ONE MATCH TOO FAR...

After the first game, Tim was tired. After the second game, he was exhausted. And after the third, he was absolutely knackered.

That is I feel an accurate summary of what happened tonight between Lambs Manager Tim Garner and Lambs Coach Peter Genever (just in case you don't know, Lambs is a club in the City of London...)

Add to that a Peter Genever at the top of his form, relaxed, precise, lethal in other words, and you have a pretty good picture of the final.

Ah. No. Another thing. One let for the whole match. "Could have been a stroke", smiled Peter after the encounter.

The pace was quite fast, as Tim was going for shots, and Peter was counterattacking quite "à propos".  No time to hang around, not many "up and down the wall" tonight....

Tim gave all that he had in the tank tonight, fighting until the last drop, but in the fourth, he just ran dry. He was down 10/0 match ball, but avoided the humiliation of 11/0.

Still the crowd got a good show, as both players gave their 110%, and even the kids didn't move an inch until it was all over. And that is the best proof that the show was top quality, trust me...

"Peter played really really well, tight shots, perfect length. On top of that, he knows my game very well, and he is aware that I'm attacking much more than I used to, and he was moving extremely well to the front of the court. "So it was a bit a catch 22, I didn't know if I was supposed to attack, as he would be so fast on the ball, or to defend. And if he had played a few more loose shots, I would have been able to attack more... "I so enjoy playing squash. That's why I'm still doing it. I don't enjoy the hanging around during a tournament, but I enjoy the squash. And today, I really enjoyed this match, which made this whole event worthwhile...." Tim Garner

Photo Gallery

DRAWS 

"Tim started the match very well, but then got tired, and that's the build up of matches when you do tournaments like this one. He doesn't get to train much at the moment, whereas I've played quite a few of these events. "It happened to me at the BSPA Wimbledon, I got to the final against Scott, and I just didn't have that edge... "But still, he played quite well, and I had to move very well to beat him today. Had I been sluggish, he would have beaten me. "Isn't it nice to play a match like that? No interference, no conning of the ref. That's what makes it enjoyable for me. "I've started taking care of a couple of young professionals I would like to help. And for the future, I'm going to try and play some more squash, maybe take on some more players, and enjoy my coaching..." Peter Genever

"We (Head UK) are very pleased with the way the HEAD BSPA circuit has gone this season so far (2005/6), all the events have been run very professionally and efficiently. The big difference that has been noticed this year is the increase in numbers and new faces at the events, especially a large number of juniors taking part in the events (though it would still be nice to see some more….) "The coverage that we receive on Squashsite is a great help in getting us extra exposure from the events and helps us to justify supporting the Grand Prix. The events seem to keep returning with an even stronger draw each year, long may it continue!" Andy Catchpole Racquet Sports Promotions Manager

Saturday 1st April -  Evening

CLEVER GENEVER...

As we say in French, Peter Genever has forgotten to be stupid, and today again, got himself out of deep trouble, 1/0 and 7/2 down, to come back and win a match that could have been a tricky one.

Steve Coppinger, 21, was firing excellent short shots towards the Chichester Man, and got him right out of his comfort zone on a regular basis. But then Peter turned things round by holding his shots, in particular on the backhand crosscourt that wrong footed the South African again and again, and again. Starting from the third game, the poor young man was always on the back foot and Peter never looked back.

Still, the former Birmingham student from South Africa has got reasons to rejoice, as it would seem that his decision to give up a Masters in Mathematical Engineering was a good choice, as Head just signed him... And what are the young man's ambitions? "Going to the top".

I feel I will be seeing a lot of Mr Coppinger in the months to come....

From the left, Luke and India, then Finn with his dad. And off the screen, we have Isaac, only two weeks old, who was watching the training session from the safe heaven of his mum's arms.

And India and Finn are already serious about their coaching, so watch out.....

   
CLOSE CALL...

To be honest, I didn't think that Tim Garner was going to get out of that one, as Tim Vail was on fire tonight, despite yet again a back trouble.

Vail is one of the most unpredictable players that you can find. In particular on the backhand, he finds shots that come from nowhere, I'm not sure he even knows that he can play them!

In the other corner, we've got Garner, whose shot making ability is not too bad either, thank you very much, and whose fitness is quite remarkable.

The Result? A decider that could have been anybody's really, the pressure was on from the first rally to the last, short but intense, high pace, exploring each inch of the four corners.

A highly enjoyable match. Sorry you missed it....

QUARTERS  - SATURDAY MORNING

Don't listen to what Joel says, it was pretty close, and the match could have turned at any time really. But a mentally strong Genever held it together at the crucial times...

Joel is building up experience, and will be dangerous in the near future, as long as he works a bit on the precision of his game...

No, it was not a close match at all, too much hacking, I got a lot of opportunities that I didn’t take… I should have gone for nicks and drop shots… Joel Hinds

Very good performance yet again from Steve Coppinger, whose precision especially in the front corners is rather lethal. Good determination from both players, very focused, very concentrated.

A special mention to Ben Ford who even after losing 2/0 didn't give up, and still got the third. Some tremendous rallies, retrieving from Hell for both players, and to tell you the truth, I'm not sure how much Steve will still have in the tank to fight against Mr Genever tonight....

