Twelve months ago, Leamington Royals marked their national league debut with a thrilling title win over the Chichester Centurions in the deciding rubber of the Optasia Squash Super League Grand Final.
A year later, the team returns in search of back-to-back successes – this time against table toppers St George’s Hill Knights.
Ahead of the Grand Final – which will be available to watch for FREE on SQUASHTV from 7pm on Thursday, 25th June – we spoke to Leamington Royals head coach Jason Pike to hear his thoughts on his team’s chances of making it successive Squash Super League titles.
What are your emotions heading into finals night?
“We’re very excited about the finals night.
“We had such a fantastic time last year, so I’m hoping for another great evening down at St George’s this week, and we’ll be doing everything we can to retain the title. It should be a great atmosphere.”
You’ve managed to keep most of the same core as last year’s team. How key has that been to building not just the bonds within the team but also with your local fans?
“When creating the team, we set out with the aim of using players we thought had a good shot at competing at the 2028 Olympic Games.
“We thought it would be good to support young talent and give our members the opportunity to witness the current and future stars on home soil. The players have never let us down, always give 100%, and have built a great rapport with our club members over the past two seasons. Three of the five who played last year’s final are in the finals team again this year, so hopefully that experience will help them perform well again.”
What were the emotions watching on as the last teams battled it out on the final match day of the season, with your place not yet confirmed in the final?
“I think most of our supporters were resigned to the fact we’d missed out on the final this year, having lost our final group match to a very strong Bristol team, but when results went our way on the final gameweek, it was an anxious wait to have confirmation of our place in the final.
“We saw the news on socials around midnight and were all absolutely buzzing.”
Could you give us a breakdown of your team heading into finals night?
“We are excited with our team for this year’s final.
“It’s not been easy, as most players use this time of year to take breaks from training and competition to put their feet up, but we’ve still managed to get great strength out and are delighted that three of last year’s finals team are able to play again this year.
“We will be led by club hero Owain Taylor, who is making his 100th appearance for Leamington in all competitions. He will be looking for revenge over Miles Jenkins, who beat him at St George’s last season.
“Dec James is our male pro – he’s actually played all the matches for us this season and produced an absolutely epic performance in last year’s final to beat Curtis Malik. Who can forget that strut off the court after winning the 2nd game from match ball down to level the tie before going on to win the decider!?
“Let’s hope we get more of that excitement again this year when he takes on World No.7, Joel Makin.”
The Grand Final between Leamington Royals and St George’s Hill Knights gets underway from 7pm on Thursday, 25th June. All the action will be available to watch LIVE and for FREE on SQUASHTV. Full replays will also be available on the England Squash YouTube Channel.
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