British national champion
James Willstrop completed a remarkable hat-trick of international squash
titles on home soil tonight (Tuesday) when he beat England team-mate Nick
Matthew in an all-Yorkshire final of the Mamut English Open at the
English Institute of Sport in Sheffield.
Winner of the Canary Wharf
Classic in London in March and the Prince English Grand Prix in
Birmingham in September, the 24-year-old world No6 recovered from a game down
to upset higher-ranked Matthew, the England No1, 9-11, 11-9, 11-6, 11-6 to
claim the eighth PSA Tour title of his career.
Only days earlier the pair
had played alongside each other in India - leading England to a
spectacular triumph over Australia in the final of the Men's World
Team Championship, to successfully defend the sport's most prestigious
world team trophy.
But in the 5-star PSA Tour
event, hosted by Sheffield City Council, it was back to being
opponents that was to complete an eventful year for both players.
Matthew, born and raised in
Sheffield, took an early lead in the first game - but Willstrop fought back
to draw level before the home hero clinched the final two points to win the
game and establish the opening advantage. In a similar pattern in the
second, Willstrop moved ahead - and Matthew drew level before Willstrop
re-established his advantage to take the game.
The pace moved up a couple of
notches in the next two games - with Willstrop taking early leads, then
running away from five-all in the fourth to clinch the match after 75
minutes.
The encounter was the pair's
15th Tour meeting since 2001, with the pre-match career
head-to-head tally poised at 7-7. The victory also ended a three-match
winning sequence for Matthew over Willstrop - including the US Open
final in September, which the Sheffield star won in straight games.
"I've definitely been
struggling a bit with Nick of late - he's had the upper hand in recent
matches," conceded the tall 24-year-old from Leeds afterwards. "So I'm very
pleased to have reversed that today - on a big occasion and in a big
tournament in our home county!
"We both had to push - and we
knew that - but I just managed to produce the win. I was very pleased with
way I played."
Matthew denied that it was
better to lose to a friend: "I like him a lot, but I'd rather lose to anyone
else, to be honest! There is a massive, if respectful, rivalry between us.
We both want to be Yorkshire number one, England number one - and world
number one!" said Matthew, now runner-up in his home town for the second
time, after being beaten in the 2005 final.
After Matthew overtook
Willstrop in the December world rankings, this success in the final PSA Tour
event of the year could reverse the situation and see Willstrop back as the
top-ranked Englishman in the first list of the New Year.
