Newcomers Chapel Allerton & Exeter Diamonds Head PSL Tables

After convincing away victories in Tuesday's fourth round of the Premier League, PSL newcomers Chapel Allerton and Exeter Diamonds head the Group A and Group B tables, respectively, on the eve of the midway point in the 26th season of the world's most prestigious squash league.

Leeds-based Chapel Allerton faced under-strength fellow Yorkshire club Pontefract, missing their top three players James Willstrop, Lee Beachill and Saurav Ghosal. The hosts' Vanessa Atkinson, jet-lagged after returning from a major women's Tour event in New York, was no match on the night for Chapel Allerton's Jenny Duncalf, going down 11-6, 11-7, 11-1 to the England number one.

And the visitors' strong squad continued the Pontefract purge, winning the remaining matches in straight games - with top string Alister Walker enjoying his second win of the season by beating Pontefract's newly-promoted number one and fast-improving Neil Cordell 11-7, 14-12, 11-6.

"We put out a young squad tonight - and I was heartened by their performances," said Pontefract team manager Malcolm Willstrop. "In a couple of years' time, they'll be something - and tonight they showed their promise."

The maximum points 5/0 win takes Chapel Allerton to the top of the Group A table for the first time.

The other tie in the group finished only minutes before midnight as former champions Benz-Bavarian Duffield ground out a 4/1 home win over Esporta Oxford. The opening match of the night saw a welcome return to action for England's former world No4 Tania Bailey, playing her first competitive match since July after a troubled year which included knee surgery in April.

The Duffield star faced the in-form Irish international Madeline Perry, now ranked 11 in the world. And the sensational comeback saw Bailey win 11-6, 11-8, 11-9 - no doubt raising hopes with the England selectors that the former British champion will be available for next month's Women's World Team Championships in Egypt.

"I just didn't know what to expect," said a delighted Bailey afterwards. "So I am very encouraged by that win - especially as I know Madeline's really playing well at the moment. It's the first proper game I've had for ages - and I really enjoyed it.

"It was only last week that I thought I'd be OK to play - but to get a result like this is more than I could have expected. I'm playing at a level better than I thought," the 29-year-old from Lincolnshire continued. "2008 has been a pretty horrible year for me. I've really missed playing. I'm just looking forward to getting back into it now."

Bailey's performance inspired team-mate Joel Hinds to beat Oxford's experienced Scott Handley in straight games - then new squad number two Joey Barrington played the match of his life to clinch the team's win by beating Spain's newly-crowned Santiago Open champion Borja Golan 8-11, 11-5, 5-11, 11-8, 11-5 - fighting back from 5-8 down in the fourth to draw level before clinching the match in the decider.

The evening-ending top string clash also went to five when Duffield stalwart Nick Matthew eventually overhauled Australian star Cameron Pilley 7-11, 11-9, 12-10, 5-11, 11-6.

The sparkle of Exeter Diamonds in Group B seems to show no signs of fading as the Devon debutants chalked up their fourth successive PSL win by beating South West rivals Probuild Bristol 4/1 away from home. Both Emma Chorley and Rob Sutherland notched up their first ever wins over Bristol opponents Vicky Hynes and Hadrian Stiff, respectively.

For the second tie in a row, it was Egyptian teen sensation Mohamed El Shorbagy that clinched victory for Exeter - this time the 17-year-old Millfield School pupil beating Bristol's former British Open champion David Evans 11-6, 4-11, 11-9, 18-16.

"It seems we can't go wrong," said Exeter Diamonds team manager Tony Snell. "I didn't expect to win tonight, to be truthful, but it just shows the strength we've got in our squad. I'm very proud of them. And the crowd at Bristol was fantastic - it was totally sold out!"

PSL title-holders PCL Whitehall Security Surrey H&RC produced their most powerful win of the new season, beating PNH Properties Chichester 5/0 at home in a repeat of last season's final. But it took determined performances by Adrian Waller, Ben Ford and Davide Bianchetti in matches that went the full distance as the Croydon club trio beat Chichester's Robbie Temple, Tim Vail and Alex Gough, respectively.

