Manchester-Pontefract and TVS Broxbourne maintained their unbeaten records in this season’s National Squash League with 4-1 home victories in Tuesday’s fourth round to extend their leadership of Group A & B, respectively.
Full results from round 4
The joint Lancashire/Yorkshire cooperative played its home tie against Manchester Northern at Pontefract, where local hero James Willstrop – the World Junior Champion fresh from his PSA Tour title victory at the Dutch Open in Maastricht - delighted the packed crowd with a straight games dismissal of Peter Billson. Earlier, fellow Yorkshire player Marcus Berrett clinched the tie for Manchester-Pontefract – and secured his fourth successive win of the season – by beating the visitors’ Phillip Barker 9-3 9-4 9-3.
The Northern club picked up a consolation point when Malaysia’s Ong Beng Hee defeated the home team’s No1 Nick Taylor – who is still to win a game this season – 10-8 9-7 9-5. Perhaps the only surprise of the tie was the four-game defeat of England’s world No10 Jenny Tranfield by the hosts’ Irish No1 Madeline Perry.
League title-holders Edgbaston Priory scored a narrow 3-2 home win over Derbyshire’s Benz Bavarian Duffield to maintain second place in Group A, now two points adrift of Manchester-Pontefract. Duffield’s full-time firewoman Laura Hill, making her debut for the club this season, put the visitors ahead when she beat former British U15 national champion Emma Beddoes 10-8 9-0 4-9 9-2. But Peter Barker and team stalwart Del Harris moved the Birmingham club ahead with wins over Marcus Cowie and Paul Hargrave, respectively, before Finnish No1 Olli Tuominen fought back from 1/2 down to beat Duffield’s Australian star Dan Jenson 9-11 9-2 7-9 9-5 9-3 to clinch victory for Priory.
Former champions Duffield ended the evening the way they began it, when squad No1 Nick Matthew came from 1/2 down to beat Edgbaston top string Adrian Grant 7-9 9-4 1-9 9-4 9-6 – in what is expected to be the final of this week’s British U23 Super 8 Championships in Pontefract.
FPD Savills Nottingham, the 1999 champions and runners-up last season, boosted their chances of further success this season with a 3-2 home win over Wolverhampton – which takes the East Midlands team up to third place in Group A, ahead of Duffield on ‘games difference’. Australia’s world No7 Natalie Grinham set the side on its way with her first win for Nottingham by beating New Zealander Shelley Kitchen 9-5 8-10 9-3 9-6 in an impressive 55-minute encounter – Grinham clearly inspired by her surprise Dutch Open victory at the weekend.
Natalie’s partner Tommy Berden went on to secure another point for Nottingham by beating Wolverhampton veteran Mark Cairns 9-6 1-9 9-4 9-5, while Shelley’s ‘other half’ Anthony Ricketts, the Wolverhampton No1 from Australia, ended the night with a 9-3 7-9 9-5 9-4 victory over Nottingham No1 Simon Parke. The standout match of the tie, however, was arguably the earlier all-Welsh clash between Nottingham’s David Evans and world No20 Alex Gough – in which Evans upset his higher-ranked opponent to repeat his victory in January’s Welsh National final in a 6-9 9-4 9-2 9-4 scoreline.
In Group B, Hertfordshire’s TVS Broxbourne raced to a 4-1 win over UniSport Guildford, in which the Surrey University side scored the opening point when Sarah Kippax beat Broxbourne’s debuting Caroline Chaloner 6-9 9-2 9-5 9-2. But it was then downhill for the visitors as the home side’s Danny Meddings, Alister Walker and Alex Stait extended their unbeaten records this season with victories over Chris Hall, Paul Allen and Neil Frankland, respectively – before Broxbourne No1 Gregory Gaultier, the French No2, defeated Guildford’s top string Stacey Ross 9-7 9-7 9-7 in the final match of the evening.
The other match in the group produced a significant upset when Lee-on-Solent triumphed 4-1 against last season’s group winners Chichester. Lee’s world No11 Vicky Botwright put the home team in the driving seat with a 9-4 2-9 9-2 9-0 win over the Sussex team’s European Junior Champion Suzie Pierrepont. The visitors scored their sole point courtesy of Chris Tomlinson, who capitalised on a calf injury sustained by Lee’s Chris Simpson by beating the British U17 champion 9-4 9-7 9-6.
The longest and most dramatic clash featured the second strings Tim Vail and Lee Drew. Chichester stalwart Vail, who has played in every match this season and last, took a 2-0 lead – but Drew fought back to draw level. After both players traded match balls in the decider, Drew eventually seized a 5-9 7-9 9-5 9-6 13-11 victory to earn his first win of the season.
Full results from round 4
