ROONEY RULED OUT BY DODGY CHINESE MEAL

News from the Professional Squash Association World Tour
RESULTS: Kent Open, The Mote Squash Club, Maidstone, England
Semi-finals:
[1] Alan Clyne (SCO) bt [6] Piedro Schweertman (NED) 6-11, 11-13, 11-1, 11-8, 12-10 (69m)
[Q] Jonathan Harford (ENG) bt [3] John Rooney
(IRL) w/o
Fightback Takes Clyne Into Kent Open Final
Top seed Alan Clyne fought back from two games down to beat Dutchman Piedro Schweertman in the
semi-finals of the Kent Open to claim a place in the climax of the new
$10,000 One Star PSA World Tour squash event in Maidstone in the English
county of Kent.
The Scottish No1 won 6-11, 11-13, 11-1, 11-8, 12-10 in 69 minutes of high quality squash that
delighted a packed gallery at The Mote Squash Club.
The entertainment value served up by both players more than made
up for the earlier disappointment of the sudden withdrawal of No3 seed
John Rooney, who went down with food poisoning overnight after a family
meal in London.
That presented qualifier Jonathan Harford with a walkover into the final and the prospect of
picking up some valuable ranking points as the 26-year-old from
Birmingham bids to climb back up the PSA world ladder after several
months out with a hip injury.
Clyne will obviously be favourite to become the first winner of this inaugural
tournament - but Harford was delighted to watch Clyne and Schweertman
make such a massive physical investment in the semi-final.
The No6 seed from Amsterdam lost in straight games to Clyne
when they met in the recent final of the West of Ireland open. This
time he began strongly to take the first game and hit back from 8-4 down
to win the second 13-11 on a tiebreak.
However, that phenomenal effort clearly took its toll as the 26-year-old
tired in the second game. It looked like Clyne might achieve a rare
11-0 whitewash until the Dutchman scrambled a point on game ball.
If Schweertman was taking a tactical rest it
clearly had the desired effect as he opened up an 8-5 lead in the fourth
game. He then showed commendable sportsmanship as he called his own
shot down just three points away from victory.
Clyne responded in magnificent style, reeling off six points in a row
to make the scores level at two games all.
The fifth game was a classic mixture of skill and attrition as both
players fought to a standstill. Clyne won the first three points but
Schweertman drew level and then moved ahead at 6-5. Clyne then won four
points in a row but Schweertman turned the tables to reach match ball at
10-9.
Both players attacked throughout and a succession of devastating winners was matched by some spectacular
retrieving.
Staring defeat in the face, Clyne once again showed his phenomenal powers of recovery to force a tiebreak
and win the next two points to clinch victory.
The win marks Clyne's second PSA Tour final of the year - and the
eighth of the 23-year-old from Edinburgh's career.
Harford is celebrating his sixth career final, but his first since
contesting the climax of the Charleston Challenge in the USA in
September 2008 - when he lost to Clyne in the pair's only previous Tour
clash!