Tue 27th Sep:
Nottingham 1-4 Manchester/Pontefract
  
   Simon Parke 1-3 Lee Beachill         9/7, 5/9, 5/9, 3/9
   Tommy Berden 3-1  Nick Taylor     9/6, 9/5, 6/9, 9/3
   John Rooney 1-3 Andrew Whipp   9/5, 6/9, 8/10, 5/9
   James Wright 0-3 Peter Billson      3/9, 3/9, 6/9
   Sarah Kippax 0-3 Jenny Duncalf     6/9, 1/9, 5/9

BEGINNING OF THE SEASON…
 Framboise starts the new season at Nottingham

 I like going to the National League matches, sorry, the Premier League matches…

The atmosphere is so different from the big PSA/WISPA events… Players are concentrated and focused, of course, but they are more relaxed, more friendly… They are here to give the spectators the best show possible, not to climb up (or down) the ladder.

Spectators are o so involved, as both camps have dedicated supporters that make their presence loudly obvious…

A few pints of beer around, a few Diet Cokes, a few tense faces, but a lot of energy, a lot of involvement, and a lot, a tremendous lot of smiling faces…
                                                Framboise





"This year, we’ve “lost” Marcus Berrett, as although he signed with us, he won’t be able to play so many matches as he now lives in Italy. But we’ve signed up David Evans, a good move we feel, that would make a fine addition to the team…

"As far as the final result is concerned, Churchill Edgbaston are looking pretty strong this year, but hopefully, we would aim to qualify for the play-offs, and then, everything is always possible…"

Taro Nabetani
Man/Pont Manager		 "This year we had a few troubles raising the money for the team, as all our sponsors’ contracts were coming to an end, and we were short for time.

"But we still succeeded to sell some court adverts, at £200 each, we also raised the price of the tickets from £5 to £10. And although we are running on half the budget of last year, we still managed to run a pretty good team I feel. It would have been such a shame if The Park did not have a team in the Premier …

"Anyway, I’m really looking forward to this season, and I’m sure that next time we’ll have a bit more time to organise ourselves, and that we will get back with a full budget…"

Nick Clifford
Nottingham Manager

John Rooney 1-3 Andrew Whipp   9/5, 6/9, 8/10, 5/9

ROONEY: FLAT OUT

It was such a pleasure to see both Irishman John Rooney, absent for far too long from our courts, and “Mad Dog” Andy Whipp, nowadays as famous for his game as for his diaries…

John started very strong, a solid game, lots of weight on the ball, controlling the centre pretty well and returning Andy’s good lengths with lethal volley drop shots from the back of the court.

But as it could be feared, the bubbly Irish soon ran out of steam, and after playing a superb third game, and roughly 30 minutes of an excellent battle, just didn't have much left in the tank…

Andy’s good pace and relentless retrieving had taken their toll, and the Englishman collected the reward. A welcome first point for Manchester/Pontefract…

"I knew that John would have fitness issues, so my plan was to keep the rallies going as long as possible. On top, I was very nervous to put anything forward, and as he hit the ball straight very well, I ended up crosscourting far too much for the whole match…

"So in the end, I just kept on running, and running, but then again, that’s what I do best…"

Andy Whipp


 



"It’s nice to be back after a year of absence due to chronic fatigue syndrome. I had to stay in bed for 8 months, so this was my first match for a very very long time…

To be honest, I thought I was in better shape than I actually am. I guess that I thought I would be back on top very quickly, but I need to learn to be a bit more patient with my body… But still, it’s lovely to be back playing again. Disappointing physically, but it was to be expected. No fear, I’ll be back…

My brother Niall was doing pretty well, but has now decided to go back to studying. His results on the PSA circuit were really impressive, but I don’t think he really appreciated the “living out of a suitcase” kind of life… It’s a bit of a weird way of living, but I must I like it, and I miss it…

John Rooney

James Wright 0-3 Peter Billson 3/9, 3/9, 6/9

"I thought I played quite well today, I made a good start in each of the three games. James is particularly good at hiding his shots at the front of the court, so I was trying my best to keep it far away from there, and not to let him in front of me…"

