Blown, Fantastic Warriors promise exciting final for KPMG Squash league this Friday
KINGSTON, Jamaica— Blown and Fantastic Warriors defeated Saints and Racketeers by two to one margins to book their spots in the final of the KPMG Squash League against each other on Friday at the Liguanea Club in New Kingston.
The final is scheduled to start at 6:00 pm on the main court, and will bring the 24th KPMG Squash League to a close, a release on Thursday said.
It added that the first semi-final match between Blown vs Saints ended in less time than the Fantastic Warriors vs Racketeers match, but it was still a nail- biter for the eventual winner.
Saints’ Jerry Bell defeated Fraser McConnell in straight sets with scores of 21/17, 21/19 and 21/13 but that was the only match they won. Jake Mahfood levelled the scores when he got the better of Leigh Dwyer also in straight sets after posting scores of 21/18, 21/15 and 21/16. Andrew Bicknell showed his fitness when he finished off Mario O’Connor with scores of 21/13, 21/13 and 21/16.
Blown team (from left): Fraser McConnell, Andrew Bicknell, Jake Mahfood
The second semi-final between Fantastic Warriors and Racketeers, went on for about an hour longer than the first one as the teams gave their all on the court. There were long rallies which tested the fitness of all the players in the box.
Racketeers’ Adam Lee defeated Andre Sewell 21/14, 23/22, 21/19. Next up was Fantastic Warriors’ Nabeel Jawad who got the better of Mia Lake in four sets as Lake pushed for the win while winning one of the four sets after posting scores of 21/17, 19/21, 19/14, 21/15. That evened the match and left it to Stewart Maxwell and Nicholas Benjamin to determine the second finalist. Fantastic Warriors’ Maxwell kept his cool with the help of tai chi exercises to eventually defeat Benjamin in straight sets with scores of 21/14, 21/18, 21/16.
A new winner will be crowned this year as last year’s champion AGI (Advantage General Insurance) was plagued by a number of issues and did not make it out of the first round, the release disclosed.
“The league began with 16 teams in early March and featured 64 players from beginners to national champions. The players were all given handicaps based on their skill level in order to even the playing field and give everyone a chance to do well. The competition was made challenging by having the games go to 21 instead of the normal 11,” it concluded.
