REGAN Pollard proved why he is still one of the most dominant squash players in the country when he disposed of seasoned national player Ashley Khalil in a first-round clash on day two of the Lucozade Handicap Tournament.

In the feature match on Thursday evening, at the Georgetown Club on Camp Street, Pollard established his dominance early with well-placed shots. He played off a -12 handicap, while Khalil started from -4 (meaning he had to score eight extra points).

The former national champion scored four straight points from the opening serve, but Khalil did not give up. In her biggest run of the match, she used a number of low power shots, which resulted in three consecutive points (0 to -7).

Pollard then composed himself and became the aggressor and he moved Khalil from one end of the court to the next – she never regained control as the game ended 15-11.

Game two proved less competitive, as Pollard scored six straight points. He soon tied the game at -2, but despite his dominance, Khalil, who won the competition in 2016, did not give up, as she scored a few points before eventually falling at 7-15.

GAME OF THE NIGHT
The game of the night was between seasoned campaigner 21-year-old Nyron Joseph and 52-year-old Robert Natiello (will be 53 in a few days). Joseph started with -22 points (the lowest of the competition) and Natiello with 8.  Despite the disparity in talent, the older player managed to overcome one of the favourites of the competition in the first game 15-4.  He moved well and answered Joseph’s shots, but in the end the youngster’s fitness proved too much.

Joseph, who won the Bounty Farm Ltd Handicap Squash Tournament in February this year, upped the tempo in the second set and with every shot he wore Natiello down. He scored 22 straight points with dives and nifty soft shots off the wall complementing his power hitting. This had Natiello running all over the court. In the end, he finished the game 15-9 and 15-10.

One of the surprises of the night was a win by Jonathan Antczak (started with six points) over Javid Rahaman (started with -2).  Antczak moved well in the first set to win 15-13, but Rahaman took control and even the game at 15-10.  In the third set Antczak got his second wind and it proved too much for his opponent as he triumphed 15-10.

Deje Dias and Steven Xavier were the other winners in the Open category.  Dias (-8) got past Ian Mekdeci (5) 15-13 and 15-7, while Xavier (-6) defeated Brian Yong (7) 15-14 and 15-11.

In Category ‘A’, Nicholas Verwey (-1) defeated Madison Fernandes (0) 15-6 and 15-10; Abosaide Cadogan (-4) got past Teija Edwards (11) 15-12 and 15-12; Gianni Carpenter (-4) beat Zachary Persaud (7) 15-10 and 15-13; Kirsten Gomes (-2) got past Dhiren Persaud (11) 15-11 and 15-12; while Sarah Lewis (0) battled past Kamir Khan (8) 15-13 and 15-14.