Play-off dream alive and well for Chichester squash aces

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Chichester march on at the top of their Premier Squash League group after victory over nearest challengers Bexley in their penultimate home fixture.

Chi had won 3-2 at Bexley earlier in the campaign and went into this return fixture defending a three-point lead over their visitors.

Chichester were without their top two players and first on the glass-back court, Chichester’s Miles Jenkins (world 256) played Rui Soares of Portugal (137).

Soares’ steady game flowed and he took the first 11-4. Jenkins took charge of the second and forged a 6-1 lead.

He took the ball earlier and attacked the front wall well to reach game ball at 10-7. But Jenkins faltered to allow Soares to come back to take the game 12-10.

Once again, in the third, Jenkins took a 6-1 lead – but this time he ran out an 11-4 winner.

In the fourth Soares got off to a better start and Jenkins was always playing catch-up and he couldn’t close the gap as Soares won 11-6 to take the match.

Chichester’s Nele Gilis (world 35) played British under-17 open runner-up Elise Lazarus. Gilis started slowly and Lazarus took full advantage, using her front court game to great effect to win the first game 11-8.