TEAMS

• Teams are split into 3 groups, with the winners and runners-up in each group, plus the two best third-placed teams progressing to the playoff stages (see the fixtures section for full details).

GROUP A
Northumberland LT&SRC Jesmond, Newcastle. 0191 281 5858	Chris Walker, Tony Hands, John Dale (M23), Gary Thwaite, Bryan Beeson, Paul Millington, David Woodman (B19), David Barnett (B19), Jane Martin, Kate Allison (W23).
Northern LTC Didsbury, Manchester. 0161 445 3093	Graham Ryding, Nick Taylor, Marcus Berrett (M23), Phil Whitlock, Yawar Abbas, Mohammed el Said, Nigel Wills, Patrick Foster, Peter Billson (B19), Hamed el Said, Simon Pickering (B19), Suzanne Horner, Tracey Shenton (W23), Rebecca Botwright (W23).
Hallamshire LT&SC Sheffield 0114 266 2153	Paul Lord, Adam Toes (M23), Tommy Berden, Nick Matthew (B19), Nick Wall, Dominic Hamilton, Arran Harvie, Mark Lee, Claire Nitch, Vicky Botwright (W23), Cheryl Beaumont (W23).
Duffield SC Duffield, Derbyshire 01332 841564	Derek Ryan, Danny Meddings, David Campion, Paul Hargrave (M23), Mark Blowers (M23), Kevin White, Paul Williams (B19), James Willstrop (B19), Paul Jones, Cassie Jackman, Janie Thacker (W23), Pauline Nicholl.
Nottingham SRC The Park, Nottingham 0115 941 7022	Simon Parke, David Evans, Lee Beachill (M23), Jason Nicolle, Matthew Oxley, Nick Douglas, Garath Evans (B19), Natalie Grainger, Tania Bailey (W23).
GROUP B
Edgebaston Priory Edgebaston, Birmingham 0121 440 2492	Del Harris, Stewart Boswell, Bradley Ball, Clive Leach, Luke Rawlins, Ben Howell, Jonathan Kemp, Ben Rickaby, Fiona Geaves, Alison Wray, Helen Easton (W23), Zoe Rickaby.
Loughborough Students Loughborough 01509 632009	Alex Gough, Simon Taylor, Duncan Walsh, Adam Stevenson (M23), Steve Richardson, Steve Townsend, Philip Tranfield (M23), Justin Rennie, Sam Miller (B19), Andrew Vincent (B19), Fraser Henderson, Jenny Tranfield, Karen Hargreaves (W23), Laura Hill (W23).
Connaught Chingford, Essex 0181 529 2341	Peter Nicol, Tim Garner, Julien Wellings, Chris Tomlinson (M23), Stuart Cowie, Ong Beng Hee, Renan Lavigne, Lee Jemmett (B19), Jason Friend, Peter Flint, Linda Charman, Vicki Lankester (W23), Kelly Buckley, Lauren Briggs (W23).
Potters Bar Potters Bar, Hertfordshire 01707 651086	Mark Cairns, John Ransome, Iain Higgins (M23), Jamie Davis, Paul Carter, Jago Nardelli, Phillip Barker (B19), Sue Wright, Shelley Kitchen, Rachel Haigh (W23).
Bishops Stortford SC Bishops Stortford, Hertfordshire Bishops Stortford, Hertfordshire 01279 652897	Julien Bonetat, Thierry Lincou, Scott Handley (M23), Ben Ford (M23), Jason Foster, Galen le Cheminant, John McFarlane, Danny Weights (B19), Jamie Hopwood, Daryl Selby (B19), Rebecca Macree, Claire Cogan (W23).
GROUP C
Chichester LT&SC Chichester, Sussex 01243 787269	Peter Genever, Lee Drew (M23), Mike Harris, James Robbins, Eddie Noyce, Ben Garner (B19), Tim Vail, Stephanie Brind (W23), Nicola Clark (W23).
Lee on Solent LT&SC Lee on Solent, Hampshire 01705 550381	Nathan Duggan (M23), Stacey Ross, Dean Watson, Gareth Webber, Paul David Johnson, Joe Russell (B19), Nick Kyzer, Dominique Lloyd-Walter (W23), Tina Rix.
University of Surrey Guildford, Surrey 01483 259242	Paul Johnson, Stephen Meads, John Russell, Neil Frankland, Eric McAlpine, Ross Norman, Jamie Hickox, Adrian Grant, Ian Robinson, Mick Biggs, Luke Leslie, Lisa Opie, Lisa Stephens (W23), Karen Cheung.
UWIC Cardiff Cardiff, Wales 01222 689160	Matthew Benjamin, Greg Tippings, Paul Allen (M23), Matthew Crowley (M23), Steve Evans, Chris Davis, Michael Hughes (B19), Brian O'Hora, Jane Hodgkinson, Shona Kerr (W23).
Devon & Exeter Exeter 01392 436100	Hadrian Stiff, Gareth Davies, Darren Bradbury, Martin Greenslade, Michael Hopkins (M23), Michael Gregory, Alex Stait, Tegwen Malik, Pamela Nimmo, Carla Khan (W23), Joanne Smalley.

