World Championship Squash

Hello and welcome to Manchester for the 20 13th world Squash

Championships. The best players on the planet have gathered here at

Manchester the planet have gathered here at

beaters as well. Here is who to look out for.

The UK has been my home, I have always played well here, good

memories so it is good to be back. If I could win a third world title

that would be beyond my wildest dreams. To get one, was amazing. Two

took that to an unimaginably level. I am competitive and I'm hopefully

not going to be too far off. You have to understand that we cannot be

The great thing is we are all very or it is

The great thing is we are all very competitive at the top and the

results are always changing. There is manoeuvrability that and I am one

of the players that has a chance and I am enjoying squash, playing pretty

well. England, home country for myself and anguished players. What

could be better than that? So sitting on top of the pile is the

dazzling Ramy Ashour, the most dazzling player of his generation.

Gregory Gaultier of France's two ahead of the two Englishman, James

Willstrop and Nick Matthew. And the world's top four also negotiated the

first three rounds to make it into the quarterfinals. As far as

entertainment is concerned, the Manchester crowd are in for an

absolute treat. The flair of the Egyptians added to the army of home

support for Egyptians added to the army of home

the best of five games, or the 33. Games are up to 11 points but buyers

must win by a clear two points. -- players must win. Nick Matthew was

in the first of the quarterfinals, the two-time world champion took an

Egyptian legend Amr Shabana. Nick delighted home fans by winning the

first game easily. Great call for coverage but Nick Matthew pops it

across there. Amr Shabana made a fight of it but Nick Matthew came

out on top in straight games. There it is.

In the second quarterfinal, trademark flair and inventiveness

was used to slowly overcome Sian England's James Willstrop, number

three seed, with another player hoping to delight the Manchester

crowd with a home victory. His opponent, Mohamed Elshorbagy took

the first game in the second. Willstrop but ape a fight to win the

third game quite easily. -- put up a fight.

It can hardly be much better for Willstrop. But it was the Egyptian

who won the fourth after the match ball went to video review. The

original decision was upheld and Elshorbagy took his place in the

semifinals. He was quick to explain how well James Willstrop did to get

as far as he did this year. He will be having a

can do that so I want to congratulate him for playing that

well when he had so many things in his head. Gregory Gaultier from

France makes up the semifinalists. His victory over Daryl Selby was

never really in doubt. The Frenchman turn things around to win the match

and reached the last four without dropping a single game.

COMMENTATOR: And that is the end of the match. Audrey Gauthier is

through to the semifinals -- Gregory Gaultier. So the first semifinal

sees Nick Matthew against the mercurial running ashore. Results

don't favour the Englishman, he has been beaten by the Egyptian in their

last four encounters. When the US open champion Gregory against the

man who got Nick is mentally very strong.

Mentally very strong. And he is very disciplined as well. Lots of players

would pick him and they would pay to play him. And pay to watch him. And

it is a pain to admit that. I have learned things from that, this plane

and the professionalism towards the career. He has gone an amazing run

and he has raised the bar and it is up to us to stop him.

ORE ODUBA: The matched seem to be going to be world rankings when the

Egyptian took the first game by 11 - six. Let's pick it up of the

commentators. COMMENTATOR: Lovely shot on the

backhand from Matthew. He draws first blood again in the

game, how can he kick on? Ramy on his way back to the corner

but Matthew pushed it on and Ramy, nowhere near.

UMPIRE: He could have got to that. Matthew and the referee just having

a chat. Tip for tat match shots! Applause

from the crowd, great shot from Nick Matthew there.

And Matthew now starting to dictate against Ramy and he moves into a 5-1

lead, he has got the world number one running around the court, that

is what he needs to do. Take the pace of play. And dictated. --

dictate it. That is a beautiful shots! He moved

into a 7-1 lead. When you think of the first game and actually how in

control Ramy was, it has put itself and now Nick Matthew is completely

in control. Such a good improviser, isn't he? Completely. Super, that

backhand front corner is serving him well right now. The winners are

I wouldn't be surprised here. I Matthew, the backhand, making it

I wouldn't be surprised here. I wouldn't be surprised if Nick

doesn't push this right through to 11-1. But a stroke therefore Ramy

Ashour. Matthew does not need to use his review because he is so far in

front. I think he would have probably lost it anyhow.

