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• FINAL • SEMI-FINALS • Round TEN • NINE • EIGHT • SEVEN • SIX • FIVE • FOUR • THREE • TWO • ONE • |
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Round SIX, Tue 29-Jan:
Group A:
TABLES
Pontefract 4-1 Nottingham
James Willstrop 3-1 Simon Parke
7/9, 9/6, 10/8, 9/6
Lee Beachill 3-0 John Rooney
9/5, 9/6, 9/6
Saurav Ghosal 3-0 Jethro Binns
9/3, 9/6, 9/7
Neil Cordell 3-1 Arthur Gaskin
10/8, 9/2, 7/9, 6/2 rtd
Kirsty McPhee 0-3 Sarah Kippax
8/10, 5/9, 6/9
Redditch 2-3 Duffield
Renan Lavigne 0-3 Stewart Boswell
5/9, 5/9, 2/9 (33m)
Jonathan Kemp 3-0 Andy Whipp
9/5, 11/9, 9/3 (21m)
David Barnett 3-2 Alex Stait
6/9, 9/7, 7/9, 9/6, 12/10 (46m)
Adam Stevenson 2-3 Nick Taylor
6/9, 7/9, 12/10, 9/5, 5/9 (41m)
Wendy Maitland 1-3 Laura Hill
3/9, 9/6, 2/9, 2/9 (24m)
Oxford 1-4 Birmingham
Scott Handley 1-3
Joey Barrington 9/7,
6-/, 5/9, 3/9
Chris Ryder 2-3 Jon Harford
6/9, 9/1, 9/7, 5/9, 8/10
Dylan Bennett 1-3 Steve Coppinger
5/9, 6/9, 9/7, 2/9
Kristen Johnson 3-2 Joel Hinds
9/4, 1/9, 7/9, 11/9, 9/4
Kerri Shields 0-3 Emma Chorley
8/10, 5/9, 5/9
Group B:
Chichester 4-1 Guildford
Azlan Iskandar 3-1 Stacey Ross
9/6, 6/9, 9/5, 9/6
Alex Gough 3-2 Stephen Meads
9/6, 6/9, 9/5, 3/9, 9/5
Tim Vail 3-0 Jesse Engelbrecht
9/6, 9/1, 9/5
Peter Genever 3-0 Alex Ingham
10/8, 9/1, 9/5
Suzy King 0-3 Alison Waters
2/9, 2/9, 8/10
Bristol 2-3 Surrey
Adrian Grant 3-2 Wael El Hindi
9/11, 9/4, 9/4, 6/9, 9/2 (76m)
David Evans 0-3 Peter Barker
5/9, 2/9, 6/9 (27m)
Hadrian Stiff 1-3 Davide Bianchetti
9/4, 3/9, 10/12, 7/9 (72m)
Peter Marshall 2-3 Adrian Waller
10/8, 6/9, 7/9, 9/6, 4/9 (57m)
Sarah-Jane Perry 3-1 Lauren Selby
7/9, 9/2, 10/8, 9/7 (24m)
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Round SIX,
29-Jan
Group A:
Pontefract 4-1 Nottingham
Redditch 2-3 Duffield
Oxford 1-4 Birmingham
Group B:
Chichester 4-1 Guildford
Bristol 2-3 Surrey
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 CRYSTAL BALL
...
Brian expects
the travelling fans to cheer Duffield to a 4-1 win, and home
fervour to do the same for Chichester.
At Oxford a toss of the coin gives it 3/2 to the home side ...
Surrey expected to win 4/1 ... Ponte's big guns should
lead them to a 3/2 win ...
Results: 1+1+0+2+1 = 5/10, fair |
Next round 05-Feb
Nottingham v Redditch
Duffield v Oxford
Birmingham v Pontefract
Guildford v Bristol
Surrey v St George's |
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Pontefract Mount Late New Year
PSL Challenge ...
Round Six roundup from Howard Harding
Playing their strongest
team of the campaign as the second half of the season got underway,
Pontefract mounted a
late challenge for Premier
Squash League (PSL) success with a 4/1 home win over
former champions Nottingham
in Tuesday's sixth round of the prestigious
England Squash league
sponsored by Towergate tlc.