It was a good game, I really enjoyed it, Steve played very well, but I was just knackered. In the last game, I hit the wall really in the first rally, no juice in the legs at all… I’ve got to run, I’m due to play football at 2.30! Ben Ford

TIM EXQUISITE...

Mr Garner will be happy with his victory today, as Chris Hall is one of those very dangerous young men that flourish in the BSPA events.

Talented, quick to move, lovely touch, great speed, Chris took the first game, but was totally outplayed after that, not to mention totally exhausted.

Tim played the perfect game, and the good game plan, make the poor junior visit the four corners of the court on a rota basis...

Tim is now meeting... Tim.....

SECOND ROUND - FRIDAY EVENING

A very tight and close match. All the rallies were pretty long, with Steve Coppinger attacking beautifully and play a mighty fine short game, and Jason Barry picking up every shot under the electric lights….

One of those very nice matches coming from the combinations of two opposite style of squash…

Once again Joel Hinds was in a different league, although 35 year old Temo Gomez has got some pretty good shots and a lovely touch. The Mexican is used to playing with hard hitters like Azlan Iskander or LJ Anjema, so he was very calm on the court, and gave Joel a pretty good run for his money, but couldn’t stand the pace that the young Englishman imposed all the way through…

"I was very happy that James Wright pulled out, as I was supposed to play Steve Coppinger, and the last time we played it was a very close match. So I still would have to play him if I get into the semis, but it’s nice to have an easier draw… "When I get a bit too comfortable, I seem to lose a bit of concentration, but tomorrow, I’ll have to stay focused at all times…" Joel Hinds

I only managed to see the last two games, in which Tom Phibbs was playing with great determination, and Peter Genever may have relaxed a bit, making a few silly errors that he paid by losing the 3rd on the tie-break.

In the last game, he got back on track, and the young Tom was slightly going through the motions, getting on the ball slightly late. Still, Phibbs saved three match balls (with a bit of help from Peter that chose that moment to make a few unforced errors), but tinned the last crosscourt back of the match…

But a pretty good battle at the front there, and look out for the young Phibbs. I’m pretty sure you’ll heard from him again… And now Peter Genever meets with Joel Hinds, which should be a very good match to watch…

He may not be on the tour anymore, he may be restricted by a recurring injury, but James Robbins still has his magic touch and intelligence of play.

It took a lot of running and precision from young Chris Hall to win today, and James made sure his opponent won every point the hard way – the 11/1 the Esporta Pro inflicted on Chris in the second says it all.

Now I know that Chris is not looking forward to his next match, as he faces now old pro Tim Garner, who is never played. “I’ll do my best” confined Chris with a grim…

Oh it’s nice to see passionate youngsters, who want to do soooo well, who are desperate to achieve… and get a bit carried away sometimes…

That’s exactly what happened to young Joe Lee tonight. He really forced Ben Ford to play at his best in the first game, but after that, seemed to get more and more tense, and his game went just fell apart.

“Normally Joe is very calm, but tonight, he was very agitated, and he was playing loose,” analysed his father Danny after the game. “I thought he had a chance if he had taken the first game, as Ben was starting to make a few errors. But after that, he seemed to lose his way.”

A very frustrated Joe was teaching his racquet to fly high up in the air, and the balls were getting more in the centre of the court than tight near the walls. And with the experience that comes with the grey hair that make him soooo charming, Ben was able to win a match that was potentially very dangerous in three straight games…

FIRST ROUND  - FRIDAY MORNING

I really enjoyed the show that youngsters and friends James Snell and Chris Hall performed for us this morning. Both about the same height, both 18, and both playing the same kind of flamboyant squash, attack shots, very quick on the ball, quick to counterdrop or retrieve what seems to be irretrievable.

Good and relaxed start for South African Steve Coppinger, who imposed his style, sending his opponent Paul Rawden in the wrong direction quite a few times. Paul still played some pretty precise shots, but Steve’s authority gave him the match …



Now, the match between Joel Hinds and Kris Meadow was a very entertaining one, with Joel dominating most of the rallies by his abilities to move so fast around the court. Up 2/0, he lost his concentration, found himself 9/2 down, and point by point, came back to 9/9, displaying a superb faultless squash, to finally take the 3rd and last game 11/9. Impressive really…



A good little player I saw today, 15 years old Alex Ingham, who lost rather easily against more mature Tom Phipps. On a personal level, I was quite impressed with the junior, who compensate a lack of physical strength by an excellent technique and undermined determination.

Tom didn’t give the youngest a chance, playing perfect squash, varying the pace and style at will, and getting through to the next round with minimum energy waste. Mind you, Tom will need all the steam he will be able to put his racquet on, as he is meeting seed number one Peter Genever who went through with not too much difficulty either against courageous Theo Woodward…
 

James Robbins is not on the pro circuit anymore, and it now the pro here at Esporta. But today, he got his competition outfit, and got on court with a familiar face, Mark Ballard.

They both produced a good match, even if the result was never really in doubt, and even if Mark got a few game balls in the 3rd and last game…

The last match of the session was opposing Tom Pashley to Neil Baker.

Neil was totally overwhelmed by Tom’s style in the first game, but was able to impose himself a bit more in the next two games, thanks in particular to some great crosscourt lobs and soft drop shots.

But young Tom’s length and authority in the middle of the court won him the game with not too much trouble….