ONG DODGES A WAELING BULLET

Ong Beng Hee just barely eluded Wael el Hindi in the final match of day two, winning 5-3 in the fifth game tiebreaker. (photo © 2006 Fritz Borchert.)

Wael el Hindi played some phenomenal squash in the last match of the second evening of first round play. He just couldn't quite close the door, and let Ong Beng Hee back in to win a see-saw eight-point tiebreaker in the fifth game. Here was a classic pro squash battle - El Hindi, the stylish and talented Egyptian, well-tuned for the 2006 campaign, looking to move up the ranks. Ong Beng Hee, the Malaysian tagged for the last two years with the label under achiever, struggling to keep his game from going into free fall.

As it became clear that the match would be close, the contestants became argumentative, breaking up the already marathon contest. But in the fifth game both players were totally serious, providing a climactic drama to an already fine day of squash. Dubbed the "clown prince" by the local Newspaper, El Hindi showed flashes of brilliance but couldn't muster quite enough of them in the final frame.

This match outshone the "marquis" match of the evening, the prime-time matchup between local wildcard, Nick Kyme, and David Palmer. Palmer wasted no time in moving on to the second round at the expense of Kyme.

“That guy [Palmer] is world class,” said a disappointed Kyme. “That’s why he’s world number two. He just doesn’t give you anything.”

The $120,000 Bermuda Masters, thus concluded Monday with the bottom half of the first round draw.

Bermudian Nick Kyme had the right clothes, but couldn't get going against world #2 David Palmer. (photo © 2006 Fritz Borchert. )

Commonweath Games Gold Medalist Peter Nicol, was in action in Mid-afternoon, and was faced with a tougher-than-expected battle.

He was given an early scare by fellow Englishman Jonathan Kemp who played exceptionally well to take the first game 11-2. Nicol eventually settled down, but was never in full control of the match. He was taken to 14-12 in the 3rd, and Kemp continued to show grit and determination in the 4th, which he lost 11-8. Nicol said "It was a very tough first round. I played well, there was always a danger after the Commonwealth Games that I'd be a bit sluggish, but I'm hitting it well, moving well and I enjoyed that a lot. Joey played at an unbelievable pace with no errors, it was just great squash".

#2 Seed, Australia's Anthony Ricketts, wasted no time in moving forward, as he opened the day's action with a no-holes barred effort against Holland's Laurens Jan Anjema. he raced to a 10-0 lead in the first game against Laurens Jan Anjema of The Netherlands. He took the game 11-2 but kept up the pressure for a comfortable 3-0 (11/2, 11/5, 11/6) victory. Lee Beachill, David Palmer, and Gregory Gaultier all moved into the second round efficiently, without the loss of a game.

In was a different story in the other all glass court match when experienced Welshman, Alex Gough, faced off against young Australian Cameron Pilley who certainly had a huge reach advantage against his much shorter opponent. Although starting off strong, Gough seemed to be rattled by several calls against him and Pilley took the first 11-9. Gough had trouble

Cameron Pilley never lost his cool against Alex Goug (photo © 2006 Fritz Borchert. )

settling down in the 2nd game and made a string of unforced errors to find himself down 2-0, but he fought back gamely in a tightly fought 3rd game which stood at 9-9 before Gough took the next two points to stay in the match. Momentum seemed to be slowly slipping away from the younger player as Gough raced into the lead at 9-4, but Pilley stayed loose and patient during a series of long rallies, which began to sap the energy from his older opponent. Pilley never lost his cool, and two consecutive winners gave him the 4th game and the match.

RESULTS:        Virtual Spectator Bermuda PSA Masters, Hamilton, Bermuda
[Complete Draw]

1st round (bottom half of the draw) (MONDAY):
[11] Karim Darwish (EGY) def Hisham Ashour (EGY) 11-1 11-4 11-5
[6] Peter Nicol(ENG) def Jonathan Kemp (ENG) 2-11 11-6 11-10(4-2) 11-8
[3] David Palmer (AUS) def Nick Kyme (BER) 11-4 11-3 11-4
Cameron Pilley (AUS) def [16] Alex Gough (WAL) 11-9 11-7 9-11 11-9
[11] Gregory Gaultier (FRA) def Joe Kneipp (AUS) 11-5 11-7 11-2
[7] Lee Beachill (ENG) def Dan Jenson (AUS) 11-10(2-0) 11-6 11-6
[14] Ong Beng Hee (MAS) def Wael el Hindi (EGY) 7-11 11-8 11-10(2-0) 8-11 11-10(5-3)
[2] Anthony Ricketts (AUS) def L J Anjema (NL) 11-2 11-5 11-6

FROM SUNDAY [Also yesterday's Top half draw results]
[1] Amr Shabana (EGY) bt Joey Barrington (ENG)                    11-5, 11-6, 11-6 (33m)
[9] John White (SCO) bt Mohammed Abbas (EGY)                   11-7, 8-11, 10-11 (1-3), 11-1, 11-9 (72m)
[5] James Willstrop (ENG) bt Shahier Razik (CAN)                  11-6, 9-11, 11-6, 11-8 (61m)
Graham Ryding (CAN) bt [13] Olli Tuominen (FIN)                   11-6, 8-11, 11-10 (2-0), 11-6 (51m)
[4] Thierry Lincou (FRA) bt Adrian Grant (ENG)                      11-3, 11-10 (3-1), 11-6 (55m)
[15] Stewart Boswell (AUS) bt Bradley Ball (ENG)                  11-6, 11-5, 11-6 (17m)
[8] Nick Matthew (ENG) bt Mark Chaloner (ENG)                    10-11 (0-2), 11-2, 11-6, 11-10 (3-1) (58m)
[12] Mohd Azlan Iskandar (MAS) bt Peter Barker (ENG)          10-11 (1-3), 11-7, 11-3, 11-8 (64m)

Anthony Ricketts was on fire against L J Anjema (photo © 2006 Fritz Borchert. )