Tall order as James Willstrop beats James Earles in Pontefract decider
By Squash Mad Reporter
The fourth round of the England Squash Premier Squash League featured a number of close finishes, and a first defeat of the season for the defending champions, Duffield.
Group A leaders Benz Bavarian Duffield, strengthened by the availability Nick Matthew on his return from the World Championship in Seattle, took the lead as Laura Massaro beat Emily Whitlock.
But visitors Everards Leicester took the next three men’s matches to inflict Duffield’s first defeat. Daryl Selbe was leading 2-0 in the final match when Matthew retired injured, giving Leicester enough of a gap to put them level with Duffield on 58 points at the top of the table.
Univerity of Birmingham Lions visited Air-IT Nottingham, with both teams looking for a win to boost their playoff credentials, and after Alan Clyne had put Nottingham ahead in the top string match, it was Birmingham who took control, and the victory, with wins from Sarah-Jane Perry, Chris Ryder and Joel Makin, with Jan Van Den Herrewegen making it 4-1 overall with a 3-2 win against Nottingham skipper Mark Fuller to finish.
Pontefract and London Coolhurst have both struggled so far this season, and their match went down to the wire. The first four matches were shared, Patrick Rooney and Lewis Doughty with 3-0 wins for Pontefract while Coolhurst’s Nick Sutcliffe and Madeline Perry both edged home in five.
In the decider World semi-finalist James Willstrop found himself two games down against James Earles, and match-ball down in the fourth before finally winning the match in five to give Pontefract a first win of the season.
In Group B leaders 9 Telecom St George’s Hill kept their fine start to the season going as they raced into a match-winning 3-0 lead against struggling Exeter Diamonds, finishing it off 4-1 to stay at the top of the table.
Neighbours Virgin Active Surrey kept in tough with the leaders with a win at home to bottom of the table ClubNet Winchester, but the visitors won the first and last matches thanks to Gina Kennedy and Zahed Mohamed.
Second and third in the table UWE/Elite Squash Bristol and Team Chichester met, with visitors Chichester coming within an ace of victory.
Lauren Briggs put Chichester ahead, and with the visitors leading 2-1 Matt Hopkin held match ball only to see Bristol’s Josh Masters fight back to take the fourth and fifth games 13-11, 17-15.
Marwan Elshorbagy made that count as he came from a game down against Robbie Temple to clinch the win for Bristol to keep them in second place.
Premier Squash League (November 24, 2015):
Group A
Benz Bavarian Duffield 1-4 Everards Leicester (6-17)
Nick Matthew 0-3 Daryl Selby 7-11, 3-11, rtd
Declan James 1-3 Nafiizwan Adnan 11-8, 8-11, 10-12, 5-11
Richie Fallows 2-3 Shaun Le Roux 9-11, 14-16, 11-8, 11-6, 7-11
Danny Hockburn 0-3 Ben Coleman 6-11, 7-11, 6-11
Laura Massaro 3-0 Emily Whitlock 11-6, 11-2, 11-5
Air-IT Nottingham 1-4 University of Birmingham Lions (8-17)
Alan Clyne 3-0 Peter Creed 11-7, 11-4, 11-2
Eddie Charlton 0-3 Chris Ryder 4-11, 8-11, 6-11
Chris Fuller 2-3 Joel Makin 5-11, 11-9, 11-9, 7-11, 5-11
Mark Fuller 2-3 Jan Van Den Herrewegen 9-11, 11-7, 11-4, 9-11, 4-11
Hana Ramadan 1-3 Sarah-Jane Perry 6-11, 10-12, 12-10, 3-11
Pontefract 3-2 Coolhurst London (18-8)
James Willstrop 3-2 James Earles 8-11, 6-11, 11-8, 16-14, 11-4
Patrick Rooney 3-0 Adam Auckland 11-6, 11-9, 11-5
Alex Hodgetts 2-3 Nick Sutcliffe 11-5, 11-4, 11-13, 6-11, 6-11
Lewis Doughty 3-0 Paddy Harrison 12-10, 11-7, 11-4
Fiona Moverley 2-3 Madeline Perry 11-9, 9-11, 13-11, 9-11, 10-12
Group B
UWE/Elite Squash Bristol 3-2 Team Chichester (16-10)
Marwan Elshorbagy 3-1 Robbie Temple 8-11, 11-9, 11-2, 11-9 (36m)
Steve Finitsis 3-1 Nathan Lake 11-4, 6-11, 11-7, 11-6 (43m)
Josh Masters 3-2 Matt Hopkin 6-11, 5-11, 11-8, 13-11, 17-15 (57m)
Mike Harris 2-3 Kyle Finch 8-11, 11-7, 11-8, 9-11, 9-11 (64m)
Emma Chorley 0-3 Lauren Briggs 8-11, 9-11, 7-11 (31m)
9 Telecom St George’s Hill 4-1 Exeter Diamonds (18-5)
Tom Richards 3-1 Olli Tuominen 11-8, 5-11, 11-7, 11-7
Joe Lee 3-0 Ollie Pett 11-1, 11-6, 11-3
Henrik Mustonen 3-0 Tim Vail 11-9, 11-7, 11-3
Alex Ingham 1-3 James Snell 9-11, 5-11, 11-9, 6-11
Yathreb Adel 3-1 Tory Temple-Murray 7-11, 11-7, 11-3, 11-9
Virgin Active Surrey 3-2 ClubNet Winchester (16-6)
Peter Barker 1-3 Zahed Mohamed 11-9, 7-11, 4-11, 8-11 (32m)
Ali Farag 3-0 Robbie Downer 11-4, 11-6, 11-2 (17m)
Charles Sharpes 3-0 Scott Handley 11-3, 11-7, 11-4 (22m)
Piedro Schweertman 3-0 Adam Corcoran 11-5, 11-8, 11-5
Alison Thomson 1-3 Gina Kennedy 11-5, 9-11, 4-11, 2-11
