THIERRY LINCOU & JOHN WHITE QUALIFY FOR GERRARD SUPER 8 GRAND PRIX FINAL

Gerrard Super 8 Grand Prix Squash Championships, National Squash Centre, Manchester, England.
24th October 2004;

Karim Darwish bt Peter Barker 11-5 11-4 11-9
Thierry Lincou bt David Palmer 11-9 11-4 9-11 3-11 3-2 (conduct game) 11-10 (2-0)
John White bt Nick Taylor 6-11 11-7 11-5 11-6
James Willstrop bt Simon Parke 9-11 9-11 9-11

The third day of the inaugural Gerrard Super 8 Grand Prix, staged at the National Squash Centre in Manchester, England, was filled with high emotion and a tense atmosphere for players and spectators.

Peter Barker, a World Junior runner-up and replacement for Lee Beachill, the newly crowned World No1 who was forced to retire yesterday mid-way through his qualification match with David Palmer, was beaten 11-5 11-4 11-9 by the impressive Egyptian and former World Junior Champion Karim Darwish.

The next match of the final round of qualification proved to be a highly controversial and emotionally charged confrontation between two former World No1's Thierry Lincou and David Palmer.

Both players were vying for a place in the Gerrard Super 8 Grand Prix Final and the heat of battle resulted in constant clashes between each other and referee. In a bruising 92-minute encounter, Lincou won the first two games, Palmer fought hard to take the third, and was given the fourth following a conduct game awarded to him for an audible obscenity from his French opponent.

Palmer, whose frustration resulted in him receiving constant warnings throughout an exhausting deciding game, served for the match three times but was denied by Lincou who eventually won 11-9 11-4 9-11 3-11 3-2 (conduct game) 11-10 (2-0).

Local favourite Nick Taylor started strongly in his match with John White, but after taking an entertaining 1st game, eventually succumbed to White's fierce hitting and supreme fitness. White earned his place in tomorrow's final with a deserved 6-11 11-7 11-5 11-6 victory.

In the final match of the afternoon, Simon Parke fought valiantly for 50 minutes but was denied by World No12 and former World Junior Champion James Willstrop 9-11 9-11 9-11.

Gerrard Super 8 Grand Prix Squash Championships Finals Day Schedule;
7/8 play-off; Simon Parke vs. Peter Barker
5/6 play-off; Nick Taylor vs. David Palmer
3/4 play-off; James Willstrop vs. Karim Darwish
Final; John White vs. Thierry Lincou

Issued on behalf of iSQUASHmedia.com