Tradition@RAC
put last season’s Premier Squash League (PSL) final heartache behind
them to be crowned champions for the first time after sealing a 3-2
victory over Team Pontefract in Surrey today.
It was a dominant display from Tradition@RAC, who maintained bragging
rights over their opponents after repeating their victory in last
season’s semi-finals.
The final marked the climax of another compelling PSL season, a campaign
that started with ten teams but was whittled down to two after
Tradition@RAC’s and Team Pontefract’s semi-final triumphs over
Warwick/Kenilworth and Luxford St George’s Hill respectively.
But
it was Tradition@RAC who claimed the ultimate prize in front of a packed
out crowd at St George’s Hill Lawn Tennis Club, with victories from
Daryl Selby, Paul Coll and Ben Coleman giving them the title.
It wasn’t all plain sailing for Tradition@RAC however, who went 1-0 down
after Laura Massaro’s 11-7, 12-14, 11-8 (40m) victory over Alison Waters
in the final’s opening match.
It was a compelling duel between the two female players, who continued
to repel each other’s advances to take the match to a decider.
But
it was former World No.1 Massaro who prevailed, demonstrating all the
skill that earned the 2014 World Championship title to overcome her
battling opponent.
Team Pontefract’s lead was short-lived, though, as parity was soon
restored thanks to Selby’s 11-7, 11-8 win over India’s Ramit Tandon.
Selby’s dominance was then emulated by teammate Coll, who brushed past
India No.1 Saurav Ghosal to claim an assured 11-5, 11-5 victory.
It was an impressive performance by Coll, with the New Zealander proving
exactly why he’s the World No.6 to give his side the edge with two
matches left to play.
Tradition@RAC’s
victory was sealed after Coleman’s equally dominant 11-4, 11-3 triumph
over 16-year-old Sam Todd, who struggled to compete with his opponent’s
skill and experience.
With the destination of this season’s trophy already decided, the final
match of the day between George Parker and Abhay Singh was wisely
shortened to a one game format.
And in a match that had an almost exhibition feel, it was the Malaysian
Singh who managed to restore some pride for Pontefract and secure a
consolation 13-11 victory.
Tradition@RAC’s triumph will be a sweet one for the London-based side,
who narrowly missed out on claiming their inaugural PSL title last
season after a 3-2 loss to Luxford St George’s Hill.
But Lee Davies’ team showed great resilience throughout this year’s
campaign, putting that disappointment behind them to finish second in
the Southern Division and eventually seal the crown.
A delighted Davies said: “I feel fantastic for the team, for the RAC
club, for our sponsor Tradition! It’s a long hard slog getting this far,
we had to take last year on the chin but it’s been a real team effort
all season and I’m proud of every one of them!”
The PSL has been another marked success this season, continuing to
attract crowds around the country and help further raise the profile of
squash.
But it was ultimately Tradition@RAC who were left celebrating, executing
a composed display to cap off a thrilling year for the sport.
Premier Squash League 2019 final results
Alison Waters 1-2 Laura Massaro 7-11, 14-12, 8-11 (40m)
Daryl Selby 2-0 Ramit Tandon 11-7, 11-8 (27m)
Paul Coll 2-0 Saurav Ghosal 11-5, 11-5 (28m)
Ben Coleman 2-0 Sam Todd 11-4, 11-3 (20m)
George Parker 0-1 Abhay Singh 11-13 (13m)
Defending champions Luxfords St George’s Hill were sensationally
beaten in the first semi-final as Team Pontefract travelled to the
the Southern Division Champions’ home turf in Surrey and took the
first three matches to reach the PSL final for the first time.
Abhay Singh edged past Robbie Temple and Patrick Rooney beat Borja
Golan, both in straight games, in a perfect start for the away team.
Joelle King started the home comeback by taking the the first game
against Laura Massaro, but Massaro fought back for a 2-1 win to take
Pontefract into the final.
Mohamed ElShorbagy pulled one back for St George’s but Chris Simpson
dealt the final blow as he beat Tom Richards to make it 4-1 to
Pontefract.
Semi Finals Results
Luxfords St George's Hill lost to Team Pontefract 1/4
Mohamed Elshorbagy bt James Willstrop 4-11, 11-4, 14-12
Tom Richards lost to Chris Simpson 11-7, 6-11, 14-16
Borja Golan lost to Patrick Rooney 9-11, 12-14
Robbie Temple lost to Abhay Singh 7-11, 9-11
Joelle King lost to Laura Massaro 11-6, 6-11, 7-11
University of Warwick Kenilworth lost to Tradition @ RAC 2/3
Iker Pajares Bernabeu lost to Paul Coll 5-11, 5-11
Mahesh Mangaonkar bt Daryl Selby 12-10 ret.
Daniel Mekbib lost to George Parker 7-11, 11-7, 8-11
Mark Fuller lost to Ben Coleman 9-11, 5-11
Sarah-Jane Perry bt Alison Waters 6-11, 11-1, 12-10
In the final round of PSL league matches Warwick/Kenilworth secured
top spot in the Northern division with a 3-2 home win over
Newcastle, while Pontefract squeezed into the semis despite a 2-3
defeat at Birmingham Lions in a second place decider which left them
level on points with Pontefract’s greater number of wins the
deciding factor.
In the Southern Division Tradition@RAC, already assured of a
semi-final spot, finished with a 5-0 win home win over Chichester to
set defending champions St George’s Hill a target of 9 points to top
the table in their final match on Friday.
The semi-finals will be held the week commencing 6th May, with the
divisional winners at home, and the final on 1st June at St George’s
Hill.
