Canary Wharf Classic 2009

When Peter Nicol asked me what I thought about the "interactive exhibition" I had just seen, I garbled something incoherent about "crowds getting involved" and "innovation".

Five seconds later our promoter, VIP and resident Squash Legend was delivering a flawless live link-up for a regional news broadcast. I removed my fist from my mouth and pondered some more.

Behind the court the sun set before the final of this year's Canary Wharf Classic. High above a last ray of light refracted through the huge glass arch of the East Wintergarden before receding into the dusk.

Had I just glimpsed squash's future ? ...

I had jumped off the tube just in time to catch the technologically-enhanced warm-up for the sixth final of this tournament. I'm glad I did.

Squash and technology

In the last tournament I wrote up I bemoaned the lack of crowd-pleasing interval entertainment. I've also written here before about the sport not taking enough risks with the technology that might be available to enhance it as a spectator sport.

Tonight we had South African pro Stephen Coppinger and England's Peter Barker playing a short game wearing head mics, commenting on their game as they played. This was not the first time I had seen this done - see this great footage of cricketers Adam Gilchrist and Andrew Symonds commentating on a match during play.

We can't expect squash players to comment on their games during competitive matches - but what other possibilities are there?

They were also wired up to heart monitors which gave readouts on the large screen above the court and smaller ones facing sections of the crowd. Again, it probably wouldn't be wise to have this kind of information displayed at every match - but what other possibilities are there?

The speed of each ball hit was displayed it in the front wall via a radar gun positioned somewhere around the court. The speed of squash is one if its main draws, and this kind of thing could (like in tennis) become a fixture. But what other possibilities are there?

This technofest was accompanied by music played over the PA system throughout, with compere Alan Thatcher and official Linda Davie interacting with the players during play.

They had lots of fun and so did the crowd. This 'interactive exhibition' was an experiment set up by the organisers, and it worked. But it suggested lots more than that. It showed how with a bit of innovation squash can broaden its appeal and reach new audiences.

Each of these toys were portable; ideal for a game that has never marketed itself enough on one of its prime assets - its inherent portability. What will purists make of such bells and whistles (purists please comment below!)?

To some extent the the argument in favour of modernising the sport by altering its format has been partly won. The change to PAR scoring in pro tournaments appears to have been vindicated (the men appear to have welcomed it, though too early to tell with WISPA events), even if the transition was handled in an all-too-familiar-to-squash administrative fog. The exhibition tonight suggested that modernisation of format could be (relatively cheaply) augmented with props designed to enhance spectators' experience. Though it was only an exhibition we were watching, possibilities for competitive play abounded.

Let's hope we see some more of these experiments with technology at other venues soon - ideally with an IOC offical in the front row.

"Inspirational but humbling"

So what might have been kept back for keeping people in their seats after an interval trip to the bar was put before the packed crowd from the off. During the twenty minutes or so before the final I had a scout round, taking in for the first time the great facilities and view from the VIP bar (see top photo).

Down below Alan Thatcher bigged-up the 2016 vote, and the WSF will be pleased to note that the 2016 T-shirts seemed to be doing a decent trade at the stall.

Those sitting the interval out courtside were watching the 2016 promo video on the big screens. I wasn't sure about this after seeing it online, but it worked well in the hall tonight with the soundtrack banging out combined with the atmosphere this venue seems to generate. A huge step up from previous efforts put together by governing bodies; if I were to point out one area for criticism it would be the graphics overlaying the footage, which appear something of an afterthought.

So to the final. Sitting back down I overheard a couple of newbies describe the Barker v Coppinger exhibition as "inspirational but humbling". It's a shame I didn't ask their opinion an hour later, after another final of the highest quality, albeit not a five-gamer as in each of the previous years.

I've written here before about the strength of competition at the top of the men's game. The sport itself may still be lurking in the shadow of it 1980s heyday, but the past decade may be looked back on fondly in years to come as something of a golden age. After years of dominance by a handful of players, literally anyone on world top ten ladder was in with a decent shout at tour events.

At the end of this match David Palmer would talk about deferring retirement for as long as his body would stand up to it. If he could be given a bye straight to the final of a PSA tounrnament, he'd still be the odds-on favourite when he's 50.

