RESULTS: British National Squash Championships, National Squash Centre, Sportcity, Manchester Men 1st round: [1] Peter Nicol (Yorks) bt [Q] Andrew Whipp (Cheshire) 15-8, 15-10, 15-6 (36m) [14] Peter Genever (Sussex) bt [Q] Paul Hargrave (Derbyshire) 15-11, 15-10, 15-8 (50m) [7] Simon Parke (Yorks) bt [Q] Tim Vail (Sussex) 15-12, 13-15, 15-13, 15-10 (70m) [10] Nick Matthew (Yorks) bt Ben Garner (Surrey) 15-6, 13-15, 10-15, 15-9, 15-6 (67m) [4] Martin Heath (Scotland) bt Lee Drew (Essex) 15-10, 17-14, 15-9 (45m) [15] James Willstrop (Yorks) bt Derek Ryan (Ireland) 15-4, 15-7, 15-7 (28m) [8] Nick Taylor (Lancs) bt [Q] Greg Tippings (Wales) 15-11, 15-5, 15-8 (32m) [12] Stephen Meads (Berks) bt Hadrian Stiff (Devon) 15-13, 15-9, 15-11 (69m) Marcus Berrett (Yorks) bt [13] Adrian Grant (Kent) 15-13, 6-15, 15-8, 15-4 (51m) [9] David Evans (Wales) bt [Q] Peter Barker (Essex) 15-11, 15-9, 15-12 (52m) [16] Bradley Ball (Suffolk) bt Scott Handley (Oxon) 15-7, 15-13, 15-10 (46m) [3] Lee Beachill (Yorks) bt [Q] Joey Barrington (Somerset) 15-6, 15-3, 15-4 (36m) Liam Kenny (Ireland) bt Mark Cairns (Oxon) 15-11, 15-6, 15-11 (54m) [6] Alex Gough (Wales) bt [Q] Alister Walker (Glos) 15-11, 15-7, 15-14 (53m) Tim Garner (Sussex) bt Jonathan Kemp (Shropshire) 6-15, 15-8, 15-12, 15-7 (43m) [2] John White (Scotland) bt [Q] Scott Fitzgerald (Wales) 15-7, 15-10, 15-12 (33m) Women's 2nd qualifying round: Janie Thacker (Yorks) bt Georgina Stoker (Merseyside) 9-5, 9-1, 9-0 (23m) Alison Waters (Middx) bt Kate Allison (Yorks) w/o Lauren Siddall (Yorks) bt Cheryl Beaumont (Yorks) 9-5, 0-9, 9-7, 9-4 (33m) Laura Hill (Derbyshire) bt Sarah Bowles (Northumbria) 9-0, 9-6, 9-0 (21m) Laura-Jane Lengthorn (Lancs) bt Laura Dedic (Yorks) 9-1, 9-4, 9-0 (17m) Vicky Lankester (Suffolk) bt Suzie Pierrepont (Sussex) 4-9, 10-8, 9-7, 9-6 (44m) Rebecca Botwright (Lancs) bt Sarah Kippax (Cheshire) 9-3, 9-4, 9-2 24m) Dominique Lloyd-Walter (Middx) bt Tina Rix (Hants) 9-1, 9-3, 9-1 (24m) Women's qualifying finals: Janie Thacker (Yorks) bt Alison Waters (Middx) 6-9, 7-9, 9-3, 9-5, 9-4 (48m) Laura Hill (Derbyshire) bt Lauren Siddall (Yorks) 9-1, 9-1 ret. (13m) Vicky Lankester (Suffolk) bt Laura-Jane Lengthorn (Lancs) 6-9, 8-10, 9-2, 9-5, 10-8 (57m) Dominique Lloyd-Walter (Middx) bt Rebecca Botwright (Lancs) 9-2, 9-4, 3-9, 9-3 (48m) Beachill Leads Yorkshire Nationals' Assault Defending champion Lee Beachill strolled through his first round encounter on the opening day of the British National Squash Championships at the National Squash Centre in Manchester, leading a mighty force of six Yorkshireman who claimed second round places. Beachill, the 25-year-old world No8 from Pontefract who last year became the first player in history to successfully defend the men's title, beat Somerset qualifier Joey Barrington, son of the legendary six-times British Open champion more than three decades ago Jonah Barrington, 15-6 15-3 15-4 in 36 minutes. "It's nice to get the first game under the belt," said the title-holder on his website www.LeeBeachill.com. "Sometimes you can feel a bit rusty in the first match of a tournament, but today I felt I played a pretty perfect game to get into the second round. I haven't played Joey before, but he didn't make too many mistakes - so I was pleased to get the win." Beachill now faces 16th seed Bradley Ball, from Ipswich in Suffolk, who knocked out Oxfordshire's Scott