Despite remaining at the foot of the Group A standings, only a
single point separates the Yorkshire club from the two teams above!
Elsewhere in the group,
Australian Stewart Boswell
clinched the decider for
Benz-Bavarian Duffield against
Energie Fitness Redditch as the
Derbyshire
title-holders extended their record to 21 ties in a row without
defeat. But second-placed
University Sport Birmingham have narrowed the gap behind
Duffield with a 4/1 away win at Esporta Oxford.
PCL
Whitehall Security Surrey H&RC
maintained their unbeaten
record this season In Group B with a 3/2 win at
Probuild Bristol - but
PNH Properties Chichester are still only 14 points adrift
of the table-toppers after recording a 4/1 home win against
UniSport Guildford.
It was only the second
time in two seasons that Pontefract's two leading stars
James Willstrop and
Lee Beachill turned out
together in the club's PSL line-up - and tonight's presence led to
the squad's second win of the season. Indeed, with
Neil Cordell cancelling
out Kirsty McPhee's
earlier loss, and Leeds University-based Indian champion
Saurav Ghosal giving the
home side a 2/1 lead, it was Beachill who clinched overall victory
for Pontefract with a convincing 9-5, 9-6, 9-6 win over Nottingham's
Irish international John Rooney.
"It was an encouraging
comeback for Lee, in his first competitive match since having a
hernia operation at the beginning of the month," said team manger
and leading coach Malcolm
Willstrop. "He was hitting the ball beautifully and
looks to be in fine shape."
In an entertaining climax
to the evening, Willstrop junior battled with fellow Yorkshireman
Simon Parke, the now
retired former world No3 who has been a Nottingham stalwart for
numerous years. "Simon ran his heart out for the visitors and gave
a great show - even though there was never any real doubt about the
final result," added Willstrop senior after his son's 7-9, 9-6,
10-8, 9-6 victory.
The Duffield roadshow
continues - but the Derbyshire club was taken the full distance at
Redditch before maintaining their unbeaten PSL record since April
2006. Fire-fighter Laura Hill
set the tone for the visitors, before new Duffield regular
Nick Taylor stemmed a
fight-back by Adam Stevenson
to beat the Redditch number four 9-6, 9-7, 10-12, 5-9, 9-5.
However,
David Barnett and ex-Duffield
star Jonathan Kemp
levelled the tie for Redditch before
Stewart Boswell
despatched Frenchman Renan
Lavigne 9-5, 9-5, 9-2 to seal Duffield's 3/2 success.
Esporta
Oxford
had a disappointing start in their home battle against
University Sport Birmingham
when Irish star Kerri Shields
lost to the west midlands side's
Emma Chorley in straight
games. But two five-game encounters were the highlights of the
evening which saw the visitors earn a 4/1win.
In a match described by
team manager Jason Martin
as "most entertaining", stalwart
Kristen Johnson recorded
his fourth successive PSL win for Oxford - and his first win in
three league clashes with Joel
Hinds since October 2006 - when he beat the University
squad No4 9-4, 1-9, 7-9, 11-9, 9-4. But, despite having 12
match-balls in a later match against
Jonathan Harford, it wasn't to be
Chris Ryder's night as
the Oxford second string went down 6-9, 9-1, 9-7, 5-9, 8-10 to
Harford in the penultimate match of the tie!
PNH
Properties Chichester
consolidated their
position in second place in the Group B tables with their 4/1 home
win against southern rivals
UniSport Guildford. But the Surrey club made a great
start when England international
Alison Waters - showing
no signs of the effects of rushing back across the Atlantic after a
surprise appearance in Sunday's final of the
Greenwich Open in New
York - beat Chichester newcomer
Susannah King 9-2 9-2 10-8.
An upset looked on the
cards when two 37-year-old veterans of the sport locked horns in the
second string match. However,
Alex Gough, the Welshman still ranked 20 in the world,
was eventually too strong for Guilford's
Stephen Meads, beating
the former world No11 9-6, 6-9, 9-5, 3-9, 9-5 to ensure the Sussex
side's win.