Few are more feared once a trophy is waiting on the baize than Palmer. Whatever the players might feel about their own form during a tournament, or however many five game matches either finalist has played, few are so demonstrably up for it than Palmer when the silverware's in reach.

Like when a terrified Frank Bruno crumbled after making the mistake of eyeballing Iron Mike, Palmer's opponents in all those finals were half-beaten during the knock-up. Though the temper that sprung out earlier in his career is now tamed with the natural self-assurance that comes with being in your early thirties, that extra steel is never far from hand. Few can enjoy playing him.

That is why 2 World crowns and 4 British Opens (count 'em) are locked in the cabinet. To coin Shane Warne's phrase, he 'backs himself'. And then some.

It would be interesting to look up the percentage of times he has won when in a final. When he gets there, the outcome is rarely in doubt. If I were to pick a defining moment to illustrate this it would be the 2002 World Open final against John White in Antwerp.

Match point down in the fourth, Palmer was moments away from losing the first World championship to be held for three years (there was no World Open for the men in 2000 and 2001 due to lack of sponsorship).

White had match ball at 14-13, which Palmer saved. At 14 all White called 'set one', but tinned to allow his opponent back in and take the game. Palmer took the first of his World titles 13-15, 12-15, 15-6, 15-14, 15-11.

Much has been written about that final. In hindsight (that handy tool for crafting a a good story while sanding off inconvenient burrs of reality) - and with White retired - it is easy to borrow the sportswriter's cliché about triumph of the cold professional over the nice guy.

But there is some truth in it. White will always have more fans, but Palmer has the trophies.

So seeing Palmer clearly deep in the 'zone', stretching in the foyer 15 minutes prior to coming on court tonight indicated that James Willstrop was not going to catch the Aussie on an off day.

Right: A compilation of first round action from the tournament.

Willstrop had come in to the final after two hard fought five-game matches, including a recovery from two games down to the rapidly improving Spaniard Borja Golan in the quarters. Coupled with the illness and injury that had troubled him this year it was testament to his competitive instincts and commitment to this tournament (he had won it three times previous) that he managed to question Palmer's nerve after coming back from 2-0 down to take the third.

The Australian dominated the first two games, throwing textbook shapes with his metallic orange 'bling racket' (as described on the BBC 606 website) down the backhand wall, to dictate rallies through an imperious length.

The 11/9, 12/10 scoreline half way through the match on paper doesn't do justice to Palmer's command of the court, with Willstrop rarely picking up points by design. A number of balls were hit out of court, while a few more appeared to die prematurely in the front-right court - both players appeared to be miffed slightly by the behaviour of the ball on the court tonight.

At 6-1 down in the third, Palmer had more than one hand on his opponent's title. As he had done all week, Willstrop dug in for a final heave. The crucial moment was at 3-6, when Willstrop hit a loose ball off the wall into mid court. Palmer double-pumped his bling-laden right hand to kill the soft ball, only to fire it straight back at Willstrop on his shoulder.

After finding himself out of position all night, and with split-second instinct, Willstrop stuck his hand out and intercepted. The ball was dead at the backwall before Palmer had time to turn round.

Now the crowd really got behind 'Jimbo' who, given his efforts this week, would have been mortified if he were to have not taken a game here. Willstrop started to take more risks and his deceptive game started to reap some reward. As Palmer appeared to be wilting, Willstrop seized the initiative to take the game 10-8.

Both men were clearly exhausted by the fourth. A near mid court kill took Willstrop 2-1 up, but his renewed intention quickly waned as Palmer snuffed out his attacks with the superior efficiency of movement that he had exhibited all evening.

At 6-6 Willstrop served out, clearly almost spent. Palmer took hold of the ball and the Canary Wharf title 11/9, 12/10, 8/11, 11/7.

When asked about his performance after the game, Willstrop said that he was "pretty unhappy with it", which his body language suggested was a massive understatement. He gets great support here as he does in Manchester, and his success in this event over the years demonstrates that the venue brings out the best in his game. Those who were lucky enough to appreciate all of his efforts throughout the week would surely not agree with his self-criticism.

This was evidently a big win for Palmer - "right up there with (his) best victories". He joked that he never gets to play in front of his home crowd, and that he played a mind game with himself where "every time he heard support for James he convinced himself that it was really support for him".

