|
|
Fri 3rd, Day ONE:
SINGLES SEEDS
SAILING THROUGH...
The eight men's singles seeds and the four women's seeds
cruised into the quarter-finals on day one of the English National
Championships at Manchester Velodrome.
THE LADIES...
Julia Mann, Tracey Hallam and defending champion
Elizabeth Cann - the women's singles winners of the last three years -
were all quickfire victors.
 Eight-times champion Mann, at 34 playing her last top-flight season, took
just 13 minutes to beat Hertfordshire's Laura Cousins. And Jersey
second seed Cann was just as quick in beating another Hertfordshire player,
Francesca Edelmann, 11-1 11-2.
Top seed Hallam was only seven minutes slower in beating Hampshire's
Hana Littlecott 11-0, 11-1 after all four seeds capitalised on
first-round byes.
Third seed Jill Pittard joined the big three in the last eight with
a
21-minute win over Eleanor Cox, 11-6 11-2.
The eye-catching clash of the quarter-finals brings together Mann against
promising teenager Michelle Cheung, who disposed of Katie Comras
and Sarah Walker in her two opening matches, lasting a total of
29 minutes.
...THE GENTLEMEN....
Once again the gulf between the England internationals past and present
and the up-and-coming players with none of the singles quarter-finalists
dropping a game on the way to the last eight.
 In the men's singles the quarter-finals everyone will want to see is the
clash between two-time champion and second seed Aamir Ghaffar and
seventh seed Michael Edge, the former England international from
Manchester who is playing for fun this season. Edge, a former
semi-finalist before retiring three years ago, came back at the start of
the season to impress in the ASICS National Elite Opens and went on to win
the final in December.
The big Manchester hope looked relaxed in beating Daniel Plant
15-10 15-5 in the second round while Ghaffar stuggled in the opening game
against Alex Marritt before winning 17-14 15-8.
Fourth seed Rajiv Ouseph, the European junior champion, disposed of
David Shawley and Alan Clarkson in straight games to earn a
crack at sixth seed Andrew Smith while top seed Nick Kidd,
last year's runner-up, will meet the only other winner of the men's
singles, Jersey's 2002 champion Mark Constable, in the last eight.
AND THE DOUBLES....
In the doubles events the big talking point was the shock second-round
exit of six-times champion Chris Hunt. He and Lancashire
partner Tom Dunlop were forced to retire in the first game against
Avon's Ashley Thilthorpe and Lancashire's Harry Wright when
former England star Hunt dislocated his left
shoulder.
And after a day of 78 matches the only seeds to fall came in the
final match when fourth men's doubles seeds Chris Langridge and
Chris Tonks retired at 15-4 down against Stephen Foster and
Paul Trueman because Langridge had a deep blister on his foot.
|
Richard
Eaton reports on day one
BRIEFS: Issue one
THE DRAWS
full results
    
|
Play on Saturday starts at
10am with the semi-final session from
5.30pm. |
Julia
Mann
|
SINGLES
QUARTER-FINALS
MEN
Nick Kidd v Mark Constable
Rajiv Ouseph v Andrew Smith
Nathan Rice v Toby Honey
Michael Edge v Aamir Ghaffar
WOMEN
Tracey Hallam v Rachel Howard
Julia Mann v Michelle
Cheung
Nicola Cerfontyne v Jill Pittard
Helen Davies v Elizabeth Cann
|
Nick Kidd |
|
|
Early
morning practice at the Velodrome |
[4] Rajiv Ouseph bt
Dave Shawley
15/3, 15/4
Round 2: bt
Alan Clarkson
15/5, 15/11 (39m) |
 "It's
my first time in the Nationals and I got the fourth seed, so it was
always going to be a tough task.
"I'm playing in the doubles too later and looking at the players in
the draw we'll find that hard too but it's a great experience all the
same."
 |
|
|
|
[5] Nathan Rice bt Andrew
Ellis 15/10, 15/5
Round 2: bt Tom Dunlop 15/12,
15/8 |
 "I
often do well against Nathan, although I lost heavily the last two
times I played him when I was tired so I thought I could have at least
taken a game off him today. He's just moved up to train with us at the
EIS in Sheffield, so we've been practicing together and he probably
knows my game a little too well now.
"I'm happy with how I played, I just made too many errors in the
second."
 |
|
 "It's
always long matches with me ... I took a while to get the feel of the
hall, but I found my rhythm towards the end of the first and the
second was very good.
"It's very close in the men's, I've beaten Aamir and Nick this season
but I've also lost to people ranked lower than me, so it should be an
interesting event."
 |
|
|
|
[1] Nick Kidd bt Stephen Day 15/7, 17/14
Round 2:
bt Neil White
15/5, 15/3 |
 "I
started well, but then got a bit too complacent in the second. I was
playing way too short, and he's very effective when you do that, he
puts it away well. I was also too defensive, waiting for too long - my
speed and movement are my strength, and when I picked up the pace at
the end it was much better.
"It's good to get the first game out of the way, but I'm only thinking
one step at a time."
 |
|
"I was up by a few points all the way through the second, but when I
got to fourteen I just couldn't get that last point, it's very
disappointing."
 |
Nicky keeping an eye on things... |
|
|
NO SURPRISES IN THE WOMEN'S
The second round of the women's singles passed without incident for the
top seeds, with only one match lasting over the half hour.
Number one seed Tracey Hallam remains on course to regain the
title, with defending champion Elizabeth Cann also looking in good
form.
 "The
first day is all about getting the feel for the courts and the venue.
You try to get a good feeling, to be positive about the tournament.
"I thought I played well, I'm happy with that even if I wasn't on
court for that long."
 |
|
 "That
was a good start for getting the feel of the competition, but as for
tomorrow I've never even seen Helen play.
"I wasn't disappointed with being seeded two, it's based on world
rankings after all, and last year was the first time I'd even reached
the final. If I do get to meet Tracey I've got a good recent record
against her, and with us both going to the commonwealth games it would
be an interesting meeting."
 |
|
|
"I
was a 5/8 seed last year and made the quarters, where I narrowly lost
to Nick. 
"I
just knocked the shuttle around, waiting for an opening or a mistake.
I was concentrating on my game really, getting a good length and not
making mistakes.