North Group: University of Warwick Kenilworth bt Newcastle University
Northumberland 3/2
Raphael Kandra lost to Cameron Pilley 7-11, 13-15
Iker Pajares Bernabeu bt Piedro Schweertman 11-6, 9-11, 11-6
Mahesh Mangaonkar lost to Owain Taylor 4-11, 11-5, 8-11
Harry Falconer bt Liam Gutcher 11-3, 11-7
Sarah-Jane Perry bt Tinne Gilis 11-6, 11-5
University of Birmingham Lions bt Team Pontefract 3/2
Joel Makin bt Saurav Ghosal 11-5, 11-6
Stuart MacGregor lost to Chris Simpson 2-11, 4-11
Chris Hall lost to Patrick Rooney 5-11, 11-8, 9-11
Jack Turney bt Lewis Doughty 11-6, 11-8
Millie Tomlinson bt Laura Massaro 11-7, 7-11, 11-8
EliteSquash Bristol bt University of Nottingham 3/2
Tom Ford bt Julian Tomlinson 11-5, 11-4
Brian Byrne bt Adam Auckland 11-7, 9-11, 11-7
Theis Houlberg lost to Lewis Walters 12-10, 7-11, 6-11
Hadrian Stiff bt Nick Hargreaves 11-4, 11-1
Karina Tyma lost to Hana Ramadan 6-11, 8-11
South Group: Tradition @ RAC bt Team Chichester 5/0
Paul Coll bt Oliver Pett 11-8, 11-2
Daryl Selby bt Tim Vail 11-9, 11-8
George Parker bt Tom Walsh 11-7, 11-6
Ben Coleman bt Miles Jenkins 11-9, 11-7
Alison Waters bt Alison Thomson 11-6, 11-2
Welsh Wizards Cardiff bt Bexley 3/2
Marwan Elshorbagy lost to Joshua Masters 11-13, 10-12
Emyr Evans bt Diego Gobbi 11-5, 11-7
Elliott Morris Devred bt Ted Jeal 11-6, 11-3
Lewis David Poole lost to Jack Mitterer 6-11, 8-11
Tesni Evans bt Elise Lazarus 11-6, 11-5
Coolhurst London lost to Luxfords St George's Hill 1/4
Adrian Waller bt Mohamed Elshorbagy 11-7, 11-4
Nathan Lake lost to Tom Richards 10-12, 8-11
Angus Gillams lost to Borja Golan 9-11, 9-11
Ondrej Uherka lost to Robbie Temple 7-11, 7-11
Katie Malliff lost to Jasmine Hutton 12-14, 10-12
The penultimate round of league matches saw two semi-final places
booked as defending champions Luxfords St George’s Hill and Warwick
University / Kenilworth Squash secured their playoff places in the
Southern and Northern divisions.
In the Southern Division St George’s Hill put out a strong team
against visiting Welsh Wizards, who needed a win to keep their
playoff hopes alive, and it was the home team who took a 4-0
advantage to secure their playoff spot. Marwan ElShorbagy beat elder
brother Mohamed in the decider but it was too late for the Wizards,
who look set to finish third in their first season.
Coolhurst continued their strong finish to the season with a 4-1
away win at Chichester, but the second playoff spot will likely go
to Tradition @ RAC who travel to Bexley on Friday needing 13 points
from two matches to guarantee a second consecutive semi-final
appearance.
Northern division leaders WarKens lost 3-2 at Pontefract, Saurav
Ghosal winning the deciding match for the home team, but qualify for
the semi-finals after second-placed University of Birmingham Lions
lost 1-4 away to Nottingham. Birmingham and Nottingham meet in the
final round to decide the second playoff spot, with Pontefract going
in with a 5-point advantage.
North Group: Team Pontefract bt University of Warwick Kenilworth 3/2
Saurav Ghosal bt Iker Pajares Bernabeu 11-5, 11-9
James Willstrop lost to Mahesh Mangaonkar 12-14, 11-5, 5-11
Chris Simpson bt Daniel Mekbib 10-12, 11-1, 11-4
Patrick Rooney bt Mark Fuller 9-11, 11-7, 11-5
Laura Massaro lost to Sarah-Jane Perry 11-5, 7-11, 8-11
University of Nottingham bt University of Birmingham Lions 4/1
Nick Matthew lost to Joel Makin 11-13, 11-5, 6-11
Declan James bt Jan van den Herrewegen 11-4, 8-11, 15-13
Richie Fallows bt Chris Hall 11-4, 11-9
Lewis Walters bt Josh Owen 7-11, 11-4, 11-5
Hana Ramadan bt Millie Tomlinson 11-5, 11-8
Newcastle University Northumberland bt EliteSquash Bristol 3/2
Alan Clyne bt Tom Ford 9-11, 11-0, 11-8
Owain Taylor lost to David Baillargeon 4-11, 7-11
Liam Gutcher lost to James Peach 5-11, 17-15, 4-11
Dave Barnett bt Luke Bishop 11-9, 15-13
Eve Driver bt Poppie Jaram 11-7, 11-4
South Group: Luxfords St George's Hill bt Welsh Wizards Cardiff 4/1
Mohamed Elshorbagy lost to Marwan Elshorbagy 9-11, 11-13
Tom Richards bt Edmon Lopez 8-11, 11-8, 11-2
Borja Golan bt Peter Creed 11-8, 11-6
Robbie Temple bt Elliott Morris Devred 11-2, 11-5
Joelle King bt Ciara Richards 11-4, 11-5
Team Chichester lost to Coolhurst London 1/4
Oliver Pett lost to Max Lee 11-8, 8-11, 4-11
Tim Vail lost to Greg Lobban 8-11, 3-11
Miles Jenkins lost to Nathan Lake 14-16, 11-13
Kyle Finch lost to Ammar Altamimi 9-11, 13-15
Alison Thomson bt Katie Malliff 11-6, 11-7
Bexley lost to Tradition @ RAC 0/5
Joshua Masters lost to Paul Coll 6-11, 9-11
Olli Tuominen lost to Daryl Selby 10-12, 14-16
Diego Gobbi lost to George Parker 6-11, 6-11
Ben Ford lost to Ben Coleman 6-11, 7-11
Georgina Kennedy lost to Alison Waters 5-11, 4-11
With three rounds to play as the semi-finals approach, Warwick /
Kenilworth and the Welsh Wizards both claimed away wins as Round
Eight got under way on Tuesday.