A
full house in Bristol were entertained by Group B leading visitors
PCL Whitehall Security Surrey
H&RC - and
the match between the hosts' 36-year-old former world No2
Peter Marshall, and the
Croydon club's Adrian Waller,
exactly half his age, perhaps proved to be the decisive one: The
experienced Marshall led after the first game, then recovered from
1/2 down to ensure a fifth game. But at 4-2 up in the decider, the
double-hander from Nottingham sustained a calf cramp - and teenager
Waller wrapped up an easy victory 8-10, 9-6, 9-7, 6-9, 9-4 in 57
minutes.
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Guildford outgunned
on the coast ...
Ian Robinson reports
UniSport Guildford made a fruitless trip to the south coast to
face up to second place PNH Properties Chichester, losing by a 4
- 1 margin. Chichester were led by Malaysian top 20 player
Azlan Iskandar and player - managed by the very in-form Tim
Vail. There was some spirited resistance from the underdogs,
UniSport Guildford, but overall were outgunned by some heavy
firepower.
Nonetheless UniSport were given the
best possible start by Alison Waters who had flown in the
day before, fresh from her final appearance in the Greenwich
Open. Showing no signs of tiredness or jet lag Waters started at
a furious pace to leave Suzie King, making her debut for
PNH Properties Chichester, floundering in the blocks trying to
make sense of a hasty 2 - 0 deficit. The third game was more
relaxed for Waters, taking her foot of the gas for a while, she
allowed the Chichester player chance to find her feet and with
due credit King played some attractive shots and pushed Waters
to finish the match at the tie breaker stage. This was to be the
last taste of success on the night for UniSport Guildford after
this early 1 - 0 lead.
Tim Vail effectively managed
the match with Jesse Engelbrecht in masterful style. Vail
rarely put a foot wrong, showing a high degree of patience
before unleashing some pin point accurate winners to all corners
of the court. There were neither loose balls nor errors from the
Vail racket, which left Engelbrecht frustrated in the extreme on
a night when he did not actually play that badly. Vail is a
world renowned expert at the PSL format of the game but is also
in training for his annual pilgrimage to Manchester to look for
some prized scalps in the National Championships. On this
evidence he will be more than a handful to those unfortunate
enough to see him in their part of the draw. With due haste
Vail ensured that the match score was level at 1 - 1.
Young Alex Ingham was
matched with the vastly experienced Peter Genever, now
coach to the stars but previously the club number 1 in PSL. The
'ageing' Genever is acutely aware of the pressures staving off
the next generation of squash players but still has far too much
experience to lose too much sleep over it. He was given some
things to think about by Ingham who is beginning to put some
useful rallies together but lacks consistency at the moment to
trouble the older generation. However that is not to
underestimate the quality of some of his play. Ingham might
have had a little more luck and stolen the first game and that
might have given him the belief that he could make inroads into
the match. But after that initial loss the reality is that Genever
turned the screw and forged a 2 - 0 lead, which was always going
to prove too much for Ingham to turn around. PNH Properties
Chichester 2 - 1.
It was hard to make sense of the
number 2 string match between the Chichester number 2, veteran
Alex Gough, and his 'youthful' opponent of UniSport
Guildford fame Stephen Meads. This was very much a yoyo
match with Gough taking the lead and never really losing it but
at the same time getting himself into a tizzy during the in
between games. Gough is a highly skilled practioner of the
sport, but looked like he was well out of sorts in the 2nd
and 4th games but always rallied around to ensure that he
finished in front. The UniSport player was in good form after
his recent sojourn in Hong Kong and was ready poised to take any
advantage that was going. Gough got irritated however and then
for some reason unknown to supporters, colleagues and family
alike Meads started calling his perfectly good returns down -
curious. Suffice to say that there was some good quality squash
to enjoy, some moments of pure farce and some niggles, but
overall good value entertainment. The entertainment was marred
for UniSport fans by the reality that the team had lost the
match with a 3 - 1 score already against them, and more
specifically Meads lost a long match in the 5th.
