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Round One: The
2008/09 season gets under way ... |
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Tue
7th Oct
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MB Nottingham 3-2 Chapel Allerton
Ong Beng Hee
3-0 Jonathan Harford
11/8, 11/7, 11/3
Julian Illingworth 3-1 Scott Arnold
11/9, 11/1, 5/11, 11/6
John Rooney 3-1 Chris Simpson
11/6, 10/12, 11/5, 11/7
Arthur Gaskin 1-3 Steve Coppinger
10/12, 0/11, 11/4, 7/11
Sarah Kippax 0-3 Jenny Duncalf
5/11, 5/11, 5/11
Pontefract 3-2 Esporta Oxford
James Willstrop
3-1 Cameron Pilley
2/9, 9/6, 10/8, 11/9
Saurav Ghosal 3-2 Chris Ryder
9/5, 5/9, 9/7, 8/10, 9/7
Neil Cordell 3-0 Scott Handley
9/5, 9/7, 11/9
Harinder Pal Sandhu 0-3 Jaymie Haycocks
3/9, 7/9, 6/9
Vanessa Atkinson 2-3 Madeline Perry
2/9, 9/3, 5/9, 9/7, 6/9
Probuild Bristol 4-1 UniSport Guildford
Adrian
Grant 3-0 Jesse Engelbrecht
11/9, 11/4, 11/7
David Evans 3-2 Stacey Ross
11/7, 7/11, 11/8, 9/11, 11/7
Hadrian Stiff 3-0 Phil Rushworth
11/8, 11/8, 11/8
Peter Marshall 3-0 Mick Biggs
11/5, 11/6, 11/5
Sarah-Jane Perry 0-3 Alison Waters
4/11, 2/11, 8/11
Pnh Properties Chichester
2-3 Exeter Diamonds
Alex Gough 1-3 Stewart
Boswell
2/11, 13/11, 5/11, 2/11
Tim Vail 0-3 Jon Kemp
6/11, 8/11, 11/13
Robbie Temple 1-3 Rob Sutherland
4/11, 8/11, 11/6, 10/12
Peter Genever 3-1 James Snell
8/11, 11/3, 11/7, 13/11
Dominique Lloyd-Walter 3-0 Emma Chorley
11/8, 11/4, 11/6
PCL Whitehall
Security Surrey H&RC 3-2 TWP St George's Hill
Peter Barker
3-2
Daryl Selby
11/13, 9/11, 11/6, 11/8, 11/5
Davide Bianchetti 3-0 Mark Krajcsak 11/4, 11/5, 11/6
Tim Garner 1-3 Tom Richards
4/11, 6/11, 11/8, 8/11
Ben Ford 1-3 Joe Lee
4/11, 8/11, 11/7, 10/12
Vicky Botwright 3-0 Rachel Willmott 11/7, 11/0, 11/7
Mixed Fortunes For PSL Newcomers
In League Season Openers
Roundup
from Howard Harding
While Pontefract and Probuild
Bristol top
the two group tables after tonight's (Tuesday) first round
action in the new season of the Premier
Squash League, there were mixed fortunes for PSL
newcomers Chapel
Allerton and Exeter
Diamonds on
the opening night of the 26th season of the world's most
prestigious squash league.
 Yorkshire
club Pontefract,
led by England number one James
Willstrop, secured their best ever start in the PSL,
beating Esporta
Oxford 3/2
- while the other tie in Group A saw MB
Nottingham also
overcome Leeds-based Chapel
Allerton 3/2.
2007 runners-up Probuild
Bristol scored
the most decisive victory in Group B, with a 4/1 home win
against UniSport
Guildford -
and title-holders PCL
Whitehall Security Surrey H&RC recovered
from 1/2 down to beat Surrey county rivals TWP
St George's Hill 3/2.
Devon & Exeter faced
a tough induction away from home against PNH
Properties Chichester, last season's beaten finalists
weakened on the eve of the tie by the withdrawal of their
injured squad No1 Mohd
Azlan Iskandar, the world No12 from Malaysia. And
the PSL debutants were 2/0 down after the first two matches at
the West Sussex club.
But in a clash described as 'the standout match of the night' by
the Exeter club's manager Tony
Snell, Welshman
Rob Sutherland reduced
the deficit by beating the home side's Robbie
Temple 11-4,
11-8, 6-11, 12-10. "I always knew that match between the two
Robs would be key - and our Rob played extremely well, he looked
strong throughout and thoroughly deserved his win," said Snell.
