WORLD SQUASH NEWS

RESULTS: Volvo Motor City Squash Open, Detroit, USA

1st round draw:
[1] Jonathon Power (CAN) bt [Q] Dan Jenson (AUS) 15-7, 15-8, 15-13
Paul Price (AUS) bt [7] Simon Parke (ENG) 17-14, 15-7, 15-8
[3] Karim Darwish (EGY) bt Rodney Durbach (RSA) 15-11, 5-15, 15-13, 15-6
[8] Graham Ryding (CAN) bt Nick Taylor (ENG) 15-8, 17-16, 15-9
[5] Martin Heath (SCO) bt [Q] Joey Barrington (ENG) 13-15, 15-3, 15-11, 15-6
[4] Amr Shabana (EGY) bt [Q] Shahier Razik (CAN) 15-4, 15-10, 15-12
[6] Mark Chaloner (ENG) bt Victor Berg (CAN) 17-14, 15-9, 15-10
[2] Thierry Lincou (FRA) bt [Q] James Willstrop (ENG) 17-15, 15-13, 15-12

Parke Pays The Price In Detroit Defeat

England's Simon Parke, the seventh seed, suffered his second successive PSA Tour disappointment when he crashed out of the first round of the Volvo Motor City Squash Open in Detroit, USA, at the hands of unseeded Australian Paul Price.

Playing before a packed house at the Birmingham Athletic Club, the veterans Parke and Price - both former world top four players, now ranked 18 and 20, respectively - squared off, the Englishman eager to make up for last week's failure to qualify for the US Open in which has been a finalist four times.

Parke started quickly, but Price weathered the attack and took the first game in overtime, 17-14.  The 27-year-old from Melbourne maintained momentum in the second, pushing Parke into difficulty in the front with some beautiful touch shots.  Suddenly, Parke faced a 2-0 deficit.  Game three was a repeat of the second, with Simon unable to turn his speed and retrieval capabilities to his advantage.  Price controlled the forecourt and took the match 17-14 15-7 15-8.

The Australian's reward is a quarter-final clash with top-seeded Canadian Jonathon Power.  It was back to business for the 29-year-old world No4 from Montreal who, after a surprise quarter-final exit from the US Open, was making his debut in this $30,000 event in Detroit.  Power swept to a 15-7 15-8 15-13 first round victory over Australian qualifier Dan Jenson.

Detroit squash fans also got a look at two rising English hopefuls:  James Willstrop, the world junior champion, and Joey Barrington, son of the sport's legendary Jonah Barrington, both lost their matches to veterans Thierry Lincou and Martin Heath - but served notice that they belong in such company.

Willstrop's battle against No2 seed Lincou produced consistently high level squash and was the match of the day.  Game one was an epic, 55-minute masterpiece.  Just shy of the PSA record of 57 minutes, it lasted longer than some of the day's complete matches! The rallies were long and hard.  Willstrop's quickness of hand matched Lincou's quickness afoot.  With both players on form, game one stretched into a tiebreaker, ending abruptly on a tough, controversial stroke against Willstrop, 17-15.

Game two again came down to the wire and again a tough stroke call on game point decided it: 15-13 to Lincou.  Into the third and again the two gladiators fought to a 12-12 tie, with the veteran Lincou reaching deep to pull out the last three points and the match 17-15 15-13 15-12.  Visibly spent, the two embraced each other at match end.

Joey Barrington looks set to make his own mark on the game. Starting tenaciously against fifth-seeded Scot Martin Heath, Barrington took balls early and attacked hard to the back of the court.  He took the first 15-13.  In game two, Heath bounced back convincingly in game two, 15-3.  Barrington would not roll over, however, extending Heath to 15-11 in the third and pressing Martin in the fourth.  But Heath was devastating in the air as some great backhand volley flicks found the nick as he eventually claimed his 13-15 15-3 15-11 15-6 win.

In the much-anticipated rematch of last year's final, Canada's Graham Ryding never let up on England's 2002 champ Nick Taylor - winning sweet revenge in three straight games 15-8 17-16 15-9.