Winning is a new Tradition for RAC
By WILL JENNINGS

[email protected] put last season’s Premier Squash League (PSL) final heartache behind them to be crowned champions for the first time after sealing a 3-2 victory over Team Pontefract in Surrey today.

It was a dominant display from [email protected], who maintained bragging rights over their opponents after repeating their victory in last season’s semi-finals.

The final marked the climax of another compelling PSL season, a campaign that started with ten teams but was whittled down to two after [email protected]’s and Team Pontefract’s semi-final triumphs over Warwick/Kenilworth and Luxford St George’s Hill respectively.

But it was [email protected] who claimed the ultimate prize in front of a packed out crowd at St George’s Hill Lawn Tennis Club, with victories from Daryl Selby, Paul Coll and Ben Coleman giving them the title.

It wasn’t all plain sailing for [email protected] however, who went 1-0 down after Laura Massaro’s 11-7, 12-14, 11-8 (40m) victory over Alison Waters in the final’s opening match.

It was a compelling duel between the two female players, who continued to repel each other’s advances to take the match to a decider.

But it was former World No.1 Massaro who prevailed, demonstrating all the skill that earned the 2014 World Championship title to overcome her battling opponent.

Team Pontefract’s lead was short-lived, though, as parity was soon restored thanks to Selby’s 11-7, 11-8 win over India’s Ramit Tandon.

Selby’s dominance was then emulated by team-mate Coll, who brushed past India No.1 Saurav Ghosal to claim an assured 11-5, 11-5 victory.

It was an impressive performance by Coll, with the New Zealander proving exactly why he’s the World No.6 to give his side the edge with two matches left to play.

[email protected]’s victory was sealed after Coleman’s equally dominant 11-4, 11-3 triumph over 16-year-old Sam Todd, who struggled to compete with his opponent’s skill and experience.

With the destination of this season’s trophy already decided, the final match of the day between George Parker and Abhay Singh was wisely shortened to a one game format.

And in a match that had an almost exhibition feel, it was the Malaysian Singh who managed to restore some pride for Pontefract and secure a consolation 13-11 victory.

[email protected]’s triumph will be a sweet one for the London-based side, who narrowly missed out on claiming their inaugural PSL title last season after a 3-2 loss to Luxford St George’s Hill.

But Lee Davies’ team showed great resilience throughout this year’s campaign, putting that disappointment behind them to finish second in the Southern Division and eventually seal the crown.

A delighted Davies said: “I feel fantastic for the team, for the RAC club, and for our sponsor Tradition! It’s a long, hard slog getting this far. We had to take last year on the chin but it’s been a real team effort all season and I’m proud of every one of them!”

The PSL has been another marked success this season, continuing to attract crowds around the country and help further raise the profile of squash.

But it was ultimately [email protected] who were left celebrating, executing a composed display to cap off a thrilling year for the sport.

Premier Squash League 2019 final, St. George’s Hill, Weybridge, Surrey.

[email protected] beat Team Pontefract 3-2:
Alison Waters 1-2 Laura Massaro 7-11, 14-12, 8-11 (40m)
Daryl Selby 2-0 Ramit Tandon 11-7, 11-8 (27m)
Paul Coll 2-0 Saurav Ghosal 11-5, 11-5 (28m)
Ben Coleman 2-0 Sam Todd 11-4, 11-3 (20m)
George Parker 0-1 Abhay Singh 11-13 (13m)  

Report by WILL JENNINGS. Edited by ALAN THATCHER.

Pictures by STEVE CUBBINS courtesy of England Squash 

DETROIT – Alexander Rossi grabbed his second NTT P1 Award of the year Saturday morning by earning the pole for Saturday afternoon’s Chevrolet Detroit Grand Prix Race No. 1.

Rossi earned the sixth pole of his career through the second group in an unusual qualification format that is only used at the Detroit doubleheader. The field is split into two groups, 11 cars each, with 12 minutes of track time.

Rossi’s No. 27 NAPA Honda was the fastest with a lap at 1:14.1989 mph around the 2.35-mile, 14-turn temporary street course at Detroit’s Belle Isle Park. That was faster than first group qualifier Josef Newgarden, whose fast time was 1:14.8272.

