Final Report
Duffield Retain PSL Title In Nottingham
Derbyshire club Benz Bavarian Duffield beat event
newcomers Redwood Probuild Bristol 3/2 in tonight's
(Tuesday) Premier Squash League (PSL) final at
Nottingham Squash Club to not only extend their
unbeaten run to 15 ties, but also became the first club for ten
years to successfully defend the title.
Both teams were at full strength for the climax of the England
Squash league sponsored by Clowes Insurance:
Duffield fielded three players who clinched the 2006 title in
Manchester - England number ones Nick Matthew and Tania
Bailey, and Jonathan Kemp - while the Bristol
squad featured two players making their fourth appearances in PSL
finals, Adrian Grant, a former Edgbaston Priory player, and
David Evans who appeared in the 1999 final for 2007 final
hosts Nottingham!
Lincolnshire's Tania Bailey put the champions ahead with a
9-6, 9-6, 10-8 defeat of rising Australian star Kasey Brown.
"She's a really good player, so I knew I'd have to play well
to beat her," said the world No4 of her opponent, ranked 12 places
lower.
On an adjacent court, Duffield stalwart Andrew Whipp beat
Bristol captain Hadrian Stiff 10-12, 9-6, 9-5, 9-6 to give
the title-holders a 2/0 lead.
But PSL veteran David Evans, the former British Open
champion from Wales who has represented the mid-order strength of
league debutants Bristol, pulled back the deficit when he
despatched Duffield's newly-married Lee Drew 9-4, 9-2, 9-5.
However, squad No2 Jonathan Kemp - in his 10th
appearance for Duffield this season - clinched the title for his
club when he edged out Australian Joseph Kneipp 9-6, 9-4,
7-9, 10-8.
England team-mates Nick Matthew and Adrian Grant
faced each other in the best-of-three 'dead rubber' which
completed the evening - Grant securing a further consolation point
for the west country side by dismissing his higher-ranked national
team-mate Matthew 9-6, 9-5 in just 17 minutes.
"I'm glad my team did the important work before I got on court, as
Adrian was on fire tonight," said Matthew later.
The Yorkshireman went on to pay tribute to Duffield team manager
Brian Hargrave, who was celebrating his third Premier
League title for the club since 1998. "Brian does an amazing job
- he seems not only to run our club, but the league and the rest
of the clubs too - it's a fantastic effort."
Hargrave put his team's success down "a real squad effort."
"Throughout the season, if one player didn't quite perform, others
would excel and lead the team to overall success. It is a team in
every sense of the word.
"And the supporters have been outstanding too. They have been
with us throughout the season, home and away, and this encourages
the players - and is probably worth a couple of extra points for
each match," Hargrave explained.
The manager also paid tribute to long-time sponsors
Benz-Bavarian: "Company owner Felix Frixou has been with us for
ten years now - he is very generous. We couldn't have done it
without him," added Hargrave.
Despite narrowly losing out, Bristol driving force Hadrian Stiff
also had much to be proud of - helping his club become the first
ever to reach the final in its debut season: "Our secret was
having a squad of players mainly based in the UK - and comprising
a nucleus of players who are not playing on the international tour
and can therefore focus on our league commitment," said the
Devonian who recently set up his base at Redwood Lodge in Bristol.
"But, despite having eight courts at Redwood, we desperately need
a glass-back court at the club if we are going to capitalise on
this fantastic first season in the PSL," explained the England
No19.
"For some time, my aim has been to build a strong squad of elite
players here in Bristol - and it would be good to think that this
success will help us achieve this soon and attract more top-level
squash to the south west," added Stiff.
Final result:
Tuesday 15 May
Benz Bavarian Duffield 3 Redwood Probuild
Bristol 2
Nick Matthew lost to Adrian Grant 6-9, 5-9 (17m)
Jonathan Kemp bt Joseph Kneipp 9-6,
9-4, 7-9, 10-8 (32m)
Lee Drew lost to David Evans
4-9, 2-9, 5-9 (24m)
Andrew Whipp bt Hadrian Stiff
10-12, 9-6, 9-5, 9-6 (44m)
Tania Bailey bt Kasey Brown
9-6, 9-6, 10-8 (43m)
Semi-Final Leg 2: Report
Newcomers Bristol & Champions
Duffield To Contest PSL Final
Champions Benz-Bavarian Duffield and event newcomers Redwood
Probuild Bristol will contest the Premier Squash League (PSL)
final next month after contrasting second leg semi-final wins
tonight (Thursday) in the England Squash league sponsored by
Clowes Insurance.
The manner of the teams' successes could not have been more
different: Bristol, going into the home tie with a 4/1 advantage
over University of Birmingham from the first leg 48 hours earlier,
comfortably took the first two matches of the night to put the
overall result beyond doubt.
Duffield, the Derbyshire club which won the title last year and
have remained unbeaten throughout this season, journeyed south to
take on Surrey Health & Racquets Croydon - holding a slender 3/2
lead.
And it was a gutsy performance from the visitors' Laura Hill - the
full-time Derbyshire fire-fighter unable to play in the first leg
due to injury - who twice came from behind in the superb opening
women's match against Croydon's trainee policewoman Stephanie
Brind, then saved two match-balls to win 7-9, 9-2, 7-9, 9-5, 11-9!
The score was soon one-all as Croydon's Ben Ford beat Laurence
Delasaux 7-9, 9-7, 9-6, 5-9, 9-6 - then the hosts moved ahead
after another dramatic match which went the full distance when
Bradley Ball avenged his first leg loss to Andrew Whipp to beat
the Duffield stalwart 4-9, 9-7, 9-6, 6-9, 9-7.
A second stunning performance in two days by Jonathan Kemp against
the higher-ranked Italian number one Davide Bianchetti put the
first straight games score on the results board as Duffield not
only delighted in drawing level - but also in a 9-4, 9-4, 9-3
scoreline which did not give any valuable game points to the
opponents!
On paper the decider was a banker for the visiting champions - but
everybody in the arena knew that Duffield's British Open champion
and world No8 Nick Matthew would not be given an easy time by the
now-retired legend that is Peter Nicol MBE. The indefatigable
Nicol stretched his opponent to a game-ball in the opening game,
but was unable to convert it as Matthew kept his cool to forge a
12-10, 9-5, 9-7 victory which gave Duffield their 14th successive
tie win - and took the club into the final for the second year in
a row.
It was an impressive performance from the Duffield No1 who not
only clinched the decider in the first leg, but also the decider
in last year's two semi-final clashes - AND in the final!
A delighted Duffield team manager Brian Hargrave was not only full
of praise for his victorious squad, but also for the performance
of the home side's Peter Nicol: "Nick Matthew has played some
tough matches for us this season, but two of his hardest must have
been the two this week against Peter. He may be retired, but he
played out of his skull on both occasions - he really is one hell
of a guy!
"But we owe it to Laura Hill - the fire-fighter fighting for her
life against Stephanie Brind in a superb women's match. If Laura
had lost that, we wouldn't be in the final!"
Nick Matthew refused to take credit for his successive decisive
victories for Duffield: "I just happen to comeon last - but it's
the other guys who've survived the five-setters - particularly
Andy Whipp on Tuesday and Laura tonight," said the modest
Yorkshireman. "They're the ones who deserve the credit."
Bristol team captain Hadrian Stiff and squad number one Adrian
Grant will also be looking forward to a second successive year in
the final - but this time it will be representing Redwood Probuild
Bristol, the Avon club enjoying a sensational maiden season in the
PSL.
It was Stiff's 6-9, 9-1, 9-4, 9-2 victory over the Birmingham
visitors' Jaymie Haycocks, and team newcomer Daniela Schumann's
11-9, 9-7, 9-7 win over Leonie Holt, that relieved the early
pressure in the other semi-final tie in Bristol.
The University of Birmingham team fought back to level the tie
when the squad's South African star Stephen Coppinger beat the
home side's former British Open champion David Evans 9-3, 9-4,
6-9, 9-4, and 19-year-old Joel Hinds recorded an impressive 9-5,
12-10, 4-9, 10-12, 9-5 win over experienced Australian Joseph
Kneipp - both Birmingham players avenging first leg defeats.
In the evening's decider, Bristol's Adrian Grant also made up for
a surprise loss on Tuesday when he beat the visitors' Joey
Barrington 5-9, 9-7, 9-5, 9-1.
