 A
Yorkshire double is predicted in next month's British National
Squash Championships in Manchester where Nick Matthew,
the world No2 from Sheffield, and Jenny Duncalf, the
world No3 from Harrogate, are named as top seeds.
The country's premier domestic squash event will take place in
Manchester for the 14th successive year, staged at the National
Squash Centre in Sportcity from 9-14 February.
Success would make Matthew and Duncalf the first pair of
champions in the 36-year history of the championships to retain
their titles simultaneously.
Unbeaten in the men's event since 2005, Nick Matthew is expected
to face England team-mate Peter Barker in the final. The
left-hander from London is now the second highest-ranked
Englishman in the world list, after leapfrogging two times
champion James Willstrop to take over the world No6
ranking.
 Willstrop,
now the world No7, is the third seed - and will be hoping to be
in the opposite half of the draw from Yorkshire rival Matthew.
The pair last met in Manchester in the British Open final last
September - an acrimonious clash which threatened to upset
England team morale in the World Team Championships which
followed shortly afterwards.
Thankfully, the two Yorkshiremen appear to have set aside their
differences - to concentrate on what matters most, their squash.
Jenny Duncalf's main threat in the women's event also appears to
come from London, the home of second seed Alison Waters,
the world No6. The pair have shared the titles for the past
three years - and met in the final in 2007 and 2009, with
Duncalf successful in both.
Waters has already kicked off the New Year in fine style,
winning the Greenwich Open in the USA without dropping a game. |
The top
eight seeds
in both events are:
Men:
Player profiles
1 Nick Matthew (Yorkshire)
2 Peter Barker (Essex)
3 James Willstrop (Yorkshire)
4 Adrian Grant (Kent)
5 Alister Walker (Gloucs)
6 Daryl Selby (Essex)
7 Jonathan Kemp (Shropshire)
8 Joey Barrington (Somerset)
Women:
Player profiles
1 Jenny Duncalf (Yorkshire)
2 Alison Waters (Middlesex)
3 Madeline Perry (N.Ireland)
4 Laura Massaro (Lancashire)
5 Tania Bailey (Lincolnshire)
6 Dominique Lloyd-Walter (Mdx)
7 Lauren Briggs (Essex)
8 Sarah Kippax (Cheshire)
The 2010 Nationals will also include a comprehensive programme
of Masters events from Over-35 to Over-70 championships. The
main events will be staged entirely at the National Squash
Centre – with action from the quarter-finals onwards on the
all-glass court in the major arena surrounded by seating for
more than 1,000 spectators.
TICKETS & SCHEDULE
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