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2000 EVENT
[last update was 10-aug-01 ]
Super
Series Final: Day
2
POWER, NICOL MAKE THE SEMIS
Martin Bronstein, Squashtalk reporter on the scene in London's Broadgate Arena.
by Martin Bronstein, London, 19 June 2001 2330
hrs
All content
© 2001 Squashtalk, photos:
© 2001 Fritz Borchert
PALMER BLOWS HIS TOP
In
the match of the tournament so far, David Palmer and Peter Nicol provided
a mindblowing 93 minute battle royal that featured superb squash, some
atrocious decisions from the referee and a 6ft Australian who was on the
verge of blowing up like a major volcano. It was a pity that these decisions
disturbed a player who had seemed to get over his anger management problems,
but David Palmer certainly had the sympathy of the crowd.
Two things should be pointed out: it probably didnt matter who won. Palmer and Nicol will top the Fleet Group and go through to the semi-finals unless Palmer gets beaten by Paul Johnson tomorrow, which, given Palmers present form is unlikely. Certainly pride was at stake and Im pretty sure that Nicol wanted to go home to bed knowing that he had beaten the new British Open champion. And Palmer would like to have reminded Nicol that he could beat him as well as win the Open. But the latter scenario was not to be. The second thing is that Palmer won the game in which all the decisions went against him.
BAD START, GREAT FINISH
Palmer started the first game badly, gave Nicol a 6-1 lead and was always playing catch up. He started to control the rallies and Nicol was made to do an awful lot of work to stay in contention. Palmers all court distribution and reading of the Nicol game was sublime and he pulled up to 8-8 and then hit the ball out of court to start a stream of four errors that gave Nicol the first game 15-11.
Another bad start from Palmer gave Nicol a quick 4-1 lead which he pressured into a 10-4 lead, the sort of gap that point-a-rally scoring makes invulnerable .so they say. Obviously Palmer hasnt heard about that and started a thrilling comeback, taking eight points in a row to lead 12-ll before Nicol could break Palmers stranglehold on the game.
This was near-perfect squash and proves that this man Palmer is the Man-of-the Moment; it seemed that he was destined to win this match. He won this game 15-13 after 20 minutes and looked calm and confident.
GREAT CONTROL, BAD RESULT
Palmer started the third a little better and once more he was in control it was either his winners or his errors that decided the rallies. It was about midway through this game that the referee started giving strange decisions and Palmer was getting irked. Nicol managed to take control from 10-8 and put in some fine winners to take the game 15-10.
It was in the fourth that a series of incomprehensible decisions started to bring out the seething Palmer of old. On one point Palmer was crowded by Nicol but still hit the ball for a winner. The ref called a let! There were other decisions but they should not be allowed overshadow this superb display of world class squash: intelligent tactics, inch -perfect shots, and impossible gets.
The point is, despite his anger, Palmer still won the 20 minute game 15-13 to tie the match. As he came off court he told the referee he had cost him five points and demanded to see the chief referee for a change of officials, a move that is no longer in the rules.
COOLER HEADS BUT THE TEMPER IS LOST NEVER TO BE FOUND
Promoter Satinder Bajwa listened to Palmer in the interval and told him nothing could be done. Palmer came back for the fifth, his blood still boiling hot enough to mar his concentration while Nicol, probably the most level-headed player in the game (bar Ong Beng Hee) stuck to the task at hand.
Each time Palmer lost a point he glared at the ref; the result was inevitable and Nicol took the fifth 15-6 in 11 minutes, the shortest game of the match. But its not over yet; these two marvellous players could well meet in Fridays final. Tis a pity the television cameras were not present to catch this match it was almost as good as last years Nicol/Parke final.
POWER TAKES A WALK ON THE HEATH
The
opening match of the night was entertaining in a different way, with two
attacking players going for winners it was like the Fourth of July, fireworks
everywhere. Tonight Power was smiling, always a bad omen for his opponents;
it means he feels good and he wont get upset with bad decisions because
he knows he is going to win anyway.
The surprising aspect of the first two games was the number of errors both Power and Martin Heath made. The difference was that Heath made them at critical points, specifically at the end of long rallies where he proved the equal of Power. But that final error was psychologically damaging. And in the final reckoning Power can hit more shots from more angles. They can get him out of trouble, put his opponent into deep trouble and give him outright winners.
Power got his mandatory conduct warning, accused the referee of penalising him for burying the ball in the nick and hit one backhand reverse corner from the back of the court that was sheer brilliant. Power won in three which puts him into the semi-finals while Heath will have to beat Simon Parke to play on Thursday. And as it stands that is a good bet.
CHALONER MISSES SLEEP, BUT FAST OFF THE MARK
Mark
Chaloner lost to Heath yesterday and said that was because he had an afternoon
nap and felt heavy on court. Today he gave the bed a miss and came on
court against Simon Parke breathing fire and spitting cannonballs. This
was a completely different Mark Chaloner and he was looking for winners
on every shot.
He won the first game
15-1l but came up against a more determined Parke in the second, until,
yes, Im afraid to say, some officials decisions that Parke didnt agree
with. A conduct warning was almost immediately followed by a conduct stroke
(allegedly for bad language) and that really decided Parkes exit 15-10.
In the third
Chaloner smelled victory and upped his performance with some split second
reactions and fine athleticism. Parke was rarely in it and 
continued
his run of sub-Parke performances to lose the third 15-9.
"Im concentrating on
what I want to do on court and using this as preparation for the Scottish
Open where there are ranking points. I want to improve my ranking, " Chaloner
said. He could well meet Nicol in the quarters in Scotland and as Chaloner
has been openly critical of Nicol for his defection I suggested that
he take to the court in Scotland against Nicol, wearing tartan shorts
and a sporran. Hes considering it
.
SORRY DAVID, I SHOULD HAVE ASKED
David
Evans lost to Paul Johnson but was happy that he played one hundred percent
better than yesterday. I have been saying Evans bad run is all due to
his lack of confidence. In fact, it is all due to injuring his right ankle
in the European team championships when he was playing for Wales. This
injury was responsible for his first round exit in the British Open and
his sub-par performance here.
He explained that as a tall (6ft4") player lunging is an important part of his game in helping to move the ball around the court. He simply has no confidence in his movement. The only treatment, he has been told is rest and he will have the whole summer to rest, ready for the Hong Kong Open in August.
Paul Johnson played positive squash and hit some delightful winners. Evans led the fourth game 10-4 but let Johnson back in. Still Evans served for the game at 14-12 and looked ready to go to five, but Johnson, surrounded by mum, dad, sister and probably uncles and aunts, persisted to send the game into overtime and win 17-14.
RESULTS. SECOND ROUND GROUP MATCHES.
FLEET GROUP:
Peter Nicol bt David Palmer
15-1l, 13-15, 15-10, 13-15,15-6. 93 mins.
Paul Johnson bt
David Evans15-7, 7-15, 15-9, 17-14. 61 mins
HARROW GROUP:
Jonathon Power bt Martin
Heath 15-12, 15-8, 15-10. 47 mins
Mark Chaloner bt Simon Parke 15-11, 15-10, 15-9. 48 mins.
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