England number six Jonathan
Kemp levelled
the tie with an 11-6, 11-8, 13-11 win over Chichester captain Tim
Vail, before Australian star Stewart
Boswell clinched
victory for the visitors by overcoming league veteran Alex
Gough, the now retired former world No5, 11-2, 11-13,
11-5, 11-2.
"The absence of their expected number one Azlan certainly gave
us more of a chance," conceded Snell. "But it's been a
fantastic start to our PSL campaign - and not really what we
expected. In fact, I had to ring our sponsor Keith White - who
is on holiday in Marbella - and he was taken aback too!"
The emphatic home victory by Group B rivals Probuild
Bristol over UniSport
Guildford was
'what we needed', said team captain Hadrian
Stiff. But the visitors' world No6 Alison
Waters was
too strong for 18-year-old Sarah-Jane
Perry, winning in straight games to give the
Guildford club the early lead. Bristol's cream rose to the top,
however, as its manpower took the remaining four matches - squad
number two David
Evans, recently returned to Wales after two years as
the Jersey national coach, taken the full distance by the
UniSport second string Stacey
Ross before
winning 11-7, 7-11, 11-8, 9-11, 11-7.
TWP
St George's Hill looked
on course to avenge their two defeats by champions PCL
Whitehall Security Surrey H&RC last
season - firstly when club stalwarts Joe
Lee and Tom
Richards put
the visitors 2/1 ahead, and secondly when squad number one Daryl
Selby took
a two game lead over the Croydon club's world No11 Peter
Barker in
the decider.
Lee celebrated his 19th birthday in fine style, beating fellow
Englishman Ben
Ford -
ranked some 50 places higher in the world - 11-4, 11-8, 7-11,
12-10 to level the tie after England international Vicky
Botwright put
the hosts ahead with a comprehensive 11-7, 11-0, 11-7 defeat of
former British Junior champion Rachel
Willmott.
But, in the decider at the end of the night, England
international Peter Barker showed the talent that has won him
twoPSA Tour titles
in the past month when he came back from two games down to beat
St George's Hill's Daryl Selby 11-13, 9-11, 11-6, 11-8, 11-5 to
clinch victory for the champions.
Pontefract team manager Malcolm
Willstrop proclaimed
it a "good night of squash" after his home-grown squad clinched
a popular home victory over Esporta Oxford in Group A. And the
Yorkshire club had to come from two matches down after Vanessa
Atkinson slid
to a 2-9, 9-3, 5-9, 9-7, 6-9 defeat to Irish comeback queen Madeline
Perry and
newly-recruited 19-year-old Indian Harinder
Pal Sandhu lost
to the visitors' Jaymie
Haycocks.
But promising York teenager Neil
Cordell produced
one of the best wins of his career when he beat experienced
Oxford opponent Scott
Handley -
ranked more than 150 places higher in the world - 9-5, 9-7,
11-9. The win spurred the squad's better known Indian Saurav
Ghosal, his country's reigning national champion, to
beat last weekend'sLeinster
Open champion Chris
Ryder 9-5,
5-9, 9-7, 8-10, 9-7.
And in the decider, Pontefract number one James
Willstrop recovered
from a game down to beat Cameron
Pilley 2-9,
9-6, 10-8, 11-9 in his third successive PSL victory over the
rising Australian star over the past two seasons.
"It was a cracking game which will do both of them good in the
lead-up to next week's World Open," said Willstrop senior.
Like Devon & Exeter, former champions MB
Nottingham may
also have benefited from the last-minute reduction in the
fire-power of newcomers Chapel
Allerton, whose top string Alister
Walker was
forced to pull out with injury. The Leeds newcomers romped to a
2/0 lead after wins by England number one Jenny
Duncalf and
squad latecomerStephen
Coppinger.
But Nottingham regular John
Rooney restored
order for the hosts, beating Chris
Simpson in
four games beforeJulian
Illingworth -
the US champion making his PSL debut - despatched the visitors' Scott
Arnold 11-9,
11-1, 5-11, 11-6.
Malaysian star Ong
Beng Hee made
the best possible start to his third season for Nottingham by
clinching victory for the club with an 11-8, 11-7, 11-3 win over Jonathan
Harford.
