English Squash News
Paul.Baggott
Produced by:
Howard Harding Associates, London
(Tel) 44 (0)171-931 9311
(Fax) 44 (0)171-931 7377
(E-mail) cha...@vossnet.co.uk
NICOL SCOTCHES ENGLAND'S WORLD GLORY
Peter Nicol, the lone Scot in the men's draw of the QM National Squash
Championships this month (January), cocked a snook at members of the England
world championship-winning squad - and took the title north of the border for
the first time, beating two England team players on the way.
The quality of the final, in which he beat fast-rising Lincolnshire star Mark
Chaloner 9/6 9/1 9/1 at the Edgbaston Priory Club in Birmingham in 63 minutes,
was eloquently summed up by the Birmingham Post's Michael Ward the following
day: 'All of the world's squash legends have visited Priory for major
championships in the past - the deeds of Jonah Barrington, Geoff Hunt, Jahangir
Khan and Jansher Khan echo around these courts - but no match has equalled the
enduring skill and excellence of last night's men's final.
World No4 Nicol, 22, from Inverurie near Aberdeen, is now the highest ranked
Briton in the world list, and the youngest in the top ten. "Having been seeded
one, I was delighted to win from the front, conceding only 34 points throughout
the tournament," said Nicol after the match. "This confirms my position as
British and European No1, and my sights are now firmly set on the top world
slot."
The event's most talked-about match was the semi-final between England
team-mates Del Harris, Essex's England No1 and the second seed, and Welwyn
Garden City-based Chaloner, the 23-year-old who leapt 44 places to No9 in the
world in the twelve months to January 1996.
The pair's first competitive meeting resulted in an exhilarating display of
world-class squash, with Chaloner, the British Sports Writers' Association's
'International Newcomer' of 1995, upsetting the seedings to clinch a 6/9 9/5
9/0 3/9 9/5 victory in 94 minutes.
YORKSHIRE'S HORNER RECLAIMS WOMEN'S BRITISH CROWN
Wakefield's world No6 Suzanne Horner regained the British title she first won
in 1994 when she beat Sussex's Linda Charman 9/4 7/9 9/4 9/1 in the women's
Nationals final in Birmingham.
Horner, the 32-year-old England No2, was seeded to reach the final in which she
has appeared four times before. After a first round victory over Northampton's
Katie Atkins in which she conceded only one point, Horner surprisingly dropped
a game in the next round to local heroine Rebecca Clarke (Staffs) - the first
quarter-finalist to concede a game!
Suzanne then dismissed Essex's Rebecca Macree 9/1 9/1 5/9 9/2 in the last eight
before outplaying England team-mate Sue Wright from Kent in straight games to
take her place in the final.
Heathfield's Linda Charman claimed an unexpected place in the final for the
second year running. Seeded only to reach the last eight, the England No6 first
trounced event favourite Cassie Jackman 3/1 in the quarter-finals, then took
out defending champion Fiona Geaves (her victor in the '95 final) 4/9 9/4 9/5
10/8 in the semis.
Linda's success represented a remarkable double for her coach John Milton. She
and men's finalist Mark Chaloner are stable mates in Milton's squad at the
Herts Country Club at Welwyn Garden City.
WALKER'S CRISP NEW YORK VICTORY
Chris Walker, the England No4 who chose to forego the National Championships in
order to garner world ranking points on the professional circuit, fought
through New York's worst weather in living memory to take his place as the No1
seed in the $21,500 Apawamis Invitation tournament in Rye.
Walker, from Colchester but now the resident tournament professional at
London's luxurious Dolphin Square complex in Pimlico, had a scare in the first
round when he had to save two match balls against the Welsh No1 David Evans
before coming through 15/14 in the fifth game.
Victories against ICL Lion Herts team-mate Julian Wellings (3/0) and Egyptian
Amir Wagih (3/0) led him to the final where he met Gary Waite - the Canadian
world No31 who had toppled compatriot Jonathan Power in a 2-hour- 52-minute
quarter-final, believed to be a new world record match time.
England world team champion Walker calmly secured a 15/10 15/8 15/7 victory
over his beleaguered opponent, to earn 430 world ranking points, a cheque for
$4,000, and his first ever PSA title.
ENGLISH HARRIS HAMMERS NATIONAL CHAMPION SCOT
Two days after becoming the first Scot to win the British National squash
title, world No4 Peter Nicol was cut down to size by Essex's England No1 Del
Harris in a Super Squash League match in Welwyn Garden City between ICL Lion
Herts and London's Cannons Club.
