Duffield & Surrey Health Clinch Early PSL Play-Off Slots by Howard Harding 19 March 2013
- Last season's finalists Benz-Bavarian Duffield and Integrity Surrey
Health & Racquets made sure of places in this season's Premier
Squash League (PSL) semi-final play-offs despite contrasting fortunes
in the ninth and penultimate round of the world's most prestigious
squash league.
Derbyshire's
three-time champions Benz-Bavarian Duffield went down 3/2 away from
home to East Midlands rivals Air-IT Nottingham but are assured of top
place in the Group A tables.
Like most of the ninth
round teams in contention, Duffield were without key players
participating in the PSA World Series Finals in the USA or the Penang
Women's World Championship in Malaysia - but victories by former
women's number one Tania Bailey and former European Junior Champion
Declan James gave the visitors vital points.
"I thought it may go
3/2 to Nottingham, and in fairness they played well," said Duffield
team manager Felix Frixou. "We just needed six points to mathematically
make the play offs and play a home tie, happy to get the extra one
point.
"Really pleased to
have won the group once again, and look forward to welcoming our
southern runners up, whoever if may be, to our humble Squash club at
Duffield."
Nottingham are one of
four teams in contention for the other play-off slot from the Group,
though Coolhurst London suffered their heaviest defeat of the season -
a 5/0 home drubbing by University of Birmingham - which moved the
league debutants down from second to fourth in the tables.
The Birmingham team
move up to third place in the tables - but Yorkshire club Chapel
Allerton boosted their play-off bid with a 4/1 home win over county
rivals AJP Pontefract to reclaim second place.
Numerous permutations could result from April's tenth round clashes.
Defending champions
Integrity Surrey Health & Racquets emerged victorious in a
top-of-the-table clash with Exeter Diamonds in Group B, winning 3/2 at
home.
Londoner Adrian Grant
clinched victory for the Croydon club after beating Finnish number one
Olli Tuominen 12-10, 13-15, 11-6, 6-11, 11-5.
"It was a very
well-contested high class match tonight between two strong teams," said
the jubilant Surrey Health manager Pete Smith. "Adrian won a brilliant
match 3/2 to secure the win and a semi-final spot for us.
"It's fantastic to reach the semi's again and congratulations to the team."
Exeter need just two points from their final tie against Team Chichester to be sure of a first ever place in the play-offs.
Chichester claimed a
tight 3/2 home win over Luxfords St George's Hill which almost
certainly ended the Weybridge club's play-off aspirations.
In the other Group B tie, UWE/Elitesquash Bristol secured an impressive 3/2 away win at Winchester.
RESULTS: Premier Squash League, 9th round, Tuesday 18 March 2014
Group A: Air-IT Nottingham 3 Benz-Bavarian Duffield 2 Alan Clyne bt Joel Hinds 12-10, 11-5, 11-8 Eddie Charlton bt Andy Whipp 11-4, 11-7, 11-9 Chris Fuller lost to Declan James 10-12, 2-1 ret. Ollie Holland bt Scott Handley 10-12, 12-10 ret. Vaidehi Reddy lost to Tania Bailey 1-11, 3-11, 3-11
Chapel Allerton 4 AJP Pontefract 1 Daryl Selby bt Saurav Ghosal 12-10, 11-7, 9-11, 8-11, 11-6 Chris Simpson bt Chris van der Salm 11-7, 12-10, 11-9 Shaun le Roux bt Alex Hodgetts 11-2, 11-3, 11-8 Simon Parke bt Jack Brian Cooper 11-7, 11-9, 11-9 Carrie Ramsey lost to Kirsty McPhee 11-7, 8-11, 4-11, 8-11
Coolhurst London 0 University of Birmingham 5 Omar Abdel Meguid lost to Chris Ryder 11-7, 7-11, 11-8, 8-11, 7-11 Ben Coleman lost to Jaymie Haycocks 15-17, 6-11, 11-6, 8-11 Adam Auckland lost to Peter Creed 6-11, 11-7, 5-11, 11-5, 4-11 Steven London lost to Joel Makin 1-11, 11-13, 7-11 Rachel Willmott lost to Chloe Mesic 2-11, 7-11, 7-11
Group B: Team Chichester 3 Luxfords St George's Hill 2 Jonathan Kemp bt Tom Richards 11-4, 11-8, 11-13, 12-10 Rex Hedrick lost to Joe Lee 9-11, 6-11, 11-8, 6-11 Olivier Pett bt Henrik Mustonen 11-8, 12-10, 11-8 Stephen Wykes lost to Charles Sharpes 2-11, 6-11, 5-11 Lauren Briggs bt Dominique Lloyd-Walter 11-6, 16-14, 12-10
Integrity Surrey Health & Racquets 3 Exeter Diamonds 2 Peter Barker lost to Omar Mosaad 11-7, 9-11, 11-9, 8-11, 7-11 Adrian Grant bt Olli Tuominen 12-10, 13-15, 11-6, 6-11, 11-5 Gregoire Marche bt Tim Vail 11-6, 11-9, 11-3 Adrian Waller bt James Snell 11-8, 11-8, 11-7 Nada Elkalaawy lost to Aisling Blake 10-12, 10-12, 8-11
Winchester 2 UWE/Elitesquash Bristol 3 Greg Lobban bt Lucas Serme 14-12, 4-11, 11-6, 11-7 Abdulla Mohd Al Tamimi bt David Evans 12-10, 11-8, 11-7 Robert Downer lost to Tom Ford 11-3, 11-2, 5-11, 4-11, 4-11 Scott Fitzgerald lost to Michael Harris 11-9, 10-12, 10-12, 3-11 Alison Thomson lost to Yathreb Adel 2-11, 2-11, 6-11
10th Round line-up (1 April) Group A: AJP Pontefract v Air-IT Nottingham Benz-Bavarian Duffield v University of Birmingham Coolhurst London v Chapel Allerton Group B: Exeter Diamonds v Team Chichester Luxfords St George's Hill v UWE/Elitesquash Bristol Winchester v Integrity Surrey Health & Racquets
