CHAPEL HILL, N.C. -- This was supposed to be like every other Clemson game this season, a blowout win piled onto another blowout win on its easy road back to the College Football Playoff.

After all, the No. 1 Tigers went into their matchup against unranked North Carolina as 28-point favorites, and as the team with the highest probability to make it into the playoff at a whopping 76.6%. No ranked teams left on the schedule in the weak ACC? No problem.

Except teams do not always fit into neat, tidy, easy-to-predict boxes.

So it was that Clemson faced its fiercest challenge to date, as North Carolina outplayed and outcoached the top-ranked team in the country for most of the day.

But just the way the Tigers did in close games last season, they came up with the crucial play with the game on the line -- this time, stopping North Carolina's 2-point conversion attempt with 1:17 remaining to win 21-20 on Saturday.

"It's not easy to win," Clemson coach Dabo Swinney said. "I know we're supposed to destroy everybody, like nobody else has scholarships, nobody else has coaches. It doesn't work that way. We're just normal people. There's nothing special about us. We're not perfect. We don't coach perfect. Unfortunately, we don't play perfect every down, every game, but we found a way to win an ugly game.

"But it's disrespectful to just put it all on us. You've got to give them some credit. Those kids played their heart out, and they coached their hearts out, and they played with tremendous will to win, but I'm proud of my guys because they found a way when we had to have it. We found a way."

The two teams were deadlocked at 14 until Trevor Lawrence threw a perfectly placed ball to Tee Higgins for a 38-yard touchdown to give Clemson (5-0, 3-0 ACC) its first lead of the game, 21-14 with 9:54 to play. But North Carolina and freshman quarterback Sam Howell marched right down the field on a 16-play drive, converting twice on third down and twice on fourth down to stay in the game.

On first-and-goal from the 3, Howell threw a 2-yard pass to Jake Bargas to put North Carolina at the 1-yard line with 1:19 left. At this point, Swinney had a feeling North Carolina coach Mack Brown would go for 2 and the win if his team successfully punched it in. Sure enough, the Tar Heels (2-3, 1-1) scored on the next play and Brown signaled for 2.

"I've always had the theory that the longer the game goes, the best team wins, and they have the best team," Brown said. "So my thought was, 'Go now.' We've got momentum, they're tired, they're on the field, so that was the best chance for us to win the game."

Brown said he asked offensive coordinator Phil Longo, "Do you have a play that you think is going to work to score to win the game, to beat the No. 1 team in the country?"

"And he said, 'Yes.'"

The call was an option for Howell, and it was a similar play to a 2-point conversion North Carolina converted earlier in the season. Clemson linebacker James Skalski said, "I think we had a good idea they were going to go with an option look, and it showed up. We were ready for it."

Howell ran to his right, and saw his receiver option covered up. He kept running, but Clemson was on him, as Skalski, Xavier Thomas and Nolan Turner converged. Howell tried to pitch, but it was too late.

"It did not unfold how we wanted to, obviously," Brown said. "Sam fought his guts to get in. You work on 2-point plays all the time and Phil was very confident. If he had said he wasn't sure, we kick."

Added Skalski: "North Carolina played their butt off. They had a good plan. They made plays, but when it mattered most, we showed up."

Going into the game, Clemson had beaten each of its past 14 opponents by double digits, helping feed into the narrative that the Tigers wouldn't face another test this season -- particularly with zero ranked teams left on the schedule.

But they were in two close contests in the first half of last season. They had to stop a 2-point conversion attempt that would have tied the score against Texas A&M. Then against Syracuse, nearly one year ago, the Tigers needed a fourth-quarter comeback to win.

"There's been a game every year the past four years or so in this program where it's been close or we lost," Lawrence said. "We know it's hard to win. Sometimes it's easy to forget that when you win so many games by so many points, but this game is only going to make us better. Obviously, we'd like to win every game by four touchdowns, but it's going to bring us closer and show us how to appreciate every win and like tonight, just finding a way."