FIXTURES

FINAL LEAGUE TABLES (after round 10)

Group A:	Pld	Won	TF	TA	GF	GA	Pts
Capital One Nottingham	8	5	25	15	83	58	35
UNW Northumberland	8	5	18	22	69	86	28
Hallamshire	8	4	19	21	78	80	27
Manchester Northern	8	3	19	21	75	73	25
TSM Duffield	8	3	19	21	71	79	25
Group B:	Pld	Won	TF	TA	GF	GA	Pts
UK Packaging	8	6	24	16	88	62	36
Potters Bar	8	6	22	18	85	70	34
Edgbaston Priory	8	4	23	17	76	61	31
Bishop’s Stortford	8	3	17	23	64	89	23
Ashursts Loughborough	8	1	14	26	56	87	16
Group C:	Pld	Won	TF	TA	GF	GA	Pts
UniS Guildford	8	6	27	13	90	56	39
Aspect Chichester	8	5	25	15	93	62	35
Devon & Exeter	8	4	23	17	83	65	31
Lee-on-Solent	8	3	14	26	58	90	20
UWIC Cardiff	8	2	11	29	47	98	15

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CONTACTS

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RULES

1. Only one foreign man per tie
2. Only one world top 24 per squad
3. An under-23 English man in 75% of matches
4. An under-19 English Boy in 50% of matches
5. Only one World top 20 woman per squad
6. An English under-23 Woman to play in 2 nominated matches
7. A player must have played two matches to qualify for quarter-finals

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REPORTS

Round 10 - 09 Mar

Derbyshire's defending champions TSM Duffield failed to qualify for next week's  quarter-final play-offs, after losing 3-2 at home to Manchester Northern in Tuesday's tenth and final pool round. Irish world No12 Derek Ryan's 13/15 9/15 15/10 11/15 loss to Manchester's Nick Taylor in the top string decider led to further ignominy for Duffield, who sink to bottom place in Group A after leading for most of the season.

Capital One Nottingham became runaway winners of Group A after trouncing second-placed UNW Northumberland 4-1 in Newcastle - with England No2 Simon Parke consolidating the visitors' success by beating England team-mate Chris Walker 3-0 in the top string encounter.

Former champions Potters Bar claimed second place in Group B - ahead of Edgbaston Priory - after beating Ashursts Loughborough 3-2 at home, the vital victory coming from third string Jamie Davis who fought back from 2-0 down to beat Loughborough's Duncan Walsh 10/15 7/15 15/12 15/9 15/13. Edgbaston Priory's 4-1 home win against Bishop's Stortford ensured the Birmingham club of third place in the group in which UK Packaging had already made certain of winning after the previous round.

UniS Guildford's unassailable lead in Group C focussed attention on the battle for 2nd and 3rd positions.  Kent's world No15 Stephanie Brind led Aspect Chichester to a 3-2 win over Devon & Exeter - and runner-up position in the Group - after beating the visitors' Tegwen Malik 9/10 9/2 9/0 9/4 to become the only player unbeaten in seven successive league appearances. Meanwhile UWIC Cardiff earned only their second win of the season after beating Lee-on-Solent 4-1 at home - but remain in bottom place.

The top two teams in each Group qualify automatically for the play-offs, and are joined by the two third-placed clubs boasting the most points - Edgbaston Priory and Devon & Exeter, both with 31.  The quarter-final line-up on Tuesday 16 March is:

Capital One Nottingham v Edgbaston Priory
Potters Bar v Aspect Chichester
UniS Guildford v UNW Northumberland
UK Packaging v Devon & Exeter

Round 9 - 23rd Feb

LEADERS FAIL AS FINAL STAGES APPROACH ...