Semi-Final Leg 2: Results
Semi-Finals, 2nd leg Results:
Surrey Health & Racquets Croydon 2 Benz-Bavarian Duffield 3
Peter Nicol lost to Nick Matthew 10-12, 5-9, 7-9
Davide Bianchetti lost to Jonathan Kemp 4-9, 4-9, 3-9
Bradley Ball bt Andrew Whipp 4-9, 9-7, 9-6, 6-9, 9-7
Ben Ford bt Laurence Delasaux 7-9, 9-7, 9-6, 5-9, 9-6
Stephanie Brind lost to Laura Hill 9-7, 2-9, 9-7, 5-9, 9-11
Duffield win 6-4 on aggregate
Redwood Probuild Bristol 3 University of Birmingham 2
Adrian Grant bt Joey Barrington 5-9, 9-7, 9-5, 9-1
Joseph Kneipp lost to Joel Hinds 5-9, 10-12, 9-4, 12-10, 5-9
David Evans lost to Stephen Coppinger 3-9, 4-9, 9-6, 4-9
Hadrian Stiff bt Jaymie Haycocks 6-9, 9-1, 9-4, 9-2
Daniela Schumann bt Leonie Holt 11-9, 9-7, 9-7
Bristol win 7-3 on aggregate
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Semi-Final Leg 1: Report
Champions Duffield & Newcomers
Bristol Take Early Advantage In PSL Semis
Event newcomers Redwood Probuild Bristol and title-holders
Benz-Bavarian Duffield hold the early advantage after tonight's
(Tuesday) first leg semi-finals in the Premier Squash League (PSL)
- the west country debutants securing a valuable 4/1 away win at
University of Birmingham, while the Derbyshire club clinched a 3/2
home win over Surrey Health & Racquets Croydon.
The teams will meet again in reverse fixtures on Thursday (26
April) in the second semi-final legs - to decide the line-up of
the final of the England Squash league sponsored by Clowes
Insurance on 15th May.
It was a night of pure drama in Duffield where the champions were
hoping to maintain the unbeaten record which stretches back to
last season. But Tim Garner, a last-minute stand in for Ben Ford,
celebrated his 37th birthday in some style when he put Croydon
into the lead with a 7-9, 9-6, 9-7, 9-5 win over former European
Junior champion Laurence Delasaux. "I kept telling myself it was a
long way to come to lose on my birthday!" said the Sussex champion
afterwards.
Duffield bounced back when Jonathan Kemp - a stalwart of last
season's title-winning squad - scored a notable win over Italian
No1 Davide Bianchetti, twice coming from behind to beat the
opponent ranked five places higher in the world 8-10, 9-3, 7-9,
9-7, 9-1 in 45 minutes.
"We're both a bit tired from playing three tournaments in a row,
so I wanted to go out fast, step up the court and play at a fast
pace," said Kemp. "It was working and not working equally, I was
making too many errors, so I decided to try to slow it down, cut
out the mistakes, and that was more effective."
Another stunning win came Duffield's way when part-timer Andrew
Whipp came back from two games down to beat the Surrey club's
world No32 Bradley Ball 6-9, 2-9, 9-2, 9-5, 9-3. "I can't really
explain what happened," said Ball, candidly, later.
The delighted victor joked: "I'm a bit of a slow starter these
days, someone suggested I should play a match before my match."
Duffield's lead was brief, however, as Croydon's soon-to-be
policewoman Stephanie Brind showed that she still possesses some
of the flair that took her to No4 in the world five years ago by
beating the hosts' Vicky Hynes 9-6, 9-6, 9-7.
And so the top string clash between former England team-mates Nick
Matthew, Duffield's reigning British Open champion, and the now
retired former world number one Peter Nicol, was to be the
decider. The packed crowd was treated to a gripping display of
world-class squash as Nicol summoned every drop of skill and magic
he could to keep at bay the 'youngster' whom he beat six times out
of eight when on the Tour. Miraculously, Nicol clinched the third
game - but victory came after 47 minutes to the home star as
Matthew won 9-3, 9-3, 6-9, 11-9 to keep alive Duffield's chances
of reaching a second successive final.
It was a much more one-sided affair in Birmingham where both sides
were experiencing semi-final action for the first time. Bristol
charged into the lead as team captain Hadrian Stiff and Germany's
Daniela Schumann, making her debut for the visitors, beat the
University side's Jaymie Haycocks and Leonie Holt, respectively.
Welshman David Evans, the former British Open champion, piled on
the pressure by beating Birmingham's Stephen Coppinger 9-7, 9-7,
9-3 to clinch victory for the visitors - then Australian regular
Joseph Kneipp stretched Bristol's lead with a 4-9, 10-8, 3-9, 9-4,
9-3 win over Joel Hinds.
Perhaps the most surprising result - but one which gave the home
team some consolation - was when Birmingham number one Joey
Barrington inflicted the first PSL defeat of the year on Adrian
Grant. The former Birmingham student beat Bristol's world No15,
ranked 12 places higher, 9-2, 5-9, 6-9, 10-9, 9-3 in 54 minutes -
saving a match-ball in the fourth game.
Semi-Final Leg 1: Results
Semi-Finals, 1st leg Results:
Benz-Bavarian Duffield 3 Surrey Health & Racquets Croydon 2
Nick Matthew bt Peter Nicol 9-3, 9-3, 6-9, 11-9 (47m)
Jonathan Kemp bt Davide Bianchetti 8-10, 9-3, 7-9, 9-7, 9-1 (45m)
Andrew Whipp bt Bradley Ball 6-9, 2-9, 9-2, 9-5, 9-3 (36m)
Laurence Delasaux lost to Tim Garner 9-7, 6-9, 7-9, 5-9 (35m)
Vicky Hynes lost to Stephanie Brind 6-9, 6-9, 7-9 (20m)
University of Birmingham 1 Redwood Probuild Bristol 4
Joey Barrington bt Adrian Grant 9-2, 5-9, 6-9, 10-9, 9-3 (54m)
Joel Hinds lost to Joseph Kneipp 9-4, 8-10, 9-3, 4-9, 3-9 (51m)
Stephen Coppinger lost to David Evans 7-9, 7-9, 3-9 (38m)
Jaymie Haycocks lost to Hadrian Stiff 6-9, 2-9, 2-9 (29m)
Leonie Holt lost to Daniela Schumann 5-9, 8-10, 9-6, 9-6, 3-9
(37m)
Round 10 Report
Bristol,
Croydon & University of Birmingham Join Duffield In PSL Play-Offs
Three clubs claimed places
in the play-offs of the Premier Squash League (PSL) for the
first time after a night of dramatic action in the tenth and final
round of the group stages of the England Squash league
sponsored by Clowes Insurance.
Defending champions
Benz-Bavarian Duffield, leaders of Group A and already assured
of a play-off place, stormed to a 5/0 win at Esporta Oxford -
which not only extended the Derbyshire club's unbeaten run
this season, but denied Oxford a place in the play-offs in their
debut season in the league. The other tie in the group saw
University of Birmingham,
in only their second season in the PSL, battle to a 4/1 home win
over former champions Nottingham
to secure runners-up position - and the second place in play-offs.
The balance of power in
Group B was finely poised throughout the evening. But when
Redwood Probuild Bristol overturned a 1/0 deficit to beat
Surrey Health & Racquets Croydon - leaders of the group for
most of the season - 4/1 away from home, it became clear that both
teams would qualify, Bristol finishing on 113 points and Croydon
with 109.
Elsewhere in Surrey,
Luxfords St George's Hill had home advantage as they reversed
an early match defeat to claim a hard-fought 4/1 win over county
rivals UniSport Guildford. According to Guildford team
manager Ian Robinson,
the result could easily have been 4/1 in the visitors' direction.
But it was a disappointed St George's Hill team manager Danny
Lee who eventually conceded that, despite also finishing with
more than 100 points in the season, and sharing five winning ties
over the season with both Bristol and Croydon, they would not be
experiencing play-off action in their maiden PSL season.
England number one
Tania Bailey was in powerful form as she put Duffield in the
driving seat against Esporta Oxford with a 9-3, 9-3, 6-9, 9-5 win
over Irish champion Madeline Perry.
Lee Drew then
avenged his loss to World University champion Chris Drew in
the teams' earlier clash in the season when he beat the Oxford No3
9-6, 7-9, 9-7, 5-9, 9-2.
In the final two matches,
Jonathan Kemp and squad No1 Nick Matthew both
repeated their mid-season victories over the home side's Scott
Handley and Cameron Pilley, respectively, to ensure
maximum points for Duffield.
There was jubilation at
the University of Birmingham when it became clear that their 4/1
win over Nottingham would take the young squad into the play-offs
in their first season in the country's elite league. And nowhere
was the determination more in evidence than in the opening match
between the home team's Laura-Jane Lengthorn and
Nottingham's Dominique Lloyd-Walter, ranked 10 and 20,
respectively, in the world and separated by only two positions in
the English list. Incredibly, it was the longest match of the
tie, with Lancashire's Lengthorn prevailing 6-9, 10-8, 10-8, 7-9,
9-5 in 53 minutes.
Nottingham's Peter
Marshall, the former world number two making his competitive
comeback after five years of 'retirement', was in devastating form
to clinch the second game against Birmingham's Stephen
Coppinger, but the fast-improving South African ultimately got
the upper hand to win 9-5, 0-9, 9-5, 9-6.
