Evening session
Women's Qualifying Finals:
updated draw
Lauren Siddall bt Victoria Lust 11/9, 6/11, 10/12, 11/5,
11/1
Kirsty McPhee bt Fiona Moverley
14/12, 11/5, 11/2
Vicky Hynes bt Deon Saffery
12/10, 11/6, 12/14, 11/8
Emma Beddoes bt Sarah-Jane Perry
11/4, 11/2, 11/8
Men's First Round (top half)
Alister Walker bt Hadrian Stiff
12/10, 11/4, 11/5
Andy Whipp bt Adrian Waller
11/7, 2/11, 11/4, 11/6
Alex Stait bt Lewys Hurst
11/7, 11/5, 12/10
Peter Barker bt Jethro Binns
11/6, 11/7, 7/11, 11/9
Jonathan Kemp bt Chris Simpson
11/5, 11/9, 11/6
Tom Richards bt Tim Vail
14/12, 11/7, 11/5
Ben Ford bt Peter Billson
10/12, 7/11, 11/0, 11/5, 11/8
James Willstrop bt Nick Taylor
11/5, 11/7, 11/6
Women's seeds progress
Richards upsets Vole ...
No marathons and no upsets so far in the evening session, but
Lauren Siddall was taken all the way by Victoria Lust.
Kirsty McPhee qualified for the third year in succession, but
hopes of another Pontefract hat-trick were dashed when Vicky
Hynes beat Deon Saffery in four.
The final qualifying spot was picked up by Emma Beddoes -
meaning that the top four seeds all made it through - but there
was consolation for Sarah-Jane Perry as she was drawn out
of the lucky loser hat.
 "She
played tight all the way through except the fifth. I wanted to
volley as much as I could but everything was too tight, I just
had to play her at her own game because she stopped me playing
mine until the fifth.
"I'm glad to qualify again, but she's definitely one to watch
out for next year …"
Lauren Siddall |
 "Last
year I was just playing this for fun [and qualified], but I'm
coaching more now and trying to play the European circuit
events and I'm really enjoying it.
"I went 10/3 down in the third, relaxed, started coming back
into it but couldn't quite make it, but I felt in control in
the fourth.
"I'm happy to get there, there's no pressure on you once
you've done that. I just hope to play well against whoever I
get …"
Vicky Hynes |
 "Her
shots were going in really well at the start but I thought
that if I just hung in there the mistakes might start to come,
and they did. Once I started working it rather than just
running after it I felt a lot more in control.
"That's the third time I've qualified, but I haven't got past
the first round … until tomorrow!"
Kirsty McPhee |
 "It
does get close very quickly in this scoring, I was getting a
bit concerned when I lost a big lead in the third. You have to
get in front of her, she had good holds and good shots at the
front and she's a real fighter.
But I've done what I came here to do, I've been very focussed
overall."
Emma Beddoes |
No joy for qualifiers
It wasn't a good session for the qualifiers or the lower seeds as
Ali Walker, an ailing Andy Whipp, Alex Stait,
Peter Barker and Jonathan Kemp all progressed easily
enough, but the first upset came when Tom Richards beat
14th seed Tim Vail in straight games, saving a handful of game
balls in the first before taking the next two games with
increasing assurance.
Top seed James Willstrop got his defence off to a
successful start, beating local hero Nick Taylor in a hugely
entertaining match which sent the supporters home happy. Taylor
looked to be tiring as early as the second game, but winning one
monumental rally when he was 6/1 down in the third sparked a
mini-comeback before Willstrop finished him off.
 "That
couldn't be any better for a Yorkshireman - a perfect evening,
playing squash against a Lancastrian with about 50 Lancastrians
cheering him on.
"But I loved it - and it was a really enjoyable game, as it always
is with Nick. He was really relaxed and ran his heart out."
The last match of the evening saw
more disappointment for the home crowd as Kent's Ben Ford
pulled back a two-game deficit to overhaul Peter Billson. |
Howard Harding
at the Nationals
Day 3 Gallery
"I'm
surprised at how quickly I've been able to get back into it after
knee surgery - I suppose I feel fit enough, but perhaps not quite
sharp enough.
