Results from 2003
Week: One | Two | Three | Four | Five | Six | Seven | Eight | Nine
SUPERLEAGUE CUP FINAL
HALIFAX HOME INSURANCE 2 EXETER IMPERIALS 1
Lee Beachill beat Ong Beng Hee 9/6, 9/6, 9/4
James Willstrop lost Joe Kneipp 5/9, 2/9, 7/9
Marcus Berrett beat David Evans 5/9, 9/7, 5/9, 9/0, 9/3
3rd PLACE PLAYOFF
DUNRAVEN WINDOWS MAESTEG 3 IPSWICH 0
John White beat Lee Drew 9/4, 9/7, 9/5
Martin Heath beat Ben Howell 9/3, 9/5, 9/5
Del Harris beat Shahid Khan 8/10, 9/6, 10/8, 9/4
Monday 31 Mar - FINAL WEEK
DUNRAVEN WINDOWS MAESTEG 2 HALIFAX HOME INSURANCE 1
John White beat James Willstrop 5/9, 9/7, 9/6, 7/9, 9/7
Jonathan Kemp lost Marcus Berrett 9/3, 3/9, 2/9, 1/9
Gavin Jones beat Ashley Flathers 9/1, 9/4, 9/3
EXETER IMPERIALS 2 LINDEN HOMES WINCHESTER 1
David Evans beat Alex Gough 8/10, 9/3, 10/8, 9/5
Hadrian Stiff beat Mark Cairns 9/7, 9/3, 6/9, 9/6
Mike Gregory lost Tim Vail 2/9, 5/9, 6/9
HALIFAX LOSE AT LAST;
BRING ON THE CUP ...
It took until the very last night of the Super League before Halifax Home Insurance were finally beaten, but they still came away from a visit to Dunraven Windows Maesteg ahead by 19 points in the final table.
Ashley Flathers had been brought in by the Yorkshire side but he was shrugged aside by Gavin Jones before Halifax captain Marcus Berrett completed a personal unbeaten season to level the tie, weaving webs around rising star Jonathan Kemp. World Junior champion James Willstrop couldn't quite bring the season to an unbeaten conclusion as he was teetered two points away from victory at seven all in the fifth before being edged out by world number five John White in what was described as the match of the season at the Welsh club.
Berrett was delighted to have taken the League but is already wanting to add the Super League Cup to complete the double in front of their own supporters when the Cup semis and finals are played on their home courts at the end of May."Last season we rode our luck to sneak the League but this year we have stamped our authority" he said. "Our players have all performed well when it mattered and we are looking to take this form into the Cup" he continued.
Linden Homes Winchester had their late climb up the League halted when they failed to snatch victory from Exeter Imperials who ended up in the runners up spot by only one point. It had started well when Winchester's Tim Vail was too steady for Exeter third string Mike Gregory, but former England international Mark Cairns found Hadrian Stiff playing better than he has done for a while.Stiff took advantage of Cairn's sluggishness early on, but though Cairns did get it together and patrolled the front of the court better he could not sustain the burst and eventually succumbed in four games after 67 minutes.
Then, in the all-Welsh top string battle David Evans completed the double over Alex Gough in a match characterised by lengthy rallies and Gough eventually wearying in the fifty eight minute tussle.
Monday 24 Mar - Week TEN
IPSWICH 1 LINDEN HOMES WINCHESTER 2
Bradley Ball lost Alex Gough 8/10, 9/7, 7/9, 10/8, 3/9
Pete Genever lost Dan Jenson 3/9, 9/7, 9/7, 3/9, 5/9
Ben Howell beat Peter Barker 9/4, 10/8, 9/3
EXETER IMPERIALS 0 HALIFAX HOME INSURANCE 3
Joe Kneipp lost Nick Matthew 9/2, 6/9, 9/5, 4/9, 5/9
David Evans lost Adrian Grant 9/7, 8/10, 8/10, 9/3, 2/9
Hadrian Stiff lost Marcus Berrett 3/9, 6/9, 3/9HALIFAX ARE SUPER LEAGUE CHAMPIONS AGAIN
Exeter Imperials failed to score the win they needed over Halifax Home Insurance to keep the destiny of the title on hold until the final matches next Monday, thus a week before the Super League ends the Yorkshire side have retained their title.
