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Power and Nicol Show Their Stuff

By Martin Bronstein © 2003 Squashtalk, all rights of reproduction reserved.
October 3, 2003

WILLSTROP’S WINNING START,POWER’S WINNING FINISH
James Willstrop entered the court against Jonathon Power with a 9-0 record: having never dropped a game in the tournament, which meant two qualifying matches as well as his win over Joe Kneipp in the first round.

He started off with amazing confidence against the Canadian magician and by the end of the first game he had kept his unbeaten record. And he deserved to win it too, with an all court game of attack and defence that that is quite remarkable for one so young – he is, after all, still the world junior champion.

His amazing reach had Power on the run on occasions when he thought he had the comfort of a stroll to the T. Willstrop played his game and not only stayed with Power but went ahead from 3-3 to 8-4 hitting winners while Power was donating a couple of errors. At no time was Willstrop outplayed and his highly developed squash brain told him when to go long and when to go short. He dictated the game by virtue of his seven errors and eight winners, the last two winners giving him the game 15-10 after 19 minutes of good squash: both players knew the value of the basic game of length as well as they knew the importance of going for the shot at the right time. Willstrop was playing well enough to give thoughts of a mammoth upset. What was not apparent was Power’s speed – which we have got used to – was making life very difficult for the accomplished youngster.

In the second game it was Power who was dictating the game and once he went ahead at 8-7 with a disguised roll corner at the right front, he seemed to gain in confidence. He also would have been aware that the work he had made Willstrop was beginning to affect his effort - Power’s drops were now winners rather than coming back at him and Willstrop was going for winners at the wrong time. This was typified by Willstrop’s attempt at a winner from Power’s serve at 14-8 – a bad shot that hit the tin to give Power the game.

A HIT ON THE NOSE – BUT NO MEDICS OR AMBULANCE.
No game would be complete without the Power medical break and this came in third game when Willstrop’s racket came in contact with Power’s nose…just the tip, but it brought tears to the ears, a minor break and the game continued.

(“I was aiming for his eye,” joked Willstrop later, referring to Power’s two previous eye injuries.)

Willstrop ran to a quick 4-0 lead stayed steady as Power tied at 5-5 and then took the next two points on super racket work, a cross court delicate slide across the front wall and some fast reaction that left Power standing. It’s the sort of work you don’t see from ordinary players. Power pulled back and used a handful of his own crafted winners to get to 11-9. In the next rally, Willstrop played a ball that he could have had a stroke on, had he called a let, but his sportsmanlike attitude made him play the ball and Power went on to take the point with a backhand drop. That seemed to take the heart out of the tiring Willstrop and four winners from Power gave him the game 15-9.

The fourth game followed the same scenario with Willstrop staying with Power until 7-6 at which point Power went into his drop/drive routine and Willstrop was all over the court. Power was turning the screw and soon the signs of fatigue showed on Willstrop’s performance with lazy attempts at winners. Power ran out a 15-9 winner, but Willstrop walked off the court with his head held high, rightly satisfied with his performance.

“He’s the quickest bloke to the front of the court I’ve ever played,” Willstrop said of Power. “He is so fast and I’m just not used to it. I did get tired in spots but now I have the fitness to push through and get back in the game.

“In the third game I was in there with a chance and at 11-9 I should have asked for a stroke and didn’t and that put him at 12-9. I think if I’d asked and got the stroke I could have challenged for the game.

“I never had a plan: the normal thing is to try keep Power at the back, but that’s not my game. I went in to play my game and it worked. I can’t say I learned anything specific. You learn subconsciously. When I play him again, I shall just play my game because I know it works against him.”

THE NICOL/BEACHILL BALLET COMPANY COMES TO TOWN
The final quarter final of the day was Peter Nicol and Lee Beachill who put on a display of squash that gripped the nearly full Albert Hall until the very lost drop of sweat. Beachill has had two victories over Nicol and won the first game of their encounter in the US` Open before the lean Yorkshireman had to retire with severe stomach problems.

But Nicol is half a yard faster this week and was all over Beachill from the beginning. It was wonderful squash with the minimal amount of down-the-wall sparring and a whole lot of boasts, drops, amazing gets and downright danger from both players. Safety was the last word that came to mind although it may have crept into Beachill’s mind when he hit four errors in a row to give Nicol a 12-7 lead and finally the game 15-8 after 19 minutes.

SECOND ACT – EVEN BETTER THAN THE FIRST
This pas-de-deux continued with its wonderful choreography; the leading man had to play second fiddle to the young Beachill upstart who took center stage to run to a 10-5 lead and playing well enough to bury the world number one. But Nicol is the hardest man to beat and he simply got to everything and moved the ball with utter assurance to all parts of the court. Beachill managed to get to game point, but Nicol survived again to send the game into overtime. Beachill felt the game slip away and after nearly 24 minutes of superb entertainment Nicol was awarded a stroke to give him the game 17-15.

Beachill could stay with Nicol until 6-6 in the fourth game and then Nicol went up a gear – or perhaps Beachill downshifted – and took a run of six points to 12-7 and then it was all over , Nicol still able to get to everything that Beachill produced – and he produced some damn fine attempts at winners – to take the short final act 15-8 in ten minutes.

Nicol is back to being indomitable and looks as though he is enjoying it again. He will be hard to beat.

Jonathon Power (Can) bt James Willstrop (Eng) 10-15, 15-8, 15-9 , 15-9 77mins
Peter Nicol (Eng) bt Lee Beachill (Eng) 15-8, 15-17, 15-8