Travoltas shuttle past Milex Eagles to claim crown

Surprise finalists The Travoltas pulled off an epic upset, beating last year's runners-up, The Milex Eagles, 3-0 to win the 10th annual KPMG Squash League on Friday night at the Liguanea Club in New Kingston.

The team, which includes reigning All-Jamaica men's champion, Wayne Burrowes, had a rocky road to the final when they suffered an early round defeat at the hands of the UTech Spartans. They scraped into the quarter-finals where they stunned the defending champions, the Millsborians and never looked back.

The final started on a dramatic note when The Milex Eagles' Jamie Douglas pulled a groin muscle, which forced him to retire hurt in the middle of the second set of his match against Warren Burrowes.

Burrowes then earned commendations from fellow players for agreeing to allow substitute player, Stephen Steele, to finish the match. Burrowes went on to beat Steele 23/20, 21/14, 21/17.

Next matchup

The next matchup pitched Joey Levy of The Travoltas against the stylish and spirited Kyle Chin. After a display of on-court showmanship and numerous exciting rallies, Levy won 11/21, 23/20, 23/21, 21/12 to seal the championship for the Travoltas.

The final match, although academic in the face of The Travoltas' 2-0 lead, proved to be one of the most thrilling of the tournament. Veteran players Karen Anderson of The Milex Eagles and Wayne Burrowes of The Travoltas played an epic five-setter. Anderson and Burrowes, both many-time All-Jamaica champions battled to the very last point, with Burrowes pulling out all the stops to win 22/23, 12/21, 21/18, 21/14, 21/20.

"We didn't have the best start in this tournament, but our team is made up of seasoned players with numerous championships and decades of experience and that's what we drew on to pull off the big wins when we needed it and ultimately to win the entire league," said Levy.

"This title is significant for all of us because we've been knocked out in the quarter-finals for the last few years and even this year we had some rough matches and problems with injuries, but in the end we managed to play some of our best matches when it mattered the most," he added.

Most Improved Player

Nathlee Boreland of The UTech Spartans, who finished third, won the Most Improved Player Award. Boreland, who had splendid runs throughout the two-month tournament, was undefeated up to the semi-finals, when her team lost to The Milex Eagles.

The KPMG Squash League brought together 80 of the country's top squash players, who competed for the championship title in teams of four. The competition's unique handicap format served to create a level playing field between lower ranked players and top performers, giving practically every team a realistic chance to take the title.

"We are very pleased to continue to support squash and be associated with this league, which gives athletes of varying ranks and abilities the chance to compete for a national title and gain the kind of competitive exposure which will help them to develop as players," said Judith Allen, manager, propo-sals & marketing at KPMG.

"It's good to see younger players and new teams coming into the sport and KPMG is pleased to support a league that is not only highly competitive, but also great fun," she added.