Champions Manchester/Pontefract Back In Final

World No3 Lee Beachill led title-holders Manchester/Pontefract to a 3/2 victory over Team Chichester in Tuesday's second semi-final leg of the National League to put the trans-Pennine cooperative into the final for the second successive year.

Despite beating the Sussex team 3/2 in the first leg, it was a nervous performance by the champions - who appeared to be on the brink of defeat when second string James Willstrop went 0/2 down to the Chichester No2 Peter Genever in the penultimate match of the tie on the all-glass court at the National Squash Centre in Manchester.

The hosts started poorly when Yorkshire's 19-year-old Kirsty McPhee went down in straight games to Chichester's Suzie Pierrepont, the British U23 champion from Brighton who only arrived in Manchester from Doha in Qatar an hour before going on court!

Nick Taylor delighted the local supporters when he avenged last week's defeat by Tim Vail to beat the Sussex club stalwart 9-7 9-7 9-5. But the hosts slipped behind for the second time in the evening when a less-than-100% Marcus Berrett, thought to be suffering with a cold, capitulated in just 18 minutes to Ben Garner in a 9-5 9-3 10-8 scoreline.

Manchester fans will no doubt have been relieved to see hero James Willstrop take to the court - knowing that the world No8 boasts six wins already this season for the squad, while opponent Peter Genever is still looking for his first victory this year. But it was Genever that took the opening two games - while the Manchester/Pontefract management reached for their calculators, and soon worked out that, should Willstrop lose, top string Beachill would have to win 3/0 to guarantee the squad their place in the final!

Willstrop, however, was not about to disappoint his fans on the showcourt which has staged a series of notable victories by the 21-year-old from Pontefract. Genever persevered for 46 minutes, but it was Willstrop who came away as the 7-9 3-9 9-4 9-3 9-6 winner.

Beachill then defeated Malaysian Mohd Azlan Iskandar 9-5 9-5 9-7 in 29 minutes to ensure Manchester/Pontefract's second 3/2 win, and qualification for the final by a 30-15 points margin.

The other semi-final saw Wolverhampton beat Oberthur Strings Tewkesbury 3/2 in their first leg tie at Tewkesbury. The hosts suffered a surprise defeat in the opening match when Welsh 21-year-old Jennifer Wright went down in straight games to a Wolverhampton opponent more than double her age! Liz Brown, the reigning British National Over-45 champion, won convincingly 9-2 9-6 9-5.

The Gloucestershire club then took over the lead when third and fourth strings Alister Walker and Daryl Selby recorded victories over the visitors' experienced opponents Scott Handley and Mark Cairns, respectively. Selby twice had to come from behind to overcome Cairns, a former British champion, 6-9 9-0 3-9 9-5 9-4, while Walker - fresh from his PSA Tour title triumph in the Netherlands - maintained his unbeaten Strings record with a straight games 9-6 9-7 9-6 win.

Tireless Welshman Alex Gough brought Wolverhampton back into the tie with a 9-7 9-7 5-9 3-9 9-7 win over South African Rodney Durbach - before the in-form Anthony Ricketts clinched victory for the West Midlands visitors in a close-fought top string tussle with Malaysian No1 Ong Beng Hee, the Australian prevailing 9-6 10-8 10-8.

Wolverhampton carry a 16-8 points lead through to the second semi-final leg at home on Tuesday 3rd May.

Semi-final (first leg)
Oberthur Strings Tewkesbury 2-3 Wolverhampton
Ong Beng Hee lost to Anthony Ricketts 6-9, 8-10, 8-10
Rodney Durbach lost to Alex Gough 7-9, 7-9, 9-5, 9-3, 7-9
Alister Walker beat Scott Handley 9-6, 9-7, 9-6
Daryl Selby beat Mark Cairns 6-9, 9-0, 3-9, 9-5, 9-4
Jennifer Wright lost to Liz Brown 2-9, 6-9, 5-9

Semi-final (second leg)
Manchester/Pontefract 3-2 Team Chichester
Lee Beachill beat Mohd Azlan Iskandar 9-5, 9-5, 9-7 (29m)
James Willstrop beat Peter Genever 7-9, 3-9, 9-4, 9-3, 9-6 (46m)
Marcus Berrett lost to Ben Garner 5-9, 3-9, 8-10 (18m)
Nick Taylor beat Tim Vail 9-7, 9-7, 9-5 (27m)
Kirsty McPhee lost to Suzie Pierrepont 2-9, 4-9, 3-9 (25m)

* Manchester/Pontefract qualify for final 30-15 in points