Fine margins between the two. Yes, it is very difficult. But I think

just slightly too far away from that one to actually be a stroke, I think

that is the correct decision. -- backhand corner but it is almost

like he pulled himself away from that shot, he almost did not play it

at all. A very strange shot, not sure what that was about but the

point goes to Matthew and he has eight. There it is. Ashour decides

not to waste any energy and allows Nick Matthew the easiest of games

and it is 1-1 here and Ashour who look so assured earlier on, six

minutes ago even, he is now perhaps a little bit rocky because of Nick

Matthew's performance in that second game.

He has just got his eyes shut there, talking to himself, muttering away,

Ashour. Matthew talking to himself, muttering away,

in a bit of pain. He's going to retire. He is retiring the match.

What an absolute shame, I thought for a moment that he was struggling

when he walked back onto court and I was hoping not but right now, Ramy

Ashour is retiring from this match, the World Championship match here,

the semifinal stage and he is retiring with what I think is a calf

problem. I think the retirement caught the

crowd by surprise, what was going through your head when he came out

to shake your hand? I mean, you sort of sense it coming in a weird sort

of way, but you have to pretend it is not happening and stay in your

bubble, because it can surprise you. If I added two or three bad

shots, at another time, he might decide he feels all right and is not

so down in the dumps, so how are you feeling? A feeling,

it is not the way I want to get there, the crowd would have been

disappointed, they wanted me to win, but there is no-one that wanted me

to win in that way, so it will take me a bit of time, and I have to be

selfish and think of tomorrow's match, and it does not matter how

you get there, I have to make the most of the good fortune, it is the

right word. You were not feeling good in that second game. I have

been suffering from fatigue in my hamstrings for a long time now, and

it caught up with me, actually from the second match, and I kept on

pushing, kept on strapping my hamstring and my quads and doing all

sorts of physiotherapy work. Acupuncture as well, a lot of pain.

, but I do not think that it really worked, and I'm glad I went that

far. Of course, it is worked, and I'm glad I went that

is the root of the last two, albeit in unfortunate circumstances, but

who will eat take on any final? You it is used against experience,

Mohamed Elshorbagy takes an Gregory Gaultier.

The second semifinal did not look to be going to the script when world

number six Mohamed Elshorbagy took the first game off Gregory Gaultier.

He could be in trouble, Gaultier, and he is, and Elshorbagy finishes

on the forehand, the front corner, and he draws first blood, taking the

first game, 11-6. The Frenchman rallied to win the

second game. in the fourth game with Elshorbagy

holding a narrowly. -- a narrow lead.

Oh, it was the spin on the ball as it came off the wall, it took it

into the side wall, and it is three game balls.

So three opportunities to level it up at 2-2.

keep this rally alive! The pendulum swinging throughout the rally, one

in control and then the other. Oh, it is in! ODSA! He just snatched

that it and dragged it down. He saw the opportunity to finish the game

off, but unfortunately on this occasion it has hit the bottom of

the let, so Gaultier is still in the game. -- tin. One down, two to go

from his point of view. left hand line. -- go likely. Going

for the crosscourt nick. That is the angle he likes to use,

but he has opened the backhand side of the court, and Gaultier just

pummelling its down the side wall. Elshorbagy is not going to get

anywhere near that one, he uses the angle to flick it across quickly,

but he just left it wide open. He got it too close to the corner

between the side wall and the front wall, and there was not such a big

angle. No let decision.

in the line of the ball. That is coming back to Gregory Gaultier, so

it is going to be an interesting one.

He is moving straight towards the ball, and animal-macro... Oh!

I have to say, I am absolutely gobsmacked at that one. I thought it

was going to be a yes lead. -- let. How contentious will that be?

