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Surrey 4-1
Chichester
Wael El Hindi 3-1 Azlan
Iskandar 9/7,
9/4, 7/9, 9/6 (65m)
Peter Barker 3-1 Alex
Gough 9/2,
9/5, 4/9, 9/2 (48m)
Davide Bianchetti 3-1 Tim
Vail 9/11,
9/3, 9/3, 9/7 (64m)
Ben Ford 2-3 Peter Genever
11/9, 2/9, 9/4, 7/9, 6/9 (62m)
Vicky Botwright 3-0 Dominique
Lloyd-Walter 9/3, 9/5, 9/4 (21m)
Gloom & Despondency? Not a
Chance
The Crabtree Report
Howard
Harding's Roundup |
The final, as it happened ...
Steve Cubbins at Lee-on-Solent
Vicky in the Zone
Vicky Botwright got Surrey off to the perfect
start, with a 3/0 win in 21 minutes - the match
finishing moments before the first game of the
men's match on the adjacent court finished. "I
was in the zone," said Vicky, who played for Lee
for four seasons.
Jelly Levels
Coming from 2/1down, Peter "Jelly" Genever kept
Chichester in the hunt with a fine performance
against Ben Ford, greeted with noisy delight by
the many many Chichester fans.
Advantage Surrey for Barker
Surrey retook the lead after the top string
match, Peter Barker taking a solid two-game
lead, and although the wily Alex Gough pulled
one back, a 7/0 deficit in the fourth was too
much.
Bianchetti bags it
A great start for Chichester player/manager as
he took the first game against Davide
Bianchetti, who was docked a conduct stroke to
make it 9-all in the first before "the Vole"
went on to take it 11/9.
But Bianchetti fought back, taking a 2/1 lead to
set up a tense finish. Meanwhile Wael El Hindi
had taken a 2/0 lead, so the race was on to see
who could finish it first for Surrey.
Bianchetti reached 8-3 match ball, but Vail held
on, pulling back point by point. 8-7 Bianchetti,
7-all El Hindi ...
After several tense and raucous lets the Italian
finally put in a dropshot too tight for Vail and
the place erupted ... seconds later Iskandar
pulled a game back but it was too late.
Wael wrapped it up in the fourth and the
celebrations began again ...
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Surrey
Health Win Maiden
Premier League Title
Howard Harding reports
At
the end of only their third season in the
competition,
PCL Whitehall
Security Surrey Health & Racquets Club
clinched the
Premier Squash
League (PSL) title for the first time
after beating
PNH Properties
Chichester 4/1
in Tuesday's final of the established
England
Squash league sponsored by
Towergate tlc.
With both teams supported by determined and
vociferous fans, it was clear that a great
evening of squash was about to be unleashed on
the two adjacent glass-backed courts at
Lee on Solent
Squash Club.
Surrey H&RC, from Croydon, took an early lead
when England international
Vicky Botwright,
the world No10 from Manchester, beat compatriot
Dominique
Lloyd-Walter 9-3, 9-5, 9-4 in 21
minutes.
The
end of this match coincided with the completion
of the first game on the adjacent court - where
Surrey's Ben
Ford finally clinched the early lead
against
Peter Genever after the Chichester
part-timer had saved two game-balls.
Both teams knew the importance of this
particular clash - the pair's first meeting -
and both sets of supporters did their best to
outdo each other in the decibel stakes!
Genever, a veteran of all 12 of Chichester's PSL
campaigns, levelled the match in the second game
- and when world No93 Ford took the third,
Chichester's former tour player again evened the
score.
But when Genever led 7-2 in the decider - then
stemmed a fight back by Ford to clinch the match
9-11, 9-2, 4-9, 9-7, 9-6 after 62 minutes - the
Chichester followers almost raised the roof!
By now, Surrey were again leading in the second
string battle between England international
Peter Barker
and Chichester's Welsh international
Alex Gough
- both of whom were playing in their second PSL
final, and both of whom had achieved their
seedings in last week's
Dunlop British
Open in Liverpool.
Barker, a rising star, took the first two games,
but veteran Gough, a 37-year-old former British
O35 Open champion, pegged one back. It was to
no avail, however, as the 24-year-old world No12
secured the fourth to put Surrey back in the
lead.
However, it was more than an hour and a half
later - with the final two matches playing side
by side and fortunes wavering from one team to
the other - before
Davide
Bianchetti, the world No30 from
Italy, finally curbed the brave and determined
efforts of Chichester's second part-timer
Tim Vail
9-11, 9-3, 9-3, 9-7 in 64 minutes, and Surrey
H&RC fans cheered their team's maiden PSL
triumph.
The top string encounter was an all-overseas
affair - but both players have clearly
established loyal followings from their teams'
fans. The crowd were mesmerised by the talents
of Surrey's
Wael El Hindi, the world No9 from
Egypt, and Chichester's
Mohd Azlan
Iskandar, the world No13 from
Malaysia who produced last week's biggest
British Open shock when he upset second seed
Ramy Ashour,
also from Egypt.