Northern Division leaders WarKens took the opening three matches
away at the University of Nottingham, running out 4-1 winners to
establish a 24-point lead that guarantees them a first appearance in
the semi-finals. Either Pontefract or Birmingham Lions will join
them in the playoffs.
In the Southern Division the Welsh Wizards went two-nil up away to
Chichester, but the home team struck back to level the match.
Wizards’ Peter Creed came from a game down to beat Tim Vail in the
decider, taking the Welsh outfit to the top of the Southern Division
table – until Friday, when round eight concludes with two matches in
each division – by a single point.
NOTTINGHAM 1-4 WARKENS (4-11)
Nick Matthew 0-2 Iker Pajares 6-11, 4-11
Richie Fallows 2-0 Mahesh Mangaonkar 11-6, 11-9
Adam Auckland 0-2 Daniel Mekbib 9-11, 6-11
Lewis Walters 1-2 Nick Wall 11-9, 3-11, 14-16
Coline Aumard 1-2 Sarah-Jane Perry 8-11, 11-4, 4-11
North :
Birmingham v Bristol
Joel Makin v Tom Ford
Ryan Cuskelly v David Baillargeon
Jan Van Den Herrewegen v Sean Conroy
Stuart Macgregor v Roshan Bharos
Millie Tomlinson v Lily Taylor
Newcastle v Pontefract
Cameron Pilley v ___
Alan Clyne v ___
Rob Downer v ___
Owain Taylor v ___
Eve Driver v ___
South
Coolhurst v RAC
Simon Rosner v Daryl Selby
Greg Lobban v George Parker
Adrian Waller v Ben Coleman
Nathan Lake v Peter Marshall
tbc v Alison Waters
Bexley v St George’s
Mazen Hesham v Mohamed ElShorbagy
Josh Masters v Tom Richards
Rui Soares v Borja Golan
Diego Gobbi v Carlos Cornes
Kace Bartley v Jasmine Hutton
The seventh round of
the Premier Squash League saw Warwick University/Kenilworth Squash
and Tradition@RAC maintain their leads at the top of the Northern
and Southern divisions as the competition for playoff places
intensified on a night of clear-cut results.
WarKens bounced back from their first defeat in the last round with
a comprehensive 4-1 home win over UWE/Elite Squash Bristol to open
up a 14-point gap at the top of the division.
Team Pontefract, who suffered a surprising reversal in the previous
round, bounced back with a five-nil home win over 2017 champions
University of Nottingham to regain second place over University of
Birmingham Lions, who went down five-nil to a jubilant
Northumberland Club/Newcastle University team who moved off the
bottom at Bristol’s expense.
In the Southern Division top of the table clash it was Tradition@RAC
who took the spoils away to the Welsh Wizards, while reigning
champions Luxfords St George’s Hill beat bottom of the table
Chichester 4-1 to move into second place.
With two rounds to go and only the top two in each division going
into the semi-finals, WarKens have a good lead in the Northern
Division with all the other teams still in with a chance, while the
Southern Division looks to be a three-horse race unless Bexley or
Coolhurst can score an emphatic win in Friday’s final round seven
match.
Northern Division
WARKENS 4-1 BRISTOL (12-3)
Raphael Kandra 2-0 Tom Ford 11-4, 11-7
Iker Pajares 2-0 Sean Conroy 13-11, 11-9
Mark Fuller 1-2 Mike Harris 9-11, 11-3, 5-11
Harry Falconer 2-0 James Peach 11-8, 11-9
Julianne Courtice 2-1 Lily Taylor 8-11, 11-9, 11-6
PONTEFRACT 5-0 NOTTINGHAM (13-1)
James Willstrop 2-0 Declan James 11-9, 11-4
Chris Simpson 2-0 Julian Tomlinson 11-3, 12-10
Abhay Singh 2-1 Lewis Walters 11-3, 4-11 11-6
Sam Todd 2-0 Jayden Gough 11-3, 11-6
Laura Massaro 2-0 Hana Ramadan 11-6, 11-5
NEWCASTLE 5-0 BIRMINGHAM (13-2)
Cameron Pilley 2-0 Jan vd Herrewegen 12-10, 11-8
Piedro Schweertman 2-1 Stuart Macgregor 3-11, 11-8, 11-6
Rob Downer 2-0 Ryan Picken 11-5, 11-8
Chris Wiggins 2-0 Michael Mattimore 12-10, 11-0
Lisa Aitken 2-1 Millie Tomlinson 11-6, 6-11, 11-6
Southern Division
WELSH WIZARDS 1-4 TRADITION@RAC (4-11)
Marwan ElShorbagy 1-2 Paul Coll 12-10, 7-11, 3-11
Edmon Lopez 1-2 Daryl Selby 6-11, 11-3, 10-12
Elliott Morris Devred 0-2 George Parker 6-11, 5-11
David Evans 0-2 Ben Coleman 9-11, 6-11
Grace Gear 2-0 Alice Green 11-6, 11-9
ST GEORGE’S HILL 4-1 CHICHESTER (12-2)
Tom Richards 1-2 Mathieu Castagnet 11-7, 7-11, 6-11
Borja Golan 2-0 Tim Vail 11-4, 11-7
Carlos Cornes 2-0 Tom Walsh 12-10, 11-6
Robbie Temple 2-0 Miles Jenkins 11-8, 11-7
Jasmine Hutton 2-0 Lauren Briggs 11-3, 11-6
Bexley lost to Coolhurst London 2/3
Joshua Masters lost to Greg Lobban 5-11, 6-11
Olli Tuominen lost to Adrian Waller 11-13, 7-11
Benjamin Aubert bt Joe Green 6-11, 11-6, 11-6
Diego Gobbi bt Lucas Cannistraci 11-2, 11-4
Elise Lazarus lost to Katie Malliff 11-9, 9-11, 10-12
The second half of the Premier Squash League season started with the
reverse fixtures from October’s Round One.
