Mixed Fortunes For PSL Newcomers In League Season Openers

While Pontefract and Probuild Bristol top the two group tables after Tuesday's first round action in the new season of the Premier League, there were mixed fortunes for PSL newcomers Chapel Allerton and Exeter Diamonds on the opening night of the 26th season of the world's most prestigious squash league.

Yorkshire club Pontefract, led by England number one James Willstrop, secured their best ever start in the PSL, beating Esporta Oxford 3/2 - while the other tie in Group A saw Nottingham also overcome Leeds-based Chapel Allerton 3/2. 2007 runners-up Probuild Bristol scored the most decisive victory in Group B, with a 4/1 home win against UniSport Guildford - and title-holders PCL Whitehall Security Surrey H&RC recovered from 1/2 down to beat Surrey county rivals TWP St George's Hill 3/2.

Exeter Diamonds faced a tough induction away from home against PNH Properties Chichester, last season's beaten finalists weakened on the eve of the tie by the withdrawal of their injured squad No1 Mohd Azlan Iskandar, the world No12 from Malaysia. And the PSL debutants were 2/0 down after the first two matches at the West Sussex club.

But in a clash described as 'the standout match of the night' by the Exeter club's manager Tony Snell, Welshman Rob Sutherland reduced the deficit by beating the home side's Robbie Temple 11-4, 11-8, 6-11, 12-10. "I always knew that match between the two Robs would be key - and our Rob played extremely well, he looked strong throughout and thoroughly deserved his win," said Snell.

England number six Jonathan Kemp levelled the tie with an 11-6, 11-8, 13-11 win over Chichester captain Tim Vail, before Australian star Stewart Boswell clinched victory for the visitors by overcoming league veteran Alex Gough, the now retired former world No5, 11-2, 11-13, 11-5, 11-2.

"The absence of their expected number one Azlan certainly gave us more of a chance," conceded Snell. "But it's been a fantastic start to our PSL campaign - and not really what we expected. In fact, I had to ring our sponsor Keith White - who is on holiday in Marbella - and he was taken aback too!"

The emphatic home victory by Group B rivals Probuild Bristol over UniSport Guildford was 'what we needed', said team captain Hadrian Stiff. But the visitors' world No6 Alison Waters was too strong for 18-year-old Sarah-Jane Perry, winning in straight games to give the Guildford club the early lead. Bristol's cream rose to the top, however, as its manpower took the remaining four matches - squad number two David Evans, recently returned to Wales after two years as the Jersey national coach, taken the full distance by the UniSport second string Stacey Ross before winning 11-7, 7-11, 11-8, 9-11, 11-7.

TWP St George's Hill looked on course to avenge their two defeats by champions PCL Whitehall Security Surrey H&RC last season - firstly when club stalwarts Joe Lee and Tom Richards put the visitors 2/1 ahead, and secondly when squad number one Daryl Selby took a two game lead over the Croydon club's world No11 Peter Barker in the decider.

Lee celebrated his 19th birthday in fine style, beating fellow Englishman Ben Ford - ranked some 50 places higher in the world - 11-4, 11-8, 7-11, 12-10 to level the tie after England international Vicky Botwright put the hosts ahead with a comprehensive 11-7, 11-0, 11-7 defeat of former British Junior champion Rachel Willmott.

But, in the decider at the end of the night, England international Peter Barker showed the talent that has won him two PSA Tour titles in the past month when he came back from two games down to beat St George's Hill's Daryl Selby 11-13, 9-11, 11-6, 11-8, 11-5 to clinch victory for the champions.

Pontefract team manager Malcolm Willstrop proclaimed it a "good night of squash" after his home-grown squad clinched a popular home victory over Esporta Oxford in Group A. And the Yorkshire club had to come from two matches down after Vanessa Atkinson slid to a 2-9, 9-3, 5-9, 9-7, 6-9 defeat to Irish comeback queen Madeline Perry and newly-recruited 19-year-old Indian Harinder Pal Sandhu lost to the visitors' Jaymie Haycocks.

