28-Jan-05:
 Lee
and Linda top
seeds for Nationals
The seedings for the 2005 National
Championships, released today, reveal Lee Beachill and Linda
Elriani as top seeds for the championships to be held at Manchester's
sportcity from 06-13 February.
Beachill, the world number two who was champion in 2001 and 2002, will be
looking for a hat-trick of titles, while Elriani, runner-up in last year's
event, is seeking her first National crown.
The full draws will be released on Tue 1st Feb, but the seedings promise a
week of spectacular squash for fans in Manchester.
 In
the women's event Fiona Geaves, seeded five, is the only former
winner, with defending champion Cassie Jackman have retired due to injury.
All of the twelve players guaranteed places in the main draw are in the
current world top thirty.
The men's draw is similarly strong, featuring no less than 16 of the
world's top thirty.
Yorkshiremen dominate the top seedings, with Beachill followed by Peter
Nicol, James Willstrop and Nick Matthew, four of the
world's top seven, with defending champion John White at number
five.
More Masters
The masters events feature a record eight men's events, from Over-35 to
Over-70, and four women's categories.
Eight of the defending champions are top seeds for their events: Nick
Gatward (O45), David Lumdsen (O50), Phil Ayton (O550),
John Perrott (O60), John Woodliffe (O65), Fiona Geaves
(O35), Liz Brown (O45) and Faith Sinclair (O50).
A further two defending champions are seeded two - Cumbria's Gary
Thwaite in the Men's O35, behind Ireland's Derek Ryan making
his first masters appearance, and Kent's O40 champion Colin Payne
who is seeded behind Jonathan Clark.
Steve Cubbins
©2005 SquashSite
|
Men's Seedings:
[1] Lee Beachill (Yorkshire)
[2] Peter Nicol (Yorkshire)
[3] James Willstrop (Yorkshire)
[4] Nick Matthew (Yorkshire)
[5] John White (Scotland)
[6] Adrian Grant (Kent)
[7] Simon Parke (Yorkshire)
[8] Alex Gough (Wales)
[9] Mark Chaloner (Lincolnshire)
[10] Nick Taylor (Lancashire)
[11] Marcus Berrett (Yorkshire)
[12] Bradley Ball (Suffolk)
[13] Stephen Meads (Berkshire)
[14] Peter Genever (Sussex)
[15] Peter Barker (Essex)
[16] Joey Barrington (Somerset)
Jonathon Kemp (Shropshire)
Ben Garner (Surrey)
Phil Barker (Essex)
Alister Walker (Gloucestershire)
Stacey Ross (Surrey)
Alex Stait (Gloucestershire)
Scott Handley (Oxfordshire)
Hadrian Stiff (Devon)
Women's Seedings:
[1] Linda Elriani (Sussex)
[2] Rebecca Macree (Essex)
[3] Jenny Tranfield (Yorkshire)
[4] Vicky Botwright (Lancashire)
[5] Fiona Geaves (Gloucestershire)
[6] Jenny Duncalf (Yorkshire)
[7] Madeline Perry (Ireland)
[8] Tania Bailey (Lincolnshire)
Steph Brind (Kent)
Laura Lengthorn (Lancashire)
Alison Waters (Middlesex)
Dominique Lloyd-Walter (Middlesex)
|
