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Nicol Outplayed and Wins on Pure Courage
By Martin Bronstein © 2003 Squashtalk, all rights of reproduction reserved.
October 4, 2003

In one of the most outstanding displays of pure guts and courage Peter Nicol took a 3/2 decision over Jonathon Power in match that he should have lost 3/0. Power using his long and short game had run Nicol almost to a standstill by the middle of the third game. Nicol was making tired stabs at balls and being comprehensively outplayed at the front of the court while Power looked ready to take on the world. But Nicol does not lie down; from somewhere he found the strength to stay upright, to lift his racket to make yet another shot and miraculously grind out a win in the third game after Power had stood on the edge of victory at 13-10.

POWER TURNS THE SCREW IN THE FIRST GAME

The first game could have been Jahangir and Jansher from the eighties: length, length, length with not a fancy shot in sight. With Power leading 3-5 they underwent a marathon really – mostly played at the back of the court – which ended in a let. Another hundred strokes and another let, another seventy strokes (roughly) and then Nicol tinned. If anything indicated what the outcome of this match would be , it was this point with Power stating quite categorically that he was going to run Nicol into the ground. But Nicol climbed back to lead 12-11 only to lose 12-15 after 27 minutes.

POWER AT HIS RAMPANT BEST

Power took the second game by the scruff of the neck and kept the ball in play with his huge array of shots and angles. There were now some wondrous displays of lightning reflexes at the front of the court that defied belief. I was sitting two yards from the front wall (and judging by some of the referee’s decisions, saw a helluva lot more than he did) and the action of these two incredible players was simply breathtaking. Power took the second game 15-11 and then continued to keep Nicol on the end of a string in the third, jerking him around and looking set to take his place in the final. He was 12-9 up and Nicol looked ill with fatigue. But the winning post was a mirage and Power, eager to finish, forgot to keep the ball going. Nicol recovered to lead 14-13 and Power pulled off one of his special shots, a backhand side spin length that died in the back court with Nicol looking down on it helpless. Nicol’s shoulders and head dropped. But he still called set three and won them all on some audacious short shots.

This must have been psychologically damaging to Power and empowering for Nicol who took a 7-4 lead in the fourth only to fade as fatigue took his legs and arm away. Once more Power stood on the edge of victory at 13-10 as Nicol stood on the edge of his grave – or at least at the doorway to an intensive care ward.

And yet again this amazing Scot dug deep into his molten center and found the strength to win. A Power tinned drop at 13-11 was a critical error of judgement: he went for a winner rather than keeping the ball flying to make his opponent work. Nicol took the winning point with a drop and Power dived full length but failed to get it up. Nicol had the game 15-13 and forced a fifth game just to see who would still be standing at the end.

THE FIFTH GAME – A POWER NIGHTMARE

The rallies in the fifth were shorter but not much. Nicol led to 6-6, Power dictated play to lead 11-8 and for the third time had victory in his (slippery) grasp. The two players were both spending time on the floor after dives of desperation and at 12-12 Nicol lay full stretch giving thoughts to whether he would get up again. He did and went on to win 15-13 after 111 minutes of heroic squash.

Seasoned observers shook their head in disbelief at what they had witness, Power was as dejected after the final point as I have ever seen him and Nicol looked ready for the pine box. How he will survive in tomorrow’s final is the big question, but after tonight I wouldn’t bet against him.

RACHAEL WREAKS REVENGE

Yesterday top seed Carol Owens dismissed Natalie Grinham in three straight. Today Natalie’s big sister Rachael did what big sisters are supposed to do – beat up on anybody who messes with little sis. Playing wonderfully controlled squash from front and back Grinham demonstrated yet again the benefits of living in Cairo and training with the Egyptian players. She has always had her own vision of the game and none of the other WISPA players ever knew what to expect when they went on court with her. In the past that was seen as a little bit scatterbrained; now with a few years of maturity on her body clock, Rachael Grinham strides the court with confidence. It is the sort of confidence that Owens, despite her position in the squash world, could never muster on a continuing basis.

From the beginning Grinham set the pace of play and the patterns, taking Owen’s best lobs and cutting them to the front or using her favoured high soft boasts to take the ball short. Many of these hit the top of the tin, but she persisted in the patterns of play and even though at 5-5 she had committed seven errors her sense of purpose never wavered. In fact it was Owens who blinked first and trailing 5-7 she hit the ball out of court twice in a row to give Grinham the game 9-5.

WAS SHE STILL THE COMEBACK QUEEN?

Owens has been in far worse positions: she won the world title coming back from two games and 4-7 down. She started using her great talent in exploiting the height of the court to stop Grinham getting up to her tricks. She kept her composure and accuracy until 7-7 when she gave the serve away with an impetuous forehand smash into the tin, gave the next away on a forehand volley drop into the tin and then, instead of steadying herself to get back into the game , she tried a silly cross court when the ball was stuck to the wall. Grinham won 9-7 and frankly, never looked like giving up that lead.

WHAT’S FOUR ERRORS WHEN YOU’RE WINNING?

Grinham started the third game with four errors but Owens confidence was in tatters and within six minutes had given up, losing 9-3. Not a good show for a semi-final featuring the world number one, but then we all have off days.

Men's semi-finals:
[1] Peter Nicol (ENG) bt [4] Jonathon Power (CAN) 12-15, 11-15, 17-14, 15-13, 15-13 (112m)
[2] David Palmer (AUS) bt [5] Anthony Ricketts (AUS) 9-15, 15-12, 15-14, 8-15, 15-12 (95m)

Women's semi-finals:
[3] Rachael Grinham (AUS) bt [1] Carol Owens (NZL) 9-5, 9-7, 9-3 (38m)
[6] Cassie Jackman (ENG) bt [2] Natalie Grainger (USA) 9-6, 9-7, 9-5 (46m)