Grainger, Grinham, Jackman, Atkinson Advance
Beachill, Kneipp, Palmer Gaultier on men's side
© 2004 Colin McQuillan from Nottingham for Squashtalk, all rights of reproduction reserved. Nov 2, 2004

Lee Beachill beats James Willstrop at Nottingham, photo © 2004 Fritz Borchert

Best Is Last From The Men
The men’s seedings in the top half of the men’s draw held up, with Australia's Joe Kneipp and England #1 Lee Beachill providing the highlights of the evening.

The end of programme Pontefract battle between the top seeded Lee Beachill and the ninth seeded former world junior champion James Willstrop providing a excellent competitive battle as Beachill, worried by an abductor strain last week, steadily improved his pace and movement to win 8-11, 11-8, 11-9, 11-9 in precisiely one hour.

Willstrop started sharply and collected the 15 minute opening game in a style that suggested he might provide the first real upset of the day. “He was obviously trying to test the abductor strain pushing up into the top left corner again and again,” Beachill remarked. “But he seemed to tire a bit into the second and I was able to dominate the court more and establish my own rhythm.”

The top seed took the second game on a penalty stroke and a clinging forehand passing shot, but the second came his way only thanks to a strangely loose backhand service from Willstrop at 9-9 that drifted out over the righthand wall and provided the slight shift of concentration that allowed Beachill to slot in a tight backhand drop for game point.

KNEIPP HAMSTRINGS ONG

Joe Kenipp kept Ong Beng Hee guessing , photo © 2004 Fritz Borchert

Joe Kneipp provided the other highlight of the men’s play; defeating Malaysia’s Ong Beng Hee 11-3, 11-6, 11-8 in a 35 minute display of tight good-length rallying that left the Asian Champion little room to develop his usual disciplined approach.

“I was especially leased with my play tonight,” the Amsterdam based Queenslander confided after the match. “Ong Beng Hee usually gives me a lot of trouble. He plays very proper squash, while my game could hardly be described in that way. The last thing that normally occurs to me as I come off court is self-congratulation about my length and width.”

This could be ominous for Beachill, to whom Kneipp now goes in Thursday’s quarter-finals. The last time they met, in the Super Series Finals last May, Kneipp won in straight games playing under the new 11 point format for the first time.

The adjacent men’s quarter-final will be between the third seeded defending champion, David Palmer of Australia, and the eighth European Champion, Gregory Gaultier of France. Respectively they progressed without real incident tonight 11-8, 11-8, 11-6 in 47 minutes against Olli Touminen of Finland and 11-4, 11-6, 11-8 in 48 minutes against Renan Lavigne of France.

Jackman Bloodied But Unbowed
England’s second seeded Cassie Jackman began her second round match in the Harris British Open Squash Championships in Nottingham today with the tin set at the wrong height and finished with blood streaming from her nose, but she still looked the strongest contender of the day as she entered the quarter-finals with a 57 minute 4-9 9-2 9-4 9-3 win over Shelley Kitchen of New Zealand.

Kitchen earns early lead over Jackman, photo © 2004 Fritz Borchert

The tin had been left at 17 inches from the last men’s match on Monday evening. Ten girls practiced on the court before play began today and referees inspected, but only after the tall athletic New Zealander won an unusual number of first game points from very short drop shots was it realized that an adjustment to 19 inches had been neglected.

“It made sense once the tin was adjusted for the second game,” Jackman admitted. “But neither of us noticed the actual height in the first game.” The players agreed to revert to the normal women’s tin height but to keep the first game in place. “It would hardly have been sporting to claim back a game that Shelley won on merit,” the Norwich based British National Champion said later as she held an ice pack to her nose after the match.

“The nose bleed was my own fault too,” she explained. “Somehow I got my racket caught between my face and the back of Shelley’s head as she recovered from a backhand drive. It hurt quite a lot and was a bit bloody, but I was alright to finish the last few rallies after a five minute break.”

The win takes Jackman to a familiar quarter-final encounter with Linda Elriani, the England No2 who yesterday presented Laura Jane Lengthorn with an unwelcome 21st Birthday present in the shape of a 41 minute 9-7, 9-7, 9-4 beating, and then probably to a semi-final against the US Open Champion Natalie Grainger, who defeated Isabelle Stoehr of France 9-3 9-7 2-9 9-6 in 45 minutes and will progress to a quarter-final against Omneya Abdel Kawy of Egypt.

