UP HILL ALL THE WAY

It was high noon in Grand Central Station and Anthony Hill came out shooting from the lip from the word go. When it comes to fitness, Hill's tongue comes second to no man - or woman come to that. The world number seven took on England's Mark Chaloner, ranked 24, who is clawing his way back up the rankings to the position in the top ten he occupied before a string of injuries dragged him down.

Almost from the word go Hill was questioning decisions. Even when Chaloner dived to get a shot he asked whether "anyone can lay down on the floor and make it slippery?" The referee informed him there were no rules against diving and the match continued with the disgruntled Hill muttering away. Indeed, I have never seen Hill gruntled.

IMPETURBABLE CHALONER

Chaloner managed to shut out the constant questioning of decisions to take the first game 15-13, but was overwhelmed by Hill's court craft and superb skills to lose the second 8-15. In the third game the referee finally gave Hill a conduct warning for dissent. Not a moment too soon - in fact many moments too late in my opinion. This incredible Aussie argued even when the decisions went his way!

Chaloner led 14-13 , got sent the the wrong way by Hill to make it 14-all and chose set three. Three errors gave Hill the game and a 2/1 lead. It was a 34 minute game that lasted several lifetimes.

Hill took the fourth 15-8 to take the match after 75 minutes of unpleasantness but Chaloner was philosophical. "I'm back to playing my best now so I'm quite pleased with my performance here in New York," he told me. "You get used to Hilly's behaviour and yes, he does break the rhythm. I get annoyed but never angry, because that's counter productive."

WHITE JUST SPARKLES

Fortunately John White came on next and restored Australia's reputation (even though he now plays for Scotland). By rights - and ranking- the 16th ranked White should have lost to Paul Price, the eighth seed, but by his own admission White - watched by his American wife and nine month old baby - was playing the best squash of his career. It was squash of a very high order, with hardly a rally going beyond a dozen shots. Price and White are both capable of smashing the ball into the nick, but White can caress the ball into the nick from the back of the court.

SHORT BUT SWEET

Rallies this short are usually the result of bad players but this was different; two players who can take half an opening and produce a winner. It was the sort of squash that puts a smile on your face and produces a constant stream of gasps. White took the first game 17-14, Price the next two 15-10 and 15-8 and became increasingly frustrated as White kept hitting winners and forcing errors from him. White took the fourth 15-8 and ran to a 10-5 lead in the fifth. This was the point that Price's anger exploded and he flung his racket across the court. He immediately apologised to White but from that moment his head dropped and soon it was all over 15-8 in White's favour, the first real upset of the tournament. On this sort of form, White should be in the top five, challenging Barada, whom he has beaten twice, Nicol and Power.

SMILING IRISH EYES AND QUITE RIGHT TOO

White will meet Derek Ryan in the quarters and should give Simon Parke some of his prized money for keeping Ryan on court for so long - one hour and 35 minutes and what a great 95 minutes it was.

Parke, seeded four would have expected to beat the Irish number one, ranked ten and started in very businesslike fashion taking the first two games 15-8 and 15-13. But Ryan who only seemed to wake up well into the second, had made Parke work hard and in the third he constantly had the Englishman running in all directions to take the game 15-11.

STUPENDOUS COMEBACK

But it was the fourth game that took the heart out of Parke who had built up a monumental 9-2 lead. Suddenly the angels - and the angles - smiled on Ryan and he could do no wrong. If the ball wasn't disappearing down the nick it was rolling off the back wall or Parke was caught an inch short.

Ryan proved that you can come back from a large deficit in PAR scoring and kept a run going until he got to game point 14-10. Parke managed to stop the rot and get a point, but he knew the fourth was a lost cause.

GRIPPING STUFF

This was not your average English hacking squash - both players were hitting the corners and using every part of the court. Ryan has a wonderful overhead backhand roll drop and Parke can surely cover the court faster than anybody in addition to placing the ball exactly where he wants it.

Parke led 4-1, Ryan came back to lead 8-5 and then Parke ran to a 12-9 lead. Surely this had to be his game, but Ryan would give nothing away and leveled the game and led 13-12. Parke took the next point and Ryan got to match ball 14-13. I'm quite sure every spectator held their breath. This final point which included two lets, must have lasted five minutes. It could have been Ryan's on a stroke, but Omar Borolossy, the appeals ref gave a let. But it was Ryan's day and he took the point to end a breathtakingly gripping 25 minute game and a memorable 95 minute match.

[Read Derek Ryan's Remarks]

GOUGH RETIRES

The final match of the afternoon promised great stuff with a Wales versus Scotland match, but sadly Alex Gough, the Welsh number one, who had scraped through the first round 15-14 in the fifth, had too many ills to continue. A groin strain had prevented him playing two weeks prior to the tournament, salt build up gave him bad cramps and finally shin splints made it impossible for him to continue after winning the first game by a surprising 15-2. Martin Heath, the Scottish number two and the world number five, took the second quickly, 15-7 and was leading 11-6 in the third when Gough decided to save his health and retired.