CHAPEL ALLERTON TOAST TOP-FLIGHT RETURN
Chapel Allerton celebrated their return to the Yorkshire Premier League in sensational fashion by completing an unbeaten Division 1 campaign on Thursday night.
Although promotion was sealed a fortnight ago with victory over second-placed Harrogate, this week’s 17-7 triumph over Abbeydale concluded the season with a clean sweep of 16 victories out of 16.
The Leeds club’s first team was relegated from the top flight three years ago, but their return for 2026/27 is an important part of efforts to re-energise squash participation at the club following the corrosive impact of the pandemic.
Wins for the hosts’ lower-order trio Joe Wareing, Sam Hartley and Kieran Shelley got the job done early against Abbeydale, who later earned consolations through Matthew Barton’s epic five-game victory over James Butterworth and another closely-fought win for Hayden Tetley against Sanath Sha at no.1 string.
The triumph saw Chapel Allerton finish a dominant 56 points ahead of Harrogate and Abbeydale.
Chapel Allerton first team captain Butterworth said:
“The secret to our success this season was being able to field a very consistent team each week, with several key players playing more or less every match.
“Our strength in depth meant we were able to grind out results even against teams fielding stronger players at the top of the order.”
Those trusty regulars have included Butterworth himself, Wareing, Hartley, Sha, Henry Duncanson and club stalwart Ross Williamson.
Butterworth added:
“Our second team has also played a big part, finishing second in Division 2 behind Wakefield who themselves had been relegated from Division 1 last year. It’s also been brilliant to see club juniors progressing through to regular adult team squash.
“Its enormously satisfying to return to the Premier Division after a three-season absence, and work has begun to fund professional players to represent the club in the top strings next season.”
