ISM March 2017

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 March 2017 | 19
www.isportgroup.com/InternationalSquashMagazine