After seven straight wins Halifax's player manager Marcus Berrett hopes to complete an unbeaten season, with only Dunraven Windows Maesteg possibly able to upset the Halifax applecart in the final match.
Berrett started the rout, as he has done so often this season, being far too strong for Hadrian Stiff; then Adrian Grant proved too steady for former British Open champion David Evans, winning 3/2 in 65 minutes. Finally full points were wrapped up by Nick Matthew who was delighted to beat the world number 14 Joe Kneipp.
In the other fixture played Linden Homes Winchester consolidated their position by beating Ipswich, last week's surprise conquerors of Maesteg. They have now edged up to second place in the League, leaving Ipswich to claim the wooden spoon, although only being a few points off the pace for the lower placings.
Ipswich's Ben Howell got the East Anglian side off to a good start with a 3/0 win against talented Peter Barker, but Australian Dan Jenson scraped home 3/2 against Peter Genever in 90 minutes, with Winchester's Alex Gough deciding the tie by beating Bradley Ball. Ipswich players may have been a little weary but this was self inflicted as Bradley Ball had played and beaten Peter Genever 3/2 in 90 minutes the day before in the final of the Wimbledon Cup.NEXT FIXTURES: Mon 31 March - Final week
Exeter Imperials v Linden Homes Winchester
Dunraven Windows Maesteg v Halifax Home Insurance
Monday 17 Mar - Week NINE
IPSWICH 2 DUNRAVEN WINDOWS MAESTEG 1
Bradley Ball beat Jonathan Kemp 8/10, 9/7, 7/9, 9/5, 9/3
Ben Howell beat Alister Walker 9/5, 6/9, 9/3, 10/8
Shahid Khan lost Greg Tippings 4/9, 4/9, 7/9
LINDEN HOMES WINCHESTER 3 EXETER IMPERIALS 0
Alex Gough beat David Evans 9/5, 9/3, 3/9, 5/9, 9/6
Mark Cairns beat Hadrian Stiff 5/9, 9/6, 4/9, 9/6, 9/4
Tim Vail beat Mike Gregory 7/9, 7/9, 9/2, 9/4, 9/4
HIGH FIVES FOR WINCHESTER
as title challenges are left in tatters
Exeter Imperials badly needed to win their match in hand to keep within striking distance of runaway leaders Halifax Home Insurance but were lacking a number one to provide the full thrust to do so. Instead, Linden Homes Winchester snatched all three matches in five games to steer themselves well away from the wooden spoon they took last season. Exeter now go into their match against the leaders next week needing a stunning victory to keep the title race open.
Winchester's Tim Vail had looked out of sorts at the start, but recovered to beat Mike Gregory. Then home captain Mark Cairns took 69 minutes to again subscribe to his adage of winning in five when three would do! The stage was then clear for the top two Welsh player to have a Principality Closed encounter. It also went all the way, but Alex Gough is having a steady season and took the honours.
Meanwhile, Ipswich were forging a win against Dunraven Windows Maesteg using three Suffolk players for the first time. Shahid Khan was making his Ipswich debut, and though he lost to Greg Tippings was praised by manager Dave Howell."Shahid was a little nervous today, but he will do well for us in the future", he reported. Ben Howell then scored one of the best wins of his career beating fast rising Alister Walker and Bradley Ball nailed the overall victory by taming another rising star, Jonathan Kemp at top string.
Maesteg return to Wales with their title aspirations in tatters after three weeks without their front line.