Squash rackets and calculators were much in evidence in the ninth and penultimate round of the SRA National Squash League as teams jockeyed for positions in next month's quarter-final play-offs.  Remarkably, the three teams leading their respective groups were also playing their eighth and final matches - and all lost, with UK Packaging and UniS Guildford managing to maintain their hold at the top of Groups B and C, respectively, while Sheffield's Hallamshire slumped to third place in Group A.

Capital One Nottingham took over the lead in the League's most evenly-matched Group A, after beating Hallamshire 4-1 at home.  Nottingham's No1 and Yorkshire exile Simon Parke, the 1998 British champion, had to fight back from 2-1 down to overcome Cheshire's Paul Lord 15/10 11/15 16/17 15/4 15/7, while club-mate Natalie Grainger, the South African world No9 who was a last-minute replacement for ill world junior champion Tania Bailey, was severely tested by the visitors' fast-improving Vicky Botwright before winning 8/10 9/2 9/4 2/9 9/3.

Elsewhere in the group, a jubilant Tyneside crowd spurred on a sensational comeback by local star Jane Martin who was 2-0 and 7/3 down against British champion Cassie Jackman, against whom she earned just six points in a 38-minute lashing in this month's Nationals' semi-finals. On her home UNW Northumberland courts this time, however, Martin magnificently mastered a 8/10 3/9 9/7 9/7 9/1 win in 77 minutes to steer her club to a 3-2 victory over defending champions TSM Duffield. The match, which also featured a 62-minute five-game victory by Duffield's 15-year-old James Willstrop against the debuting 1986 National champion Bryan Beeson, now 38, leaves the Derbyshire club in fourth place in the group. The eight teams which qualify for the play-offs will be the top two in each group, plus the two third-placed teams with the most points.

In Group C, Aspect Chichester strengthened their play-off chances with a 5-0 win over UWIC Cardiff - the Sussex club's Stephanie Brind and 3rd string Ben Garner both extending their unbeaten league records this season, world No14 Brind beating Cardiff's Jane Hodkinson in straight games to claim her sixth successive win, and 18-year-old Oxford undergraduate Garner beating Welsh junior Gavin Jones for his fifth success.  Chichester move up to second place, above Devon & Exeter - whose triumphant 3-2 victory over runaway leaders UniS Guildford was clinched by a dramatic 5/15 4/15 15/11 15/14 15/9 fightback by Hadrian Stiff, resulting in the first loss by the Surrey University squad's Stephen Meads.

The four-horse race in Group B was enlivened by the 4-1 home win by Bishop's Stortford over Connaught-based group leaders UK Packaging - in which Frenchman Julien Bonetat saved two matchballs in the final game to beat the visitors' Tim Garner 15/12 11/15 15/8 5/15 17/16 in 75 minutes.  Former British champion Mark Cairns won the top string decider which gave Potters Bar a 3-2 away victory over Birmingham's Edgbaston Priory. He achieved his 15/13 15/2 15/11 win over Essex star Del Harris despite falling early in the first game and badly cutting his knee.

Round 8 - 9th Feb

CLOSE ENCOUNTERS OF THE LEAGUE KIND

The even-matching of the twelve teams competing in the eighth round was emphatically demonstrated by 3-2 results in all but one tie - the Group A clash in which bottom-placed Manchester Northern registered a 4-1 home win against second-placed Capital One Nottingham. In Group B, Ashursts Loughborough secured their first win of the season, against Bishop's Stortford, but like Manchester were unable to lift themselves from the basement of the points table.

While Hallamshire retain their lead in Group A, despite losing 3-2 to UNW Northumberland, only six points separate the Sheffield club from Manchester Northern's 20 point tally. In the other two groups, however, home victories by Connaught-based UK Packaging and UniS Guildford have extended their leads in Groups B and C, respectively, by more than ten points.

Many of the leading lights in last week's British National Championships came down to earth with a bump in pursuing National League success. Yorkshire's 21-year-old Lee Beachill, the Capital One Nottingham top string who dismissed seventh seed Mark Chaloner in straight games to reach an unexpected place in the last four, was beaten 15/10 17/14 9/15 15/13 by Manchester Northern's Nick Taylor - the Lancashire star who failed to live up to Nationals' expectations on his home courts. Meanwhile the Northern Club's Suzanne Horner, who remarkably reached her tenth successive Nationals' semi-finals at the weekend, was dismissed in 19 minutes for just eight points by Nottingham-based South African Natalie Grainger, her fifth successive Capital One win.

