British Nationals 2014

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Masters Results  (Age Categories)

Final                                                                            Click on Images For Larger View  

Matthew and Waters Retain National Titles

Nick Matthew and Alison Waters successfully defended their National Championships in Manchester today to give Matthew a record sixth title and Waters a fourth crown.

After Waters, the second seed from Middlesex, had routed Madeline Perry 3/0 in the Irish champion’s first British National final, world no.1 Matthew fought back from losing the first game to James Willstrop to overcome his great Yorkshire rival 3/1.

The top seed’s 78-minute victory over Willstrop in front of a capacity crowd at the National Squash Centre enabled him to equal Cassie Jackman’s all-time record of British titles and become the first man to claim six.

Despite winning the first game 11-5, Willstrop could not contain the triple world champion, who fought back to edge a close second game 12-10 before taking control of the match and snatching the next two 11-4, 11-8.

A beaming Matthew told the crowd: “That’s got to be up there with one of my best ever wins against James. Some of his backhand drives were ridiculously tight. He was in such great form that at the moment it’s relief more than delight, although I’m sure I’ll be happy in five minutes!”

Matthew, who took his young niece onto court to help him collect the trophy, added: “I won’t be playing for much longer. You’re a long time retired, which is why it means a lot to me, having all my family here and my support staff. I know I haven’t got many more times left on this stage, so I really do appreciate everyone’s support.”

In the women’s final world no.4 Waters was in fine form as she swept aside joint third seed Perry in just 32 minutes.

The 29-year-old, competing in a record-equalling eighth National Championship final, was in a confident mood from the start as she took a quick first game 11-3.

Perry struggled to recover as Waters, always looking the more threatening and causing the Irish player persistent problems, won both the second and third games 11-6 to secure victory.

“I’m so pleased," said Waters. "I’ve had plenty of tough battles against Madders in the past, so I was ready from the start.

“I just played my game and was confident going into it. I’m so excited to have won a fourth title.

“Big respect to Madeline, though. I know how long she’s wanted to get a National final. She’s 37 years old and if I’m still playing as well as she is at 37, I’ll be delighted!”

Masters Results  (Age Categories)

Semi Finals                                                  Click on Images For Larger View

Perry Reaches First Nationals Final

Top seed Laura Massaro suffered a shock exit from the British National Championship in Manchester tonight as Ireland’s Madeline Perry (left) qualified for her first final in the tournament at the age of 37.

The double champion from Lancashire made the perfect start by winning the first game 11-6, but Perry hit back to win the next three – 12-10, 11-9, 11-6 – and qualify for a clash with defending champion Alison Waters tomorrow.

“I’m 37 years old, so it’s about time I made the final!” joked Ireland’s number one after the 55-minute semi-final. “I thought I’d better do it before I retire. I’m proud of the fact that I’m still playing so well at my age.

“Today I was really focused on staying on top. I know how dangerous Laura is, so I knew I had to work hard for it.”

Waters, the second seed from Middlesex, qualified for a record-equalling eighth final with a hard-fought victory over Jenny Duncalf, the two-time winner from Yorkshire.

The three-time champion, who started playing squash at the age of five at Southgate Squash Club, beat Duncalf 5-11, 11-8, 11-2, 12-0 in 51 minutes.

Speaking after her match, the 29-year-old Waters said: “That was really tough. It nearly went to 2/2, but I thought no, I’m not letting this go to a fifth game.

“I can’t believe I’ve been in eight national finals – I’m only 29, I’m not that old!

“I’ve got three titles to my name and I want more – so I can’t wait for tomorrow.”

Alison Waters reaches eighth National final!

Enfield’s Alison Waters (right) has booked her place in the final of the National Squash Championships.

Arch Rivals Meet Again In Nationals Final

Long-standing rivals Nick Matthew and James Willstrop will meet again in the final of the National Championship in Manchester tomorrow after the Yorkshire pair enjoyed contrasting semi-final victories today.

While defending champion Matthew struggled to dispose of 2011 winner Daryl Selby 3/1 in a contentious tie, second seed Willstrop had a more straightforward 3/0 win against Adrian Grant, the other joint third seed.

Matthew and Willstrop have contested three National finals in the past four years, but five-time winner Matthew has yet to be beaten by his England team-mate.

