5:16 am
12 Dec 2024

PSL Champions Surrey Health In Record Fourth Successive Final Bid

8 Apr 2013

Defending champions Integrity Surrey Health & Racquets will be aiming to reach the final of the Premier Squash League (PSL), supported by Dunlop, for a record fourth successive year when the Croydon club hosts Oxford Health & Racquets in tomorrow's semi-finals of the world's most prestigious squash league.

In the other semi, Derbyshire's three-time champions Benz-Bavarian Duffield entertain first-time semi-finalists Exeter Diamonds.

The Croydon tie will be a repeat of the 2010 final when Surrey Health beat final debutants Oxford 3/2 to win their second title, and the first of three in a row. Both squads tomorrow will include two players from that final - Peter Barker and Adrian Waller for the hosts and Scott Handley and Madeline Perry for visitors Oxford.

Irish star Perry, the 13-time national champion ranked 11 in the world, faces England's in-form world No4 Alison Waters in what is sure to be a fiercely-contested opening clash.

In what could be the decider, world No8 Barker - the Londoner who contested last month's Canary Wharf Classic in his hometown - takes on top-ranked Spaniard Borja Golan, the new world No9.

Duffield are enjoying a record 20th successive season in the PSL. Runners-up in their second season in 1995, the Derbyshire have contested five finals with title victories in 1998, 2006 and 2007.

The team will be led by England's Nick Matthew, the world No2 from Sheffield who is unbeaten in the PSL since October 2007 and will be aiming for a remarkable 33rd league win in a row. Matthew faces Exeter's Laurens Jan Anjema, the eight-time Dutch champion who is ranked 16 in the world.

Duffield will be fielding two world number twos as Matthew is joined by Laura Massaro, the Preston squash star whose title triumph in last month's KL Open in Malaysia has taken her to second place in the women's world rankings. Massaro will face the new Irish champion Aisling Blake, ranked 23 in the world.

Semi-finals line-ups:

Benz-Bavarian Duffield v Exeter Diamonds
Nick Matthew v Laurens Jan Anjema
Joel Hinds v Olli Tuominen
Andy Whipp v Joey Barrington
Adam Murrills v Tim Vail
Laura Massaro v Aisling Blake

Integrity Surrey Health & Racquets v Oxford Health & Racquets
Peter Barker v Borja Golan
Adrian Grant v Cameron Pilley
Karim Abdel Gawad v Scott Handley
Adrian Waller v Ben Coleman
Alison Waters v Madeline Perry