06-Oct: Round ONE

Champions Duffield survive opening night scare

The new season – the 32nd – of the England Squash & Racketball Premier Squash League kicked off tonight in six clubs across England, with a mixture of comfortable and nailbiting wins.

In Group A defending champions Benz Bavarian Duffield welcomed Midlands neighbours Air-IT Nottingham, who almost went home with a dramatic victory. Millie Tomlinson put the home side ahead but Matthew Broadberry, on his debut, brought Nottingham level with a 3-2 win over Ashley Davies, a late replacement for Richie Fallows.

Chris Fuller then put Nottingham into the lead as he came from a game down to beat Declan James, fresh from winning his fourth PSA title in a row at the weekend. Then Fallows, drafted back in as a last-minute replacement for the injured Joel Hinds, let a two-nil lead against Nottingham captian Mark Fuller slip before levelling the match to the home crowd’s relief.

With Nick Matthew down in London collecting his OBE, Chris Simpson took on Eddie Charlton in the final match and saw Duffield home with a three-nil win.

Everards Leicester, starting their second PSL season at home to last year’s semi-finalists Coolhurst London, recorded a resounding 5-0 win that puts them, at this early stage, at the top of the table.

Birmingham University travelled to Pontefract and came away with a 3-2 win, Fional Moverley winning on her Pontefract debut but Birmingham’s middle order sealed the win before James Willstrop reduced the deficit in the final match.

In Group B it was Team Chichester who registered the first win of the season as they stormed to a home 5-0 win over Clubnet Winchester, dropping just two games along the way.

The Surrey duo of Virgin Active Surrey and 9Telecom St George’s Hill both won 3-2. Surrey, who saw their five-year reign as champions ended last season, went into a three-nil lead at home to Exeter Diamonds, whose top Egyptian pair of Mazen Hesham – with a tremendous 14-12 in the fifth win over Karim Abdel Gawad -and world #1 Mohamed Elshorbagy took the final two matches to narrow the points gap.

St George’s, last year’s runners-up, took a two-nil lead away to UWE/Elite Squash Bristol, for whom Brian Byrne pulled a game back, but St George’s Joe Lee came from 2-1 down against Tom Ford to clinch the win. In the final match Bristol’s Marwan Elshorbagy, just elevated to the world’s top ten, beat Tom Richards to make the final score 3-2 to St George’s.

Chichester v Winchester

Pontefract v Birmingham

Bristol v St George’s

Exeter v Surrey

Egyptian fireworks @Surrey