Canadian Classic '03
    Finals
    Photos
    Reports
    Qualifier
    Draw/Results
    Preview
Prior Years:
       2002 event
       2001 event
       2000 event

SQUASHTALK TODAY
Canadian Classic
Valid Dutch Open
Silver Racquets
Edmonton PSA
Men's World Teams
Weymuller 03

RECENT EVENTS
British Open 03
Motor City Open
CNS Intl Pakistan
US Open 03
World Jrs 03 Cairo

CURRENT CONTENT
Hall of Fame
News Index
Club Links
Gear Links
E-boast Newsletter
    (sign up now free)

COLLEGE USA
Schedules
Team previews

DEPARTMENTS
Latest news
Tournament Calendar
Bronstein Global Gallery
Videos
History
Pakistan Squash
Camp Index
Features Index
Player Profiles
Worldwide Clubs
Worldwide Links
Rankings

More Good stuff:
About Squash
   Just starting
Books
Juniors Squash
Women's Squash
Regional Reports

Power Wins...But Only Just
November 20, 2003, From Toronto; © 2003 Martin Bronstein, Squashtalk, all rights of reproduction reserved. [see also press release]

After his win against John White in yesterday's semi-final Jonathon Power told a journalist for Canada's National Post that he thought he was playing his best squash of the year. Sorry J.P, my turn to contradict: You ain't - or at least in the final you weren't. In fact you were looking and playing decidedly off. Which is probably a good way to sum up the whole final: the cogs weren't meshing. There were perhaps dozen rallies that made the blood race, the rest were bitty, contentious and without the usual intelligent construction at which both David Palmer and Power are normally so proficient.

Power won in five, but the victory will not send him back to Montreal patting himself on the back. He was playing a sub-par Palmer - who was constantly holding his upper left chest as though in pain - and should have won in three straight. Palmer, realizing that Power wasn't going to chop him up, suddenly deduced he could win and kept getting better.

DRASTIC START

Palmer started as though he would rather have been watching cookery programs on television. Power was 5-0 up in three minutes and then raced from 8-3 to 15-4 with the help of five awful errors from Palmer. From 4-10 it appeared that Palmer was not even going to try and win another point.

What happened in the two minute break is a mystery because there can be no logical explanation for Palmer taking a 5-0 lead. Power seemed without purpose, his game and strategy non-existent. They were level at 5-5 and Palmer pulled ahead without too much effort. Power was getting increasingly annoyed by referee Mike Riley's policy of not awarding easy penalty strokes. So annoyed, that after being denied a let at 7-10 Riley heard him swear and gave him a conduct warning.

TOO MANY LETS, TOO MANY COLLISIONS, NOT ENOUGH SQUASH

Despite all the fuss after the Commonwealth Games last year concerning the arguing and the stoppages in squash, the problem continues. Tonight the number of lets, appeals, discussions, door openings and stern words from the referee increased to the point that there was no chance of good squash being played. There was no rhythm and without that rhythm, the mental joustings and the build-up of tension, there can be no excitement. Despite the full, house, every one a Power supporter, (except Palmer's girl friend, who sat quietly suffering on the side) there was little emotion from the audience who would normally be screaming Power on after every point.

David Palmer played very well in small doses to drive home the fact that most of the time he was off form. He got to a commanding 13-9 lead in the second game and almost let it slip away as Power climbed back to 12-14. Power went for a backhand drop ( instead of playing percentage and waiting for Palmer to break) which hit the tin and the match was tied.

A MARATHON OF MAYHEM

The third game lasted nearly 26 minutes and was unsatisfactory in most ways. Power seemed to be running into Palmer's long legs: three times Palmer stopped play to rub his calf muscles. (which is why the game took so long). Power led the whole game and despite being 9-4 ahead at the 13 minute mark, took another 13 minutes to close the game out at 15-8.

COLLISION, ARGUMENT, CONDUCT STROKE

If we assumed that he finally had Palmer on the ropes, we assumed wrongly. The opening rally of the fourth game ended in a collision. More argument, more heated discussion with the referee and now it was Palmer who received the conduct warning for dissent. Power ran to a 6-3 lead and lost the plot entirely as Palmer took the next six points.
At 7-10, Palmer leading, they played a truly wonderful rally of blistering strokes and lightning reflexes that finally got the crowd gasping and cheering. It ended in a stroke for Power, which wasn't important. The two players had reminded us how damned good they are, and that we had been missing that for over an hour of squash. Palmer won the game 15-10 from a man who was not half the player he had been in defeating John White 24 hours earlier.

In the fifth, Palmer was awarded a stroke to make the score 5-4 in his favour. Power went volcanic, yelled "You are insane!" at the referee and was docked a penalty point. He calmed himself to pulled back to 6-7, at which point Palmer hit his own self-destruct button and hit five errors in the next seven rallies to put Power at 11-9. Finally Power pulled himself together, realized the winning post was in sight ( as well as realizing that it is about time he won another final) and pushed to 14-10. Palmer also realized the situation and saved two match balls to pull back to 14-12, Had he been playing like this from the first game, Palmer would have had this title in his back pocket inside an hour. But that is an 'if" and on the next rally the patented, beautifully crafted Power backhand drop came into play and it was all over after 114 minutes of less than classic squash.

But Power had won and this result, together with his final finish two weeks ago in Edmonton, will help him in his fight to get back to the top again. With Qatar coming up in a ten days and the World Open in Lahore in under a month, Power has time to get his head together. You can bet your pension that Nicol won't go out in the first round of either of those. And you can bet your grandma's pension that Palmer will be back to full strength to defend his world title.

FINAL
Jonathon Power (Can) bt David Palmer (Aus) 15-4, 12-15, 15-8, 10-15, 15-12 (114 minutes)