Defending champions Surrey Health & Racquets continued where they left off last season with a confident win over Team Chichester in the opening round of the new season of the Premier Squash League (PSL), the world's most prestigious squash league.
Led by Italian number one Davide Bianchetti, and including England's former world number one and world champion Peter Nicol, the Croydon team – the only squad not including new team members since last season - enjoyed a 4/1 home win over southern rivals Chichester.
The win puts Surrey Health & Racquets at the top of the Group B table – two points ahead of Exeter Diamonds, the Devon club for whom club newcomer Laurens Jan Anjema, the Dutch number one, clinched a valuable five-game victory over the home team's Mohamed El Shorbagy, the world No12 from Egypt who is studying at the University of the West of England. The triumph gave Exeter a 3/2 win over UWE Bristol.
The other tie in the group also ended in a 3/2 away win when Surrey star Tom Richards beat New Zealander Kashif Shuja as TWP St George's Hill celebrated a valuable opening win over PSL newcomers IGT Winchester.
But the most decisive result came in Group A where former champions Benz-Bavarian Duffield crushed East Midlands rivals MB Nottingham 5/0.
The win puts the Derbyshire club firmly at the top of the Group A table – but three points behind are CLFS Esporta Oxford, who defeated Yorkshire club Pontefract 4/1.
RESULTS: 1st round
Group A:
CLFS Esporta Oxford 4 Pontefract 1
Borja Golan bt Simon Parke 6-11, 11-6, 12-10, 6-11, 11-9
Chris Ryder bt Lee Beachill 12-10, 11-4, 11-5
Scott Handley bt Sam Wileman 11-6, 11-5, 11-2
Ben Coleman bt George Wileman 11-6, 11-4, 11-3
Katherine Quarterman lost to Kirsty McPhee 5-11, 5-11, 2-11
Benz-Bavarian Duffield 5 MB Nottingham 0
Stephen Coppinger bt Lewis Walters 11-3, 12-10, 11-8
Andrew Whipp bt Mark Fuller 11-9, 11-2, 11-4
Matthew Karwalski bt Declan James 11-9, 11-9, 12-10
Paul Hargrave bt Ollie Holland 6-11, 11-4, 11-9, 11-5
Laura Hill bt Emily Whitlock 19-17, 12-10, 13-11
Group B:
Surrey Health & Racquets 4 Team Chichester 1
Davide Bianchetti bt Robbie Temple 11-6, 6-11, 11-8, 11-8
Peter Nicol bt Max Lee 11-6, 11-9, 12-10
Adrian Waller bt Tim Vail 11-7, 9-11, 11-6, 11-6
Ben Ford lost to Leo Au 11-7, 5-11, 4-11, 11-8, 8-11
Camille Serme bt Lauren Briggs 11-8, 11-5, 11-7
UWE Bristol 2 Exeter Diamonds 3
Mohamed El Shorbagy lost to Laurens Jan Anjema 9-11, 11-7, 7-11, 11-4, 4-11 (56m)
Mathieu Castagnet bt Jonathan Harford 10-12, 11-4, 11-5, 11-9 (58m)
David Evans bt James Snell 6-11, 11-6, 11-8, 13-15, 11-5 (71m)
Jethro Binns lost to Peter Creed 11-8, 14-16, 8-11, 11-5, 8-11 (77m)
Sarah-Jane Perry lost to Emma Chorley 7-11, 11-9, 5-11, 11-6, 5-11 (51m)
IGT Winchester 2 TWP St George's Hill 3
Kashif Shuja lost to Tom Richards 6-11, 11-4, 7-11, 5-11 (36m)
Marwan El Shorbagy bt Nicolas Mueller 7-11, 11-7, 5-11, 11-7, 11-8 (54m)
Stacey Ross lost to Joe Lee 4-11, 4-11, 4-11 (23m)
Mark Cairns bt Stephen Meads 11-4, 11-4, 11-6 (49m)
Lauren Selby lost to Rachel Willmott 14-12, 8-11, 7-11, 6-11 (55m)
PSL TABLES (after 1st round)
(best viewed in ‘Courier New’ font)
Ties Matches Games Pts
P W L W L W L
Group A:
Benz-Bavarian Duffield 1 1 0 5 0 15 1 20
Esporta Oxford 1 1 0 4 1 12 5 17
Pontefract 1 0 1 1 4 5 12 5
MB Nottingham 1 0 1 0 5 1 15 1
Group B:
Surrey Health & Racquets 1 1 0 4 1 14 5 19
Exeter Diamonds 1 1 0 3 2 12 12 17
TWP St George's Hill 1 1 0 3 2 11 8 16
Bristol 1 0 1 2 3 12 12 12
IGT Winchester 1 0 1 2 3 8 11 8
Chichester 1 0 1 1 4 5 14 5
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