1 Lucy Beecroft (Eng)
11/3, 11/5, 9/11, 11/7 (35m)
Fiona Moverley (Eng) 3-2 [3] Tamika Saxby (Aus)
10/12, 8/11, 11/9, 11/4, 11/3
(55m)
[4] Nele Gilis (Bel) 3-0 [7 Leonie Holt (Eng)
11/7, 11/5, 11/8 (35m)
[8] Georgina Kennedy (Eng) 3-0 [2] Birgit Coufal (Aut)
11/8, 11/3, 11/3 (21m)
BSPA Quarters:
[2] Shaun Le Roux (Rsa) 3-0 [5/8] Richie Fallows (Eng)
11/6, 11/4
rtd (14m)
[3/4] Eddie Charlton (Eng) 3-1 [5/8] Dougie Kempsell (Sco)
11/7, 10/12,
11/9, 11/7 (81m)
[3/4] Jaymie Haycocks (Eng) 3-2 [5/8] Greg Lobban (Sco)
6/11,
12/10, 11/9, 4/11, 12/10 (87m)
[1] Daryl Selby (Eng) 3-1 [5/8] Kevin Moran (Sco)
12/10,
9/11, 11/4, 11/5 (54m)
Upsets continue in WSA quarters
 The
upsets continued in the WSA Edinburgh Open quarter-finals, with
English players gatecrashing both semi-finals.
Top seeded Czech Lucie Fialova started stongly but then
had to hold off a determined fightback from English teenager
Lucy Beecroft, who took the third game and ran Fialova close in
the fourth.
"I'd never played her beore but I knew she'd be good, after
her win yesterday," said Fialova. "I started well but she was
helping me with some mistakes. She stopped making them and it
was very tough in the third and fourth, I'm glad she made a
couple of mistakes at the end!"
 Fialova
faces Fiona Moverley for a place in the final, after the
unseeded Englishwoman came from two games down to beat
Edinburgh-based Aussie Tamika Saxby, the third seed. In truth
Moverley had chances to win the first two games, but having
edged the third she took the last two with some comfort.
"I just couldn't relax at all," admitted Moverley, "I was
nervous and got dragged into her game. Once I started to slow it
down it all just seemed to click in place."
 Second
seed Birgit Coufal came unstuck against the fast, attacking
style of British U19 champion Gina Kennedy, the English
girl winning in straight games with the Austrian number one
falling away after a close first game.
"That's my best win so far," said a delighted Kennedy. "The
roofs are low here so my coach told me I had to keep attacking
and volleying everything, and it worked! I played here last year
and didn't get past the first round, so to make the semis is
great!"
 Kennedy
will face Nele Gilis, the 3/4 seed from Belgium in the
semis, after Gilis beat Leonie Holt in three well-contested
games.
"Happy to be through, but I can play better that that,"
admitted Gilis. "I was moving ok but wasn't really feeling the
ball and gave her too many chances. Things to work on for
tonight!"
Home hopes bow out
The Men's quarter-finals saw the end of Scottish hopes as the
top four seeds won through to tonight's semi-finals.
Second seed Shaun Le Roux had the easiest time, taking
two games from an injured Richie Fallows before the youngster
succumbed to his groin strain after just fourteen minutes.
 It
took Eddie Charlton considerably longer - 81 minutes - to
subdue a fired up Dougie Kempsell in four games that all could
have gone either way.
"He was very solid, not giving me anything," said Charlton.
"I was moving well and felt fine physically, but I don't think I
played my best tactically, I'll have to work on that for
tonight."
 Top
seed Daryl Selby continued his habit of saving game balls
as he came from 6-10 to take the lead against Kevin Moran, and
although the Scot levelled, the defending champion took the next
two games with something to spare.
 That
left home hopes resting on Greg Lobban, who took a fierce
opening game against Jaymie Haycocks. The Englishman
fought back to take the lead but Lobban levelled strongly, and
at 7-4 in the decider a Scottish win looked on the cards.
Six points in a row gave Haycocks three match balls, and
although a determined Lobban forced extra points, a Haycocks
high ball that rolled out of the back wall nick at 11-10 put
paid to that. At 87 minutes we had a new longest match, but no
Scots left.
"Very satisfying," said Haycocks. "I've had a few tough
losses in some bizarre fifth games recently, so I just
decided to keep it simple, play lengths and make him win it."
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