Joel Hinds,
the 19-year-old squad No3 from Derbyshire clinched the
all-important tie victory for the hosts, beating Irishman
Arthur Gaskin 9-5, 9-7, 9-1 - but Nottingham stalwart Simon
Parke restored some pride for the visitors when he beat world
No27 Joey Barrington 9-6, 9-3, 4-9, 3-9 9-5 in the final
match.
When Malaysia's world No1
Nicol David beat Australia's up-and-coming Kasey Brown
9-7, 9-6, 9-5, it looked as if Surrey Health & Racquets
Croydon would extend their leadership of the Group B points table
to clinch the group's top place in the play-offs. But visitors
Redwood Probuild Bristol arrived with strength in depth - and
Chris Clare, team captain Hadrian Stiff and Welshman
David Evans took out Chris Simpson,
Tim Garner and
Bradley Ball, respectively, to ensure their play-of place -
Evans beating world No28 Ball for the second time in 24 hours!
In the final top string
match, Italian number one Davide Bianchetti needed a
straight games win in order for Croydon to pip Bristol by a single
point. But it was the visitors' Australian international
Joseph Kneipp who prevailed, winning 9-5, 8-10, 10-8, 9-6 to
ensure Redwood Probuild's top place finish.
Despite being out of the
running for a play-off place, UniSport Guildford made a powerful
start against play-off hopefuls Luxfords St George's Hill when
England international Alison Waters crushed the home side's
Isabelle Tweedle 9-0, 9-2, 9-1. The visitors showed
determination in the remaining clashes, but all went to the hosts
- the most dramatic of which saw Guildford's Stephen Meads
fail to convert more than ten match balls against Alister
Walker before the St George's Hill world No32 finally pulled
through in an incredible 9-4, 2-9, 7-9, 17-15, 15-13 scoreline!
"I thought that our team
played their hearts out," said a dejected Danny Lee afterwards. "Alister
battled through a scrappy match with Meadsy, saving tons of match
balls. John Rooney got us off to a magnificent start and Daryl
maintained his excellent form against Jesse. Renan fought like a
man possessed to nick it from Stacey in the fifth and thanks to
Isabelle for being brave enough to stand in against the top class
Alison Waters. We are gutted not to make the play-offs - but
thanks to the team for all their efforts and to our sponsors
Luxfords for their support."
10th round Results,
Tuesday 27 March 2007
Semi-finals
Play-offs line-up:
Benz-Bavarian Duffield
v Surrey Health & Racquets Croydon
Redwood Probuild
Bristol v University of Birmingham
1st leg: Tuesday 24
April
2nd leg: Thursday 26
April
10th round
results
Group A:
University of
Birmingham 4 Nottingham 1
Joey Barrington lost
to Simon Parke 6-9, 3-9, 9-4, 9-3, 5-9
Jonathan Harford bt
Jethro Binns 9-7, 11-9, 9-1
Joel Hinds bt Arthur
Gaskin 9-5, 9-7, 9-1
(34m)
Stephen Coppinger bt
Peter Marshall 9-5, 0-9, 9-5, 9-6 (41m)
Laura-Jane Lengthorn
bt Dominique Lloyd-Walter 6-9, 10-8, 10-8, 7-9, 9-5 (53m)
Esporta Oxford 0
Benz-Bavarian Duffield 5
Cameron Pilley lost to
Nick Matthew 7-9, 6-9, 7-9
Scott Handley lost to
Jonathan Kemp 5-9, 2-9, 9-7, 9-4, 5-9
Chris Ryder lost to
Lee Drew 6-9, 9-7, 7-9,
9-5, 2-9
Kristen Johnson lost
to Andrew Whipp 10-12, 4-9, 6-9
Madeline Perry lost to
Tania Bailey 3-9, 3-9, 9-6, 5-9
Group B:
Luxfords St George's
Hill 4 UniSport Guildford 1
Renan Lavigne bt
Stacey Ross 9-3, 7-9, 6-9,
9-7, 9-6
Alister Walker bt
Stephen Meads 9-4, 2-9, 7-9,
17-15, 15-13
Daryl Selby bt Jesse
Engelbrecht 9-5, 6-9, 9-7, 9-5
John Rooney bt Phil
Rushworth 9-5, 9-3, 9-4
Isabelle Tweedle lost
to Alison Waters 0-9, 2-9, 1-9
Surrey Health &
Racquets Croydon 1 Redwood Probuild Bristol 4
Davide Bianchetti lost
to Joseph Kneipp 5-9, 10-8, 8-10, 6-9
Bradley Ball lost to
David Evans 7-9, 3-9, 5-9
Tim Garner lost to
Hadrian Stiff 5-9, 3-9, 4-9
Chris Simpson lost to
Chris Clare 9-5, 6-9, 3-9, 4-9
Nicol David bt Kasey
Brown 9-7, 9-6, 9-5
PSL TABLES
(after 10th and final round)
Ties Matches Games
Pts
P W L W L W L
Group A:
Benz-Bavarian Duffield
8 8 0 30 10 101 49 141
University
of Birmingham
8 4 4 24 16 83 61 103
Esporta
Oxford
8 4 4 19 21 76 73 96
Nottingham
8 4 4 19 21 66 77 86
Pontefract
8 0 8 8 32 39 105 39
Group
B:
Redwood
Probuild Bristol
8 5 3 25 15 88 63 113
Surrey H&R
Croydon
8 5 3 23 17 84 65 109
Luxfords St
George's Hill
8 5 3 22 18 80 78 105
Tinos Homes
Chichester
8 4 4 19 21 75 82 95
UniSport
Guildford
8 1 7 11 29 56 95 61
|
PSL TABLES
(after 9th round)
Ties Matches Games
Pts
P W L W L W L
Group A:
Benz-Bavarian Duffield 7 7 0 25 10 86 44 121
Esporta Oxford 7 4 3 19 16 71 58 91
University of Birmingham 7 3 4 20 15 69 55 84
Nottingham 7 4 3 18 17 60 63 80
Pontefract 8 0 8 8 32 39 105 39
Group B:
Surrey H&R Croydon 7 5 2 22 13 79 53 104
Redwood Probuild Bristol 7 4 3 21 14 76 58 96
Tinos Homes Chichester 8 4 4 19 21 75 82 95
Luxfords St George's Hill 7 4 3 18 17 68 70 88
UniSport Guildford 7 1 6 10 25 48 83 53 |
Round 9 Report
Duffield Deliver While Chichester
Choke In Penultimate PSL Round
In a dramatic evening of action in the ninth and penultimate round of
the Premier Squash League (PSL), defending champions Benz-Bavarian
Duffield made sure of finishing the season at the top of the Group A
table - and guaranteeing a play-off place for the second year running -
by beating Pontefract 3/2. But Tinos Homes Chichester, Group B leaders
before the tie, suffered a shock 5/0 whitewash at Redwood Probuild
Bristol in their final tie in the group stages - a result which rules
the Sussex side out of making the play-offs in the England Squash league
sponsored by Clowes Insurance for the first time for five years.
The other tie in Group A saw Esporta Oxford sneak a 3/2 away win over
Nottingham - leaving both teams in the running, with University of
Birmingham (who did not play tonight), for the runners-up position
behind Duffield for the other play-off position.
Like Chichester, bottom-placed UniSport Guildford are also out of
contention for a play-off position from Group B. The Surrey squad went
down 1/4 at home to county rivals Surrey Health & Racquets Croydon - who
now top the points table, and will battle with Bristol and tonight's
absentees Luxfords St George's Hill for the group's two play-off places.
Last-minute injuries and illnesses caused a variety of line-up changes
in the Duffield squad as the title-holders prepared for their final home
clash of the season. Their three newcomers suffered mixed fortunes -
Vicky Hynes going down in five games to Pontefract's Kirsty McPhee and
England international Peter Barker losing the top string clash with
long-time rival James Willstrop.
But Leeds-based South African Carl Hampson, in his first ever appearance
in the PSL, began the winning run for the Derbyshire club, beating the
visitors' Andrew Cross 9-4, 8-10, 9-4, 9-6. Later straight games wins
by Andrew Whipp and Laurence Delasaux sealed the overall tie victory for
Duffield.
PSL newcomers Esporta Oxford secured their fourth victory of the season
- but left it late against former champions Nottingham. At 2/1 down,
Oxford stalwart Scott Handley levelled the tie by beating Nottingham's
Jethro Binns 9-2, 9-4, 10-8.
A packed Nottingham crowd looked forward to Simon Parke - billed in the
programme as the club's 'Squash God' - producing the desired climax with
a win in the top string decider. But the Nottingham stalwart failed to
live up to his billing, going down to the visitors' Australian star
Cameron Pilley 3-9, 5-9, 7-9 as Esporta claimed a 3/2 win - and a move
to second place in the Group A table, 30 points adrift of Duffield.
In fourth position in the Group B table at the beginning of the evening,
Redwood Probuild Bristol leapt into second place after their 5/0
drubbing of Tinos Homes Chichester. Team debutante Kasey Brown, the
fastest-improving Australian woman on the WISPA Tour, set the scene for
the hosts, beating Chichester's Danish No1 Line Hansen 9-7, 9-3, 9-6 in
just 28 minutes.
