RESULTS: British National Squash Championships, National Squash Centre, Sportcity, Manchester Men's final: [1] Peter Nicol (Yorks) bt [3] Lee Beachill (Yorks) 7-15, 15-11, 15-9, 12-15, 15-8 (94m) Women's final: [3] Cassie Jackman (Norfolk) bt [4] Rebecca Macree (Essex) 9-6, 4-9, 9-4, 9-3 (67m) NICOL & JACKMAN CLINCH NATIONAL TITLES World No1 Peter Nicol and former world No1 Cassie Jackman claimed the British National Squash titles at the National Squash Centre in Manchester in style today after titanic tussles on the all-glass showcourt which hosted the Commonwealth Games action last summer. Top seed Nicol, who first won the title in 1996 as a Scot, faced his Commonwealth Games gold medal-winning partner Lee Beachill in a repeat of the 2002 final which Beachill won to become the first player in history to successfully defend the men's title. The 25-year-old title-holder from Pontefract took the opening game, but was pegged back by Nicol who then went 2-1 up. Spurred on by a sell-out crowd boosted by a highly-vocal group of supporters from his Pontefract club, Beachill levelled the match - but Nicol's greater experience eventually showed through as the former world champion stormed to a 7-15 15-11 15-9 12-15 15-8 victory in 94 minutes - fittingly the longest match of the championships. "It was tough - I controlled bits, then he did, but in the end I think he just ran out of steam," said the new champion from London. "It was a great final, and with Lee you always know it's going to be fairly contested - but I'm delighted to be the champion again," Nicol added. The women's final was also one of the longest of the week, in which Norfolk's defending champion Cassie Jackman equalled the record of five titles when she beat unexpected opponent Rebecca Macree, from Essex, 9-6 4-9 9-4 9-3 in 67 minutes. In the semi-finals, both players upset higher-seeded opponents, Cassie the No2 seed Tania Bailey and Macree the favourite Linda Charman. "If somebody had told me a few months ago that I'd be in this year's Nationals final, I would have thought they were stark raving mad," said the 30-year-old from Norwich who underwent her second career-threatening back operation last September. "I still can't believe it - I'm moving so much better than I was after the first operation and haven't had any problems at all. "Winning the Nationals at the beginning of the year sets you up for the year ahead, so I am now looking forward even more to my first major WISPA event next week in New York, the Tournament of Champions," added Jackman after her fourth successive title win in her sixth final in a row. Official website: www.nationalsquashchamps.co.uk