In the top half of the draw England’s youngest international, Jenny Duncalf, took her third consecutive win over the more experienced Rebecca Macree, the eighth seed, to reach her first quarter-final in the event, against Vanessa Atkinson, the third seeded Dutch Champion, who defeated England’s Jenny Tranfield 9-7 9-2 9-4 in 39 minutes.

“A lot of the players seem to have trouble with Rebecca but I have not lost to her since I was about 16, said the 21-year-old World No10 from Harrogate. “I beat her in five in Las Vegas this year and in straight games in the national championships, but this was the hardest of our recent matches.”

Vanessa Atkinson repulses Jenny Tranfield's efforts , photo © 2004 Fritz Borchert

The win takes Duncalf to her first British Open quarter-final, in fact she has never got out of the qualifiers before, and it may nhelp to silence some of the critics of her selection ahead of Macree, Vicky Botwright, Jenny Tranfield and other older players for the England squad that contested the World Team Championships in Amsterdam last month.

“I wasn’t thinking about that at all,” Duncalf insisted. “Everyone knows I was included in Amsterdam as a young player in need of experience. I played some of the qualifying pool matches but mostly I was there for the experience of being part of an England squad. Tournament play has nothing to do with all that and I was just concentrating on getting through to the next round.”

Grinham struggled to battle past Vicky Botwright , photo © 2004 Fritz Borchert

In the last match of the afternnnon session at Nottingham Squash Club, the top seeded defending champion, Rachael Grinham of Australia, looked less than completely convincing winning 5-9 9-7 9-2 9-3 in 65 minutes against the 12th seeded Vicky Botwright, who took the first game with some style and might have had the second fighting back from 3-8 had anxiety not lowered her sights too far as she clung on unsuccessfully through another five game balls.

“I seem to have a draw full of people I am not comfortable playing against,” Grinham said after completing her progression to a quarter-final against Malaysia’s Nicol David. “I was just chasing Vicki’s play in the first game and even when I slowed things down I could not tell where she would hit the ball next. The only good thing was that I was not using up much energy because I could not always follow the ball. So, when she began to tire, I could take over the rallies later on.

“I had similar trouble playing Stephanie Brind in the first round. I have not been on court with her for a long time and I just could not work out what she was likely to do. I will probably find Nicol David a problem tomorrow.”

The little Asian champion will come to the quarter-finals fresh. Today she was not required to play as her scheduled opponent, Tania Bailey, who had played well beating Denmark’s Line Hansen in the first round, woke up with the same severe sinusitis condition that has been sidelining her repeatedly over the past year or so. She withdrew.

Harris British Open Squash Championship
Nottingham, England

Women's 2nd round (complete):
[1] Rachael Grinham (AUS) bt [12] Vicky Botwright (ENG) 5-9, 9-7, 9-2, 9-3 (65m)
[7] Nicol David (MAS) bt [16] Tania Bailey (ENG) w/o
[3] Vanessa Atkinson (NED) bt [11] Jenny Tranfield (ENG) 9-7, 9-2, 9-4 (39m)
[10] Jenny Duncalf (ENG) bt [8] Rebecca Macree (ENG) 4-9, 9-4, 9-0, 10-9 (56m)
[9] Omneya Abdel Kawy (EGY) bt [Q] Sharon Wee (MAS) 9-2, 9-4, 9-1 (23m)
[4] Natalie Grainger (USA) bt [14] Isabelle Stoehr (FRA) 9-3, 7-9, 9-2, 9-6 (45m)
[5] Linda Elriani (ENG) bt Laura-Jane Lengthorn (ENG) 9-7, 9-7, 9-4 (41m) [2] Cassie Jackman (ENG) bt [13] Shelley Kitchen (NZL) 4-9, 9-2, 9-4, 9-3 (57m)

Men's 2nd round:
[1] Lee Beachill (ENG) bt [9] James Willstrop (ENG) 8-11, 11-8, 11-9, 11-9 (60m)
[7] Joseph Kneipp (AUS) bt [16] Ong Beng Hee (MAS) 11-3, 11-6, 11-8 (35m)
[3] David Palmer (AUS) bt Olli Tuominen (FIN) 11-8, 11-8, 11-6 (47m)
[8] Gregory Gaultier (FRA) bt [13] Renan Lavigne (FRA) 11-4, 11-6, 11-8 (48m)Masters Results

