Nuffield St Albans took another step closer to winning the Herts Squash League Division One Championship for the first time in over 20 years after an emphatic 5-0 win against the current holders Potters Bar.

Their opponents had inflicted the St Albans team’s first defeat of this season in October so the Nuffield players were determined to make amends in the home fixture.

Nuffield were almost at full strength with only Will John missing due to having just returned from playing two tournaments in Canada.

St Albans were so dominant that Potters Bar actually only managed to win one game out of all five matches, Paddy Harrison managing to take the second game against Nuffield’s Frenchman, Arthur Moineau. He bounced back well to take the third game as he edged home 11-8, 13-15, 11-2, 11-7. Jack Fowler beat Paul Adams 11-7, 11-7, 11-4 while Jesper Skarman overcame Nick Lomax 11-2, 11-9, 11-5.

The win puts Nuffield back on top of the table with just three matches to play before the end of the season.

Nuffield’s next two matches are likely to decide where the championship will end up.

They travel to Berkhamsted for their next match on Tuesday, February 18 which will be an emotional experience for both teams as it represents the first anniversary of 18-year-old Harry Faulkner collapsing and dying whilst playing for Berkhamsted in the corresponding fixture last year.

It will be a memorial match as a tribute to Harry and will raise further funds for the Harry Faulkner Fund to be donated to CRY – Cardiac Risk to the Young. The fund has so far raised £100,000 in the year since Harry died.

Following the Berkhamsted match, Nuffield will travel to Broxbourne on February 27 which could prove to be the title decider.

Broxbourne inflicted the only other defeat of Nuffield’s season so far in the match at St Albans in the first half of the season and could spoil Nuffield’s aspirations of winning the title this year if they do the same again on their home ground.