Ties       Matches     Games     Pts

                              P   W   L    W    L     W     L

   Group A:

University Sport Birmingham   1   1   0    3    2    13     7    18

Benz-Bavarian Duffield        1   1   0    3    2    11     7    16

Nottingham                    1   1   0    3    2    10     7    15

Pontefract                    1   0   1    2    3     7    10     7

Energie Fitness Redditch      1   0   1    2    3     7    11     7

Esporta Oxford                1   0   1    2    3     7    13     7

 

   Group B:

PNH Properties Chichester     1   1   0    4    1    13     5    18

Surrey H&RC                   1   1   0    4    1    13     9    18

Probuild Bristol              1   0   1    1    4     9    13     9

UniSport Guildford            1   0   1    1    4     5    13     5

* CB Formula: Correct score = 2, Correct result wrong score = 1, wrong result = 0

Alison Waters 3-1 Dominique Lloyd-Walter
                8/10, 9/5, 9/7, 12/10

Alison Waters was first on the 'show court'.  With reduced seating capacity but a much more cosy atmosphere the supporters were treated to one of the best, if not the best, ladies match to be played at Varsity.  Dominique Lloyd-Walter has recently won her first WISPA tour title in Iceland and is one of the improvers with a world ranking of 19.  Alison Waters has been in and out of form recently and was clearly nervous about the impending threat to her number 14 world ranking.  This was evenly matched in all aspects, and the first game set the tone.  Waters making a good start but then stalling a little showing some anxiety as she made to finish it off and this was enough for the Chichester player to steal the game.  Rallies were evenly contested with Waters being perhaps the more mobile but Lloyd-Walter was firing in some sharp winners. 

At the start of the second the Guildford player established a good lead and levelled the score.  But just when it looked likely that the higher ranked player might get on top, back came Lloyd-Walter to seize control and pose more problems.  Waters was by no means comfortable and so it was with some relief that she resisted the very considerable challenge coming from Chichester by way of some 'domestic arrangement' in Guildford.  This was a very exciting match and at the end of the evening was sufficient to win Alison Waters the 'Player of the Match' award and a bottle of champagne (donated by RA Robertsons & Sons), which obviously was given away to a better more noble cause.  Guildford took the lead 1 - 0.

Phil Rushworth 0-3 Peter Genever
                    6/9, 2/9, 2/9

This advantage was short lived, if it lived at all.  For while the supporters were being treated to an excellent ladies match, the outside court saw Phil Rushworth find the going a good deal tougher against wily veteran Peter Genever, who, not 2 years ago, was leading the Chichester attack.  Genever assures me that he is enjoying his squash and that his demotion is purely due to the strength of the Chichester squad and not to the onset of that scourge of the sportsman, old age.  I believe him. 

Rushworth would, no doubt, have been pleased to see Genever in any other spot in the team order other than number 4.  Genever has developed his game over the years and is a tough, hard to beat professional, who is no doubt the benchmark by which aspiring young players are and will be judged.  In this instance Rushworth, still learning his competitive trade, was caught short and suffered a reverse only managing to muster 10 points for which he fought manfully.  Match score now level at 1-1.

Jesse Engelbrecht 0-3 Tim Vail
                          5/9, 11/13, 8/10

The mouth-watering match of the night was Jesse Engelbrecht against Tim Vail.  The home player having improved considerable over the summer and Vail now regularly practising and training unlike before.  These two flamboyant shot makers locked horns.  Vail was straight out of the blocks like a sprinter and never let Engelbrecht settle wrenching the first game away from Guildford, 9 - 5.  Engelbrecht regrouped and using his speed around court to great advantage began the task of neutralising the attacking game of Vail.  The rallies were becoming longer but still Vail managed to find winners when it mattered and although Engelbrecht had game balls he was unable to convert them and Vail established a 2 - 0 lead. 

Once again in the third game Engelbrecht made some inroads and produced a fine and protracted rally forcing Vail to show athleticism in doing his court sprints.  Although this gave Engelbrecht game ball, it was Vail who turned around and smashed 2 fine winners to take the match somewhat abruptly just when the supporters were warming to the idea of a fourth and possibly a fifth game.  This was a fine performance by Vail and was a rather disappointing end to Engelbrecht's challenge which, on paper at least, had looked promising. Match score was 2 -1 in favour of Chichester.

Stephen Meads 1-3 Alex Gough
                        3/9, 5/9, 9/6, 3/9

Steve Meads and Alex Gough was a touch disappointing with Meads never really causing Gough any problems except for the brief lapse of concentration in the third game.  Both in the autumn of their careers they produced some high quality control and in Gough's case some very interesting touches, finding space on the court not seen or even looked for by many players. 

Meads was as game as ever but somehow this did not seem to be enough on the night and this despite the handicap of jet-lag in Gough, who had only recently arrived back from tournament duty in the States.  Meads took the third game but this served to rouse Gough to increase his intensity and ran out a comfortable winner in the fourth.  This gave Chichester the match at 3 - 1.

Stacey Ross 1-3 Azlan Iskandar
                      5/9, 8/10, 9/4, 9/11

As always UniSport Guildford fans were looking to home favourite Stacey Ross to give them something to smile about.  He does not often disappoint.  Iskandar, so much the favourite to win, made a solid start winning the first game 9 - 5.  But Ross started to adjust to his opponent's style and find his range, making a fight of the second game narrowly losing it to 8 -10.  He had his chances though he did not believe that he was a serious contender, but his confidence was growing.  In the third Ross came out and fired in some early drop shots and stole away to a good lead which he never lost and bagged the game 9 - 4. 

It is never easy from 2 - 0 down but in the fourth game Ross started to control more of the play making Iskandar cover more court and produce ever more athletic returns which in turn started to produce errors.  Ross looked like he was going to force it into a deciding set when much to the disappointment of the home supporters Iskandar, again rather abruptly, hit winners to close the game and the match out.  PNH Properties Chichester had won the match 4 - 1 leaving UniSport Guildford with some thinking to do.