Clemson had its worst offensive performance of the season, with lows in total points, total yards and passing yards. A big reason why is because the Tigers made crucial mistakes the entire game, from procedure penalties, to a fumble, to a missed field goal attempt, to lapses on third down.

North Carolina dared Clemson to run, taking away its talented receivers and forcing Lawrence to do more on the ground than anyone anticipated going into the season. Clemson has an off week before hosting Florida State on Oct. 12, and Swinney said he was going to relish film study on Monday when it points out all the errors his team made.

"Whether you win by one point or 50 points, it's a win," Swinney said. "It's kind of like when I make a birdie in golf. Most times when I make a birdie it usually hits off a tree, runs across the green, hits off the golf cart, bounces back up there close to the flag, and I putt it in and I write 3 on the scorecard. There ain't no pictures on the scorecard. A win is a win, and I'd rather learn lessons with a win than learn with a loss any day."

EL SEGUNDO, Calif. -- Bodies bounced off one another during an intrasquad scrimmage that capped the Los Angeles Lakers' first practice of training camp Saturday.

LeBron James collided with Alex Caruso, causing both of them to fall to the floor. Anthony Davis and Dwight Howard got tangled up going for a rebound and the pair hit the hardwood.

It was just what first-year Lakers coach Frank Vogel wanted to see.

"You're coming to play [the] L.A. Lakers -- you're going to get hit," Vogel said after his team finished the first of their two-a-day session. "You're going to get smashed in the mouth."

Vogel, whose Indiana Pacers teams were a perennial playoff force thanks to their defensive prowess, wanted to set the tone with his new group on that end of the floor. He dedicated nearly an hour of the first practice to on-ball defensive drills and principles.

"He's a defensive coach and wants to have a defensive mindset," Davis said of Vogel. "We're going to be a defensive team. We made sure we covered a lot of defensive schemes today."

Vogel said that Howard, a three-time NBA Defensive Player of the Year award winner, was particularly physical as he played with reserves against a first five of James, Davis, Danny Green, Rajon Rondo and JaVale McGee -- a lineup that Vogel was testing out together.

"I'm preaching 'play physical' -- he probably overdid it a little bit," Vogel said when asked about Howard. "You know, he's knocking guys around. Look, you got to deal with that."

James missed nearly all of training camp at the outset of the 2017-18 season -- his last with the Cleveland Cavaliers -- after turning an ankle during a scrimmage when he landed on Cedi Osman's foot. He said his collision with Caruso -- which temporarily paused practice as teammates scrambled over to help both players up -- wasn't a cause for concern.

"It was a different situation," James said. "I didn't have any flashbacks. [Just] two guys colliding and hitting the floor."

Vogel said he had only one thing enter his mind when he saw his guys take a tumble: "Are they getting up?"

In other words, a few bumps and bruises are to be expected.

"I love guys hitting the floor," Vogel continued. "We're not playing hard enough if we're not doing that, but obviously you don't want to see anybody getting hurt."

Davis said they know how to toe the line.

"Obviously, you're not going to try to injure anyone or do anything stupid," he said. "We know we have to play with physicality. We did a good job doing that today. So in a way, that makes it a lot easier against our opponent."

The Lakers ranked a respectable 13th in defensive rating last season, giving up 108.9 points per 100 possessions. They struggled on offense, ranking 24th in offensive rating by scoring 107.4 points per 100 possessions.

After a major roster overhaul and a coaching staff change in the offseason, Vogel is prioritizing defense all the same.

"You know we got a lot of firepower offensively," he said. "But establish that defensive mindset of playing hard and playing tenacious and being physical. And on offense, just beginning to get organized and talking about the importance of playing for each other."

It was a mere glimpse of the group together, but Davis was satisfied with the approach.

"I like the dynamic of the team," Davis said. "Everybody is playing physical and playing hard and coming in with the mindset of being professional and doing what we have to do to reach our goals.

"It was a good first practice."

SAN FRANCISCO -- While the Los Angeles Dodgers kept raising their win total, Hyun-Jin Ryu continued to lower his ERA.

