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2nd Semi
FInal
Surrey Health & Chichester Celebrate
First Time In PSL Final
PCL Whitehall
Security Surrey Health & Racquets Club
and PNH Properties Chichester
consolidated their successes the first semi-final legs by easing to home
victories in tonight's the second leg ties in the Premier Squash
League (PSL) to earn their first appearances in the national final
of the established England Squash league sponsored by
Towergate tlc.
It was a case of
'eighth time lucky' for Chichester, who had failed to progress beyond
the semi-finals seven times since 1996. After crushing Derbyshire's
Benz-Bavarian Duffield 5/0 in the first semi, the Sussex club
beat the defending champions 4/1 in the reverse fixture to record a 9/1
aggregate win.
Just 48 hours
after holding a slender 3/2 lead over University Sport Birmingham,
Croydon-based Surrey H&RC romped home 4/1 to secure a 7/3 aggregate win
- and extend their unbeaten run this season to 12 ties.
The final, on
Tuesday 13 May, will be the first between two southern clubs for six
years.
On the south
coast, Dominique Lloyd-Walter and Chichester stalwart Peter
Genever put the home side into the lead with repeat wins over
Duffield's 15-year-old Millie Tomlinson and Peter Billson,
respectively - Genever again needing five games to get the better of his
Manchester-based opponent.
But Duffield
claimed a revenge win when Nick Taylor beat Chichester's Tim
Vail 9-4, 9-6, 12-10. It was a rare loss for team captain Vail -
who made his debut for Chichester in 1996 and has not missed a PSL
appearance for his team in at least the last six seasons!
It was Chichester
team veteran Alex Gough that clinched victory over his former
club by beating Alex Stait 9-4, 9-7, 4-9, 9-1 - a win that was
later repeated by top string Mohd Azlan Iskandar when the
Malaysian beat Duffield number one Andrew Whipp 10-8, 10-8, 9-7
to ensure the home side's 4/1 success.
"At last we've
done it," said a jubilant Chichester captain Tim Vail. "We had a
sell-out crowd here tonight - willing us on to get to our first final -
and I'm sure they'll all be with us for the final too.
"We've had a
consistent policy ever since we joined the league - to always have
strength in depth, and to use the league to help bring on Sussex
juniors," explained Vail. "And tonight's triumph shows that the plan is
paying off - and juniors like Olly Pett and Tom Pashley have worked hard
to get this far."
There was also a
full house in Croydon - where the opening clash saw England's world No8
Vicky Botwright avenge her first leg loss to Lancashire and
England team-mate Laura Lengthorn-Massaro by fighting back from
two games down to beat her lower-ranked Birmingham opponent 9-11, 6-9,
10-8, 9-1, 9-7.
But straight games
wins by Ben Ford, Peter Barker and Egyptian star Wael
El Hindi put smiles on the home crowd as the Surrey club made up for
the disappointment of losing out at the same stage last year by winning
4/1.
The student team
gained a consolation point when up-and-coming 20-year-old Joel Hinds
(ranked 256 in the world) showed that Tuesday's giant-killing win over
experienced Italian Davide Bianchetti was no fluke - by again
beating the world No31 9-7, 9-2, 6-9, 9-6!
"It's been a
fantastic night, but also a huge relief after last year," admitted
Surrey team manager Pete Smith. "There's been a great atmosphere
here - and we're now really looking forward to the final."
RESULTS:
Semi-finals, 2nd leg:
PNH Properties
Chichester 4 Benz-Bavarian Duffield 1
Mohd Azlan
Iskandar bt Andrew Whipp 10-8, 10-8, 9-7
Alex Gough bt
Alex Stait 9-4, 9-7, 4-9, 9-1
Tim Vail lost to
Nick Taylor 4-9, 6-9, 10-12
Peter Genever bt
Peter Billson 3-9, 9-4, 5-9, 9-5, 9-7
Dominique
Lloyd-Walter bt Millie Tomlinson 9-3, 9-3, 9-1
Chichester win 9/1 on aggregate
PCL Whitehall
Security Surrey H&RC 4 University Sport Birmingham 1
Wael El Hindi bt
Joey Barrington 9-2, 11-9, 9-7
Peter Barker bt
Jonathan Harford 9-5, 9-5, 9-7
Davide
Bianchetti lost to Joel Hinds 7-9, 2-9, 9-6, 6-9
Ben Ford bt
Alistair Mutch 9-2, 9-1, 9-4
Vicky Botwright
bt Laura Lengthorn-Massaro 9-11, 6-9, 10-8, 9-1, 9-7
Surrey H&RC win 7/3 on aggregate
1st Semi Final Leg
Chichester & Surrey H&RC Take Early
Advantage In PSL Semi-Finals
PNH Properties
Chichester and PCL
Whitehall Security Surrey H&RC took the early advantage after the
first leg semi-final ties in the Premier Squash League (PSL)
following away wins over Benz-Bavarian Duffield and University
Sport Birmingham, respectively, in the established England Squash
league sponsored by Towergate tlc.
