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06/06/2004
Meads prepares Hong Kong Team
Former British Champion Stephen Meads has been helping Hong Kong's men's team prepare for the upcoming Asian Championships ...
meads in hong kong
Meads prepares Hong Kong team for
Asian Championships
Former British Champion Stephen Meads
has just completed his second two-week stint with the Hong Kong Men's
team as they prepare for theis month's Asian Squash Championships, and
is convinced they can do well in Malaysia from 19-26 June.
 "They are ready
for it and they have prepared for it. It's really down to them. The
Hong Kong team have been preparing for this the right way. There's no
reason why they can't do well," Meads told the South China Morning Post.
Hong Kong's men's were the highest placed Asian team, at eighth, in
last year's World Team Championships in Vienna, and are looking to
improve on their third place in the last Asian Championships in 2002.
"It just shows if they are prepared to work at the Hong Kong Sports
Institute, the results will come," said Meads.
The Hong Kong men's team comprises Vincent Cheung, Roger Ngan, Wong
Wai-hang and veteran pro Faheem Khan. Dick Lau Siu-wai will play in the
individual tournament, but Hong Kong's best chance of a men's medal is
in the team competition.
 Rebecca Chiu, the reigning Asian
Games champion, is Hong Kong's brightest gold medal prospect, however.
While Meads has been helping the men, reigning world champion Carol Owens also lent her vast
experience by training the women's team for four weeks in readiness for
the championships.
"I also spent two weeks in February and I have seen definite
improvement in the team," said Meads, who spent 15 years in the world's
top 30 in a 17-year career. "My role is to give them different ideas
and to help them lift themselves to a good enough standard for the
championships. I can play them, train them and push them.
"Everybody has their own style of play. I encourage them and try to
give them tips on the small areas of the game. The best form of
training is playing. That's what you do at the end of the day. I like
the setup here in Hong Kong," Meads said. "Everybody seems to be
working together and nobody is pulling rank. They are all working
together on a common goal, which is trying to improve squash."
Meads said he was most impressed by Lau. "Dick can be the first Hong
Kong player to reach the top. Potentially, he is good enough to be in
the world's top 10. Obviously, he will have to work on it," said Meads.
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