PSA to Trial Reduced Warm-Up Times at World Series
Finals
The Professional Squash Association (PSA) have announced that a
reduction in the amount of time that players have to warm-up the
ball up on court at the start of matches will be trialled at the
upcoming PSA Dubai World Series Finals, while there will be an
increase in the time given to players between games.
Taking place in Dubai Opera between June 6-10, the World Series
Finals will see the warm-up period reduced from five minutes to
three minutes after which point players will be given 90 seconds in
which to prepare for the start of play.
Meanwhile, the time allowed between games has been increased from
two minutes to two minutes and 30 seconds at which point play must
begin immediately. A countdown clock will be visible for both
players and spectators in addition to announcements from the referee
to inform players as to how much time they have left.
Players not in a position to either serve or return a serve after
the interval is up will receive a time violation, with the potential
of penalty points being awarded against them for further time
violations.
"Squash is a vibrant and dynamic sport and we feel that altering the
time taken during the warm-up period and game intervals will improve
the flow of the matches for spectators and TV audiences," said PSA
Chief Operating Officer Lee Beachill.
"We believe that this trial period will be an important step into
further increasing the sport’s visual appeal and look forward to
witnessing the effects of the trial during what promises to be a
world-class week of squash in Dubai."
