British Open Champion Ricketts Tumbles As Manchester/Pontefract Crush Wolverhampton

Within 24 hours of winning the most prized trophy in world squash, Dunlop British Open champion Anthony Ricketts crashed to a straight games defeat in tonight's third round of the Premier Squash League, as former champions Manchester/Pontefract crushed reigning champions Wolverhampton 5/0 in a repeat of last season's league final.

Churchill Edgbaston Priory, the 2003 champions, also recorded a 5/0 win in the North Group - against Nottingham - to strengthen their position at the top of the points table after winning all three of their ties this season. UniSport Guildford maintained their position at the top of the South Group points table, despite losing to Oberthur Strings Tewkesbury - by the same 4/1 margin that event newcomers University Sport Birmingham also beat fellow league debutantes Surrey H&RC Croydon.

The post British Open celebrations at the National Squash Centre - one of the two venues which hosts Manchester/Pontefract clashes - undoubtedly took their toll on Ricketts as the Wolverhampton No1 lined up to face the trans-Pennine cooperative's top string player Lee Beachill at Pontefract Squash Club. Earlier, all four of Beachill's team-mates had recorded wins over their Wolverhampton opponents - notable victories being the 9-3 8-10 9-5 9-3 triumph the NSC coach Nick Taylor achieved over former National champion Mark Cairns, and part-timer David Evans's 9-4 9-6 9-6 victory over career-long Welsh rival Alex Gough.

Beachill, however, had a point to prove: The former world number one crashed out of the British Open to Australian qualifier Stewart Boswell, a defeat which his Pontefract club-mate James Willstrop duly avenged in the following round. But Willstrop later went down to Ricketts in Monday's British Open climax - so tonight gave Beachill the chance to repay the gesture. The England No1 obliged in decisive fashion, beating the Australian 9-1 10-8 9-2 in 31 minutes to guarantee maximum PSL points for the hosts.

Edgbaston Priory, too, were in fine home form against Nottingham, the 1999 champions. The packed Birmingham club's galleries were treated to a spectacular display of epic rallies and volleying in the climax of the evening when Australia's former British Open champion David Palmer made up for his disappointment at bowing out in Manchester at the second round stage by beating Nottingham's Simon Parke 9-6 9-5 9-5 in 35 minutes.

Earlier, England veteran Mark Chaloner, the now Cayman Islands-based former world No7 who was making his debut for Edgbaston Priory, bravely fought back from two games down to beat James Wright 4-9 4-9 9-2 9-2 9-4.

Despite a seemingly comprehensive 4/1 win over UniSport Guildford, Gloucestershire hosts Strings Tewkesbury allowed their Surrey University visitors to earn a healthy game score in each of the matches they lost - thus enabling the South Group table-toppers to maintain their lead. Strings newcomer Philip Nightingale earned a confidence-boosting 7-9 3-9 9-4 9-6 9-6 win over Brandon Hanley - but the Guildford fourth string took the first two games to add to the visitors' valuable nine games haul from the evening.

In the final match, Guildford's Stacey Ross was unable to capitalise on a two-game lead against the home team's top string Cameron Pilley - and, after the Australian levelled the match, Ross was forced to retire in the decider with a groin injury.

University Sport Birmingham's first PSL win lifts the young squad off the bottom of the South Group points table - but it was Surrey H&RC Croydon's veteran joint team manager Tim Garner that ensured that the visitors did not go home empty-handed by beating the hosts' Jon Harford 10-8 9-6 9-2. The Birmingham University top string Joey Barrington, the world No31 fresh from his impressive first round display against title-holder David Palmer in the British Open, gave a sterling performance at the end of the evening when he fought back from 2/1 down to beat the Croydon club's Bradley Ball, ranked six places higher, 9-4 5-9 8-10 11-9 10-8 - saving several match balls in the fourth game!

Next fixtures: 4th round, Tuesday 25 October 2005

North Group:
Nottingham v Wolverhampton
Benz-Bavarian Duffield v Manchester/Pontefract

South Group:
UniSport Guildford v Surrey H&RC Croydon
Team Chichester v University Sport Birmingham

3rd round results:

North Group:
Churchill Edgbaston Priory 5-0 Nottingham
David Palmer beat Simon Parke 9-6, 9-5, 9-5 (35m)
Peter Barker beat Duncan Walsh 9-3, 9-4, 9-2 (25m)
Mark Chaloner beat James Wright 4-9, 4-9, 9-2, 9-2, 9-4 (56m)
Hadrian Stiff beat Nick Douglas 10-8, 9-7, 9-6 (37m)
Vicky Botwright beat Sarah Kippax 9-7, 9-1, 9-0 (32m)

Manchester/Pontefract 5-0 Wolverhampton
Lee Beachill beat Anthony Ricketts 9-1, 10-8, 9-2 (31m)
David Evans beat Alex Gough 9-4, 9-6, 9-6 (37m)
Nick Taylor beat Mark Cairns 9-3, 8-10, 9-5, 9-3 (43m)
Andrew Whipp beat Chris Ryder 9-5, 4-9, 9-4, 9-6 (36m)
Jenny Duncalf beat Shelley Kitchen 9-0, 9-2, 9-5 (36m)

South Group:
Oberthur Strings Tewkesbury 4-1 UniSport Guildford
Cameron Pilley beat Stacey Ross 8-10, 7-9, 9-6, 9-6, 2-1 ret.
Rodney Durbach beat Stephen Meads 9-5, 6-9, 5-9, 9-7, 9-7
Rob Sutherland beat Neil Frankland 9-7, 9-2, 9-6
Philip Nightingale beat Brandon Hanley 7-9, 3-9, 9-4, 9-6, 9-6
Selina Sinclair lost to Alison Waters 1-9, 0-9, 2-9

University Sport Birmingham 4-1 Surrey H&RC Croydon
Joey Barrington beat Bradley Ball 9-4, 5-9, 8-10, 11-9, 10-8
Jon Harford lost to Tim Garner 8-10, 6-9, 2-9
Joel Hinds beat Ben Ford 9-7, 7-9, 9-4, 10-8
Jaymie Haycocks beat Ricky Davies 9-7, 14-12, 9-4
Laura-Jane Lengthorn beat Lauren Briggs 9-1, 9-5, 9-1