But after team captain Hadrian Stiff added to the tally with a four-game
win over Tom Pashley, it was undoubtedly the Avon club's third string
David Evans who provided the most impressive result of the day. The
former British Open champion from Wales fought back from 0/2 against Tim
Vail to end the Chichester captain's unbeaten run this season with an
11-13, 7-9, 9-5, 9-3, 9-7 victory in 41 minutes. Later, Australian Joe
Kneipp and England international Adrian Grant recorded four-game wins to
give Bristol maximum points.
UniSport Guildford and Surrey Health & Racquets Croydon both suffered
last-minute squad changes due to late injuries - but the University of
Surrey hosts were clearly more disadvantaged than their visitors.
Siblings Alex and Harriet Ingham, aged 16 and 14, respectively, were
overwhelmed by the power and experience of Croydon's Ben Ford and
Stephanie Brind as the Surrey H&R squad took an early lead.
Guildford regular Jesse Engelbrecht failed to capitalise on match balls
in both the third and fourth games against Chris Simpson before going
down 10-8, 9-3, 8-10, 8-10, 5-9 to the Croydon club's third string. But
Guildford salvaged a consolation point when squad number one Stacey Ross
beat Italian No1 Davide Bianchetti - ranked 20 places higher in the
world - 9-6, 6-9, 9-4, 9-11, 9-3, his match-winning point coming on a
conduct stroke awarded against the Italian.
9th round results
Group A:
Benz-Bavarian Duffield 3 Pontefract 2
Peter Barker lost to James Willstrop 5-9, 9-5, 5-9, 2-9
Andrew Whipp bt Ryan Thompson 9-6, 9-0, 9-7
Laurence Delasaux bt Colin Ramasra 9-1, 9-0, 9-2
Carl Hampson bt Andrew Cross 9-4, 8-10, 9-4, 9-6
Vicky Hynes lost to Kirsty McPhee 9-6, 8-10, 6-9, 9-3, 3-9
Nottingham 2 Esporta Oxford 3
Simon Parke lost to Cameron Pilley 3-9, 5-9, 7-9
Jethro Binns lost to Scott Handley 2-9, 4-9, 8-10
Arthur Gaskin bt Kristen Johnson 9-7, 3-9, 12-10, 9-7
Lewis Walters lost to Darren Lewis 7-9, 6-9, 3-9
Sarah Kippax bt Deon Saffery 9-1, 11-9, 9-3
Group
B:
Redwood Probuild Bristol 5 Tinos Homes Chichester 0
Adrian Grant bt Alex Gough 9-4, 9-11, 9-2, 9-6 (50m)
Joseph Kneipp bt Peter Genever 7-9, 9-7, 9-6, 9-6 (46m)
David Evans bt Tim Vail 11-13, 7-9, 9-5, 9-3, 9-7 (41m)
Hadrian Stiff bt Tom Pashley 10-8, 6-9, 9-2, 9-1 (40m)
Kasey Brown bt Line Hansen 9-7, 9-3, 9-6 (28m)
UniSport Guildford 1 Surrey Health & Racquets Croydon 4
Stacey Ross bt Davide Bianchetti 9-6, 6-9, 9-4, 9-11, 9-3
Stephen Meads lost to Bradley Ball 8-10, 9-7, 2-9, 6-9
Jesse Engelbrecht lost to Chris Simpson 10-8, 9-3, 8-10, 8-10, 5-9
Alex Ingham lost to Ben Ford 3-9, 0-9, 5-9
Harriet Ingham lost to Stephanie Brind 3-9, 4-9, 2-9
Round 8 Report
Matthew & Pierrepont Celebrate Successful
Comebacks As PSL Pressure Heats Up
Returning to competitive action after long injury layoffs, Nick Matthew
and Suzie Pierrepont both made successful comebacks in Tuesday's eighth
round of the Premier League (PSL) - Matthew helping Benz-Bavarian
Duffield extend their Group A leadership after crushing Nottingham 5/0
at home, and Pierrepont enabling Tinos Homes Chichester to clinch a 3/2
win over Luxfords St George's Hill to take the Sussex side to the top of
the Group B table for the first time in the season.
Elsewhere in the England Squash league sponsored by Clowes Insurance,
University of Birmingham recorded a notable 4/1 away win over Pontefract
to catapult the west midlands side up two places to second position in
Group A, while event newcomers Redwood Probuild Bristol fought back from
two matches down to beat UniSport Guildford 3/2 at home in Group B.
A serious ligament tear in his right ankle in January prevented
Sheffield's Nick Matthew from defending his British National title in
Manchester last month. But it was a confident comeback performance which
saw the England No1 beat fellow Yorkshireman Simon Parke, the Nottingham
top string, 5-9, 11-9, 9-5, 9-5 to ensure the maximum points victory for
Duffield which extended the Derbyshire club's lead at the top of the
table. Earlier, another former British National champion Tania Bailey
had kick-started Duffield's lead with a powerful 9-1, 9-1, 9-1 win over
Nottingham's Sarah Kippax.
There was further disappointment for Pontefract when the Yorkshire club
slumped to its seventh successive PSL loss this season. With many of its
star players on international duty, the home club's lower-ranked players
fell in straight games to the near full-strength University of
Birmingham squad. But, cheered on by the loyal home crowd, Pontefract
No1 Lee Beachill showed that he has fully recovered from his recent neck
injury when he defeated the visitors' top string Joey Barrington 10-8,
9-4, 7-9, 9-3 to give the hosts a valuable consolation point.
A heel injury sustained by Suzie Pierrepont following a fall during the
qualifiers at last November's Women's World Open in Belfast prevented
the 22-year-old from Sussex from playing competitive squash until this
week. But the former European Junior Champion eased to a 9-6, 9-5, 9-4
victory over South African Adel Weir as Tinos Homes Chichester mounted
their home campaign against Surrey rivals Luxfords St George's Hill.
Team captain Tim Vail was an early star for the hosts, extending his
unbeaten PSL run for the season by beating Irishman John Rooney - winner
of last week's Salzburg Open in Austria - 9-4, 6-9, 6-9, 9-5, 9-5.
But final honours were earned by Mohd Azlan Iskandar when the Malaysian
beat the visitors' Frenchman Renan Lavigne 11-9, 9-2, 9-4 in the fifth
match decider to give Chichester their 3/2 win - and pole position in
Group B!
A dramatic and close-fought 3/2 victory by Redwood Probuild Bristol over
visitors UniSport Guildford was not enough to lift the west country club
off fourth position in the Group B tables - but the tie threw up two
significant upsets. A star of the future for Guildford, 16-year-old Alex
Ingham had yet to claim a win in five appearances this season for the
Surrey University squad. But it was sixth time lucky for the promising
teenager who battled hard for five close games to beat Bristol's
19-year-old James Snell 7-9, 8-10, 10-8, 10-8, 9-7 - thus avenging the
PSL defeat by his older opponent earlier in the season.
But, later, Bristol's retired Welshman David Evans showed some of the
skills which took him to the British Open title in 2000. Competing
against Guildford's Jesse Engelbrecht, Evans came from 1/0 and 2/1 down,
then rallied back from 6-3 behind in the fourth to overcome the
determined Zimbabwean full-timer 2-9, 9-4, 4-9, 9-6, 9-4.
Results Week 8
Group A:
Pontefract 1 University of Birmingham 4
Lee Beachill bt Joey Barrington 10-8, 9-4, 7-9, 9-3
Ryan Thompson lost to Jonathan Harford 4-9, 6-9, 10-12
Andrew Cross lost to Joel Hinds 2-9, 2-9, 6-9
Adam Taylor lost to Jonathan Tate 5-9, 3-9, 5-9
Kirsty McPhee lost to Laura-Jane Lengthorn 2-9, 4-9, 5-9
Benz-Bavarian Duffield 5 Nottingham 0
Nick Matthew bt Simon Parke 5-9, 11-9, 9-5, 9-5
Jonathan Kemp bt Jethro Binns 9-3, 9-5, 9-5
Andrew Whipp bt Arthur Gaskin 9-7, 9-4, 9-6
Laurence Delasaux bt Eddie Charlton 9-7, 9-4, 9-3
Tania Bailey bt Sarah Kippax 9-1, 9-1, 9-1
Group B:
Tinos Homes Chichester 3 Luxfords St George's Hill 2
Mohd Azlan Iskandar bt Renan Lavigne 11-9, 9-2, 9-4
Alex Gough lost to Daryl Selby 9-7, 1-9, 9-4, 2-9, 8-10
Peter Genever lost to Tom Richards 6-9, 8-10, 9-4, 3-9
Tim Vail bt John Rooney 9-4, 6-9, 6-9, 9-5, 9-5
Suzie Pierrepont bt Adel Weir 9-6, 9-5, 9-4
Redwood Probuild Bristol 3 UniSport Guildford 2
Adrian Grant bt Stacey Ross 9-4, 13-11, 9-2
Joseph Kneipp bt Stephen Meads 9-4, 9-7, 10-8
David Evans bt Jesse Engelbrecht 2-9, 9-4, 4-9, 9-6, 9-4
James Snell lost to Alex Ingham 9-7, 10-8, 8-10, 8-10, 7-9
Lisa Aitken lost to Alison Waters 1-9, 0-9, 1-9
Round 7 Report
British Champion Willstrop Maintains
Winning Ways For Pontefract
In PSL
Just two days after becoming British National Champion for the first
time in Manchester, James Willstrop maintained his winning ways for
his club in the seventh round of the Premier Squash League (PSL) -
but the 23-year-old was the sole victor as Pontefract slumped to a
4/1 home defeat in Group A to league newcomers Esporta Oxford,
leaving the Yorkshire club still awaiting their first success of the
season in the England Squash league sponsored by Clowes Insurance.