However, the 33-year-old triple world champion suffered a scare against world no.10 Selby, who, in a match full of drama and contentious decisions, stretched Matthew – much to the delight of a noisy crowd.

Despite winning the first game 11-8, though, it wasn’t to be for the Essex man and Matthew claimed the next three 11-8, 11-6, 11-9 to triumph after 84 minutes.

Much of the controversy occurred in the fourth game. With Matthew 2/1 in front, Selby looked set to take the match to a decider after leading 7-3, but the Yorkshireman then won six points in a row to put the pressure back on the joint third seed.

Unhappy at some of the decisions made by the referees, Selby took a more positive approach and won the next two points to level it at 9-9, the highlight being a cross-court nick off Matthew’s serve.

At 9-9, though, the referees awarded a crucial stroke to Matthew, at which point Selby exited the court and shouted: “I want to cry.”

The triple world champion duly converted his matchball to end Selby’s 2014 title chances, but in Matthew’s (left) post-match interview to the crowd one spectator booed him. In response, the defending champion said: “To the person that booed, I’d like to see how they would react under so much pressure on there.”

Later he said: “I think we were both taking our space, it’s nothing personal between us. I was wary because it’s still fresh in my mind when he beat me on this court in the final in 2011, so I know how dangerous he is in a fifth game.

“Decisions went against us both during the match. The refs have a tough job.”

A disappointed Selby said: “It’s the semi-finals and emotions and passion obviously run high. I felt like I got some poor decisions in the fourth and it turned the tables.

“It’s hard to take when you’re on there slogging your guts out, training hard throughout the year.”

Later Willstrop, the 2007 and 2008 winner, eased past Londoner Grant 11-5, 11-9, 11-8 in 62 minutes.

“I had to plot my way through that one,” said Willstrop. “It was a good quality match, a bit of a chess game really trying to find the right areas to put the ball into.

“Adrian’s a great athlete and he plays well here. I knew all of that, so that’s a very good win for me.

“You can’t fail to get yourself up for a match like tomorrow’s final against Nick. There’s no pressure on me, as I’m about 800 to one down, but I may not have too many of these occasions left, so I’ll try to enjoy it and make the most of it.”

Five Champions Through To Semis

wo-time champion Jenny Duncalf was the first player to reach the semi-finals of the National Championships in Manchester as she maintained her unbeaten record (apart from PSL matches) against Sarah Kippax with a straight-games win.

Duncalf started strongly in each game, taking leads of 6-1, 5-1 and 5-2 and kept Kippax, who awas appearing in her seventh straight quarter-final, at bay.

“It was good to get those starts, so I needed to make sure I kept the momentum and I managed to do that,” said a satisfied winner.

Daryl Selby avenged his defeat at this stage by Tom Richards last year with a straight-games win over his former St George’s team-mate (Selby now plays for Chapel Allerton in the PSL).

There was never much in it, but Selby managed to eke out leads in the middle of each game and Richards, to his own frustration and Selby’s relief, couldn’t close those gaps.

“We’ve played a few times and that may be the first or second time it’s finished 3/0, so I’m happy to take that,” said the 2011 champion.

Defending champion Alison Waters (left) made it through to her seventh successive semi-final (she was injured in 2011) with a battling win against Emma Beddoes, who was appearing in her fifth straight quarter-final.

Beddoes took a while to get adjusted as Waters took the first comfortably, but Beddoes always led the second as she levelled.

It was Waters, though, who had the leads in the next two games, closing out the third from 9-7, and surging ahead to 10-3 in the fourth before Beddoes’ comeback attempt was scuppered by two unforced errors.

“She played well,” admitted Waters. “You think you’ve won the rally, but she keeps getting it back. It was a bit of a scrap, but it’s always nice to win matches like that and I’m looking forward to another semi-final!”

Nick Matthew made it four National Champions through to the semis as the men’s defending champion beat Joe Lee in straight games – the world champion’s 13th Nationals’ win in a row. Lee struggled to get to grips with the match at the outset, but made Matthew work hard to maintain leads in the next two games.

“Joe’s improving all the time," said Matthew. "The younger players are definitely keeping us on our toes! Great to be here, but a shame it’s on Valentine’s Day. It’s not doing me any favours with my wife! Really looking forward to tomorrow, the crowd is always great over the weekend.”

