Eyles pulls off wet feat

MUMBAI, Dec 2: World champion Rodney Eyles took it too close before winning his second round match in the 1,10,000 Mahindra International ...

MUMBAI, Dec 2: World champion Rodney Eyles took it too close before winning his second round match in the 1,10,000 Mahindra International Squash at the Cricket Club of India against Welshman Alex Gough today.

The world no 4 was up two games to one but down 5-8 in the fourth with Gough playing some brilliant backhand shots in the front of the court. Just as the world No 12 looked like taking control, Eyles complained of sweat-filled shoes as he was not allowed to change his shoes during the game. Eyles started lobbing the returns and gave one easy point after another to Gough to lose the game 6-15.

A change of shoes in the break saw him come roaring back. With Gough looking visibly tired and completely out of rhythm after the unexpected gift in the fourth game, Eyles took the fifth with a fair degree of ease, winning 15-13, 11-15, 15-11, 6-15, 15-11.

If it was a shoe scam, it paid off. Gough admitted to have lost his concentration. 8220;I was pumped up for a tough fourth game when Rodney just gave it to me. I had to completely change my mindset in the fifth. Yet, with the amount of strength he has, it would have been difficult for me in the fifth. I was running out of breath near the end,8221; said the man who had a meteoric rise this year, jumping from 28th in June to 12 and expecting to be in top eight after reaching the World Open semifinal in Kuala Lumpur last month.

But Eyles, who happens to be the president of the Professional Squash Association, denied any such devious plans. A fully drenched Eyles explained, 8220;I sweat a lot as it is evident. After the heavy fall I had early in the fourth game, I decided to go flat out. So I waited for the game to be over and change my shoes.

I am sorry to have let down my fans by playing like that, I had to be safe than sorry.8221; The fans were not exactly let down by the strongly-built Australian. After the second game, Eyles resorted more to touch play than power, with an intention to conserve his energy.

In the first match of the evening, a bloody nose worked out Mark Chaloner8217;s advantage as the world No 14 Englishman outsmarted his country captain and No 10 Chris Walker.

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Walker began in great fashion, with Chaloner doing all the running. Down 13-14, Chaloner bumped into Walker8217;s racquet nose first and had to receive medical attention after a bleeding nose. After a 10-minute stoppage, he came back to win the first game tie-break and then proceeded to wrap up the match 17-15, 15-4, 15-10.

Talking about the injury, Chaloner said, 8220;I tried to put that out of my mind and concentrate on points. But he Walker is a very nice man and the fact that he caused an injury to a fellow player, though unwittingly, must have weighed on his mind. So the injury actually worked to my advantage.8221;

NICOLE ADVANCES

Defending champion Peter Nicole survived a second-game scare before advancing to the third round. The world No 2 defeated his compatriot and world No 22 Paul Johnson 15-5, 13-15, 15-9, 15-6.

BARADA UPSET

: In the afternoon session, the tournament lost its highest ranked player so far when world No 7 Ahmed Barada of Egypt went down to a battling Craig Rowland in the first round.

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Rowland, the 26-year-old world No 28, had to go through the rigours of qualifying tournament to make it to the main draw. And despite suffering from a troublesome right wrist, he hung on with determination against the superb all-court play of the 20-year-old Barada. From 1-2 down, Rowland won 15-3, 13-15, 7-15, 15-9, 15-12 and celebrated by diving straight into the swimming pool.

In the other afternoon session matches, Barada8217;s team-mate Amir Wagih beat England8217;s Daniel Meddings 17-16, 9-15, 15-5, 15-9; world No 3 Jonathan Power encountered some trouble before subduing England8217;s Nicholas Taylor 15-5, 15-10, 6-15, 15-8 and Australian world number 19 Byron Davis was too good for No 15 Zubair Jahan Khan of Pakistan 15-10, 15-9, 6-15, 15-5.

Rowland was in two minds about participating here as he developed painful ganglion in the right wrist which was giving him trouble in holding his racquet. It was just as well he changed his mind. 8220;It has been an injury-ridden year for me. A knee injury kept me out of the game after the Tournament of Champions and my ranking plummeted from the previous No 7. I will have to undergo a minor surgery when I return to Australia.8221;

Results: Second round: Simon Parke Eng bt Mark Cains Eng 9-15, 15-4, 15-5, 15-3; Rodney Eyles Aus bt Alex Gough Wales 15-13, 11-15, 15-11, 6-15, 15-11; Mark Chaloner Eng bt Chris Walker Eng 17-15, 15-4, 15-10.First round: Craig Rowland Aus bt Ahmed Barada Egypt 15-3, 13-15, 7-15, 15-9, 15-12; Amir Wagih Egypt bt Daniel Meddings Eng 17-16, 9-15, 15-5, 15-9; Jonathan Power Can bt Nicholas Taylor Eng 15-5, 15-10, 6-15, 15-8; Byron Davis Aus bt Zubair Jahan Khan Pak 15-10, 15-9, 6-15, 15-5.