Beachill & Elriani Retain
Top England Rankings
British squash champions
Lee Beachill and Linda Elriani have retained their positions at
the top of the end-of-year England rankings, announced by England Squash,
though both are being chased by new rivals who have moved up to second place
in the lists.
The top four places in the
men's list are occupied by members of the England squad which convincingly
won the World Team Championships title in Pakistan earlier this month
– bringing the trophy back to Britain after an eight-year absence.
Beachill, the 28-year-old
Yorkshireman from Pontefract who became the men's British champion early
this year for the third time in his fifth successive final, has held the
number one ranking throughout the year. But close behind is his good friend
and Pontefract club-mate James Willstrop, whom he beat in the 2005
final. Willstrop, 22, moves up a place to No2 – the same position he
currently occupies in the world rankings, ahead of Beachill!
Team-mates Peter Nicol
and Nick Matthew (both also with county allegiances to Yorkshire)
are at three and four, respectively, whilst former England number one
Simon Parke – also a Yorkshireman – remains at five.
Notable risers in the list
are Shropshire's Jonathan Kemp, who moves three places into the top
ten at ten for the first time, and Somerset's Joey Barrington, who
leaps five places to 12.
Linda Elriani became England
No1 for the first time in February after winning her maiden British national
title. The 34-year-old from Eastbourne, who was out of action in the middle
of the year with a hamstring injury, recovered last month to crush
Malaysia's British Open champion Nicol David in the Premier Squash
League (PSL).
Manchester's Vicky
Botwright jumps three places to a career-high No2 in the new list and is
likely to be seeded to meet Elriani in February's British National
Championships women's final in Manchester.
London's Alison Waters
moves to a best-ever No5, behind Lincolnshire's Tania Bailey at
three and Harrogate's Jenny Duncalf at four.
Middlesex's Dominique
Lloyd-Walter rises two places to make her top ten debut at nine, while
Merseyside's Georgina Stoker bursts into the women's top 20 at 15.