Next Fixtures:
Mon 24 March
Exeter Imperials v Halifax Home Insurance
Ipswich v Linden Homes Winchester
Mon 31 March - Final week
Exeter Imperials v Linden Homes Winchester
Dunraven Windows Maesteg v Halifax Home Insurance
Monday 10 Mar - Week EIGHT
DUNRAVEN WINDOWS MAESTEG 1 EXETER IMPERIALS 2
Jonathan Kemp lost Ong Beng Hee 6/9, 9/6, 9/7, 4/9, 3/9
Gavin Jones lost David Evans 6/9, 1/9, 4/9
Alister Walker beat Hadrian Stiff 9/6, 7/9, 9/7, 10/8
HALIFAX HOME INSURANCE 2 LINDEN HOMES WINCHESTER 1
Adrian Grant lost Alex Gough 10/8, 9/7, 8/10, 5/9, 6/9
James Willstrop beat Dan Jenson 10/8, 6/9, 4/9, 9/1, 9/3
Marcus Berrett beat Mark Cairns 9/2, 9/3, 9/6
HALIFAX MAINTAIN
UNBEATEN RECORD
Exeter edged past Maesteg and have taken on the mantle of challenger, albeit very distant, to Halifax. Exeter and Halifax meet later this month, but only improbable faltering by the Yorkshire side coupled with a heavy defeat to Exeter will facilitate a tight Super League finish.
Maesteg, hampered by the absence of key players, including sidelined David Palmer continued their slide from contention when their weakened side was beaten by Exeter who have a match in hand on the top two teams. Their young and willing team simply didn't have quite enough in their locker to trouble the Devon outfit who so narrowly missed out on the League title last season.
It had started promisingly for the Welsh when stand-in Alister Walker beat Hadrian Stiff, but Exeter's David Evans had too much experience for Gavin Jones, moving him around the court before surgically finishing rallies. In the final match Malaysian Ong Beng Hee eventually shrugged off jet lag from his arrival from Bermuda and the array of Jonathan Kemp winners prompted from pushing the ball in short before wining in 49 minutes.
Halifax dropped points to Winchester and now lead the League by 20 points. It could have been worse though as it took a very mature James Willstrop performance against Dan Jenson, a past world top tenner coming back after a long lay off. Marcus Berrett had already beaten Mark Cairns in a battle of former England internationals so that left Halifax two up rather than one all. Then followed a tumultuous 73 minute battle which saw Alex Gough claw his way back from two games to one down to get the better of left hander Adrian Grant.
Six down and only two more matches won could see Halifax complete an unbeaten Super League season ...NEXT FIXTURES, Mon 17 March:
Ipswich v Dunraven Windows Maesteg
Linden Homes Winchester v Exeter Imperials
Monday 03 Mar - Week SEVEN
EXETER IMPERIALS 2 IPSWICH 1
Stewart Boswell beat Bradley Ball 7/9, 9/5, 9/6, 9/7
David Evans lost Peter Genever 5/9, 7/9, 9/4, 1/9
Hadrian Stiff beat Ben Howell 6/9, 4/9, 9/6, 9/5, 10/8
HALIFAX HOME INSURANCE 2 DUNRAVEN WINDOWS MAESTEG 1
Adrian Grant lost Jonathan Kemp 6/9, 10/8, 7/9, 8/10
James Willstrop beat Gavin Jones 9/5, 9/3, 9/4
Marcus Berrett beat Greg Tippings 9/2, 10/8, 10/8
BERRETT'S BOYS
HIT THE HOME STRAIGHT
Halifax Home Insurance all but nailed down the Super League title when they despatched a horribly weakened Maesteg team. Not only were Maesteg left trailing, but their defeat left Exeter Imperials without the leg up that they hoped to combine with their win over Ipswich.
The Welsh were without top liners David Palmer and John White - in Bermuda, Martin Heath - in USA, and Del Harris - on the treatment table. Halifax, though without injured Lee Beachill, had too much firepower for the remnants and kept up their unbeaten record for the season. As Maesteg manager Gerwyn Davies ruefully observed, "I've been in the League for 20 years and this week was the worst ever. Even my last gasp reserve broke his knuckle playing last Thursday".
Last season the title was not decided until the last night, with Halifax winning when favourites Exeter stumbled. This time they have control with three ties to go. Halifax captain Berrett was too seasoned for Greg Tippings, world junior champion James Willstrop towered above Gavin Jones in every sense, and had Adrian Grant seen off late addition Jonathan Kemp it would have been a rout. Instead Kemp showed why he too is a rising star.