“There is never a perfect lap, but it was good enough,” Rossi said. “The Andretti boys have been strong here the last couple of years. It was a matter of going out and executing. This is such a difficult part of the season right now and for the crews to get the cars turned around.

“The team has done a good job all weekend. We have been really strong here in the past and have been able to carry that on here.”

Rossi’s first pole this season came in the Acura Grand Prix of Long Beach in April. It was his second-straight pole at Detroit. He also earned the pole last year for Race No. 2.

It was IndyCar pole No. 41 for Andretti Autosport.

Scott Dixon was third overall at 1:14.3995 followed by Felix Rosenqvist at 1:14.9984. Rookie Colton Herta rounds out the top five at 1:15.0772.

The race is set to begin at 3:30 p.m. Eastern Time Saturday.

LONG POND, Pa. – William Byron earned his second Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series pole in as many weeks on Saturday afternoon at Pocono Raceway.

Byron, who won the pole for the Coca-Cola 600 last week at Charlotte Motor Speedway, claimed the pole for the Pocono 400 with a 51.875-second lap at 173.494 mph in his Hendrick Motorsports Chevrolet.

Byron was the only driver to top 173 miles per hour during qualifying. Now he’ll turn his attention as he continues to pursue his first series victory.

“It’s on me to know what I need throughout the race and I feel like I’m starting to learn a little bit of what it takes in the last 100 laps instead of the first 80, which we’ve been pretty good,” said the 21-year-old after earning his third pole of the season. “It’s an impound race, so it’s great to see our speed is there.”

Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series championship leader Kyle Busch qualified second in his Joe Gibbs Racing Toyota. Clint Bowyer, Erik Jones and Brad Keselowski completed the top-five in qualifying.

The remainder of the top-10 includes Denny Hamlin, Kyle Larson, Jimmie Johnson, Daniel Suarez and Austin Dillon.

Saturday’s qualifying session featured a slight change to single-car qualifying. Three cars were on track at the same time, with each car departing pit road in 15 second intervals. When the final car in the group finished their qualifying run and reached the tunnel turn the next group would be released to qualify.

Pocono 400 Starting Lineup

1. William Byron

2. Kyle Busch

3. Clint Bowyer

4. Erik Jones

5. Brad Keselowski

6. Denny Hamlin

7. Kyle Larson

8. Jimmie Johnson

9. Daniel Suarez

10. Austin Dillon

11. Kevin Harvick

12. Chase Elliott

13. Aric Almirola

14. Paul Menard

15. Alex Bowman

16. Joey Logano

17. Ryan Blaney

18. Ricky Stenhouse Jr.

19. Ryan Newman

20. Martin Truex Jr.

21. Kurt Busch

22. Matt DiBenedetto

23. Daniel Hemric

24. Chris Buescher

25. Ty Dillon

26. Bubba Wallace

27. David Ragan

28. Michael McDowell

29. Ryan Preece

30. Matt Tifft

31. Landon Cassill

32. Ross Chastain

33. Corey LaJoie

34. Bayley Currey

35. Reed Sorenson

36. Quin Houff

37. J.J. Yeley

WEST KINGSDOWN, England – Coming from 26th on the grid, Lasse Sorensen raced through the field to win Saturday’s NASCAR Whelen Euro Series ELITE 2 race at Brands Hatch.

The Dexwet-df1 Racing driver overtook a slowing Florian Venturi on the last lap to capture the checkered flag.

Drama already struck early in the first ELITE 2 Division race of the NASCAR GP UK. It was Andre Castro who lead the pack to the green, but the American was put under pressure by championship leader Giorgio Maggi. The two got together at the Graham Hill bend and the No. 24 PK Carsport Chevrolet of Castro went into a spin and Florian Venturi took advantage of it to pick up the lead.

The Safety Car was deployed after Matthias Hauer got stuck in the gravel at Clearways and on the ensuing restart Venturi managed to build a gap on the competition and was on his way to his second win of the season. Sorensen, however, was already on his way to the top and charging in fourth place behind Scott Jeffs and Vittorio Ghirelli.

