POWER'S SPEED TOO MUCH FOR HEATH, BUT HEATH EARNS RESPECT WITH HIS STYLE, FOCUS, AND SKILLS

Power makes it three TOC's in a row...

A FITTING FINAL

Five years ago the very idea of the final of a major tournament being contested by a Canadian and a Scotsman would have been laughed out of court- you had to be Australian, Pakistani or English to be good. Now the top ten has seven different nationalities - and not one Pakistani! Times change.

All this by way of saying that Canadian John Power and Scot Martin Heath produced a final of dazzling quality and wonderful variety. This was squash played not according to a formula but with intelligence and thought. It no longer is sufficient to be fit enough to run for a week; if you don't see squash as chess on legs, you don't have much chance.

A DEGREE OF BRILLIANCE

Martin Heath has a degree in sport sciences and uses his knowledge well. He knows how important the psychology of a player is and having beaten Peter Nicol now feels that once he gets one win over Power the rest will follow.

It didn't happen tonight because Power managed to keep to his game plan which was not to win by great shots, but to finally 'take away Heath's legs' by pushing him to the back and taking him up to the front. Heath wanted to work on Power's forehand and dominate that side of the court but admitted after the match that he was unable to do so because of Power's length.

NOT LIKE POWER AT ALL

Indeed that first game was not Power's normal game at all - no flashy storkes, no twiddling the wand to send his opponent the wrong way. Both players were battling for control using good length as the weapon.

It was nearly 28 minutes of gripping squash with neither player giving an inch. Heath can hit solid nicks on his forehand cross court shots and he has a super backhand disguised boast at the front. He wasn't afraid to take the game to Power and challenge him in all areas. Power was shrewd enough not to try anything fancy. They were level to 12 and as so often happens, Power put together three shots to take the game 15-12.

The second game saw Heath give away four easy points on unforced errors, which took the pressure of Power at critical times. They were level at 10-all and then once more Power moved to close the game out 15-11 after 15 ½ minutes.

POWER ERRORS FROM A WAYWARD BACKHAN D

It looked as though Heath was tiring in the third and Power led 7-5, looking comfortable and so confident he hardly said a word to the referee. Suddenly his backhand drop, the shot he calls his bread-and-butter, went to hell in a breadbasket and six times that shot hit the tin, on three occasions with Heath totally out of it.

A tiring Heath suddenly survived and pushed back to 13-13. Power then hit a beautiful forehand drop, where the ball seems to be caressed to the front wall, thence to die on the floor. This was now match ball. In the next rally he tried the backhand drop and it hit tin. Fourteen -all and Power called no set. He obviously wanted the match over and done with. Again his backhand failed and Heath walked off the court a 15-14 winner.

THE FINAL FOURTH

Heath went to a 3-0 lead in the fourth and Power looked decidedly off colour. Were those errors the result of fatigue? His fitness is always suspect - even when he wins long five setters - (give a dog a bad name!) but then he answered the question by pushing up the pace. Heath stayed with him but the balance had shifted to Power and much as we all hoped that the entertainment would go to a fifth game, we knew deep down Heath would no triumph this time.

They were level at 9-9 but inevitably Power took a couple of points and then the final points were marred by some very strange refereeing decisions. Appeals referee Chris Walker had a decidedly unique view of proceedings - if indeed he was watching the same match as me - and the final point was a stroke for Power.

It was still a great final and the applause from the 1,000 spectators crammed in every available space around the court was long and loud. I joined in - not a normal proceedure for journalists. Sometimes squash can bore the pants off you and sometimes, as in the case of the final produced by these two intelligent and highly skilled athletes, you feel privileged to be among the witnesses.

I can't wait for these two to meet again.