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2002 Super Series Final ($50,000)
Broadgate Arena, Liverpool Street
London, England
June 17-21

[last update was 25-jun-02 ]

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PALMER GRINDS OUT A VICTORY

David Palmer, the Australian number one, completed his redemption from sinner to saint when he beat Thierry Lincou in the final of the Super Series. It was 92 minutes of squash that engaged the mind rather than the heart and although every one of the 480 seats was filled there was little real excitement generated as the two players took turns at winning the games with Lincou finally running out of steam - or desire - to give Palmer an easy passage in the fifth.

Palmer carried on where he left off against Peter Nicol yesterday, using his frame and height to dominate the T but Lincou was up to the running and lost the first game simply because he was slower to settle down. This was careful, tight squash: even the delicate dropping duels at the front, were careful rather than vindictive and the spectators watched in silence, waiting for the fireworks to happen. They rarely did and when they did it was the histrionics of body contact and referee's disputed decisions that caused the only real emotion of the evening.

Palmer's conspiracy theory regarding Brit referees is still carried in the sensitive part of his cortex, but tonight it was Lincou who got the majority of the bad deals. Palmer also likes to play in silence and when he asked the referee to request silence, he didn't realise that the high babble was coming from the two or three bars circling the marquee. At another point he asked for silence again and was politely informed that the noise he heard was the rain beating on the canvas. (The well known sound of a British summer). You almost get the feeling that Palmer needs something to be unhappy about.

By the third game he was complaining about Lincou's body contact and by the fourth game things got a little nasty. At one point Palmer pulled Lincou down to the floor with him - a move more often seen on a rugby pitch than in a squash court. He was given a conduct warning for this, his third of the tournament. At another point he managed a hip charge against Lincou before making his shot. He was leading 2/1 at the time and his feeling that there is a conspiracy against him in every referee's decision did not help him and Lincou kept up the pressure to win the 22 minute game to tie the match.

Palmer started the fifth using his arsenal of shots and Lincou was either demoralised at the beginning or became so when he found himself 8-1 down in a matter of a few minutes. He then lost all semblance of intent and soon Palmer was 11-1 up and although Lincou scored three more points on do-or-die shots, there was never any doubt that Palmer would take home the winner's $15,000 cheque.

Not a memorable final but one that gave the spectators their money's worth in a demonstration of percentage squash.

SUPER SERIES FINAL Results:

David Palmer (Aus) bt Thierry Lincou (Fra) 15-9, 10-15, 15-7, 10-15, 15-4. 92 mins.