Stacey 'the boss' Ross (as
the announcer man nominated him) is a player who has a
burgeoning coaching diary and reduced tournament schedule as a
result. The silky skills are in tact but the physical support
system is a little suspect. There is no doubt that it will soon
be renewed but against player of Azlan Iskandar's class
that is too big a deficit to carry. Nonetheless Ross always
fancies his chances against Azlan and plays with confidence as a
result. Ross has beaten Azlan before in the PSL but not for a
while. Azlan has risen to number 17 in the world rankings, Ross
is top 50. There was not that big a difference on the night. The
first game was even all the way and Ross lapsed into error at
the business end of the game. In the second game Ross gained a
lead and managed to hang onto it and close out the game to level
the scores. The tactical content was largely cat and mouse with
Ross trying to vary the pace and shrewdly put together a
confusing mix of patience and winners. This was to some degree
effective as Azlan was more error prone than one might have
expected. There were clear signs of fatigue for Ross, but Azlan
was not finding it easy to draw Ross into energy sapping rallies
as Ross endeavoured to shorten the rallies and vary his attack.
It was indeed an interesting contest marred only by the fact
that Ross ran out of legs. Azlan held it together well in the
end but was probably relieved to hit a cross court winner into
the nick to earn his winning bonus and avoid the inconvenience
of a 5th game, 3 - 1 to Azlan.
This was a clear 4 - 1 win for
second place PNH Properties Chichester who will consider this a
good day at the office. UniSport Guildford, however, will need
to regroup to face Probuild Bristol, who are also strong
contenders for the play offs.
The entertainment will once again be of a high order if not the
result so see you next week Tuesday 5th February at
the Varsity Centre 7pm start for UniSport Guildford v Probuild
Bristol.
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Duffield hit 21 but
injuries mount ...
Brian Hargrave reports
Supporters of defending champions Benz – Bavarian Duffield travelled in
the mini bus via the M42 toll arriving just before the 7pm deadline
without the infamous driver Stephen putting a foot wrong until within
sight of the Club he missed the right turn into the car park. The signs
were good but swings and one more roundabout some might say and it was
game on. More later ...
First on court was
Laura Hill, Eng 8, against Wendy
Maitland-Jones, former world No 24. After a shaky start Hill
cruised through the first game 9-3 in just 5 minutes moving her opponent
all around the court. It looked a formality but Maitland hit back to
take the second 9-6. A few re-assuring words from the manager seemed to
stoke Hill’s fire and she took full control to win the third and fourth
games both 9-2, Cause for double celebration as at 6.10pm Ross Fletcher
of Radio Derby fame had, during a live broadcast, congratulated her boy
friend and PSL squad member Kevin White on being married to Laura. Does
Ross know something is in the fire brigade pipeline one asks?
On the adjoining court
Nick
Taylor, National O35 champion,
was in a real battle
with a rejuvenated Adam Stevenson.
The court seemed a littler dead and this suited Taylor’s game as he
played a variety of shots with some delightful drops. Taylor edged
the first 9-6 coming back from 6-3 down to reel of 6 quick points.
The second was equally close and was nip and tuck all the way until
Taylor closed out at 9-7. The third was almost identical and Taylor
reached match point with an opportunity to play a probable winner
with Stevenson tucked in close behind him. Taylor opted for the
stroke which was denied and another match ball came and went before
Stevenson got out of jail to clinch the game 12-10. Taylor was
probably still thinking it should have been all over and the fourth
game slipped from his grasp 9-5 as Stevenson gained in confidence to
record 4 quick points from 5 all. At this stage Taylor was in clear
discomfort from a stiffening shoulder and there looked only one
likely winner. In the fifth Taylor dug deep, went for winners which
came off, as Stevenson’s showed signs of tiring. Taylor always had
his nose in front and to the relief of the travelling fans beat the
Redditch number four 9-6, 9-7, 10-12, 5-9, 9-5 in an absorbing
rubber which was too close for comfort.
Next on court was former
Duffield player Jon Kemp against
the undefeated Andy Whipp. Kemp, who had clinched the PSL
title for Duffield earlier in the year, had just arrived back from
the Dayton USA open so Whippy thought he might be a little weary.