Down in Exeter, the only consolation for Ipswich's Ben Howell when he lost to local lad Hadrian Stiff from two up was that he didn't also blow any match balls in their 61 minute encounter. For the visitors, Pete Genever provided another really game performance and was simply too sharp for former British Open champion David Evans. The tie was wrapped up for the Devon side by world number four Stewart Boswell against Bradley Ball who really extended the Australian, but the points counted for little without Maesteg forcing Halifax to drop some too.
Maesteg and Exeter battle next week for what is likely to be second place unless Winchester can stage an upset when they travel to Halifax.NEXT FIXTURES, Mon 10 March:
Dunraven Windows Maesteg v Exeter Imperials
Halifax Home Insurance v Linden Homes Winchester
Monday 18 Feb - Week SIX
IPSWICH 0 HALIFAX HOME INSURANCE 3
Pete Genever lost Nick Matthew 1/9, 4/9, 5/9
Bradley Ball lost Adrian Grant 7/9, 9/5, 10/8, 3/9, 3/9
Lee Drew lost Marcus Berrett 10/8, 1/9, 8/10, 2/9
DUNRAVEN WINDOWS MAESTEG 1 LINDEN HOMES WINCHESTER 2
Martin Heath lost Alex Gough 9/7, 7/9, 6/9, 5/9
Gavin Jones lost Mark Cairns 5/9, 9/3, 7/9, 4/9
Alister Walker beat Tim Vail 4/9, 9/5, 9/3, 7/9, 9/3
HALIFAX HOLD THE ACES
Halifax hold the aces before they meet Maesteg in their next match in a battle that will either see the Yorkshire side pulling further away or the Welsh outfit drag themselves back into contention, but only if they win comprehensively.Ipswich, having caused an upset in their last outing when they beat Winchester, were simply steamrollered by Halifax, despite the visitors resting Lee Beachill who had contested a protracted final of the Nationals in Manchester the day before. Depth has been the key for Halifax, and led off by captain Marcus Berrett they got an early lead when he beat Lee Drew. Adrian Grant, beaten by his captain in the Nationals, then ground out a 75 minute win against Bradley Ball before Nick Matthew continued his rich vein of form by snuffing out Pete Genever
MAESTEG OLD BOYS
BITE BACK ...
In the evening's other tie Maesteg found a renunion with old team members a less than joyous occasion. Alister Walker had set the Welsh up for a win but then newly crowned British Over 35 champion Mark Cairns returned to the club where he had several great seasons and abused the hospitality by beating Gavin Jones. Then Welsh number one Alex Gough returned to the valleys and completed the smash and grab by picking up the pace and getting home in 41 minutes against Scottish number two Martin Heath.
Maesteg now languish nine points behind Halifax, with Exeter dropping further as Winchester's two back to back wins move them up the table.The West Country team who had a night off will hope to ease themselves back into contention when they meet Ipswich in their next tie.
NEXT FIXTURES, Mon 03 Mar:
Exeter Imperials v Ipswich
Halifax Home Insurance v Dunraven Windows Maesteg
Mon 03 February - Week FIVE
LINDEN HOMES WINCHESTER 1 IPSWICH 2
Alex Gough lost Pete Genever 7/9, 9/7, 9/5, 8/10, 7/9
Paul Price lost Bradley Ball 9/7, 5/9, 4/9, 4/9
Tim Vail beat Ben Howell 9/3, 9/6, 9/4
HALIFAX HOME INSURANCE 2 EXETER IMPERIALS 1
Simon Parke lost Stewart Boswell 2/9, 9/4, 1/9, 4/9
Nick Matthew beat Ong Beng Hee 9/6, 9/2, 9/6
Marcus Berrett beat David Evans 6/9, 9/3, 9/3, 9/6
Marcus Berrett
Photo from John SuperBERRETT BEATS
HIS BOGEY MAN
In an extraordinary evening of top class squash the Exeter hopes of getting their hands on the Super League trophy crumbled at the hands of Halifax. They had travelled to Yorkshire with high hopes and came away holding their collective heads in disbelief. "We have made it really difficult for ourselves. We haven't handed the title to Halifax or Maesteg but the League is getting out of reach", said disconsolate Exeter Imperials manager Tony Snell.
