Duffield Clinch Group Top Spot
For Home Advantage In PSL Semis

A sensational season-ending performance by former champions Benz-Bavarian Duffield in the tenth and final round of the Premier Squash League (PSL) earned the Derbyshire club top place in the Group A tables – as well as the advantage of a home tie in next week's semi-final play-offs of the world's most prestigious squash league.

Led by Yorkshire's world champion Nick Matthew, Duffield delighted their loyal home supporters by defeatingCourtcraft Pontefract 5/0 to top the tables for only the second time this season – the first being after the opening round, in which their season-long rivals LEBC Group Chapel Allerton received a bye!

Yorkshire club Chapel Allerton, champions in 2009, led Group A for most of the season – and went into the final round three points ahead of Duffield.  But the Leeds club struggled to contain CLFS Esporta Oxford in their visit south – and ultimately went down 3/2 after Oxford's Australian international Cameron Pilley beat the visitors' Renan Lavigne 11-7, 11-7, 11-7 in the tie decider.

But Duffield, PSL champions in 1998, 2006 and 2007, truly saved their best till last – with Derbyshire fire-fighterLaura Hill and Australian Matthew Karwalski both surviving five-game battles to clinch valuable points for the home side, and youngster Chris Fuller and experienced Jonathan Kemp claiming important straight games wins, before Matthew held off the challenge of veteran fellow Yorkshireman Simon Parke in four games to ensure maximum points for the club.

"I am very proud of my group of players, and tonight they did a fantastic job in front of one of the biggest crowds we've ever had – they filled every nook and cranny we had in the club," said team manager Felix Frixou. 

"Laura came back from 4-7 down in her final game – and it takes a lot of guts to do that.  And young Chris Fuller did us proud - it's good to see our young players coming through.

"But Pontefract really made it hard for us – and Simon Parke was really impressive.  I take my hat off to him – his match against Nick was played in great spirit."

The two top teams in Group B both enjoyed 4/1 wins to consolidate their places in the semi-finals.  Runaway leaders TWP St George's Hill journeyed to Devon to face Exeter Diamonds - and quickly earned the single point required to maintain their leadership, before finishing off with 17 after confident wins by British national championLaura Massaro, Hungarian No1 Mark Krajcsak, Swiss No1 Nicolas Mueller, and new England international Tom Richards. 

In a late night conclusion to the tie, Australian international Stewart Boswell gained some consolation for the hosts by beating the Weybridge club's top string Daryl Selby 11-6, 11-3, 11-5.

It was a similar story for second-placed Surrey Health & Racquets, the title-holders who built up a 4/0 lead over visitors IGT Winchester before the PSL newcomers gained a consolation point in the final match when leading Frenchman Gregory Gaultier beat the Croydon club's Peter Barker 11-3, 11-9, 11-4.

But there were earlier commanding straight games wins by France's Camille Serme, Adrian Waller, Peter Nicoland Adrian Grant to guarantee Surrey Health's fifth successive season in the semi-finals.

Whilst not featuring in the battle for places in the semi-finals, the remaining tie in Group B produced a momentous outcome when UWE Bristol beat Team Chichester 3/2 at home to earn their first win of the season!