In the Northern division unbeaten leaders Warwick University /
Kenilworth Squash travelled to University of Birmingham Lions, and
the home side quickly established a two-nil lead courtesy of Millie
Tomlinson and Stewart Macgregor. Daniel Mekbib pulled one back for
the visitors but it was only a stay of execution as Jaymie Hayckock
and Joel Makin wrapped up the win to put the Lions into second place
behind still-leaders WarKen.
Northumberland Club / Newcastle University got off to a good start
at University of Nottingham (at the Park Club) as Lisa Aitken put
the visitors into the lead, but the home side struck back to take
the next four matches to complete the double win over Newcastle.
Early leaders Team Pontefract travelled to UWE / Elite Squash
Bristol for a match that looked like it could go 5-0 either way. On
the day it was Bristol who took all five matches to record their
first win of the season and move off the bottom of the table.
Pontefract slip a point behind Nottingham into fourth place.
Southern Division leaders Tradition@RAC hosted defending champions
Luxfords St George’s Hill, and the visitors stormed into a 3-0 lead
courtesy of Mohamed ElShorbagy, Joelle King and Robbie Temple,
running out the 4-1 winners to close the gap at the top of the
table.
Bottom placed Team Chichester hosted Bexley and took a 2-0 lead via
wins from Miles Jenkins and Alison Thomson. Bexley fought back with
Benjamin Aubert and Rui Soares putting them level, but Chichester’s
Mathieu clinched their first win as he beat Olli Tuominen 2-1 in the
decider.
Round Six concludes on Friday with Coolhurst v Welsh Wizards.
North Group:
North Group:
University of Birmingham Lions bt University of Warwick Kenilworth
4/1
Joel Makin bt Raphael Kandra 15-13, 11-7
Jan van den Herrewegen lost to Daniel Mekbib 11-6, 7-11, 4-11
Jaymie Haycocks bt Mark Fuller 9-11, 12-10, 11-7
Stuart MacGregor bt Nick Wall 11-8, 11-4
Millie Tomlinson bt Julianne Courtice 11-7, 11-5
EliteSquash Bristol bt Team Pontefract 5/0
Youssef Soliman bt Chris Simpson 11-7, 7-11, 12-10
Todd Harrity bt Patrick Rooney 13-11, 11-9
Tom Ford bt Lewis Doughty 11-5, 11-5
Sean Conroy bt Taminder Gata-Aura 11-6, 11-6
Lily Taylor bt Mari Taylor 11-6, 11-4
University of Nottingham bt Newcastle University Northumberland 4/1
Nick Matthew bt Cameron Pilley 11-7, 11-8
Declan James bt Robert Downer 11-6, 11-8
Richie Fallows bt Rory Stewart 11-13, 11-6, 11-1
Lewis Walters bt Owain Taylor 8-11, 11-5, 11-6
Coline Aumard lost to Lisa Aitken 4-11, 11-13
South Group:
Tradition @ RAC lost to Luxfords St George's Hill 1/4
Daryl Selby lost to Mohamed Elshorbagy 10-12, 11-2, 3-11
George Parker bt Borja Golan 11-9, 11-4
Peter Barker lost to Robbie Temple 8-11, 4-11
Peter Marshall lost to Neil Cordell 4-11, 7-11
Alison Waters lost to Joelle King 11-7, 10-12, 7-11
Team Chichester bt Bexley 3/2
Mathieu Castagnet bt Olli Tuominen 12-10, 10-12, 11-3
Oliver Pett lost to Rui Soares 7-11, 6-11
Tim Vail lost to Benjamin Aubert 12-10, 14-16, 4-11
Miles Jenkins bt Curtis Malik 11-3, 11-6
Alison Thomson bt Kace Bartley 14-12, 11-7
Coolhurst London v Welsh Wizards Cardiff
Adrian Waller v Peter Creed
Ondrej Uherka v Edmon Lopez
Joe Green v Emyr Evans
The final round before the Christmas break saw
Warwick/Kenilworth and Tradition@RAC maintain their positions at the
top of the divisional tables.
In the Northern Division WarKens travelled to Newcastle and recorded
a second successive five-nil win to increase their lead, taking four
of the matches two games to one. Pontefract returned to winning ways
at home to Birmingham to put themselves into second place, while
Nottingham, having takes a 3-0 lead over Bristol, had to settle for
a 3-2 win to leave themselves in fourth place, behind Birmingham.
In the Southern Division leaders RAC recovered from losing the first
match at Chichester to consolidate their position with a 4-1
advantage. Defending Champions St George’s Hill bounced back to
winning ways with a 4-1 home win over Coolhurst to go second.
