Pontefract, Broxbourne in Lead
by Howard Harding, Jan 6, 2004  © 2004

Pontefract wins despite Atkinson, Beachill Losses

Omneya Abdel Kawy - Repeat BJO Champion. Photo © 2004 Deb Tessier

Manchester/Pontefract and TVS Broxbourne extended their leads at the top of the two groups after Tuesday's sixth round ties in the National Squash League - but the joint Lancashire/Yorkshire cooperative were boosted by a powerful 5-0 win by FPD Savills Nottingham over second-placed Edgbaston Priory which lifted the East Midlands club up to third position in Group A.

Hosts Nottingham were at full strength against their weakened West Midlands rivals - but the club's Natalie Grinham, the world No6 from Australia, dropped the first game before beating Priory's Isabelle Stoehr 7-9 9-2 9-3 9-3. It was plain sailing from there on as Dutch champion Tommy Berden, Welsh champion David Evans and Nottingham stalwart Simon Parke earned straight games wins before world No2 John White defeated Kent's world No22 Adrian Grant 9-7 2-9 10-8 9-3 to give the club maximum points in their opening fixture of the second half of the season.

"We had a long team talk before the match and agreed that it was the only result we would have accepted," said team manager Phil Songhurst.

It was the team's rising star James Willstrop who clinched victory for Manchester/Pontefract at Wolverhampton with a tough battle against the visitors' Welsh No1 Alex Gough. Willstrop, the world junior champion who celebrated the New Year with a first-time position in the world top 20, beat Gough, a former world No5, 10-8 9-6 3-9 10-8 to follow straight games wins by team-mates Nick Taylor and Marcus Berrett.

Wolverhampton claimed victories in the first and last match of the night as they suffered their fourth 3/2 loss of the season. Shelley Kitchen, ranked 18 in the world, pulled off a notable upset over the visitors' Vanessa Atkinson when she beat the world No5 from the Netherlands 9-5 9-5 4-9 4-9 9-3. In the final match of the evening, Pontefract-based Lee Beachill, playing his first league match since rising to four in the world, was two points away from a straight games win over Wolverhampton's Anthony Ricketts when the world No8 from Australia recovered to clinch a 9-11 10-12 10-8 9-5 4-0 win after Beachill was forced to retire with a recurrence of a groin injury.

Yorkshireman Nick Matthew, playing in his first season for Benz Bavarian Duffield, secured a 3-2 away victory for the Derbyshire club over Manchester Northern when he beat the home team's Martin Heath in the top string decider. Matthew, now at 11 in the world after a highly successful run on the PSA Tour, won 9-4 8-10 9-6 9-7 after Daryl Selby and Jenny Tranfield had won for Manchester Northern and Jonathan Kemp and Paul Hargrave had claimed victories for the visitors.

Despite losing valuable fourth string Danny Meddings due to illness on the eve of the match, Broxbourne claimed a 4-1 away win at Lee on Solent to open up an eight-point lead at the top of Group B. Irishman Steve Richardson was drafted in to replace Meddings, but went down 10-8 5-9 9-7 9-7 to Indian No1 Ritwik Bhattacharya as Lee on Solent collected their sole point.

In the other Group B tie, UniSport Guildford crushed hosts SWSA Bicester 5-0 - with only top string Scott Handley registering a consolation game as he went down to long-time Guildford No1 and recently retired Stephen Meads 9-2 6-9 9-7 9-7.

National Squash League

RESULTS: 6th round, Tuesday 6 January 2004

Group A:
FPD Savills Nottingham 5 Edgbaston Priory 0
John White beat Adrian Grant 9-7, 2-9, 10-8, 9-3
Simon Parke beat Del Harris 9-5, 9-5, 9-4
David Evans beat Hadrian Stiff 9-6, 9-5, 9-4
Tommy Berden beat Peter Barker 9-4, 9-5, 9-2
Natalie Grinham beat Isabelle Stoehr 7-9, 9-2, 9-3, 9-3
Manchester Northern 2 Benz Bavarian Duffield 3
Martin Heath lost to Nick Matthew 4-9, 10-8, 6-9, 7-9
Peter Billson lost to Paul Hargrave 6-9, 5-9, 6-9
Phillip Barker lost to Jonathan Kemp 10-8, 4-9, 6-9, 7-9
Daryl Selby beat Marcus Cowie 9-7, 5-9, 9-6, 7-9, 9-6
Jenny Tranfield beat Vicky Lankester 9-0, 9-0, 9-3
Wolverhampton 2 Manchester-Pontefract 3
Anthony Ricketts beat Lee Beachill 9-11, 10-12, 10-8, 9-5, 4-0 ret.
Alex Gough lost to James Willstrop 8-10, 6-9, 9-3, 8-10
Chris Ryder lost to Nick Taylor 9-11, 3-9, 6-9
Jaymie Haycocks lost to Marcus Berrett 3-9, 3-9, 4-9
Shelley Kitchen beat Vanessa Atkinson 9-5, 9-5, 4-9, 4-9, 9-3

Group B:
Lee-on-Solent 1 TVS Broxbourne 4
Bradley Ball lost to Mark Chaloner 11-9, 1-9, 7-9, 6-9
Lee Drew lost to Rodney Durbach 13-15, 9-1, 5-9, 4-9
Ben Howell lost to Alex Stait 3-9, 3-9, 2-9
Ritwik Bhattacharya beat Steve Richardson 10-8, 5-9, 9-7, 9-7
Louise Clark lost to Caroline Chaloner 6-9, 0-9, 6-9
SWSA Bicester 0 UniSport Guildford 5
Scott Handley lost to Stephen Meads 2-9, 9-6, 7-9, 7-9
Chris Clare lost to Stacey Ross 6-9, 5-9, 10-12
Michael Elford lost to Neil Frankland 5-9, 5-9, 4-9
David Naish lost to Paul Allen 2-9, 3-9, 4-9
Lauren Briggs lost to Fiona Geaves 3-9, 0-9, 3-9

LEAGUE TABLES (after 6th round)

Group A:
Manchester-Pontefract w/l: 6-0 points: 32
Edgbaston Priory   4-2; 24
Nottingham  3-3; 21
Duffield   3-3; 20
Manchester Northern   1-5; 15
Wolverhampton   1-5; 14

Group B:
Broxbourne   4-1; 28
Chichester   3-1; 20
Lee-on-Solent   3-2; 18
Guildford   2-3; 16
SWSA   0-5; 2

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