FULL STRETCH: Ben Ford chases the ball against Max Lee. Picture by KIM ROBERTS

 

PSA KENT OPEN at The Mote Squash Club, Maidstone, Kent
Quarter-finals:

Max Lee (Hong Kong) beat Ben Ford (England) 11-7, 11-2, 11-9 (36 mins)
Leo Au (Hong Kong) beat Dick Lau (Hong Kong) 12-10, 9-11, 11-4, 12-10 (70 mins) 
Joel Hinds (England) beat Ollie Pett (England) 11-8, 11-13, 12-10, 8-11, 11-7 (76 mins)
Chris Ryder (England) beat Eddie Charlton (England) 13-11, 11-3, 11-2 (52 mins)

 

The Kent Open semi-finals feature two battles between England and Hong Kong after a night of thrilling squash in the quarter-finals at The Mote Squash Club in Maidstone, Kent.

No.3 seed Max Lee ended local involvement in this PSA Challenger 10 world tour event as he beat Bexley professional Ben Ford in straight games, winning 11-7, 11-2, 11-9 in 36 minutes.

The 35-year-old Ford admitted that he made too many mistakes as he struggled to devise an effective strategy against a super-fit opponent who was 12 years his junior.

Lee meets Joel Hinds in the semi-finals after the former British Under-23 champion beat fellow Englishman Ollie Pett in the longest and most entertaining match of the night.

Both players were committed to full-on attacking squash throughout the match and the 22-year-old Pett, from Sussex, was on the verge of causing a major upset as he led 4-1 in the fifth game.

But Pett’s flamboyant style, which had produced so many spectacular shots, suddenly dried up and the winners that flowed from his racket turned into errors. Hinds tightened up and gained control to win eight points in a row.

Pett rallied briefly but the gap was too wide to bridge and the number four seed closed out the match after 76 minutes, winning 11-8, 11-13, 12-10, 8-11, 11-7 in front of a packed and enthusiastic gallery at The Mote.

In another all-English battle, top seed Chris Ryder overcame  Nottingham-based Eddie Charlton in straight games, winning 13-11, 11-3, 11-2 in 52 minutes of gruelling combat.

Charlton led for most of the opening game but the 30-year-old Ryder, from Leamington Spa, won the tiebreak and then dominated the next two games to book his place in the last four against Hong Kong qualifier Leo Au.

The 5ft 2in Au continued his giant-killing run by beating compatriot Dick Lau 12-10, 9-11, 11-4, 12-10 in 70 minutes of dynamic, intelligent squash. Once again the world No.117 Au’s superb touch was the decisive factor as he chopped in a succession of winning drop shots to overcome an opponent 35 places above him in the world rankings.

Semi finals:

5pm: Max Lee v Joel Hinds

6pm: Chris Ryder v Leo Au

Followed by tournament barbecue and Champions League final on TV in the club bar