Round Five concludes on Friday with Bexley v Welsh Wizards, and the
second half of the season kicks off on 6th Jan with further dates
still to be confirmed.
North Group:
Newcastle University Northumberland lost to University of Warwick
Kenilworth 0/5
Piedro Schweertman lost to Mahesh Mangaonkar 10-12, 11-8, 5-11
Rory Stewart lost to Daniel Mekbib 11-7, 7-11, 5-11
Owain Taylor lost to Mark Fuller 5-11, 11-4, 9-11
Christopher Wiggins lost to Nick Wall 5-11, 11-5, 7-11
Olivia Blatchford Clyne lost to Sarah-Jane Perry 6-11, 9-11
University of Nottingham bt EliteSquash Bristol 3/2
Richie Fallows lost to Tom Ford 13-11, 6-11, 11-13
Julian Tomlinson lost to Brian Byrne 6-11, 11-9, 8-11
Lewis Walters bt James Peach 13-11, 11-2
Ollie Holland bt Theis Houlberg 6-11, 11-5, 11-5
Hana Ramadan bt Makgosi Peloakgosi 11-2, 11-4
Team Pontefract bt University of Birmingham Lions 3/2
James Willstrop lost to Joel Makin 8-11, 9-11
Harinder Pal Sandhu bt Jan van den Herrewegen 11-3, 12-10
Patrick Rooney lost to Jaymie Haycocks 8-11, 11-6, 7-11
Abhay Singh bt Stuart MacGregor 11-7, 14-12
Hollie Naughton bt Lucy Turmel 11-5, 11-5
South Group:
Team Chichester lost to Tradition @ RAC 1/4
Oliver Pett lost to Daryl Selby 7-11, 6-11
Tim Vail lost to Ben Coleman 7-11, 7-11
Kyle Finch lost to Peter Barker 6-11, 9-11
Miles Jenkins bt Peter Marshall 14-12, 11-5
Alison Thomson lost to Alison Waters 3-11, 4-11
Luxfords St George's Hill bt Coolhurst London 4/1
Carlos Cornes lost to Charles Sharpes 10-12, 10-12
Henrik Mustonen bt Ondrej Uherka 11-4, 11-5
Robbie Temple bt Vini Rodrigues 12-10, 11-7
Neil Cordell bt Nick Mulvey 11-5, 8-11, 11-7
Jasmine Hutton bt Katie Malliff 11-1, 7-11, 11-2
Bexley lost to Welsh Wizards Cardiff 2/3
Mazen Hesham bt Peter Creed 12-10, 6-11, 11-7
Joshua Masters lost to Edmon Lopez 8-11, 11-6, 9-11
Olli Tuominen lost to Elliott Morris Devred 8-11, 11-9, 8-11
Bernat Jaume bt David Evans 12-10, 11-6
Kace Bartley lost to Milou van der Heijden 9-11, 11-8, 9-11
As the halfway point of the season approaches, teams were looking to
consolidate or improve their starts, but tonight’s Round Four
matches proved to be all about the home teams and saw some
significant swings in the league tables.
Friday 30th :
Coolhurst v Chichester & Bristol v Newcastle
In the Friday matches Coolhurst moved into fourth place in the
Southern Division as they sneaked a home win against Chichester,
Haley Mendez winning the decisive women’s match, while Newcastle
moved off the bottom of the Northern Division table with their first
win of the season away to Bristol.
Coolhurst 3-2 Chichester
Adrian Waller 2-1 Tim Vail 11-4, 10-12, 11-1
Ondrej Uherka 0-2 Tom Walsh 6-11, 2-11
Joe Green 1-2 Miles Jenkins 7-11, 12-10, 7-11
Nick Mulvey 2-1 Jamie Wilde 9-11, 13-11, 11-4
Haley Mendez 2-0 Alison Thomson 11-7, 11-8
Bristol 1-4 Newcastle
Todd Harrity 0-2 Cameron Pilley 3-11, 4-11
Tom Ford 2-1 Alan Clyne 12-10, 6-11, 11-8
David Baillargeon 1-2 Piedro Schweertman 11-7, 4-11, 11-6
Mike Harris 1-2 Rob Downer 11-3, 7-11, 8-11
Emma Chorley 0-2 Lisa Aitken 4-11, 5-11
Tonight’s overall score was 19-1 in favour of the home sides, and
that ‘1’ came in the last match of the night to finish!
In the Southern Division new entrants Welsh Wizards, fielding four
Welsh players, thrashed reigning champions and previously unbeaten
Luxfords St George’s Hill, going four-nil up with four two-nil wins
before St George’s Tom Richards came from a game down against Omar
Mosaad to add some respectability to the scoreline.
That win sees the Wizards overtake St George’s by two points, but
it’s still Tradition @ RAC who lead the way by eight points after
they recorded a 5-0 win at home to Bexley, all five matches
finishing two-one in RAC’s favour.
In the Northern Division leaders Pontefract travelled to University
of Warwick / Kenilworth Squash – both with three wins out of three-
with a strong looking team but came away with just a solitary point
as the “WarKens” put themselves at the top of the table with a
resounding 5-0 win, topped off by Raphael Kandra beating James
Willstrop two nil.
University of Birmingham Lions welcomed 2017 champions University of
Nottingham, and they too won five nil, restricting the visitors to
just two points, to go second in the table.
Round Four concludes on Friday with two more matches, and the first
half of the season finishes with Round Five on 4th & 7th Dec.