With one game left in the regular season, they're both in good position.

Ryu secured the major league ERA title at 2.32 with seven sharp innings and the Dodgers matched a franchise record with their 105th victory, beating the San Francisco Giants 2-0 on Saturday for their sixth straight win.

The National League West champions tied the win mark of the 1953 "Boys of Summer" team based in Brooklyn that included Jackie Robinson, Duke Snider and other Hall of Famers.

"I'm very proud of that," manager Dave Roberts said. "You don't just show up and win 105 games against very good teams all year long. That's a credit to everybody and just a continued focus each day to get better. It's a really fun and good, talented group."

The Dodgers began the day one game behind Houston for the best record in baseball and one game ahead of the Yankees. Los Angeles will begin the division series next Thursday at home against the NL wild-card winner.

Ryu (14-5) allowed five hits, struck out seven and didn't walk a batter for a third straight start. He also hit an RBI single in the fifth for the game's first run.

Roberts is calling for his Korean left-hander to win the NL Cy Young Award -- even if Ryu himself is giving the nod to reigning winner Jacob deGrom, who's second in ERA at 2.43 for the Mets.

"There were so many good pitchers this season, it possibly might be a tough decision for you as well, but I honestly think Jacob deGrom deserves it and you should probably vote for him," Ryu said through an interpreter and with a wry smile.

Kenta Maeda pitched the eighth. Kenley Jansen hit Evan Longoria to start the ninth and gave up Kevin Pillar's single before striking out three for his 33rd save.

Max Muncy hit his 35th homer in the sixth off rookie Logan Webb (2-3). Webb singled in the fifth for his first major league hit.

Retiring Giants manager Bruce Bochy oversaw his 4,031st game, moving past Sparky Anderson for sole possession of seventh place on the all-time list while managing his second-to-last game with San Francisco. Bochy was honored on the field before the game by San Francisco Mayor London Breed, who presented Bochy with a key to the city.

Webb, a top pitching prospect, allowed two runs on six hits in six innings, struck out five and walked one in his eighth career start.

"We faced a very good pitcher and we were just a hit away from getting things going, just like last night," Bochy said.

MADBUM'S PLACE

Madison Bumgarner will be ready Sunday even if he's not on the mound as originally planned -- Bochy hinted "he'll have his spikes on," so perhaps be prepared for a pinch-hit appearance and one final ovation from the home crowd.

"We thought that would be the best thing for both of us," Bumgarner said Saturday.

The 2014 World Series MVP can become a free agent, so Tuesday might have been his final start for the Giants. He is wrapping up a contract singed in April 2012 that included a $12 million contract option this year, and the Giants opted not to deal him at the trade deadline.

"I'm sure I'll make my way back here one way or another," he said.

HONORING MAGOWAN

Peter Magowan, who died in January, was honored pregame with a plaque on the Giants Wall of Fame he started as San Francisco's managing general partner.

"It was good to get Peter's plaque up there, with what he's done for the San Francisco Giants and the impact he made keeping them here and really in the community," Bochy said. "I know that he'd be very proud. ... Peter, he did a lot for me."

TRAINER'S ROOM

Dodgers: LF A.J. Pollock sat out after being hit in the left knee with a pitch and leaving during the fifth inning of Friday's 9-2 win with a bruised knee. ... Roberts said 3B Justin Turner -- missing a fourth straight game with back tightness -- won't play Sunday. Instead, he will get some simulated work done during Tuesday's workout day back home ahead of the division series. Turner worked throwing and swinging in the cage again Saturday as he did Friday. "If he wasn't able to kind of move around and swing the bat, I'd probably be a little concerned, but since he's doing that I feel confident he'll be fine," Roberts said.

Giants: C Buster Posey returned to the starting lineup after three days not playing at all following a 16-inning game Tuesday in which he caught 13 of those innings.

