Results tagged “squash”

James Willstrop won the ISS Canary Wharf Squash Classic for a third time with a battling performance in a gruelling final against Australian Cameron Pilley.

Willstrop fought back from the brink of collapse to overturn a 2-1deficit in games as Pilley came close to a shock result.

The Reading-based Pilley played fast, controlled and aggressive squash to establish a 2-1 lead against the world number four from Pontefract, who was exhausted following a punishing tournament schedule in which he has collected five titles already this year.

It's a clash of the titans after two of the tallest players in world squash won through to the final of the ISS Canary Wharf Classic.

Defending champion James Willstrop, who is 6' 5", will meet Australian Cameron Pilley, a mere 6' 2", in tonight's final at the East Wintergarden.

Willstrop beat his Pontefract and England team-mate Lee Beachill 11-8, 8-11, 11-5, 11-9 last night, though the world number four was made to battle hard for his win as Beachill’s trademark precision play contained his opponent’s attacking flair.

Gregory Gaultier lost a five game thriller on Tuesday night to produce the first big shock at the ISS Canary Wharf Squash Classic.

Qualifier Alister Walker produced a sensational fightback from the brink of defeat to beat the top seeded Gaultier to reach the quarter-finals. It was an astonishing performance by the world No.32 to remove the reigning British Open champion.

The French maestro, the world No.3 and runner-up in the last two World Open finals, dominated the opening game but Walker stepped up a gear to win the second.

The ISS Canary Wharf Classic got off to a storming start with defending champion James Willstrop and Egyptian teenage sensation Mohammed El Shorbagy both in action.

Willstrop had a comfortable win over Hungarian Mark Krajcsak while El Shorbagy lost an epic match against Alex Gough.

The 17-year-old Egyptian, a student at Millfield School, made a nervous start to go two games down against the Welsh veteran but fought back magnificently to level the match.

TOP-CLASS squash hits Canary Wharf in less than two weeks and one former world champion thinks it’s one of the best places to play the game.

Peter Nicol, world champion in 1999, is co-organising the ISS Canary Wharf Classic, which starts on March 10 in the East Wintergarden.

He said: “The event is in a wonderful, unique venue with a great atmosphere and very knowledgeable crowd. Canary Wharf is an amazing place to play. It’s a pleasure to come to. Expectations are very high, which means we have to run a very good event, so it’s challenging as well as fun.”

SQUASH fans will have the chance to meet one of the game’s greats in Canary Wharf and win tickets to a top tournament at the same time.

Former world champion Peter Nicol will be at Cabot Place East between 11am and 2pm on Monday (February 25). Nicol will be signing autographs, answering questions and overseeing a draw for tickets to the ISS Canary Wharf Classic tournament.

The event takes place at the East Wintergarden in Bank Street from March 10-14, and special gold tickets for prime back-wall seats at the tournament will be drawn by Nicol at 12 noon, 1pm and 2pm on Monday.
Nicol, who won the world title in 1999 and also picked up a gold medal at the Commonwealth Games in 1998, is co-promoter of the Canary Wharf event and he’s excited about the prizes on offer.

Squash star Peter Barker has a special reason for wanting to do well in the forthcoming ISS Canary Wharf Classic – he will soon be a local resident.

Barker, the current world No.12, is moving from Bethnal Green to Limehouse in May and said: “If the tournament was two months later I could walk from home to the venue.”

He is sure to enjoy considerable local support when the five-star PSA World Series event returns to the spectacular East Wintergarden venue from March 10-14.

The left-handed Londoner is enjoying the best form of his life, and warmed up for the Canary Wharf tournament by reaching the final of the Swedish Open on Sunday (February 10).

He lost to England team-mate James Willstrop in a superb match and the two could meet again in the ISS Canary Wharf final. However, for that to happen, Barker would need to remove the number one seed, French ace Gregory Gaultier, whom he is seeded to meet in the semi-final. Barker, 24, admitted: “I have never beaten Greg before.