Mixed Fortunes For Barker Brothers In Sheffield

There were mixed fortunes for Essex brothers Phillip Barker and Peter Barker in tonight's qualifying finals for the Mamut English Open, hosted by Sheffield City Council, which gets underway at the Crucible Theatre in Sheffield tomorrow.

Phillip, 23, from Upminster, was attempting to qualify for the four-star PSA Tour event for the first time - but went down 11-8 11-8 11-6 in 29 minutes at Abbeydale Park Squash Club to Pakistan left-hander Mansoor Zaman, the highest-ranked player in the qualifying draw.

Zaman, 25, from Peshawar, will now face Scotland's John White, the sixth seed and English Open champion in 2003, in the first round.

Over at the Hallamshire Squash Club, Phillip's younger brother Peter, aged 21, was taken to four games by experienced South African Rodney Durbach, but ultimately prevailed over the UK-based 33-year-old to win 11-8 11-5 5-11 11-5 in 57 minutes - and make the main draw for the second successive year. His opponent will be seventh seed Shahid Zaman, from Pakistan.

A fiercely-fought all-Gloucestershire battle saw Alex Stait recover from a game down to beat Alister Walker 10-11 11-10 11-9 11-0 in 49 minutes in his first PSA Tour outing since undergoing knee surgery in March.

It was sweet revenge for Stait, 25, from Stroud, who lost to his county team-mate in the qualifying event for the Tournament of Champions in New York in February. Stait has been drawn to line-up against Australia's Joseph Kneipp, the No8 seed, in the main draw.

In the final match of the day, Australia's Stewart Boswell overcame a 2/1 deficit to beat training partner Davide Bianchetti, from Italy, 11-5 6-11 2-11 11-5 11-3 in a 72-minute marathon. The former world No4 from Canberra has now won through to his first major event since withdrawing from the PSA Tour more than two years ago with a mystery back ailment.

Boswell's first round opponent will be local hero Nick Matthew, the Sheffield-based world No9 who is the event's fifth seed and has been a quarter-finalist at the Crucible for the past two years.

The last time the pair met was in September 2001, when the Yorkshireman was ranked a lowly 41 and Boswell in the top ten at No9. It was the first round of the Al-Ahram International in Egypt, where the Australian prevailed in straight games. The Englishman will relish his long-awaited revenge in front of an enthusiastic home crowd!

The first four first round matches - from the bottom half of the draw - will take place at the Crucible on Wednesday, beginning at 5.30pm.

Qualifying finals:
Mansoor Zaman (PAK) bt Phillip Barker (ENG) 11-8, 11-8, 11-6 (29m)
Alex Stait (ENG) bt Alister Walker (ENG) 10-11 (0-2), 11-10 (3-1), 11-9, 11-0 (49m)
Peter Barker (ENG) bt Rodney Durbach (RSA) 11-8, 11-5, 5-11, 11-5 (57m)
Stewart Boswell (AUS) bt Davide Bianchetti (ITA) 11-5, 6-11, 2-11, 11-5, 11-3 (72m)