North Group:
University of Warwick Kenilworth bt Team Pontefract 5/0
Raphael Kandra bt James Willstrop 13-11, 11-8
Mahesh Mangaonkar bt Chris Simpson 11-8, 11-9
Daniel Mekbib bt Harinder Pal Sandhu 11-4, 11-9
Mark Fuller bt Patrick Rooney 11-9, 11-9
Sarah-Jane Perry bt Hollie Naughton 6-11, 11-1, 11-5
University of Birmingham Lions bt University of Nottingham 5/0
Ryan Cuskelly bt Declan James 12-10, 4-11, 11-7
Joel Makin bt Richie Fallows 11-7, 11-9
Jan van den Herrewegen bt Lewis Walters 11-6, 11-8
Jaymie Haycocks bt Jayden Gough 11-3, 11-5
Millie Tomlinson bt Hana Ramadan 7-11, 11-6, 11-7
EliteSquash Bristol lost to Newcastle University Northumberland 1/4
Todd Harrity lost to Cameron Pilley 3-11, 4-11
Tom Ford bt Alan Clyne 12-10, 6-11, 11-8
David Baillargeon lost to Piedro Schweertman 11-7, 4-11, 6-11
Michael Harris lost to Robert Downer 11-3, 7-11, 8-11
Emma Chorley lost to Lisa Aitken 4-11, 5-11
South Group:
Welsh Wizards Cardiff bt Luxfords St George's Hill 4/1
Omar Mosaad lost to Tom Richards 11-4, 11-13, 6-11
Peter Creed bt Charlie Lee 12-10, 11-5
Emyr Evans bt Carlos Cornes 13-11, 12-10
Elliott Morris Devred bt Henrik Mustonen 11-6, 11-8
Tesni Evans bt Jasmine Hutton 11-2, 11-7
Tradition @ RAC bt Bexley 5/0
Paul Coll bt Olli Tuominen 11-5, 4-11, 11-7
Ben Coleman bt Bernat Jaume 8-11, 11-4, 11-6
George Parker bt Rui Soares 11-3, 5-11, 11-7
Peter Barker bt Curtis Malik 10-12, 11-8, 11-4
Nele Gilis bt Torrie Malik 15-13, 7-11, 11-9
Coolhurst London bt Team Chichester 3/2
Adrian Waller bt Tim Vail 11-4, 10-12, 11-1
Ondrej Uherka lost to Tom Walsh 6-11, 2-11
Joe Green lost to Miles Jenkins 7-11, 12-10, 7-11
Nick Mulvey bt Jamie Wilde 9-11, 13-11, 11-4
Haley Mendez bt Alison Thomson 11-7, 11-8
The third round of league action in the Premier Squash League saw
Warwick/Kenilworth, Luxfords St George’s Hill and Team Pontefract
claim their third wins. St George’s move to the top of the Southern
Division while Pontefract head the Northern division with WarKens in
close attendance.
In the early start in London’s Pall Mall, Tradition @ RAC quickly
took control against Coolhurst, wrapping up the win 3-0 before
Adrian Waller brought the visitors back into it, but RAC’s Daryl
Selby beat Greg Lobban 3-11, 12-10, 15-13 to give the home side a
4-1 win.
Defending Champions Luxfords St George’s Hill got off to a good
start at home to Bexley as Jasmine Hutton won 12-10, 12-10 in the
first match, and World #1 Mohamed ElShorbagy rounded off a 5-0 team
victory with an 11-0, 12-10 scoreline! St George’s go top, but are
just a single point ahead of Trads.
Another 5-0 scoreline came in Cardiff as the Welsh Wizards put
visiting Chichester to the sword, David and Tesni Evans starting the
ball rolling and Peter Creed sealing the maximum as he came from a
game down to win the final match.
Warwick/Kenilworth went three-nil up against 2016 champions
University of Nottingham, thanks to wins from home hero Saraj-Jane
Perry and debutants Nick Wall and Daniel Mekbib, Iker Pajares made
it 4-0 before Nick Matthew salvaged some points for Nottingham as he
beat Raphael Kandra in the final match.
Northern Division leaders Pontefract didn’t have it all their own
way at home to new entrants Northumberland Club / Newcastle
University. Patrick Rooney gave the home side the lead, but Piedro
Schweertman levelled as he beat LJ Anjema in an all-Dutch battle.
Alan Clyne led before Chris Simpson rallied to put Pontefract back
in the lead, Laura Massaro then wrapped up the win but James
Willstrop had to come from a game down to beat Cameron Pilley and
keep Pontefract at the top of the table.