League champions Benz-Bavarian Duffield, in their first outing of
the second half of the season, reclaimed their leadership in Group A
after clinching a 3/2 away win at University of Birmingham - while
Surrey Health & Racquets Croydon held onto top position in Group B,
despite losing 4/1 at Tinos Homes Chichester. Second-placed
Luxfords St George's Hill narrowed the gap behind their Surrey
rivals by beating Redwood Probuild Bristol 3/2 at home.
Pontefract were planning to unleash their two heavyweights Willstrop
and Lee Beachill side-by-side for the first time this season in
their hosting of the Oxford squad. But Beachill, the three-times
British National champion who was forced to give up his 2007
campaign at the semi-final stage after suffering a freak training
injury, was still incapacitated by the trapped nerve in his neck -
and unavailable for service.
Esporta Oxford duly scythed through the Yorkshire club opposition as
Irish champion Madeline Perry, Scotland's Kristen Johnson, World
University champion Chris Ryder and local star Scott Handley picked
up straight games wins.
In the evening's climax, it took four games for Willstrop to
overcome the Oxford top string Cameron Pilley - the England star
despatching the world No21 from Australia 9-5, 6-9, 9-5, 9-3 as the
local crowd cheered home their new champion.
Duffield team manager Brian Hargrave predicted a 3/2 win for his
Derbyshire club's visit to Birmingham - and, despite the last
-minute absence of their leading stars, former British champions
Nick Matthew and Tania Bailey, as a result of ankle injury and sinus
troubles, respectively, his forecast proved correct.
Bailey's replacement Laura Hill, the local star fresh from a
first-ever quarter-final appearance in last week's British
Nationals, faced the in-form Laura-Jane Lengthorn, a first-time
semi-finalist in Manchester. Lengthorn crushed Hill 9-0, 9-4, 9-5
in 25 minutes to give the home cub an early lead. But visitors
Laurence Delasaux, Andrew Whipp and Lee Drew fought back to ensure
overall victory for the PSL title-holders - before Birmingham number
one Joey Barrington reduced the deficit with a 9-6, 9-6, 6-9, 9-5
victory over Duffield's Jonathan Kemp in the final match.
League newcomers Luxfords St George's Hill registered their fourth
successive PSL win of the season by beating Redwood Probuild Bristol
- and are now just five points shy of their Croydon rivals in the
Group B standings.
It was predictably one-all when up-and-coming England star Daryl
Selby faced Welshman David Evans, the former British Open champion
and world No3. The experienced Bristol third string took the
opening two games - but plucky Selby fought back to record an
impressive 6-9, 9-11, 9-7, 9-3, 9-1 win to give the hosts a
significant advantage.
When Gloucestershire's Alister Walker - another England star of the
future - defeated the visitors' Australian international Joseph
Kneipp 9-6, 10-8, 6-9, 9-3, it clinched the home club win which team
manager Danny Lee described as "a great result for Luxfords St
George's".
Malaysia's world No17 Mohd Azlan Iskandar's return to the Tinos
Homes Chichester squad after a season's absence signalled the Sussex
club's best home win of the season - against group leaders Surrey
Health & Racquets Croydon. Team captain Tim Vail, who last week
became the first unseeded player to reach the British Nationals
quarter-finals for eight years, kicked off the Chichester night in
fine style, beating Irishman Steve Richardson 9-4, 10-8, 9-7.
Club stalwart Peter Genever and indefatigable Welshman Alex Gough
chalked up important five-game victories to ensure a home win -
Gough against another Manchester Nationals' star Ben Ford. But
Iskandar was in sparkling form on his return to the south coast
club, despatching Italian No1 Davide Bianchetti 9-7, 9-2, 9-3 to
ensure a 4/1 win for the hosts.
7th round, Tuesday 20 February 2007
Group A:
Pontefract 1 Esporta Oxford 4
James Willstrop bt Cameron Pilley 9-5, 6-9,
9-5, 9-3
Ryan Thompson lost to Scott Handley 5-9, 5-9, 3-9
Sam Wileman lost to Chris Ryder 5-9, 2-9,
5-9
Adam Taylor lost to Kristen Johnson 3-9, 1-9,
4-9
Kirsty McPhee lost to Madeline Perry 5-9, 0-9,
4-9
University of Birmingham 2 Benz-Bavarian Duffield 3
Joey Barrington bt Jonathan Kemp 9-6, 9-6,
6-9, 9-5 (43m)
Jonathan Harford lost to Lee Drew 2-9,
9-11, 9-7, 10-12 (55m)
Joel Hinds lost to Andrew Whipp 11-9,
4-9, 2-9, 5-9 (46m)
Tom Power lost to Laurence Delasaux 6-9, 4-9, 1-9
(21m)
Laura-Jane Lengthorn bt Laura Hill 9-0, 9-4,
9-5 (25m)
Group B:
Tinos Homes Chichester 4 Surrey Health & Racquets Croydon 1
Mohd Azlan Iskandar bt Davide Bianchetti 9-7, 9-2, 9-3
Alex Gough bt Ben Ford
9-7, 7-9, 4-9, 9-2, 9-1
Peter Genever bt Shahid Khan 9-0,
3-9, 9-11, 9-6, 10-8
Tim Vail bt Steve Richardson 9-4,
10-8, 9-7
Line Hansen lost to Lauren Briggs 6-9, 5-9,
7-9
Luxfords St George's Hill 3 Redwood Probuild Bristol 2
Renan Lavigne lost to Adrian Grant 8-10,
9-6, 3-9, 9-6, 1-9
Alister Walker bt Joseph Kneipp 9-6,
10-8, 6-9, 9-3
Daryl Selby bt David Evans
6-9, 9-11, 9-7, 9-3, 9-1
John Rooney bt Hadrian Stiff
6-9, 9-0, 9-4, 9-7
Adel Weir lost to Tegwen Malik 4-9,
0-9, 4-9
Round 6 Report
Nottingham Top PSL Group Table For First
Time In Season
A thundering 5/0 home win over Pontefract
in the sixth round of the Premier Squash League (PSL)
takes former champions Nottingham to the top of the Group A
points table for the first time this season. By contrast,
Surrey Health & Racquets Croydon suffered their first defeat
of the season - losing 2/3 at home to county rivals Luxfords St
George's Hill - yet maintain their leadership in Group B of
the England Squash league sponsored by Clowes Insurance.
Elsewhere, Esporta Oxford recorded their
second win of the season, beating University of Birmingham
4/1 and now share the same number of Group A points as their West
Midlands rivals. But UniSport Guildford failed to lift
themselves off the bottom of the Group B table after slumping 1/4
at home to Tinos Homes
Chichester.
It was a confident Pontefract squad that
arrived in Nottingham, led by world No12 Lee Beachill fresh
from his appearance in the final of the Virginia Pro
Championship in the USA. However, Pontefract-based New
Zealand star Shelley Kitchen withdrew from the squad at the
last minute, leaving local player Kirsty McPhee to face up
to Nottingham's world top 20-ranked Dominique Lloyd-Walter.
Spurred on by local supporters, Lloyd-Walter
beat McPhee 9-5, 8-10, 9-6, 9-6 - and wins by team-mates Jethro
Binns and Arthur Gaskin confirmed Nottingham's
victory. But local hero Simon Parke extended the club's
lead after beating Pontefract's Indian national champion Saurav
Ghosal 10-8, 5-9, 9-7, 10-8, and Malaysian star Ong Beng
Hee overcame a perhaps jet-lagged Beachill 9-4, 9-3, 10-8 to
give the hosts maximum points.
Another Malaysian star in action could have
been forgiven for feeling the effects of jet lag. But Nicol
David, the world number one and World Open champion who
flew into Europe only today from a three-week training session in
Melbourne with Australian legend Sarah Fitz-Gerald showed
no signs of tiredness as she despatched St George's Hill's Adel
Weir 9-2, 9-1, 9-3 as Surrey H&R Croydon opened up an early
lead.
