LEAMINGTON Royals host St George’s Hill Knights in their final pool stage game of the inaugural Optasia Squash Super League (SSL) tonight.
The Royals are the only side yet to lose in the SSL with four wins and one draw from five matches.
That includes a 3-1 win in the reverse fixture against St George’s Hill Knights back in February.
Leamington sit second in the table behind leaders Chichester Centurions and also have their destiny in their own hands.
Only the top two teams will advance to the final in Winchester next month.
The Royals know they only need to win one of the four games in tomorrow’s fixture to clinch a place in the final.
However, a whitewash defeat would allow the third-placed Knights to swoop in.
French number one Victor Crouin will lead the Royals charge for the third time this season.
Reigning European champion Crouin takes on Welsh number one and world number five Joel Makin looking to preserve his unbeaten record in the SSL.
The women’s professional match sees Leamington’s Japanese number one Satomi Watanabe play England’s number two Jazz Hutton.
Watanabe finished as runner-up at the Palm Hills Open in Cairo earlier this week while Hutton won the deciding game for England at the European Team Championships in Poland recently.
The under-25 game is an all-female clash as Saran Nghiem makes her Royals debut against Asia Harris.
Nghiem became CSA Individual National champion last year while Harris is the 2023 European Junior champion.
The team captains and club heroes will also play the first match of the fixture with 16-year-old Sam Cross to take to the court for the Royals against fellow teenager Indie Flint.
Royals team manager and head coach, Jason Pike, said: “We’re really looking forward to our final group fixture against the Knights.
“Both teams are stacked with quality.
“Tickets sold out in less than 10 minutes and the crowd are sure to be in for a great night of entertainment.
“We want to remain unbeaten and so qualify for the final, but the main [and first] aim is to ensure we get to the final by winning one of the matches.
“However, every game is too close to call, so any result is possible.
“Hopefully, we can get the job done early and relax and enjoy the rest of the evening.
“It will be a special night for all, but especially for Sam and Indie playing as club heroes and captains in front of such a big crowd and live on TV.
“As always, none of this would have been possible without our sponsors, Napton Cidery and Arrow Precision Engineering, who are both associated with the club, and who have agreed to support this opportunity and help bring world class squash to our doorstep.
“A massive thanks to them for their continued support.”
The Royals take on St George’s Hill Knights on Thursday, May 29 with the action to begin at 7pm.