After the match Matthew was presented with his Team England Best Male Athlete award from the 2010 Commonwealth Games.

Speaking about this year’s Commonwealth Games, Matthew said: “It’s a huge event for us and hopefully we can show the Olympics what they’re missing out on.”

The evening session started with Madeline Perry reaching the semi-final for the eighth time as she beat Emily Whitlock in straight games.

Just turned 37, the Irish champion was facing an English teenager – although Emily does turn 20 today – and it was experience that held the day as Perry led early in all three games and kept the pressure on her young opponent.

Whitlock won’t be satisfied with her performance – serving out twice in the second game and a number of uncharacteristic errors in the third – but her time will come.

“When you’re almost 20 years older than your opponent there’s definitely some pressure on you,” admitted Perry. “I knew she’d be hungry to make a breakthrough and come out firing, so I was definitely ready for that.

“I keep coming here and losing in the semis. Like I said last year, it must be my turn soon! I felt good on there tonight, so hopefully I can finally make the final.”

Adrian Grant reached the semi-finals for the seventh time with a hard-fought three-game win over Chris Simpson that took a full 70 minutes to complete.

There was never much between them, and the Guernsey man had his chances at 10-9 and 13-12 in the first, and also led 9-7 in the second, only to see Grant close out both games.

Grant edged ahead from 3-3 in the third and although Simpson got as close as 7-6, Grant pulled away to reach 10-6 and a Simpson error ended the match 11-8 for Grant.

“He’s improved a lot over the last couple of years and I class him as a huge threat,” said Grant. “There wasn’t much between us. I just tried to relax at the crucial points at the end of the games and it paid off.

“There were only a couple of points in it. The scoreline doesn’t really reflect how tough the match was, but I’ll take it.”

Top seed Laura Massaro wants the women’s title back. “I want to win this prestigious title as many times as I can before I retire,” said the two-time champion after beating Sarah-Jane Perry in straight games.

Perry, in good form after an extended injury layoff, didn’t get started in the first as Massaro dictated the play to take the lead 11-5, but started doing her own dictating in the second as she opened up an 8-3 lead.

Massaro steadied and with Perry pressing a little too hard as she tinned several times, Massaro came back to 9-9 before taking the game 12-10, and the third was all Massaro.

“She’s had some good wins recently so that takes a bit of pressure off as losing to her wouldn’t be a bad loss,” explained Massaro. “But I really want to win this title, so that puts pressure on yourself. It’s such a prestigious event, the history and the depth of the game here, we all want to win this one.”

James Willstrop completed the day’s proceedings with a 3/0 win over Adrian Waller in which the two-time champion was always ahead, but always had to work hard to stay there.

“That scoreline was ridiculous for the intensity of the match, especially at the start of each game, when I really had to dig in and work hard to get in front," Willstrop admitted.

“There’s a great bunch of players coming through, men and women, and players like Adrian and Joe are going through a huge improvement cycle. They’ll be getting there very quickly.”

So today’s semi-finals, which will be streamed live on PSAsquashTV, will feature all the top seeds, including five players who have already
 

All seeds through to quarters in Manchester

Day four of the British Nationals Championships in Manchester saw the top eight seeds in both men’s and women’s competitions progress to the quarter-finals.

The afternoon session at the National Squash Centre saw defending champions Nick Matthew and Alison Waters safely through to the quarter-finals, Matthew beating Scotland’s Greg Lobban and Waters beating qualifier Amina Helal, both in straight games.

Matthew now faces Joe Lee, who needed all five games to see off the challenge of Lucy Loser Richie Fallows.

“It wasn’t my best match,” admitted Lee, “but he didn’t allow me to play my game. It was a very mature performance from him, he proved he deserves to be in the main draw and got in my face and made it difficult. He just needs a bit more consistency which will come very quickly.”

In the other top-half quarter-final Daryl Selby and Tom Richards will meet for the fourth year in a row. Richards beat Eddie Charlton, also for the fourth year in a row, in an hour-long four-game match.

“Eddie is always tough to play,” admitted Richards, “he just needs one of those big wins to propel him up the rankings, I’m sure he’ll get it soon.”

