Surrey Health & Chichester In Maiden PSL Title Bid In Lee-on-Solent

PNH Properties Chichester and PCL Whitehall Security Surrey Health & Racquets Club will meet in Tuesday's final of the Premier League (PSL) at Lee-on-Solent Squash Club - both clubs bidding to win their first title in the established England Squash league sponsored by Towergate tlc.

In the first final for six years between two southern clubs, Chichester will be led by Mohd Azlan Iskandar - the Malaysian who claimed an unexpected berth in the quarter-finals of this week's Dunlop British Open after upsetting second seed Ramy Ashour - while their Croydon-based opponents will be led by Egyptian Wael El Hindi, the world No9.

Chichester beat defending champions Benz-Bavarian Duffield to make the final for the first time in eight attempts, and Surrey Health defeated University Sport Birmingham in the other semi.

"It is going to be fantastic final, with all of the matches difficult to call, and nice to see the south breaking the north's stranglehold," said Surrey H&RC spokesman Tim Garner. "We may have the slight edge in terms of rankings but the massive Chichester supporter group that will travel along the south coast are sure to inspire their players.

"To counter this, our club is hiring a coach to take our own army of fans down the M3 and so it is likely to be an electric atmosphere on the night.

"We are confident that we recruited the right players this year and it was a great achievement for the club to make the final in only our third season. But second place is not an option," added Garner.

The final will be staged in Lee-on-Solent where the host club is celebrating its centenary this year.

"This year sees Lee-on-the-Solent celebrate the centenary of its foundation back in 1908," said club spokesman Chris Raleigh. "To mark this milestone in the Club's history we have many highpoints planned throughout the year. On 31st May we have our grand Tennis open day with Pat Cash as our special celebrity guest; on Friday 16th May we are hosts for the "lost for words" event featuring Lee Beachill and James Willstrop - this being followed by some live entertainment from the dynamic duo. On 14th June we will be holding our Grand Summer Foundation Ball at the Club.

"In addition to the above we have lots of mini events going on. To be invited to host the Premier Squash League Final on Tuesday 13th May just prior to our own "Lost for Words" evening will make the mid week in May a fantastic week to remember for Squash down at Lee-on-the-Solent, where we have a long and established association with top quality tournaments and some principal players."