Peter Billson

"I had a ankle injury, so I’ve been off for the past three months, and I’m slowly getting back into it… I’m training here in Nottingham with the local pro Richard O’Connor, from South Africa… I also just joined PSA, and I should be starting on the circuit next month, in France actually, in the La Gaude Challenger…

"And as for today’s match, too good is the only thing I can say…"

James Wright
 

 

Sarah Kippax 0-3 Jenny Duncalf  6/9, 1/9, 5/9

"The only time I was behind was at the beginning, and I felt quite comfortable for the rest of the game…

"It’s funny, as we train quite often together at Queen's in Halifax, but we never actually played against each other in a real event. I thought that Sarah played quite well, but still I was pretty confident all the way through.

"That’s a nice way to start the season…"

Jenny Duncalf

"Although we train occasionally with Jenny, she is always a tough one to play, she is so skilful…

"Today, the court was very hot, and the rallies were quite long. But I feel that I was maybe a bit too patient in the back, didn’t take the initiative enough, and didn’t create enough openings…"

Sarah Kippax

Tommy Berden 3-1  Nick Taylor     9/6, 9/5, 6/9, 9/3

BERDEN: CHANGING HIS GAME…

I think it was the first time I saw Tommy Berden in action, and today he was playing against Manchester National Centre Headcoach Nick Taylor, who is doing such a great job with the local juniors….

I heard from bride to be Natalie Grinham, that Tommy proposed to her on one knee, in front of the Christmas Tree, on Christmas day… In other words, my kind of ideal man I would say…

Well, he did look a bit funny, as the impetuous Greg La Mude (who I just met in St Louis) actually hit him right on the right eye. But still, cute as a button Tommy is…

In the first two games, he was up quite comfortably 7/2 and 7/4, but he seemed to leave Nick coming back right into the match, and really had to struggle to contain the precision, touch and length from Manchester's Golden Boy.

The third was pretty close, and like the other game, extremely pleasant to watch, with a Nick not giving up, and a Tommy determined to win…

So, another point for Manchester/Pontefract, which was the nail in the coffin of Nottingham, who now led 3/1…

"Yes, last night, there was a stupid little accident, and Greg hit me during some test matches we are playing between Netherlands and South Africa. But I still won the match…

"My natural game is played at quite a slow pace, so at the moment, I’m trying to change it and speed it up. So in the beginning, I was playing a bit faster than I’m normally do, and started to get a bit tired and also imprecise.. .

"I had a little drop of energy at the end of the first two games, and when you give Nick time, he is extremely dangerous, and I went a little bit too short too early. You know, he is a tough competitor; he really dug his heels in.

"Nick is a player that holds the ball pretty well in the back, meaning that you really have trouble reading where the ball is going to go, and he makes you work very hard. Hopefully today, I was able to move pretty well, and pick up his shots…"

Tommy Berden



"I've had a stomach injury for the past two weeks that I don’t seem to be able to shift out. Still, I had to get on court this weekend, as the Gerrard Grand Prix was on, and I had to have a knock with the Big Boys…

"Today, I made some bad start because I was trying to force the rallies a bit too much, trying to shorten the points, always a mistake…

"It’s so frustrating, when you are 10% off your game, when playing with that standard of player, you might as well be 100% off…"

Nick Taylor

Simon Parke 1-3 Lee Beachill   9/7, 5/9, 5/9, 3/9 (53m)

PARKIE AND LEE:
GREAT DEAD RUBBER…

You think dead rubber, and you don’t really jump up and down with excitement now, do you…

Well, both Lee Beachill and Simon Parke were up for it, dead rubber or no dead rubber, and trust me, they were both far away from being dead…

Lee, despite a long and painful match against mate James Willstrop, was in precise, relentless and damaging form, and Parkie was focussed and willing, that’s for sure…

The Pontefract number one started very strong indeed and quickly shot to 6/3, but Ex-England Captain Simon wouldn’t have any of it, and gradually clawed back to eventually win a long 18 minute game 9/7.

