Patrick Rooney jets back from US to help Pontefract Squash Club to victory

World no.20 Patrick Rooney returned from the US Open in Philadelphia to play a part in Pontefract’s 16-6 victory over Hallamshire.

This fixture was hastily relocated to Pontefract after a fire at Hallamshire rendered their courts out of action. George Wileman and Ben Hetherington enjoyed unexpected home advantage with wins for Ponte, but Ollie Turner and Adam Turner achieved parity for the Sheffield team by recording four-game wins.

Rooney, straight off the plane after his defeat to Egypt’s Marwan ElShorbagy at the US Open, showed no sign of jetlag in defeating three-time world champion Nick Matthew 3-0 in the top-string finale.

Four star Pontefract Collieries back to winning ways at Cleethorpes

On the adjacent courts at the West Yorkshire squash venue, Pontefract 2 were also victorious in another close affair, beating Dunnington 16-8.

The second and third strings went on first, with Dunnington newcomer Seif Heikal beating Ponte club champion Adam Taylor in four and Tom Bamford responding with a marathon five-set win over South African Luke McFarland, which finished 13/11 in the fifth.

Ponte captain Matt Godson outclassed Ed Shannon, but the match was level again once Ben Cross had come from a game down to beat Billy Hawes at fifth string.

It all came down to the top-string clash between world no.81 Abhay Singh, who was in the India team at the Commonwealth Games last summer, and Dunnington’s Michael Andrews. Singh won it in straight games and the five bonus points were Ponte’s.