Like Nicol plotting to take Commonwealth gold in 2006, or Power coming back one last time to occupy the world number one spot just before retiring, Palmer seemed bent on proving something to himself. He finished by telling Alan Thatcher that playing over the age of 30 was about "making adjustments with daily training ... trying to keep up".

There are some young (and other not so young) players on the tour who'll hope he doesn't carry on till 50.

ISS Canary Wharf Classic 2009
Squash 2016

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squashblog is 2

It only seems like yesterday that squashblog popped into the world, kicking and screaming at the low profile of the sport.

It's aims were lofty. Much was expected as it toddled around tournaments, griped at governing bodies and wailed for (media) attention.

But how have things changed in those two years? ...

Great players have retired, young prodigies have emerged, initiatives have been announced, courts have open and (mostly) closed.

You can read about all that here and at greater length elsewhere.

But squashblog was created with a different perspective: to look behind the headlines and give independent, objective comment about the wider state of the game - and provide a platform for you to respond.

It seems a good time then to look back and see how the sport has changed over the past two years. A useful way of doing this is to use the categories that I have used since the creation of the site (at the top of the page). Let me know if I'm off the ball!:

The pros
Actually this first one isn't a category I refer to in this site at all, but it is right that they are mentioned first. Many of the improvements noted below wouldn't have happened without the positive attitudes, professionalism, hard work and commitment of the majority of the top pros.

Squash is blessed with, on the whole, a decent, commited crop of professional sportsmen and women who appear to take genuine interest in the development of the wider game as a whole. The rewards for professionals are relatively modest compared with others sports. To the credit of most of those on the professional circuit, they don't appear to bemoan this fact, and get on with representing squash with a dignity and respect for each other that puts other sports to shame.

Media coverage
Very little has changed in the mass media in the UK: squash rarely merits a story in any of the British national dailies (there has however been some excellent coverage in local press) and I can't remember the last time it was on terrestrial TV. Web streaming has advanced, but is not yet ubiquitously accessible. Websites have come and gone: the emergence of Squash 360 appeared to invigorate the landscape, but ceased all too quickly. Squash Site, which provides the only reliable day-to-day news service for all professional events, has struggled due to the ongoing politics that sadly seem to dog squash.

Elsewhere in the world media coverage appears to be on the increase: the success over the past couple of years of Egyptian players has raised the profile even higher in the country, and coverage in India and Pakistan and the far-east (such as Malaysia) is stronger than in Europe. The US - the market that promoters would really like to crack - has had strong regional coverage but little national attention.

Men's game
Anyone who has watched professional squash for more than a few years will have witnessed the change in speed of the game - more attacking play has been great for spectators can only help the game where it's image is concerned. But the velocity of the men's game over the past 24 months has increased such that some feel the soul of the game is being lost (the debate here seems to be heading the same way as 20/20 v test match cricket). PAR scoring has obviously been a factor, but it is difficult to argue that the squash has become less exciting because of it.

Who would have predicted the dominance of the Egyptian trio of Shabana, Ashour and now Darwish two years ago? The fact that the top ten players have been representative of so many different countries is great for the global appeal of the sport, but it would be great to see a rivalry emerge a la Nicol/Power. I thought Ashour/Willstrop would fill this gap ... perhaps this year.

The PSA tour is expanding, with events in new locations and more money coming in. However, the trajectory and stability which seemed to have been established at the top of the organisation before Christmas will need re-assessment after the shock departure of Richard Graham.

Women's game
Though seemingly the better ran of the professional tours, I can't help but think there is an element of resting on laurels. It would be great to see some bigger events in the UK and US, but is there demand?

WISPA has a 'great product'; Nicol David is a great ambassador for the sport, and a great role model for younger players. Like the PSA tour, the plurality of nations represented at the top of the game should be a great draw for promoters.

Almost two years ago to the day I wrote an article that suggested that the level of competition at the top of the women's game might not have been what it was. Have things moved on?

The Malaysian star has indeed become the dominant force, and the Grinham sisters (while swapping places in the world rankings) are now considered beatable by lesser-ranked players. There are flashes of resurgence (Grainger, Atkinson) or hints that new heights are about to be scaled (Duncalf, Abdel Kawy), but no-one looks like challenging David early in 2009.

