Yawar Abbas rounds up a good few weeks for the league leaders ...
Week 4: Comfortable Win Extends Unbeaten Run
Home v Manchester Northern 18th November 2003
Manchester-Pontefract stretched their lead at the top of Group A by one point, when they completed a comfortable 4-1 win over league newcomers Northern.
Madeline Perry provided the result of the night with a 3-1 win of a somewhat travel-weary Jenny Tranfield, although she was made to work hard to close out the match, at on point being 2-0 and 6-0 up, before finally completing a 9-3, 9-6, 8-10, 10-8 victory.
Fellow Irish International Jon Rooney continued his winning start to his National League career, with a 9-3, 3-9, 9-6, 9-4 win over Northern debutant, Daryl Selby.
Marcus Berrett completed a comfortable 3-0 win, extending his unbeaten run in the league to four matches, showing pace and accuracy that gave his young opponent no time to settle.
The highlight of the night was an ‘exhibition’ style performance by James Willstrop against Peter Billson, with Willstrop cutting nicks from all angles whilst his opponent showed great touches of his own. Willstrop ran out a 9-7, 9-5, 10-8 winner and remains unbeaten this season.
At number one, Nick Taylor couldn’t quite convert chances in the first game against Ong Beng Hee, going down 10-8, before staging a remarkable recovery in the second to come back from 1-8 to 7-8, only to lose out 7-9 and then lose the third comfortably.
So the final result left us two points clear of Edgbaston and seven clear of Nottingham and Duffield, with the still dangerous Wolverhampton a further four points down.
Week 5 – Taylor Made Return Tips Balance
Away v Duffield 2nd December 2003
The week preceding this match held many more twists and turns than an Agatha Christie novel with the unexpected return of Nick Taylor just one…
Duffield manager, Brian Hargrave had quite reasonably expected to field his number one player, Nick Matthew – who had drawn Jonathan Power in the first round of the Qatar Classic and was therefore likely to return following an early exit! In addition, Brian could also quite probably field one of Dan Jensen or Renan Lavigne, both of whom were in the qualifying at the same event. Manchester-Pontefract in contrast were resigned to being without their top three players – Beachill, Taylor and Willstrop.
As events in Qatar unfolded, Brian must have wondered just what he had done to deserve such ill fortune. To start with Nick Taylor made an early exit from qualifying and rang through to say he would be available for the match as he intended an immediate return. Meanwhile, Jensen and Lavigne progressed through qualifying making their return unlikely. Then at 1-1 and 10-5, Nick Matthew’s opponent and World Number 4, Jonathan Power, fell heavily, breaking a finger and causing an overnight break in the match.
Despite this, Power could not continue and Nick Matthew started on a remarkable run that continued into the World Open a week later and has seen the young Englishmen reach 11 in the world. Unfortunately, this left Duffield severely weakened and when Jensen and Lavigne both confirmed they would be unavailable, the writing was on the wall!
So to the match itself. In the women’s tie Duffield were able to field firefighter Laura Hill, who duly despatched the young Lauren Siddall although the Pontefract junior will have gained from her National League experience.
With Jon Rooney and Marcus Berrett winning comfortably, it was down to Andy Whipp and Marcus Cowie to produce the match of the night with a close fought five setter going the way of the visitors.
Nick Taylor completed the victory for Manchester-Pontefract with a confident display against the dangerous Paul Hargrave.
So 4-1 the final score and the lead at the top extended by a point as Edgbaston defeated Wolverhampton 3-2. Elsewhere, Manchester Northern recorded a 5-0 whitewash over a depleted Nottingham squad.
Week 6 – Willstrop Confirms his Class
Away v Wolverhampton 6th January 2004
James Willstrop celebrated his newly elevated world ranking of 18, by clinching the match against the talented Alex Gough after Wolverhampton threatened an upset…
Manchester- Pontefract went into the match in good spirits with Lee Beachill fresh from victory in Qatar, James Willstrop up to 18 in the world and now above Nick Taylor, who also had reason to be satisfied following a last 16 appearance on the World Open and a move back up the rankings.
In the women’s match Wolverhampton’s Shelley Kitchen forced the pace against Vanessa Atkinson, to take a 2-0 lead. Despite a spirited fight back from the visitor’s world number 5, the New Zealander was not to be denied and claimed a deserved victory.
As expected Berrett and Taylor secured 3-0 victories leaving the match poised at 2-1 to the visitors. With the number 1 match Beachill versus Ricketts close to call, it fell to Willstrop to secure victory against Alex Gough. This he duly did, repelling a spirited onslaught from Gough to edge a 3-1 victory.
In the final tie of the night Lee Beachill was two points away from a straight games win, before Anthony Ricketts recovered to clinch a win after the Yorkshireman was forced to retire with a recurrence of groin injury at 4-0 down in the fifth.
However, the shock of the night occurred in Nottingham where a injury hit Edgbaston were thumped 5-0, a result which brings Nottingham right back into contention.
