RESULTS:    Mamut English Open Squash Championship, Sheffield

Quarter-finals:
[1] James Willstrop (ENG) bt [7] Renan Lavigne (FRA)     11-6, 11-5, 9-11, 11-8 (44m)
[4] Peter Barker (ENG) bt [Q] Chris Ryder (ENG)     11-5, 11-3, 11-1 (27m)
[3] John White (SCO) bt [6] Shahier Razik (CAN)     11-2, 11-8, 10-11 (2-4), 11-9 (43m)
[2] Nick Matthew (ENG) bt Jonathan Kemp (ENG)     11-9, 11-7, 11-4 (34m)

Less than a week after playing alongside each other to win the Men's World Team Squash Championship title for England in India, James Willstrop and Peter Barker will face each other in Monday's semi-finals of the Mamut English Open after successfully overcoming their quarter-final opposition today (Sunday) at the English Institute of Sport in Sheffield.

The pair will be joined in the last four by the third member of the world title-winning England team.  Nick Matthew, the England No1, will face Scotland's John White in the other semi-final.

Fourth seed Barker, the 24-year-old from Essex who clinched the world title for England by winning the decider against Australia, took only 27 minutes to reserve his place in the last four of the 5-star PSA Tour event, beating English qualifier Chris Ryder 11-5, 11-3, 11-1.

"I played well in India and carried that forward to here," said the left-hander.  "But it's a monumental step up to play James tomorrow - I'll have to improve again.

"He's a quality opponent - but he's the sort of guy I've got to beat to get into the world top five."

Favourite Willstrop faced seventh seed Renan Lavigne - the Frenchman Barker beat as England despatched France in the world semi-finals.  The 24-year-old from Pontefract took four games to overcome the French No3 11-6, 11-5, 9-11, 11-8 in 44 minutes.

Willstrop and Barker have played each other countless times in the past - particularly during their junior careers when they met in the finals of the British, European and World Championships, with the Yorkshireman boasting a 100% success.

"Peter's firmly established in the world's top 16 now and has had some good results.  I'll need to play well to beat him - I'll have to be 100%," said Willstrop, who has only lost to his England team-mate once in 12 meetings over the past six years.

Local hero Nick Matthew, the 27-year-old world No5 from Sheffield who is the second seed, brushed aside unseeded Englishman Jonathan Kemp, beating the 26-year-old left-hander from Telford 11-9, 11-7, 11-4.

"I just about did enough today," said Matthew, runner-up two years ago.  "Jon can hit winners from anywhere, so I had to keep focussed.  I'm still feeling the effects of jet-lag, but I should be fine tomorrow."

Matthew will face third seed John White, the event's inaugural champion in 2003.  The US-based Scot was coasting to a straight games win over Canadian Shahier Razik when his movement became hampered by a back injury.

"It happened about half way through the third game - it seems I may have pinched a nerve in my lower back," said White later.  After dropping the third game, and taking a three-minute injury break at the beginning of the fourth, White came back to beat the sixth seed 11-2, 11-8, 10-11 (2-4), 11-9 in 43 minutes.

"I started to slow-ball it in the fourth game, and the problem eased up slightly," added a relieved White.

Semi-final line-up:
[1] James Willstrop (ENG) v [4] Peter Barker (ENG)
[2] Nick Matthew (ENG) v [3] John White (SCO)