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TODAY in Edinburgh: Sunday 30th Jan
2011,
FINALS Day |
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Photo Galleries
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[1] Dominique Lloyd-Walter bt [2] Orla Noom
11/3,
11/4, 12/10 (35m)
[1] Daryl Selby bt [3/4] Andy Whipp
11/4, 11/6, 13/11 (43m)
Selby denies Whippy hat-trick, Dom's
back
The finals of the Artemis Open 2011 saw straight-game wins for
the top seeds in both finals as Daryl Selby captured his second
Artemis title, thus denying Andy Whipp three BSPA titles in a
row, and Dominique Lloyd-Walter marked a triumphant return from
a six-month injury layoff.
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[1] Dominique
Lloyd-Walter bt [2] Orla Noom
11/3, 11/4, 12/10 (35m)
Dom ends the long wait with a win
 It's
six months since Dominique Lloyd-Walter played her last
tournament, losing out in the final of the Des Pyramides Open in
France, so making the final in your first tournament back, and
winning it to boot must help erase some of the pain and boredom
of the last few months.
The Englishwoman dominated the first two games, taking them 113,
11/4 with Orla Noom unable to get a foothold in the match.
That changed in the third though, as the Dutchwoman raced into a
6/1 lead, hitting a few crunching winners along the way.
Undeterred, Dom worked her way back, levelling at 7-all. Orla
wasn't doing anything especially wrong, she just found herself
on the wrong end of a series of well-contested rallies, both
working hard.
Orla found three more winners to earn three game balls at 10/7,
but Dom replied with two of her own and then an attempted long
drop from Orla just clipped the tin and we were into extra
points.
Orla stretched for a drive but couldn't keep the ball down as if
flew out of court, then clipped the tin a final time as Dom
ended a long wait with a fine victory.
 "I
started well, I was expecting to feel flat after yesterday but
those matches must have blown the cobwebs away and my lenght was
good in the first two games.
"I've relaxed after getting leads a few times this week and I
did it again, feeling comfortable and going for a few too many
things. I felt confident that I could still win it if I switched
back to my A game though, and thankfully I managed to get it
back.
"It's great to win a title after such a long time out, it's been
frustrating but people, Graeme Williams especially, have been a
great help to me and it feels good to be back!"
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[1]
Daryl Selby bt [3/4] Andy Whipp 11/4,
11/6, 13/11 (43m)
Daryl denies Whippy
They both had tough semi-finals last night, and by the end of
today's final while the crowd were willing it to go on and on,
both players were beginning to suffer, and a three-nil win for
the top seed was probably a blessing in disguise!
Daryl Selby was in control for the first two games, with Andy
Whipp unable to dominate as he did in his other matches, not
even in patches.
But, in an uncanny likeness to the women's final, he came out
strongly in the third which went point for point with the
rallies getting longer and longer. Andy reached game ball first,
10/9, but Daryl kept the pressure on and levelled.
The crowd wanted more, they applauded politely when Daryl won a
point, cheered loudly when Andy won one, and it was the players
making the noise during the rallies as they both expended what
energy they had left.
Twice Daryl forced errors from Andy to save the day, twice made
errors himself to level things again, but finally he forced an
error from Andy's racket to take the title, and the crowd
applauded while both players regained their breath.
 "I'm
really glad I managed to take that third, I didn't want another
one like last night!
"I was pretty pleased with how I played in the first two, my
length was much better. You're never going to be able to stop
Andy from attacking, but at least I was forcing him to do it
from positions he wouldn't normally try, keeping him behind me
most of the time.
"He came back well in the third, it was point for point and some
silly errors from both of us.
"It's my first three-nil of the week, and in the final! Ii was
like that when I won here two years ago, I thought I would learn
and try to save energy in the early rounds, but perhaps I'll
never learn!
"It's great to come to Edinburgh for this tournament, the club,
the crowrd, the atmosphere and the organisation are all great,
thanks to the sponsors, the club, and everyone involved."
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Preview:
Whipp goes for Hat-trick,
Dom aims for rapid return ...
 Winner
of the first two BSPA events of the season, in Solent and
Boston, Andy Whipp goes for a hat-trick today in
Edinburgh.
Whipp, runaway winner of the BSPA 2009/10 Gran Prix, faces top
seed and world number ten Daryl Selby, who took the BSPA
Grand Prix Finals title in 2009 and won one event in the 2009/10
season compared to Whipp's two.
THe comparison isn't necessarily fair though, as Daryl fits in
the odd BSPA tournament when the schedule allows, while Andy,
the older by several years with a highest-ever world ranking of
64, concentrates on UK Leagues and BSPA events these days.
Nevertheless, Daryl was given a real scare by Joel Hinds last
night, with the Essex man coming from two games and 9/6 down to
win in an 89-minute marathon, while Andy played three superb
games in beating second seed Chris Simpson. His "no-one beats me
in BSPA" declaration is sure to be given a stiff examination
though ...
 In
the women's final Dominique Lloyd-Walter is playing her
first BSPA event of the season, having been sidelined by injury
for six months. Her last BSPA title came at Wimbledon last
March, and she'll be hoping to add another, along with the WISPA
points to start her climb back up the rankings - currently at 51
compared to a high of 18.
Orla Noom probably doesn't think of it this way, but
she's playing her first BSPA event - as far as she's concerned
she's aiming to win her fifth WISPA title, but a first for over
a year. At 25 she enjoys a four-year age advantage over
her opponent, and an 11-place advantage on the current world
rankings. |
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