Lee would win the next three, but not an easy ride, let me tell you. The world number 2 having found his precision, his length, adding a few winners and big hits for good measure, was facing a as-lunatic-as-ever Simon, retrieving shots again and again, getting a free visit of the four corners, and also with an attacking game that seemed to elude him totally the last two times I saw him play…

So, a pretty good performance, a great show, and nice to see those two back in a better spirit, as the last time I talked to them in St Louis, they were not in a good moment career wise…

Welcome home, boys ...

"Yes, my match last night with James was definitely the longest and the toughest 3rd/4th play-off I ever played, that’s for sure…

"I think that, mentally and physically, I was not really ready for the new season, for the English Open, for St Louis. So not only was I not playing that well, but on top those defeats got me down, and I was not happy with the way I played…

"I had a little talk with Malcolm, and now I’m happier with my game, I’m happy to work it out and improve my game, and I feel that, as long I train and play, I’ll always be hard to beat. I’m starting to enjoy my time on court a bit more…

"I guess that it was the first time I've experienced that kind of feeling, that doubt about myself, about my game. It was very new to me, and I was maybe not prepared for it. And when you are world number 2, there are a lot of expectations on you, and when you’re not happy with your game, it's pretty tough…

"But now I seem to feel much better on court. And today, I was really looking forward to this match, as a test for myself really, as I had a long week, and a very hard match with James last night, and use this match to get better… "

Lee Beachill



"Sorry I was a bit late today, but I was actually training from 4 to 5 at Bradford Girls Grammar, and the traffic was pretty heavy, and that’s why I missed the presentation by a few seconds…

"I’m quite pleased with the way I played in the first two games. Then I got a bit tired, not too much, but just enough to be slightly off the pace and allow him to play his shots and being in control…

"Lee and I were both very focused. I was looking forward to playing against a player such as Lee, it’s what we all play for, to have the chance to play that kind of game… I knew I had a sniff, because he had a hard week, and especially a hard match against James last night.

"And he was also up for it, as he had a few bad losses recently, and I don’t think he wanted to lose against me either… I guess I would be what you can call “a bad loss”!!!! So he made sure he kept the edge…

"I still haven’t taken any decision as far as my career goes. I know that I’m in the main draw for Qatar, the World Open and Saudi. I’ll see how those tournaments go, and take a decision from there.

"I have some time to train, especially in the morning, as I’m only coaching in the late afternoon. The only adjustment I may have to do is to have one longer session per day instead of two short ones…

"It’s such a pleasure to play the Leagues; I’m so much more relaxed than I play in the PSA, especially in the qualifiers, which are so demanding, and often, not that rewarding… And on top of that, I get to come back here, to Nottingham, my old club, where I’ve got so many friends…."

Simon Parke

ARTHUR,
THE VOLUNTEER MAN…

 The first time I met Arthur, he was opening doors at the National Centre, Manchester, England.

Part of the amazing team of volunteers that England Squash recruits for every major event in the Manchester City Council long list of helpers, I’ve met Arthur again and again. Always helpful, never tired, always smiling, and he loves a little chat does Arthur…

A real squash fan, going to all the tournaments, he always is a delight to talk to. And he likes SquashSite too, bless him. A regular forum participant, he doesn’t hesitate to wear with pride our polo shirt when going on events…

May he be thanked…

But Arthur, now retired, doesn’t limit himself to helping in the squash world. He also belongs to a charity that runs a boat on the Peak Forest Canal. The project was first started 10 years ago part of the regeneration of the area where they actually built the National Centre for the Commonwealth Games.

Initially, the boat used to take the locals on trips around the canal, but now it’s taking groups of people for strolls on the water from everywhere in the country…

Like I said, amazing people on that team of Manchester volunteers…		 WONDER COOK



“Tell me Sonya, would you have anything for me to have a bite, by any chance?” I asked the lovely lady behind the bar before play.

 “Nothing big, I don’t want to spoil my appetite for the meal after play”…

Sonya smiled “Go to the kitchen, and ask Nigel, I’m sure he’ll be able to fix you something”…

And so he did.

A “right out of the oven” lovely roll, some just perfectly cooked sliced beef… All warm and delicious…

What can I say, I just love Nottingham…