First Marcus Berrett beat former British Open champion David Evans for the first time in his career to lay a bogey to rest and set Halifax on their way. Then a pumped up Nick Matthew stunningly beat Ong Beng Hee in straight games in 33 minutes to seal the win before Exeter's Stewart Boswell restored some semblance to ranking order by beating Simon Parke in the top string match up.
"David was off the pace. He is devastated and Beng Hee is sitting there trying to work it out. He just cannot believe that he has lost", was Snell's summary.
In the other tie Ipswich hauled themselves off bottom place with a win over Winchester which features Bradley Ball following up his win over Del Harris last week with a victory over Australian Paul Price. This was Price's first outing after a bout of tendon trouble in an ankle, and although he lost was moving okay.
With Tim Vail having beaten Ben Howell at the bottom of the order it was left to Alex Gough to wrap up the decider for Winchester but he faltered in the face of Pete Genever's trademark tenacity. From 2/1 up in games Gough went on to 6/0 down in the decider. He then got back on terms only to lose the match in 75 minutes.NEXT FIXTURES:
Mon 17 Feb
Ipswich v Halifax Home Insurance
Dunraven Windows Maesteg v Linden Homes Winchester
Mon 27th January - Week FOUR
DUNRAVEN WINDOWS MAESTEG 2 IPSWICH 1
Del Harris lost Bradley Ball 6/9, 6/9, 9/5, 5/9
Gavin Jones beat Lee Drew 9/3, 9/2, 10/8
Craig van der Wath beat Ben Howell 9/7, 9/7, 10/8
HARRIS HUMBLED
BUT MAESTEG WIN AGAIN
The Tractor Boys of Ipswich found the Welsh valleys anything but welcoming when Maesteg sent them packing with only three points to show from their Super League meeting - the only tie of the evening. The home win for the Welsh side reconnects them with top spot in the League as the order begins to take shape.
First up for Maesteg was South African Craig van der Wath, who completed his two innings unbeaten before returning to Johannesburg. Ben Howell couldn't overcome the neat, clinical play of his thirty six year old opponent and succumbed in 48 minutes. Fearless when it mattered, the South African recovered from 7/5 down in each of the three games.
The second strings were closely matched in world rankings but local boys Gavin Jones had a full house spurring on against Lee Drew. The only time the Welsh international was under pressure was when he found himself game ball down in the third, but a backhand drop saw him level before going on to win with his first match ball.
World champion David Palmer was unable to get over from his Belgian base and so Mr Reliable Del Harris was brought in for Maesteg. However his reputation was dented when he went down to Ipswich's Bradley Ball, a near neighbour, for the first time in his career. Maesteg manager Gerwyn Davies was moved to call Ball "Awesome on the night" so was philosophical about the dropped points.Next Fixtures:
Mon 3 Feb:
Halifax Home Insurance v Exeter Imperials
Linden Homes Winchester v Ipswich
Mon 20th January - Week THREE
LINDEN HOMES WINCHESTER 0 HALIFAX HOME INSURANCE 3
Alex Gough lost Lee Beachill 2/9, 9/7, 2/9, 9/7, 1/9
Tim Garner lost Adrian Grant 4/9, 8/10, 4/9
Mark Cairns lost Marcus Berrett 8/10, 2/9, 8/10
EXETER IMPERIALS 1 DUNRAVEN WINDOWS MAESTEG 2
Ong Beng Hee beat David Palmer 9/5, 3/9, 9/7, 3/9, 10/8
David Evans lost John White 7/9, 10/8, 9/3, 4/9, 5/9
Hadrian Stiff lost Craig Van Der Wath 6/9, 6/9, 4/9
MAESTEG 'DREAM TEAM'
UNLEASHED ON EXETER
Maesteg had their dream team on display but it was their unsung third string that set them on their way to their first win of the campaign after an earlier surprise loss to Winchester in their opening fixture.
Ex-pro Craig Van Der Wath, the British Open and World Masters Over-35 Champion, had been flown over from South Africa for two outings and he proved his worth by clinically disposing of Exeter's Hadrian Stiff in a mere 38 minutes. He simply moved his opponent around before playing the ball into the area of the court Stiff had just vacated. Van Der Wath holds the distinction of having been competing in the very first American Express League nineteen seasons ago, and is still winning.
