WarKens and Nottingham extend leads
With just three rounds to go, Playoff places looked likely to be enhanced or damaged in Round Eight, and so it proved as University of Warwick/Kenilworth Squash and University of Nottingham increased their leads at the top of the Divisions while Ab Initio St George’s Hill continued their late surge for a semi-final spot.
Southern Division leaders WarKens demolished Coolhurst 5-0 at Kenilworth Squash, with newly-crowned British Champion Sarah-Jane Perry leading the way for the home side and Iker Pajares coming from a game down in the final match of the evening to secure maximum points.
Meanwhile at the Royal Automobile Club in London’s Pall Mall, the battle between the 2019 and 2018 Champions went the way of St George’s, who took a 3-0 lead before defending champions RAC took the final two matches of the night.
WarKens now have a handy 12-point lead over RAC, with St George’s a further 10 points behind but with a match in hand, as do Coolhurst who are just one point behind St George’s.
In the Northern Division Nottingham stormed into a 4-0 lead over Scotland’s Alba Storm before Eain Yow Ng beat Nick Matthew to gain some consolation points for the Storm. Nottingham hold a 19-point advantage over Pontefract, who have a match in hand, with Alba Storm level with Pontefact on the same matches p[layed..
Round Eight concluded on Thursday with University of Birmingham Lions beating Northumberland Club / Newcastle University 4-1 to keep their slim playoff hopes alive.
Full coverage on PSLsquash.com
Tue 18th Feb
Southern Division
WARKENS 5-0 COOLHURST (13-3)
Iker Pajares 2-1 Adrian Waller 4-11, 11-8, 11-2
Nick Wall 2-0 Nathan Lake 11-7, 13-11
Mark Fuller 2-1 Rui Soares 7-11, 11-8, 11-4
Sarah-Jane Perry 2-0 Donna Lobban 11-6, 11-7
Lily Taylor 2-1 Kace Bartley 7-11, 11-2, 16-14
RAC 2-3 ST GEORGE’S (6-10)
Paul Coll 2-1 Mohamed ElShorbagy 3-11, 16-14, 11-6
Daryl Selby 1-2 Tom Richards 11-9, 10-12, 9-11
George Parker 2-0 Borja Golan 11-6, 12-10
Haley Mendez 1-2 Joelle King 11-9, 9-11, 9-11
Alice Green 0-2 Torrie Malik 5-11, 6-11
Northern Division
NOTTINGHAM 4-1 ALBA STORM (12-3)
Declan James 2-1 Greg Lobban 9-11, 11-5, 11-9
Nick Matthew 1-2 Eain Yow Ng 11-4, 9-11, 4-11
Richie Fallows 2-0 Alasdair Prott 11-6, 11-5
Millie Tomlinson 2-0 Lisa Aitken 11-5, 11-7
Coline Aumard 2-0 Alison Thomson 11-5, 11-6
Thu 20th Feb
BIRMINGHAM 4-1 NEWCASTLE (12-3)
Josh Masters 1-2 Tom Ford 11-3, 9-11, 8-11
Miles Jenkins 2-1 Owain Taylor 11-9, 5-11, 11-5
Stuart Macgregor 2-0 Max Forster 11-5, 11-4
Emily Whitlock 2-0 Charlotte Jagger 11-1, 11-5
Katie Malliff 2-0 Sam Ward 11-6, 11-4