Squash: Marshall brings down third seed

PETER MARSHALL upset the seedings here yesterday, ensured two Englishmen would contest the semi-finals of the Allied Bank/CAA Pakistan Open and increased his chances of reaching the world's top five in the New Year ranking list.

The double-handed British national champion brought down the third-seeded Brett Martin

8-15, 15-10, 17-14, 15-10 after trailing 8-11 in the third game and 2-6 in the fourth, patiently and carefully defending and eventually outlasting and outmanoeuvring the skilful, deceptive Australian.

It was a 75-minute performance of much character and endurance and earned Marshall a meeting with the world champion, Jansher Khan. An even more interesting semi-final could be that between Marshall's close friend, the former world junior champion, Simon Parke, and the British Open record-holder, Jahangir Khan.

Parke, who has suffered a lean spell on the world circuit since reaching the Singapore Open semi-finals three months ago, was equal in skill and superior in stamina to Mark MacLean. The Scottish giant-killer, who had shrugged off sickness and eliminated the second-seeded former world champion, Rodney Martin, had his understandably limited physical resources exposed and was beaten 14-15, 15-6, 15-6, 15-6.

Jahangir came through to play Parke with a performance that many would have said was beyond him at the start of the week. The Pakistani hero kept up a high- pace attack for 50 minutes in a repeat of the 1986 world final, in which he also beat Ross Norman, this time winning 15-11, 15-10, 15-8. Even after the injuries that have restricted Jahangir to only two tournaments in nine months, on this evidence he cannot be ruled out of lifting his 11th Pakistan Open title in 13 years.

Jansher, meanwhile, beat another Australian, Rodney Eyles, 15-9, 15-9, 15-13 with an impressive containing game.

Results, page 33