"I've always been wary of Tim, so it's good to get my first win
over him.
"I reckon I'm about 85% back to my former level now. I was 53 in
the world before I ruptured my cruciate ligament - I'm now 121, so
I've got a lot of catching up to do!"
"I turned 30 and got married in December - and I've only had one
day off in the last month. When I got on court I found that my
legs were like jelly!"
"I'm
pleased to win, but more mega-relieved to be honest – I've just
spent four days in bed and I'm feeling pretty rough. I've lost a
stone in three days but I'm really bloated. The second was a
tactical rest, I needed it!
"Still, I'm only going to get better tomorrow …"
 |
Men's Main Draw starts ...
It's another noon start, with a pair of men's matches going right
through the day as the final sixteen are decided, two rounds of
women's qualifying and the first outings for the masters. Six
courts, 47 matches, you could say it's going to be a hectic day
...Men's
Round One (bottom half):
Women's Results
Joey Barrington bt David Barnett
11/4, 11/3, 11/3
Daryl Selby bt Steve Meads 10/12,
11/4, 11/5, 8/11, 11/7
Jon Harford bt Chris Tasker-Grindley
11/7, 11/5, 11/6
Adrian Grant bt Eddie Charlton
11/1, 11/9, 11/8
Alex Gough bt John Rooney
14/12, 11/9, 12/10
Chris Ryder bt Jaymie Haycocks
12/10, 11/6, 11/9
Lee Beachill bt Joel Hinds
11/3, 11/3, 11/7
Simon Parke bt Stuart Crawford
11/2, 11/1, 9/11, 11/4
Joey races into Selby clash
Joey Barrington was the first man through to the main draw,
beating qualifier David Barnett in half an hour, which gave the
Somerset man time to go and watch his prospective second round
opponent. He arrived at 10-all in the first, just in time to see
veteran Steve Meads take the first game from Daryl Selby.
An hour later the young Selby had recovered a 5/2 deficit in the
fifth to put the 37-year-old Meads out of his misery. "Part of
me's very disappointed," said Meads, "but it might be a good thing
because I'd have been awful tomorrow!".
 "I
knew what to expect with Steve - he's probably been practicing for
the last three months for this actual match! I've got a lot of
respect for him - we used to play together in a team, and he's
really good to be around.
"If any young professional wants to learn how to give 100%, then
he needs to look no further than Meadsy. But I was happy with the
way I played - I played well all the way through - it's just that
Meadsy got everything back! I'm not at all annoyed with myself."
 Chris
Tasker-Grindley's lucky spell didn't last long as he went out to
Jon Harford in straight games. Harford now meets fourth
seed Adrian Grant, who beat qualifier Eddie Charlton in
three.
No joy for qualifiers Eddie Charlton, Jaymie Haycocks and Joel
Hinds either, all beaten in straight games by Adrian Grant,
Chris Ryder and Lee Beachill.
"I just lacked a bit of belief maybe - the first and third games
were very close but whenever I got a point ahead I either made a
mistake or gave him something easy to put away - very annoying
..."
 Two
Over 35s did make it through to the second round - Alex Gough
needed over an hour to see off Ireland's only main draw player
John Rooney in straight games, while Simon Parke took 20
minutes less to remove the only Scottish competitor, Stuart
Crawford, setting up his 50th Nationals match tomorrow against Lee
Beachill.
Gough and Parke could meet in Thursday's quarter-finals - Parke
did beat Beachill in their last Nationals meeting in 1999 - but
they're also seeded to face each other in the Over 35 final on
Sunday.
 |
20th consecutive Nationals
for Steve Meads (aged 37)
Joey to Steve:
"Much respect man. that was a great performance at 37."
Steve: "Nearly 38 actually, and I would have ground it
out tomorrow too!"
Joey: "What, you'd be grinding black pepper ???"
Joey first man through
 "I'm
actually playing very well, but I'm only five weeks out of surgery
an my movement isn't there yet, so I can't really have any great
expectations.
"In Sweden it was hard not to try to live up to the expectations
of being second seed and everyone expecting me to win, but Olli
played very well and I'm not there yet. I'll keep playing and
training and hopefully the movement will get better day by day
..."
 |
