National Squash
League
Round 9, Tuesday 5 March
"Crystal balls, slide rules and fingers crossed"
Hedley Matthew reports that "The gremlins are again at work on our
Hallamshire team........with injuries etc we now line-up as follows
Nick Matthew,Greg la Mude,Ashley Flathers,Peter
Billson & Laura Jane Lengthorn.In line with our new youth policy we will
be fielding 4 players 21 and under!! Also 3 players who have been British
Junior champions at different age groups"
Not to be outdone Benz-Bavarian Duffield will have 4 England players who have
been British and European Junior Champions at different age levels with Welsh
No 2, Alex Gough, the odd one out. The Group A leaders, expect to be at full
strength for this tie and should secure the one point needed to guarantee them
a place in the semi final play offs. An overall victory of 3-2 would
ensure that the Derbyshire Club wins group A and then has the choice of
playing the first leg home or away. Duffield will be taking a coachload of
over 30 supporters to Hallamshire which should ensure that the "full
house" signs are once more on display.
Expected line ups
HLW Hallamshire v Benz Bavarian Dufield
Nick Matthew v Alex Gough
Greg La Mude v Adrian Grant
Ashley Flathers v Paul Hargrave
Peter Billson v James Willstrop
Laura Jane Lengthorn v Cassie Campion
National
champion Lee Beachill will be in
the Manchester/Pontefract probable line-up for their away
match against with the Wolverhampton. Beachill will be facing John White,
world No 3.
Expected teams
Wolverhampton v Manchester/Pontefract
John White vs Lee Beachill
Mark Cairns vs Nick Taylor
Scott Handley vs Marcus Berrett
Joey Barrington vs David Campion
Stephanie Brind vs Helen Easton
Wolverhampton's manager Stephen Russell reaction
when he discovered that Yawar Abbas was fielding his top 3 guns plus a
useful player named Campion was simply "Result- who can tell? Hope
for a win to get us to a "winner takes all" match against Edgbaston
on the 12th March".
Duffield's semi final opponents will be one from three from Group B. You need
more than a crystal ball to work out whether this will be Triage Broxbourne
from Hertfordshire, Tek Sing Lexden from Colchester or UK Packaging from
Connaught Club in Chingford.
Tim Garner's UKP men must fancy winning their two remaining ties which would
give them at least 39 points but probably 41 points. Andy Booth's Triage
Broxbourne are looking to maintain the winning streak which in their round 8
tie saw Andy walk off with the jackpot from the Connaught Club. Andy will
however be hoping that Mark Chaloner does not have the same referee who
marked last week's semi final match against Lee Beachill in the National
Championships.
The referee was involved almost as much as the players, with
over 100 decisions in total and a sequence of nine lets at 9-all in the final
game increased the tension. Beachill, who went on to beat World No 1, Peter
Nicol in the final reached match ball on a stroke as he vainly tried to leap
over a floored Chaloner, then Chaloner received a 'no let' to finish. The
normally placid Chaloner was seething with the refereeing at the end.
""I know it sounds ridiculous when you say that a referee costs you
the match but that's exactly what happened. I somehow managed to keep my cool
on court but I was seething inside." .
Colin McQuillan's report on the Squashnow website on this
match and the Welsh referee is well worth reading. I understand that Andy
Booth was for once speechless which is perhaps as well.
Triage are favourites to beat Chichester in round 9 with a line up
comprising of Mark Chaloner, Greg Gaultier, Alex Stait, Alister Walker and
Sue Rose. A win would give them 41 points but Chichester will be doing
everything possible to spoil the party . Lexden, who are waiting to
hear whether David Evans has recovered from the injury which forced him
to withdraw from the Nation Championships, are favourites to beat Lee on
Solent which would give them at least 38 points.This would mean that it
would all go down to the wire with the play off places in Group B probably
being decided by the outcome of the final rubbers on 12 March. On the final
day Lexden face Triage and hopefully travelling band of
supporters from Broxbourne have been able to reserve their seats at normal
prices.
UKP 's manager Tim Garner has other things on his mind before announcing his
team to face Unisport Guildford who could be at full strength Ian Robinson's
men are in confident mood after the whitewash of Lee on Solent in round
8. Garner and Broxbourne's Frenchman Gregory Gaultier will meet in the final
of the Dayton Open in Ohio, USA.
In Group A the second semi final place will almost certainly be
decided by the outcome of the Midlands Derby between Edgbaston UOB and
Wolverhampton on 12 March.This tie has attracted much interest and should
ensure yet another sell out crowd.
The first leg of the semi final will take place on 19 March with the second
leg on 2 April. The provisional date for the final is Tuesday 7 May with the
venue to be decided.
TABLES
as at 12 February 2002
Ties Matches
Games POINTS
GROUP
A P
W L
W L
W L
B-B
Duffield 7
5 2 23
12
81 55 33
Edgbaston
UOB 7
4 3 21
14
74 59
29
Wolverhampton
6 4
2 15
15 58
62
23
Manchester 6
3 3 13
17 58
64
19
HLW
Hallamshire 6
0 6 8
22
37 68 8
GROUP B
Triage
Broxbourne 8
5 3 26
14 87
60
36
Tek
Sing Lexden 8
5 3 23
17 84
75
33
UK
Packaging 8
4 4 21
19 83
74
29
Team
Chichester 8
4 4 17
23 72
84
25
Unisport
Guildford 8
3 5 18
22 75
78
24
Lee-on-
Solent 8
3 5 15
25 56
86
21
Remaining fixtures
Group A
5 March
Hallamshire v Duffield Wolverhampton
v Manchester
12 March
Edgbaston v Wolverhampton Manchester
v Hallamshire
Group B
5 March
Lee on Solent v Lexden Broxbourne
v Chichester Guildford
v UKP
12 March
UKP v Lee on Solent
Lexden v Broxbourne
Chichester v Guildford
Brian Hargrave
NL Administrator 01332 841564 07971 915012
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