Again, a good old rivalry in the top five would shake things up.

Governing bodies
Where to start. Apparent lack of direction at the WSF, a resignation at the top, the Olympic campaign seeming to be without co-ordination and professionalism. Progress towards getting its house in order appears to have been made around the time of the October's World Open, but the organisation will be primarily be judged over the next year by what happens at the Copenhagen vote.

The election of Richard Graham by the PSA looked to have given a clear signal that marketing, promotion and media coverage - all things that squash has been historically not done well - were to be addressed. How will his departure have a bearing on the way these key areas?

New initiatives and events have been announced or planned, many at the instigation of new Chairman Ziad Al-Turki. The investment and enthusiasm that Al-Turki is bringing is being welcomed by all in the game, but it will take two years before we will be able to judge whether this investment has endowed professional men's squash with a stronger footing to grow in the medium and long term.

Most of the money flowing into the men's game is coming from the Middle East, which (along with Egypt) has pulled the epicentre of squash away from Europe over the time this site has been up and running. The development of professional squash in regions or countries that display a greater enthusiasm for the sport is welcomed and should help to bring different perspectives and ideas to the game.

But the money coming in from the 'top' has to be matched by increased participation, whether in playing or spectating. Photos from some big-money events in the Middle East, for instance, often show rather empty stands. Also, it would be sad if money only made squash inaccessible to women in certain countries, again whether playing (as an amateur or professional) or watching.

Squashblog hasn't fired many words at national bodies since it started, and it is perhaps a little unfair to suggest that the WSF, PSA and WISPA can do everything alone - especially with their budgets. We hope to look at the performance of these in 2009.

Provision
I've tried to keep a regular eye on court closures - and the occasional opening! - where they make the local press. Great to see local activists fighting to retain squash courts in their area, but all too often they lose out to the gym developers.

The proposed facility at the University of Sussex is probably the most positive story in this area to come out of the UK recently - let's hope the facility sees the light of day. The closure of the historic Lambs club in London brought an end to an era; if the loss of the Lambs had any positive knock-on effect locally, it was in bringing home to many the fact that the capital is losing courts at demoralising rate - and motivating them into saving the courts that are left (Sobell, Finsbury).

Some countries are going in a different direction. Egypt - on the back of the success of its pros - is building more and more courts to satisfy demand.

Participation
This is a difficult one to judge without accurate statistics from national governing bodies. There have been a number of great initiatives aimed particularly at young people over the past couple of years, with the Mini-Squash programme for kids in the UK, and multiple schemes in the US - often allied to social programmes aimed at keeping teenagers off the streets.

Olympics
So much has been said on this site and elsewhere. Some people had better be working very hard behind the scenes!

Click on the Olympics link at the top of the page ...

Technology
Trials and tests have continued, with radar guns, instant replays, electronic scoring and other bits and pieces making an appearance. Great to see promoters and organisers getting innovative, and it would be nice to see some of these become benchmarks for future tournaments - there were no instant replays on the big screens at the Worlds, for instance.

It's time to get serious. Developments in filming squash for TV have certainly brought better coverage, but the advances have been incremental. There simply are not enough media players out there, competing to provide the best coverage, which in turn will drive up quality.

We'll be following closely the degree to which the 'TV issue' is a factor in the latter stages of the Olympic campaign later this year. Here's hoping it's not the deal-breaker: let's not kid ourselves - televising squash has not been cracked.

Marketing
Announcements by England Squash and the PSA that they are to employ professional consultancies to help with their marketing and public relations is a step in the right direction. This hitherto neglected area is key to competing in sports marketplace, and we look forward to seeing the results.

Perhaps less visible advances with the WISPA tour. As I keep reading in the squash press, they have a 'great product' - let's see some bolder initiatives marketing that product in 2009.

Image
The PSA in particular has done a lot in this area over the past couple of years, one example being a nice promo from Pro-Active TV suggesting the urban possibilities of settings, clothing and music. There is a lot of mileage in this, and it would be interesting to see this take on squash's image perhaps coupled with an initiative for youngsters.

Squash clubs - at least in the UK - still set the tone where image is concerned. Though not the yuppie playgrounds they might have been in the 1980s, a perception, at least, still exists that squash is cocooned in bubble of exclusivity - at least in the south of England. This image is even stronger in the US, where the ghost of Gordon Gekko still haunts city club courts.