Handley 15-7 15-13 15-10 in 46 minutes. The day's only seeding upset was caused by Yorkshire's Marcus Berrett, though county aficionados were far from surprised by the result. Unseeded Berrett, 27 from Halifax, withdrew from the international circuit some two years ago, since when he has combined a coaching role at Queens Club in Halifax with a domestic competition schedule which includes national and county league appearances. Last month the England No15 won the Yorkshire county title for the second successive year - and tonight he defeated Kent's 13th seed Adrian Grant, who is also based at Queens Club, 15-13 6-15 15-8 15-4 in 51 minutes. Berrett, who reached the semi-finals in his first Nationals' appearance in 1995, now takes on Welshman David Evans, the 9th seed from Pontypool, who ended the run of Essex qualifier and last year's World Junior Championships' runner-up Peter Barker with a 15-11 15-9 15-12 defeat in 52 minutes. Other Yorkshire winners included Pontefract's recently-crowned World Junior Champion James Willstrop who crushed former Irish champion Derek Ryan 15-4 15-7 15-7 in just 28 minutes; Nottingham-based 1998 champion Simon Parke, formerly from Harrogate, who survived a 70-minute clash with Sussex qualifier Tim Vail 15-12 13-15 15-13 15-10; Sheffield's 10th seed Nick Matthew who had to fight back from 2-1 down to beat Surrey's Ben Garner 15-6 13-15 10-15 15-9 15-6 in 67 minutes; and Peter Nicol, the favourite and world No1 once based in Harrogate, who beat Cheshire's Andrew Whipp 15-8 15-10 15-6. Local hero Nick Taylor, twice a runner-up in the event, enjoyed a satisfying first round win to begin his 2003 Nationals campaign in what he has described as 'one of the most important weeks of the year for me.' Oldham-born Taylor, now based in Staleybridge, comfortably beat Welsh qualifier Greg Tippings 15-11 15-5 15-8 in 32 minutes. "That was just the match I needed to fine-tune my tactical approach to the tournament," said the eighth seed who has reached at least the semi-finals for the past three years. "I love playing in the National Squash Centre here in Manchester and am looking forward to making further progress tomorrow." Taylor meets 12th seed Stephen Meads, and will be hoping to avenge his loss to the Berkshire player in the 1995 final. Yorkshire also provided an extra player in the main draw of the women's event, which gets underway on Wednesday, when Rotherham's Janie Thacker recovered from 2-0 down to beat Alison Waters (Middx) 6-9 7-9 9-3 9-5 9-4 in a 48-minute qualifying final. Suffolk's Vicky Lankester also fought from two games down, then saved two matchballs against her in the fifth before beating Lancashire's Laura-Jane Lengthorn 6-9 8-10 9-2 9-5 10-8 in 57 minutes. Updated women's draw [1] Linda Charman (Sussex) v Jenny Duncalf (Yorks) [5] Fiona Geaves (Glos) v Jenny Tranfield (Yorks) [4] Rebecca Macree (Essex) v [Q] Laura Hill (Derbyshire) [8] Pamela Nimmo (Scotland) v [Q] Janie Thacker (Yorks) [6] Stephanie Brind (Kent) v [Q] Vicky Lankester (Suffolk) [3] Cassie Jackman (Norfolk) v Vicky Botwright (Lancs) [7] Suzanne Horner (Yorks) v Madeline Perry (Ireland) [2] Tania Bailey (Lincs) v [Q] Dominique Lloyd-Walter (Middx) Official website: www.nationalsquashchamps.co.uk - ENDS - Issued by British National Championships Press Officer Howard Harding Tel: 0161-220 9048; Mobile: 07773-325130 11 February 2003 DSG 273