But the advantage was short-lived as the two
final matches of the night provided marathon wins for the visitors
- Essex's Daryl Selby, with two PSA Tour titles
under his belt over the past ten days, beating Croydon's
experienced team manager Tim Garner 9-5, 10-12, 9-5, 6-9,
9-5 in 54 minutes - and Leeds-based Alister Walker
defeating Italian Davide Bianchetti, ranked four places
higher in the world, 12-10, 6-9, 10-12, 9-5, 9-6 in 73 minutes.
University of Birmingham made a powerful start
in their visit to Esporta Oxford when rising English star
Laura-Jane Lengthorn conquered Irish No1 Madeline Perry,
ranked three places higher in the world, 9-6, 8-10, 9-2, 9-3. But
this turned out to be the visitors only win as Oxford newcomer
Thomas Phipps beat Chris Truswell in four games and
club heroes Scott Handley and Mark Cairns - both
long-time Oxfordshire stalwarts - repelled up-and-coming talents
Stephen Coppinger and Jaymie Haycocks, respectively.
In the final match, Australian Cameron
Pilley delighted the Esporta club fans by beating Joel
Hinds 9-5, 9-5, 3-9, 9-4 to end the night on a high note.
It was a similar tale for UniSport Guildford
when Alison Waters opened the account for the Surrey hosts
with a convincing 9-1, 9-6, 9-3 victory over Chichester's Dane
Line Hansen. But the England international's club mates were
unable to back her up as the visitors' Tom Pashley, Tim Vail
and Peter Genever earned controlled four-games wins
over their host opponents.
The final encounter proved to be a close-fought
clash between two of the game's most experienced players - but it
was Chichester's Welsh No1 and British Open O35 champion
Alex Gough who ultimately prevailed, beating the Guildford
club's top string Stacey Ross 13-11, 10-8, 6-9, 9-6.
6th
round results (Tuesday 6 February 2007)
Group A:
Nottingham 5 Pontefract 0
Ong Beng Hee bt Lee Beachill 9-4, 9-3,
10-8
Simon Parke bt Saurav Ghosal 10-8,
5-9, 9-7, 10-8
Jethro Binns bt Stuart Crawford 9-7,
4-9, 9-5, 9-4
Arthur Gaskin bt Andrew Cross 9-5,
9-3, 9-1
Dominique Lloyd-Walter bt Kirsty McPhee
9-5, 8-10, 9-6, 9-6
Esporta Oxford 4 University of Birmingham 1
Cameron Pilley bt Joel Hinds 9-5, 9-5,
3-9, 9-4
Scott Handley bt Stephen Coppinger
9-6, 9-3, 10-8
Mark Cairns bt Jaymie Haycocks 9-5,
9-4, 5-9, 9-5
Thomas Phipps bt Chris Truswell 10-8,
9-1, 5-9, 9-7
Madeline Perry lost to Laura-Jane Lengthorn
6-9, 10-8, 2-9, 3-9
Group B:
UniSport Guildford 1 Tinos Homes Chichester
4
Stacey Ross lost to Alex Gough 11-13,
8-10, 9-6, 6-9
Stephen Meads lost to Peter Genever
3-9, 3-9, 9-7, 7-9
Phil Rushworth lost to Tim Vail 6-9,
3-9, 9-1, 7-9
Alex Ingham lost to Tom Pashley 9-11,
2-9, 9-4, 5-9
Alison Waters bt Line Hansen 9-1, 9-6,
9-3
Surrey Health & Racquets Croydon 2 Luxfords
St George's Hill 3
Davide Bianchetti lost to Alister Walker
10-12, 9-6, 12-10, 5-9, 6-9 (73m)
Tim Garner lost to Daryl Selby 5-9,
12-10, 5-9, 9-6, 5-9 (54m)
Chris Simpson bt Tom Richards 7-9,
9-5, 9-7, 9-1
James Robbins lost to John Rooney 1-9,
7-9, 4-9
Nicol David bt Adel Weir 9-2, 9-1, 9-3
P SL
TABLES (after 6th round)
Ties Matches Games
Pts
P W L W L W L
Group A:
Nottingham
5 4 1 16 9 53 38 73
Benz-Bavarian Duffield
4 4 0 14 6 49 28 69
University of Birmingham
5 2 3 14 11 48 42 58
Esporta Oxford
5 2 3 12 13 48 49 58
Pontefract
5 0 5 4 21 26 67 26
Group B:
Surrey H&R Croydon
5 4 1 17 8 58 35 78
Luxfords St George's Hill
5 3 2 13 12 49 48 64
Tinos Homes Chichester
5 2 3 12 13 46 52 56
Redwood Probuild Bristol
4 2 2 11 9 40 34 50
UniSport Guildford
5 1 4 7 18 34 58 39
Round 5 Report
Duffield & Surrey Health Extend Mid-Season
Premier League Leads
Surrey Health & Racquets Croydon
and Derbyshire's Benz-Bavarian Duffield cemented their
positions at the top of the two groups at the end of the first
half of the Premier Squash League (PSL) season following
convincing 4/1 victories in Tuesday's fifth round of the
England Squash league sponsored by Clowes Insurance.
In Group A, national champions Duffield beat
PSL newcomers Esporta Oxford at home, with local hero
Nick Matthew – the British Open champion – delighting
the loyal Duffield crowd by fighting back from 0/2 to beat the
visitors' top string Cameron Pilley in the closing
match. Meanwhile, Nottingham
– who failed to secure a single
victory last season - clinched an impressive 3/2 home win over
University of Birmingham
to finish in second place in the group.
Also making up for a disappointing season
last year, Surrey H&R Croydon stretched their lead over
Redwood Probuild Bristol in Group B, with a 4/1 victory over
the west country club – while league newcomers Luxfords St
George’s Hill beat Surrey neighbours UniSport Guildford
3/2 to move into third place in the group.
British National champion Tania Bailey
made a powerful start for Duffield, beating Oxford's Deon
Saffery 9-4, 9-2, 9-2. Team-mates Laurence Delasaux
and Jonathan Kemp soon established an unassailable lead
for the Derbyshire hosts - but only after being stretched to
five games in their matches against Oxfordshire stalwarts
Kristen Johnson
and Scott Handley, respectively.
Chris Ryder,
the recently crowned World University Champion, brought
some consolation to the visitors with a 3-9, 9-5, 4-9, 9-7, 9-7
win over Duffield's Lee Drew.
But Nick Matthew ended the night – and the
first half of the season – on a high for the Duffield supporters
with his courageous 'fight-back' victory over Cameron Pilley,
beating the Australian 7-9, 3-9, 9-6, 9-6, 9-6.
World No1 Nicol David demonstrated the
awesome form which saw her retain her Women's World Open
title in such style in Belfast last month when she brushed aside
Emma Chorley 9-5, 9-0, 9-2 to give Surrey H&R Croydon an
early lead against hosts Redwood Probuild Bristol.
Later, the Malaysian's name-sake
Peter Nicol
went down in a rare PSL defeat to Oxford's Joseph Kneipp,
losing 9-5, 4-9, 9-7, 9-4 to the Australian to give Redwood
their sole point. In the final match of the day, the home
side's Adrian Grant
failed to convert his 8-4 advantage against
Anthony Ricketts in the fifth and final game between the
two top strings as Ricketts clinched his 9-1, 4-9, 9-7, 5-9,
10-8 win to see the Croydon club claim the tie by a 4/1 margin.
UniSport Guildford made a poor start against
Luxfords St George’s Hill in their bid to raise themselves from
the foot of the Group B table. Rachel Willmott lost 7-9,
8-10, 3-9 to the visitors' South African Adel Weir, then
the newly-crowned Irish Junior Open champion Alex Ingham
was unable to convert his match-ball opportunity in the third
game against St George's Hill's Joe Lee before going down
9-7, 9-6, 9-11, 6-9, 3-9.
Daryl Selby
clinched victory for the Luxfords-sponsored side with a
hard-fought 14-12, 9-5, 10-12, 7-9, 9-6 win over the home team's
Stephen Meads – but the night finished on a high for
Guildford when squad No1 Stacey Ross upset higher-ranked
Frenchman Renan Lavigne 9-6, 10-8, 9-7.
A packed Nottingham crowd enjoyed seeing the
home team make up for last season's disappointment by winning
its third tie of the new season. However, the hosts were 1/2
down to University of Birmingham when club stalwart Simon
Parke – who led Nottingham to national title success in 1999
– beat Birmingham regular Jonathan Harford 9-7, 9-7, 9-1
to level the tie.
The crowd were then treated to a masterful
performance by club newcomer Ong Beng Hee, the world No18
from Malaysia, who beat rising England star Joey Barrington
9-5, 9-7, 9-7 to clinch the tie – and maintain his 100%
record for Nottingham.
