Billson Leads Local Interest In British Nationals' Qualifying

Peter Billson leads local interest in the men's qualifying competition of the British National Squash Championships after beating Dorset's Michael Hopkins in today's first qualifying round of the country's leading domestic championships at the National Squash Centre in Manchester.

The Manchester-based 29-year-old, aiming to make the main draw for the sixth year in succession, battled for 43 minutes to overcome Hopkins 11-5, 9-11, 11-5, 11-5.

The unranked Billson now faces Nottingham's 15-year-old Ollie Holland, the British Junior U17 champion ranked 368 in the world, for a place in the qualifying finals.

Cheshire's Adam Murrills will also compete in the second qualifying round after beating Darren Vickery 11-7, 11-3, 11-5. The 19-year-old former England junior international from Bowden will now take on fellow 19-year-old Joshua Harris, from County Durham.

Yorkshire's world number two Nick Matthew heads a star-studded men's field competing for the title of 2010 British National Champion. The 29-year-old defending champion from Sheffield boosted his chances of success for the second year in a row today when he won the prestigious Swedish Open title after beating fellow Yorkshireman James Willstrop in the final.

The top two world-ranked Englishmen are expected to line up in next Sunday's British Nationals' final - but some doubt may now be cast on this dream final after Willstrop was forced to retire from the Swedish Open climax suffering with a shoulder injury.

Men's 1st qualifying round:
Phil Rushworth (Yorks) bt Michael Potter (Cheshire) 11-5, 11-3, 11-4 (23m)
Charles Sharpes (Surrey) bt Matthew Sidaway (Lancs) 11-8, 12-10, 11-3 (27m)
Declan James (Notts) bt Mark Fuller (Northants) w/o
Sam Wileman (Yorks) bt Paul Carter (C) (Cheshire) 11-5, 11-2, 11-4 (18m)
Tom Pashley (Sussex) bt Ahmed El Refee (Cambs) 13-11, 11-7, 12-10 (26m)
Robert Downer (Hants) bt Blake Bettley (Cheshire) 11-2, 11-3, 11-2 (16m)
Andrew Birks (Shropshire) bt Matthew Parson (Lancs) 11-4, 11-5, 10-12, 11-7 (32m)
Chris Tasker-Grindley (Glos) bt Simon White (Wilts) 11-3, 11-2, 14-12 (25m)
Anthony Graham (Glos) bt Ky Hibberd (Lancs) 11-8, 11-6, 11-4 (36m)
Adam Auckland (Lincs) bt Michael Waite (Cheshire) 11-8, 12-10, 6-11, 7-11, 11-9 (52m)
Adam Murrills (Cheshire) bt Darren Vickery 11-7, 11-3, 11-5 (20m)
Joshua Harris (D & C) bt Theo Woodward (Dorset) 11-2, 11-7, 11-6 (25m)
David Barnett (Northumbria) bt Nick Murrills (Cheshire) 11-5, 5-11, 11-5, 11-7 (34m)
Dominic Hamilton (Oxon) bt James Jacobsen (Scotland) w/o
Richard Birks (Shropshire) bt David Wardle (Surrey) 11-6, 9-11, 12-10, 8-11, 12-10 (50m)
Rory Pennell (Essex) bt Joseph Edwards (Cheshire) 11-2, 11-1, 11-2 (15m)
Alex Phillips (Hants) bt Robert Dadds (Cambs) 11-6, 11-4, 11-9 (18m)
Chris Hall (Surrey) bt Jacob Robinson (Cheshire) 11-5, 11-4, 11-5 (24m)
Andrew Widdison (Yorks) bt Morgan Hibberd (Lancs) 11-5, 14-12, 7-11, 11-7 (59m)
Liam Foster (Cheshire) bt Olivier Pett (Sussex) w/o
Nic Birt (Wales) bt Jon Hunter (Cheshire) 11-6, 11-8, 11-9 (28m)
Ben Coleman (Essex) bt James Matthews (Surrey) 11-8, 8-11, 11-9, 11-5 (45m)
Jamie MacAulay (Scotland) bt Ben Rodgers (Devon) 11-7, 11-4, 16-14 (41m)
Lewis Walters (Notts) bt Lee Brownson (Cheshire) 11-2, 11-5, 11-4 (25m)
Nicholas Hopcroft (Surrey) bt Sean Hunter (Cheshire) 11-6, 11-6, 11-3 (39m)
Stephen Siveter (Merseyside) bt Tom Dwyer (Lancs) 11-8, 11-1, 11-3 (30m)
Nick Wall (Yorks) bt James Asher (Cheshire) 11-8, 11-7, 11-4 (25m)
Stuart Crawford (Scotland) bt Chris Clinton (Northumbria) 11-3, 11-3, 11-1 (15m)
James Earles (Yorks) bt Nathan Lake (Glos) w/o
Chris Fuller (Northants) bt Robert Taylor (Cheshire) 11-6, 11-8, 11-6 (28m)
Ollie Holland (Notts) bt Jason Pike (Wilts) 11-5, 11-8, 12-10 (32m)
Peter Billson (Lancs) bt Michael Hopkins (Dorset) 11-5, 9-11, 11-5, 11-5 (43m)