Champion Beachill Admits Need For 'Drastic Improvements'

A disappointed defending champion Lee Beachill came off court after his second round win in the British National Championships at the National Squash Centre in Manchester today and conceded that 'drastic improvements' were needed to his game.

Beachill, who won the title for the third time last year, dropped the first game against retired former tour player Nick Taylor - now head coach at the National Centre - and eventually scrambled to a 5-11 11-4 11-0 11-5 win after 39 minutes.

"I started poorly and Nick began well - he deserved that first game," said the 28-year-old Yorkshireman afterwards. "I was pretty disappointed with my performance - I didn't feel at all relaxed. The only plus point is that I won.

"Having had such a short game yesterday, perhaps this was just what I needed today."

Beachill, who underwent exploratory knee surgery in early January, is playing in his first tournament since the Saudi International in December. When asked how he felt about the prospects of becoming the first player in history to reach the men's final for a sixth successive year, the third seed pronounced: "If I get through this tournament with my knee unscathed, I'll be happy.

"But I'll have to drastically improve on my performance if I'm going to get anywhere near the final," said the England international.

Top-seeded Yorkshireman James Willstrop also started slowly against Phillip Barker, the 14th seed from Essex. Beachill's Pontefract club-mate saved five game balls fighting back from 5-10 down in the first game - but, after winning the game on a tie-break, cruised to an 11-10 11-5 11-1 victory in 34 minutes.

"I did really well to win that first game," said 22-year-old Willstrop later. "I think it got to him physically - but I knew that if I'd lost the first, I just needed to keep plugging away."

The 6' 5" Yorkshireman will face Somerset's eighth seed Joey Barrington, son of the legendary six-times British Open champion Jonah Barrington who won this title in 1980 - at the age of 39!

Joey showed the dogged persistence of his father after his 2/0 lead was eliminated by Essex opponent Daryl Selby - and he was then forced to fight from behind throughout the decider only to lead for the first time when he converted match-ball to win 11-5 11-0 9-11 4-11 11-9 after an 85-minute marathon.

A gritty all-Yorkshire battle for a place in the quarter-finals took place between Leeds-based Simon Parke, the 33-year-old 10th seed and a former champion, and Nick Matthew, the 25-year-old from Sheffield who is seeded to reach the semi-finals for the second time in a row.

Parke, now head coach at the Heaton club in Bradford, clinched the 31-minute first game after a 4-2 tie-break, then was on the defensive for most of the next three games before going down 10-11 11-4 11-7 11-3 in 66 minutes in his first loss to Matthew since September 2003.

When asked if the match hinged on Matthew's superior fitness, Parke said: "That's partly true, but you must give Nick credit for his improvements in terms of accuracy over the past year or so."

The former world No3 acknowledged that his international career "took a bit of a dip" when he took up his coaching job. "But eight months later, I think I've found the balance and it's showing in my results.

"I still feel I've got a lot of energy in me - and even if I decide to retire from the PSA, I'll still play the BSPA circuit and events like the Nationals," added the three-times finalist.

There was an upset in the women's event when unseeded Derbyshire fire-fighter Laura Hill beat sixth seed Stephanie Brind, a former No4 from Kent who plans to join the police force, 9-6 9-4 9-7 in 36 minutes.

"I knew it was going to be tough - but I really wanted that win," said the 29-year-old from Duffield.

Hill moves through to the quarter-finals where she will face Yorkshire's third seed Jenny Duncalf on the all-glass show court at the National Squash Centre.

"I've played on a glass court before - but nothing like this," said Hill on the eve of her first Nationals' quarter-final.

Boosted by the withdrawal of her top-seeded sister Vicky Botwright, Manchester's Rebecca Botwright came through her first match as a seed in the tournament when she beat Merseyside qualifier Georgina Stoker 9-4 2-9 9-5 10-9 in the women's first round.

"I made quite a few errors and Georgina took full advantage," said the 24-year-old later. "I was quite nervous, but having Vicky in my corner between games was a big help."

Men's 2nd round:
[1] James Willstrop (Yorks) bt [14] Phillip Barker (Essex) 11-10 (2-0), 11-5, 11-1 (34m)
[8] Joey Barrington (Somerset) bt [16] Daryl Selby (Essex) 11-5, 11-0, 9-11, 4-11, 11-9 (85m)
[3] Lee Beachill (Yorks) bt [11] Nick Taylor (Lancs) 5-11, 11-4, 11-0, 11-5 (39m)
[7] Adrian Grant (Kent) bt [12] Stephen Meads (Berks) 11-9, 8-11, 11-4, 11-2 (62m)
[5] Alex Gough (Wales) bt Peter Billson (Lancs) 11-5, 11-8, 11-6 (32m)
[4] Nick Matthew (Yorks) bt [10] Simon Parke (Yorks) 10-11 (2-4), 11-4, 11-7, 11-3 (66m)
[6] Peter Barker (Essex) bt Tim Vail (Sussex) 7-11, 11-8, 11-8, 11-6 (51m)
[2] Peter Nicol (Yorks) bt [15] Peter Genever (Sussex) 11-9, 11-5, 11-7 (36m)

Women's 1st round:
[2] Tania Bailey (Lincs) bt Suzie Pierrepont (Sussex) 9-1, 9-2, 9-1 (30m)
[8] Rebecca Botwright (Lancs) bt [Q] Georgina Stoker (Merseyside) 9-4, 2-9, 9-5, 10-9 (50m)
[4] Alison Waters (Middx) bt [Q] Lauren Siddall (Yorks) 9-0, 9-0, 9-4 (19m)
[7] Dominique Lloyd-Walter (Middx) bt Jenna Gates (Sussex) 9-0, 9-1, 9-4 (25m)
Laura Hill (Derbyshire) bt [6] Stephanie Brind (Kent) 9-6, 9-4, 9-7 (36m)
[3] Jenny Duncalf (Yorks) bt Sarah Kippax (Cheshire) 9-4, 9-3, 9-3 (29m)
[5] Laura-Jane Lengthorn (Lancs) bt [Q] Kirsty McPhee (Yorks) 9-5, 9-0, 9-6 (25m)
[1] Linda Elriani (Sussex) bt [Q] Laura Mylotte (Ireland) 9-2, 9-0, 9-4 (27m)