Power, Fitz-Gerald Lose. David Evans the top remaining seed

10.13.00 Birmingham, SquashTalk News by M Bronstein
(David Evans file photo © 2000 Squashtalk)

[also MEN Quarterfinal results] and [ WOMENS QUARTERS]

THE BRITISH OPEN AT THE NATIONAL INDOOR ARENA IN BIRMINGHAM. midnight GMT

AND NOW POWER IS OUT
In a sensational final match of the day, David Palmer of Australia knocked out the top remaining seed, Jonathon Power, 3/2 after 102 minutes of great squash and sheer drama.

For Power this was one Friday the Thirteenth that was indeed unlucky. Palmer had him roasted, wrapped and on toast for much of the first two games, reading Power's game and winning at the front of the court. Power recovered to just lose the first 16-17 and there was a similar scenario in the second but at 14-all Palmer called 'one' and got the point on one of many dreadful decisions from referee Ian Cherington.

Power was volcanic in his ire and came off court demanding in a hoarse shout "What the f****** hell are you doing to me?" and not one person in the arena would have censured him.

BAD TEMPERED WRESTLING MATCH
The great squash was spoiled by the constant arguing and contact. Power fell down three times and it was obvious that the referee had lost control of the match. Even after a near wrestling match, there was no censure from the officials.

Power took over in the third in the third and Palmer was beginning to let the decisions get to him. He started going for silly shots and Power stayed calm to take the game 15-9.

LUCKILY, THERE WAS A DOCTOR IN THE HOUSE
At 7-5 in the fourth, Power charge across the court, crashed into Palmer and then fell to the floor clutching his chest and letting out a series of strange moans. At first there was laughter as they thought the Power humour was at work, but then it was obviously serious.

His coach Mike Way rushed onto the court and a doctor was requested. Power was led off court and was seen to throw. It appeared that Palmer's should had made contact with Power's sternum affecting his breathing. After 11 minutes, with Palmer unsportingly questioning the amount of injury time allowed, Power returned and went on to win the game from an increasingly petulant Palmer.

"I LOST IT - HE DIDN'T WIN IT"
There was nothing wrong with Power in the fifth as he ran to a 9-4 lead and then Palmer continued to re-write the script and suddenly he was leading 13-10 - an incredible comeback considering the circumstances. Power was now at the end of Palmer's piece of string and finally Power hit a high backhand crosscourt which hit the red line on the right wall and after a moment's hesitation, the referee called the ball out. It was 11.49 pm.a time that will be part of Palmer's history. Power said it was his loss rather than Palmer's win because he failed to play the big points well.

ALL IN THE HEAD
All these falling seeds are doing some strange things to the players' heads. A lot of wise men are saying that Parke lost it mentally because he may have been thinking too far ahead instead of, as the cliché goes, taking one game at a time. Cassie Campion went out because of a pinched nerve in her foot. Tension induced? Natalie Grainger is still kicking herself after her miserable performance against Sarah Fitz-Gerald. She admitted she felt she could win it and put so much pressure on herself that when she went on court she was nearly paralysed with nerves. All this made today's quarter-finals that much more interesting.

KNEIPP PRICED OUT OF THE OPEN MARKET
Nobody expected Paul Price to be playing Joseph Kneipp in the quarter final - this particular niche was reserved for Parke and Heath and we know what happened to them. The match that these two up and coming, creative squash players put on was a 95 minute nail-biter of super championship quality. (And quite different from the Gough/Chaloner match later in the day).

They both were aware of what a victory could mean and rather turning their legs to jelly, they played their normal brand of squash; creating a rally, moulding it carefully their opponent was forced into a weak shot and then WHAP! Putting in the kill shot. Price was still on a high from his dissection of Parke yesterday and took the first two games 15-12 and 15-10 after 33 minutes of squash. He lost his way in the next two and Kneipp took full advantage to win them 15-13 and 15-6 to tie the match.

THE SEE-SAW FIFTH
Kneipp kept the momentum going into the fifth to lead 4-0, Price came back with a seven point run to lead 7-4 and then it was Kneipp's turn to take the lead to finally get to match point 14-13. Price came back again and he had match point at 16-15. Kneipp, nerveless, hit a superb backhand drop to make it 16 -all. Everything rested on this last point and Kneipp, still nerveless went down to the front and Price, expecting a trickle boast, went the wrong way as Kneipp played a straight drop. And hit the tin. Price said later that if Kneipp had hit the ball a foot above the tin it would be Kneipp in the semis.