North Group:
University of Warwick Kenilworth bt University of Nottingham 4/1
Raphael Kandra lost to Nick Matthew 7-11, 4-11
Iker Pajares Bernabeu bt Richie Fallows 7-11, 11-5, 11-4
Daniel Mekbib bt Julian Tomlinson 11-5, 11-7
Nick Wall bt Jayden Gough 11-4, 11-8
Sarah-Jane Perry bt Hana Ramadan 11-8, 11-8
Team Pontefract bt Newcastle University Northumberland 4/1
James Willstrop bt Cameron Pilley 9-11, 11-9, 11-9
Chris Simpson bt Alan Clyne 5-11, 11-8, 11-8
Laurens Jan Anjema lost to Piedro Schweertman 8-11, 11-2, 9-11
Patrick Rooney bt Max Forster 11-5, 11-2
Laura Massaro bt Lisa Aitken 11-5, 11-5
EliteSquash Bristol v University of Birmingham Lions
Tom Ford v Joel Makin
David Baillargeon v Jan van den Herrewegen
Sean Conroy v Jaymie Haycocks
Michael Harris v Stuart MacGregor
Lily Taylor v Millie Tomlinson
South Group:
Welsh Wizards Cardiff bt Team Chichester 5/0
Peter Creed bt Omar Abdel Meguid 5-11, 11-5, 11-6
Mazen Gamal bt Oliver Pett 9-11, 11-4, 11-4
Elliott Morris Devred bt Tim Vail 11-8, 8-11, 11-8
David Evans bt Miles Jenkins 11-9, 9-11, 11-9
Tesni Evans bt Amanda Landers-Murphy 11-5, 11-3
Tradition @ RAC bt Coolhurst London 4/1
Daryl Selby bt Greg Lobban 3-11, 12-10, 15-13
Ben Coleman lost to Adrian Waller 9-11, 8-11
George Parker bt Karim Ebrahim 11-4, 11-7
Peter Marshall bt Lewis Anderson 11-7, 9-11, 11-4
Alison Waters bt Haley Mendez 11-6, 11-4
Luxfords St George's Hill bt Bexley 5/0
Mohamed Elshorbagy bt Joshua Masters 11-0, 12-10
Tom Richards bt Olli Tuominen 11-2, 8-11, 11-6
Sébastien Bonmalais bt Rui Soares 11-6, 12-14, 11-7
Robbie Temple bt Bradley Masters 11-7, 11-5
Jasmine Hutton bt Kace Bartley 12-10, 12-10
Round Two of the 2018/19 Premier Squash League saw Tradition @ RAC
and Team Pontefract go top of their divisions with contrasting wins.
The traditional early start (6.30) at RAC saw the home side quickly
take control against the visiting Welsh Wizards as Daryl Selby put
them into the lead and Alison Waters came through in close games
against Tesni Evans. The home side powered on to a five-nil win to
take them to the top of the table.
Reigning Champions St George’s Hill found themselves two-nil down at
Chichester after wins from Miles Jenkins and Jared Carter, and the
home side had a chance to clinch victory in the third match, but St
George’s Jasmine Hutton sneaked the second 12-10 on her way to
beating Ali Thomson. Tom Richards made it two-all, and world #1
Mohamed ElShorbagy completed the St George’s comeback.
On Friday, Coolhurst had beaten Bexley 3-2 in a nailbiting
encounter, taking the pair temporarily to the top of the division.
In the Northern Division Pontefract took a strong team to 2016
champions Nottingham, and took a two-nil lead courtesy of Laura
Massaro and Abhay Singh. Nottingham’s fightback began with new
Cleveland champion Richie Fallows beating Patrick Rooney in three,
but Chris Simpson sealed the win for Pontefract, coming from a game
down to beat Declan James before Nick Matthew reduced the deficit
for the home side.
The other two matches both went to deciders in the top strings, Joel
Makin seeing Birmingham Lions through against Newcastle with a 2-0
win over Cameron Pilley, while Raphael Kandra sealed the away win
for Warwick/Kenilworth, comig from a game down to beat Bristol
number one Youssef Soliman.
University of Nottingham (6) 2-3 Team Pontefract (10)
Nick Matthew 2-0 James Willstrop 11-5, 11-4
Declan James 1-2 Chris Simpson 11-7, 7-11, 3-11
Richie Fallows 2-1 Patrick Rooney 11-9, 5-11, 11-8
Lewis Walters 1-2 Abhay Singh 11-6, 4-11, 7-11
Coline Aumard 0-2 Laura Massaro 6-11, 4-11
University of Birmingham Lions (10) 3-2 Newcastle
University/Northumberland Club (4)
Joel Makin 2-0 Cameron Pilley 11-9, 11-3
Jan vd Herrewegen 2-0 Alan Clyne 11-9, 11-5
Stuart Macgregor 1-2 Rob Downer 11-7, 5-11, 9-11
Josh Owen 0-2 Owain Taylor 6-11, 2-11
Millie Tomlinson 2-0 Sam Ward 11-5, 11-1
Southern Division
Tradition @ RAC (13) 5-0 Welsh Wizards (2)
Paul Coll 2-0 Peter Creed 11-8, 11-8
Daryl Selby 2-0 Edmon Lopez 11-5, 11-5
Ben Coleman 2-1 Elliott Morris devred 11-5, 10-12, 11-5
George Parker 2-0 David Evans 12-10, 11-6
Alison Waters 2-1 Tesni Evans 11-8, 11-13, 11-9
Team Chichester (5) 2-3 Luxfords St George’s Hill (9)
Tim Vail 0-2 Mohamed ElShorbagy 6-11, 9-11
Kyle Finch 0-2 Tom Richards 8-11, 5-11
Miles Jenkins 2-0 Charlie Lee 11-8, 11-8
Jared Carter 2-0 Paul Broadberry 11-2, 11-7
Alison Thomson 1-2 Jasmine Hutton 12-10, 10-12, 5-11
Coolhurst (9) 3-2 Bexley (5)
Greg Lobban 0-2 Mazen Hesham 7-11, 5-11
Adrian Waller 0-2 Olli Tuominen 6-11, 7-11
Vini Rodrigues 2-0 Bradley Masters 11-7, 11-7
Karim Ibrahim 2-0 Curtis Malik 11-8, 11-9
Donna Lobban 2-1 Misaki Kobayashi 11-4, 7-11, 13-11
The 2018/19 Premier Squash League season kicked off with five
fixtures around the UK, featuring a new best-of-three format with
all five matches played on the host club's showcourt.
Defending champions Luxfords St George's Hill stole the show with an
against-the-odds 3-2 home win over Tradition @ RAC in a repeat of
last season's final.
Jasmine Hutton came from a game down to beat Nantes champion Nele
Gilis to get St George's - who lost their scheduled #1 Borja Golan
to injury yesterday - off to a great start. Late replacement
Sebastien Bonmalais came from a game down for another upset win over
Ben Coleman, and St George's own Charlie Lee secured the unlikely
win as he beat Daryl Selby 2-1 for one of his best ever wins.
