James Willstrop rules the Wharf. The 23-year-old Englishman won the tournament for the second time in its four-year history, claiming the first championship in 2004. On his way to the final, where he met 2005 champion John White, Willstrop took out much of the English contingent in the tournament. First he defeated his former junior teammate Daryl Selby in four, and then he got his first ever PSA tour win over his good friend and training partner, Lee Beachill. It took five games, but his 13th meeting with Beachill turned out to be the lucky one. One more Englishman stood in his way to the final-—Nick Matthew, who had posted a winning record against Willstrop in recent months—but Willstrop was on a roll and easily defeated Matthew in three.
To White’s credit, he had played four straight five-game matches by the time he reached the final, giving Willstrop a definite advantage. But it turned out the Scotsman was up for playing 25 games in one tournament, as he stretched Willstrop to five games and 71 minutes of play. By the end of the tournament, White had spent 317 minutes on court.
