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21-Mar: CWC COUNTDOWN: SQUASH AMPHITHEATRE TAKES SHAPE ... Alan Thatcher reports from Canary Wharf With less than two days to go to the start of the Canary Wharf Squash Classic, the East Wintergarden venue is a hive of activity. Sunday strollers at Canary Wharf stopped and watched in amazement as a Perspex court took shape before their eyes and the courtside seating was erected. Under the watchful eye of co-promoter Tim Garner, the Thunderdome court arrived from Belgium and the crew began unloading the crates carrying the Perspex panels. It was a far from easy process as gale-force winds battered the area and made safe handling the order of the day. Once the scaffold trolleys were erected, Peter de Peuter and his team began building the court in the middle of the East Wintergarden's marble floor. The front wall is positioned close to the external windows so that passers-by can look in and catch a free glimpse of the action taking place on court. Around 500 seats were installed on Sunday afternoon, with more room for viewing upstairs on the mezzanine level for sponsors, guests and corporate hospitality clients. The East Wintergarden is fully equipped with a modern stage lighting system so we are looking forward to some exciting special effects once play gets under way on Tuesday, with inter-match and presentation music mixed by our very own Peter Nicol. The one good thing about his second round departure from the Bermuda Open was that it gave Peter time to fly home early and burn some favourite tracks on to CDs. Monday will be rehearsal day, and also the day when the exhibition stands are brought in under the direction of Peter Monkhouse of the popular Squashdiscount company. Final dressing of the East Wintergarden takes place on Tuesday and the players will come in for their first practice hits to get a feel of the court and the venue. All of the guys have just flown back from Bermuda, and some are still in mid-air as I write, so they will naturally have to get used to a cooler climate. However, players and spectators will be warm and comfortable inside the East Wintergarden. The first serious action takes place on Tuesday lunchtime, with opening match in the Canary Wharf Corporate Challenge between Trinity Mirror and Waitrose. The Wharf, the free newspaper distributed at Canary Wharf, is part of the Trinity Mirror group and their support of the event has been absolutely fantastic. Editor Dan Bourke and his team have been a pleasure to work with and this week we were delighted when they dedicated the entire centre spread to the event, as well as a large graphic on the front page, their weekly countdown article on the back page, and a further story and picture inside on the Corporate Classic. Reporter Alan Lodge got a taste of squash on the inflatable court inside the Jubilee Place shopping mall last week and we are looking forward to his first lesson on the Perspex in a couple of days' time. With Angus Kirkland, the third member of the Eventis Sports Marketing team along with Tim and Peter, pulling the strings from back home in Dublin, the four of us hope we have left nothing to chance when the curtain goes up on Tuesday with the opening match between David Palmer and top seed John White. The last time they played on The Thunderdome court was in the 2002 World Open final in Antwerp, when Whitey went for a big nick on match ball, and just failed to get it. Palmer hit back to win an epic match 3-2 and cemented his place as one of the greats of the modern era. Whitey, after a spell spent licking his wounds early last year, has finally made it to the world number one slot, so you could hardly ask for a more exciting and entertaining match to launch the tournament. Palmer, of course, will be in a hurry to finish matters as he will also be in action in Birmingham on the same evening, playing for Edgbaston Priory in the National League semi-final play-off against Broxbourne. With this in mind, we are anxious to start actual play promptly at 6pm, so the presentation and knock up will begin six minutes earlier. Therefore our advice to all spectators is simple: Get there early!
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