04 December 2004	Saturday	21 Shawwal 1425

DOHA, Dec 3: English top seed Lee Beachill beat Australian David Palmer 11-8 11-6 5-11 12-10 to reach the final of the World Open on Thursday, securing victory with a controversial shot that left his opponent fuming.

In Friday's final Beachill will play Frenchman Thierry Lincou, who triumphed 6-11 11-3 11-4 7-11 12-10 over unseeded Canadian Graham Ryding, who had been the surprise of the tournament.

Beachill clinched his semi-final with a volley drop winner, which Palmer said had gone beneath the line at the bottom of the front wall and should have been called "down".

"I am disappointed with the referee but that can happen in the heat of the moment," said Palmer. "But I am more disappointed that (Beachill) took it when he knew it was down. As a player he had to know that it was down.

"It wasn't such a great volley and my natural reaction was to stop because it was down. It wasn't as though I couldn't have played it. "I said to him 'the ball is down,' but he said he asked two people he trusted and they said the ball was up. It's on his conscience."

Palmer was so angry that he punched the glass wall hard, and it was a minute before he would shake hands with his opponent. Beachill pointed out that he had a couple of controversial calls go against him in his semi-final defeat to Palmer at the British Open last month.

Lincou, the second seed and runner-up last year, overcame Ryding despite requiring treatment for a split finger and needing to save a match point at 9-10 in the decider.

SEMIFINAL RESULTS: Lee Beachill (England) bt David Palmer (Australia) 11-8 11-6 5-11 12-10; Thierry Lincou (France) bt Graham Ryding (Canada) 6-11 11-3 11-4 7-11 12-10. -Agencies

LINCOU GRABS TITLE: France's Thierry Lincou was crowned men's champion at the World Open squash championship on Friday, the number two seed defeating England's top seed Lee Beachill 5-11, 11-2, 2-11, 12-10, 11-8.