British Junior Open champion Nick Matthew, the 18-year-old from Sheffield who became the talk of the championships when he ousted experienced world No9 Welshman Alex Gough in the first round, faded dramatically after winning the opening game for Hallamshire against Northumberland's John Dale, and went on to lose 15/9 7/15 4/15 6/15. The Newcastle club's No1 Chris Walker, a Nationals' quarter-finalist, took 76 minutes to overcome the home team's Paul Lord 15/14 13/15 15/4 15/17 15/3 in the decider, which moves Northumberland up to third place in the Group A table.

England No8 Jenny Tranfield, a former Loughborough student now pursuing a doctorate, beat Laura Hill 9/5 9/1 9/1 in the Ashursts Loughborough decider against Bishop's Stortford which gave the University team their long-awaited maiden win in Group B. Australia's Stewart Boswell was in devastating form for Edgbaston Priory, though his 15/5 15/8 15/9 victory against Tim Garner failed to prevent UK Packaging winning the tie.

In Group C, Nathan Dugan led fourth-placed Lee-on-Solent to victory over second-placed Devon & Exeter, while Stephen Meads' fifth successive win for UniS Guildford, which led to a 3-2 home victory against Aspect Chichester, extends the Surrey University squad's lead to 13 points.

Round 7 - 26th Jan

HALLAMSHIRE OVERHAUL DEFENDING CHAMPIONS DUFFIELD

Sheffield club Hallamshire, one of the few teams able to field a full-strength squad in Tuesday's seventh round of the SRA National Squash League, squeezed a nail-biting 3-2 home victory over Manchester Northern to put the Yorkshire club into pole position in Group A for the first time this season. Defending league champions TSM Duffield, the Derbyshire club which has topped the table since the beginning of the season, slumped to 3rd place after a 4-1 win by Capital One Nottingham, who move up to second place despite having a fixture in hand. Paradoxically, it was a Cheshire player's win over a Yorkshireman which clinched Hallamshire's victory against their Lancashire visitors - the Sheffield club's 29-year-old England No12 Paul Lord, from Congleton, overcoming Halifax-based Marcus Berrett, ranked one place higher, 15/14 15/9 7/15 12/15 15/10 in the 72-minute top string decider. Like many teams, Nottingham were affected by the unavailability of its leading players who are competing the PSA Tour's 'Tournament of Champions' in New York. Third string Lee Beachill, who lost in five games to team-mate Simon Parke in the first round in New York, led Nottingham to their convincing victory with a 15/5 15/8 15/9 win over Duffield's 4th string Paul Hargrave.

In Group B, Connaught-based UK Packaging stretched their lead at the top of the table with a 4-1 home win over Ashursts Loughborough, world No11 Linda Charman giving the east London club an early lead with an emphatic 9/1 9/2 9/0 win over the visitors' England No8 Jenny Tranfield.   Both women are seeded in next month's National Squash Championships in Manchester - as is defending champion Sue Wright, who suffered her first loss in more than three years to England No9 Rebecca Macree, contributing to her club Potters Bar losing 3-2 to Bishop's Stortford.  Super-fit Wright squandered a 2-1 lead, with Macree scoring her surprising 9/7 5/9 5/9 9/3 9/7 victory in just under an hour. It was Frenchman Julien Bonetat who clinched the home team's second win of the season, beating the Hertfordshire club's Iain Higgins 15/9 15/12 14/15 17/16 in the top string decider.

The University of Surrey UniS Guildford squad extended their lead at the top of Group C with a 4-1 home victory over Lee-on-Solent.  Meanwhile, Devon & Exeter scored a morale-boosting 5-0 home win against UWIC Cardiff, with 33-year-old 'veteran' Warwickshire player Darren Bradbury making sure of maximum points for his team by fighting back from 2-0 down to overcome 20-year-old former England junior international Paul Allen 9/15 5/15 15/12 15/11 15/7.

