Matthew & Pierrepont Celebrate Successful
Comebacks As PSL Pressure Heats Up

Roundup from Howard Harding
 

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 Squash League - 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.

Benz Bavarian Duffield 5
Nottingham 0
Brian Hargrave reports

Defending champions Benz- Bavarian Duffield went into the local derby tie with a 100% record and took full advantage of their East Midlands rivals being without their number one Ong Beng Hee. Duffield welcomed back their two England No 1players Nick Matthew and Tania Bailey after missing the last tie through injury and illness respectively.

Tania Bailey (WR4 Eng 1) bt Sarah Kippax  (Eng 10) 9-1 9-1 9-1

Bailey batters Kippax

Tania Bailey demonstrated why she is England No 1 and world no 4 when she ruthlessly despatched Sarah Kippax in less than 20 minutes. Bailey looked strong and confident and showed no mercy to her young opponent demonstrating that there is a big gulf between England 1 and England 10.

Laurence Delasaux (Eng 25) bt Eddie Charlton (U19 Eng 6)  9-7 9-4 9-3

 Delasaux delivers again

The talented Laurence Delasaux, former European Junior Champion,  has decided at the tender age of 22 that without financial support from England Squash under the Elite system there is no point in travelling the world to scrape a living on the PSA circuit.

With the pressure off he continued his winning four-match sequence with another comfortable win against a gallant opponent ranked 6 at U19 level. The first game was close throughout and Delasaux came back from 6-4 down to edge home 9-7. Delasaux turned on the style in the second and third games looking in control throughout to put Duffield 2-0 up.

Jonathan Kemp (WR33) bt Jethro Binns (BUSA Champ 2007) 9-3 9-5 9-5

Kemp gives new BUSA champ a lesson

The tall athletic Jethro Binns had just won the British Universities championships at the week end and came into the tie full of confidence. Jonathan Kemp looked fully recovered from his back injury and turned on the style to give the likeable University Student as bit of a squash lesson. Binns fought for every point but was no match for the England No 9 who clinched the tie and an almost certain play off place in less than 25 minutes. Kemp is capable of beating much higher ranked opponents and apart from the Vole from Mr Crabtree’s beloved Chichester he rarely loses to lower ranked opponents. Tonight was a fairly gentle work out before flying out to Malaysia.

Andy Whipp  (Eng 23) bt Arthur Gaskin (Irish 3)      9-7 9-3 9-6  

Whipp cracks Gaskin

With 3 quick fire rubbers and a packed house it was decided to switch the No 3 string encounter to the show court. Andy Whipp has had a good first season for Duffield.  Both Whipp and Gaskin like to play at a fast pace and attack at every opportunity. The first game was close but the Manchester lad always had the edge against the Irish No 3 whose game continues to improve. Whipp, now a part time professional, covers the caught at grade speed displaying a god level of fitness. The second and third games followed similar patterns with Whipp always on top as he spun his opponent around the court unleashing a volley of bullet like shots/

Nick Matthew (WR 7 Eng 1) bt Simon  Parke  (Eng 7)   5-9  11-9 9-5 9-5

Nick puts the icing on the cake and ankle

Nick Matthew was back in action after nearly a 2 month lay off after suffering ankle ligament injury in Toronto. The last player you would wish to meet when returning after a lay off is super fit Simon Parke just retired after over 18 years on the PSA circuit, Te present England No 1 faced the former England No 1. Mathew looked a shade ring rusty in the first game and understandably some of his shots found the top of the tin. However he was moving well and looked confident. Parke deservedly won the first game 9-5thanks to fine retrieving and chasing what appeared to be lost causes. The second could have gone either way and it took Matthew 3 game points to level the scores with a too close for comfort 11-9 scoreline,

Matthew gained in confidence and began to time the ball as he moved his opponent to all corners of the court. Parke repeatedly queried the early call of the scores between points but this seamed a ploy to give himself a rest.  Matthew ground his opponent down and finished the rubber a comfortable winner. Matthew was seen icing his strapped up ankle afterwards but only as a precaution.

PLAY OFFS

Duffield moved 20 points clear of their nearest rivals with a game in hand look assured of a place in play offs needing one more win from their remaining two ties to top the Group.

 Duffield are without Matthew, Kemp and Bailey for next weeks home tie against Pontefract so a line up of Lee Drew, Andy Whipp, Laurence Delasaux, Kevin White and Laura Hill will face bottom club Pontefract who expect to play James Willstrop at No1. The clash between Hill (Eng 7) and Lauren Siddall (Eng 13) could be crucial to Duffield maintaining their 100% record.

Duffield’s final group tie is against Esporta Oxford (away) on 27 March when we supporters may make it a day out in Oxford having been offered the use of the Esporta Club facilities for the day. 

With a 100% record Duffield are on target to make the two legged play offs and the new dates are 24 and 26 April with also a new date of 15 May for the final should we put ourselves into the frame to defend the title.

Nottingham

Notts' Junior Consolation

The traditional junior match preceded the Nottingham v Duffield PSL meeting, with Nottingham winning 6-1.

