Simon Parke Runs out of Upsets
Aug 15, 2004, By Martin Bronstein at the
Crucible Theatre in Sheffield England.; SquashTalk Independent News Service © 2004

[draw]

BEACHILL TOUGHS IT OUT

Simon Parke started his final against Lee Beachill with iron-hard determination and discipline and there was not very much the world number two could do about it. It was a superb performance from the 32 year-old Parke who has surprised everybody by his appearance in this final. And the way he played in the first game it looked as though he would walk away with the title.

This was very good, highly entertaining text book squash. Nothing flashy, you understand, but impeccable, intelligent shot selection and near perfect length from both players who then went for a winner when the slightest loose ball appeared.

Simon Parke started fast but couldn't maintain momentum against Lee Beachill. photo ©2004 Fritz Borchert

It was Parke, however who took control and who was the first to tighten the knot. His favourite ploy was a backhand boast pulling Beachill to the front right corner and whatever Beachill did with that tight ball, Parke was ready. Time and time again that pattern of play was repeated and the points piled up. Parke hit a good string to go from 6-5 to 11-5, but let up slightly to allow Beachill pick up four points. That was just a glitch in the Parke game plan and he stopped the rot with a forehand drop, won the next long, long rally when Beachill hit the ball out of court, and then was awarded a stroke to get to game ball. Once more he attacked with a backhand drop, was ready for Beachill’s counter-drop which he slammed cross court for the winning point – 9-15, after 26 minutes.

WINNING THE BATTLE, LOSING THE WAR
That might have been a case of winning the battle and losing the war for Parke. He kept to his game plan until 5-5 of the second game and then came a string of errors, as he went for shots – specially drops on the forehand, that had not been in his game up to that point. The errors mounted up and suddenly Beachill was 11-6 ahead. He knew that now he simply had to play steady squash to take the game and he did, Parke hitting an easy backhand cross court slam into the tin to give Beachill the game 15-9.

Simon Parke's effort in the first game took its toll. photo ©2004 Fritz Borchert

It didn’t take a genius to realize that the first game had serious effects on Parke’s fitness and those errors were subconscious attempts to finish the game quickly.

In the third game Beachill knew he had now taken control and that the longer the match lasted the better it was for him. He made no attempts to go for winner and kept lofting the ball to the back or tight down the wall and as the game wore on Parke started to scramble to get the ball (what some unkind journalist called his ‘headless chicken’ technique). Beachill was coldly merciless in his desire to keep Parke moving all over the court. It was the perfect tactic, and while Parke never gave up fighting, he could do little but act the retriever as Beachill took the game 15-4.

It was virtually the same story in the fourth and final game; Beachill meticulous in his length and width and forcing a tiring Parke to go for winners with the expected result – another 15-4 game for Beachill to end the 84 minute match.

Beachill, the second seed, was a worthy winner and while he looked as though he lacked ideas in the first game, he showed his professionalism in staying with his game.

Lee Beachill Scored an Important Win. photo ©2004 Fritz Borchert

“Simon just played too well in the first game. He was playing on pure adrenalin. He would win a point and that would sustain him for the next four points,” Beachill told me later. Did he purposely keep the rallies going in the last games?

“Not really. After the first game Malcolm (Willstrop) told me that I was doing everything right and not to change anything because he thought Parke had done most of the work in the first game and he couldn’t sustain that pace. It was only when I saw he was tired that I went for winners in the third game,” he said.

It was not a great final, but despite the lack of fireworks it was a very professional performance that was gripping in the subtleties of attack and counter attack. This is the sort of video I would recommend to any player who doesn’t have the flair of a Power or a White. In the long run it is the kind of squash that wins trophies.

MAMUT ENGLISH OPEN, August 15 2004

FINAL.
LEE BEACHILL (ENG) bt SIMON PARKE (ENG) 9-15, 15-9, 15-4

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