Virtual PSL
Phase THREE : WarKens edge the final
The Virtual PSL title goes to Warwick/Kenilworth after 3-2 win over Nottingham in the final.
WarKens went two nil up thanks to contrasting wins by Julianne Courtice and Sarah-Jane Perry. Nick Matthew and Karim Abdel Gawad levelled for Nottingham but it was Iker Pajares who sealed the title for WarKens.
The final took place at a neutral venue, but when asked for their ideal location for the prestigious match the largest votes went to the Pyramids, the National Squash Centre and Warwick University, with the most innovative suggestions including Horse Guards Parade, Wembley, Lake Bled (Slovenia) and ‘my back garden’.
Phase TWO : Divisional winners triumph in the semis
Four clubs are aiming to become Virtual PSL Champions, and it was the two divisional winners who prevailed in the semi-finals. Warwick/Kenilworth reached their first PSL final with a solid 5-0 win over Pontefract, while University of Nottingham reached the final thanks to a narrow 3-2 win over St George’s.
Phase One : finish the league fixtures
The votes are in for the final two rounds, with the results as follows :
Round NINE : Ponte up the ante as St George’s start playoff run
N: Alba Storm 3-2 Birmingham Lions (11-6), Newcastle 1-4 Pontefract (4-12)
S: St George’s 3-2 Warkens (10-7), Coolhurst 3-2 Welsh Wizards (10-5)
Round TEN : Ponte can’t deny Nottingham top spot as Wizards stun RAC
N: Pontefract 3-2 Nottingham (10-7), Newcastle 2-3 Alba Storm (5-9)
S: Welsh Wizards 3-2 RAC (9-7), Coolhurst 2-3 St George’s (5-10)
Which gives up the Virtual Tables :
So, despite narrow defeats in their final matches, leaders Nottingham and WarKens held on to claim top spots and home semi-finals, while two wins each for Pontefract and St George’s gave them second spots and semi-final places.
Virtual Semi-Finals : Nottingham v St George’s and Warkens v Pontefract
Preview
There has been a varied approach to the problems created for sporting competitions by the Coronavirus Pandemic, with some being postponed, resumed under strict conditions, concluded on some form of calculation, while others have simply been annulled – think Football in the UK.
The Karakal Premier Squash League was one of those in the final category – the season was declared null and void once it became clear that completing the fixtures wasn’t going to happen in any sort of viable timescale.
Tantalisingly close to a conclusion then, but so far. If for no other reason than curiosity and for a bit of fun, why don’t we play it out virtually to see what might have happened …
