Grainger Rapid Fire Win — Iskandar Big Win
© 2004 Colin McQuillan from Nottingham for Squashtalk, all rights of reproduction reserved. Nov 1, 2004

Natalie Grainger and Graham Ryding became the sole North American representatives left in this year's British Open in Nottingham after each spending a very short time on court. Grainger had the fastest game of the day, spending only 18 minutes on court, while Ryding sailed along in 33 minutes.

PSA PREXY ALSO HAS OPEN APPEARANCE CURTAILED
England’s Mark Chaloner was re-elected President of the Professional Squash Players Association this morning, then dumped against his 15th seeding from the afternoon session of the Harris British Open Championships when the Malaysian No2, Mohd Azlan Iskander, unexpectedly took their 58 minute first round match 11-7, 11-4, 6-11, 11-8.

The 22-year-old Kuala Lumpur based World No28 took a first international win over his long time domestic rival Ong Beng Hee in the CAS Final in Pakistan last month and Chaloner himself made note of the improved confidence the Malaysian youngster brought to their match from that achievement.

“I was not at my best, I guess,” said the Hertford based 32-year-old, acknowledging the ups and downs of professional life. “I am a bit sore in the wrist and I could not find a way past him today.”

Iskander works out of the same Essex base from which Neil Harvey coached both Ong Beng Hee and England’s Peter Nicol to success in past seasons. He first went there as a 16-year-old and has returned lately after schooling to bid for senior success. His speed and court coverage were beyond Chaloner’s reach yesterday. Even a five minute delay for a cut knee in the fourth game seemed just to add fuel to the Asian fire.

There was a fair amount of fire in the belly of Nottingham’s Simon Parke later in the day, too, but not quite enough to carry the 32-year-old local hero past Adrian Grant in the fifth game of an 88 minute thriller. A former world junior champion, British National Champion and British Open semi-finalist, Parke has found a new lease of energetic life this season, driving himself back to a World ranking of 23 after showing well in both the English and US Open Championships.

He took the first game smartly against the 24-year-old World No13, led 7-5 in the second and wrapped up the fourth in 12 minutes after narrowly missing the third on a tiebreak after fighting back to a game point advantage from 5-8 down. But Grant’s fifth game 9-4 lead was too much even for a man prepared to battle every rally, reaching 9-10 before hitting the last ball of the match exhaustedly into the tin.

The World Champion, Amr Shabana of Egypt, had to work for 48 minutes to get past England’s Boswana born Alister Walker 11-7, 11-10 (3-1), 6-11, 11-4, but the normally unkempt Cairo based 25-year-old Jonathan Kemp 11-9, 11-4, 11-7.looked sharp and businesslike with his head closely trimmed and his game on its best behaviour. He goes to a second round match against Canada’s Graham Ryding, who needed just 33 minutes to overcome Jonathan Kemp 11-9, 11-4, 11-7 (33min)

Iskander will meet England’s fourth seeded Nick Matthew after the Sheffield based 24-year-old, who reached the Hong Kong Open final in early September, survived an argumentative 62 minute encounter 11-9, 11-10 (5-3), 11-4 against Italy’s wild-eyed Davide Bianchetti.
Grant goes to the second seeded Thierry Lincou, the French player who won the first 11 point title in Hong Kong and has cleaned up the other two major 11 point tournaments so far held. Tonight Lincou defeated Pakistan’s Shahid Zaman 11-7, 11-10 (2-0), 11-9 in 44 minutes.

In the adjacent second round encounter, sixth seeded John White of Scotland, who today advanced almost without effort as Mansoor Zaman of Pakistan withdrew after 15 minutes of play with flu-like symptoms, will meet Australia’s Anthony Ricketts, who dismissed England’s Stacey Ross for 21 points in 45 minutes.