Top string Peter Barker - one of four members of the team that won the title in May - finished off the tie in style, dismissing the Chichester No1 Mohd Azlan Iskandar 11-6, 11-5, 11-7.

Just two months short of his 50th birthday, former world champion Ross Norman made his first PSL appearance for more than six years when he turned out for TWP St George's Hill in their home tie against Surrey county rivals UniSport Guildford. And the popular New Zealander showed that he has not lost his touch when he defeated fellow world champion Jamie Mathews - the reigning World Deaf Champion - 11-3, 11-13, 11-9, 11-5.

The win started the momentum for St George's Hill whose Hungarian star Mark Krajcsak - fresh from victory in last weekend's PSA Tour event in Vancouver - then beat Guildford stalwart Stacey Ross 10-12, 11-6, 11-7, 15-13. Krajcsak surprisingly agreed to a change of ball at 10-all in the fourth game - and duly sprinted to victory after barely warming up the new ball!

But it was the top strings that were left to decide the outcome of the tie - and the hosts' Daryl Selby recovered from 1-7 and 6-10 down in the decider to beat Guildford's Jesse Engelbrecht 5-11, 11-9, 11-4, 6-11, 12-10 to give St George's Hill a popular 3/2 win.

RESULTS: 4th round, Tuesday 11 November 2008

Group A:
Pontefract 0 Chapel Allerton 5
Neil Cordell lost to Alister Walker 7-11, 12-14, 6-11
Adam Taylor lost to Chris Simpson 3-11, 8-11, 6-11
James Earles lost to Scott Arnold 9-11, 4-11, 4-11
Sam Wileman lost to Jonathan Harford 8-11, 9-11, 6-11
Vanessa Atkinson lost to Jenny Duncalf 6-11, 7-11, 1-11

Benz-Bavarian Duffield 4 Esporta Oxford 1
Nick Matthew bt Cameron Pilley 7-11, 11-9, 12-10, 5-11, 11-6
Joey Barrington bt Borja Golan 8-11, 11-5, 5-11, 11-8, 11-5
Andrew Whipp lost to Chris Ryder 6-11, 11-9, 4-11, 6-11
Joel Hinds bt Scott Handley 11-4, 11-5, 11-9
Tania Bailey bt Madeline Perry 11-6, 11-8, 11-9

Group B:
Probuild Bristol 1 Exeter Diamonds 4
Adrian Grant lost to Stewart Boswell 10-12, 11-8, 7-11, 5-11
David Evans lost to Mohamed El Shorbagy 6-11, 11-4, 9-11, 16-18
Hadrian Stiff lost to Rob Sutherland 6-11, 6-11, 11-5, 1-11
Peter Marshall bt James Snell 11-4, 11-4, 11-9
Vicky Hynes lost to Emma Chorley 6-11, 11-6, 11-5, 8-11, 3-11

TWP St George's Hill 3 UniSport Guildford 2
Daryl Selby bt Jesse Engelbrecht 5-11, 11-9, 11-4, 6-11, 12-10
Mark Krajcsak bt Stacey Ross 10-12, 11-6, 11-7, 15-13
Adam Fuller lost to Stephen Meads 9-11, 7-11, 9-11
Ross Norman bt Jamie Mathews 11-3, 11-13, 11-9, 11-5
Rachel Willmott lost to Alison Waters 4-11, 5-11, 3-11

PCL Whitehall Security Surrey H&RC 5 PNH Properties Chichester 0
Peter Barker bt Mohd Azlan Iskandar 11-6, 11-5, 11-7
Davide Bianchetti bt Alex Gough 8-11, 12-10, 11-2, 9-11, 11-7 (76m)
Ben Ford bt Tim Vail 11-9, 6-11, 6-11, 11-4, 11-6
Adrian Waller bt Robbie Temple 11-8, 6-11, 8-11, 11-5, 11-9
Vicky Botwright bt Annabelle Collins-Ballands 11-6, 11-5, 11-2