MCWIL COURTWALL PLAYERS CUP FINALS. --- FNALS

Martin Bronstein reporting from Harvard University.

WILLSTROP WHEELS  KEEP ON ROLLING

As I expected James Willstrop took the $25,000 victor’s cheque in winning the final of the  playoffs of the inaugural Players Cup Series. However David Palmer did not go quietly and raised his game considerably today over the form he had been showing earlier in the week.

Palmer had participated in more of the five tournaments that comprise the series than Willstrop, who had only played in the Tournament of Champions and The Davenport in Richmond, Virginia.  I had the feeling that Palmer was weary and that he had trouble motivating himself to his usual high standards.  Although Willstrop had some slow starts in both New York and Virginia, here in Boston he set the benchmark for the rest of the players, which is why I thought he would take the final fairly easily.

The match was played in front of a truly capacity audience at chock-full Murr Center, and the enthusiastic response and energy of the crowd clearly played a big role in both players raising their games for this final.

Palmer started with an error to set Willstrop on his way and from that moment on Willstrop never lost his grip on the game as he used his entire arsenal of shots and fine court sense while not giving up anything loose and keeping Palmer on the back foot for much of the game. Palmer’s body language did  not augur well for the match and  after 11 minutes Willstrop had the game 11-5 with the help of six errors  from Palmer.

On this sort of form Willstrop is very hard  to stop and it looked as though this was going to be a short final. The second game, however, was entirely different and slowly Palmer raised his game to the point where he was on par with Willstrop all over the court. There were some great rallies played in the back of the court, but not  in the way of the attritional players of the 70’s, but with low drives, crashing cross courts, lobs down the wall as well as normal tight drives to length.  There were also some great backhand dropping duels at the front of the court, the sort of rallies that really sap the strength as the players lunge to the front, feather a drop shot and then lunge back in case of a drive, only to have to lunge forward again.

Willstrop had the edge to lead 9-6, but then committed two errors  to help Palmer overtake him and reach game ball 10-9. The next rally ended after each player had  played four drop shots at the front left with Palmer missing  the  ball entirely as Willstrop drove it tight to the wall to force a tie-break. Palmer was now playing at full speed  and from 11-11 Willstrop was denied a let  and then  had a stroke awarded against him to put Palmer past the finishing post 13-11 to end a very watchable 21 minute game.

With the match tied, things started to heat up, the referee now being brought into play more and more as Palmer started to get picky. At one point he told the referee not give explanation for his decisions …”you sound silly.”  On a number of occasions the referee quite rightly told Palmer to stop talking and start playing. Willstrop kept his trap shut but his eyes often showed his frustration at the way the game was being interrupted.

It was another tough haul  and from 8-8 they both played at their very best and this stretch was the climax of the match as far as quality of squash. They were tied at 9, 10, 11 and 12 – a sure way to ensure that the spectators held their breath in suspense. The final rally   was a real corker and ended with Palmer on the floor at front left and Willstrop pasting the ball to the back, Palmer threw his racket after the ball, which is a sort of humorous way of saying ‘I can’t get there but my racket can.’

Unfortunately the referee saw it as a temper tantrum and immediately docked him a conduct point  for racket abuse. This gave Willstrop two points at once and so he walked off the court a 14-12 winner.

That game had taken 21 minutes and Palmer had nothing to show for it – except a referee who was not too fond of him. The fourth game  found Willstrop still in overdrive while Palmer had slipped a few gears and the great form he had mustered in the previous two games was  no longer there and Willstrop inevitably took control of the  game from  3-3 to win 11-5 to win 3/1  after 72 minutes.

Every seat had been sold, making for a very cosy ambiance  around the McWill permanent glass court and the paying customers all left feeling they had gotten value for their money.

Willstrop earned about $11,000 last Saturday in Richmond and $25,000 today, or $36,000  in a week. And he deserved every penny.

I shall be back in London next week for the Canary Wharf Classic and wonder whether Willstrop can continue his tremendous run of victories.

MACWIL COURTWALL FINAL

James Willstrop (ENG) bt  David Palmer (AUS)  11-5, 10-11(1-3), 11-10(4-2), 11-5 (72mins)

	Enter your search terms Submit search form
	Web www.squashtalk.com