However, Kemp kept things simple as his shots all came off in the
first which he took 9-5. Whippy’s game plan began to work in the
second as from 4 all he reached game point in typical attacking
style. A simple opportunity to clinch the game went into the tin
with Kemp ready to walk off court. Whippy was made to rue this miss
as Kemp went on one of his renowned winning tinless streaks and
despite the Duffield man levelling at 9 all Kemp was much relieved
to have also got out of jail. In the third Kemp sensed that Whippy
was still thinking about the earlier missed chance and he tightened
his grip on the match with a comfortable 9-3 scoreline.
On the adjacent court
another titanic battle was in progress with
Alex Stait struggling
with a niggling knee throwing everything bat the kitchen sink at
David Barnet who was
using his reach to great effect . The spoils were shared in the
first two games which was a fair reflection. Stait hit back from 6-3
down in the third to squeeze home 9-7. The fourth went Barnett’s way
as Stait lost his way. Stait had two match balls which he rather
snatched at in his eagerness to clinch victory for his team but
Barnett was not to be denied and the Northumbria County champion
finally levelled the overall score taking the fifth 12-10.
It was all down to the
No 1 seeds with former Duffield No 1
Renan Lavigne shrugging
off the misspelling of his name on his shirt facing Stewart
Boswell
(wr 15) the stylish Australian No 2 deputising for the injured Nick
Matthew. Lavigne a former duffield crowd favourite, who missed the
final which Duffield won in 2006, had been belatedly presented with
his PSL souvenir trophy prior to the game. The hope was that the 10
places gap in their respective world rankings would be reflected on
court and after a close opening first game until the scored reached
5 all Boswell’s superior shot making began to tell despite Lavigne’s
valiant efforts. The first two games both went to the Australian 9-5
but from 2-0 down in the third Boswell went for the kill reeling of
9 points as Lavigne, also just back from Daytona, wilted under
relentless pressure.
Duffield had somehow won
another close encounter to record a remarkable 21 consecutive
victories in the PSL.
So an earlier finish than
usual and excellent after match meal and Stephen was back in
control. The signs were ominous when he turned left instead of right
out of the car park but Tom Tom was quick to remind him that another
visit to the Billy Wright statute in Wolverhampton was not a good
idea. All then went well until Stephen decided to return to the M42
rather than the shortest route towards Lichfield via the Belfry. A
detour via Stapenhill, who a week on Saturday entertain the famous
Atherstone Town FC in the Midlands Football alliance, saw the
Brewery Town of Burton come and go followed by Repton and Willington
before back on the A38. This detour was no way as scenic as Wisteria
Cottage in Chichester or the thatched cottages in Sussex in the
early hours but was nevertheless another notch on Stephen’s belt.
Next match is at home to
Oxford on Tuesday 5 February which clashes with the Ashbourne Shrove
Tuesday ball game. Injuries are mounting for the defending champions
so home support will be vital with both Stewart Boswell and Tania
Bailey away playing tournaments and Nick Mathew out probably for the
rest of the season.
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PSL TABLES (after Round Six)
Ties Matches
Games Pts
P W L W L W L
Group A:
Benz-Bavarian Duffield
6 6 0 24 6 77 37 107
University Sport Birmingham
6 4 2 18 12 67 49 87
Esporta Oxford
6 3 3 13 17 51 67 66
Nottingham
6 2 4 11 19 47 63 57
Energie Fitness Redditch
6 1 5 13 17 52 60 57
Pontefract
6 2 4 11 19 46 64 56
Group B:
Surrey H&RC
5 5 0 19 6 64 33 89
PNH Properties Chichester
5 4 1 15 10 55 45 75
Probuild Bristol
5 1 4 10 15 48 56 53
Luxfords St George's Hill
4 1 3 8 12 33 43 38
UniSport Guildford
5 1 4 8 17 32 55 37
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Guildford hoping for
Derby liftoff
Ian Robinson's preview ...
UniSport Guildford travel to the south coast for the derby
match with rivals PNH Properties Chichester. UniSport are
languishing at the foot of the table separated from St George's Hill
by 7 points. Whereas PNH Properties Chichester are in the play off
places at second in the table at the half way stage of the season.
