Squash Showdown
9.14.2011-Boston Symphony Hall
Elizabeth Ricker
Four current and former world no. 1 squash players, battling it out, surrounded by the dramatic lighting, swooping arches, marble sculptures, and generally dignified interior of tonight's Squash Showdown held at the Boston Symphony Hall: you can't ask much more of a Wednesday evening in early September.
This year was a particularly fun pairing of two sets of rivals, new and old: Peter Nicol v. Jonathon Power (both huge in the late 90s but retired now) and Ramy Ashour v. Nick Matthew (trading world no. 1 and no. 2 slots since 2010). Something in particular caught my eye tonight: the length of rallies. Across 2 games between Ramy Ashour and Nick Matthew, the average shots per rally was less than 8 (yes, I was counting and nerdily recording results on my iPhone). In contrast, across Peter Nicol's and Jonathon Powers' games, the average shots hit per rally was greater than 14. Huh? How do we explain the disparity?
The folk wisdom is that older players are a combination of more patient and less error prone than younger players. Clearly, both styles work, but they favor very different strengths. In a game with more shots per rally, physical endurance matters more than high risk/high reward shotmaking. In a game with fewer shots per rally, speed and recovery matter more.
Regardless of style, both games involved some truly breathtaking squash. Personally, I preferred the taught beauty of the prolonged rallies between Nicol and Power in their performance tonight. Just goes to show that squash is truly a sport for a lifetime.
Elizabeth Ricker
Four current and former world no. 1 squash players, battling it out, surrounded by the dramatic lighting, swooping arches, marble sculptures, and generally dignified interior of tonight's Squash Showdown held at the Boston Symphony Hall: you can't ask much more of a Wednesday evening in early September.
This year was a particularly fun pairing of two sets of rivals, new and old: Peter Nicol v. Jonathon Power (both huge in the late 90s but retired now) and Ramy Ashour v. Nick Matthew (trading world no. 1 and no. 2 slots since 2010). Something in particular caught my eye tonight: the length of rallies. Across 2 games between Ramy Ashour and Nick Matthew, the average shots per rally was less than 8 (yes, I was counting and nerdily recording results on my iPhone). In contrast, across Peter Nicol's and Jonathon Powers' games, the average shots hit per rally was greater than 14. Huh? How do we explain the disparity?
The folk wisdom is that older players are a combination of more patient and less error prone than younger players. Clearly, both styles work, but they favor very different strengths. In a game with more shots per rally, physical endurance matters more than high risk/high reward shotmaking. In a game with fewer shots per rally, speed and recovery matter more.
Regardless of style, both games involved some truly breathtaking squash. Personally, I preferred the taught beauty of the prolonged rallies between Nicol and Power in their performance tonight. Just goes to show that squash is truly a sport for a lifetime.
