Davenport scrambles to win

Press, 30 October 1984, Page 36

Davenport scrambles to win

NZPA special correspondent Warrington, England

Stuart Davenport, of Wellington, qualified for the semi-finals of the world squash masters after standing within a single point and a few inches of being knocked out. Davenport needed to beat the Egyptian, Ahmed Safwat, the world’s over-35 champion, in straight games to qualify and managed it 9-0, 9-4, 9-8 after a series of remarkable scrambles in the third game. Safwat trailed 2-5 in that game and then unwrapped the silk touch on the drop shot that for 15 years has made him one of the world’s most elegant and effective players, and climbed to 8-7. “It was a terribly difficult situation,” said Daven-

port. “One mistake and I was gone. I could see Dean Williams, who would qualify instead of me, watching in the wings.” That particular crisis was averted when a Safwat lob rolled just along the top of the wall.

Then, however, the Egyptian surprised everyone by setting the game to one, instead of the more customary two points, and winning the next rally to hold game point at 8-8. A brave Davenport backhand drop shot, which hit the nick and rolled dead along the floor, got him out of that. But Safwat had two more game points which resulted in hectic rallies and further drop shot winners from Davenport, just inches

above the tin, before he squeezed through. “I’ve been lucky,” said Davenport, a comment which referred not so much to the quality of the play but to the result which preceded it and which worked out. perfectly for him.

The British champion, Phil Kenyon, who had beaten him, lost 3-1 to the Australian Williams after standing 8-5 ahead in the fourth game and looking almost certain to go on and win the match against an opponent who was reeling with exhaustion.

Then Kenyon unaccountably put five balls in a row into the tin and blamed for that the bad bounces on the transparent perspex court. A Kenyon win would have put him through for an all-

home semi-final with his fellow Briton, Gawain Briars.

Instead Davenport now plays Briars in a tussle of the two tallest men on the circuit.

It will also be a repeat of the bruising battle in the world open in England two years ago when Davenport unexpectedly beat the seeded Briars and burst into the world limelight. Results:—

Blue pool: Maqsood Ahmed (Pakistan) beat Ali Aziz (Sweden), 9-1, 10-9, 2-9, 9-3; Jahangir Khan (Pakistan) beat Ross Norman (New Zealand), 9-4, 9-2, 9-6. Red pool: Magdi Saad (Egypt) beat Ross Thorne (Australia), 9-6, 8-9, 9-7, 9-6; Gawain Briars (England), beat Qamar Zaman (Pakistan), 108, 9-2, 9-5.