UP NEXT

LHP Rich Hill (4-1, 2.59 ERA) makes his 13th start of the season pitching the last day, having gone 1-0 with eight strikeouts in two previous outings vs. San Francisco. RHP Dereck Rodriguez (6-10, 5.27) will start Sunday's season finale for the Giants.

Houston Astros ace Justin Verlander reached a pair of milestones Saturday night, becoming the 18th major league pitcher to reach 3,000 career strikeouts and the 19th in the modern era (since 1900) to record 300 strikeouts in a season.

Verlander, 36, entered Saturday night's game against the Los Angeles Angels with 2,994 strikeouts. He achieved the career milestone in the fourth inning when he got Kole Calhoun swinging at a slider. Calhoun reached first, though, on a wild pitch and Andrelton Simmons then gave Los Angeles a 3-0 lead with a two-run homer to left-center.

Verlander's feat was recognized on the scoreboard at Angel Stadium, and he was congratulated by teammates in the Astros dugout at the end of the inning.

According to Baseball-Reference and Retrosheet, it's the first time a pitcher has recorded his 3,000th strikeout on a wild pitch.

Verlander, who began the day with 288 strikeouts this season, got Calhoun swinging again in the sixth inning to reach 300 for the first time in his 15-year career. He and Gerrit Cole are only the second set of teammates to each have 300 strikeouts in the same season, joining Randy Johnson and Curt Schilling, who did it for the 2002 Arizona Diamondbacks. Cole has 316 strikeouts this season.

Verlander finished with 12 strikeouts in six innings and gave up three runs, four hits and no walks Saturday. He improved to 21-6, as the Astros topped the Angels 6-3 to secure the best record in baseball this season and home-field advantage through the World Series.

Verlander became only the third pitcher in the modern era to have at least 300 strikeouts at age 36 or older. Nolan Ryan had 301 strikeouts at age 42 in 1989. Randy Johnson had 347 in 2000 at age 36, 372 in 2001 at age 37 and 334 in 2002 at age 38.

Verlander is the second pitcher to reach 3,000 strikeouts this season. New York Yankees left-hander CC Sabathia accomplished the feat on April 30 against Arizona. Of the 16 retired pitchers with more than 3,000 strikeouts, 14 are in the Hall of Fame.

Before Sabathia, Atlanta's John Smoltz was the last to make it to 3,000 strikeouts, in 2008.

Verlander has the second 20-win season of his career and pitched his third no-hitter on Sept. 1 at Toronto. He is also one of the favorites to win his second AL Cy Young.

The Associated Press contributed to this report.

NEW YORK -- Mets slugger Pete Alonso hit his 53rd home run of the season Saturday night, breaking the MLB rookie record that Yankees star Aaron Judge set in 2017.

Alonso launched a 93 mph fastball on a 1-2 count from Atlanta Braves right-hander Mike Foltynewicz just to the right of straightaway center field. The solo shot gave New York a 3-0 lead in the third inning, which would hold as the final score.

As his 415-foot drive landed in the seats, Alonso raised both arms in triumph while running to first base. Mets teammates came out of the dugout to congratulate him as he rounded the bases, and the crowd of 32,210 at Citi Field gave a standing ovation to a player nicknamed "Polar Bear" during spring training by teammate Todd Frazier.

"It's surreal. It was almost like an out-of-body experience,'' said Alonso, a 24-year-old who debuted on Opening Day. "Unbelievable moment.

"This is more than a dream. This is more than fantasy. I can't put it into words.''

Alonso raised both arms again when he crossed home plate, then tilted his head back and looked skyward as he stood in front of the dugout. Overcome with emotion, he had tears in his eyes when he went out to his position at first base in the top of the fourth inning.

"I was just kind of thinking about all the greats in the game of baseball. I was thinking about guys like Babe Ruth, Ted Williams, guys like Aaron Judge,'' Alonso said, "and the fact that I'm ahead of those guys as a rookie, it's mind-blowing.''

"He's not moved to tears often,'' his mother, Michelle, said on the Fox telecast. "So for him to feel that reward and be moved to tears, that warms my heart because I was certainly falling in my seat at the moment at the same time. It was a family cryfest.''