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Ties Matches Games Pts
P W L W L W L
Group A:
Pontefract
1 1 0 3 2 11 9 16
Nottingham
1
1 0 3 2 10 8 15
Esporta Oxford
1
0 1 2 3 9 11 9
Chapel Allerton
1
0 1 2 3 8 10 8
Benz-Bavarian Duffield
0 0
0 0 0 0 0 0
Group B:
Probuild Bristol
1
1 0 4 1 12 5 17
Surrey H&RC
1
1 0 3 2 11 8 16
Exeter Diamonds
1
1 0 3 2 10 8 15
PNH Properties Chichester
1 0 1 2 3 8 10 8
TWP St George's Hill
1
0 1 2 3 8 11 8
UniSport Guildford
1 0
1 1 4 5 12 5
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Tue
7th Oct |
Pontefract 3-2 Esporta Oxford
The Pontefract v
Esporta Oxford match promised much and happily delivered.
First on were Vanessa Atkinson and Madeline Perry and Neil
Cordell and Scott Handley. Handley was not moving with his usual
fluency and the improving Cordell, beginning to make some
impression on the world tour, saw him off 3-0. Meanwhile the
girls reached two all in a very watchable match and it was the
Irish no1 who took the fifth.
Pontefract's Indian connection were put to the test as Saurav
Ghosal played in form Chris Ryder and newcomer Harinder Pal
Singh took on Jamie Haycocks, having just arrived at Leeds
University. Singh was to lose 3-0 to the competent Haycocks, but
he looks very promising and will do well once acclimatised. At
the same time Ghosal and Ryder were locked in battle in a
quality match and it was the Indian champion who prevailed
narrowly.
Everything then hinged on the top string match between James
Willstrop and Cameron Pilley. The last time they met was in the
final of the Canary Wharf Classic earlier this year when
Willstrop won in the fifth. Gathering confidence after a
troublesome ankle injury he won 3-1 this time, although it was
always tight. There was plenty of class, too, and Pilley's
ability suggests that his world ranking doesn't do him justice.
The pair have mutual respect, there was scarcely a decision, so
the match was a pleasure to watch.
Pontefract, then, just 3-2, off to a PSL start at last, but
squash was the winner.
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Chichester 2-3 Exeter
Diamonds
Mike Phillips reports
pnh
Properties Team Chichester has started their Premier Squash
League campaign. Chichester Racquets & Fitness Club hosted their
first match against league newcomers, Exeter Diamonds.
Team Chichester, last season’s National runners-up, was without
their number one string Mo Azlan Iskandar who, unfortunately,
suffered an injury whilst playing in Europe this week.
First on court was Chichester’s Dominique Lloyd-Walter (world
No.4) playing Emma Chorley (World No. 69). After a tentative
start form Lloyd-Walter she finally took the first game 11/8.
She then got into her stride to comfortably take the next two
games to put Chichester one tie up.
On the adjacent court the number three strings Robbie Temple
(World No. 75) battled hard against Exeter’s, Rob Sutherland
(World No. 95). Sutherland played a solid, no frills match with
Temple out of sorts one minute and more assured the next.
Consistency, however, won through in the end and, although the
fourth game went to a tie break, Sutherland eventually won the
match 1/3.
One all.
Next on court Peter Genever, Chichester’s seasoned campaigner,
faced James Snell (World No.120). It was a case of experience
versus youth in a very competitive match. Despite a very vocal
West Country crowd disputing some refereeing decisions against
their man, Genever won through 3/1, winning the 4th game on a
tie-break.
On the adjoining court Team Chichester’s Manager, Tim Vail, was
up against World No. 29, Jonathan Kemp. It was an uphill task
for Vail, with Kemp superbly controlling the match. A valiant
fight back in the 3rd gave Vail a 10/8 game ball but Kemp stayed
solid to win 0/3.
With the match poised at 2 all it was left to the number one
strings to play out the deciding tie. Exeter’s Stewart Boswell,
World No 17, played Chichester’s Alex Gough who has recently
retired from the tour. In the main, Boswell held control of the
whole match and secured a comfortable 2/11 win in the first
game. Gough boldly fought back in the second; he rallied
extremely well to win it on a tie break 13/11. Thereafter, Gough
visibly tired and eventually lost the next two games 5/11, 2/11.
A 2-3 defeat for Team Chichester was undoubtedly a disappointing
start for the squad but they remain positive as Iskandar returns
for the away fixture against local rivals, Guildford, in two
weeks time.
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Mon
6th Oct
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Surrey 3-2 St George's
The SOBO report ... David Sobo on the blog
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Champions pip
St George's in
season's opener
Danny Lee reports
TWP St George's Hill narrowly lost their first Premier Squash
League fixture against last year's champions Surrey Health and
Rackets. The match went to the deciding game of the final match
when TWP's Daryl Selby (World ranked 35) relinquished a
two game lead against World number 11 Peter Barker.
