The Scot won in 35 minutes,
finishing strongly in the first and third games and totally dominating
the second to win the inaugural PSA One Star tournament at The Mote
Squash Club.
Clyne was in control
throughout most of the match, using his incredible speed and court
coverage to counter any attacking moves from the tall English qualifier
who had enjoyed a walkover into the final following the withdrawal
through illness of third-seeded Irishman seed John Rooney.
The 23-year-old world No62
from Edinburgh
dominated the front half of the court and whenever Harford played
anything loose or short, the Scotsman pounced on the ball and won a
succession of points with his trademark killer drop shots.
Clyne's composure at the
business end of games was obvious. From 6-6 in the first game, he
tightened up to win four points in a row and although Harford countered
with two stunning winners, Clyne had no trouble in seeing out the game.
In hot and humid
conditions, both players were literally dripping with sweat as the
second game started and Harford was unable to withstand the ferocious
barrage of front-court winners flowing from the Scotsman's racket.
The game was over in five
minutes and the crowd were willing underdog Harford to prolong the
match. The 26-year-old from Birmingham
responded solidly and fought hard in the third game, but was unable to
build on his 8-5 lead as Clyne regained control to win six points in a
row to claim the title.
"I was very pleased with
the way I played all week," said a delighted Clyne. "The courts here at
The Mote are excellent and everyone at the club made us very welcome.
It's always great to see new tournaments added to the calendar and I am
sure all the players will look forward to coming back next year."
Runner-up Harford was
pleased to claim some valuable points to help his climb back up the PSA
rankings following a hip operation. He said: "Alan played a fantastic
game and I couldn't get near him today. He was absolutely awesome at the
front of the court.
"I would like to thank The
Mote Squash Club and the Kent SRA for giving me a local spot in
qualifying. It has really helped me to get back into the game. I can
only endorse what Alan said about the hospitality at this club and the
players are all grateful for the way they have been looked after. It's
been a great tournament."
The win marks Clyne's
second PSA World Tour triumph of the year, and takes his career tally to
four titles from eight final appearances.
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Semi-finals:
[1] Alan Clyne (SCO) bt [6] Piedro
Schweertman (NED) 6-11, 11-13, 11-1, 11-8, 12-10
[Q] Jonathan
Harford (ENG) bt [3] John Rooney (IRL) w/o
Quarter-finals:
[1] Alan Clyne (SCO) bt [5] Ivan Yuen (MAS) 11-3, 11-6, 11-6
[6] Piedro Schweertman (NED) bt [4] Joe
Lee (ENG) 11-9, 11-6, 11-5
[3] John Rooney (IRL) bt [8] Ben
Ford (ENG) 11-8, 11-8, 11-8
[Q] Jonathan Harford (ENG) bt [Q] Chris
Truswell (ENG) 11-5, 11-6, 12-10
1st
round:
[1] Alan Clyne (SCO) bt Joel Hinds (ENG) 4-11, 11-8, 11-2, 12-10
[5] Ivan Yuen (MAS) bt Karim AGA
Samy (EGY) 11-3, 12-10, 11-4
[4] Joe Lee (ENG) bt Neil Hitchens
(ENG) 6-11, 11-6, 11-5, 11-8
[6] Piedro Schweertman (NED) bt [Q] Wael
Farag (EGY) 11-9, 8-11, 11-5, 14-12
[8] Ben Ford (ENG) bt [Q] Tom
Pashley (ENG) 11-5, 7-11, 11-8, 11-3
[3] John Rooney (IRL) bt Steven
London (ENG) 11-4, 11-6, 11-6
[Q] Chris Truswell (ENG) bt [7] Harinder
Pal Sandhu (IND) 8-11, 11-2, 10-12, 11-8, 11-7
[Q] Jonathan Harford (ENG) bt [2] Muhd
Asyraf Azan (MAS) 11-9, 7-11, 11-4, 11-8
Issued by iSPORTmedia