Champions Surrey HR&C Stretch Lead In PSL Group Tables

Title-holders PCL Whitehall Security Surrey H&RC stretched their lead at the top of the Group B tables after beating county rivals TWP St George's Hill 4/1 in Tuesday's sixth round of the Premier League - but Leeds-based Chapel Allerton restored their supremacy in Group A after a 4/1 home victory over MB Nottingham in the opening round of the second half of the season of the world's most prestigious squash league.

Esporta Oxford also secured a 4/1 home win in Group A, over Yorkshire club Pontefract, while Exeter Diamonds consolidated their second place in Group B with a 3/2 win over PNH Properties Chichester, and Probuild Bristol scored a 4/1 win from their visit to UniSport Guildford.

Recently retired England international Vicky Botwright put Surrey H&RC into the lead with a crushing 11-0, 11-3, 11-5 defeat of her St George's Hill counterpart Rachel Willmott. Team-mates Davide Bianchetti and Peter Barker wrapped up the Croydon club's win before Tom Richards - playing as top string for St George's Hill for only the second time this season - almost caused a notable upset in his match against the visitors' world No8 from Egypt Wael El Hindi.

Rising English star Richards, the world No43 from Walton-on-Thames, led 2/1 and had several match balls in the fifth game before El Hindi denied the hosts a consolation point by winning 11-4, 11-13, 9-11, 11-8, 12-10.

League newcomers Exeter Diamonds had to recover from 2/0 down before beating PNH Properties Chichester for the second time this season. And it was left to the battle between the two top strings to decide the outcome of the tie as the home side's Stewart Boswell faced Malaysian star Mohd Azlan Iskandar. It was the first significant match of the year for both world top twenty-ranked players - but Australian Boswell held his nerve to win 11-2, 7-11, 11-4, 11-2 and give the home crowd a popular 3/2 victory.

UniSport Guildford were hoping to improve on their 4/1 first round defeat as they hosted Probuild Bristol in the other tie in Group B. England international Alison Waters extended her unbeaten run for the Surrey club into a fourth year with an 11-7, 11-3, 11-5 defeat of junior international Sarah-Jane Perry. But that was to be the home side's only win as Peter Marshall, Bristol captain Hadrian Stiff, David Evans and Adrian Grant despatched their Guildford opposition to repeat their earlier 4/1 win.

There was a great sense of anticipation from Chapel Allerton supporters when the club introduced its new top string Thierry Lincou, the former world number one from France who was not only making his debut for the Leeds club but also his maiden appearance in the PSL. But things started badly in their fixture against MB Nottingham when their England number one Jenny Duncalf went down to the visitors' Sarah Kippax - ranked more than 25 places lower in the world - 6-11, 11-6, 8-11, 7-11.

Chris Simpson, Aaron Frankcomb and Alister Walker steadied the ship for Chapel Allerton with wins which guaranteed home success. And Lincou also did not disappoint, though the world No7 from Marseille had to save match balls against Ong Beng Hee before beating the Malaysian number one 11-7, 12-10, 10-12, 9-11, 14-12 to ensure a 4/1 victory - reversing the result of their opening season clash.

Esporta Oxford also avenged their round one defeat when they beat Pontefract 4/1. Irish international Madeline Perry set the home team on their way with an 11-6, 11-9, 11-9 win over Pontefract stalwart Lauren Siddall before Anthony Graham - an 18-year-old from Gloucestershire - beat Yorkshireman Neil Cordell 7-11, 11-9, 8-11, 11-7, 11-6 in what he later described as his 'best result ever'.

Oxford 'veteran' Scott Handley clinched the tie win by beating the visitors' Harinder Pal Sandhu 11-7, 7-11, 11-3, 7-11, 11-4 before the club's Spanish star Borja Golan delighted the home crowd with a 12-10, 11-4, 8-11, 11-8 victory over Lee Beachill, the former world number one from Pontefract.

"We always seem to get a good match to finish our programme - and Borja and Lee did not disappoint," said Oxford team manager Jason Martin. "Tonight's win keeps us on track," added Martin, whose team move up to third place in the Group A tables.

6th round, Tuesday 13 January 2009

Group A:
Esporta Oxford 4 Pontefract 1
Borja Golan bt Lee Beachill 12-10, 11-4, 8-11, 11-8
Chris Ryder lost to Saurav Ghosal 7-11, 5-11, 7-11
Scott Handley bt Harinder Pal Sandhu 11-7, 7-11, 11-3, 7-11, 11-4
Anthony Graham bt Neil Cordell 7-11, 11-9, 8-11, 11-7, 11-6
Madeline Perry bt Lauren Siddall 11-6, 11-9, 11-9

Chapel Allerton 4 MB Nottingham 1
Thierry Lincou bt Ong Beng Hee 11-7, 12-10, 10-12, 9-11, 14-12
Alister Walker bt Renan Lavigne 11-3, 11-3, 11-7
Aaron Frankcomb bt John Rooney 11-6, 11-6, 12-10
Chris Simpson bt Simon Parke 11-7, 11-7, 11-13, 11-6
Jenny Duncalf lost to Sarah Kippax 6-11, 11-6, 8-11, 7-11

Group B:
UniSport Guildford 1 Probuild Bristol 4
Jesse Engelbrecht lost to Adrian Grant 11-7, 9-11, 11-9, 4-11, 6-11
Stacey Ross lost to David Evans 13-11, 3-11, 8-11, 8-11
Phil Rushworth lost to Hadrian Stiff 8-11, 6-11, 8-11
Mick Biggs lost to Peter Marshall 11-8, 3-11, 6-11, 0-11
Alison Waters bt Sarah-Jane Perry 11-7, 11-3, 11-5

TWP St George's Hill 1 PCL Whitehall Security Surrey H&RC 4
Tom Richards lost to Wael El Hindi 4-11, 13-11, 11-9, 8-11, 10-12
Mohd Nafiizwan Adnan lost to Peter Barker 6-11, 5-11, 2-11
Joe Lee lost to Davide Bianchetti 5-11, 12-10, 7-11, 8-11
Neil Hitchens bt Adrian Waller 8-11, 8-11, 11-8, 11-7, 11-8
Rachel Willmott lost to Vicky Botwright 0-11, 3-11, 5-11

Exeter Diamonds 3 PNH Properties Chichester 2
Stewart Boswell bt Mohd Azlan Iskandar 11-2, 7-11, 11-4, 11-2
Jonathan Kemp bt Tim Vail 11-4, 11-4, 13-11
Rob Sutherland bt Robbie Temple 10-12, 11-5, 11-5, 11-6
James Snell lost to Peter Genever 13-15, 7-11, 11-13
Emma Chorley lost to Dominique Lloyd-Walter 6-11, 8-11, 6-11