In the final laps Jeffs attacked Ghirelli for second at Paddock Hill Bend. They touched and Ghirelli went sliding through the gravel. Sorensen took the opportunity and climbed up to second. A few moments later Venturi suddenly slowed while beginning the last lap of the race.

Sorensen immediately passed Venturi for the lead and grabbed his second win in his fifth NASCAR Whelen Euro Series race. Jeffs finished second, but a 30-second post-race penalty moved him down the order to 17th.

“It was just amazing,” said Sorensen. “I would have never thought about it when I was climbing into the car. I would have been happy with a top-10. I was lucky because there were some spins and crashes ahead of me. When you come from 26th you also need a little bit of luck. I want to thank my team Dexwet-df1 Racing and my awesome sponsor flexlease.nu. I’m so happy for everyone. It’s going pretty well right now here in the NASCAR Whelen Euro Series.”

Advait Deodhar, driving the No. 31 CAAL Racing Chevrolet SS, came from eighth to second, earning his first NASCAR Whelen Euro Series podium finish. Venturi managed to collect a third-place finish.

“This is technically my second home race as I live in London,” said Deodhar. “CAAL Racing was the third team for me in this season. They are amazing, I’m so happy, I don’t know what to say. It was a crazy race right from the beginning. I am sure the spectators enjoyed it as well. It was a funny race for a driver and it was going crazy until the very last lap.”

Michael Bleekemolen ended up seventh after a strong run in his No. 69 Ford Mustang. It was the first Legend Trophy win for the former Formula One driver. Arianna Casoli won the Lady Trophy.

Last June, the Colorado Eagles paraded around the ice with the Kelly Cup in their hands as ECHL champions. Apparently, they never gave it back.

The Eagles, who left the league to become the American Hockey League affiliate of the Colorado Avalanche after last season, neglected to return the Kelly Cup to the ECHL according to Patrick J. Kelly, commissioner emeritus and the trophy's namesake.

"I don't know if I should say this or not, but Colorado kept the trophy, if you can believe it," said Kelly, speaking on AM 1230 in Toledo this week. "They still have it. This is a new trophy. They won the Cup two years in a row, and their owner just said, 'We're going to keep it.'"

The Kelly Cup has been awarded to the ECHL champion since 1997. The new trophy has the names of previous winners re-etched on it, including those from Colorado.

Eagles owner Martin Lind released a statement on Friday regarding Kelly's claim: "The management of the ECHL has full knowledge of the situation with the Kelly Cup. We have made numerous attempts to return it. They have chosen to ignore our requests, therefore the Kelly Cup remains in Colorado. This is all that will be released regarding this matter."

The ECHL countered that claim in a statement of its own released on Saturday:

"Despite a confirmed plan with Eagles' management to return the Kelly Cup to the ECHL in December 2018, the arrangement was not fulfilled. In reaction to this, the League created a new Kelly Cup, complete with the history of players, coaches, and staff that have earned ECHL Championships over the past 30 years, including the inscription of 'Patrick J. Kelly' on the Cup itself to honor the man that is the trophy's namesake. This Cup represents the fourth Kelly Cup in ECHL history, with the older models enshrined in the Hockey Hall of Fame in Toronto. If the Colorado Eagles do intend to return the Kelly Cup, the ECHL welcomes its return so that it too may be a part of hockey history."

Kelly said he's not aware of any attempts by the ECHL to litigate the matter.

"I've never heard of this in the history of hockey," he concluded.

Game 3 of the Stanley Cup Final is scheduled for Saturday night between the Boston Bruins and the St. Louis Blues at Enterprise Center, with the series tied 1-1. What can we expect when the action shifts to St. Louis? Here's a little primer in today's Stanley Cup Playoffs Daily.

Blues fans have waited 49 years for this. What's that going to be like?

There are two ways to look at the Blues returning home for the franchise's first Stanley Cup Final game since 1970. The first is off the ice. The community is Blues-mad right now, and these players are hearing and seeing and feeling it wherever they go. "It's every day. Neighbors, friends. But we're in our own bubble here. Most of us are going to the rink, going home, getting rest. But the city's going crazy around us," said defenseman Alex Pietrangelo.

Is that motivation, or distraction?