But promising York teenager Neil Cordell produced one of the best wins of his career when he beat experienced Oxford opponent Scott Handley - ranked more than 150 places higher in the world - 9-5, 9-7, 11-9. The win spurred the squad's better known Indian Saurav Ghosal, his country's reigning national champion, to beat last weekend's Leinster Open champion Chris Ryder 9-5, 5-9, 9-7, 8-10, 9-7.

And in the decider, Pontefract number one James Willstrop recovered from a game down to beat Cameron Pilley 2-9, 9-6, 10-8, 11-9 in his third successive PSL victory over the rising Australian star over the past two seasons.

"It was a cracking game which will do both of them good in the lead-up to next week's World Open," said Willstrop senior.

Like Devon & Exeter, former champions Nottingham may also have benefited from the last-minute reduction in the fire-power of newcomers Chapel Allerton, whose top string Alister Walker was forced to pull out with injury. The Leeds newcomers romped to a 2/0 lead after wins by England number one Jenny Duncalf and squad latecomer Stephen Coppinger.

But Nottingham regular John Rooney restored order for the hosts, beating Chris Simpson in four games before Julian Illingworth - the US champion making his PSL debut - despatched the visitors' Scott Arnold 11-9, 11-1, 5-11, 11-6.

Malaysian star Ong Beng Hee made the best possible start to his third season for Nottingham by clinching victory for the club with an 11-8, 11-7, 11-3 win over Jonathan Harford.

Group A:
Pontefract 3 Esporta Oxford 2
James Willstrop bt Cameron Pilley 2-9, 9-6, 10-8, 11-9
Saurav Ghosal bt Chris Ryder 9-5, 5-9, 9-7, 8-10, 9-7 (61m)
Neil Cordell bt Scott Handley 9-5, 9-7, 11-9
Harinder Pal Sandhu lost to Jaymie Haycocks 3-9, 7-9, 6-9
Vanessa Atkinson lost to Madeline Perry 2-9, 9-3, 5-9, 9-7, 6-9

Nottingham 3 Chapel Allerton 2
Ong Beng Hee bt Jonathan Harford 11-8, 11-7, 11-3
Julian Illingworth bt Scott Arnold 11-9, 11-1, 5-11, 11-6
John Rooney bt Chris Simpson 11-6, 10-12, 11-5, 11-7
Arthur Gaskin lost to Stephen Coppinger 10-12, 0-11, 11-4, 7-11
Sarah Kippax lost to Jenny Duncalf 5-11, 5-11, 5-11

Group B:
Probuild Bristol 4 UniSport Guildford 1
Adrian Grant bt Jesse Engelbrecht 11-9, 11-4, 11-7
David Evans bt Stacey Ross 11-7, 7-11, 11-8, 9-11, 11-7
Hadrian Stiff bt Phil Rushworth 11-8, 11-8, 11-8
Peter Marshall bt Mick Biggs 11-5, 11-6, 11-5
Sarah-Jane Perry lost to Alison Waters 4-11, 2-11, 8-11

PCL Whitehall Security Surrey H&RC 3 TWP St George's Hill 2
Peter Barker bt Daryl Selby 11-13, 9-11, 11-6, 11-8, 11-5
Davide Bianchetti bt Mark Krajcsak 11-4, 11-5, 11-6
Tim Garner lost to Tom Richards 4-11, 6-11, 11-8, 8-11
Ben Ford lost to Joe Lee 4-11, 8-11, 11-7, 10-12
Vicky Botwright bt Rachel Willmott 11-7, 11-0, 11-7

PNH Properties Chichester 2 Devon & Exeter 3
Alex Gough lost to Stewart Boswell 2-11, 13-11, 5-11, 2-11
Tim Vail lost to Jonathan Kemp 6-11, 8-11, 11-13
Robbie Temple lost to Rob Sutherland 4-11, 8-11, 11-6, 10-12
Peter Genever bt James Snell 8-11, 11-3, 11-7, 13-11
Dominique Lloyd-Walter bt Emma Chorley 11-8, 11-4, 11-6