Elshorbagy has had three game points, he has got to put that out

of his mind, he is still in with a shout to win the game, so we has to

A great pick-up there for Gaultier. he's

A great pick-up there for Gaultier. And again from Elshorbagy, under

serious pressure now from Gaultier. Moving left and right...

And a great smile from both of them, a real pressure situation, a

really tense moment in the match. It is good to see that they can still

have a bit of a smile and even a couple! -- couple.

Yes, I think that was a let, Gaultier hoping it would go his way

and he would get another point. But the let ball given.

I think Elshorbagy little bit edgy with the constant

asking for lets, a little bit of safety, playing for the net rather

than playing for the ball. But you can blame them? Elshorbagy all over

the place, trying to keep this ball alive.

Doing incredibly well, isn't he? Oh, a great crosscourt nick, but

Elshorbagy had no problem at all. And he is going for the video

review. Well, he has to. This is why he had them, just in case. He has to

run a long way round, almost every time he plays the ball, doesn't he?

He cannot let it affect him if he is going to go against

He cannot let it affect him if he can help it. It was all looking so

good for him at 10-7, but it is now 10-11. Gregory Lee stepping the pace

up on the ball, trying to put the pressure on, and a great pick-up. He

is on to that crosscourt nick. You can almost feel the desperation for

both of them in this rally. You can, you are absolutely right, Sue, edge

of the seat stuff! Who is going to come out on top? A tight one! Oh,

it's hit that in! The slice goes into the tin, and Gregory Gaultier

makes it through to the world championship final for the

makes it through to the world 2007 and 2011.

You said you have been playing the best squash of your life, how much

did you need it today? I had to really dig. It was a tough game.

Mohammed has been on fire the whole week, and he was close to winning

last year, so on this kind of occasion, he is really tough to

beat. I did not really start well in the first game, but then I managed

to find the red and make myself, you know, tough love. I was a bit loose

and flat in the first game, and then I started to feel my game, get more

confident and start to work in a bit. And at the end I was tense, he

had three game balls, but I really wanted to stick to my tactic, and I

managed to come back and win the game.

managed to come back and win the players will be going through is

former world number one and world championship finalist Lee Beachill,

as they warm up behind us, you know what position they are in, how will

they be feeling? Excited, I think, more than anything. From Nick's

point of view, playing a world championship final in front of a

home crowd like this in your own country, when they announced it, he

would have been a target, and to find himself laying in this

condition, he will be very excited. They have both said that they are in

the form of their lives, where do you think it will be won and lost?

Like I said, it will come down to the finest of margins, these are the

best in the world right now, and it is no fluke that these two are in

the final. I am sure the 1500 people in this auditorium will be wanting

to play their part, so it is going to be a very

to play their part, so it is going Nick Matthew, the world number four,

and I am from England. Gregory Gaultier from France, world ranking

number two. Greg is an incredibly dynamic

player. Incredibly fast, great lateral move. The French guys have a

style of their own when it comes to moving. Nick has been twice world

champion, world number one. He has been a hard worker since he was a

kid. Really hungry and really athletic. Greg will be an incredible

champion. We have played each other before so we know what it is all

about. We both want the title and it comes down to millimetres and

milliseconds on the day. However accumulates them gets the space

better accumulates them gets the space

got off to a great start. After an attritional opening game, the

Englishman eventually came up the winner by 11-9. Game two was another

tight affair. COMMENTATOR: You can't help think,

what's happening to Gaultier in the last three world open final but he

has played in, that it is starting to creep into his mind.

Matthew is thinking he might get a stroke.

And it is Matthew is turned! Looking for the win there, he saw it and it

was a golden opportunity -- it is Matthew's turn. You can see the

pressure. The sidewall potentially can cause

so many problems but not on this occasion. The rally is still going.

It The crowd cheering, absolutely

delighted to see Nick Matthew win that second game.

