Barrington & Zaman To Contest COAS Final

Pakistan's Shahid Zaman and England's Joey Barrington will meet in an unexpected final of the COAS International in Pakistan after contrasting upsets in the semi-finals in Islamabad.

Remarkably, it took just 12 minutes for Joey Barrington, the sixth seed, to crush fourth-seeded Pakistani Mansoor Zaman 11-2 11-9 11-5 to reach the seventh PSA Tour final of his career. It was a lacklustre performance by the local left-hander who later complained of a knee problem.

Certainly the match did little to evoke memories of the titanic battles both players' fathers - former British Open champions Jonah Barrington and Qamar Zaman - enjoyed in the seventies.

The other semi-final also saw a Pakistan/England upset - but this time local hero Shahid Zaman, the third seed, came through in five games against top seed and defending champion Adrian Grant.

In a repeat of last year's final, Shahid fought back from 1/2 down to beat Grant, the world No15 from London, 11-8 4-11 9-11 11-7 11-5 in 59 minutes.

Shahid, the world No20 from Quetta and a cousin of the defeated Mansoor, is looking for his second PSA title this year - after winning the Virginia Professional Championship in January - and is appearing in his eighth final.

Semi-finals:
[3] Shahid Zaman (PAK) bt [1] Adrian Grant (ENG) 11-8, 4-11, 9-11, 11-7, 11-5 (59m)
[6] Joey Barrington (ENG) bt [4] Mansoor Zaman (PAK) 11-2, 11-9, 11-5 (12m)