Jonathon Power came to Dublin last night to demonstrate why he is the best squash player in the world. And the fact that his lesson was inflicted on the Irish number one Derek Ryan didn't seem to bother the 200 enthusiasts who crowded into the Fitzwilliam Centre to witness the affair.

The 24 year-old Canadian is the current world champion and on the brink of taking over the number one ranking. His exhibition match with Ryan was mainly to fill a void in the squash calendar, but there was an obvious sense that neither of them were just playing for the fun of it.

"I don't really regard these games as friendly," said Power. "You certainly don't want to let the other guy start thinking that he can beat you."

Ryan has been doing some climbing up the world rankings himself in recent times, currently settled at number 12. A match like this allowed him to test the waters at the very top of the game.

He claimed the first game of this best-of-five encounter before Power cruised through the next three, yet Ryan always found the time to impress along the way. Unfortunately for him, Power is playing with unprecedented confidence.

"Derek is always going to play hard and we've had some tough games in the past," added Power. "He's smart and always uses his head and I knew this wouldn't be an easy game to win. But I know I'm playing very well right now so these games are very useful to keep the form going."

Wearing his Canadian colours and a smile that was rarely off his face, Power gradually turned the game into a one-man show. Ryan's determination was rewarded with the first game, 15-13, but from there on Power starting finding amazing angles and using Ronaldo-type dummies that often had the Dubliner stranded on the wrong side of the court.