Jubilant Jansz lands first big squash title at Chichester

The squash season opener at Chichester Racquets & Fitness Club, the Russell Hillsdon Club handicap, took place over a three-week period.
Mat Worden and Greg JanszMat Worden and Greg Jansz
Mat Worden and Greg Jansz

In the plate event, for first-match losers, Katica Robertson (handicap 0) played Jonathan Greyling (-4), which meant Greyling had to win four points before he could start scoring and it was the first player to reach 15 to the best of five games.

In a tight first game, Robertson had several game balls before Greyling fought back and took the game. Robertson was not to be denied and she focused hard to take the next three games to run out 3-1 winner of the plate.

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In the main event Greg Jansz, who had the highest handicap (-38) in the tournament, played Mat Worden (0). Jansz took a tight first game before Worden replied to level the match.

In the third, Worden forged a 14-6 game ball lead and looked set to go 2-1 ahead. Jansz had other ideas and played complete error-free squash to win the game 15-14.

This proved to be a pivotal point in the match. An exhausted Worden surrendered the fourth and Jansz won his first Russell Hillsdon title in one hour, 20 minutes of gruelling squash. Jansz now holds three club titles.

The next event at the club is the vets’ racketball championships for players over 45.

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Title goes to Infinity - not beyondWomen's open champ gives golf advice at Goodwood* Bognor’s second team had their third defeat in a row when they visited West Worthing II, but it proved a close contest with the home team edging a 3-2 win.

Bognor fielded three talented juniors with the first, Calum Porter at No5, playing Luke Wells, who was quickly a game up. Porter

recovered well and took the home player close in the next two without getting the crucial breakthrough and Wells won 15-1, 15-13, 15-12.

No4 for Bognor was another junior, Ethan Randell, playing his first match of the season. He put up a great performance against Sy Phillips, taking a 2-0 lead in two long games before the home No4 came back to take the next three and win 17-19, 11-15, 15-7, 15-10, 15-8.

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Worthing’s lead was reduced when Bognor No3 George Porter kept up his unbeaten start to the season, taking on Clare Young. He dropped the first game but showed increasing confidence to level and he took it 13-15, 15-11, 15-3, 15-10.

Bognor’s first senior player of the evening was Jon Corke at second string and he was quickly into his stride with a 2-0 lead against Greg Sawyer.

The home player persevered and was rewarded with the third game but Corke proved too strong, taking the fourth to win 15-7, 15-13, 12-15, 15-11 and level the contest.

The top-string match was an exhausting affair with Bognor’s Glen Peskett up against Aaran Morriss. The home No1 took the first two close games before Peskett pulled back the third but could not quite maintain momentum and Morriss was able to dominate the fourth, winning 15-13, 19-17, 15-17, 15-8 to give Worthing overall victory taking 16 points to Bognor’s nine.