Martin Bronstein reporting from THE EYE GROUP BRITISH OPEN
JONATHON POWER SAID he was up to 80% fitness for the Open, the highest he'd been this season. "
Since the beginning of the season I've been struggling at 50-60% fitness and playing through injuries," he said after beating Nick Taylor of England in the first round.
said he wasn't hitting the ball well, try telling that to Taylor. Not that Taylor was brushed aside: he gave a very good account of himself and was reading Power's game and hitting winners with
enough confidence to take the third game.
Taylor is a fit, fast and shrewd player but even he finally could not overcome the Power game of speed, accuracy and deception. Power won 3/1 to move into the second round for a meeting against Del Harris who is gradually
climbing back up the rankings after a series of injuries.
HARRIS BACK AGAIN?
He is easily the most exciting of the British squash players and not long ago was in the top five, but through injuries dropped into the thirties. He is now back up to 14 and playing well enough - with his confidence back again - to get back into the top ten. He beat Belgian Stefan Casteleyn 3/1 and will provide some great entertainment for the galleries tomorrow evening.
HEATH A REAL CONTENDER
Martin Heath gave a wonderful display in beating Australian Stewart Boswell in three straight. Heath has remarkably fast hands and hits the ball effortless, almost without power being funneled through his arm. Even high overhead balls can be directed with a nonchalent flick of the wrist into the nick. Although he lives in the shadow of fellow Scot Peter Nicol, he is a far more natural squash player with a range of shots and touch that Nicol can only attain with years of work. Heath is also extremely fast around the court as he proved in the third game when Boswell (another very promising young Australia headed for the top ten) hit some near-perfect drives to length with Heath caught at the front. Heath not only recovered but twice hit marvelous touch shots at full speed to put the pressure back on Boswell.
As Power said at his press conference, there are five people who can win the title and Heath is very much in that talented handful along with Nicol, Barada, Marshall and Power himself.
WRIGHT COUNTED OUT
I also thought there were a handful of women who could win the title but that thought is rapidly disappearing. Sue Wright, back from viral pneumonia went out go Leilani Joyce in a bitty scrappy match that showed both players in their worst light. Errors and bad movement leading to countless lets destroyed any chance of good squash and
Wright simply didn't seem to be thinking the game through. Joyce should be upset at the number of errors she committed and while she is the number two seed, informed opinion seems to see a Campion/ Owens final as inevitable.
While she exhibited a good squash brain there were too many occasions where she just hit the ball, rather than placing it and Grainger jumped on them with glee to put them away. Bailey also failed to spot and anticipate Grainger's love for the backhand drop (shades of Susan Devoy) and time and time again, Grainger chopped the ball to the front left corner and Bailey was a yard short. But she is a reassuring player for England's future in the women's game.
Since the beginning of the season I've been struggling at 50-60% fitness and playing through injuries," he said after beating Nick Taylor of England in the first round.
enough confidence to take the third game.