Redwood Probuild Bristol 3 UniSport Guildford 2
Ian Robinson reports

Adrian Grant  beat Stacey Ross            9 - 6, 13 - 11, 9 - 2
Joe Kneipp beat Steve Meads               9 - 3, 9 - 7, 10 - 8
David Evans beat Jesse Engelbrecht     2 - 9, 9 - 7, 4 - 9, 9 - 7, 9 - 2
James Snell lost to Alex Ingham          9 - 7, 10 - 8, 8 - 10, 8 - 10, 7 - 9
Lisa Aitkin lost to Alison Waters          1 - 9, 0 - 9, 1 - 9

A hard battling match saw UniSport Guildford fall at the final hurdle after playing their way into an unlikely winning position.  UniSport were faced by the daunting challenge of season's League newcomers, Redwood Probuild Bristol who are a formidable proposition with World number 15 Adrian Grant supported by Australian Joe Kneipp and former British Open winner David Evans. 

 

Making a good start by matching Alison Waters, World number 10, against young Scottish junior prospect Lisa Aitkin, UniSport were able to put immediate points on the board with a comprehensive win for the senior player.  This was something of a mis-match, however the home player seemed undeterred by her experience of playing against one of the world's very best.

 

While this was on the Championship court, the two juniors were re-enacting their match of the first half of the season where James Snell managed a 3 - 1 win over UniSport youngster Alex Ingham at the Varsity Centre.  The match seemed destined to go the same way but by a better margin for the Bristol player, although Ingham was always close to catching up without ever looking convincing.  In fact the scores were somewhat misleading over the first two games as Snell had most of the advantage and closed out his opportunities when it mattered.  In the third game rather lapsing into errors Snell got behind and it left Ingham the task of closing out which he did with a certain nervousness.  The fourth game was built on a lead for Ingham before losing it and then a finish of sorts to take the game by the slim margin of 10 - 8.  The fifth could have gone either way, in fact Snell led for the early part of the game, but mistakes cost him in the end and he fell to a 9 - 7 margin which was just the confidence boosting win that Ingham needed after a difficult season so far in his first since leaving school.  This was indeed Ingham's first win in his professional career in the Premier League.  So UniSport Guildford looked up at the scoreboard to see that they were leading by 2 ties to 0 at this early stage of the match.

 

Steve Meads versus Joe Kneipp was an interesting match up as Kneipp had beaten Stacey Ross 3 - 0, the UniSport number 1, in the first half of the season, so it did not look very likely that Meads would make much impression.  Kneipp started in a strong attacking vein as he is won't to do, taking the first comfortably 9 - 3.  However Meads started to play his way into the second game and pushed strongly to get back on terms just falling short at the end as Kneipp clinched it 9 - 7.  In the third game it was close all the way until 8 - 8 and the tie breaker, there was a discussion over a let decision based on the fact that the ball had burst on serve and that therefore the previous rally should have been replayed.  The referee was having none of it and it was enough to see Kneipp home to clinch victory and claw back a tie for Bristol. Scoreline 2 - 1. 

 

Jesse Engelbrecht meanwhile was getting to grips with David Evans, the Welshman now retired from the World Tour but in his heyday a former winner of the prestigious British Open.  Evans, the higher rated player, generally likes to make a quick start but was denied by an immediate purple patch from Engelbrecht.  The UniSport player hit a series of well timed short winners to snatch the first game in quick time.  Perhaps surprising himself, Engelbrecht slightly stood off the second game and Evans needed no second invitation.  He was back in business and made Engelbrecht pay for his loss of concentration, 7 - 9 to Evans.  But a very determined Engelbrecht was back into his stride in the third game and played his way winning the third 9 - 4 to a 6 - 3 advantage in the fourth, falsely arousing hopes that this was where the UniSport third tie was going to be won and briefly threatening winning points for the UniSport team.  In the end it was not to be, vastly experienced and beginning to get into his stride, Evans was able to recover the fourth game and then the moment for UniSport fans was gone.  In the fifth and deciding game Evans never looked likely to lose his control and he won this vital tie 9 - 2.  This was a very good performance from Engelbrecht and he was unfortunate not to come away with more for his efforts.  The match score now stood at 2 - 2 with the odds for the winning points swinging back in favour of the home side.

 

Stacey Ross had it all to do in his match against World number 15 Adrian Grant.  The Bristol player who was also a former UniSport player in his formative years is troubling the best in the world now so it had to be a top notch performance from Ross to bring home winning points for Guildford.  There was not much between the two players in the first game.  Grant set about containing the talent that can flow from Ross's racket and Ross was trying hard to break free.  A somewhat messy game finished with Ross just making two many errors in trying to attack Grant.  The second game was pivotal.  Ross led for most of the game having cleverly varied the pace and found an error or two from the home player's racket.  In fact the lead was 8 - 4 but Ross was unable to close it out and with some scrappy play and too much referee involvement, Grant was able to pull back that advantage and level to take it into a tie breaker.  Ross had several game points but failed to convert, Grant had far fewer and converted.  A 2 - 0 deficit was always going to be a long way back for Ross and so it proved.  The third  game was more a demonstration of the UniSport player's sheer frustration at being contained and restricted in the way he wanted to play the game.  This was a cool professional performance by the higher ranked player.  Sadly, it gave the winning points to Bristol, but only by a slender 3 - 2 margin.
 

UniSport Guildford will take much heart from this performance and look forward to welcoming Team Surrey next week for the last home match of the season at the Varsity Centre.  Performances like this are what will make the last home match a popular place to be, so please book early to come and support the team.  01483 689242