THE BIG FINAL! Declan James beat Chris Fuller – 11-8, 11-6, 6-11, 11-6 From the off, it was clear that both players had done their research on one another; Fuller’s game plan was to stifle Dec’s creativity enforcing a punishing deep length game. James on the other hand seemed more than prepared for this and was happy to trade at the back of the court before taking his opportunity to attack. James displayed some of his trademark shot-playing ability, however Fuller was so aggressive in his court position he was ready for the tight drops and angles and made James play several winners before the rally was over. In the end, Dec was able to forge a slender lead which he capitalised upon to take the first tight game. Due to several instances where both players were failing to clear the ball, the referee made a decision to move forward in awarding strokes or no lets from the start of the second. This meant that the second game was peppered with strokes for minor let occurrences and the game was shortened significantly. Fuller came off much worse from this and was visibly affected; James gained the upper hand at this point and took advantage of Fuller’s change in concentration. The style of squash continued much in the same vein as the first, with both players sticking to their game plan. This worked much better for James as Fuller did not seem to create many opportunities to hurt James. James was again able to establish an early lead and stubbornly refused to let go, closing out the game to go two up. This game was crucial for both players and they must have been feeling the pressure. Fuller came out in the playing with an almost completely different game; he was much more dynamic and aggressive and surprised James. Again, there were a big number of points decided by the referee awarding strokes than the players, but overall Fuller was the player on top and he opened up a sizeable early lead. James was able to adapt and we started to see some fantastic winners from both players. However, Fuller was able to keep his momentum going and managed to take the third to keep himself in the match. The fourth game saw Fuller start in a similar vein however James was much more prepared from the start. Unfortunately again there was still quite a bit of involvement from the referee but James was able to force more openings and angles putting Fuller under a great deal of pressure. James was able to find the corners with greater ease and was gluing the ball to the wall creating a sizeable lead. Fuller did not go down without a fight but the work from James throughout ensured the match and with that the title.
Posted on: Mon, 26 Aug 2013 10:15:49 +0000
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