Men’s Over 35 Quarter-finals:
Craig Van Der Wath (RSA) bt Jason Foster (Essex) 9-6 9-3 9-0 (31min)
Predi Fritsche (Ger) bt Karl Hardy (Mersey) 9-5 9-6 9-0 (37min)
Guy Olby (Middx) bt Andrew Cross (Durham) 9-5 9-7 9-2
Gary Clrke (Warks) bt Steve Evans (Wales) 9-6 9-2 9-3 (45min)

Women’s Over 35 Semi-finals:
Fiona Geaves (Glos) bt Candy Wilton (Kent) 9-0 9-0 9-2 (13min)
Isabelle Tweedle (Surrey) bt Amanda Warren (Lancs) 9-1 9-0 9-4 (31min)

Men’s Over 40 Semi-finals:
Fredrik Johnson (Swe) bt Colin Payne (Kent) 8-10 9-4 9-3 9-1 (49min)
Jonathan Clark (Ches) bt Martin Greenslade (Dorset) 9-4 9-0 9-3 (33min)

Women’s Over 40 Final:
Mandy Akin (Kent) bt Vivienne Doeg (RSA) 9-4 9-7 9-5 (33min)

Semi-finals:
Akin bt Claire Baker (Surrey) 5-9 9-5 9-0 9-7 (44min)
Doeg bt Beau De Dreu (Ned) 6-9 9-7 9-5 9-6 (52min)

Men’s Over-45 Final :
Tom Pollard (Dorset) bt Neil Harrison (Durham) 9-4 9-0 9-3 (21min)

Semi-finals:
Pollard bt Steve Barlow (Beds) 9-6 9-4 9-6 (25min)
Harrison bt Durmot Hurford (Surrey) 9-6 9-2 9-4 (27min)

Women’s Over 45 Final:
Liz Brown(Staffs) bt Helen Gould (Avon) 9-4 9-2 9-3 (17min)

Semi-finals:
Brown bt Lesley Sturgess (Derby) 8-10 9-6 9-5 7-9 9-5 (46min)
Gould bt Carolyn Roylance (Lincs) 5-9 9-7 7-9 9-6 9-2 (32min)

Men’s Over 50 Final:
Peter Alexander (Suffolk) bt Dave Manning (Yorks) 5-9 9-4 9-3 9-1 (40min)

Semi-finals:
Manning bt Jonny Osmond (RSA) 2-9 9-4 9-5 9-6 (47min)
Alexander bt Mark Cowley (Middx) 9-5 10-9 9-4 (47min)

Women’s Over 50 Final:
Pauline Douglas (Scot) bt Ann Windle (Middx) 9-6 9-4 9-2 (27min)

Semi-finals:
Douglas bt Ann Manley (Essex) 9-1 4-9 7-9 9-6 9-1 (48min)
Windle bt Averil Murphy (Essex) 9-5 9-2 9-3 (27min)

Men’s Over 55 Final :
Alan Colburn (RSA) bt Hugh Colburn (Australia) 9-6 9-4 9-6 (27min)

Semi-finals:
Alan Colburn bt Chris Wilson (Hants) 9-4 9-5 9-2 (32min)
Hugh Colburn bt John Smith (Norb) 5-9 9-7 9-6 9-7 (50min)

Men’s Over 60 Final:
John Perrot (Hants) bt Adrian Wrighyt (Leics) 10-9 6-9 9-4 9-7 (50min)

Semi-finals:
Perrot bt Len Froggitt (Herts) 9-5 9-0 9-7 (22min)
Wright bt Roy Bradley (Worcs) 1-9 9-2 9-2 7-9 10-8 (54min)

Men’s Over 65 Final:
John Woodliffe (Glos) bt Pat Kirton (Surrey) 6-9 5-9 9-5 9-6 10-8 (64min)
Semi-finals:
Woodliffe bt Brian Philllips (Berks) 9-5 9-3 3-9 7-9 9-5 (45min)
Kirton bt John Shaw (Durham) 8-10 9-1 9-1 9-6 (38min)

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