Michelle and her husband, also named Pete, were sitting in the stands along with the player's fiancée, Haley Renee -- who was recording a video of the plate appearance.

"I usually never video his at-bats because I get superstitious,'' she said. "Now I have that forever.''

Alonso's father recalled coaching his son in Little League games in Tampa, Florida.

"When that ball was in mid-flight, it was all flashing in front of me,'' his dad said. "It was like an out-of-body experience.''

The ball was caught by a father attending the game with his wife and three kids. The family gave the ball to Alonso and met with the Home Run Derby champion after the game, receiving autographed memorabilia.

Alonso heads into the final day of the regular season leading the majors in homers, four ahead of Cincinnati's Eugenio Suarez. No rookie since 1900 has won an outright home run title in the big leagues.

He also has a shot to be just the third Home Run Derby winner to finish the season with the most homers; Ryan Howard was the last to do it in 2006 (58 HRs), and Sammy Sosa did it in 2000 (50 HRs).

Alonso already has set franchise records for homers, total bases (347) and extra-base hits (85). He has 120 RBIs and 102 runs, becoming the first Mets rookie to reach triple digits in both categories. The home run was his 11th of September.

Judge offered to take Alonso to dinner in the offseason -- on Judge's dime.

"He's paying for it? Oh, dang,'' Alonso said. "Is he picking where we're eating or am I picking? I'll talk to him. But if he's picking the place, it's probably McDonald's or something, because I eat a lot. But if I get to pick and it's on him, then it may be like Peter Luger [Steak House].''

ESPN Stats & Information and The Associated Press contributed to this report.

DENVER -- Josh Hader and the Milwaukee Brewers got the help they needed from the Chicago Cubs. They will need a little more after blowing a chance to pull even in the NL Central race.

Hader gave up a tying home run with two outs in the ninth inning and the Brewers lost to Colorado 3-2 in the 10th Saturday night, preventing them from catching St. Louis atop the division.

The Brewers will go into Sunday's regular-season finale one game behind the Cardinals, who lost 8-6 to the Chicago Cubs. If the Cards and Brewers wind up tied, there would be a one-game tiebreaker Monday in St. Louis for the division title.

If the Brewers don't overtake the Cardinals, they will play at Washington on Tuesday night in the NL wild-card game.

"It's a tough loss, but we play tomorrow and there's going to be more games after that," manager Craig Counsell said. "We're playing to force a [game] 163 tomorrow."

With a chance to tie for the division lead, Hader quickly retired the first two batters in the ninth. But rookie Sam Hilliard then stepped up as a pinch-hitter and launched an opposite-field drive to left off the Brewers closer that made it 2-all.

"Exactly where I wanted it," Hader said of the pitch. "He got a bat on it, elevation took it from there. There's times where you execute your pitch and get the result that you didn't want."

Trevor Story led off the Colorado 10th with his 35th home run, connecting against Matt Albers (8-6).

The loss was more painful when the Brewers lost another player to injury. Outfielder Lorenzo Cain, who robbed the Rockies of a homer with a catch over the wall in center in the seventh, left the game in the ninth with a left ankle sprain. He was hurt trying to score from first on a double by Ben Gamel and his availability for Sunday is uncertain.

"It's really, what does he look like when he comes in tomorrow?" Counsell said. "How much swelling is there?"

Counsell was ejected in the ninth inning arguing that Cain didn't have a lane to slide home. Cain has been troubled by a problem in the same ankle earlier this month.

"If you're not going to overturn that one, then why is there a rule? Tell me what the rule's for," Counsell said.

Milwaukee built a 2-0 lead on Eric Thames' 25th home run in the fifth and an RBI double in the seventh by Orlando Arcia. Three solo home runs by the Rockies sent the Brewers into Sunday needing more help from the Cubs. Ian Desmond homered off Drew Pomeranz in the Rockies eighth.

Jairo Diaz (6-4) got the win.