At 2-0 up, the home team's top string Harris faced Nicol in what was the
anticipated Nationals final - and beat the London-based (Chingford) Aberdonian
15/9 15/17 17/14 15/13 in 72 minutes to give the Herts squad a maximum points
3-0 league win.
Pride in English squash - boosted by a first ever world men's championships win
last November in Cairo, and then dented this week by a Scot's record-breaking
success in Birmingham - was duly restored.
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Paul.Baggott
(Tel) 44 (0)171-931 9311
(Fax) 44 (0)171-931 7377
(E-mail) cha...@vossnet.co.uk
PARKE IN CANCER SCARE
Simon Parke, the world No5 who led England to historic success in the World
Team Championships last November, shocked the squash world on Thursday 1st
February when he revealed that he has been undergoing treatment for a form
of cancer.
In an open letter to the British squash media, he wrote:
"Some of you may or may not know that my reason for not playing the British
National Championships (in January) or anything else at the moment is not
because of an appendix operation, but because I have had a form of
testicular cancer.
"At the time of discovery of the Teratoma (type of tumour) I was very
shocked, but was led to believe they would just 'whip it out' and that
would be the end of it. But since the operation (on January 2nd 1996) I
have been informed that I would have to undergo chemotherapy.
"The good news, though, is that I have had CT scans, blood tests, X-rays -
the lot, and I seem to be clear of any secondary spread, so this short and
sharp treatment is like an insurance against anything else coming back.
"I finished my first bout of chemo last night, and I have one more big one
and two small ones before finishing on the 22nd February. There are
numerous possible side-effects from the chemo treatment, but hopefully,
mine will not be too severe and I can get on with my squash career as soon
as possible.
"It is unlikely that I will play the Super Series Grand Prix final in
Hatfield (in Hertfordshire, England, between 21st-24th March), but I am
still hoping to play the British Open (in Cardiff, in April)."
ENGLISH SQUASH RESULTS
SRA NATIONAL LEAGUE - 7th round (w/e 3rd February 1996)
Darren Bradbury, the 32-year-old world No 81 from Warwickshire, pulled off
a shock 9/7 10/8 10/8 victory over the former Welsh champion Adrian Davies,
ranked 51 in the world, to clinch a 3-2 for Colchester's Lexden Club
against Sigma Strings Swansea in the seventh round of the SRA National
League.
A 4-1 win over Bromley Town moves Phillips Windows Chichester to the top of
Group B, ahead of Keyline Barnham Broom for the first time in the season.
In Group A, world No 9 Sue Wright, of Mitsubishi Electric Potters Bar,
overcame a two game deficit to beat Broxbourne's Jane Martin 7/9 6/9 9/1
9/2 9/4 - securing the match 3-2 and virtually assuring the title for her
team.
Mitsubishi Electric Potters Bar beat Broxbourne 3-2
John Ransome lost to Julian Bonetat 9/6 1/9 3/9 1/9
Paul Carter lost to Julian Wellings 9/5 3/9 1/9 7/9
Neil Frankland beat Scott Handley 8/10 9/1 9/4 9/6
Jamie Davis beat Peter Gunter 9/2 9/3 9/0
Sue Wright beat Jane Martin 7/9 6/9 9/1 9/2 9/4
Tamworth St Motors Duffield lost to Reebok Nottingham 1-4
Paul Hargrave beat Hadrian Stiff 10/9 1/9 6/9 9/7 9/4
Paul Blanksby lost to Daniel Sharplin 9/2 5/9 2/9 7/9
Steve Townsend lost to Nick Douglas 7/9 9/7 6/9 5/9
Kevin White lost to Mike Hopkins 5/9 9/7 9/6 4/9 4/9
Tracey Shenton lost to Suzanne Horner 2/9 3/9 4/9
Phillips Windows Chichester beat Bromley Town 4-1
Nathan Dugan beat Chris Tomlinson 9/2 9/4 9/4
Peter Genever beat James Robbins 9/6 9/0 9/0
Martin Greenslade lost to John Russell 5/9 9/6 9/10 9/7 8/10
Mark Heather beat Steve Bateman 9/6 9/0 9/4
Linda Charman beat Stephanie Brind 9/1 9/3 9/3
Sigma Strings Swansea lost to Lexden 2-3
Chris Clare lost to Robin Godden 6/9 0/9 5/9
Adrian Davies lost to Darren Bradbury 7/9 8/10 8/10
Jeff Dark lost to Lee Drew 3/9 7/9 5/9
Matthew Benjamin beat Paul Allen 9/3 9/3 9/5
Fiona Geaves beat Rebecca Clarke 9/3 9/0 9/1