5th
round, Tuesday 5 December 2006
Group A:
Nottingham 3 University of Birmingham 2
Ong Beng Hee bt Joey Barrington
9-5, 9-7, 9-7
Simon Parke bt Jonathan Harford
9-7, 9-7, 9-1
Jethro Binns lost to Stephen Coppinger
4-9, 1-9, 3-9
Arthur Gaskin lost to Jonathan Tate
9-4, 3-9, 12-10, 3-9, 10-12
Emma Beddoes bt Georgina Stoker
9-7, 10-8, 9-3
Benz-Bavarian Duffield 4 Esporta Oxford 1
Nick Matthew bt Cameron Pilley
7-9, 3-9, 9-6, 9-6, 9-6
Jonathan Kemp bt Scott Handley
10-12, 9-5, 9-5, 8-10, 9-2
Lee Drew lost to Chris Ryder
9-3, 5-9, 9-4, 7-9, 7-9
Laurence Delasaux bt Kristen Johnson
5-9, 9-3, 9-1, 7-9, 9-6
Tania Bailey bt Deon Saffery
9-4, 9-2, 9-2
Group B:
UniSport Guildford 2 Luxfords St George’s
Hill 3
Stacey Ross bt Renan Lavigne
9-6, 10-8, 9-7
Stephen Meads lost to Daryl Selby
12-14, 5-9, 12-10, 9-7, 6-9
Jesse Engelbrecht bt Tom Richards
9-4, 9-11, 10-8, 4-9, 9-5
Alex Ingham lost to Joe Lee
9-7, 9-6, 9-11, 6-9, 3-9
Rachel Willmott lost to Adel Weir
7-9, 8-10, 3-9
Redwood Probuild Bristol 1 Surrey Health
& Racquets Croydon 4
Adrian Grant lost to Anthony Ricketts
1-9, 9-4, 7-9, 9-5, 8-10 (51m)
Joseph Kneipp bt Peter Nicol
9-5, 4-9, 9-7, 9-4 (41m)
Hadrian Stiff lost to Bradley Ball
3-9, 8-10, 6-9 (29m)
James Snell lost to Chris Simpson
6-9, 5-9, 6-9 (25m)
Emma Chorley lost to Nicol David
5-9, 0-9, 2-9 (30m)
PSL TABLES (after 5th round)
Ties Matches Games
Pts
P W L W L W L
Group A:
Benz-Bavarian Duffield
4 4 0 14 6 49 28 69
Nottingham
4 3 1 11 9 38 35 53
University of Birmingham
4 2 2 13 7 42 29 52
Esporta Oxford
4 1 3 8 12 35 43 40
Pontefract
4 0 4 4 16 23 52 23
Group B:
Surrey H&R Croydon
4 4 0 15 5 48 25 68
Redwood Probuild Bristol
4 2 2 11 9 40 34 50
Luxfords St George's Hill
4 2 2 10 10 39 38 49
Tinos Homes Chichester
4 1 3 8 12 34 45 39
UniSport Guildford
4 1 3 6 14 27 46 32
Round 4 Report
C hampions
Duffield Parry Pontefract Power In PSL
After a match described by both managers as one of
the best they'd ever seen, champions Benz-Bavarian Duffield
clinched a 3/2 win over a near full-strength Pontefract in
Tuesday's fourth round of the Premier Squash League (PSL) to
take over leadership of the Group A table for the first time this
season.
The Group B table also has a new club in top
position after Surrey Health & Racquets Croydon fought out a
4/1 home win over home county rivals UniSport Guildford. The
remaining ties also produced dramatic encounters which went right to
the wire as Esporta Oxford squandered a 2/0 lead to see
visitors Nottingham prevail 3/2, and event newcomers Redwood
Probuild Bristol fell to their first loss of the season when
veteran Welshman Alex Gough fought back from 0/2 down in the
tie decider to give Tinos Homes Chichester a memorable maiden
win of the season.
With Pontefract fielding its two home-grown stars
James Willstrop
and Lee Beachill – ranked four and eight in
the world, respectively – for the first time this season, the
Yorkshire club signalled its intention to chalk up its first triumph.
Beachill duly delivered, beating Duffield's Jonathan Kemp 4-9,
9-4, 9-1, 9-1.
However, the hosts were already down after
Duffield's Tania Bailey - fresh from a quarter-final berth in
the Women's World Open Championships in Belfast - and team-mate
Laurence Delasaux recorded comfortable wins to put the visitors
ahead.
Beachill's win, plus that of Indian national
champion Saurav Ghosal, put the eagerly-awaited home victory in
the hands of Willstrop – who was lined up against Duffield's top
string Nick Matthew, the reigning British National and
British Open champion.
Since beating his county compatriot in the Windy
City Open in Chicago in January, Willstrop has lost six times in a
row to Matthew. And the 23-year-old was unable to stop the run being
extended to seven as Matthew claimed supremacy in a sensational match.
"It was one of the best games I've ever seen in the
PSL, absolutely unbelievable," said Duffield team manager
Brian Hargrave after
his player's 9-5, 3-9, 10-8, 11-9 win. "An absoluter classic, the
quality was right up there," agreed the home side's manager Malcolm
Willstrop. "It was fantastic attacking squash, a match right up
there with the best I've ever seen!"
After a dismal last season in which they failed to
win a single tie, Nottingham celebrated their second win of the new
season at newcomers Esporta Oxford. With a capacity crowd cheering on
their star local players, the home team established a healthy 2/0 lead
– with Irish champion Madeline Perry, fresh from her starring
role in last week's world championships in her home city of Belfast,
and adopted Oxfordshire player Kristen
Johnson securing
popular wins.
Oxfordshire stalwart Mark Cairns, a former
British champion now well into 'retirement' from the pro circuit,
fought bravely to come back from 0/2 down to level the match against
Nottingham's Jethro Binns. But Welshman Binns clinched victory
in the fifth, and Nottingham stalwart Simon Parke then levelled
the tie with an impressive 9-5, 9-11, 9-7, 9-4 win over Oxfordshire
regular Scott Handley.
In the decider, Malaysian Ong Beng Hee
extended his unbeaten run for Nottingham with a 9-6, 9-7, 9-11, 10-8
win over Esporta's Cameron Pilley – described by Oxford manager
Jason Martin as "a great game to finish off a great night of
squash – but a disappointment that we couldn't capitalise on our great
start and give our huge home crowd a win!"
Alex Gough was the Chichester hero who gave the
south coast club their first win of the season – against visitors
Redwood Probuild Bristol in Group B. But Line Hansen and
club stalwart Tim Vail provided the two earlier successes for
the Sussex side – Vail toppling former British Open champion David
Evans 4-9, 9-4, 9-7, 4-9, 9-5 in an impressive 45-minute display.
Bristol's Adrian Grant,
the Londoner ranked 13 in the world, took the opening two games
against Gough, the reigning British Open Over-35 champion. But the
plucky Welshman refused to give up – outplaying his left-handed
opponent to record a sensational 6-9, 6-9, 9-5, 9-6, 9-5 win in 73
minutes.
Despite losing 1/4 to Surrey county neighbours
Surrey H&RC Croydon, UniSport Guildford manager
Ian Robinson was
upbeat about his team's performance. "I was impressed with the
squad's effort – they really fought got every point!"
Londoner Alison Waters gave the Guildford
visitors an early lead with her straight games win over former top
four player Stephanie Brind. However, the home team's
fire-power was too strong – though in the final rubber Guildford's
Stacey Ross, just inside the world top 50, saved a match-ball in
the third game against the hosts' Anthony Ricketts and went on
to eliminate the world number six's two-game lead.
But the Australian star recovered his form in the
decider to beat Ross 9-7, 9-6, 13-15, 6-9, 9-4 to maintain the Croydon
club's unbeaten PSL record this season.