Then it was onto both finalists in the World Open last month. First John White took out David Evans in a titanic tussle that brought the full house regularly to its feet. Not only was White powering the ball into nicks, but diving full length to retrieve, get up, dive again and then win rallies!Finally, Malaysian world number 7 Ong Beng Hee narrowly felled world champion David Palmer by simply "hanging in" against recently arrived Palmer to pick up extra points.
In the other tie, Super League champions Halifax maintained their strong grip on their crown by keeping their unbeaten record at Winchester. Captain Marcus Berrett set the trend by beating his opposite number Mark Cairns, now more attuned to paperwork than squash he admitted afterwards! Then for the visitors Adrian Grant put in a very assured performance to dismantle experienced Tim Garner before national champion Lee Beachill outlasted Alex Gough in their 55 minute encounter to give them maximum points.Next Fixtures:
Mon 27 January:
Dunraven Windows Maesteg v Ipswich
Mon 3 Feb:
Halifax Home Insurance v Exeter Imperials
Linden Homes Winchester v Ipswich
Mon 6th January - Week TWO
HALIFAX HOME INSURANCE 2 IPSWICH 1
Lee Beachill beat Rodney Durbach 9/5 9/6 9/3
James Willstrop lost Bradley Ball 3/9 5/9 9/7 5/9
Marcus Berrett beat Ben Howell 9/4 9/2 9/7
LINDEN HOMES WINCHESTER 2 DUNRAVEN WINDOWS MAESTEG 1
Alex Gough beat John White 10/8 8/10 9/3 9/7
Tim Garner lost Del Harris 2/9 6/9 8/10
Mark Cairns beat Alistair Walker 9/4 6/9 9/3 10/8 9/3
CHAMPIONS HALIFAX OFF TO WINNING START
Super League champions Halifax Home Insurance got off to a winning start in their campaign when they consigned Ipswich to their second defeat of the season. In his first competitive outing after twisting his ankle in the World Open, Lee Beachill comprehensively beat South African Rodney Durbach in straight games in 31 minutes. Second string James Willstrop was also playing his first match after being crowned World Junior Champion in India last month, but he went down to Ipswich's Bradley Ball. It was Halifax player manager Marcus Berrett who had set up the win by being too experienced for Ben Howell, whom he beat comfortably in 32 minutes. Berrett may not play the circuit any more but even the world's finest find him hard to handle in the Super League.
UNDER-STRENGTH MAESTEG CRASH TO WINCHESTER
Former champions Dunraven Windows Maesteg have both World Open finalists in their squad, but the Welsh side only fielded runner up John White for their visit to Linden Homes Winchester. His power left Alex Gough flapping in his wake but the Welshman dug in hard and in a match that excited the crowd won the deciding match on his Winchester debut. Maesteg's Del Harris had been too crisp and early onto the ball for Tim Garner but Winchester's former England international Mark Cairns had started the Hampshire bandwagon rolling with one of his marathons, beating Alistair Walker in 71 minutes.NEXT FIXTURES:
MON 20 January
Linden Homes Winchester v Halifax Home Insurance
Exeter Imperials v Dunraven Windows Maesteg
Mon16th Dec - Week ONE
IPSWICH 0 EXETER IMPERIALS 3
Bradley Ball Lt Ong Beng Hee 9 /7, 4/9, 3/9, 10/8, 8/10
Peter Genenver Lt David Evans 9/7, 3/9, 5/9, 7/9
Ben Howell Lt Hadrian Stiff 4/9, 7/9, 5/9
EXETER BAG FULL POINTS IN SEASON OPENER
Exeter Imperials put their last gasp loss of the 2002 Super League title behind them when they started by bagging full points in the opening fixture of the campaign this season.They travelled to Ipswich with a strong squad but failed to overwhelm the East Anglian outfit. Bradley Ball would have made it a different story had he converted one of the two match balls he had in the deciding game against Malaysian number one Ong Beng Hee but went down after 69 pulsating minutes.
Full report from Ipswich
The remaining Super League teams begin their campaign early in the new year:MON 6 January
Halifax Home Insurance v Ipswich
Linden Homes Winchester v Dunraven Windows Maesteg