Barker's comeback was aided by some harsh refereeing decisions
which left the normally placid Selby remonstrating fruitlessly
with the referee.
Earlier in the evening 20 year old Rachel Willmott
performed admirably against the might of former World no 5
Vicky Botwright. Willmott rallied steadily but succumbed 3-0
to the experienced Lancashire player.
 Walton's
Joe Lee, the British Junior Champion, celebrated his 19th
birthday with a fine win over World no 89 Ben Ford. Lee
cruised to a 2-0 lead playing some fast paced attacking squash.
Ford dug deep and although tiring rapidly played constructively
to force the match to four games. Lee clung on to clinch the
match despite a nail biting finish when Ford saved several match
points.
TWP's Hungarian import Mark Krajscak looked a little off the
pace against Italian number one Davide Bianchetti who deserved his
3-0 victory.
22 year old Tom Richards played with aggressive panache
against Surrey Health and Rackets captain Tim Garner.
Richards took the first two games but Garner slowed the pace and
sneaked a game before Richards regained his supremacy to win
3-1.
An unfortunate narrow defeat for the young TWP St George's side
who look certain to be challenging for a semi final place by the
end of the season.
The next match is on Tuesday 21st October against ProBuild
Bristol at St George's Hill starting at 7.00pm. Tickets can be
purchased from 07905 102094 and cost £10 for adults and £5 for
children under 16.
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Full
competition details |
Surrey squeeze home
Pete Smith reports
First game of the season and now having to defend our 2007/08
title the pressure was on. First up was a very young and
competitive St George's Hill team and a very close match was
anticipated.
First on was Vicky Botwright who played really well against a
much improved Rachel Willmott and looked strong all the way
through taking the match 3-0 and getting Surrey H&RC off to a
good start. On the other court there was a battle going on
between Ben Ford and Joe Lee with Joe taking an early 2-0
advantage playing at high pace with excellent control. Ben then
started to find his way back into the match taking the third
game and saving two match balls to reach 10 all in the fourth.
Joe then dug deep with a final push to take the 4th game 12/10
and the match 3-1.
Next up Davide Bianchetti v Mark Krajscek which Davide
controlled from the first point with excellent length and
control to take the match comfortably 3-0 and Surrey H&RC to a
2-1 lead.
Whilst this was going on we had the experienced Tim Garner
against the young Tom Richards. Tom played at a very high pace
and raced into a 2-0 lead. Tim then fought his way back into the
match taking the 3rd game and kept the pressure on in the 4th as
well but Tom managed to hold him off to take the 4th and the
match 3-1. Surrey H&RC 2 - St Georges Hill 2.
Well it was all down to the decider, Peter Barker v Daryl Selby,
and it started like a sparring match with incredibly long
rallies and very cagey squash. Daryl was playing exceptionally
well and moved into a 2-0 lead. The third game was crucial and
Peter started it well but Daryl kept going and wanted the win
but Pete took it 11/9 and then the 4th 11/8. Two all, and with
both players tired and the referee coming into play, Pete moved
ahead in the fifth and managed to stay ahead taking the game
11/5 and the match 3-2. Their match started at 8.54pm and
finished at 10.40pm and I make that an incredible 106 minutes.
Surrey H&RC 3 St Georges 2.
A very close match, well contested and a good start for us. I
wish Danny and his team all the best for the rest of the season
and I am sure they will challenge for a semi-final position.
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Probuild Bristol 4 beat UniSport Guildford 1
Ian Robinson reports
UniSport Guildford made the long trek to Probuild
Bristol searching for a solid start to the season only to be
unseated at the first hurdle. Bristol have recently switched
homes to the Welch Back Club in the heart of downtown Bristol
and seem to have an upstairs/downstairs kind of facility.
Playing with great amibition in front of a home crowd Bristol
were always too strong for UniSport who were deprived of the
services of Steve Meads who is on duty in Hong Kong. So there
was a recall to UniSport ranks for Mick Biggs, one time under
graduate of the University of Surrey and now working part time
to allow more time for his squash.
First on the downstairs court was Alison Waters and it
was helpful for the home player, Sarah Jane Perry, that
this was unseen for the most part as World Number 6 Alison
Waters in the form of her life was not a player to hang around
and the job was done in a brief but effective 18 minutes. Giving
away 124 places on the senior world ranking list, the home
player is still a junior and to her credit managed to accumlate
8 points in the last game but by then the contest was as good as
over Waters put the one and only point of the night on the board
for UniSport 1 - 0.
