25/05/2005
Wolverhampton Secure Sensational League Triumph
Final roundup from Howard Harding ...
Nottingham Squash Club, Nottingham
Wolverhampton 3
Manchester/Pontefract 2
Anthony Ricketts beat Lee Beachill 9-2, 9-3, 9-1
(26m)
Alex Gough lost to James Willstrop 3-9, 7-9, 6-9
(33m)
Scott Handley beat Marcus Berrett 10-8, 5-9, 13-11,
10-12, 9-5 (61m)
Mark Cairns lost to Nick Taylor 9-3, 8-10, 9-5, 7-9,
4-9 (68m)
Shelley Kitchen beat Jenny Duncalf 10-8, 9-2, 10-8
(50m)
Wolverhampton Secure
Sensational League Triumph
Wolverhampton, beaten twice by the trans-Pennine cooperative earlier in
the season, pulled off a sensational 3/2 victory over defending
champions Manchester/Pontefract in tonight's final of the National
Squash League at Nottingham Squash Club to win the title in their first
appearance in the final.
Wolverhampton fans were relishing the prospect of a 2/0 lead after the
opening two matches when Shelley Kitchen upset the form book to beat
Jenny Duncalf, and Mark Cairns took an unexpected 2/1 lead over the
Manchester/Pontefract No4 Nick Taylor.
Kitchen, the world No13 from New Zealand, recorded her last win over
England international Duncalf in the British Open in October 2003 -
since when losing on four occasions, the most recent being in the
teams' third round National League clash last November. The
25-year-old Aucklander was in fine form, however, despatching
Yorkshire's world No9 Duncalf 10-8 9-2 10-8 in 50 minutes.
"We always have good battles, but I've been working hard on my game
over the past few months with my coach Mike Johnson in Caversham (near
Reading) and have made a number of improvements," said a delighted
Kitchen afterwards.
Manchester/Pontefract soon levelled the tie when team stalwart Nick
Taylor overcame his 1/2 deficit in games, and a 5-3 lead by Cairns in
the fourth, to beat the former British National champion from
Oxfordshire 3-9 10-8 5-9 9-7 9-4 in 68 minutes.
Taylor, the former world No14 from Manchester, boasts an unbeaten
record against fellow retired pro Cairns this season - and admitted
later that this was playing on his mind midway through the match:
"Mark is so consistent - it takes a long time to break him down,"
explained Taylor, now coach at the National Squash Centre in
Manchester. "I wasn't playing particularly well tonight, and he
played really well to take the third game.
"I came out for the fourth saying to myself 'this is pretty much the
last game of the year, so just dig in'. And after winning the
fourth, it was pure adrenaline which took me through the fifth -
spurred on by the great crowd support."
Cairns is enjoying a successful squash career in 'retirement' -
managing Winchester Squash Club and competing regularly on the British
league circuit. "I got home last night after a match at 2.00am,
then did a full day's work today in Winchester before travelling up
here. It's not the sort of preparation that the pro's do - it
really takes the edge off your game."
The third string battle between Pontefract's 21-year-old world No8
James Willstrop and Wolverhampton's Alex Gough, a former world No5 now
ranked outside the top twenty, proved to be the 'banker' that
Manchester/Pontefract fans had hoped. Willstrop powered through
to a 9-3 9-7 9-6 victory in 33 minutes to put the initiative back into
the defending champions' hands.
"We're all suffering a bit really, as it's the end of the season, but I
put in a decent performance in what felt like a 'must win' match," said
Willstrop, recently voted the 'Young Male Player of the Year' in the
World Squash Awards.
As the final two matches took to the courts, Manchester/Pontefract fans
must have felt confident of their anticipated victory: Team No1
Lee Beachill, the world No2 from Pontefract, had twice beaten his
Wolverhampton counterpart Anthony Ricketts in previous National League
encounters, and third string Marcus Berrett was following three
successive British league wins over his opponent Scott Handley.
But history was not to be repeated as Oxfordshire-based Handley ground
down Berrett 10-8 5-9 13-11 10-12 9-5 in a 61-minute marathon and
in-form Ricketts brushed aside a tired Beachill 9-2 9-3 9-1 in just 26
minutes - remarkably, the two matches finishing almost simultaneously
to give underdogs Wolverhampton a 3/2 win which few would have
predicted!
"To say we are very pleased would be a massive understatement," said
Wolverhampton team manager Stephen Russell, almost looking as if he had
won the Lottery! "It's been a remarkable team effort, not just
tonight but throughout the season. Whilst I am extremely proud of
the players, I am also delighted for the club, winning this prestigious
title in only our fourth season in the League."
Wolverhampton Secure Sensational League Triumph
Wolverhampton shock defending champions
The Crystal Ball predicts a 3-2
CONSISTENCY KEY FOR FINALISTS' SUCCESS
Wolverhampton Clinch National League Final Debut
ROBBED WITH THE FINISHING LINE IN SIGHT
Champions Manchester/Pontefract Back In Final