Tue 6th Dec, Round Four
Exeter go top as Boswell signs off in Devon
It was a big night in round four of the Premier Squash League, with most of the top players back in action after the hectic Autumn schedule of World Series events, and all the teams looking for wins to send them into the winter break in good heart.
In Group A Birmingham University were hoping the fervent home support would help them to a second win, but visitors Oxford soon dashed that prospect as they took a 3-0 lead at the bottom of the order, eventually winning 4-1 to move into third place in the table.
It was the same story at Nottingham as the home side neutralised Pontefract’s ‘big guns’ at the top of the order, taking the first three ties to clinch the victory – Emma Beddoes with a fine win against Vanessa Atkinson, and Lewis Walters coming from 2-0 down to beat Simon Parke. Nottingham won 4-1 to keep them in second place behind unbeaten Duffield, who had a night off.
In Group B Exeter and St George’s also wrapped up the points early, going 3-0 up against Bristol and champions Surrey H&R respectively. Surrey took the last two – both all-English – matches courtesy of Adrian Grant and Peter Barker to limit the damage a little, while Stewart Boswell, playing his last PSL match after announcing his retirement a week ago in Kuwait, signed off in style with a 3-0 win to out Exeter 4-0 up before receiving a “very emotional” presentation in front of the packed Exeter crowd. The last match – “the best I’ve ever seen” according to one observer – saw LJ Anjema beat Mohamed El Shorbagy 11/9 in the fifth, well after midnight, to give Exeter maximum points.
Those results combine to take Exeter top of the table, but it’s pretty congested up there.
At Chichester it went down to the wire, 1-all, then 2-all as Alex Gough squeezed out a 3-2 win to level the match against Winchester, leaving it to Nafiizwan Adnan to clinch the points for the home side with a 3-0 win over world junior champion Mohamed El Shorbagy. Chichester leapfrog tonight’s opponents to go fourth.
[box]UNIVERSITY OF BIRMINGHAM 1-4 OXFORD HEALTH & RACQUETS
Chris Ryder 2-3 Cameron Pilley 15/13, 2/11, 11/9, 2/11, 1/11
Jamie Haycocks 3-1 Scott Handley 11/4, 12/14, 11/3, 11/6
Chris Truswell 0-3 Mark Cairns 4/11, 7/11, 5/11
James Earles 0-3 Ben Coleman 6/11, 7/11 , 5/11
Sarah-Jane Perry 1-3 Madeline Perry 8/11, 8/11, 11/2, 6/11
MB NOTTINGHAM 4-1 COURTCRAFT PONTEFRACT
Chris Simpson 0-3 James Willstrop 8/11, 11/13, 5/11
Eddie Charlton 3-0 Lee Beachill 11/5, 11/5, 11/6
Lewis Walters 3-2 Simon Parke 7/11, 13/15, 11/8, 11/9, 11/5
Mark Fuller 3-0 Neil Cordell 11/4, 11/4 rtd
Emma Beddoes 3-1 Vanessa Atkinson 12/10, 9/11, 11/7, 11/4
EXETER DIAMONDS 5-0 UWE BRISTOL
Laurens Jan Anjema 3-2 Mohamed El Shorbagy 10/12, 15/13, 12/10, 7/11, 11/9
Stewart Boswell 3-0 Lucas Serme 11/9, 11/5, 11/2
Tim Vail 3-0 Arthur Gaskin 11/5, 11/5, 2/0 rtd
James Snell 3-0 Tom Ford 11/7, 11/2, 11/8 (27m)
Aisling Blake 3-0 Olivia Howell 11/4, 11/6, 11/5
TEAM CHICHESTER 3-2 IGT WINCHESTER
Nafizwan Adnan 3-0 Marwan El Shorbagy 11/8, 11/8, 12/10
Robbie Temple 0/3 Jethro Binns 9/11, 6/11 rtd
Ollie Pett 1/3 Stacy Ross 11/6, 9/11, 4/11, 6/11
Alex Gough 3-2 Alex Phillips 11/9, 7/11, 11/9, 9/11, 11/7
Lauren Briggs 3/0 Lisa Aitkin 11/8, 11/3, 11/9
TWP ST GEORGE’S HILL 3-2 INTEGRITY SURREY H&R
Daryl Selby 033 Peter Barker 8/11, 6/11, 8/11
Tom Richards 2-3 Adrian Grant 8/11, 11/4, 10/12, 11/7, 3/11 (72m)
Nicholas Mueller 3-2 Karim Abdel Gawad 11/7, 7/11, 11/8, 7/11, 11/7 (75m)
Mark Krajscak 3-1 Alan Clyne 7/11, 11/9, 11/6, 11/5 (54m)
Laura Massaro 3-0 Nada Elkalaawy 11/7, 11/5, 11/7 (22m)
