Four times World Squash Champion Sarah Fitz-Gerald commenced the year with a well fought victory over the combined Manchester-Pontefract players to win 4-1 in front of a partisan Pontefract crowd, in UK Squash Premier League play.

Fitz-Gerald started with a strong 8-1 lead over Pontefracts Janie Thacker in the first game, before the talented World No 18 settled to snatch back 5 points demonstrating her strength at the front of the court. The World Champion playing her first match of the new year, slowly found her rhythm and placed the pressure back on her opponent to run out the winner 9/5,9/4,9/3.

Edgbaston's male contingent were all pushed to the limit, starting with 4th string Jason Nicolle's 3-2 win over Phil Whitlock, which was almost a repeat of their mammoth battle during the British Nationals last February.

Edgbastons Paul Lord lost 3-2 over long time rival Marcus Berret after holding two match points in the 4th game. Another match full of surprises was Del Harris leading 2-0 from Nick Taylor, when Harris requested switching courts due to sweat making the floor slippery, Taylor came back to equalise 2-2 before Harris ran out the winner 9/7 in the 5th. Harris was experiencing déjà vu as the same situation happened during their first encounter at Edgbaston Priory Club with Taylor winning in that instance.

Last match of the evening was local Pontefract hero Lee Beachill against World No 6 and Australian Stewart Boswell. On Sunday, Beachill retired from a first round match in the US Open in Boston, USA due to illness, but showed no signs of the ailment tonight as he lead the Australian 2-1 before losing 3-2.

Fitz-Gerald's next WISPA appearance will be at the Hartford Open in Hartford CT USA on January 17th. She next plays National League for Edgbaston Priory Club on January 22 at Hallamshire, Sheffield.

Sarah Fitz-Gerald, is a professional squash player from Melbourne, Australia. Sarah is four-times World Squash Champion and winner of forty-eight (48) Women's International Squash Player Association (WISPA) World Tour titles, making her the most successful present day player. She won seven (7) titles in 2000 and fourteen (14) in 2001 inclusive of the prestigious British Open and her fourth World Open. She currently holds a world #1 ranking, a position she first gained in 1997.

Sarah Fitz-Gerald is the current president of WISPA, and her principal equipment sponsors are Dunlop Sports and Hi-Tec shoes.