Nicol and Palmer in a Gem
Martin Bronstein, Squashtalk reporter on the scene at Grand Central Terminal

by Martin Bronstein, Live at Grand Central Terminal, New York, 26 Feb 2003
All content © 2003 Squashtalk, photos: © 2003 Debra Tessier

[view the mens draw/results]    [women's draw/results]

THIS IS MY SCRIPT AND I'LL STICK TO IT IF I WANT TO

David Palmer and Peter Nicol play their hearts out for New York ©2002 Debra Tessier

Mind you it started with both players seemingly sticking to their strange scripts, Palmer insisting on losing the first game as he has done all week, and Nicol practically gave away the second game as he did against Ricketts yesterday. Once they had split those first two games, they got down to the business of playing squash and for the next 60 minutes they did just that, better than anybody has this past week.

From the start Nicol was the complete player , producing one of the finest short games he has ever produced - or at least that I have witnessed. Drop shots, boasts, cross court slams and some beautiful deception. Palmer had seemed unable to read Nicol's game at all in the first game, but now they were both on to everything, varying the pace from cracking drives to floating lobs. They reached 7-all with perhaps one error, and Palmer was totally focussed until referee Jack Allen awarded Nicol a stroke to put the Scottish Englishman ahead 8-7.

Injury break ©2002 Debra Tessier

Palmer kicked the glass back wall in anger and was immediately given a conduct warning. It was that tiny edge that kept Nicol ahead, but the super rallies kept on coming. At 13-12 they played a 40- shot rally that surely encompassed every shot in the game and not one inch of the court was left untouched. It was staggering stuff, only to end in a let . They restarted and Palmer tried a delicate sliding shot across the front of the court that just touched the tin to put Nicol at game ball. And then Palmer, in one of his few lapses in judgement went for a spectacular overhead backhand drop to the nick, again hitting the tin and Nicol was home 15-12 after 26 minutes. This third game should be bronzed, awarded medals and sent to every player in the world.

They continued in the fourth, Palmer leading 6-4, Nicol coming back with some dreamlike winners - a high backhand volley drop and then a disguised backhand cross court drive - to move to a 10-6 lead. Another fantastic rally followed and ended when Nicol hit another disguised backhand crosscourt which Palmer decided to dive for. He missed the ball, but took a 3 minute injury break to nurse his bruises. And then came back on court to win the next four points with some superb strategy and a couple of outright winners. It was now 10-all which is when I started rooting for Palmer to win so we could all get a fifth game to savour.

Peter Nicol's soft forehand drop ©2002 Debra Tessier

The packed Vanderbilt Hall rose in tribute to the 89 minute masterpiece of a squash match created by the world number one and the reigning world champion, and I was delighted to be one of them.

JACKMAN BACKS OUT AGAIN

Natalie Pohrer has an easy time with Cassie Jackman ©2002 Debra Tessier

Although she had been playing without any problems since her come-back after her second back operation, this semi-final was a match too far for the disc that had been operated on just five months ago. Almost from the beginning of the match, Jackman was not the player who had knocked out Linda Charman in the quarters: bad length, some silly shot selections and a series of sillier errors (five in all ) made the first game scrappy and a gift for Pohrer, 9-4.

The second game was even shorter, with just as many errors and Pohrer took it 9-3 to go two games up. There had been a collision at 8-4 in the first game with Jackman tumbling to the floor and it appeared that this may have aggravated either her ankle or her bank.
Jackman's non effort in the third seemed to confirm this notion; it was a walk-through as she made it obvious that she wanted out just as quickly as possible. Inside eight minutes Pohrer left the court a 9-2 winner for a total of 37 minutes work.

Jackman happily spoke to the press after the match, said that she had simply played too many matches in too shorter time since her back operation last year.

"I didn't expect to win the British nationals and I didn't expect to get to the semi-finals here. My physio says I may have just played too much" she said.

This sad outcome gave Pohrer, playing under the Stars and Stripes,a fairly comfortable tournament through to the final, so she certainly won't be tired when she meets Owens in the final.

MENS SEMI FINAL RESULT [Mens Full Results]
Peter Nicol (Eng) bt David Palmer (Aus) 15-8, 9-15, 15-12, 15-10

WOMENS [Womens Full Results]
Natalie Pohrer bt Cassie Jackman 9-4, 9-3, 9-2
Carol Owen bt Tania Bailey 9-4, 9-0, ret.

Play let. David Palmer learns to cope with dubious calls. ©2002 Debra Tessier