England Squash beat Rest of the World in mixed team thriller

It was less a "fix" and more a mix up as the Ab Initio Squash Championship ended in a riveting, if bizarre win for England over the Rest of the World on Friday night.

Yet the final salvos of this test match only served to highlight the general excitement after England clawed over the line after over four hours of squash.

This was a night where points, not matches, mattered. England won 122-121, a run chase of an evening which hinted that there is a place for more mixed team squash in the sport.

Needing seven points in the fourth match and final game of the night, Mohamed Elshorbagy could only find six of them as Nick Matthew crossed the line to take it 11-6.

But confusion reigned as the game was halted with Rest of the World briefly granted the win. 

With points being earned for both games and matches won, coupled with the tight finish and a first run-out of the format, organisers had hoped for an exciting denouement. 

Perhaps not like this - it took organisers a few moments following Matthew's winner to confirm England's win - but few were complaining given that the sport was being showcased on the BBC Sport website and on virtual reality on YouTube.

"Tonight was about putting on a show," said Matthew. "That's the type of drama you want. Mohamed and I have had too many battles down the years to fix that. It was unbelievably dramatic.

"It was the perfect tune up for the World Team Championships and we're proud that we're champions."

Matthew, along with James Willstrop and Daryl Selby, depart on Saturday morning for the Championships in Marseille, with the trio all being handed a severe test.

Earlier, Selby beat Australia's Cameron Pilley while Willstrop lost out to New Zealand's Paul Coll. Meanwhile Laura Massaro continued her preparations for next month's World Championships with a win over Hollie Naughton, of Canada.