APPLAUSE. Nick Matthew takes a 2-0 lead in the

final and the second game that Greg has conceded the lead. Is this more

about Nick's mental strength all Greg letting him off the hook? That

was a massive from Nick Matthew, a bit of both. Greg controlled the

game right up until about eight points and Nick was always chasing

on the scoreboard and it was a huge effort, both mentally and

physically. This will be a mammoth task now for Greg to get back into

this match. Matthew is in a match-winning position, the crowd

Against the tin! And he has a game And as we

Against the tin! And he has a game ball. First won this match, can he

take the opportunity? And when it first time? --

Gaultier putting his hand up to say that the pick-up was not clean. Big

points, these. Obvious reasons. Gregory want to get himself and has

got to win this to stay in the match. A great shot from Matthew.

Another superb shot from Nick Matthew. He just cannot close out

that the moment, that is some backhand volley. Under that amount

of pressure, just phenomenal but Gaultier can not seem to get this

last point. The let is given, Gaultier was

giving it the first bomb, walking away. The referee was having none of

it. -- the fist pump. Stepping across Matthew's line.

REFEREE: Carry on, please. Gaultier taking his time.

That is a great folly and it is down! We are into a tie-break and so

Matthew gets his review back and it is two points away from a hat-trick

and World Championship -- hat-trick of World Championships. I cannot

believe what I am seeing, three-game of World Championships. I cannot

a player to win this game. This is a massive, massive point.

Gaultier is down and makes the shot. And they let ball. He deserves that,

that was a phenomenal get off the floor for Gaultier. That was

incredible. How did he get that ball back? It looks like he has landed

heavily on his side, he chipped over the left foot of Matthew. What a

get. He was surprised that he came back. It would

REFEREE: Yes, let. Nervous times, we are all concerned, the players and

the referees. REFEREE: Yes, let. Are you OK? All

going on here, isn't it? Certainly is.

Matthew. I can imagine that Gaultier just cannot think what was happening

here. Chris Pittman was five times runner-up in the early 80s and 90s.

Is Gaultier going to run to four times the runner-up? If he wins this

point, the roof of Manchester Central will lift.

What I shot from Gaultier! What a finish! Fantastic. William stuff

from the French man. Under severe pressure. Look at this for a shot in

that kind of pressure -- Brilliant stuff. Just goes to show you the

class of both of these players. Truly phenomenal.

He will get a let. I don't think there is any argument about his

decision, we have had it all this game. Three-game balls from Gregory

Gaultier, a championship ball for Nick Matthew and Gaultier coming

with an incredible shot at that championship ball point. The crowd

here in Manchester Central were looking for a big match and they

have certainly got it. Matthew could be in trouble. Another

great shot. Matthew had to go a long way to get the pick-up. But now he

is back in the point. Ooh, missed it!

is back in the point. Ooh, missed it is down. What a great display of

fair play. That touch the top of the tin and very, very honest from the

Englishman's corner. Super to see that in such an amazing match here,

that they can be that honest and fair. Wonderful to see. Another game

ball at this time he has got it! Gaultier is on the board! He has

saved the championship wall and trails 1-2, we are going to a four.

You cannot doubt the quality of the squash and he is a three times

losing finalist, he will not give up on a fourth chance? No chance! I am

not sure what to say, that was such a tough physical and mental game.

not sure what to say, that was such this next game, it is so important

for both players. Gaultier is back in the match, it is now a Game four.

And a relatively easy game as the Frenchman went on to tie the match.

COMMENTATOR: Ooh! What a shot! Have some of that! If ever you want to

put a crosscourt volley into the mix, that is the time you want to do

it. Gaultier levels up this final with a number liveable shot, it is

two games all and we are going into a fifth. -- it is an unbelievable

shots. The fifth and final game of the 2013

Men's World Squash Championship, two games apiece. Matthew one macro the

first two, 11-9 on stroke balls, Gaultier

That is a great get for Matthew there.

Oh, and he sticks out the racket. Was it a frame ball? It just got

above the tin. Gaultier cannot believe it. Can Matthew use that bit

of fortune to kick-start this fifth game? This is a real test of nerve

and character. But had the racket drawn back, it

would have been a stroke. It was the wrong side and then the right side.

That is a tight ball, but it was a good retrieval there... And that is

a super shot! Really good shot from Nick Matthew, he started this fifth

really well, almost forgiven for being a bit nervous, having seen his

2-0 let eroded. -- let. He is staying calm, staying focused.