But it was the Egyptian who ultimately prevailed
to win 9-7, 9-4, 7-9, 9-6 in 65 minutes to earn
the Croydon club a 4/1 victory.
"I thought it would be a close affair," said
Surrey H&RC team manager
Pete Smith.
"But I was confident we would win and am
delighted that we did. Tonight has been a
fantastic night.
"Participation in the PSL for the past three
seasons has been a very positive thing for us -
it has helped with our junior development and
has increased our squash membership, leading to
more squash being played at the club.
"And the team spirit has been fantastic," added
Smith. "Not just the players who have played
tonight, but the whole squad who have helped us
to get this far - players like British Junior
champion Adrian Waller and Tim Garner."
Peter Cullen,
representing club sponsors PCL Whitehall
Security, added: "There's been a cracking
atmosphere tonight. Now that we've won it, we
want to retain it next year!"
Chichester, who were playing in the final for
the first time despite having reached the
semi-finals seven times since 1996, were proud
of their achievement - particularly since two
members of their team, Peter Genever and Tim
Vail, have not played full-time squash for many
years, yet have both represented the Sussex club
with distinction in all ten ties this season.
"I knew I had to win tonight's match if we were
to have a chance of winning the title," said
Genever, a former world No23 who is now a
highly-respected elite coach. "A night like tonight is good for the game,
where you have a neutral venue with two strong
sets of supporters providing a fantastic
atmosphere.
"I've represented Chichester for over 25 years
now, from when I was a junior. Most of our
supporters here are my friends, people I grew up
with. Playing for Chichester in the PSL gets me
motivated," concluded the 34-year-old England
No21.
Egypt's Wael El Hindi acknowledged that he'd
never before experienced anything like the
atmosphere during the PSL final. "Most of my
countrymen don't play leagues - they like to
stay at home. But I play all over Europe," said
the charismatic world No9 who divides his time
between Cairo and Glastonbury in England, where
he trains with British squash legend
Jonah
Barrington.
"But I have never experienced anything like this
before. It has been fantastic - an unbelievable
evening," said the beaming Egyptian |
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GLOOM AND DESPONDENCY?
NOT A
CHANCE
 Peter Crabtree reports
So,
the moment of truth came and went, and absent a
moment of the Hargrave jinx striking, it was
always likely to be the outcome. It was a good
evening of hard fought squash played out in an
almost gladiatorial atmosphere with crowd
interaction like I have never seen before in a
squash match – and it was good to see. One of
the best parts of it was that the players tried
to keep their own games moving whilst there was
some unbelievable noise coming from the adjacent
court. Mind you, the refs and players had some
problems communicating – no change there then!
Firstly, thanks to Lee on Solent for hosting the
match. OK, so they took a few bob at the bar,
but they are a traditional squash club, albeit
with a tennis section, and their approach to
this match was everything it should have been –
excellent hospitality and a welcoming atmosphere
for both sets of supporters as well as their own
members. Thanks to Nutters and Alison (I will
never reveal the truth Alison!) for organising
the evening and co-ordinating the many strands
that go to making up a successful event. To “the
voice of squash” Alan Thatcher for his
contribution, including the invaluable skill of
knowing when to keep quiet, again thanks. Also
to Howard and Steve for the recording for
posterity of the evening’s events.
So, to the real interest – a callypygous (sorry
for the missing “Y” in the programme) treat to
kick off the evening. To be honest, it was a bit
disappointing, and I am sure Dom feels she
didn’t do herself justice, but when all is said
and done, the rankings told the truth, as they
did in most of the matches, and a far better (on
the night) player won the opening match.
Meanwhile, Jelly was rolling back the years with
a vintage display of squash against the
evergreen Ben Ford. The first game was still
going when the girls finished, and after staving
off 2 game balls, Jelly just lost it 9-11 in a
little over 20 minutes. The hot courts and very
warm evening played a part in prolonging the
games, but even so, there was no shortage of
attacking shots, and our Jelly actually twatted
a straight nick to a tumultuous roar. The match
went the way of each player in turn, and
eventually, the travelling Chichester massive
raised the roof when Pete ran, or rather
stumbled, out a 3-2 winner after a little over
an hour. The sentiment afterwards was that if we
had to lose 4-1, then it was absolutely
appropriate that our longest serving player who
has featured in the team since our very first
match (against Chris Tomlinson if I remember
rightly) should get the win. It was good to see
the Bromley number 1 from that match James
Robbins spectating – still playing good stuff as
well it seems (or so he said).
So, honours even, and the seemingly ageless Alex
Gough taking on the much younger Peter Barker on
the main court. The nipper rather cheekily ran
into a 2-0 lead dropping only 7 points in the
process and it did seem that it was going to be
all over rather quickly. A bit of a spring
appeared in the Welshman’s legs to take the 3rd,
but Barker cruised through the next to put
Croydon on the edge of a maiden PSL title.
During the match, we were treated to some
exquisite shot-making from both players, and
some movement around the court that defied
belief, especially from the old boy. But this
then took us into the 2 strings that we thought
really held out some hope.
