PSA COO Lee Beachill Discusses the Best-of-Three Games Debate

PSA Chief Operating Officer Lee Beachill has given his thoughts on a successful 2016/17 season and has addressed the best-of-three games discussion after the PSA Dubai World Series Finals earlier this month.

Read our Q&A with the former World No.1 below.

Q: Things are winding down for the end of the season now, what have you made of the 2016/17 season as a whole?

Beachill: “I’m really happy, all of the facts and figures are going in the right direction and there is over $5.7 million in combined prize money, which is what we forecasted at the start of the season.

“We’ve achieved that in the end and all of our tournaments have gone really well. Our promoters around the world are doing a fantastic job and we feel that the standard of the events are going in the right direction and getting better.

“Player prize money and earnings is also getting bigger and the forecast for next year is for that to increase further. It’s all going in the right direction and we’re very pleased.”

Q: There have been some new tournaments on the calendar this year, such as the women’s event in Colombia, there have also been tournaments rising to a higher level, like the Open International de Squash de Nantes and the return of some favourites like the Al Ahram Open. What do these tournaments add to the Tour?

Beachill: “They add an incredible amount. The tournament in Nantes last year was an incredible spectacle, they’ve got some great ideas and we’re really excited to be working with them moving forwards to make it bigger.

“Having Al Ahram back and recreating the famous picture of the event in front of the Pyramids was very special. We hope to have that event back on the calendar very soon as well.

“The event in Colombia was a huge success. It was played in a magnificent location under the statue at the top of the mountain [Parque el Santisimo] and was challenging but spectacular, so we hope to carry on in the coming season.”

Q: We’ve just come off the back of the World Series Finals. What did you make of that spectacle?

Beachill: “I thought that it was brilliant. We were excited about the event moving into Dubai Opera this year and it’s a spectacular location.

“It’s very easy to work in for us from an event perspective and we were really trying to raise the bar working with the guys from Falcon and Associates in Dubai from an event presentation and broadcast point of view.

“We were trying to make the players feel as special as they should be made to feel. I think we achieved that on the whole. The event had some challenges such as trying to host the event during the period of Ramadan and trying to manage all of the logistics.

“Planning for that event started in October of the previous year, so it was a long, hard slog but it was well worth it and we were very happy with the level of squash, which was extraordinary.”

Q: It’s a slightly different format with no ranking points on offer, it was best of three in the early rounds, what did you make of the format and the competitiveness of the event?

Beachill: “I thought it added to the spectacle of the event, I thought it was absolutely brilliant. The best-of-three format isn’t something that we were specifically trialling at the World Series Finals, it’s been that format for the last four or five years, I believe.

“But I think that particular format added to the spectacle of the event. I’m a huge fan of that format and have been ever since it was introduced to the World Series Finals a good few years ago.

“This year in particular, the level of squash, the intensity, the match lengths and the way that the players went about their business during that event, I just thought from a spectator’s point of view it was great.

“I watch a lot of squash throughout the season, but I was glued to every single match throughout that week and I think that’s testament to the level of squash that both the guys and the girls reached.”

Q: There’s been some debate in the squash community recently about the best-of-three format. Malcom Willstrop said that perhaps more events should move to that format. Is that something the PSA would ever consider?

Beachill: “I think it’s really interesting that the debate has come off the back of the World Series Finals and I think it’s a really healthy debate.

“I think people really enjoyed watching that week of squash and I did as well. I think it’s certainly something that we should be looking at. I completely appreciate the traditionalists looking at squash and I have read and heard many views since the event.

“It’s definitely something that we should look at trialling over the coming months and years. There are sports that are a lot bigger than squash that are also looking at the format of their events and how their sports are played.

“I don’t think we should forget that we’re in the business of sports presentation and how people view our sport is very important to us. If there is anything we can do to our sport to enhance it and get more people watching it then I think we would be foolish not to consider that.

“In my personal view, the fact that the top players in the world can play a best-of-three match at that intensity and recover in time to do that day in, day out is a massive bonus for us.

“I feel that too many of our semi-finals and final results throughout our World Series events and our biggest tournaments result in a 3-0 victory and I don’t think there’s any doubt that the fatigue element of playing five or six matches on the bounce can certainly play a part in that.

“I think there would be an element of fatigue if all of those matches were best of three, but I think if we took the top eight players in the men’s and women’s division and put them on court in one-off matches, there aren’t many people who would gamble on those matches being 3-0.

“There are certain outside factors, in particular the fatigue element, that are affecting our semi-final and final results.

“I think that playing best of three earlier on in tournaments would certainly help that and give the players the best chance and would give spectators the best chance to see those players in the best physical condition that they can be in.”

Q: Some of the biggest counter-arguments were that match lengths could get shorter and you could perhaps lose the physical side of the game, which does make up so much of the sport. Are they the biggest factors against moving to best of three?

Beachill: “There’s a length of time of a match that people consider to be acceptable for a professional squash match. If that becomes a little bit shorter, is that a worry? I’m not too sure.

“I think that we have to consider the fact that, during our World Series tournaments in particular, we have some long days. We have eight matches back-to-back.

“You’re expecting someone to come and buy tickets but we regularly see people watching a couple of matches, go away and then come back. Maybe that is part of the experience of watching a day of squash, but I feel that the best-of-three format lends itself to more exciting squash.

“That’s coming from someone who has watched a lot of squash. It’s definitely something we should think about and we should trial. I’ve heard comments about it working at the World Series Finals because they are the top eight players and the world and I do think that’s justified.

“I’m interested to see how it would translate further down the rankings. Would the player ranked World No.20 playing the World No.21 have a less competitive match in a best-of-three format compared to a best of five? I’m not too sure.

“I think the important thing to remember is the actual game lengths during a best of three wouldn’t move and could potentially get a little bit longer.

“I would see that as a positive and I think another big positive is the importance of the first game. We’ve all seen matches during a best of five where a player can get two or three points ahead and all of a sudden the first game hasn’t got the same importance to the outcome of the match.

“I don’t think thats the case during the best of three and we saw that in action during the tournament in Dubai. As soon as players went two or three points down in that first game, you could see the mental change in players because they really didn’t want to lose it because they would already be getting towards the middle stages of the match.

“I think that’s a huge plus.”

Watch the full interview with Beachill on the features section of SQUASHTV