Real or not, this idea of squash has to be dispelled if participation is to increase and more courts are not to be refurbished to make way for subscription-based 'health clubs'.

Prize money
Money from the Middle East now out-muscles anything that can be offered in Europe or the US. $3 million is reputedly on offer across the men's tour this year, a large increase on where things were five years ago.

The women's tour prize fund has grown hugely in the past 5-6 years, and it is a strong reflection on the running of the organisation that the sponsors keep stumping up bigger purses.

What looms over all this, of course - and with Bear Sterns going to the wall there has already been one big squash event casualty - is the impact the credit crunch/recession might have on sponsor's marketing budgets.

Partnerships and sponsorship
Some initiatives have already been mentioned above under marketing, image etc. Also worth considering that players have their own individual sponsors, but I would hazard a guess that the figures do not remotely approach tennis player sums, and I would doubt that these would be affected by the financial situation unless a player was sponsored by a small manufacturer that went bust.

As I've written on this site at length in the past, squash has rather a flirtatious relationship with the finance industry when it comes to sponsorship. In the US JP Morgan can find the money for the current Tournament of Champions, but I cannot remember the last time an City of London company put a penny up for an event.

Why can't squash court :) those big earners who regularly play the game?

I asked these questions nearly two years ago; with changing economic times, look out for an update here on this topic soon ...

Popularity
Like judging participation, this is a very hard one to call. In those developing countries (see below) and those countries that have had particular success at a professional level (such as Egypt), squash seems to be growing in popularity.

It is in the 'traditional' squash-playing countries that there appears to be a decline: England (or the UK as a whole - you can't play if there aren't any courts!), Australia (doubts about the commitment to the game from top-level sports administrators), and Pakistan (fewer youngsters coming through).

France, a country not previously renowned for its squash prowess, has had significant success in the professional game (Lincou and Gaultier) and this seems to have filtered through to swell grass-roots participation. Whether these two things are related is difficult to tell, but the French pros do receive more media coverage in their country than, say, the English players do in the UK.

Developing countries
By developing countries I mean countries that are developing where squash is concerned - into this category I have written articles mainly about the US and India.

Does Malaysia qualify as a developing squash nation? They've got the best women in the world, and the strength in depth of the professional men has really come on over the pas year or so. Having recently visited the country it appears to be another racket sport that has taken hold amongst the population - following on from badminton which is extremely popular.

Juniors
We've not followed the junior scene with a huge amount of scrutiny over the past two years. What we have observed can be summarised thus: Egypt rose as England weakened.

Officiation
Some interesting initiatives/experiments, often using technology as described above. There is surely scope for improving or expanding the tools that the officials have at their disposal - where other sports are taking the lead, squash may be able to learn lessons.

What appears to have changed over the past couple of years or so - and the move to PAR scoring has something to do with this - is the number of contested points or player-official conflicts. This was noted by IOC officials as something that squash must improve on, and progress seems to have ben made.

Credit must also go to what appears to be a very small group of officials who travel the world refereeing/marking professional squash events. I would guess that the remuneration is small, but most games I have seem have been officiated to a very high standard.

Disagree? How will things have moved on in another two years?

Have your say below ...

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New technology at the 'Wharf

New refereeing technology is being used at the ISS Canary Wharf Squash Classic this week.

The PSA is trialling a new device to assist the three-referee system that has been used periodically in events over the past year.

TRI–REF is a wireless electronic system been developed by Michael Castleton of Security Foiling Ltd and the PSA ...

I wrote about the success of the three-ref system at last year's Docklands event. The new devices have been designed to replace the hand signals that the existing system requires, with the hope of even greater consistency in decision making.

PSA board director Tony Hands explained:

"The prototype model will allow three referees to make a decision independently and without the knowledge of their fellow arbiters. When the three decisions have been entered into the keypads, the head referee will see the resulting decision on his keypad and will announce it to the players and audience."

Squash is in a great position to enhance all areas of the sport through technology, and the TRI–REF system sounds potentially like a great enhancement to its officiation.

In an additional technological improvment on previous years for the Canary Wharf event, a huge TV screen is sited above the glass court so all spectators can see action replays and close-ups of the players, together with a full range of tournament stats and commercials.