That is a good get, I am surprised he did not ask for a let there. It

caused all sorts of problems, that interference. I think he realised

that if he could get there and get into the back court when Gaultier

was... I was going to say never get it back, but he almost did. He

certainly did, but the determination and look of great on Matthew's face

right now! He is really trying to push this one home. And that was,

again, a very casual looking drop shot from Gaultier.

Another casual drop shot from Gaultier. Matthew was equal to it.

That is a great shot from Matthew under pressure. Gaultier got that

back under pressure. I think Greg possibly wants to stay

there and have a rest! whether or not the extra 50 minutes

that Gaultier played in the semifinal comes into play in terms

of fitness. Well, I think at this stage, yes, they are both going to

be very tired. Will it make a difference? I think the adrenaline

will push him home, if he manages to make it, Ben. He will get there

one-way or the other, somehow. By hook or by crook. Something like

that. Gaultier was not watching. And I think the crowd of feeling that

Gaultier... A bit of gamesmanship. Mind games going on.

Just explain how hard it is, how rare it is to come from two games

down. At this sort of level of rare it is to come from two games

and even if you are two - zero down, it is still there to win. And

championship ball down! There we go again. Oh, it as hit

Gaultier, and Matthew moves into a 5-1 lead. You just feel there, that

was a bit of a tired shot from Gaultier, trying to play that one

straight, but almost did not have the energy, it seems. Like you say,

maybe those legs are just... Now leaning on his racket. Just do not

have enough in them to take him home. 5-1 in the deciding game of

the world championship, it goes to 6-1, and five points is a massive

That is down as well, and it is 7-1, to climb.

That is down as well, and it is 7-1, and Gaultier, having got himself

back into this match, is falling, it would appear, at the final hurdle.

Yeah, and unfortunately we have seen this before.

And I just feel now that Gregory Gaultier is looking somewhat

dejected at the moment. He looks absolutely exhausted. And I don't

think Nick Matthew is going to let this one go.

fifth game. Yeah, he needed a good start, he has not got it, and now he

is in real trouble. It is 9-1, and he has almost thrown in the towel. I

think the writing is on the wall now. I just don't think Gaultier has

got another ounce of energy in him. He has hit the wall. Well, he just

swings the racket and gets the nick. It is the last throw of the

die, he has hit the wall, he just does not seem to have anything in

his leg, his right leg is the one he keeps flexing.

To be honest... No, he cannot move, really, can he?

There it is! Nick Matthew is world champion for the third time in four

years, and the crowd stands to clap him. Sue, a great final, but sadly a

very disappointing fifth game. Yes, such a shame for Gregory Gaultier,

once again the bridesmaid, he has not won the title in four attempts,

but what a fantastic achievement for Nick Matthew, absolutely awesome

stuff. He wins 11-9, 11-9, He won in 2010, 2011, he had a year

of last year, but now he is here to lift the trophy for the third time.

The 2013 squash world champion is Nick Matthew of England!

I think we can see it on your face, the 2013 world champion, how does it

feel? What do you say? Moments like this, you know. That was a... That

was spectacular, wasn't it? The crowd, the atmosphere, wow, that

shows the way our game should be an Olympic sport, England, France, the

rivalry, the battle, it was like Six Nations rugby, it was physical,

mentally tough. I am so proud, I had to dig in, and

mentally tough. I am so proud, I had because I had already blown a match

ball in the third game, such a relief to get over the line. After

going 2-0 up in the first two games, the perfect start, what was going

through your head when he joined back at 2-1? Tactically I got it

spot-on, I had two matches aggression, but I had to be

controlled, clinical, precise. I learned from beating him in the US

Open, and when I squandered that match point, it went very quickly

suddenly to do - two, and I had to forget what had happened and start

again. -- 2-2. This crowd were fantastic, you have got everybody

who is near and dear to you here, how much did they help you pull

through? They helped me, I could not have done it without them. 2013

world champ. Sounds amazing, thanks. Nick Matthew on top of