Allerton make winning PSL start

Premier Squash League title holders LEBC Group Chapel Allerton made a strong start to the defence of their crown by beating Pontefract 4-1.

Newcomers Newport began life in the PSL with a 4-1 loss to Esporta Oxford, who are the early Group A leaders.

Surrey Health & Racquets top the Group B tables after a 3-2 away win at county rivals Surrey Storm Guildford.

But Exeter Diamonds are only a point behind the 2008 champions after their 4-1 home win against Covers Chichester.

British champion Jenny Duncalf put Chapel Allerton into a commanding position against Yorkshire rivals Pontefract with a 9-11, 11-5, 11-4, 11-2 win over Leeds-based Vanessa Atkinson, the Dutch number one.

Adam Murrills and Shaun Le Roux put the overall result beyond doubt for the home side.

Then club regular Laurence Delasaux underlined Chapel Allerton's dominance by claiming a first-time victory over the county's former world number one Lee Beachill, 11-4, 11-5, 5-11, 11-6.

Delasaux, the 24-year-old from Hull, has recently returned to the PSA World Tour after a two-year absence.

England team-mates James Willstrop and Alister Walker came face to face in the final match of the programme, with Willstrop picking up a consolation point for Pontefract with a 12-10, 11-9, 11-7 win.

"It's a great start to the new season after a long summer break since we won the title," said Chapel Allerton team manager Neil Guirey.

"On paper it could have gone either way, so it was good that we were able to come away with an emphatic win."

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It was a disappointing start for debutants Newport, the first Welsh team to compete in the PSL this decade, but Esporta Oxford have strengthened their squad for the new season.

Simon Rosner, a 21-year-old former European Junior champion from Germany who is making his debut for the club, put in a gritty performance to beat Rob Sutherland 11-4, 10-12, 15-17, 11-8, 11-7.

Then Australian Cameron Pilley stretched Oxford's winning margin to 4-1 when he despatched fellow countryman Aaron Frankcomb 11-8, 11-6, 11-6 in the day's final match.

The other tie in Group A was an all-East Midlands derby between former champions Benz-Bavarian Duffield and MB Nottingham.

The Derbyshire home side got off to the worst possible start when England star Tania Bailey lost her four-and-a-half-year unbeaten run for Duffield, after having to concede her match to the visitors' Sarah Kippax after just two games.

Plagued by injury and illness over recent years, Bailey underwent knee surgery earlier this year and had been making good progress.

Duffield went on to lead 2-1, but top-ranked Malaysian Ong Beng Hee levelled matters for Nottingham.

Then Dutch number one Laurens Jan Anjema celebrated his first appearance in the PSL for six years by beating the home side's New Zealand international Martin Knight 11-3,11-4, 11-5 to clinch a memorable 3-2 away win for Nottingham.

The Guildford crowd got their money's worth when Surrey Storm Guildford hosted Surrey Health & Racquets, the Croydon club which has consistently enjoyed success in Group B.

England international Alison Waters, a Guildford force for the past five seasons, was making her debut for the visitors and put the knife into her old club with a straight games win over her successor Victoria Lust.

But two mighty five-game battles by Guildford stalwarts Stephen Meads and Stacey Ross saw the home side reclaim the advantage.

However, Scottish international Alan Clyne levelled the tie, before England international Peter Barker cruised to an 11-6, 11-6, 11-8 win over South African Jesse Engelbrecht.

That 3-2 success for Surrey Health takes the club to the top of the Group B points table.

Covers Chichester got their 15th successive PSL season off to a promising start when Dominique Lloyd-Walter despatched the Devon club's Emma Chorley in straight games.

But Exeter Diamonds, in only their second season in the PSL, soon turned things around with wins by Tom Pashley, Joey Barrington and Jonathan Kemp.

Australian international Stewart Boswell secured the victory, which ensured that Exeter Diamonds start the season just a point behind the group table-toppers when he beat the south coast club's Robbie Temple 11-4, 11-8, 3-11, 11-2 in the top-string clash.

There was further Surrey success in Group B when TWP St George's Hill edged out Avon opponents Probuild Bristol 3-2.

Local boy Joe Lee had double reason to celebrate his 11-5, 9-11, 11-4, 11-4 victory over Bristol's Peter Marshall, as it was his first ever win over the former world number two and it was on his 20th birthday.

Bristol's top string Adrian Grant was also celebrating his birthday - his 29th - and did it by securing a win over the home club's number one Daryl Selby.

But it was to no avail, as St George's Hill had already netted three wins to ensure a home success for the night.

PSL RESULTS 1st round:

Group A:

Benz-Bavarian Duffield 2-3 MB Nottingham (Martin Knight lost to Laurens Jan Anjema 3-11, 4-11, 5-11; Stephen Coppinger lost to Ong Beng Hee 8-11, 4-11, 11-8, 10-12; Andrew Whipp bt John Rooney 9-11, 2-11, 11-7, 11-6, 11-4; Joel Hinds bt Eddie Charlton 5-11, 11-6, 11-5, 11-5; Tania Bailey lost to Sarah Kippax 9-11, 9-11 ret)

LEBC Group Chapel Allerton 4-1 Pontefract (Alister Walker lost to James Willstrop 10-12, 9-11, 7-11; Laurence Delasaux bt Lee Beachill 11-4, 11-5, 5-11, 11-6; Shaun le Roux bt Neil Cordell 6-11, 11-5, 11-7, 11-6; Adam Murrills bt Karan Malik 11-8, 11-13, 14-12, 11-8; Jenny Duncalf bt Vanessa Atkinson 9-11, 11-5, 11-4, 11-2)

Esporta Oxford 4-1 Newport (Cameron Pilley bt Aaron Frankcomb 11-8, 11-6, 11-6; Chris Ryder bt Campbell Grayson 11-7, 12-10, 11-5; Simon Rosner bt Rob Sutherland 11-4, 10-12, 15-17, 11-8, 11-7; Anthony Graham lost to Jethro Binns 11-6, 6-11, 5-11, 4-11; Madeline Perry bt Deon Saffery 14-12, 11-8, 9-11, 11-3)

Group B:

Surrey Storm Guildford 2-3 Surrey Health & Racquets (Jesse Engelbrecht lost to Peter Barker 6-11, 6-11, 8-11; Gilly Lane lost to Alan Clyne 6-11, 11-4, 7-11, 2-11; Stacey Ross bt Adrian Waller 8-11, 11-5, 10-12, 11-5, 15-13; Stephen Meads bt Ben Ford 10-12, 9-11, 11-5, 11-9, 11-7; Victoria Lust lost to Alison Waters 5-11, 6-11, 3-11)

TWP St George's Hill 3-2 Probuild Bristol (Daryl Selby lost to Adrian Grant 4-11, 11-1, 14-12, 3-11, 2-11; Tom Richards lost to Mohamed El Shorbagy 14-16, 8-11, 10-12; Nicolas Mueller bt David Evans 14-12, 11-3, 11-4; Joe Lee bt Peter Marshall 11-5, 9-11, 11-4, 11-4; Lauren Briggs bt Leonie Holt 11-3, 11-3, 11-2)

Exeter Diamonds 4-1 Covers Chichester (Stewart Boswell bt Robbie Temple 11-4, 11-8, 3-11, 11-2; Jonathan Kemp bt Alex Gough 11-3, 11-7, 11-5; Joey Barrington bt Tim Vail 11-9, 11-9, 12-10; Tom Pashley bt Peter Genever 9-11, 11-7, 4-11, 11-4, 11-3; Emma Chorley lost to Dominique Lloyd-Walter 6-11, 9-11, 7-11)

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