The second is the on-ice question. The atmosphere in the arena is going to be chaotic. The first period at home has always been kind to the Blues, as they average 1.22 goals in the first. But how these emotions will play out through the entirety of Game 3 -- do the highs get too high and the lows get too low? -- is anyone's guess.

"We talked about that a lot. Both rinks, keeping your emotions in check. That's going to be important, and that's going to be great for the city and the fans. We're excited for them, obviously us too, but waiting a long time for that game, and it's going to be exciting," said coach Craig Berube.

Is that motivation, or tension?

Are the Bruins worried about the crowd?

At the very least, Brad Marchand isn't. "Every arena has roughly the same amount of people. So regardless of where you are in the NHL in the playoffs, you expect it to be loud. I expect the same tomorrow. I'm not overly concerned about the fans. I'm more concerned about the game," he said.

That sounds like a challenge...

What do the Blues do with Oskar Sundqvist suspended for Game 3?

The fourth-line center got a one-game suspension from the Department of Player Safety for his hit from behind on Matt Grzelcyk. It was one of those suspensions that probably doesn't happen if he was called for a major penalty during Game 2, but the lack of that call and the injury to Grzelcyk added up to supplemental discipline.

How do the Blues handle his absence? It would appear that center Zach Sanford will draw in for the first time since Game 3 of the first round against Winnipeg. "He hasn't played for a while, since the first round. He's been staying positive, which is a great thing. But he's going to do great for us. Fresh legs. He'll bring some physicality. I'm sure he's excited," said fellow fourth-line forward Ivan Barbashev.

Sanford also grew up a Bruins fan. "It's a little weird playing against your team growing up. I was even talking to my mom. She was at the games in Boston, and she caught herself cheering for the Bruins here and there and had to fix that. It's pretty crazy how things work out like that, but I'm excited, like I said before, and it should be fun," he said.

Are there other changes to the Blues' lineup?

To be fair, Berube didn't confirm Sanford was in, although everyone else did. He left open the possibility that Robert Thomas could return to the lineup after missing Game 2, but that's hard to conceive given how many practices he's missed with lingering injuries.

On defense, Berube said Vince Dunn is "getting close. I don't know if he's an option tomorrow. I'll know that tomorrow." Dunn hasn't played since taking a puck to the face in Game 3 of the Western Conference final, but he did speak to the media for the first time in quite a while on Friday, so he's close.

As it stands, the Blues had a different look on the back end with Game 2 "guaran-pee" goal-scorer Carl Gunnarsson paired with Alex Pietrangelo, while an ineffective Joel Edmundson was dropped to the third pairing with Robert Bortuzzo. Assistant coach Mike Van Ryn has moved these pairings around a bit during the postseason.

"Yeah, it's the way we've been doing it all playoffs. I think Gunny had a great game last game, so might as well toss him up with Petro. When me and [Bortuzzo] were together, we played well, so it doesn't really matter who we're with; it could get switched midgame again. I'm excited to play with [Bortuzzo] again," said Edmundson.

How are the Bruins handling Grzelcyk's absence?

John Moore, who last played in Game 4 against the Carolina Hurricanes, draws in to partner with Connor Clifton, as Grzelcyk didn't make the trip to St. Louis. "I really hoped that Gryz was still here and that I wasn't even talking to you guys," said Moore. "It's terrible to see a teammate go down like that. We can certainly draw inspiration from that. He's such a tough guy, he's been getting the job done all year. For sure it lights a fire under us."

What's up with Patrice Bergeron and Vladimir Tarasenko, who both missed practice on Friday?

Both had "maintenance days," according to their coaches, which is a code word for any number of things.

Have the Blues unveiled their gluttonous food option for the Stanley Cup Final?

The Bruins' culinary team released a bacon cheeseburger sandwiched between two donuts and a bacon-wrapped hot dog covered in cheesesteak for their home games. The Blues have responded with some ridiculous food of their own, including the "big-as-your-head beef ravioli," pictured here, and some blasphemy called the lobster roll melt (chopped lobster, celery, green onions, lemon aioli, gruyere, cheddar, fontina and caramelized onions on a griddled New England roll).