Cain finished with two hits and was thrown out twice on the basepaths, but he made up for it with a big catch on Garrett Hampson's drive in the seventh. He was greeted with a line of teammates near third base as he jogged off the field after the inning.

He also made a diving catch of Yonathan Daza's sinking liner to end the sixth.

"He was incredible. Obviously, his defense -- two plays that were absolutely amazing," Counsell said. "Huge plays. That's why he's a great player and he shows up in these games."

Yasmani Grandal was also thrown out at home in the sixth when he tried to score from first on a double by Mike Moustakas.

Moustakas was back in the lineup after not starting Friday's game with a nagging sore left elbow. Moustakas said his elbow "flared up recently" but added it felt much better after a day off.

"It's something I've always dealt with," he said. "You play 162 games your arm gets a little sore."

TRAINER'S ROOM

Brewers: OF Ryan Braun was diagnosed with a mild left calf strain after having an MRI. Braun, who was hurt in Friday's loss, said he will get treatment through Sunday and is optimistic he can play as early as Monday if Milwaukee has a game to decide the NL Central.

UP NEXT

RHP Jeff Hoffman (2-6, 6.78 ERA) will start the final game of the season for the Rockies. Counsell announced after Saturday's game that RHP Adrian Houser (6-7, 3.73) will get the ball for Milwaukee.

Premier Squash League Preview: A new Castle for Warwick/Kenilworth
By JAMES ROBERTS – Squash Mad Reporter

After just 2 seasons in the Premier Squash League (PSL), University of Warwick/Kenilworth Squash (WarKens) have already made quite an impact, topping the Northern Division last season and narrowly missing out on a spot in the Final. I made a recent trip to the University of Warwick to catch up with WarKens Team Manager Steve Townsend and chat about the team, his thoughts on last season, as well as his plans and ambitions for the coming season.

Before we chat though, there is the opportunity for a tour of the magnificent £49m University of Warwick Sports and Wellness Hub, which only opened back in April of this year. It is fantastic to see our local universities in the West Midlands investing so extensively in new sports facilities, this coming hot on the heels of the University of Birmingham’s new sports centre, the new home of WarKens’ PSL local rivals, the Birmingham Lions.

In terms of squash facilities, the Hub boasts 6 glass-backed courts, located in a very prominent position right at the main entrance. As a result, everyone using the centre walks straight past them as they come in. Steve tells me that this leads to lots of people stopping to watch what’s going on, and they often hear comments like “Wow, squash looks cool!” He is therefore very confident it will increase participation massively at Warwick.

Other features of the Hub, which the squash players can access for training, include a 12 lane swimming pool, an amazing gym with 15 racks and 250 stations, physiotherapy, 2 giant sports arenas and a jaw-dropping climbing wall, not that Steve will be letting the players on that!

Steve is hoping that these new facilities will enable the University to stage some major squash events in the future, including bringing in an all glass court, as has been done at the University of Birmingham. In terms of PSL matches, these will be shared equally between the University and Kenilworth Squash. The partnership between the two has been fundamental to the team and PSL nights at the club have over the past 2 seasons produced very special atmospheres.

Without doubt the University of Warwick Sport and Wellness Hub will represent a huge boost to the WarKens PSL team. Steve tells me that they are already seeing an early boost to their recruitment strategy as a result, with a strong intake of first year squash players having already arrived at the University. However, he expects to see real change to the level of squash players coming to Warwick over the coming years, not necessarily this one.

Onto Steve’s thoughts about his team’s preparations, plans and prospects:

JR: Firstly a bit of history. How did the PSL team come into being? Whose initiative was it and what benefits has it brought to both the university and the Kenilworth Club?

ST: Warwick has not traditionally been known as a performance sport university – more an academic one as it’s in the top 10 in the UK. A few years ago, the University realised that it would add an extra string to the bow of the University if it started to support performance sport. Squash was an obvious choice to focus on as we already had a good team and structure. Once it was decided that we were going to focus on squash, PSL was a natural next step, as a flag if you like to show we’re serious about squash and sport, to give our students something to aim at, and to inspire staff and students to be more active. I’m also the head coach at Kenilworth, and we’ve long harboured aspirations of having a PSL team, so the partnership was a very good initiative for both parties.