Vole has a habit (well several actually) of
chopping higher ranked players off the court,
but the aforementioned conditions were not going
to be in his favour, and it seemed that the plan
of nicking Bianchetti out of the match was going
to be a tough ask. Hence, those Vole pins were
scampering like nobody’s business, and he
managed to reverse Jelly’s opening game
scoreline to achieve an 11-9 win, and maybe a
scent of victory. Contrary to everyone (from
Chichester)’s anticipation, this was to be the
second longest match of the night, and after an
hour and four minutes, the Croydon player went
berserk as he finally ran out a 3-1 winner to
secure the match and the title for Croydon. Poor
Vole could hardly move at the end, and my guess
is it will take more than a couple of sessions
of physio for him to recover!
The number one strings were always going to be a
titanic battle, and this was a contest that was
never going to be for the faint-hearted. One of
them has a bit of a reputation for blocking and
barging, and the other for excessive levels of
charity on court, and both upheld their images
extremely well. Being a referee is never easy at
the top level, because as we saw, these guys are
incredible athletes, and at the end we were to
witness once again Azzy doing the full splits in
a vain attempt to pick up a drop shot. But, and
there always is one, the referee should have
jumped on the less savoury aspects of what was
going on right at the outset, which would almost
certainly have prevented some of the nonsense
that followed.
But, it was a match that included some of the
finest squash, both shots and movement, that I
have seen in some 30 years of watching top class
squash, and both players deserve the credit for
it, especially given their determination to keep
play going despite the huge amounts of noise
coming from Vole’s court. There was some
sumptuous racket skill from Wail (and he did!)
and wonderful athleticism from Azzy, but the
culmination of the match next door and the
winning of the title seemed to relax El Hindi,
and he just played good squash to edge the match
against a by now seemingly demoralised Azlan –
pity it wasn’t like that all the way through,
the squash not the demoralisation.
So, a deserved win for Pete Smith and his team –
I just wish I hadn’t done such a good job of
selling him the idea of playing in PSL 4 years
ago! Thanks again to Lee for hosting the match,
and to the spectators (or the vast majority of
them!!) for creating a wonderful atmosphere
which will long be remembered. “The best final
I’ve seen” said Nutters – nearly right Chris!
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FINAL:
Tue 13th May,
Lee-on-Solent
Surrey Health & Chichester
inMaiden PSL title bids
...
PNH Properties Chichester
and PCL Whitehall Security Surrey
Health & Racquets Club will meet
in Tuesday's final of the
Premier Squash League (PSL) at
Lee-on-Solent Squash Club -
both clubs bidding to win their
first title in the established
England Squash league sponsored
by Towergate tlc.
In the first final for six years
between two southern clubs,
Chichester will be led by Mohd
Azlan Iskandar - the Malaysian
who claimed an unexpected berth in
the quarter-finals of this week's
Dunlop British Open after
upsetting second seed Ramy Ashour
- while their Croydon-based
opponents will be led by Egyptian
Wael El Hindi, the world No9.
Chichester beat defending champions
Benz-Bavarian Duffield to
make the final for the first time in
eight attempts, and Surrey Health
defeated University Sport
Birmingham in the other semi.
"It is going to be fantastic final,
with all of the matches difficult to
call, and nice to see the south
breaking the north’s stranglehold,"
said Surrey H&RC spokesman Tim
Garner. "We may have the
slight edge in terms of rankings but
the massive Chichester supporter
group that will travel along the
south coast are sure to inspire
their players.
"To counter this, our club is hiring
a coach to take our own army of fans
down the M3 and so it is likely to
be an electric atmosphere on the
night.
"We are confident that we recruited
the right players this year and it
was a great achievement for the club
to make the final in only our third
season. But second place is not an
option," added Garner.
The final will be staged in
Lee-on-Solent where the host club is
celebrating its centenary this year.
"This year sees Lee-on-the-Solent
celebrate the centenary of its
foundation back in 1908," said club
spokesman Chris Raleigh. "To mark
this milestone in the Club's history
we have many highpoints planned
throughout the year. On 31st May we
have our grand Tennis open day with
Pat Cash as our special celebrity
guest; on Friday 16th May we are
hosts for the "lost for words" event
featuring Lee Beachill and James
Willstrop - this being followed by
some live entertainment from the
dynamic duo. On 14th June we will be
holding our Grand Summer Foundation
Ball at the Club.
"In addition to the above we have
lots of mini events going on. To be
invited to host the Premier Squash
League Final on Tuesday 13th May
just prior to our own "Lost for
Words" evening will make the mid
week in May a fantastic week to
remember for Squash down at
Lee-on-the-Solent, where we have a
long and established association
with top quality tournaments and
some principal players."
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THE FINAL:
Surrey v Chichester
Wael El Hindi v Azlan Iskandar
Peter Barker v Alex Gough
Davide Bianchetti v Tim Vail
Ben Ford v Peter Genever
Vicky Botwright v Dominique
Lloyd-Walter
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 CRYSTAL
BALL ...
On rankings you'd be mad to bet
against Surrey ... so we won't. |
Full details
of the 2007/08 Season
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