R5: Duffield go clear, Surrey regain top spot
Round Five of the Premier Squash League marked the halfway point of the season as the teams resumed battle after the Christmas and New Year break.
Group A leaders Duffield, buoyed by the return of world champion Nick Matthew, certainly didn’t have a hangover as they swept to a 4-1 win away to bottom of the table Pontefract, although the much-anticipated clash between Yorkshire’s world number one and two will have to wait as James Willstrop was unavailabel for the home side.
In the other Group A match Oxford and Nottingham jostled to see who could reach the halfway point in second spot, and it was Oxford who did the business 4-1, taking each of the three middle-order matches 3-2, to leapfrog Nottingham into second place.
Group B saw a change of leadership as reigning champions Surrey H&R made Exeter’s period at the top of the table a short one as they beat the visitors 4-1 to retake pole position.
Chichester did their playoff hopes no harm at all with a 3-2 win away to struggling Bristol – for who Mohamed El Shorbagy made the scoreline respectable with a 12/10 in the fifth win against Nafiizwan Adnan -while Winchester v St George’s was the only match of the night which went to a decider, Gregory Gaultier clinching the victory for the home side to make the middle of the table very congested.
[box]OXFORD4-1 NOTTINGHAM
Borja Golan 3-1 Eddie Charlton 11/7, 11/6, 6/11, 11/3
Scott Handley 3-2 Lewis Walters 13/11, 10/12, 11/8, 7/11, 11/9
Mark Cairns 3-2 Mark Fuller 6/11, 11/9, 11/6, 5/11, 11/9
Ben Coleman 3-2 Declan James 3/11, 11/8, 11/8, 8/11, 11/2
Madeline Perry 0-3 Emma Beddoes 6/11, 10/12, 3/11
PONTEFRACT 1-4 DUFFIELD
Lee Beachill 0-3 Nick Matthew 6/11, 9/11, 5/11
Neil Cordell 1-3 Joel Hinds 8/11, 11/4, 6/11, 3/11
Sam Wileman 0-3 Andy Whipp 7/11, 1/11, 2/11
Taminder Gata Aura 1-3 Aqeel Rehman 5/11, 5/11, 11/8, 7/11
Vanessa Atkinson 3-1 Jenny Duncalf 7/11, 12/10, rtd
WINCHESTER 3-2 ST GEORGE’S
Gregory Gaultier 3-0 Tom Richards 11/9, 11/8, 11/6
Marwan El Shorbagy 3-1 Charles Sharpes 7/11, 11/9, 11/7, 12/10
Robert Downer 0-3 Stephen Meads 8/11, 3/11, 11/13
Alex Phillips 3-0 James Simpson 11/7, 11/5, 11/7
Catherine Finlayson 0-3 Dom Lloyd-Walter 8/11, 5/11, 7/11
BRISTOL 2-3 CHICHESTER
Mohammed El Shorbagy 3-2 Nafizwan Adnan 11/5, 9/11, 8/11, 11/7, 12/10 (56m)
David Evans 3-0 Robbie Temple 11/6, 11/9, 11/4 (20m)
Lucas Serme 0-3 Olly Pett 10/12, 8/11, 9/11 (38m)
Tom Ford 1-3 Anthony Graham 11/9, 7/11, 4/11, 13/15 (52m)
Kip Quiney 0-3 Lauren Briggs 4/11, 4/11, 6/11
SURREY H&R 3-1 EXETER
Peter Barker 3-0 Lauren Jans Anjema 11/8, 11/9, 11/5
Adrian Grant 3-0 Tim Vail 11/4, 11/6, 11/6 (33m)
Alan Clyne 3-0 Peter Creed 11/8, 16/14, 11/2 (50m)
Peter Nicol 3-2 James Snell 11/9, 9/11, 11/4, 8/11, 11/7 (53m)
Nada El Kalaawy 1-3 Aisling Blake 3/11, 3/11, 11/9, 10/12 (37m)
