Midlands Derbies To Ensure Full Houses In PSL 7th Round Ties

Two Midlands derbies are certain to guarantee full houses in tomorrow's 7th round ties in the Premier League in the North Group, while both teams sharing the lead in the other group will be looking to create a gap above their rivals after successes against Surrey opposition in ties in the South Group.

Churchill Edgbaston Priory have the chance to increase their three-point lead over Manchester/Pontefract on the night that the trans-Pennine cooperative is without a fixture. The Birmingham club host West Midlands rivals Wolverhampton, the defending champions, with club stalwart Stewart Boswell, the Australian fighting back to form after a back injury, leading the squad for the first time this season. Boswell, now ranked 16 in the world, takes on compatriot Anthony Ricketts, the regular Wolverhampton top string who reached last week's Canary Wharf Classic final in London.

A fiercely-competitive East Midlands derby will take place at Nottingham, where the 1999 champions host Derbyshire rivals Benz-Bavarian Duffield, the 1998 champions. Duffield will be parading its two new British National champions - Nick Matthew, the squad No1 who takes on Nottingham's top string Simon Parke in a replay of the pair's second round match in Manchester, and Tania Bailey, who faces Cheshire's Sarah Kippax.

Team Chichester and Oberthur Strings Tewkesbury are tied on 66 points at the top of the South Group points table - and both face Surrey opposition. Chichester visit UniSport Guildford, the University of Surrey team boasting a full-strength squad led by Stacey Ross and featuring England's world No12 Alison Waters. Ross faces Chichester No1 Ben Garner, beaten by his third string team-mate Tim Vail in the recent National Championships, while Waters takes on Sussex star Suzie Pierrepont.

Gloucestershire club Strings host Surrey Health & Racquets Croydon, led by Peter Nicol on the eve of his bid to win a third successive gold medal in March's Commonwealth Games in Melbourne. Nicol takes on Tewkesbury's South African No1 Rodney Durbach, while newly-crowned British Junior U19 Nationals champion Chris Simpson makes his second appearance for the Croydon club this season by taking on Strings' fourth string Philip Nightingale.