World Champ vs Local Refs
By Martin Brontein
May 10, 2004 All content © 2004 Squashtalk
[last update was 11-may-04 ]

Amr Shabana was in fighting form but fell afoul of the refs (photo © 2004 Fritz Borchert)

Amr Shabana and Lee Beachill had the honour (?) of introducing the PSA's new scoring system as they opened the 2004 Super Series Finals on a balmy, sunny evening that interrupted a week of rain.

The scoring system didn't affect the play at all, but the referees played a major part in Shabana not winning the third game to take the match lead. After one decision he made a pointed remark to Beachill about being on 'home ground' but according to one source who had watched the National League Final in Sheffield the day before, the same referee/marker team had been just as lacking in sharp, intelligent decisions when officiating between natives.

SCRAPPY, UNHAPPY
The match started off scrappily, as though both players were shaking off months of rust. Beachill could be blamed because recent fatherhood had robbed him of sleep for the last four nights. Shabana just needed time to warm up and half way through the first game it was 5-5. Beachill then pushed ahead to get to game ball 10-6 but Shabana , hitting a couple of his patented nicks from serve, kept fighting to pull back to 10-9, on the verge of sending the game into a tennis-style deuce tie-break. But he spoiled this effort with a forehand drop into the tin to give the game point to Beachill after nearly 15 minutes.

SHABANA HONES WHILE BEACHILL MOANS
Shabana was now cooking and took control of the second game almost from the start, his attempts at nicks forcing errors from Beachill even when they did not roll dead. Beachill, who has an unattractive attitude to referees, insulting the person rather than arguing the decisions, suddenly found himself 6-2 down and unable to contain the Shabana bag of tricks giving the world champ the second game 11-4 in 8 ½ minutes.

ARGUE, BITCH, CUSS, SULK

New Dad Beachill stayed focused (photo © 2004 Fritz Borchert)

At 9-all Beachill hit Shabana's service into the tin to give Shabana game ball and then pulled level with a lovely little forehand cross-court flick to force a tie break at 10-10. Beachill took the next point when Shabana was denied an obvious stroke at the front of the court, but the highly emotional and talented Egyptian then slammed Beachill's serve into the nick to level the score (which is called 1-1 by the marker under the new rules). There were five contentious lets before another point was scored and Beachill got that when the referee denied Shabana a let. The game finally finished with a Beachill winner to give him the game 11-10 after 23 ½ minutes.

SHABANA KEEPS FIGHTING
Shabana did not give up and led the fourth game 4-1 but Beachill was keeping the ball tight and surged to lead 6-5. The ball was running in his favour and at 6-6 he hit a lucky nick at the back wall from which Shabana never recovered . Beachill took the game 11-8 in 16 minutes to finish the 71 minute match which featured moments of real brilliance but will be remembered more for the contentious moments.

ANOTHER POWER FAILURE

Power looked sharp in red but wasn't in top form at Broadgate (photo © 2004 Fritz Borchert)

Jonathon Power, fresh from his retirement in the Canadian Championships (allowing Graham Ryding to take the national title) arrived in London at short notice to stand-in for the injured Anthony Ricketts. It was a long way to come for his 26- minute match against Scot John White. It was obvious that Power was not 100 percent in either mind or body and was less than committed in most of the rallies.

In the first game the score reached 8-3 before we witnessed a rally of any real substance. Power won it but that, sadly, was the highpoint of his performance in his first pool match. He lost the game 11-4 in just over seven minutes and the second 11-6 in eight minutes. A couple of times he winced after an energetic lunge to get at a ball, but was quick to hide his discomfort, the reverse of his usual melodramatic display of pain.

The third game was almost a walk-through, 11-4 for White in just a shade of six minutes, and on a fine sunny evening this possibly fine match ended with a disappointing sigh.

Power admitted that he still had a couple of twinges and that the glute problem that made him withdraw from the Canadian nationals had not healed.

"I had a week off and hoped that it would be long enough for it to heal, but it hasn't. I will have a long summer break to get myself fit again. I don't think I will be playing the English Open and will be aiming to come back for the Cathay Pacific in Hong Kong in August," he told Squashtalk after the match.

SUPER SERIES FINALS.
FIRST POOL MATCHES (complete pool results/draws)
Fleet Group
Lee Beachill bt Amr Shabana 11-9, 4-11, 11-9, 11-8. (71 minutes)
Thierry Lincou bt Jo Kneipp 11-9, 11-8, 10-11, 11-4 (71 minutes)

Harrow Group
John White bt Jonathon Power 11-4, 11-6, 11-4. (27 minutes)

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