Round 6 - 12th Jan

NATIONAL LEAGUE LEADERS GIVEN TOUGH NEW YEAR OPENERS

Connaught-based UK Packaging slumped to their first defeat of the season in the opening match of the New Year in the SRA National Squash League, beaten 3-2 by former League champions Potters Bar.  Meanwhile, defending champions TSM Duffield and UniS Guildford also had their league table leads cut back. The Derbyshire club were beaten 3-2 at home by Sheffield's Hallamshire, which reduced their lead to one point in Group A, while the Surrey University squad left it the last match to beat bottom-of-the-table UWIC Cardiff 3-2 in Wales to maintain control in Group C.

Former British champion Mark Cairns had to fight back from 1-0 and 2-1 down to overcome the UK Packaging top string Tim Garner 14/15 15/4 6/15 15/3 15/11 in the 92-minute decider which gave the Group B home victory to Potters Bar. World No3 Sue Wright provided an important early lead for the Herts club, beating the visitors' Vicky Lankester 3-1 less than 24 hours after winning the Apawamis Open in New York.

Londoner Chris Walker was also competing in the New York event - but had the additional journey to the North West to contend with, to lead Newcastle's UNW Northumberland in their away fixture against Manchester Northern.  Seeded 8 in the forthcoming British National Championships, Walker fell in straight games to Yorkshire's 16th seed Marcus Berrett - but the visitors' lead was already unassailable, Northumberland ultimately winning 3-2 to move up to third place in Group A.  Jane Martin and Gary Thwaite secured significant wins for the North East club - Martin's 9/2 9/6 5/9 9/4 victory over England team-mate and Nationals' 4th seed Suzanne Horner endorsing her status as 3rd seed in next month's championships; and Thwaite's straight games success coming only hours after the birth of his first son!

At 2-1 and 8/0 up in her match against UniS Guildford's Lisa Stephens, UWIC Cardiff newcomer Hannah Wright-Davies seemed to have the match in the bag. However, a fire alarm caused the complete evacuation of the building for more than ten minutes - which, on their return, gave a temporary boost to Stephens before the Welsh U-19 player claimed her 9/4 6/9 9/1 9/4 victory.  Fellow Welsh U-19 player Gavin Jones was also making his debut for Cardiff, and repeated his unexpected victory in last week's British Junior Open in Sheffield over England World Junior team member Adrian Grant.  Meanwhile, Peter Genever made his long-awaited debut for Chichester after injury, and led his home club to a 4-1 victory over Lee-on-Solent to strengthen the club's position at No2 in the Group C table.

Round 5 - 8th Dec

The fifth and final mid-season round in the SRA National Squash League resulted in a major shake up in Group A: tail-enders Manchester Northern secured their first win of the season, defeating unbeaten table-toppers and defending champions TSM Duffield 4-1, while Capital One Nottingham earned a maximum points victory over UNW Northumberland to move up from 4^th to 2^nd place in the points table.

British champion Simon Parke maintained his unbeaten league record for Nottingham with a convincing 15/14 15/10 15/13 win over England team-mate Chris Walker – both players having reached the last sixteen of the Men’s World Open in Qatar last week. David Evans, the East Midlands club’s second string from Wales, made amends for his surprise second round loss in Qatar by beating the Newcastle club’s Tony Hands 13/15 15/10 15/4 15/3. The 5-0 home win pushes Northumberland down to fourth place in the table.

Local player Nick Taylor, ranked 27 in the world, led Manchester Northern to their debut National League win with a 15/11 15/7 7/15 15/9 victory over the club’s former No1 Derek Ryan – Duffield’s Irish champion who has just broken into the world top ten. Veteran Northern player and ex-British champion Phil Whitlock also pulled off a notable victory, beating the Derbyshire club’s fast-improving 23-year-old Paul Hargrave, an unexpected World Open qualifier in Qatar.

In Group B, Ashursts Loughborough saw the chance of their first victory slip away in the deciding women’s match against Potters Bar, when the visitors’ world No4 Sue Wright recovered to beat the Leicestershire club’s Jenny Tranfield 9/7 9/6 9/10 6/9 9/5 after failing to capitalise on two matchballs in the third game. Meanwhile, Edgbaston Priory strengthened their 3^rd place behind Potters Bar by beating Bishop’s Stortford 4-1 away from home – the Birmingham club’s No1 Del Harris continuing his return to form after reaching the last 16 of the World Open by beating the hosts’ Frenchman Julien Bonetat 15/8 15/4 15/11.