Duffield, the
reigning champions from Derbyshire hoping to become the first club in
the 25-year history of the league to win a hat-trick of successive
titles, suffered a catastrophic series of injury woes on the eve of the
semi-finals week - with last week's news of three of its leading players
being forced to withdraw being followed this week by the revelation that
second string woman Laura Hill had sustained an injury in Canada
which would prevent her from replacing England number Tania Bailey.
However, hastily
recruited replacement Mille Tomlinson - a 15-year-old schoolgirl
ranked two in the National U17 list - put in a courageous performance in
her PSL debut against Chichester's Dominique Lloyd-Walter. The
youngster led the world No21 from Harrow 7-4 in the opening game.
But Lloyd-Walter
soon regained the advantage to record a 9-7, 9-2 9-1 win to put the
visitors ahead.
Tomlinson's
Duffield team-mates maintained the pressure on favourites Chichester -
with Peter Billson, Nick Taylor and Alex Stait
taking each of their more fancied opponents the full distance before
succumbing in five games. Stait led world No22 Alex Gough by two
games - and was given the first point of the third game when Welshman
Gough received a conduct point against him as he walked off court after
the second.
But this seemed to
inspire the veteran 37-year-old who went on to win 6-9, 10-12, 9-4, 9-2,
9-3.
In the final top
string battle between Duffield's Stockport-based Andrew Whipp, a
former world No64, and the visitors' Mohd Azlan Iskandar,
currently ranked 13 in the world, the loyal Duffield followers
hoped for a surprise consolation match when underdog Whipp was two
points away from forcing a fifth game.
But Malaysian star
Iskandar maintained his focus to win 9-3, 9-5, 8-10, 9-7 to give the
Sussex side a much-deserved 5/0 tie win.
"I couldn't have
expected more from my players," said a dejected Duffield team manager
Brian Hargrave afterwards. "We gave them a good run for their money
and will try and repeat this in the second leg on Thursday at
Chichester. We've got a mountain to climb, but if we do have to bow out
of the competition, I couldn't think of a better team to succeed us as
champions than Chichester!"
With three members
of its squad in the world top ten, Croydon's PCL Whitehall Security
Surrey H&RC were expected to take the honours against University Sport
Birmingham at the Edgbaston Priory Club in Birmingham.
But after Laura
Lengthorn-Massaro beat higher-ranked Lancashire and England
team-mate Vicky Botwright 9-6, 9-7, 9-5 - the 24-year-old from
Preston's third successive win over world No8 Botwright - and home hero
Joel Hinds (ranked 256 in the world) scored a sensational 9-3,
9-7, 9-7 victory over Italy's world No31 Davide Bianchetti, the
University team found themselves 2/1 ahead.
But an impressive
9-4, 9-2, 9-4 win by the visitors England international Peter Barker
over Jonathan Harford levelled the tie. In the decider, the
Surrey team's Egyptian international Wael El Hindi was too strong
for Birmingham's Joey Barrington - whose 'dead leg' injury picked
up at the Surrey Health Open last week at the Croydon club prevented him
from completing the third game of the match.
"We had a really
good turn out at Edgbaston Priory and, given the strength of our
opposition, our team put in a great performance - especially Joel Hinds
who played the best I've ever seen him," said University of Birmingham
team manager Jonathan Tate.
RESULTS:
Semi-finals, 1st leg:
Benz-Bavarian
Duffield 0 PNH Properties Chichester 5
Andrew Whipp
lost to Mohd Azlan Iskandar 3-9, 5-9, 10-8, 7-9
Alex Stait lost
to Alex Gough 9-6, 12-10, 4-9, 2-9, 3-9
Nick Taylor lost
to Tim Vail 9-5, 6-9, 2-9, 9-2, 6-9
Peter Billson
lost to Peter Genever 9-6, 9-5, 6-9, 2-9, 5-9
Millie Tomlinson
lost to Dominique Lloyd-Walter 7-9, 2-9, 1-9
University
Sport Birmingham 2 PCL Whitehall Security Surrey H&RC 3
Joey Barrington
lost to Wael El Hindi 4-9, 5-9, 0-1 ret.
Jonathan Harford
lost to Peter Barker 4-9, 2-9, 4-9
Joel Hinds bt
Davide Bianchetti 9-3, 9-7, 9-7
Alistair Mutch
lost to Adrian Waller 6-9, 6-9, 10-8, 3-9
Laura
Lengthorn-Massaro bt Vicky Botwright 9-6, 9-7, 9-5
Semi-finals, 2nd
leg (Thursday 10 April):
PNH Properties
Chichester v Benz-Bavarian Duffield
PCL Whitehall
Security Surrey H&RC v University Sport Birmingham
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