Beachill & Elriani Retain Top England Rankings
British squash champions Lee Beachill and Linda Elriani have retained their positions at the top of the end-of-year England rankings, announced today (Thursday) by England Squash, though both are being chased by new rivals who have moved up to second place in the lists.
The top four places in the men's list are occupied by members of the England squad which convincingly won the World Team Championships title in Pakistan earlier this month – bringing the trophy back to Britain after an eight-year absence.
Beachill, the 28-year-old Yorkshireman from Pontefract who became the men's British champion early this year for the third time in his fifth successive final, has held the number one ranking throughout the year. But close behind is his good friend and Pontefract club-mate James Willstrop, whom he beat in the 2005 final. Willstrop, 22, moves up a place to No2 – the same position he currently occupies in the world rankings, ahead of Beachill!
Team-mates Peter Nicol and Nick Matthew (both also with county allegiances to Yorkshire) are at three and four, respectively, whilst former England number one Simon Parke – also a Yorkshireman – remains at five.
Notable risers in the list are Shropshire's Jonathan Kemp, who moves three places into the top ten at ten for the first time, and Somerset's Joey Barrington, who leaps five places to 12.
Linda Elriani became England No1 for the first time in February after winning her maiden British national title. The 34-year-old from Eastbourne, who was out of action in the middle of the year with a hamstring injury, recovered last month to crush Malaysia's British Open champion Nicol David in the Premier Squash League (PSL).
Manchester's Vicky Botwright jumps three places to a career-high No2 in the new list and is likely to be seeded to meet Elriani in February's British National Championships women's final in Manchester.
London's Alison Waters moves to a best-ever No5, behind Lincolnshire's Tania Bailey at three and Harrogate's Jenny Duncalf at four.
Middlesex's Dominique Lloyd-Walter rises two places to make her top ten debut at nine, while Merseyside's Georgina Stoker bursts into the women's top 20 at 15.
Men
1 (1) Lee Beachill (Yorks)
2 (3) James Willstrop (Yorks)
3 (2) Peter Nicol (Yorks)
4 (4) Nick Matthew (Yorks)
5 (5) Simon Parke (Yorks)
6 (6) Adrian Grant (Kent)
7 (7) Mark Chaloner (Lincs)
8 (9) Peter Barker (Essex)
9 (8) Bradley Ball (Suffolk)
10 (13) Jonathon Kemp (Shropshire)
11 (10) Marcus Berrett (Yorks)
12 (17) Joey Barrington (Somerset)
13 (11) Stacey Ross (Surrey)
14 (15) Nick Taylor (Lancs)
15 (16) Stephen Meads (Berks)
16 (18) Alister Walker (Glos)
17 (14) Ben Garner (Surrey)
18 (19) Pete Genever (Sussex)
19 (20) Alex Stait (Glos)
20 (12) Scott Handley (Oxon)
Women
1 (1) Linda Elriani (Sussex)
2 (5) Vicky Botwright (Lancs)
3 (2) Tania Bailey (Lincs)
4 (3) Jenny Duncalf (Yorks)
5 (6) Alison Waters (Middx)
6 (9) Laura Lengthorn (Lancs)
7 (8) Fiona Geaves (Glos)
8 (7) Stephanie Brind (Kent)
9 (11) Dominique Lloyd-Walter (Middx)
10 (10) Rebecca Botwright (Lancs)
11 (12) Lauren Briggs (Essex)
12 (13) Laura Hill (Derbyshire)
13 (14) Suzie Pierrepont (Sussex)
14 (15) Sarah Kippax (Cheshire)
15 (-) Georgina Stoker (Merseyside)
16 (16) Kirsty McPhee (Yorks)
17 (17) Lauren Siddall (Yorks)
18 (18) Emma Beddoes (Warwicks)
19 (19) Jennifer Knibbs (Derbyshire)
20 (20) Caroline Chaloner (Sussex)