ISS Canary Wharf Squash Classic

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9th World Squash Refereeing Conference

The 9th World Squash Refereeing Conference was recently held in Chennai during the World Men's Team Squash Championships.

The two-day conference, this year entitled Towards World-Class Refereeing: A Program For Improvement, attracted officials from across the world ...

The itinerary featured a number of sessions on consistency when officiating. Inconsistency riles players of any sport, but squash suffers particularly from disagreements where a player feels a decision has been made where the officials are unsighted (due to the position of the referee and the marker in the back wall seating, the ball and players' bodies are often obscured).

The most significant development in officiating the sport over the past year or so has been the re-introduction of the 3-referee system. This appears to have been a success with players and officials alike (though has not yet been rolled out across all PSA and WISPA events) and has ironed out some refereeing inconsistencies.

To a spectator, the officials seem to do an amazing job, and are generally treated with respect by the players. However, players themselves have voiced opinions on the need for a greater professionalism attached to the job of being a squash official, and it is true that altercations between players and officials can often look uglier than they are when magnified in the goldfish bowl of a glass show court.

This can give squash a disproportionately bad image, especially when compared against a sport like football, where the players give the officials all manner of abuse, which the spectator conveniently ignores as they either cannot hear it above the crowd noise or are distracted by other things happening on the pitch.

It would be interesting to explore how other technologies could be used to assist the officials when making certain decisions. Lets/no-lets require the subjective interpretation of experienced officials, but proving whether a ball was down or not could surely benefit from a technological solution.

The minutes of the conference do not yet appear to be on the WSF website - comment to follow when they appear.

9th World Squash Refereeing Conference

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Wolverhampton title timely for Beachill

Last week's win for Lee Beachill's in the Wolverhampton Open 2007 could not have come at a better time.

The former world number has been out of the top ten rankings for nine months, and the win at the Edgbaston Priory club will surely give him confidence going into the British Open - a title he has never won.

Having seen Beachill many times in tournaments, he appears to be a player whose state of mind affects the outcome of his games more often than his physical condition.

An excellent mover and one of the best exponents of a good-length game, the 29 year-old from Yorkshire also possesses a cache of attacking shots founded on deception - weapons seemingly at odds with the stereotype of an attritional player.

However he never entirely looks like he is enjoying his work on court, with a dogged look on his face that belies a fierce determination. Sometimes the head goes down, but this is rarely followed by the capitulation that this kind of body language displays in other, more emotive, players.

More recently he seems to have suffered from a loss in self-belief that has seen him go out of events in earlier rounds. The reasons for this are unclear, though to many squash players with families, constant world travel is a strain and can impact on their motivation - especially when they have been, like Beachill, the best-ranked player in the world.

To train and focus on reaching the same heights once more must require a huge mental, as well as physical, effort.

Losing the Super Series

If one particular event sticks in my mind as a point when his confidence must have taken a huge knock, it is the final of the 2006 Super Series. Anthony Rickett's request to change the ball during a game caused chaos, with the officials unsure as to whether this was allowed in the rules. Beachill challenged the request, and was particularly miffed by the lack of guidance available at such an important time in the match. He walked off incensed after losing, clearly unsettled by what had happened.

He had the right to feel let down, though it subsequently turned out that his Australian opponent had acted within the letter (if maybe not the spirit) of the Super Series laws.

With the top ten in the men's game stronger than ever, Beachill will find it harder to get back up the rankings, especially now that Ramy Ashour has graduated from the juniors and looks set to dominate the senior ranks.

Having followed his career, I'd like to see the likable, self-effacing Pontefract man have another (maybe final?) assault on the rankings and be competing in some PSA finals pretty soon.

The win in Wolverhampton provides an excellent platform.

Wolverhampton Open 2007

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English Grand Prix 2007

I had planned to attend the British Open in Manchester this autumn, however the prohibitive cost of a London-Manchester train ticket and accompanying accommodation meant that I would have to find another tournament (London events where art thou?).

There were a few to choose from, given the busy schedule of events this season. A £15 return fare on Chiltern railways to Birmingham made up my mind, and I headed up to the west Midlands for some squash and a balti.

Though the English Grand Prix hadn't attracted the same quality of entrants as the British Open, it wasn't the standard of squash that somewhat clouded my experience in Birmingham ...