All the form points to a Chichester win by some margin, but matches
between these two teams have often been more of a lottery than the
league places might suggest.
UniSport will take some comfort from the number 5 string match
between Suzy King and Alison Waters where the disparity would
appear to be considerable especially bearing in mind the current
good form of the UniSport player and also her impressive world
ranking of 12. This should give UniSport the start they want.
Peter Genever, until recently, always used to spearhead the
Chichester attack at number 1 string so for UniSport's Alex
Ingham to run into him at number 4 string is likely to test the
junior's credentials to the limit and will make a win here unlikely.
Tim Vail, player manager and acknowledged expert at the PSL
formula, has an interesting opponent from the UniSport ranks in
Jesse Engelbrecht. Engelbrecht is newly crowned South African
number 1 with a world ranking of 75 and has enjoyed a much improved
run of form of late. This looks on paper like 'match of the day'.
Recent head to heads give Engelbrecht the slight edge but who would
bet against Vail in the PSL as this is where he has always delivered
some spectacular results. The outcome of this match could well be
pivotal as to how the match result is determined. Should Unisport be
successful here then, it is not impossible to look for winning
points.
Although the odds are stacked against Stephen Meads, the
veteran renews his rivalry with Alex Gough still sitting at
20 in the World rankings. The Chichester veteran has maintained his
world class form admirably and is likely to be too strong for Meads
on this occasion. There will be some world class skills on show here
offset by a long standing rivalry, which probably won't affect the
outcome results wise.
The hoped for decider will match Malaysian number 2 Azlan
Iskandar with UniSport's Stacey Ross. The difference in
world rankings is palpable with the Malaysian at number 15 against
local hero Ross who is number 47. There was some time ago a result
between these two contestants that favoured the Guildford player but
times have changed since then along with current form and it
suggests that overall PNH Chichester will prevail and continue their
quest for the play offs, leaving UniSport Guildford to ponder the
fact that the squad is probably a top class player short of
troubling the very best teams in the league.
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JASON’S
PSL VERDICT
Oxford's manager sits on the fence ...
Welcome once again to the PSL Premier Squash League. Tuesday night could
just be the match that decides the season play off finalists from this
division as third place take on second place in this world class event.
Birmingham pipped Oxford to second place last season and the same looks
likely with an away win and securing the double over the Esporta team. With
Madeline Perry not available and recovering from injury having missed all
the first half much will be asked of Oxford Graduate Kerri Shields
from Ireland on the WISPA tour in her second year now.
From personal experience playing on the lower 17 inch tin and with PAR
(point a rally scoring to 9), the form book can often be over turned. The
players more used to this scoring system and those a bit more adventurous
tends to be favoured. Up steps our resident pro Kristen Johnson, on
home courts and with a really competitive will, will this be enough to
avenge defeats suffered at the hands of Joel Hinds. Maybe just maybe
this could be a crucial tie.
On paper and at the time of going to press. Birmingham look favourites. If
Joey Barrington plays, with Cameron Pilley our tried and trusted
Aussie missing at number one, this looks a really tough call for our
Scott Handley. Teenage sensation Mohammad El Shorbagy has the
distraction of still being at school and may well miss the match, and
Chris Ryder’s meteoric rise over the last season should be enough to
pull through, but only just.
The last match between these two was a scintillating affair with Ryder going
2 games up but then losing the next 2 games and saving five match balls
before coming home in the fifth.
If Shorbagy does not play then Jon Harford will play Ryder in a
repeat of the Esporta Chris Lewis Trophy Final in December which Ryder won
3/0. If Harford and Dylan Bennett line up again, who knows how to
call this tie. 3/2 last time round these 2 big men are surely going to slog
it out again.
South African Steve Coppinger may well come in which would be a tough
match against the world ranked 44 Bennett from Holland. This should be
really exciting tie and could just decide whether Oxford stay in the chase
for second or lose pace with Birmingham in what will be a stiff challenge
for the remaining matches of the season.
Not one to sit on the fence I can’t call this tie, it will go 3/2 either
way.
PSL Manager Esporta Oxford
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