Also in the Southern Division, newcomers Welsh Wizards got off to a
winning start as they beat Coolhurst 3-2 in the first PSL match to
be staged in Cardiff. The first two matches were shared, but it was
siblings Tesni and Emyr evans who secured the win for the Welsh in
front of a sellout crowd at the National Centre before Greg Lobban
made the scoreline respectable for the visitors.
There were contrasting results in the Northern Division - 2017
Champions University of Nottingham beat newcomers Northumberland
Club / Newcastle University 5-0 in front of a packed and noisy
Geordie crowd. Nottingham secured maximum points (now 13) as they
won all five matches 2-0. Cameron Pilley came closest to winning a
first-ever point for the Newcastle side as he recovered from a 0-6
start to hold game ball against Nick Matthew, but it wasn't to be as
Matthew closed out the clean sweep.
Team Pontefract, who reached the playoffs for the first time last
season and have a strong squad again, took a 4-0 lead over UWE/Elite
Sport Bristol before in-form Egyptian Youssef Soliman put a point on
the board for the visitors.
In the only match of the night to go to a decider, University of
Warwick / Kenilworth Squash got their second season in the PSA off
to winning start at home to University of Birmingham Lions. Millie
Tomlinson and Stuart Macgregor put the visitors two-nil up, only for
Mark Fuller and Mahesh Mangaonkar to level the match. In the decider
Iker Pajares came from a game down to secure the points for the 'Warkens'.
Round One concludes with Bexley v Chichester in the Southern
Division on
Friday 28th September.
Round One Results
Northern Division :
University of Warwick / Kenilworth Squash (10) 3-2
University of Birmingham Lions (5)
Iker Pajares 2-1 Jan vd Herrewegen 4-11 11-5 11-5
Mahesh Mangaonkar 2-0 Jaymie Haycocks 11-7 11-5
Mark Fuller 2-0 Jonny Harford 11-6 11-8
Guy Pearson 0-2 Stuart Macgregor 5-11 9-11
Julianne Courtice 1-2 Millie Tomlinson 13-11 10-12 9-11
Team Pontefract (11) 4-1 UWE / Elite Sport Bristol (3)
Chris Simpson 0-2 Youssef Soliman 4-11, 8-11
Laurens Jan Anjema 2-1 Todd Harrity 11-6, 8-11, 11-8
Patrick Rooney 2-0 David Baillargeon 11-2, 11-9
Abhay Singh 2-0 James Peach 11-9, 11-5
Sarah Campion 2-0 Lily Taylor 11-7, 12-10
Northumberland Club / Newcastle University (0) 0-5 University of
Nottingham (13)
Cameron Pilley 0-2 Nick Matthew 10-12, 8-11
Piedro Schweertman 0-2 Declan James 7-11, 8-11
Robert Downer 0-2 Richie Fallows 4-11, 10-12
Chris Wiggins 0-2 Adam Auckland 8-11, 7-11
Sam Ward 0-2 Hana Ramadan 3-11, 5-11
The Premier Squash League (PSL) returns for the 2018/19 season
bolstered by the addition of two new teams and a revised format.
Joining the PSL this season are Squash Wales and Newcastle
University / Northumberland Club, whilst the ten teams who contested
last season remain.
Squash Wales have announced a provisional squad including British
National champion Tesni Evans and Welsh National champion Peter
Creed. The governing body will use the event as a development
platform to transition players into the arena of competitive and
international squash.
Squash Wales High Performance Coach, David Evans said: “It’s superb
to have top-level squash back in Wales after so long being out of
the league. It will be superb for our players to compete against
other world ranked opponents in front of a vocal home crowd.”
Squash Wales Director of Coaching, Mike Workman said: “After the
recent success of our senior players at a series of prestigious
international events, the time is right to expose a greater number
of Welsh players to this higher standard. With the current
resurgence in both playing and spectator participation, it is our
job to generate increased publicity and coverage for Welsh squash –
at home and further afield.”
Newcastle University / Northumberland Club - a joint venture between
the two venues, will make their debut against Nottingham on 25th
September.
Liam Gutcher, Team Manager for Newcastle University said: “Newcastle
University is delighted to be partnering the Northumberland Club in
bringing squash of the highest level regularly to such a thriving
squash community. There is a huge appetite for professional squash
in the area and we are so excited to be involved in such an exciting
project that will inspire the talent of tomorrow and firmly place
Newcastle on the squash map. The chance for our students to
represent the team and compete at this level isn’t something many
universities can offer, adding to an already well-established and
supportive squash programme for young players.”
Ross Graham, Team Manager for the Northumberland Club said: “This is
a significant step forwards for the club and one which we are
pleased to be doing with our partners Newcastle University. The aim
of bringing top level sport to the North East has always been at the
forefront of our plans, which through the support from long term
sponsors VW Lookers, we can now make a reality. Juniors and adults
from around the UK will be able to purchase season tickets as well
as match day tickets to come watch some of the best in the game
right on their doorstep."
Split into north and south divisions, 12 teams from across the UK
will complete 10 league rounds consisting of four men and one woman,
where for the first time, each tie will be played as best-of-three.
The respective winner and runner-up of the north and south divisions
will qualify for the semi-finals played over a weekend at a single
venue.
England Squash CEO Keir Worth said: “The Premier Squash League
provides a great showcase for our sport and the welcome addition of
Squash Wales and Newcastle University / Northumberland Club coupled
with the revised format will make the event even more competitive.”