In Group C, Chichester’s visit to the West Country resulted in a 4-1 victory over Devon & Exeter. This left the teams with equal points, but the visitors’ better ‘games difference’ moves them into second place, ahead of their opponents. Meanwhile, a 4-1 win for Lee-on-Solent against Welsh visitors UWIC Cardiff did nothing to improve the Hampshire club’s 4^th position in the table, but closed the gap on 3^rd placed Devon & Exeter.

Round 4 - 24th Nov

Defending champions TSM Duffield and London's Connaught-based UK Packaging remained the only unbeaten teams in the SRA National Squash League after Tuesday's fourth round matches - but their leading players had mixed fortunes on the eve of the Men's World Open Championship which gets underway in Qatar on Sunday.

Irishman Derek Ryan scored his second successive top-string win for Duffield, beating England captain Chris Walker 15/13 11/15 15/8 15/13 in an entertaining 70-minute match which gave the Derbyshire club a 4-1 win over Newcastle visitors UNW Northumberland. Both Ryan and Walker are seeded to reach the last sixteen in Doha. Making her debut for Group A leaders Duffield was England's world No3 Cassie Jackman, who withdrew from the recent women's world championships due to an ankle injury. Despite coasting to a 9/1 9/3 9/1 win over Northumberland's 14-year-old Durham and Cleveland U15, U17 and U19 No1 Katie Burgin, Jackman has pulled out of this week's Monte Carlo Classic in Monaco. In the other Group A match, Sheffield's Hallamshire moved up to second place in the table after a 3-2 home win against Nottingham.

After beating a Frenchman in the final of last week's South of England Championships in Sussex, UK Packaging top string Tim Garner found himself facing Marseilles-based Thierry Lincou in his Connaught Club encounter against Bishop's Stortford. The World University champion was clearly one Frenchman too much for Garner, who lost 9/15 15/14 7/15 9/15 but saw his club earn a 3-2 win to claim their fourth victory in four matches. In the other Group B encounter, Potters Bar clinched a 3-2 home win over Birmingham's Edgbaston Priory - the hero for the hosts being 16-year-old Phillip Barker who fought back from 2-1 down to overcome 19-year-old Luke Rawlins 15/12 16/17 12/15 15/12 15/13 in 79 minutes. Despite excessively moist courts, due to a central heating breakdown, Del Harris clawed back a valuable point for Priory by beating his higher-ranked English compatriot Mark Cairns 11/15 11/15 15/11 15/9 15/3.

In Group C, Surrey University's UniS Guildford extended their lead in the points table with a 3-2 home win against Devon & Exeter, with Paul Johnson, sixth seed in the forthcoming World Open, cruising to a 17/16 15/12 15/11 victory over the visitors' Hadrian Stiff. Meanwhile bottom-placed Welsh club UWIC Cardiff secured their first win of the season, beating Chichester 3-2 at home.

Round 3 - 10th Nov

Stephanie Brind, the only unseeded player to reach the quarter-finals of last week's Women's World Open Championships in Germany, made up for her disappointment at not being selected to play for England in this week's World Team Championships by leading Chichester to their first victory in this season's SRA National Squash League. The 21-year-old world No17 from Bexleyheath was too strong for her opponent Lisa Stephens, the 18-year-old from Northants who has just made her world rankings debut at 128. The 9/0 9/2 9/2 victory paved the way for Chichester's 3-2 home win against hitherto undefeated Group C leaders UniS Guildford. Fellow Group C team Devon & Exeter cemented their position at No2 in the points table, and became the only unbeaten club in the group, with a 4-1 win over Lee-on-Solent.

Lincolnshire's women's world junior champion Tania Bailey was also in National League action after success in Stuttgart, this time helping Nottingham to a 3-2 win against Manchester Northern - the Lancashire club's third successive defeat, and the midland squad's first win of the season. Bailey, 19, ranked 50 in the world, beat Staffs rival Tracey Shenton 5/9 9/6 9/7 9/3 - but it was British champion Simon Parke who clinched the Group A match for Nottingham, convincingly beating Oldham's recent US Open semi-finalist Nick Taylor 15/11 15/5 15/11 in the 40-minute decider. The other Group A encounter ended only minutes before midnight, as England captain Chris Walker saved two match balls to beat Cheshire's Paul Lord 11/15 15/9 11/15 15/14 15/4 to give Newcastle's UNW Northumberland a 4-1 home win against Hallamshire from Sheffield.