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DICTATING THE PACE
Price told me later that his game plan against Kneipp, whom he'd beaten in New York 3/2, was the same as it was against Parke, keep the pace down to speed that he was comfortable with. "The ball was a lot bouncier today and it was harder to put it in the slot," he said explaining the difference I match length.

"I lost my game plan in the third and fourth. But at 16 -all I just told myself to keep to my game plan, keep it tight until an opportunity came up. It was a scrappy rally and then I hit one tight to the wall. If it hadn't hit the tin, I would have struggled to get it," he admitted. Looking forward to the semis he said he's beaten Chaloner three out of three, but he was simply very happy to be in the semi finals.

CHIPS WITH EVERYTHING
Mark Chaloner's nickname is Chip and it could right now be Chirpy. He too had to fight for 95 minutes to beat Alex Gough 3/1 and he too lost his game plan after being two games up.

But it was Gough who slowed the pace down because Chaloner is superfit and superstrong and he loves to play at a breakneck pace, smacking the ball with force. Gough's strategy succeeded and he took the dramatic third game 15-12 after some painfully long, slow rallies down the left hand wall. (It took my mind back 25 years to the Hunt/ Barrington era). In the fourth Chaloner managed to up the pace in patches and Gough could not handle it; Chaloner, ranked 18, one above Gough won it 15-12.

Oh!HOW SWEET THE REVENGE
Chip is the last Limey left in the draw and it must be sweet satisfaction for his coach John Milton, who was dropped as an England coach four months ago. He walks around with a huge grin on his face and makes constant references to himself as a 'crap coach'; but his player is in the semi-final.

He has resisted giving the other England coaches the finger. Class act. Chaloner has been on the pro circuit for nine year and has won just three tournaments. He won a gold medal in Commonwealth Games doubles and is now totally recovered from his two knee operations in 1997 that almost jeopardised his career.

FITZ-GERALD 'DROPPED' BY OWENS
For the four weeks preceding the Open, Australian Carol Owens was in New Zealand working with coach Paul Wright on drop shots. That's all, just four weeks of practising dropshots and how it paid off when she cruelly exposed Sarah Fitz-Gerald's lack of match practise and speed. Fitz-Gerald's fitful returns to the circuit after a knee problem have always posed a question and winning a small tournament in Singapore could well have given her a false sense of security. Coupled with her victory over a nerve-wracked Natalie Grainger yesterday, she might have thought she was back to her old self. Owens just kept boasting and dropping the ball and never allowed Fitz-Gerald to get into her hard hitting game which served her so well in the past.

ALL OVER IN 2 ½ GAMES
Owens simply rolled over the former world champion, even though the last time they met, in April, Fitz-Gerald thumped Owens 3/0. It was all over in 29 minutes and in truth, half way through the third game, Fitz-Gerald had given up, not moving on an a fairly easy Owens cross court. It was a six minute game, an unthinkable outcome just a year ago. Owens won 9-5, 9-5, 9-3 and Fitz-Gerald, who had been talking about retiring next year, must do some regrouping before the Worlds next month.

QUARTER FINAL RESULTS
MEN
David Palmer (Aus) bt Jonathon Power (Can) 17-16, 15-14, 9-15, 7-15, 15-12.
Paul Price (Aus) bt Joseph Kneipp (Aus) 15-12, 15-10, 13-15, 6-15, 17-16.
David Evans (Wal) bt Ong Beng Hee (Mal) 12-15, 15-6, 15-13, 15-9.
Mark Chaloner (Eng) bt Alex Gough (Wal) 15-8, 15-11, 12-15, 15-12.

WOMEN
Leilani Joyce (NZ) bt Suzanne Horner (eng) 9-1, 9-2, 9-1.
Carol Owens (Aus) bt Sarah Fitz-Gerald (Aus) 9-5, 9-5, 9-3
Linda Charman (Eng) bt Fiona Geaves (Eng) 9-3, 9-3, 9-3.
Sue Wright (Eng) bt Vanessa Atkinson (Ned).0-9, 9-3, 9-3, 9-5.