Welshman Peter Creed cruised to victory in the Gibraltar Open, winning the inaugural PSA World Tour Challenger 5 event at The Squash Centre in Gibraltar without dropping a game.
The final was a great battle between the reigning Welsh champion and the first-time Irish national champion Arthur Gaskin.
Top seed Creed barely had time to get into his stride in the semi-finals when unseeded Frenchman Johan Bouquet was forced to retire with a shoulder injury after just 11 minutes.
Second seed Gaskin also faced a surprise unseeded semi-final opponent in Daniel West. The 24-year-old from Bristol had caused the biggest upset on the opening day when he ousted fourth-seeded fellow countryman Ben Ford in a five-game 80-minute marathon.
Another 3/2 win in the quarter-finals, however, had perhaps sapped West’s strength for the semis as Gaskin progressed in straight games.
But the Irishman was unable continue his run in the final as 25-year-old Creed, from Caerphilly, maintained his clean sheet in the event by despatching Gaskin 13-11, 11-7, 11-5 in 57 minutes.
“Very happy to come home with my 2nd title,” tweeted Creed later. “Tough match, but fought hard. Win meant a lot with Papa in the crowd!”
The title triumph takes Creed to a career-high world No80 ranking.
Tournament organiser Barry Brindle was also delighted with the event’s success: “This was an excellent tournament, thoroughly enjoyed by all the local, Army, Andalucian and PSA players and supporters and played in an excellent spirit with a perfect balance between fun and professionalism,” said the President of the Gibraltar Squash Association. “All players should be congratulated.
“This is the first time Gibraltar has held a PSA event; it won’t be the last.”