In Group B, Chingford's Connaught-based UK Packaging became the first squad in the League to record their third successive victory when they beat Birmingham's Edgbaston Priory 4-1 away from home. Top string Tim Garner was in fine form, overcoming Colchester-based Del Harris 15/6 15/10 15/11 within a day of the Essex player's return from Karachi, where he was an unexpected first round loser in the Pakistan Open. Elsewhere in the group, Bishop's Stortford claimed their first success with a 3-2 home win over Ashursts Loughborough - world No8 Welshman Alex Gough giving the visitors some consolation with an inspired 7/15 15/7 15/9 15/12 top string victory over France's Julien Bonetat, who was making his debut for the Hertfordshire Club.

Round 2 - 27th October

British and world champions past and present played decisive roles in the second round of the SRA National Squash League tonight (Tuesday 27 October). England’s former British Open champion Lisa Opie and New Zealand’s ex-world champion Ross Norman helped League newcomers UniS Guildford to a 5-0 away win against Lee-on-Solent - the Surrey University squad’s second successive maximum points victory, which puts them firmly at the top of the Group C points table.
Opie, 35, was made to work hard for her 9/5 7/9 9/0 2/9 9/6 victory over Dominique Lloyd-Walter, the 17-year-old England junior international, while Norman, 39, conquered the host club’s 19-year-old assistant coach Joe Russell in straight games. Guildford’s star, however, was 19-year-old John Russell, the team’s top string who fought back from two games down to beat Bucks player Nathan Dugan 12/15 3/15 15/13 15/4 15/5.
In the other Group C match, Welsh women’s champion Tegwen Malik found herself fighting domestic opposition as she helped Devon & Exeter to a 4-1 win in their opening National League fixture against Welsh club UWIC Cardiff.
Derbyshire’s League champions TSM Duffield maintained their unbeaten record in Group A with a 3-2 home victory over Nottingham. Reigning British champion and world No9 Simon Parke was made to work hard for his 15/12 14/15 17/15 15/5 top string win for Nottingham over Surrey player Danny Meddings. Sheffield club Hallamshire moved up to No2 in the Group after a 5-0 away win against Manchester Northern – the home team’s former British champion and No1 Phil Whitlock having to retire with an injured calf muscle at 2-1 down to Paul Lord.
In Group B, British women’s champion Sue Wright and ex-champions Mark Cairns and Paul Carter were all victorious as former League champions Potters Bar claimed a 4-1 win over Bishop’s Stortford. Essex club UK Connaught, however, took over the top position in the Group with a 3-2 away win over Ashursts Loughborough.

Round 1 - 13th October

New England squash No1 Paul Johnson led UniS Guildford to a decisive debut in the opening round of the SRA National League tonight (Tuesday 13 October) with a 5-0 victory over Welsh team UWIC Cardiff. Johnson beat 21-year-old Welsh international Matthew Benjamin 15/6 15/6 17/15 - the full-strength University of Surrey team conceding only one game in five matches against the under-strength University of Wales squad.
England's world No14 Del Harris, whose miserable year to date has included only one first round victory on the world circuit, was back to his glorious best in Birmingham. The 29-year-old from Colchester beat Welsh world No5 Alex Gough 15/9 15/3 7/15 15/6 in 59 minutes to lead Edgbaston Priory to a 4-1 victory over Loughborough. Fellow Group B team UK Connaught also scored a 4-1 victory, with England No10 Tim Garner fighting back from 2-1 down to overcome former British champion Mark Cairns, the world No13 from Oxfordshire, 15/9 3/15 5/15 15/12 15/14 in 76 minutes.
The Connaught number one's 18-year-old brother Ben Garner was also a National League winner. Despite beating Dean Watson 15/13 15/11 12/15 15/7, however, the England junior international saw his Chichester team beaten 3-2 at home by Lee-on-Solent - the visitors' Nathan Dugan winning the decisive match 15/13 9/15 15/8 15/5 against Colchester-based Lee Drew.
Defending champions TSM Duffield clinched a 4-1 away win against Hallamshire in Sheffield, with the Derbyshire club's top string Derek Ryan, the Nottingham-based Irish champion, taking five minutes short of two hours to overcome Paul Lord 17/16 4/15 12/15 15/12 15/12. The other tie in Group A in Newcastle saw UNW Northumberland beat Manchester Northern 3-2, with the visitors' world No35 Nick Taylor beating world doubles champion Chris Walker, ranked 24 places higher, 12/15 15/7 15/7 15/4.