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• SEMIS • Day FOUR • QUARTERS • Day THREE • Day TWO • Day ONE • Willstrop •
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INTENSE FINAL
 This
match was not a flamboyant encounter that will stay as a classic.
It was much more intense than that. Two players who know each
other inside out, two contrasting styles, physic and temper, two
friends, team mates, training partners, and now, two rivals on the
world scene.
Baoum.
Greg has some stunning attacks, but he needs a bit a space to
develop them. Thierry loves his straight drives glued to the side
wall and his backhand feathery drop shots. But how can you be
precise when you have to dig your opponent’s shots from INSIDE
that side wall or from the back corners????
 Mmm.
Funny thing about Thierry. He is famous for his slow starts. Well,
you’ll notice that when he gets a really good start and gets that
dreaded first game, somehow he must feel, oh great, didn’t lose
that one, yippee, and zoom, loses the next one. And it didn’t miss
today. After a bit of an error prone first game from both players,
Thierry was leading 1/0 only to let Greg walk away with the second
11/2!
I rest my case…
In the third, Thierry was up 5/0 when Greg questioned one of his
pick ups. Stating that he thought it was good, the Comeback Man
asked his mate if he wanted a let on it, and graciously gave him
back the point, to the great appreciation of the crowd. But that
discussion seemed to throw Thierry a bit, he lost his way, found
it again, but from 7/7 then 9/8, Greg just dug very deep to
superbly get the last points and lead 2/1.
And it should have been the turning point really.
Unfortunately for the challenger, the intensity of the week had
finally caught up with him in the last two games. The Kid never
gave up though, and fought every point, especially in the fifth,
where it was obvious to all that he was cooked and well done.
He saved three match balls, gave all the energy he certainly
didn’t have anymore on the last rally, and actually took a few
minutes before being able to leave the court, as he didn’t have a
drop of gas to make one more step…
 On
a final embrace, my two compatriots both walked off court,
rivalries forgotten until the next competitive match. Their
perfect behaviour on court, their respect for each other and the
commitment they showed during that first ever French Affair is a
credit to Squash in general, and to French squash is particular.
I’m very proud of them both.
Also, I personally think that Greg will be one of Shabana’s main
rivals in the few months to come. His style of play, his calm on
the court, and his shot variations and style will interfere with
the Prince of Egypt’s plan to dominate the world of Squash for the
years to come… |
Malcolm on the Final
EN BREF
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 "It
was a very high pace, very accurate squash which demands a lot
of energy and concentration. You are trying to stay focused,
to get the other one to move, but because it’s so tight, you
end up making quite a few errors.
"Playing a friend is a feeling so difficult to explain, you
want to win by playing your top squash, and it’s all a
question of balance, to try and see him as a top player, not
as your mate, and being aggressive, but not too much…
"The intensity of the match was quite high, and to maintain
that kind of rhythm, the one who is at the back runs a heck of
a lot, and spends a tremendous amount of energy. So it was a
bit each our turn to be controlling, or to be tired… It was
really a back of the court battle, a length battle, and an
accuracy battle.
"The third was a key game, and I was not happy to have lost
it. But I felt that I had got my efficiency back, that I was
not as dominated during the rallies that I had been in the
second, and that if I could keep doing what I was doing, it
would be fine eventually.
"At the end, I wasn’t sure if he was really tired, or if it
was just a little mental relaxation…. So I kept on fighting,
showing him that I still had plenty left in the engine, and I
clung to every point, till the end…
"This is the first tournament of the season, so it gives me a
lot of confidence for the Worlds…
"I just wanted to thank Greg for this week, and to
congratulate him on his tournament, beating the top guys in
straight games. Tonight, it was not an easy ride to play him,
and I’m sure that he will be at the top of the rankings very
soon.
"Also would like to thank the crowd, as without them playing
is not half as exciting, the refs, because it’s so not an easy
job, we argue a lot, so thanks for being there for us, the
sponsors, because they make it all possible, and of course,
the Eventis Team, and especially Peter, I keep on winning the
tournaments he organises, or at least getting to the final, so
I hope he’ll keep on organising some more!!!!"
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 "I’m
very disappointed. I thought it was doable.
"At times I was playing very well, and my shots would hit the
spot, but then, there was moments where I was making too many
errors.
"When I took the third, I thought that it would be the
decisive turning point, but I had to dig in so deep to come
back in that game that I was burnt out by the end of it.
"In the fifth, he took an excellent start, and I made a few
errors. Then I tried to claw back, but he never let me come
back in it…
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Thierry takes all-French Final
Quick summary from Steve Cubbins
 It
was the French pair's first appearance together in a PSA final, and it went
the full distance, with the packed crowd at Sheffield's Crucible theatre
left on tenterhooks until the final point, as the match swung one
way then another.
The first game was even, Greg taking an early 3/1 lead, but
Thierry's customary slow start didn't last long as he started to
exert his control on the rallies, keeping Greg pinned to the back
and denying him opportunities to show the brilliant play of
earlier rounds, taking the game 11/6.
Gregory levelled, thanks mainly to Thierry's errors, six in all,
but then Greg returned the favour as he started the third with four
quick tins of his own. He quickly regained his composure though,
brought the scores level before drawing away from 7-all to take the lead.
It was hard work though, with few short rallies, both players
looking to work the openings rather than take the easy route.
 In
the final two games Thierry established early leads, with
Greg appearing to tire,
consolidating from 3/1 to 8/3 in the fourth, and capitalising on
early errors in the fifth to take what looked like a
winning margin at 7/3, then 10/4.
Two match balls were saved, but Thierry was not to be denied as
the match finished on a mammoth rally, Thierry hitting the final
ball just too tight down the forehand wall.
The two friends and
rivals embraced, and the Sheffield crowd rose in appreciation.
For Thierry it was his third major title in England this year. For
Greg, his first major surely can't be long in coming. And for both
the event represents a boost for the forthcoming World Open in
Cairo ...
Watch it on the BBC, tomorrow, 12 noon |
En Bref Issue #5
Jim McGrath
on the money
Malcolm Willstrop reports
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[1]
Lauren
Briggs (Eng) bt [3/4] Laura Hill (Eng)
9/4, 9/1, 9/3 (40m) |
Briggs bags women's title
 Top
seed Lauren Briggs collected the Mamut Women's English Open
title with an assured performance in the Crucible.
Part-time player Laura Hill - having got time off her firefighting
duties to make the final - put up a spirited display, but the
combination of an opponent in the world's top thirty and the
effects of a marathon semi-final yesterday proved too much.
Briggs kept the ball tight and deep, forcing the Derbyshire girl to do most
of the running, and although the rallies were generally
well-contested, it was Briggs who kept racking up the points.
 "I’m
a bit out of practice, although I’m fit, I’m not squash fit,
and that’s a totally different kettle of fish.
"Lauren was a bit sharper, a bit faster, and I didn’t have
anything left in the legs after my match yesterday…
"I tried to slow it down in the third, and it seemed to work
for a little while, but I was always chasing the ball, and
couldn’t attack much. But it’s logical, Lauren is a
professional player, and there is not much I can do…
"A match too far really."
Laura Hill |
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 "I
felt so much more comfortable than yesterday on there, more
confident, more relaxed, which is GREAT! For the first two
matches, I was not nervous, but just frantic….
"Yesterday, I saw Laura playing Becky, and I thought today I
would have keep her in the back corner as much as possible to
keep her behind me and prevent her from attacking.
"Also, I was hoping that she would be a bit tired, so I was
trying to keep the rallies as long as possible…"
Lauren Briggs |
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