Duffield & Edgbaston Priory To Contest PSL Final

Former champions Churchill Edgbaston Priory and Benz-Bavarian Duffield will meet in an all-Midlands Premier League (PSL) final at the end of the month after contrasting victories in tonight's second semi-final legs on their home courts.

Both clubs carried narrow 3/2 leads into tonight's clashes - but while Birmingham-based Edgbaston Priory swooped to a 5/0 win over Oberthur Strings Tewkesbury, Derbyshire club Duffield battled to a tense 3/2 victory over Team Chichester - for the second time in 48 hours relying on British champion Nick Matthew to clinch the deciding rubber, and a place in the final.

Edgbaston Priory, winners of the title in 2001 and 2003, are celebrating their fourth appearance in the final, while 1998 champions Duffield are making only their second appearance in the PSL climax, which will take place at the National Squash Centre in Manchester on Saturday 27 May.

The new England No1 Tania Bailey provided the perfect start for the packed crowd at Duffield by defeating Chichester's Suzie Pierrepont 9-1, 9-4, 9-3. But the remaining matches featured players meeting for the second time in two days - and revenge was clearly in the air!

The battle between the fourth strings again went the full distance - but this time it was the Sussex club's Tom Richards who prevailed, overcoming the home team's Laurence Delasaux 13-11, 6-9, 5-9, 10-8, 16-14 in a dramatic encounter in which the Duffield player failed to convert three match balls in the fourth game, and a further three in the decider!

But not to be outdone, Duffield then also claimed a revenge win when Frenchman Renan Lavigne reversed Tuesday's result against Tim Vail by beating the Chichester captain 5-9, 9-6, 9-6, 9-5.

However, to the frustration of the Duffield supporters cramming into every available space surrounding the showcourt, the visitors' former world No23 Peter Genever scored a second successive upset over the home club's rising English star Jonathan Kemp - beating the Shropshire lad 10-12, 9-6, 9-7, 4-9, 9-7 to level the tie going into the final match.

Home fans' frowns turned to smiles when Yorkshireman Nick Matthew, the Duffield No1 and world No7, recovered from a game down against Chichester's Ben Garner to beat the Surrey No1 6-9, 9-3, 9-2, 9-6 and take Duffield back into the final after an eight-year wait.

"It's been a great night for squash here at Duffield - and all credit to Chichester who have been superb, giving 100% and providing great entertainment with their fighting spirit," said Duffield manager Brian Hargrave.

"I always felt we could do it - but even though on paper we appeared the stronger squad, they made it two super ties and thoroughly deserved the matches they won.

"But we've now got one enormous hurdle to go against Edgbaston - and, if Tania and Nick can do the business for us, we'll just need to scrape one of the middle order matches to win the title," mused Hargrave. "But, for the moment, we just want to savour tonight's great success!"

Less than 50 miles south west of Duffield, Edgbaston Priory provided exactly the entertainment that their capacity crowd had come to see. Manchester's world No5 Vicky Botwright set the tone for the evening by recording her fourth successive win for Priory this year with a crushing 9-1, 9-1, 9-0 defeat of Strings' Selina Sinclair.

Priory's England international Peter Barker then made amends for his shock first leg defeat by beating the visitors' Alister Walker 10-8, 9-4, 9-5.

But it was former full-timer Hadrian Stiff, the Devon No1, who clinched Priory's third rubber - thus making certain of their place in the final - with a 9-3, 9-2, 9-3 victory over Surrey's Philip Nightingale.

Adrian Grant was also keen to make up for a surprise first leg loss - but the Priory number two dropped the first game to Tewkesbury's Rodney Durbach. The left-hander from London ultimately took control of the game, however, to beat the South African No1 4-9, 10-8, 9-5, 9-7 in 49 minutes.

The all-Australian clash which rounded off the evening proved to be the longest contest of the day - and so nearly provided the most unlikely upset of them all! But world No15 Stewart Boswell, the only Edgbaston Priory player to have been in both previous PSL title-winning squads, eventually prevailed in 65 minutes against compatriot Cameron Pilley, winning 7-9, 9-2, 9-6, 5-9, 9-6 to give the home team a maximum points victory.

Semi-finals, 2nd leg, Thursday 18 May 2006

Benz Bavarian Duffield 3 Team Chichester 2
Nick Matthew beat Ben Garner 6-9, 9-3, 9-2, 9-6
Jonathan Kemp lost to Peter Genever 12-10, 6-9, 7-9, 9-4, 7-9
Renan Lavigne beat Tim Vail 5-9, 9-6, 9-6, 9-5
Laurence Delasaux lost to Tom Richards 11-13, 9-6, 9-5, 8-10, 14-16
Tania Bailey beat Suzie Pierrepont 9-1, 9-4, 9-3
Duffield win 6-4 on aggregate

Churchill Edgbaston Priory 5 Oberthur Strings Tewkesbury 0
Stewart Boswell beat Cameron Pilley 7-9, 9-2, 9-6, 5-9, 9-6 (65m)
Adrian Grant beat Rodney Durbach 4-9, 10-8, 9-5, 9-7 (49m)
Peter Barker beat Alister Walker 10-8, 9-4, 9-5 (36m)
Hadrian Stiff beat Philip Nightingale 9-3, 9-2, 9-3 (25m)
Vicky Botwright beat Selina Sinclair 9-1, 9-1, 9-0 (21m)
Edgbaston Priory win 8-2 on aggregate