In the women’s championship the sixth seed, Fiona Geaves of England, went down 10-8 9-0, 9-6 in 29 minutes to Malaysia’s Sharon Wee, and the 15th seed, Madeline Perry of Ireland, lost 6-9 5-9 9-6 9-0 9-0 in 52 minutes to England’s Laura Jane Lengthorn.

Second seeded Cassie Jackman of England came through easily 9-2, 9-2, 9-6 in 28 minutes against America’s Latasha Khan. Jackman now goes to Shelle Kitchen of New Zealand, who was given a walkover today when Tegwen Malik of Wales withdrew with chest pains.

Geaves, who was due to open the defense of her Over-35 title later in the day, picked up a leg injury playing against Wee in the Monte Carlo Classic last month and said tonight that, while she could not feel the injury, she was not sufficiently match fit and Wee was astute enough to take full advantage.

Lengthorne’s was the best winning effort of the day, achieved largely through shock, it seemed, as she went out on full attack in the first two games against all her usual caution, lost those games and returned to her more familiar steady play which brought her the next three game almost without opposition. She goes to the fifth seeded Linda Elriani of England in the second round.

But Pakistan’s Carla Khan might claim equal, if less victorious, honours for a spirited 71 minute 9-4, 6-9, 8-10, 9-5, 9-6 loss to the ninth seeded Omneya Abdel Kawy of Egypt, who will now meet Wee.

Washington based US Open Champion Natalie Grainger dismissed England's Rebecca Botwright 9-2, 9-4, 9-4 in just 19 minutes, the quickest result of the day, and will meet Isabelle Stoehr of France, who survived a far tougher 70 minute encoun ter with Annelize Naude of Holland 3-9, 9-6, 9-5, 2-9, 9-7.

Harris British Open Squash Championship
Nottingham, England

Men's First Round Results:
[14] Graham Ryding (CAN) bt Jonathan Kemp (ENG) 11-9, 11-4, 11-7 (33min)
[5] Amr Shabana (EGY) bt Alister Walker (ENG) 11-7, 11-10 (3-1), 6-11, 11-4 (48min)
Mohd Azlan Iskandar (MAS) bt [15] Mark Chaloner (ENG) 11-7, 11-4, 6-11, 11-8 (58min)
[4] Nick Matthew (ENG) bt Davide Bianchetti (ITA) 11-9, 11-10 (5-3), 11-4 (62min)
[11] Anthony Ricketts (AUS) bt Stacey Ross (ENG) 11-9 11-3 11-9 (45min)
[6] John White (SCO) bt Mansoor Zaman (PAK) 11-7, 11-3 (ret sick) (15min)
[10] Adrian Grant (ENG) bt Simon Parke (ENG) 7-11, 11-9, 11-10 (2-0), 4-11 11-9 (89min)

[2] Thierry Lincou (FRA) bt [Q] Shahid Zaman (PAK) 11-7, 11-10 (2-0), 11-9 (44min)

Women's First Round Results:
[9] Omneya Abdel Kawy (EGY) bt Carla Khan (PAK) 9-4, 6-9, 8-10, 9-5, 9-6 (71min)
Sharon Wee (MAL) bt [6] Fiona Geaves (ENG) 10-8, 9-0, 9-6 (29min)
[14] Isabelle Stoehr (FRA) bt Annelize Naude (NED) 3-9, 9-6, 9-5, 2-9, 9-7 (70min)
[4] Natalie Grainger (USA) bt Rebecca Botwright (ENG) 9-2, 9-4, 9-4 (19min)

Laura-Jane Lengthorn (ENG) bt [15] Madeline Perry (IRL) 6-9 5-9 9-6 9-0 9-0 (52min)
[5] Linda Elriani (ENG) bt Alison Waters (ENG) 9-5, 10-8, 9-6 (49min)
[13] Shelley Kitchen (NZL) bt Tegwen Malik (WAL) W/O
[2] Cassie Jackman (ENG) bt Latasha Khan (USA) 9-2 9-2 9-6 (28min)

White versus Willstrop at the 2004 English Open - Now on DvD