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1st Round - Bottom Half
Aug 12,
2004, By Martin Bronstein at the
Crucible Theatre in Sheffield England.; SquashTalk Independent
News Service © 2004
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[draw]
GRANT’S METHOD
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| Peter
Barker and Adrian Grant photo ©2004 Fritz Borchert |
The rallies were slow and measured, metronomic in their regularity, the ball finding the back wall after each shot and the players willing to ignore the front half of the court.
While Grant was still trying to find his length and accuracy, Barker started to change his game, attacking the front right corner with backhand drops (this was a battle of the lefties) and finding gold, catching Grant a half-yard short. Barker took advantage of the situation and played solidly, constantly testing Grant at the front and getting to everything that Grant was putting into the back corners. It wasn’t all one way traffic, but Grant spoilt his comeback attempts with far too many errors -eight by the time the 24 minute game came to a close with Barker taking a well deserved 15-12 decision.
LENGTH PAYS OFF IN THE LONG RUN
In the second game Grant turned the
tables completely: he found his length and it was so good that it was
understandable why he was loath to go short. Grant cut out his errors
and from 8-5 he hit a series of six drives and cross courts that left
Barker standing statue-like as the ball died in the back corners. It was
a wonderful demonstration of length and took him to game ball 14-5. Barker
demonstrated his state of mind with a backhand boast into the tin to close
out the 11 minute game.
Grant continued his supremacy into the third game and a dispirited Barker
was unable to regain his former accuracy. Trailing 12-5 he screamed “You’ve
lost your length!” to himself and then promptly lost the next point
when Grant put away another loose shot.
THE LOST GAME IS FOUND
Grant was in full flow and continued controlling the match to 7-4 in the
fourth. Barker hit a beautiful backhand cross court that died in the back
corner and then got a lucky bounce on the side wall to get to 6-7 and
that was when the game turned in his favour. Grant hit three errors, Barker
was hitting good length and back in charge. The change of fortune unnerved
Grant and he was unable to wrest back control, losing the game 12-15.
The fifth promised a battle to the death
but was over almost before it begun as Grant upped his pace and gave absolutely
nothing away. In no time he was 12-4 ahead and it was apparent that Barker’s
tank was near empty, the fatigue showing not in his lack of running but
in his poor shooting and leaving Grant easy balls to put away. The squash
became a bit scrappy and Barker was niggling the referee.(“ I thought
you were bad yesterday, but you’re even worse today.”)
He had a brief recovery towards the end, but Grant was never going to
allow his huge lead to disappear and he duly took the game 15-8 and the
match 3/2 after almost two hours of non-stop effort.
Grant, a very likeable 22 year old was frank about his terrible start:
“I was not mentally alert – I simply was not thinking about
my game and just going through the motions. My length was bad and he was
taking advantage of me. But in the second and third game I was hitting
length and dominating him. In the fourth I made the mistake of changing
a winning game…I wanted to get off too quickly, lost my length and
let him back in. I had got to be too comfortable and went walkabout.
But for the fifth I told myself to get back to basics, concentrate on
depth and hit deep. That’s when I play my best, playing basic squash,”
he told me. He also said he had a game plan for his quarter-final match
again Beachill, but he did not want it published on the web, so he clammed
up.
BEACHILL AT A TROT
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| Mansoor
Zaman and Lee Beachill photo ©2004 Fritz Borchert |
Beachill, like Nick Matthew yesterday,
was playing in front of a home crowd in their native Yorkshire, and he
has the experience and assurance not to let that sort of pressure get
to him the way it got to Matthew yesterday. It was clear from the start
that Beachill was in charge and while there was a lot of very classy squash
– neither of these players have a trace of the hacker about them
- Zaman was really playing straight man to Beachill’s top banana.
They both moved beautifully, struck the ball as to the manner born and
rarely played a wrong shot. The difference was experience Beachill emerged
the expected victor after 42 minutes in straight games.
I am sure this is only the beginning of the story and in a couple of years
time the young Zaman will be that much better and we can look forward
to some somewhat long battles between these two fine players.
DADDY, DADDY, DADDY AND DADDY
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| John
White and Ben Garner photo ©2004 Fritz Borchert |
He has a good squash brain and never lies down against anybody. He gave a good account of himself in the first game but when White hit two of his patented straight nicks in a row, there is little anybody can do about.
White took that first game 15-10 and then was surprised by the Garner attack in the second and was always trailing. Even at 9-13, White can produce a series of winners to take the game but it was Garner – cheeky bugger – who finished the game with two superb drops, one either side of the court, to even the match.
Daddy White got back into his groove
in the third and dominated the game with ease actually leading 14-6 before
winning 15-9 in 11 minutes. And as we waited for him to mop it up in the
fourth, Garner came back with other ideas and raced off to an 11-1 lead
to everybody’s complete surprise. This was the best I have seen
Garner play and since the last time ( four years ago) he has developed
a winning volley drop that is pure gold. It is not just a volley drop
to an inch above the tin, it is a volley drop that disappears down the
nick. Time and time again, a loose cross court from White was dispatched
with the same assurance that White hits straight nicks. The new father
was looking ragged yes, but Garner was playing very well and as he emerged
with a 15-5 win to even the match, there was the distinct chance of an
enormous upset.
White realized the gravity of the situation and cut down his short stuff
in the fifth realizing that Garner was winning the front of court battles.
Despite his best efforts Garner stayed with him until 7-7 which is when
White hit some good length and made some remarkable recoveries to win
rallies he should have lost. This was top squash, played with precision
at breakneck speed. White prevailed 15-11 but Garner will go home to bed
very pleased with his performance at pushing the world number five to
five games. He said later he was disappointed:
“At the beginning of the evening I would have been happy to take
a game, but when you get that close, you are always disappointed that
you lost it,” said Garner who finished his degree three years ago
and has spent the summer training with England’s elite squad.
“I’ve put in a lot of hard work and it’s nice to see
it paying off. I’m still looking for my first big win, but I don’t
think it’s far off.”
WILLSTROP’S WONDERFUL WICKED WAYS
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| Scott
Handley and James Willstrop photo ©2004 Fritz Borchert |
Results first round bottom half of draw
Lee Beachill (ENG) bt Mansoor Zaman
(PAK) 15-7, 15-11, 15-11 (42 mins)
Adrian Grant (ENG) b t Peter Barker (ENG) 12-15, 15-5, 15-5, 12-15, 15-8
(104mins)
James Willstrop (ENG) bt Scott Handley (ENG) 15-6, 15-10, 15-13. (38 mins)
John White (SCO) bt Ben Garner (ENG) 15-10,9-15, 15-9, 5-15,
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