Surrey Health Move Up In PSL, Despite Guildford Defeat

In the only ninth round Premier League (PSL) tie played on Tuesday, UniSport Guildford beat county rivals Surrey Health & Racquets Club 3/2 away from home in a victory which avenged their earlier 5/0 drubbing by the Croydon club and rounded off their 2005/06 season in impressive style.

Despite the absence of squad No1 Peter Nicol, England's double gold medal hero of last month's Commonwealth Games in Australia who is now competing in the PSA Masters in Bermuda, Surrey Health move into top place in the South Group points table - with next week's tenth round tie at Team Chichester set to decide the two teams which will go forward from the group to the semi-final play-offs against the top two clubs from the North Group.

Alison Waters, also a member of England's successful Games squad in Melbourne, put the University of Surrey team into the lead with a straight games win over the hosts' Lauren Briggs. Ben Ford levelled the tie with a 9-6 9-5 9-6 victory over Guildford's Neil Frankland.

But it was the third string clash which Surrey H&RC team manager Pete Smith conceded was "always going to be the one which would decide the outcome of the night" - and so it proved to be as Germany's rising teenager Simon Rosner battled for five games against Guildford's experienced Zimbabwean No1 Jesse Engelbrecht.

It was nip and tuck throughout the exchanges, but it was Engelbrecht who ultimately emerged triumphant to record a 10-8, 1-9, 9-2, 4-9, 9-6 victory to put the visitors ahead.

UniSport stalwart Stephen Meads, who had only just stepped off a plane from Hong Kong where he had been coaching the country's national squad, clinched victory for Guildford with a 12-10 9-7 9-7 win over the home team captain Tim Garner, runner-up in the weekend's BSPA Grand Prix event at the Croydon club.

Italian number one Davide Bianchetti beat Stacey Ross 9-5, 9-7, 9-5 in the final top string rubber to earn three further vital points for PSL debutants Surrey H&RC.

South Group:
Surrey H&RC Croydon 2 UniSport Guildford 3
Davide Bianchetti beat Stacey Ross 9-5, 9-7, 9-5
Tim Garner lost to Stephen Meads 10-12, 7-9, 7-9
Simon Rosner lost to Jesse Engelbrecht 8-10, 9-1, 2-9, 9-4, 6-9
Ben Ford beat Neil Frankland 9-6, 9-5, 9-6
Lauren Briggs lost to Alison Waters 3-9, 4-9, 1-9