2002 SquashTalk coverage will feature live
updates throughout the event from Martin Bronstein

October 19, 2002 from Martin Bronstein

WHAT IS THE SOUND OF PUNCTURED BALLOON?

Natalie Grinham's (AUS)(l) win over Stephanie Brind (ENG) clinches the title (photo ©2002 Fritz Brochert)

GREAT START, GREAT FINISH
Grinham made all the play from the start, which wasn’t all good: she led 4-2 but had made four errors.She either won the point with a winner or lost it with an error. Leading 4-1 she still did not look as though she would outgun Brind and true enough Brind started to take charge and move Grinham around. They played good squash despite the ten errors they made between them. When Brind was pasting the ball to the back and then putting in her drops, she looked very good indeed. In this mode she went from 1-4 down to win 9-5 in just over 11 minutes.

She started the second in the same mode and we thought that things were beginning to unfold as forecast. And then Brind lost it. Her volley drops were hitting tin and a relaxed Grinham was beginning to read her game. Leading 4-2 Brind made her first error on a backhand drop and that was the start of the downfall, hitting the ball down the middle, going for far too many winners and gradually losing confidence as Grinham pulled past her and surged to win 9-5. Yes, Brind made six unforced errors but Grinham was playing out of her skin. This diminutive player – surely no more than five feet tall – had the air of a winner, suddenly became superwoman, getting to everything and moving incredibly fast around the front of the court.

Brind could not bring herself to play to length and in the third game the errors continued. You could see the confidence oozing away and even at this stage it was obvious that she would not recover and that Australia had the title. Grinham constantly took Brind down to the front and found her wanting.
At 11 ½ minutes this was the longest game of the match, and featured a bit of a comeback from Brind from 3-7 to 6-7 and when she tried to bury a Grinham serve but hit tin instead– she faced game ball. She got in hand with a fine drive to length and then Grinham got it back with a lucky nick from Brind’s serve. The game ended with a stroke to Grinham, which just about summed up Brind’s day.

NO WAY BACK
At 1/2 down the situation was desperate for England and from the beginning the desperation showed as a demoralised Brind lost all belief . Grinham gleefully ran away to a 7-0 lead and then gratefully took two backhand errors from her opponent for the last two points to win 9-3 for a famous, priceless victory.

When I asked her if she had ever played better Natalie replied:
“Well I’ve never been so focussed. There was no pressure on me at number three so I just chased every ball down. I had nothing to lose. Stephanie is normally quite good at the front, but that wasn’t my strategy. I take everybody to the front because I know I’m so quick.”

CHARMAN SHINES FOR ONE GAME

Linda Charman (ENG)(l) shines for one game against Sarah Fitz-Gerald(AUS) (photo ©2002 Fritz Brochert)

DAMP SQUIBS BUT NO FIREWORKS
Not a world championships to remember (except the super organisation) because of the lack of real contenders and too many 3/0 results. But that has to be expected sometimes.

We can only look forward to 2004 when Egypt will be stronger and a real contender, New Zealand will be back in strength again and Malaysia’s young team will have matured. Come to that England will also be a little more experienced and we will almost certainly far close matches all round.

FINAL RESULTS:
Australia 2 England 1
Sarah Fitz-Gerald bt Linda Charman 2-9, 9-2, 9-0, 9-1
Rachael Grinham lost to Tania Bailey 9-6, 9-2.
Natalie Grinham bt Stephanie Brind 5-9,9-5, 9-7, 9-3.

Team Australia - World Champions (photo ©2002 Fritz Brochert)