Star-studded Duffield close the gap
By Squash Mad Reporter
After last week’s British Nationals it was down to League business for many of the competitors in Manchester as the PSL season continued with the seventh round of matches.
In Division A, champions Benz Bavarian Duffield were able to field both National Champions, Nick Matthew and Laura Massaro, and a heavy victory looked on the cards against visitors Coolhurst London.
In the end Duffield collected 19 points in a 4-1 win, but were made to work hard for it – in the first two matches as Massaro edged past Donna Urquhart 11-9 in the fifth and Ashley Davies lost out in five to Nick Mulvey. Matthew, Chris Simpson and Declan James all won in straight games, but they were all close.
Leaders Everards Leicester were at home to fellow playoff contenders University of Birmingham Lions, who travelled with a depleted lineup. Sarah-Jane Perry shrugged off her Nationals disappointment to beat Emily Whitlock in straight games to put Birmingham ahead, but Leicester took all four men’s matches to notch up a 4-1 win, stayi ng top of the table by a single point.
Pontefract were able to field their strongest side, which proved too strong for visitors Air-IT Nottingham, the Yorkshire side winning 4-1 to leapfrog Nottingham in the table.
In Division B there were home wins for UWE/Elite Squash Bristol, Virgin Active Surrey and Team Chichester, leaving four clubs still in close proximity at the top of the table.
Bristol beat visitors ClubNet Winchester 4-1 with newly-crowned National Under-21 champion Gina Kennedy taking the only win for the visitors.
Surrey beat leaders and neighbours 9 Telecom St George’s Hill 4-1, but it was a closer match than the line-ups seemed to indicate, Karim Abdel Gawad coming from two games down against Joe Lee in the final match to round off the win for Surrey.
Team Chichester were at home to Exeter Diamonds and needed wins from the top three in the order to take the win as Amelia Henley and Micah Franklin won at four and five for the visitors.
Chichester go top of the table by seven points, but St George’s, Bristol and Surrey are all in close order just behind.
PSL results (Tuesday February 16, 2016).
Division A
Benz Bavarian Duffield 4-1 Coolhurst London (19-5)
Nick Matthew 3-0 Greg Lobban 13-11, 11-8, 11-6
Chris Simpson 3-0 Joe Green 11-7, 12-10, 12-10
Declan James 3-0 Ondrej Uherka 11-8, 12-10, 11-7
Ashley Davies 2-3 Nick Mulvey 4-11, 11-9, 11-7, 6-11, 3-11
Laura Massaro 3-2 Donna Urquhart 11-9, 11-13, 7-11, 11-8, 11-9
Pontefract 4-1 Air-IT Nottingham (19-4)
James Willstrop 3-0 Eddie Charlton 11-4, 11-7, 11-7
Laurens Jan Anjema 3-0 Chris Fuller 11-4, 11-6, 11-9
Aqeel Rehman 2-3 Mark Fuller 11-7, 6-11, 1-11, 11-5, 7-11
Patrick Rooney 3-1 Matthew Broadberry 11-7, 11-5, 9-11, 11-3
Fiona Moverley 3-0 Hana Ramadan 11-5, 12-10, 11-9
Everards Leicester 4-1 University of Birmingham Lions (17-4)
Daryl Selby 3-1 Joel Makin 11-6, 4-11, 11-7, 11-9
Nafiizwan Adnan 3-0 Miles Jenkins 11-8, 11-3, 11-8
Ben Coleman 3-0 Emyr Evans 11-6, 12-10, 11-7
George Parker 3-0 Tom Power 11-9, 11-7, 11-5
Emily Whitlock 0-3 Sarah-Jane Perry 8-11, 6-11, 3-11
Division B
UWE/Elite Squash Bristol 4-1 ClubNet Winchester (18-3)
Tom Ford 3-0 Robert Downer 11–8, 11-3, 11-7 (31m)
Josh Masters 3-0 Scott Handley 11-8, 11-6, 11-7 (22m)
Youssef Soliman 3-0 Rory Pennell 11-6, 11-4, 11-9 (27m)
Mike Harris 3-0 Adam Corcoran 11-4, 11-4, 11-5 (20m)
Ellie Epke 1-3 Gina Kennedy 12-10, 8-11, 4-11 , 7-11 (25m)
Virgin Active Surrey 4-1 9 Telecom St George’s Hill (18-7)
Karim Abdel Gawad 3-2 Joe Lee 3-11, 8-11, 11-8, 11-7,11-6
Gregoire Marche 1-3 Dylan Bennett 10-12, 11-6, 6-11, 9-11
Lyell Fuller 3-0 Phil Nightingale 11-5, 11-3, 11-8
Ben Ford 3-1 Paul Rawden 11-9, 11-7, 5-11, 13-11
Alison Thomson 3-1 Rawan Elkalaawy 9-11, 11-3, 11-7, 11-5
Team Chichester 3-2 Exeter Diamonds (16-6)
Paul Coll 3-0 Tim Vail 14-12, 12-10, 11-3
Robbie Temple 3-0 David Evans 11-9, 11-6, 11-9
Nathan Lake 3-0 James Peach 11-3, 11-9, 11-5
Brandon Hanley 2-3 Micah Franklin 11-8, 8-11, 11-7, 4-11, 10-12
Lauren Briggs 0-3 Amelia Henley 7-11, 7-11, 2-11
Second Half
The remaining second half dates are :
Round 8, 15-Mar : Round 9, 29-Mar : Round 10, 19-Apr.
After all 10 rounds are completed the top two teams in each Group will contest the semi-finals on 10th May with the final on May 17.