For the Saturday (semi-final) night that I attended was the first evening of squash I'd seen that was dominated not by the players, but by the officials.

The first semi-final saw Australian David Palmer take on James Willstrop, with the World Champion Palmer looking lean and fitter than his much younger opponent. The match see-sawed back and forth, and from early on destined to go the distance - Willstrop using a greater range of shots to deceive his opponent, while Palmer content to work the ball to a more consistent length.

From my sidewall vantage point I couldn't see the referee and marker, and apparently there was a third official in place in order to give the "majority decisions" that were called at a number of disputed moments.

I've seen this system in operation before with three players used to officiate on close calls at Canary Wharf, but on this occasion (if the same system was in place), it didn't seem to work, and Palmer in particular came off worse. A disputed call when Willstrop was at match point did not inspire much confidence, as the officials seemed to look to the players for direction.

This was a close match between two evenly matched players, but Palmer can feel justified in feeling frustrated - the inconsistency in decision making clearly upset his rhythm. Given his tendency to vent his frustrations, all credit to him for accepting the decisions with grace.

Taking a stroll round the Aston Webb Great Hall during the break between matches, I was able to appreciate what a dramatic venue for squash the promoters had found. The entrance of the players from high up above the stage was a nice touch, but seemed a little melodramatic given the relatively small number of spectators.

Though the back wall spectator area was sold-out, the sidewall section where we were seated had round tables with unreserved seating. This is more comfortable for the likes of tall people like squashblogger, though usually means that the promoters have sadly sold fewer tickets than expected (the tickets that were being given away during the week seemed to confirm this).

The crowd had some familiar faces, and seemed mostly to be from the squash community. Given the fact that the hall was in the middle of a campus university when the students are on holiday, this was not surprising - unlike the aforementioned Canary Wharf tournament, the event was unlikely to attract "passing" spectators.

To the promoters' credit, they seemed particularly attendant to the paying punters' experience, and we were asked a couple of times if we would like to move to the back wall to get a better view.

This we duly did (thanks Paul Waters), only to see Greg Gaultier's match against compatriot Thierry Lincou (looking slightly sluggish compared in comparison after a five-gamer the previous night) similarly marred by poor officiating.

Gaultier, like Palmer, is less fractious now than his younger self, but he lost his temper a number of times here, and justifiably so. On the receiving end of some poor decisions (by this time the groaning back wall crowd had begun to sense that this was to be the common theme of the night), the Frenchman repeatedly asked the officials to justify why a let was given. On one occasion, Lincou simply slipped over - a good five feet away from his opponent - and a let was given. An incredulous Gaultier asked why, only to be told to shut up and get on with the game.

The most bizarre incident occurred in the third, with Gaultier conceding that a ball was down. The officials obviously did not see whether the ball was indeed down, and asked the players for clarification. At this point something was lost in translation, with Lincou repeating the word "concede" - which the officials took to mean that he - and not Gaultier - was conceding the point!

I felt that the officials repeated requests for "Mr Gaultier" to get on with the game were masking the fact that they had lost touch with the match (the score was also misquoted at least once). The crowd new it, and even Malcolm Willstrop, sitting to my right, giving a withering shake of the head at the proceedings.

Gaultier lost in five, clearly unsettled by the repeated breaks in the games. Lincou did what he is best at - keeping his head down and plugging away until his opponent makes mistakes.

They were introduced as "friends" as the came on to court, but the unlikely provocation that they had to contend with might have gone someway to test that claim, given the number of times it was implied they had to sort sticky situations out for themselves.

There will always be times in a fast-moving game like squash when players are called upon to show sportsmanship and act honestly. But both semis of this tournament strained this principle to unreasonable lengths. Maybe the fact that this was the first time I'd seen the officials have a bad game means that their usual "invisibility" is indicative of assured professionalism and excellent judgement. But tonight, they did have a shocker.

The trophy was won on Sunday by Willstrop in another game that went the distance - the English number one's "who dares wins" attitude during an attacking fifth game finally breaking down the Gallic challenge.

Right: a video of the last point of the final, as recorded by a spectator and posted on YouTube.

Willstrop beats Lincou 11/8, 11/8, 9/11, 7/11, 11/3 (77 mins)

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