WORLD SQUASH NEWS

RESULTS: Bermuda Open Squash Championship, Hamilton, Bermuda

Final:
[4] Lee Beachill (ENG) bt [6] David Palmer (AUS) 15-11, 15-9, 15-10

Beachill Is Bermuda Open Champion

England's Lee Beachill has won the PSA Tour's inaugural Bermuda Open Squash title in the tiny British colony's city of Hamilton after a surprisingly easy 15-11 15-9 15-10 victory over Bermuda-based David Palmer of Australia.

Following Palmer's earlier wins in the five-star tournament against England's Peter Nicol and Canadian Jonathan Power, the two most dominant players in world squash, his adopted home crowd were eagerly anticipating that the Australian would take the title - but it was not to be. 

Beachill had cruised through the earlier rounds and disposed of unseeded compatriot Nick Matthew in straight games in his semi-final, while Palmer had survived an exceptionally brutal five-game match against Power in the other semi-final.

Palmer said prior to the tournament that he was still not back to 100% fitness, but he wanted to show the Bermuda fans that he could earn their respect - a feat he handily accomplished in his match with Power.  However, that Herculean effort appeared to have taken its toll because Palmer simply did not have the fire he displayed in abundance against Power.

Beachill, on the other hand, played magnificently - dispatching the ball around the court with pin-point accuracy, causing Palmer to constantly be digging balls out of the back corners and then having to use his incredible reach to retrieve Beachill's gentle drops.  It was a clinical performance by the 26-year-old world No4 from Pontefract in Yorkshire, who moved gracefully around the court patiently waiting for any opportunity to punish Palmer for loose shots. 

Beachill won the first 15-11 and only stuttered momentarily at 14-8 as Palmer started to apply pressure to take three points in a row before losing the game.  Beachill raced into an early lead in the 2nd game and it ended 15-9. 

Palmer again fell behind  in the third but at 3-8 down he began to show his ability to chase down every ball and show that he will be a force to be reckoned with once completely recovered from his injuries.  With a highly partisan crowd urging him on, he rattled off six consecutive points to lead 9-8, and Beachill seemed to be struggling to maintain his form, but after one sustained rally that had the audience gasping as each player managed a series of impossible recoveries, the effort clearly impacted on Palmer, and Beachill then sprinted to victory dropping only one more point. 

Palmer will no doubt be disappointed at losing the final but he proved throughout the tournament that he is back and well on the way to being as fit as he was last year before his unfortunate string of injuries.  Beachill, on the other hand, has also proved that he is ranked No4 in the world on merit and he now has every intention of reaching for the top after collecting his fifth PSA Tour title.

During the Prizegiving ceremony, Beachill praised the Bermuda Squash Racquets Association for putting on a first-class tournament at the first attempt, and said he sincerely hoped that Bermuda would continue with the Bermuda Open which had already proved to be especially popular with all of the players who participated.

The evening had begun with an exhibition game between Pamela Nimmo and Australian squash legend Sarah Fitz-Gerald.  The Scottish No1 put in a spirited performance against one of the greatest players of all-time, but Fitz-Gerald has a wonderful array of strokes and showed that would still be a significant threat in women's squash if she were to return to the WISPA Tour.  Fitz-Gerald won the match 9-4 9-5 9-3.

Official website: www.bermudaopen.com