JR: Which players have you retained for the season and have you brought in any fresh blood?

ST: We’ve retained virtually all our players, which I’m really happy about – they continually out-perform their ranking, give absolutely 100%, which has led to our relative success for a new team. With the extra emphasis on women, we’ve strengthened in this area, adding Lily Taylor and Enora Villard to our ranks, so with Sarah-Jane Perry and Julianne Courtice, we hope to be strong in this area.

JR: After just 2 seasons in PSL, it must have been very satisfying to have topped your Division and qualified for the semi-finals last season. Equally however it must have then been heart-breaking to have just missed out on reaching the finals. Tell me a bit about how last season progressed from your perspective.

ST: It was incredible really, with many individual performances being really exceptional. The matches are so tight; we could have lost v Bristol away, with Baptiste Massotti coming back from match ball down to win the tie right at the start of the year, and that momentum carried on throughout. The fans at Kenilworth, the University and the locality have taken the players to their hearts, and they really feel part of the clubs. We were massive underdogs for the semis, and almost pipped that too. Paul Coll was a different class though!

JR: I know it is usually difficult to single out players but who impressed you the most from your team last season and why?

ST: All of our players have given everything so I’m really so happy about that. Nothing is too much trouble for any of them, including getting on court with Warwickshire juniors before the fixtures, and they’ve all done anything I have ever asked of them. But if I had to single anyone out to represent the spirit of the team, I’d have to say it’s SJ (Sarah-Jane Perry), who’s both a Warwick Alumna and a Kenilworth member and is unbeaten in PSL now for 5 years – what can I add to that?! Iker Pajares has also been a revelation. He dismantled Nick Matthew and also beat Dec James, both way higher in the rankings. That won’t be for long though! The crowd love watching him – he’s rapid, but moreover, you couldn’t wish to meet a nicer, more genuine guy.

JR: Which other teams do you think are going to put in the strongest showings this season? How do you rate your chances of reaching that first final, and even taking the title?

ST: We’ve been moved to the Southern division and on paper the teams are stronger than in the North. We are playing for the right to be in the Premiership next season, so that is our primary goal – anything on top of that would be a bonus!

JR: Do you have any exciting student players at the university who may be able to play for the team? Is it part of your PSL objectives to provide such opportunities to student players to help develop their games and ultimately to attract them to the university?

ST: It certainly is and we’re in touch with several potential students who have Warwick as one of their options for next season and have the potential to represent the PSL team. As far as this year goes, it’s hard to see one of our existing student team breaking into a match-day team, but they are working hard, improving rapidly and you just never know!

JR: Having played a full season using the best of 3 format, what are your views generally about this format? Do you feel it works well for PSL? What about more generally, now that we are seeing it more and more in the PSA World Tour events, in some cases right up to the semi-finals as is the case with the Netsuite Open at the moment?

ST: I like it for PSL, it definitely adds a different dynamic and produces faster-paced, more exciting rallies. When there are 3/5 matches in a row and it’s a team format, it works really well. For PSA, I haven’t been to a tournament featuring it and so I don’t have an informed opinion really. That said, I do feel for the players though, as to train for an event, fly half way around the World and then to lose 2-0 in 20 or so minutes can’t be much fun. My gut says that we should wherever possible be using the longer, purer form for the pinnacle of our sport – the PSA World Tour.

JR: What about the revised line up requiring 2 female players? Do you think this will play a positive role in developing the female professional game, as well as in promoting greater female participation in the sport generally?

ST: I think it’s a natural move along with the rest of society and promoting sport for women. It can only help develop our female professionals, but also generations of female squash players to come.

My grateful thanks to Steve for his time showing me around the new facilities and in answering my questions. Good luck to WarKens for the forthcoming season!

