World champ Nicol beaten

England's Lee Beachill produced a major upset when he knocked out World champion Peter Nicol 15-7, 15-17, 15-6, 15-4 in the quarter-finals of the British Open squash championships on Friday.

It was the unseeded Beachill's first tournament win over 28-year-old left-hander Nicol, who in April switched allegiance from Scotland to England in order to benefit from better lottery funded support.

"I am surprised now that the match is over that I controlled the world champion so well throughout the match," said the 23-year-old British national champion.

"I started well in every game and when I went ahead in the third game I felt he didn't know where to go and what to do. He beat me 3-1 in Ireland a couple of weeks ago and I felt I was really close there, so I went on this time full of confidence.

"I have to think this gives me a chance of winning the greatest tournament in the world game. People assumed that when Jonathon Power (the top seed and world number one) was put out by Del Harris in the last round that Peter was the natural favourite."

Nicol won the British Open title at the same venue in 1998, beating the mighty Jansher Khan in the final, but he picked up food poisoning on the day of the 1999 final in Aberdeen and was injured last year.

VERY IMPORTANT

"This is not just any tournament," Nicol said. "It is the British Open, the greatest tournament in the game. Obviously it is very important to me.

"Lee just knocked me out of my usual game and I could not take control of the court back from him."

Beachill next meets third-seeded Australian David Palmer who overcame Alex Gough of Wales 11-15, 15-8, 17-15, 15-9.

Qualifier Chris Walker, 34, who put out defending champion David Evans of Wales earlier in the week, went through to the last four by defeating Malaysia's Ong Beng Hee, the Asian champion, 16-17, 15-14, 6-15, 15-9, 15-12.

Walker now faces John White of Scotland, a 15-12, 17-15, 15-9 winner over Power's conqueror Harris.

In the women's event, Leilani Joyce dismissed England's Stephanie Brind 9-0, 9-6, 9-0 in just 21 minutes.

Joyce, the top seed from New Zealand, next meets former world champion Sarah Fitz-Gerald of Australia, who defeated England's Cassie Campion 9-6, 9-10, 9-7, 9-2.

England's Linda Charman-Smith, the fourth seed, put out fellow countrywoman Natalie Grainger 9-4, 2-9, 10-8, 9-6 to set up a semifinal clash with second-seeded world champion Carol Owens of Australia, who won 9-7, 9-5, 9-0 against England's Rebecca Macree.