Winner Tom comes between husband and wife double act

HUSBAND and wife pair Jonathan and Jaclyn Kemp were denied a double celebration at the BSPA Boston Open after England’s Tom Richards ran off with the men’s title.

Richards, who was eliminated in the first-round of the Hong Kong Open earlier in the week, put that disappointment behind him as he beat Jonathan 3-11, 11-6, 12-10, 5-11, 11-6 in a gripping final.

But Jonathan’s better half, Jaclyn, won her first title since giving birth earlier this year with a 3-1 win over number two seed Victoria Temple-Murray.

Jaclyn is hoping to represent New Zealand in the Commonwealth Games next year and she signalled her return to action with a hard-fought 11-4, 8-11, 12-10, 11-6  victory in 36 minutes.

She had breezed through her semi-final by dropping just four points and cruised through the first game as she threatened another rout. The next three games, though, proved a much trickier test as Temple-Murray briefly threatened a major scalp. 

But after levelling the score at one-piece, teenager Temple-Murray was left to rue wasting three game-balls as she lost a crucial third-game tie-break. With the momentum behind her, Jaclyn sailed through the fourth game 11-6 to win the 17th edition of the annual event.

Back in the men’s final, Richards and Jonathan replicated their inconsistent displays in their earlier rounds with a combination of erratic and magical shot-making in equal measure.

It was Jonathan, however, who found his rhythm early on and raced through the opening game 11-3. Fortunes were then reversed in the second and third as Richards pulled level, before saving a game-ball in the third to edge ahead 2-1.

Yet despite taking the game to a decider, Jonathan struggled to deal with Richards’ superior fitness as the Guildford-born player won just his second title this year. 

For a review of the quarter-final and semi-final action, click here.

Men’s Final:

[1] Tom Richards (Eng) 3-2 [2] Jonathan Kemp (Eng)  3-11, 11-6, 12-10, 5-11, 11-6 (44m)

Women’s Final:

[1] Jaclyn Kemp (Nzl) 3-1 [2] Victoria Temple-Murray (Eng) 11-4, 8-11, 12-10, 11-6 (36m)