WarKens kick off their PSL season on Tuesday 1st October when they welcome the Welsh Wizards to Kenilworth Squash. Start time is 7:30pm. Tickets are available here: https://warwick.ac.uk/services/sport/active/squash/psl

More details about the Premier Squash League, including news, fixtures and full squad details can be obtained on the official website: http://pslsquash.com

Pictures : Steve Townsend and James Roberts

LOS ANGELES – Irwindale Speedway presented its 15th racing program of the year on Sept. 14, with an eight-event night on the half and third-miles.

Two 35-lap NASCAR Whelen All-American Series late model features resulted in victories for three-time Irwindale and California champion Trevor Huddleston, 23, who won seven of the 18 features this season.

Huddleston was not present three nights because of date conflicts with the NASCAR K&N Pro Series West. He ranks fourth in points after 10 of 14 scheduled K&N races.

Blaine Perkins, 19, won his first NASCAR late model track championship by 36 points after winning four of the year’s 18 main events. The Bakersfield resident also claimed the NWAAS California state championship.

Perkins drove last season’s championship car, a Victory Circle chassis Four Star Fruit/Auto Park It No. 21 Chevy. Car owner Christopher Alan is the father of Irwindale’s 2018 late model champion, Lawless Alan, also 19.

This season, Lawless Alan attended the University of Alabama and raced as a rookie in the SCCA Trans Am TA2 series. Lawless drove the Auto Park It No. 52 Ford Mustang owned by Mike Cope and sponsored by his father.

He raced 10 races at famous courses – Sebring Int’l Raceway, Road Atlanta, WeatherTech Raceway Laguna Seca, Lime Rock Park, Belle Isle Park in Detroit, the Indianapolis Motor Speedway road course, Mid-Ohio Sports Car Course, Road America in Wisconsin, Watkins Glen Int’l and Virginia Int’l Raceway.

Alan’s final two races will be at Circuit of the Americas in Austin, Texas, and at Daytona Int’l Speedway.

Lawless usually qualified and finished in the top 10 on the lead lap with SCCA TA2 fields in the mid-20s. His best finish of fourth came in August at IMS. He currently is the leading TA2 rookie and ranks fifth in overall point standings.

Lawless was in the Irwindale pits to watch Perkins win his 2019 title in the Alan car.

Irwindale’s late model points runner-up was series rookie Jace Jones, son of versatile racer P.J. and grandson of 1963 Indy 500 winner Parnelli Jones. He won his first series 35-lap main August 31 in a 12-car field.

At 14 years, six months, Jones became the youngest late model winner in Irwindale history and won rookie of the year honors. He drove the same Racecar Factory-built HPR No. 55 Chevy that his brother, Jagger, drove as a rookie two years ago.

Behind Perkins and Jones in points were Nick Joanides, former NASCAR Drive for Diversity class member Ryan Vargas, Dean Thompson, Lucas McNeil and Huddleston.

Eight drivers won the 18 main events this year. Huddleston and Perkins led with seven and four victories, respectively. Vargas won twice. Joanides, Thompson, Jones, Ryan Schartau and Christian McGhee each won one feature.

Irwindale presented a 40-lap combined spec late model and race truck feature on the half-mile and an INEX Legend car feature on the third-mile. Both races produced surprise, first-time winners.

Other mains were for four-cylinder enduro cars and super stocks on the third-mile. An auto soccer 18-minute match in the infield, with two four-car teams, had a final score of 5-0.

First was the 35-lap Legends main. Rookie Jake Bollman, 12, won his first legends feature in a replica 1934 Ford coupe with a neon-green No. 71. He became the youngest legend car winner in track history in a car owned by his parents.

It was just his fifth race at Irwindale in the five-eighths scale, tube frame, 120-horsepower, motorcycle engine-powered race car.

Bollman started racing nine years ago in a go-kart and was a 2018 J-1 and J-2 karting champion. He was also a Bandolero champion at Orange Show Speedway in San Bernardino. He raced in the Lucas Oil Off-Road Racing Series in 2016.

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