4th round
results (Tuesday 28 November 2006)
Group A:
Pontefract 2 Benz-Bavarian Duffield 3
James Willstrop lost to Nick Matthew
5-9, 9-3, 8-10, 9-11 (52m)
Lee Beachill bt Jonathan Kemp
4-9, 9-4, 9-1, 9-1 (34m)
Saurav Ghosal bt Andrew Whipp
2-9, 10-8, 9-6, 12-10 (41m)
Ryan Thompson lost to Laurence Delasaux
5-9, 4-9, 9-11 (29m)
Rebecca Botwright lost to Tania Bailey
3-9, 5-9, 2-9 (22m)
Esporta Oxford 2 Nottingham 3
Cameron Pilley lost to Ong Beng Hee
6-9, 7-9, 11-9, 8-10
Scott Handley lost to Simon Parke
5-9, 11-9, 7-9, 4-9
Mark Cairns lost to Jethro Binns
7-9, 7-9, 9-5, 9-7, 5-9
Kristen Johnson bt Arthur Gaskin
8-10, 14-12, 9-7, 9-4 (48m)
Madeline Perry bt Sarah Kippax
9-2, 9-3, 9-1
Group B:
Tinos Homes Chichester 3 Redwood Probuild
Bristol 2
Alex Gough bt Adrian Grant
6-9, 6-9, 9-5, 9-6, 9-5 (73m)
Peter Genever lost to Joseph Kneipp
3-9, 2-9, 9-2, 6-9 (41m)
Tim Vail bt David Evans
4-9, 9-4, 9-7, 4-9, 9-5 (45m)
Tom Pashley lost to Hadrian Stiff
3-9, 3-9, 6-9
Line Hansen bt Helen Gould
9-4, 9-3, 9-1
Surrey Health & Racquets Croydon 4 UniSport
Guildford 1
Anthony Ricketts bt Stacey Ross
9-7, 9-6, 13-15, 6-9, 9-4
Davide Bianchetti bt Jesse Engelbrecht
9-4, 9-5, 9-4
Bradley Ball bt Phil Rushworth
9-1, 9-3, 9-4
Tim Garner bt Alex Ingham
9-6, 9-5, 9-4
Stephanie Brind lost to Alison Waters
4-9, 2-9, 4-9
PSL TABLES (after 4th round)
Ties Matches Games Pts
P W L W L W L
Group A:
Benz-Bavarian Duffield
3 3 0 10 5 35 19 50
University of Birmingham
3 2 1 11 4 36 18 46
Nottingham
3 2 1 8 7 27 29 37
Esporta Oxford
3 1 2 7 8 26 29 31
Pontefract
4 0 4 4 16 23 52 23
Group B:
Surrey H&RC Croydon
3 3 0 11 4 35 20 50
Redwood Probuild Bristol
3 2 1 10 5 35 21 45
Tinos Homes Chichester
4 1 3 8 12 34 45 39
Luxfords St George's Hill
3 1 2 7 8 28 28 33
UniSport Guildford
3 1 2 4 11 17 35 22
Round 3 Report
Barrington Blasts Willstrop For Table-Toppers
Birmingham In PSL
Less than 48 hours after reaching the semi-finals
of a PSA Tour event in Pakistan, Joey Barrington led the
University of Birmingham to a 4/1 home win over Pontefract
in Tuesday's third round of the Premier Squash League (PSL)
after twice coming from behind to beat England No1
James Willstrop in a
sensational upset in the England Squash event sponsored by
Clowes Insurance.
The Birmingham team has extended its lead at the
top of the Group A points table – while league newcomers Redwood
Probuild Bristol crushed PSL veterans UniSport Guildford
5/0 to clinch top spot in Group B for the first time. League
champions Benz-Bavarian Duffield maintained their unbeaten run
this season with a 4/1 away win at Nottingham, while
first-timers Luxfords St George’s Hill delighted their home
Surrey crowd with a 4/1 victory over Tinos Homes Chichester.
Lancashire's Laura-Jane Lengthorn set the
tone for the University of Birmingham's triumphant evening by beating
Pontefract's Shelley Kitchen 9-7, 9-0, 9-4 in her career-first
victory over the New Zealander ranked 15 in the world.
Joel Hinds and
Jaymie Haycocks continued the assault for the hosts until
Pontefract struck back with an impressive display from Saurav
Ghosal, the 20-year-old Indian champion who fought back from two
games down to beat Jonathan Harford 5-9, 1-9, 9-7, 9-6, 9-4 to
secure a consolation point for the visitors.
But the showpiece encounter rounded off the night
when Barrington, the 26-year-old son of squash legend Jonah
Barrington, shrugged off jet-lag to record a 7-9, 9-6, 7-9, 9-7,
9-5 win in 57 minutes over James Willstrop, the world No4.
"I should obviously spend more time eating nuts,
raisons, crackers and protein shakes as I did in Pakistan," said
Barrington to the delighted crowd afterwards. "I always enjoy playing
James – he plays such a fair game."
The other tie in Group A saw title-holders Duffield,
from Derbyshire, disappoint a packed crowd in the East Midlands derby
at Nottingham. In her first match for Duffield this season, British
champion Tania Bailey put the visitors into the lead with a
9-3, 9-0, 9-5 win over Sarah Kippax – and shortly afterwards
Andrew Whipp and Lee Drew
made certain of victory for Duffield with wins over
Duncan Walsh and Jethro Binns, respectively.
But the home team scored a notable victory at the
end of the evening when Malaysian star Ong Beng Hee, in his
first season for Nottingham, clinched his first win over Duffield's
Nick Matthew for more than two years when he beat the British
champion and world No7 10-8, 13-11, 9-6.
Redwood Probuild Bristol set about the task of
maintaining their unbeaten record since joining the PSL this season in
quick fashion when Welsh champion Tegwen Malik despatched
Guildford's last-minute replacement for England international
Alison Waters – Sussex teenager Rachel Willmott – 9-2, 9-0,
9-1 in just 17 minutes.
In a performance later described by Guildford team
manager Ian Robinson
as "disastrous", the hosts continued to be
outplayed by the rampant west country newcomers – and, after a
50-minute battle between two now retired touring professionals
David Evans and Stephen Meads (in which Welshman Evans
ultimately prevailed 9-4, 10-12, 9-5, 9-3), Australian Joseph
Kneipp made it a Bristol whitewash when he defeated Guildford No1
Stacey Ross 9-6, 9-6, 9-4.
There was better fortune elsewhere in the county of
Surrey where league newcomers Luxfords St George’s Hill secured their
first home win of the season, against Sussex visitors Tinos Homes
Chichester. Once again, Australia's record five-times world champion
Sarah Fitz-Gerald made a mockery of her retirement from
full-time squash more than three years ago by despatching Chichester's
Suzie Pierrepont, the world No30 from Brighton, 9-0, 9-1, 9-0
in just 14 minutes.
St George's Hill's own star-of-the-future Joe
Lee, the 17-year-old reigning British U17 champion, dug deep to
overcome a two-game deficit to beat the visitors' Stephen Wykes
8-10, 7-9, 9-2, 9-2, 9-4 in 42 minutes.
Chichester captain Tim Vail, the unranked
28-year-old standing in as top string in the absence of the injured
Peter Genever, scored an impressive scalp at the end of the
evening – and ensured at least one point on the scoreboard for the
visitors – when he fought back from 1/2 down to beat France's world
No33 Renan Lavigne 9-6, 4-9, 1-9, 9-7, 9-5 in 32 minutes.
3rd round,
Tuesday 7 November 2006
Group A:
University of Birmingham 4 Pontefract 1
Joey Barrington bt James Willstrop 7-9, 9-6,
7-9, 9-7, 9-5 (57m)
Jonathan Harford lost to Saurav Ghosal 9-5, 9-1, 7-9,
6-9, 4-9 (44m)
Joel Hinds bt Andrew Cross 9-5,
9-6, 9-7 (29m)
Jaymie Haycocks bt Nathan Cole 9-3, 9-1,
9-4 (21m)
Laura-Jane Lengthorn bt Shelley Kitchen 9-7, 9-0, 9-4
(32m)
Nottingham 1 Benz-Bavarian Duffield 4
Ong Beng Hee bt Nick Matthew 10-8,
13-11, 9-6
Simon Parke lost to Jonathan Kemp 6-9, 8-10,
9-5, 4-9
Jethro Binns lost to Lee Drew 3-9,
7-9, 9-7, 3-9
Duncan Walsh lost to Andrew Whipp 0-9, 10-12, 3-9
Sarah Kippax lost to Tania Bailey 3-9,
0-9, 5-9
Group B:
Luxfords St George’s Hill 4 Tinos Homes Chichester
1
Renan Lavigne lost to Tim Vail 6-9,
9-4, 9-1, 7-9, 5-9 (32m)
Daryl Selby bt Tom Pashley 11-9,
8-10, 9-7, 9-5 (36m)
Tom Richards bt Matt Holland 9-4,
9-1, 9-3 (14m)
Joe Lee bt Stephen Wykes 8-10,
7-9, 9-2, 9-2, 9-4 (42m)
Sarah Fitz-Gerald bt Suzie Pierrepont 9-0, 9-1,
9-0 (14m)
UniSport Guildford 0 Redwood Probuild Bristol 5
Stacey Ross lost to Joseph Kneipp 6-9, 6-9,
4-9 (28m)
Stephen Meads lost to David Evans 4-9, 12-10,
5-9, 3-9 (50m)
Jesse Engelbrecht lost to Hadrian Stiff 2-9, 4-9,
7-9
Alex Ingham lost to James Snell 6-9, 6-9,
9-5, 8-10 (50m)
Rachel Willmott lost to Tegwen Malik 2-9, 0-9,
1-9 (17m)
PSL TABLES (after 3rd round)
Ties Matches Games Pts
P W L W L W L
Group A:
University of
Birmingham
3 2 1 11 4 36 18 46
Benz-Bavarian
Duffield
2 2 0 7 3 24 12 34
Nottingham
2 1 1 5 5 17 19 22
Esporta Oxford
2 1 1 5 5 16 19 21
Pontefract
3 0 3 2 13 16 41 16
Group B:
Redwood Probuild
Bristol
2 2 0 8 2 25 11 35
Surrey H&RC
Croydon |