Selby, the 2011 champion, also needed four games to get past un-seeded Chris Ryder. “Chris is a really good player for anyone to learn from,” said Selby. “He controls the ball very well, has good touch and doesn’t over hit the ball. I’ve had a lot of tough battles with him so I knew it wasn’t going to be easy.”

In the women’s draw Waters will face Emma Beddoes while two-time champion Jenny Duncalf meets Sarah Kippax, who reached a seventh quarter-final in row after coming from a game down to beat Deon Saffery, ending Welsh interest in the main draws.

The evening session brought more victories for the seeds as the quarter-finals lined up as predicted.

Adrian Grant was given the sternest test as he came from a game down to beat Scottish number one Alan Clyne.

“He’s always tough to beat,” said Grant, “he came out firing in the first and at the start of every game, I really had to dig in, he so difficult to shake off.”

The last match of the day saw Adrian Waller beat Ben Coleman in three tight games to set up a meeting with second seed James Willstrop . “I’ll have nothing to lose,” said Waller, “and it will be good to see how I stack up against one of the very top players in a competitive match.”
 

World champion and world number one Nick Matthew (right) began the defence of his National Championship title with a straight-games victory in Manchester today.

The Yorkshireman stormed to an 11-7, 11-2, 11-4 win against 18-year-old Lyell Fuller in 31 minutes.

The 33-year-old top seed said: “I had to take him seriously. I was following him on Twitter and he kept telling everyone how much he was up for it!

“I love playing in Manchester. This tournament is as hard to win as any PSA event. With all the top British guys taking part, you can’t take it lightly.”

It was a busy day three at the Nationals, with Masters matches starting at 10.00, 16 men’s main draw matches from noon and two rounds of women’s qualifying

At the halfway stage we had eight players through to the men’s second round, including lucky loser Richie Fallows, who beat qualifier Peter Billson in straight games.

“Too many matches,” said Billson, who overcame another of England’s top juniors in a marathon qualifying final last night, “I just didn’t have anything left.”

Chris Ryder upset the seedings as he beat his Birmingham PSL teammate Jaymie Haycocks in straight games, but there were no upsets the glass court as Tom Richards, Daryl Selby, Joe Lee and Matthew all won in straight games.

The toughest draw was for Keith Timms, who qualified via two long five-setters, coming off court last and finding himself first on against Eddie Charlton.

“I could tell he was feeling it,” said Charlton as he eased through in straight games.

There were no upsets in the evening session, although Declan James had to come from two games down to see off Nottingham clubmate Ollie Holland.

“Very pleased to come through a brutal affair tonight,” tweeted James. “Can’t wait to get back out there tomorrow night against Chris Simpson.”

Simpson beat Robbie Temple in four games, Temple coming back from 10-6 down in the third to extend the match 15-13 and almost pulling off another recovery in the fourth as he rallied from 4-10 down only to lose it 11-9.

Charles Sharpes was also sorely tested, by Scottish qualifier Dougi Kempsell, Sharpes coming through an often contentious match 11-9 in the fifth after 84 minutes.

Meanwhile Alan Clyne, Adrian Grant, James Willstrop (left), Adrian Waller and Ben Coleman all took their expected places in round two.
 

England Squash & Racketball have revealed that prize money will be awarded equally to both men and women at the 2014 British National Squash Championships.

The step shows the commitment of the National Governing Body in helping to drive women's squash forwards and recognising the important part the women's game has to play in the tournament.

England Squash & Racketball Operations Director Jim Lord said: "We are delighted to announce that the prize money for the 2014 National Squash Championships in Manchester will be equal for both men and women.

"We are determined to play our part in raising the profile of the women's tour and, if at all possible, contribute to a longer term commercial strategy that will influence increases to women's prize money."

The move follows that of the US Open in Philadelphia which recently increased the women's prize money to match the men's draw.

The British National Championships, run in partnership with Manchester City Council, take place in Manchester next week and will see Britain's best squash players - including England's world No1 and three-time world champion Nick Matthew and current British Open champion Laura Massaro - battle it out for the national titles.

Total prize money for the National Squash Championships now stands at £22,800.

Joint third seed Peter Barker (right) has been forced to pull out of this week's National Championships in Manchester.

British National Squash Championships 2014,

Masters
National Squash Centre, Sportcity, Manchester