Suffolk Open Tournament 2009

13th & 14th March, Rushmere Sports Centre.

A host of the Countries top players descended on Suffolk for this years Suffolk Open Badminton tournament held at Rushmere Sports Centre. As the premiere badminton tournament in the eastern region it continues to gain a growing reputation amongst the players as one of the best tournaments on the National Satellite circuit attracting the highest calibre of players from all over England and the largest ever number of entries into the men’s singles.

Many of last years champions returned to try and defend their title, but there were also a large number of under-19 players looking to make their mark on the tournament. The most successful players were Ian Murphy (Norfolk) and Claire Millward (Warks) with two titles each. Local interest was also maintained with many of the under-21’s competing. Ana Bloom reached the singles semi-final and there were also good performances from Matthew Clackett, Daniel Hooper Miguel Soler, Jonathan Isaacson, and Charlie Aldred who acquitted themselves well against very stern opposition.

In the first event the ladies singles, there were 3 Suffolk under-21 players in the draw, with local interest up to the semi-finals when unfortunately Ana Bloom was defeated by the no 2 seed. The two top seeds, Caroline Westley (Essex) and Elena Johnson (Middlesex) both had untroubled paths to the final, but the contest between them was very different affair. Westley, who as a junior had a very highly regarded nationally, has been blighted with a number of bad injuries in the last few years but is returning to her best form. Johnson is a more experienced player who likes to use deception in playing shots as late as possible to get her opponent to commitment their movements too early. Westley had a game plan to target Johnson’s backhand side with deep clears and drop shots, forcing weaker returns to gain the control in rallies. Johnson used her deception and good use of angles to counter-act the more forceful play of her opponent. The first set was very close with Westley just edging it 22/20, but as the match progressed the superior depth of Westley opening up the front of the court to a variety of attacking shots was proving more decisive and she won her first Suffolk title in straight sets.

The men’s singles entry had over 50 players wishing to enter but had to be restricted to a maximum 42. This brought together over half of the players ranked in the top 50 players in the Country, a host of the top ranked National under-19 players and 5 Suffolk entrants, all providing a spectacular event with many very close and tough matches from the very first round. The top seed Daryl Jacobs (Middlesex), ranked 9th in the country, had to work very hard to defeat a determined effort from Mark Ashton (Hants) in the first semi final. The bottom half of the draw saw many seeds fall by the wayside, with Simon Woodhouse (Wilts) edging another close contest with Chris Gilbert (Middlesex) 22/20, 23/21 in the other semi-final. The Final was a real contrast in styles, Jacobs with a powerful, high energy approach, whilst Woodhouse looking for control and patient build up the play. The first set had each player cancelling each other out, neither gaining the upper hand and this became a close tense affair, which Jacobs just prevailing 22/20. However, the second set was very different as the quick fire play, sharp angles and all court coverage from Jacobs started to dominate over Woodhouse’s attempts to force openings at the front with deep clears and accurate drop shots. Jacobs maintained the high tempo of the rallies forcing Woodhouse into more errors as more and more of his best shots were being returned. This continued pressure gave Jacobs the upper hand and he won in straight sets in impressive style.

The mixed doubles saw a surprise as the pairing of Ian Murphy / Claire Millward (Norfolk / Middlesex), knocked out seeds to reach the final. The holders Danny Plant / Katherine Cooper (Essex / Norfolk) had made smooth progress and as the top seeds were very keen to show their authority. The final was noticeable for the tactical play, with both pairs trying to establish control of the net with sharp rallies, quick net kills and use of the drives to the corners. The forceful play of the two men was keeping the ladies away from the net as they had to defend their position against smashes to the body, whilst looking to turn defence into attack. Both men were quick to seize on anything remotely loose around the net charging forward to kill the shuttle. This was a fascinating and close contest between two left/right combinations creating a variety of angles into the play. It was the Murphy / Millward partnership who would just prevail with a 21/19, 21/19 victory.

The ladies doubles provided a repeat of last years final with the holders Julie Pike / Claire Millward (Norfolk / Warks) taking on Toni Sturgeon / Katherine Cooper (Norfolk). Both pairs had reasonably comfortable wins in the semi-finals defeating Julie Russell / Amy Paxton (Kent) and Elena Johnson/Kate Lester (Middlesex / Herts) respectively. After a slow start the final was dominated by the top seeds Pike / Millward who with the stronger defence, court guile and ability to create gaps, kept their opponents largely on the defensive and whilst Sturgeon / Cooper retrieved well and smashed with authority Pike / Millward were too strong retaining their title comfortably.

The men’s doubles final was a treat for all who watched the match in one of the best finals ever seen at the Suffolk Open. There were a large number of highly ranked players in the draw and the standard of play throughout was tremendous, which made for many exciting all action nail biting matches in all rounds of play. The Norfolk pairing of Ian Murphy / Justin Gerrard had been sensational in taking out seed after seed on their way to the final including the top seeds of Andy Penn / John Hepworth (Hants) in a punishing semi-final. They met the young pretenders in the brother pairing of Daryl & Steven Jacobs (Middlesex), the number two seeds who had defeated the Leicestershire pairing of James White / Avinash Chandarana in their semi. The final was a stunning display of men’s doubles at its best with hard hitting sustained attacks, brilliant defence, and fantastic recovery play, all at a furious pace throughout. Both pairs showed great athletic ability, a mixture of serve lengths, steep smashing with a variety of angles and the use of flat drives to the corners. The crowd was fully into the final with applause ringing around the hall. As befitting a final of this nature, the match went to a third and deciding set and into extension when it reached 20/20 in an uncompromising battle to gain the title, both pairs showing real determination to succeed. The Jacobs brothers just couldn’t get a lead and whilst they had the heavier weight of shot, Murphy / Gerrard showed their experience with just that little bit more guile and deception, eventually winning a classic encounter 25/23 in the final set.

The Suffolk Open Badminton continues to provide a fitting advert for the sport. Congratulations to all who participated over the two days of competition.

Mike Tee