Golan & Lengthorn Win Wolverhampton Open Titles

Honours in the inaugural Wolverhampton Open were shared between the host nation and Spain when England's second seed Laura-Jane Lengthorn upset her highest-ranked compatriot Vicky Botwright to lift the women's title and Spaniard Borja Golan ended the courageous run of English qualifier Lee Drew to take the men's crown in the UK's largest club-based squash event at the Wolverhampton LT&SC in the West Midlands city.

Golan, the third seed from Santiago in Spain, maintained his 100% record in PSA Tour finals in 2006 when he raced to his fourth victory of the year with an 11-6, 11-6, 11-6 victory over Drew, the 30-year-old from Colchester who had battled past three higher-ranked players in Wolverhampton to reach his first Tour final for more than four years.

The 23 year-old Spaniard, whose earlier titles in the year were won in Ireland, Greece and Pakistan, helped add a real international flavour to the event, in which a total of seventeen nationalities had been represented.

Intelligently combining defence with attack to extend the rallies, Golan ultimately proved too consistent for an opponent unable to continue his giant-killing Wolverhampton run.

"My strategy was the same as for the semi-finals," said Golan, after securing the 14th title of his career, but the first in England.

"Lee had played very well in the tournament and I tried to balance defence with attack to make long rallies. It's great to play in front of such a knowledgeable crowd and I look forward to coming back next year."

Laura-Jane Lengthorn produced the biggest win of her career to defeat Lancashire county team-mate and top seed Vicky Botwright, fighting back from 2/1 down to win 9-5, 3-9, 4-9, 9-6, 9-4. It was the 23-year-old from Preston's first victory over the world No5 in five WISPA World Tour meetings.

Both players, competing in Wolverhampton as part of their final preparations for this week's World Open Championship in Belfast, produced their best form in a stunning 80-minute final - with Lengthorn eventually clinching a well-deserved victory by overcoming a determined challenge from her more experienced opponent with greater overall consistency.

"Vicky never gives up and I knew that I would have to be at my best to beat her," said Lengthorn after celebrating the second WISPA title of her career. "It's the first time that I have beaten her in a world ranking event and hopefully I can continue this form into the World Open next week."

Men's final:
[3] Borja Golan (ESP) bt [Q] Lee Drew (ENG) 11-6, 11-6, 11-6

Women's final:
[2] Laura-Jane Lengthorn (ENG) bt [1] Vicky Botwright (ENG) 9-5, 3-9, 4-9, 9-6, 9-4 (80m)