Round TWO : Wizards off the mark as defending champs RAC squeeze home
The 2019/20 PSL season continued with Round Two on 15th October, four matches across the two divisions.
Defending champions RAC opened their campaign with a home match against Warwick/Kenilworth, who already had a 5-0 Round One win under their belt. The visitors took the lead as Sarah-Jane Perry and Julianne Courtice won the women’s matches, but RAC struck back to take all three men’s matches, Daryl Selby coming from a game down to beat Nick Wall in the decider.
In the other Southern Division match Welsh Wizards bounced back after their opening round defeat to score a 4-1 win over 2018 champions St George’s Hill. Here too it was the women’s matches that made the difference as Anna Kimberley beat Jasmine Hutton and Tesni Evans came from a game down to beat Joelle King, Elliott Morris Devred and Marwan ElShorbagy adding men’s wins to the Wizards’ tally.
Both Northern Division matches went down to the wire, with Pontefract adding to their opening round win with victory over PSL debutants Alba Storm, and University of Birmingham Lions notching up an unexpected away win away to 2017 champions University of Nottingham.
With the first four matches shared, it was left to home favourite James Willstrop to seal Pontefract’s win as he overcame Youssef Soliman just after 11pm. Birmingham’s win was set up by victories in the women’s matches by Katie Malliff and Nele Gilis, Joel Makin clinching the win with a 2-1 win over Declan James in the top string.
Northern Division
PONTEFRACT 3-2 ALBA STORM (11-6)
James Willstrop 2-0 Youssef Soliman 11-8, 11-7
Chris Simpson 1-2 Alan Clyne 11-7, 7-11, 7-11
LJ Anjema 2-1 Stuart George 7-11, 11-3, 11-4
Laura Massaro 1-2 Lisa Aitken 11-9, 2-2 rtd
Lucy Turmel 2-1 Alison Thomson 11-3, 14-16, 11-4
NOTTINGHAM 2-3 BIRMINGHAM (6-9)
Declan James 1-2 Joel Makin 12-10, 5-11, 7-11
Nick Matthew 2-0 Josh Owen 11-4, 11-4
Adam Auckland 2-0 Jack Turney 11-7, 11-3
Millie Tomlinson 0-2 Nele Gilis 5-11, 6-11
Coline Aumard 1-2 Katie Maliff 11-2, 10-12, 10-12
Southern Division
WELSH WIZARDS 4-1 ST GEORGE’S (12-4)
Marwan ElShorbagy 2-1 Tom Richards 11-7, 8-11, 11-7
Peter Creed 1-2 Borja Golan 12-10, 7-11, 7-11
Elliott Morris Devred 2-0 Joe Lee 11-5, 11-4
Tesni Evans 2-1 Joelle King 5-11, 11-4, 11-9
Anna Kimberley 2-0 Jasmine Hutton 11-5, 11-9
RAC 3-2 WARKENS (10-5)
Paul Coll 2-0 Raphael Kandra 11-4, 11-6
Daryl Selby 2-1 Nick Wall 7-11, 11-5, 11-5
George Parker 2-0 Guy Pearson 12-10, 11-7
Alison Waters 1-2 Sarah-Jane Perry 5-11, 11-8, 8-11
Alice Green 0-2 Julianne Courtice 3-11, 3-11
