Richards Beats Illingworth, Walker Over Golan in 131 Minutes To Set Berkshire Final
from Zafi Levy
Walker-Golan
April 14, 2012 - The advanced billing for the evening’s second match between second seed Tom Richards and U.S. born Julian Illingworth, despite the nearly twenty ranking spots that separate them, predicted another you-pick-em contest. And, the opening of the match promised just that as both players set an unbelievably fast pace, playing low to the tin and looking to squeeze hard hit balls into the side-wall nick for impossible to scrape winners.
Julian had the better of the play, taking the first game 11-9 and holding two games ball at 10-8 up in the second. At that point a lengthy, between-point stretch against the glass side wall suggested that something might be up. Losing four straight points and then taking extra time between games confirmed that Julian’s back, which had so miraculously healed itself in the middle of his quarter final match with Yasir Butt, would now be a key factor in the outcome of the match.
And, it was. While Julian refused to acknowledge anything but his opponent’s fine play in his after-match comments, it was clear to those who know his game well that his play went off just that smallest amount from full speed ahead. He was still able to hang in the points and deliver high quality hits if given the time, but he was no longer able to generate his up-tempo, fast break offense or make that do-or-die dig out of the corners that is the difference at this level in a competitive loss or an upset win. The margins are razor-thin narrow in this rarefied air of upper-echelon pro squash, and even a one percent drop in athletic performance will mark the difference between winning or losing.
So, the question for tomorrow afternoon’s match is whether or not Alister will have enough gas in the tank to mount a charge against the comparative fresh Tom Richards. With only one spot differentiating them on the ranking list, and with all other factors being equal, it should be quite a tussle. See you at 2pm to find out!
Berkshire Open: Day #4 (of 5) Summary: Semi-Finals
Walker def Golan: 12-10, 4-11, 7-11, 12-10, 12-10 (131 minutes)
Richards def Illingworth: 8-11, 12-10, 11-7, 11-5 (55 minutes)
Sunday's Final (2pm):
Alister Walker (#1) vs Tom Richards (#2)
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