By Damian Burgess
Caerphilly-born squash player Peter Creed finished 2012 with a great effort at the PSA $10k Betty Griffin Memorial Florida State Open in Boca Raton, Florida.
Peter was number four seed for the event and came through a tough 3 – 2 semi-final to set up a final with number one seed and World No 29 Julian Illingworth.
The final was one of the longest matches of the championship, but record eight-time US champion Illingworth edged through to beat Welsh champion Creed – celebrating his fourth final of the year – 11-3, 9-11, 11-9, 11-6 in 70 minutes. A great effort from Peter Creed, who flew 8,000 miles from the World Championships in Doha to the UK and back out to the States.
An impressive result at the World Championships and a final appearance in Florida will be great for Creed’s World rankings and could even see him climb in to the top 70 in the World. It will be the first time a Welshman has been in the top 70 since Rob Sutherland of Newport reached a career high of 67 in December 2009.
Peter will be competing at the Welsh National Championships in Cardiff between January 4 and January 6. For more information on the competition and how to enter visit www.wsrb.co.uk