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BRITISH NATIONAL CHAMPIONSHIPS NICKMATTHEW&LAURAMASSARO SUCCESSFULLYDEFENDBRITISHNATIONALTITLES Nick Matthew and Laura Massaro successfully defended their treasured British National titles at the National Squash Centre in Manchester. Matthew collected a record ninth men’s title whilst Laura Massaro proved equally dominant in the women’s championship to win her fourth domestic crown. Matthew, who regards the title amongst his most cherished, continued his dominance of the event with a sublime performance against surprise finalist Joe Lee to extend his record title haul to nine - six ahead of Phil Kenyon who won four domestic men’s titles between 1977 and 1985. The 36-year-old brushed aside Ashley Davies, Jamie Haycocks and Declan James enroute to his tenth final – a remarkable statistic when only injury prevented his participation in 2007 and 2008. The defending champion exerted his authority from the opening exchanges to boss the 40-minute final and never looked like relinquishing his tight grip of the match as he raced to a stunning 11-6 11-4 11-8 victory. “It’s an honour to win a ninth title,” said Matthew. “I think Joe was a little bit nervous with it being his first final. He pushed me hard in the third game, maybe I got a bit nervous. It doesn’t matter whether you’ve won a few titles, you do sometimes get a bit excited towards the end. But I’m really happy with where my game is and hopefully I can now take that forward to the tour.” Much of the build-up to the tournament had centred around his rivalry with James Willstrop after his compatriot had ended a 10-year, 19-match losing streak against perennial domestic nemesis on the eve of the championships at the Tournament of Champions in New York. However, the eagerly anticipated final wasn’t to materialise after Willstrop, himself a twotime champion, was forced to retire in his quarter-final match against Lee having been unable to recover from the effects of a debilitating virus. Far from being an appropriate conclusion to a record breaking career, Matthew’s extended record represents another notable milestone and source of immense personal pride. Despite an increasing focus on preserving fitness by fine-tuning his playing schedule, the British Nationals remains a priority amongst his demanding World Tour commitments and no doubt he can be relied upon to make a determined and tough-minded defence when he returns to his favourite venue in Manchester’s ever prosperous Eastlands district. “It was totally different this year. With Declan yesterday and Joe today it made me feel my age a bit. It would be nice to get ten. Hopefully, fingers crossed, I can come back for at least one more go and get a tenth,” added the record nine-time champion. In the women’s final, top seed Laura Massaro again showed her class and steely determination with a comprehensive and an equally commanding 11-5 12-10 11-9 win over Sarah-Jane Perry in a repeat of the 2015 final, which her young compatriot unexpectedly won in a five game thriller. “It’s a special event to win,” said Massaro, “especially at home with all my friends and family here. “I set out to play fast to try to take the nerves out of it, and I was really pleased to be able to finish those last two games.” Alongside the men’s and women’s events, this year’s championships attracted a record entry of over 400 of the UK’s best Masters, competing across sixteen agegroup categories from Over-35 to Over-80, who played their part in another memorable and unrivalled festival of squash. British National Championships, Manchester, England Mens’s Final: [1] Nick Matthew bt [5/8] Joe Lee 11-6, 11-4, 11-8 Women’s Final: [1] Laura Massaro bt [3/4] Sarah-Jane Perry 11-5, 12-10, 11-9 INTERNATIONALSQUASHMAGAZINE <strong>March</strong> <strong>2017</strong> | 19 www.isportgroup.com/InternationalSquashMagazine