Karen Anderson, president of the Jamaica Squash Association (JSA), anticipates surprises at the 2024 KPMG Squash League, set to commence this evening at the Liguanea Club. The league is scheduled to run until April 19.
“We can expect exciting matches. We see some really strong teams that have registered for the event, and I think we will see an upset or two, so we are extremely excited to see how the matches will play out over the two months of the event,” said Anderson.
The league will operate on a handicap system, levelling the playing field to ensure equal opportunities for all participants. Teams will engage in round-robin matches in the first phase, with four teams per group. The top two teams will advance to the quarterfinals, with subsequent matches played on a knockout basis. The remaining two teams in each group will compete in a plate final or final for the losing teams.
Anderson also announced the association’s adoption of software to fully manage the league for the first time. “The association will be running it using the software that we have, the sportyhq software which will help us to be a bit more efficient in getting our results out and in the efficiency of the play cause now people can follow live. We are trying to be innovative in bringing new and different to a league that has been running for 24 years.”
Furthermore, Anderson welcomed WATA as a new sponsor, providing hydration support throughout the league. She expressed gratitude for the title sponsor, KPMG, contribution of $550,000, which covers the cost of staging matches, alleviating the financial burden on participating teams.
Rajan Trehan, the country managing partner of title sponsor KPMG, praised the league’s significant contribution to the development of young squash players in Jamaica. “Over the period (of our sponsorship) it has developed into a very strong league and it’s one of the major events on the JSA calendar. We are proud because we believe in the development of youth as well as sports and we have adopted squash as one of the sports to make sure that we contribute to the development of squash in particular.”
He affirmed KPMG’s long-term commitment to supporting the league.
Sanjana Nallapati, one of Jamaica’s top young players, endorsed the league, noting its positive impact on her game. “It (her game) was better because we had a bunch of matches. Games are usually up to 11 but these were up to 21. Even though it was the best of three, it tested our fitness quite a bit and the squash improved quite a bit by the end of it.”
Dave Morrison of defending champion Advantage General Insurance (AGI) expressed optimism about the league’s prospects. “Last year was satisfying. We have never always done well because the nature of the tournament kind of ensures that regardless of the quality of players you have, it’s all eliminated or equalized because of the handicap structure. But last year we came out with a certain level of determination and yes, I had to one or two times, I had to save the team, but I will remind them that that’s what I did but yes we had a very, very exciting tournament last year. I enjoyed it.”
