Playoffs approach with all to play for

With just three rounds of league matches left to play, the race to reach the Premier Squash League semi-finals remains too close to call, with all ten teams still in with a chance of reaching the end of season playoffs.

In Division A just 14 points separate the five teams. Nottingham are currently top on 73, but second-placed Bristol on 69 have a game in hand, Leicester and Birmingham are well in touch on 69 and 63 points, and while Pontefract are currently bottom on 59, they too have an extra game to play.

Division B leaders Chichester are on 86 points with PSL newcomers Bexley in second place on 74, both having played six of their eight matches, Chichester boasting a 5-1 record against Bexley’s 3-3 tally.

Defending champions Surrey are 10 points adrift of the top two on 64 but with a game in hand, while St George’s and Coolhurst on 58 and 50 will need strong finishes if they are to make the playoffs.

Round Eight takes place on 14th March, and with 20 points available for a 5-0 win all four matches could produce dramatic changes in the tables.

The final two rounds are on 28th March and 4th April, and if recent seasons are any indication, we won’t know the semi-final lineups until the final balls have been struck in the last ties of the final round.

The original plan for the end of the season was to hold the semis and final over a weekend for the first time, but problems with venue availability and clashes with other tournaments mean that will have to wait until next season, when dates will be set well in advance.

The semi-finals will take place on Tuesday 9th May, with the winners of each division at home against the runners-up from the other side, and the final will be on Tuesday 30th May at the National Squash Centre in Manchester.

Matches begin at 7pm and tickets are available from the host clubs. An announcement on tickets for the final will be made shortly.