Hinds Is Best In Brest

Just five days after finishing as runner-up in the North Of Scotland Open, England's Joel Hinds celebrated title success on the PSA World Tour by clinching the inaugural Brest International Squash Classic title in France against expectations.

Seeded three, the 27-year-old from Derby made his breakthrough in the semi-finals of the PSA Challenger 5 squash event at Squash Club de Brest in Brest when he ousted higher-ranked Sebastiaan Weenink, the top seed from the Netherlands.

His opponent in the surprise all-English final was Mark Fuller, the sixth seed from Nottingham who survived a brief semi-final against fellow countryman Adam Murrills when the No.5 seed was forced to retire injured midway through the second game.

The success took 29-year-old Fuller into the fourth Tour final of his career - and his third this year!

But it was Hinds that had the edge in the final, closing out the match 11-9, 11-2, 3-11, 11-2 to deny Fuller a first ever Tour title.

"The first game was hard, we were very close," explained Hinds later. "As the second game started he started playing quicker, I was glad I could win it anyway.

"In the third, he kept on playing faster and he won it rather easily. It was important to make a good start in the fourth, that's what I did and I was ahead with a comfortable lead, so that I could eventually win. I enjoyed the tournament, I had never been to Brest before and I could enjoy the sunshine this week!"

A dejected Fuller added: "I'm disappointed because I don't think I played as well as I could have done. Hinds put a lot of pressure on me, more than I put on him. I hope I can play in Brest again soon."

The win marks the sixth PSA Tour title of Hinds' career.