It seems like the Bruins have two primary offensive concerns entering Game 3: the play of their top line, which has been held in check, and their much-heralded power play, which is 2-for-10 in the series after converting at 34 percent for the playoffs. First, what's up with the Bergeron line?

If you want to discount injuries -- and here's saying there probably are injuries to Marchand, Bergeron and David Pastrnak at this point -- then you have to credit the Blues' Colton Parayko and Alex Pietrangelo for playing that well against them, and credit their overall team defense for keeping the line from creating off the rush.

"Like any high-end players in the league, they want to carry the puck over the blue line. The more you can make them put it in and make them work to get it, that taxes them a little bit more than them carrying it in, setting up on their own. I think that's an area, as a group, that we thrive on. It's not just the defensemen, it's back pressure from the forwards. There's more to it than just the defensemen standing up and making them dump it in," said Bortuzzo.

But Cassidy says that ends in Game 3. "I know them well enough now and see how they perform in the playoffs. I know they'll eventually get to their game, and I believe it'll be [in Game 3]," he declared.

And the power play?

Blues center Ryan O'Reilly was asked about how well they've played against the Bruins' power play:

"They have elite personnel out there, but, you know, they work so well together, the way they move the puck, there are so many threats. We have to be on, and we have to be as quick as possible. If we're not working or we get tired, they're going to make us pay. It's paying attention to every little detail from the draw to making sure, if you get a chance to clear it, forcing them to have to go all the way back and having quick changes to stay fresh. It's a very good power play, and we have to stay out of the box. But when we have a chance to kill, make sure we're super-intense."

They have been. The Bruins had eight scoring chances in 9:37 of power play time in Game 1. They had six scoring chances in 7:06 of power play time in Game 2. Compare that to, say, Game 4 of the Carolina series, in which they had two goals and five scoring chances in just 2:25 of power-play time. Again, they're not getting much off of the rush.

"There are so many different ways that they're coming at you, so you're going to play them a bunch of different ways. Limiting entries is the big one for our group. I think we can make them put pucks in and then have them get to set up. That takes time, and sometimes it's frustrating and it's something we build off. Being good at the blue line is big for us," said Bortuzzo.

Finally, the Bruins had Denis Leary as their celebrity hype man for the first two games of this series. Who do the Blues have?

RELEASE THE HAMMMMMMMMM!

It's a day @stlouisblues>#StanleyCup>pic.twitter.com/nT7Y0eoFLV - #StanleyCup on NBC (@NHLonNBCSports) May 31, 2019

Now that's a voiceover.

LONDON -- Chelsea are prepared to grant Maurizio Sarri's request to join Juventus, sources have told ESPN FC.

Sarri is understood to have told director Marina Granovskaia on Friday that he wanted to return to Italy and succeed Massimiliano Allegri, two days after the 4-1 win over Arsenal in the Europa League final -- his first major trophy.

- Miller: Chelsea's season a success, but doesn't feel like one

Sources told ESPN FC that Chelsea would not have been inclined to sack Sarri even if his side had lost in Baku, but were open to letting the head coach leave if he indicated a desire to do so and another club made an official approach to buy him out of his contract.

Sarri signed a two-year deal with an option for a third when he joined Chelsea from Napoli last summer, and compensation in the region of £5 million would be expected.

Chelsea's readiness to lose their coach is in part due to him having proved a divisive figure among fans despite leading the club to third place in the Premier League and two cup finals in his first season in England.

Juventus president Andrea Agnelli was pictured meeting Chelsea chairman Bruce Buck at the team hotel in Baku before the Europa League final, while Granovskaia also travelled to Azerbaijan.

Details of Sarri's move to Juventus remain to be finalised, but Chelsea will step up the search for candidates to succeed him.

Reports in Italy have mentioned Allegri as a potential option, while Chelsea gave Laurent Blanc significant consideration before appointing Sarri.

Frank Lampard is also likely to be considered after his promising first season in management at Derby, where his work developing Chelsea loanees Mason Mount and Fikayo Tomori impressed at Stamford Bridge.

However, the uncertainty surrounding Chelsea's appeal against a two-window transfer ban could hinder their ability to attract high-profile names, while playmaker Eden Hazard is widely expected to move to Real Madrid.