Home captain, Hadrian Stiff, has always been a thorn in
the UniSport side and tonight was no different on the upstairs
court. Stiff played with skill and experience to build leads in
all 3 games against the improving Phil Rushworth, always
having a cushion of several points. This required Rushworth to
play catch up and against a player of Stiff's class was playing
against insurmountable odds. It was not that Rushworth played
badly, he did not. He asked some very testing questions of the
Bristol player at times but never consistently enough or at the
right time to ensure that this would give him the opportunity to
nick a game. Consistently he scored 8 points in each game and
left Stiff smiling ruefully at some outstanding and surprising
shot making, but ultimately it was not enough. Probuild Bristol
now levelled the match at 1 - 1.
Mick Biggs found himself up against the odds in his
struggle with former World Number 2, Peter Marshall, but
fortunately hidden away downstairs. Marshall has always been a
formidable opponent and is quietly but very effectively plying
his trade in the twilight of his career in the Premier Squash
League. Biggs was given a big lesson in the ways of world class
squash although not at the pace it once was. Marshall was solid,
gritty and played with the kind of experience that Biggs would
love to acquire and may still do yet. However Marshall built
clear leads, making Biggs play catch up - a recurring theme of
the night for UniSport players - and it was beyond Biggs at this
stage in his career. Nonetheless there was some impresssive
skilful moments in Biggs' game and there was plenty in his
performance about which he should be encouraged after his
pre-season hard work. However the reality is that the graduate
of the University of Surrey found the going too tough and
conceded 3 - 0 in the end. The Bristol player had provided the
points for Probuild Bristol to take a 2 - 1 lead.
Stacey Ross was confronted by David Evans, once
the British Open Champion, at his new position as number 2
string in the team. Ross is not having a smooth start to this
season and this was clear from tonight's match. There was never
much between the two players but Ross was probably the more
wasteful of the two players and not helped by having a poor run
in with Lady Luck. Evans is a towering presence on the squash
court and this helps him take an early advantage while the
opposition work out what to do about it. Once Ross had gained
some semblance of control in the second game, he started to
control the play with skilful use of the space, making the
Bristol player do plenty of work. Perhaps crucially the match
turned on a particularly wasteful phase of the match where Ross
had built a 6 - 2 lead and proceeded to hand it back to Evans
without having to work too hard. Evans is too experienced a
player not to take advantage and taking the third game gave him
every incentive he needed. Although Ross evened it up in the
fourth to take it into a fifth set, it always seemed that Evans
might just get home aided and abetted by two cruel backwall
nicks. The match was a feast of winners and controlled accuracy
from both players, perhaps out of necessity as neither looked as
though pre-season training had been that physical. Winning this
match gave Probuild Bristol the match winning points with the
number 1 strings still to play. 3 - 1 to Bristol.
Jesse Engelbrecht has stepped up to make the running at
the top of the team order now for UniSport Guildford, as his
game is maturing nicely. He was faced with UniSport old boy
Adrian Grant who came to PSL off the back of an impressive
title win in the recent Wolverhampton Open a club based
tournament on the PSA circuit in the build up to the forthcoming
World Open in Manchester. There is 40 places difference between
the two players on the world ranking list, although on the face
of it not that distance between the two players on the night.
Grant was slow to start and Engelbrecht will regret not fully
capitalising on the chance to take the first game. He played
well and controlled the rallies, but made bad decisions and hit
loose at the end of the game allowing Grant to work his way back
in. In the second game Grant showed why he won Wolverhampton, he
played with such confidence dominating the mid court area and
using clever disguise and change of pace. He forced Engelbrecht
into loose play and then converted that into winning points with
considered accuracy or mistakes from the sheer weight of
pressure on Engelbrecht's defence. It was not that Engelbrecht
played that badly but Grant was at the top of his game and made
it count. After a tough second game where Grant was in control,
a determined effort by the UniSport player saw him once again
gain a foothold in the third game, but it was not enough to give
him the chance to steal it.
So a strong 4 - 1 to Bristol sees UniSport make a rough start to
the season.
The next match is at home to PNH Properties Chichester on
Tuesday 21st October when UniSport will welcome Steve Meads back
to the team and a chance to renew annual rivalries with the
south coast visitors. Look forward to seeing you all there for
the start of the 2008/9 PSL campaign on home courts.
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