World stars wow squash club

6:58pm Thursday 6th March 2008

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TWO of the best players in the world wowed a packed Bucks Squash & Racketball Club recently as Jonathan Kemp and Joey Barrington, ranked 25 and 29 in the world respectively, met in a best of five games exhibition match.

Full report on the event below: An appreciative audience witnessed Bucks Squash & Racketball club's first exhibition squash match on Saturday 1 March, with the main event between professionals Jonathan Kemp (world-ranked 25th) and Joey Barrington (29th).

The evening was an opportunity for club players, juniors, and sports fans a chance to see how it should be done, admire the professional technique, and just goggle at the athleticism and range of shots.

The paying audience was limited to 40 people, it being difficult to allow more people than this a decent view of the court. The small hollow ball also travels very fast, meaning that the audience needs to be close enough to see it.

The main game was preceded by a very fast and entertaining warm-up between Jonny Harford (60) and Jaymie Haycocks (138).

Harford and Haycocks both joined the pro circuit in 2006, with the former winning one main tournament and being runner-up twice in his first year.

Both, at the age of 24, are making steady upward progress in the world rankings, Haycocks rising 82 places in the last year.

Understandably, it's tougher at the top, with Harford rising only 11 places in that time.

So how does a pro player earn a living and what does he or she do? Sponsorship is essential, and preparing for and competing in tournaments takes up much time, trying to provide the sponsors with maximum public exposure and glory by association.

This is supplemented by exhibition matches and coaching. It sounds good being paid to play, whereas we pay to play, but it involves constant travel and discipline.

It was obvious just watching the two players warm up that they were more focused than we mortals.

They didn't just concentrate on getting the legs moving and hitting the ball cleanly and smoothly, but seemed to go through a set routine of shots and movements, rehearsing their own repertoires and manoeuvres, seeing how each shot felt, like a mechanic checking an engine for smooth running.

This first match was the best of three games, played to 11 points or two clear points after ten.

The first game soon went to Harford 11-7, but there was not much in it.

As the players settled into their rhythm, it became obvious that, just like the Premiership in football, scoring at this level can be much harder.

There were many shots which drew appreciative murmurs from the crowd, and then gasps as the winning' shot was not only retrieved but returned with interest.

The tempo upped and the two bodies hurtled back and forth in long rallies.

Haycocks levelled the match with an 11-9 win in the second.

In the third, the tempo seemed to go up again, and the players' breathing became clearly audible before Harford sealed a 12-10 win.

And so on to the main course', which was played as the best of five games.

Although still only 26, Jonathan Kemp has been a professional player since 1999, and has won five tournaments to date on the main circuit, the last one coming in 2006.

He is known for his outstanding range of shots. Barrington, now 28, is the son of the famous Jonah, who won the British Open six times between 1967 and 1973.

Surprisingly, he took up squash late but his meteoric ascent through the world rankings includes turning pro in 2002 and winning a tournament in his third year, and five to date in all.

Play got under way with a flurry of quick points, but we soon settled into some long rallies in which the players seemed almost like shuttles on a loom, each being forced in turn to retrieve from near the back corner but succeeding in penning the opponent back to the same spot.

Both players hit the ball fast along the side wall, probing for a false stroke and an inch or two of space in which to play a more attacking shot.

Even when that shot did come, the point was often saved.

In these fast rallies, the players showed instant judgement of angles when running and crouching or leaning to reach a ball, as well as a wide range of strokes, the classic backlift and follow-through being abridged and adapted to the space available and speed and angle of the ball.

Barrington won the first game 11-7, and the audience breathed out and mopped its brow.

When play recommenced, Kemp employed a very wide range of strokes, some perhaps not seen before at BSRC, and he soon won the second game 11-4.

It was very noticeable that not many lets' were called (basically, when the players look like they'll get in each other's way, safety rules exist to stop and restart play, sometimes at the expense of a point).

However, this was an exhibition match, and the players obviously wanted to keep the game flowing.

This did result in some spectacular displays of agility as the players extricated themselves from tangles.

The third game was a blur of fluid movement, feints, and occasional impish shots, particular from Kemp.

We saw two extravagant boasts off all four walls, and one rally of five successive unplayable' drop shots, four of which actually were playable - given elastic ankles, rubber knees, and a turn of speed.

However, Kemp played one cheeky shot too many, which clipped the red line for an 11-9 defeat.

At 2-1 down, we thought Kemp might play more defensively - nope.

We were now sure that it was no accident that the players were hitting the nicks' (the joins between floor and wall where the ball goes dead) at regular intervals.

For we mortals, this is a risky shot, where the ball is likely, with a millimetre's variance, to spoon up into an easy shot.

Perhaps Kemp was playing too adventurously, going 4-10 down.

But this did not stop him at 6-10 playing an extravagant feint to play forehand down the left wall, instead stepping back and switching the side of the racket to play backhand down to his right to win the point.

Indeed he levelled at 10-10, but perished with his boots on at 12-10 attempting a drop shot from well back. It was all over, and loudly applauded.

The evening concluded with a prize draw in which Tom Phipps, Buckinghamshire County Mens Champion, drew the winning tickets for shirts and a bag signed by the players.

By Phil Kirkley