Xodus
7 Continent Challenge Finale Goes The Distance
Peter Nicol MBE
and Tim Garner’s incredible week of playing squash around the world
ended on a high in the US on Saturday when they successfully completed
the Xodus 7 Continent Challenge.
Nicol won the
overall competition 4-3 after outlasting Garner in the seventh and final
match 3-2 (11-6, 8-11, 12-10, 4-11, 11-9) – a contest which,
appropriately enough, went the distance.
A big crowd turned
out at the Chelsea Piers Club in Stamford, Connecticut to celebrate the
end of Nicol and Garner’s whistlestop week of squash matches. The pair
began their journey in the Falkland Islands last Saturday (13th
April) and since then have played matches in Santiago (Chile), Sydney,
Kuala Lumpur, Cairo, London and now the US in a show of support for
squash’s bid for inclusion in the 2020 Olympics. They covered a distance
of 40,000 miles and spent over 70 hours on airplanes along the way.
“We wanted out to
show what a global sport squash is and I think we’ve done that,” said
Nicol, a former World No.1 in squash. “It’s been the most extraordinary
week of our lives and there’s an amazing sense of accomplishment now
that we’ve done it. But we can’t wait to get home and sleep in our own
beds!”
“We’ve had so much
support along the way and that’s really kept us going in the tougher
moments,” said Garner. “We’d especially like to thank everyone at the
clubs we played at and everyone at the Xodus Group. It’s hard to put in
to words how exhausted we are but we’re really elated too. It was a
crazy idea and I can’t quite believe that we’ve actually managed to do
it.
”As
well as highlighting squash’s 2020 Olympic Bid, the Xodus 7 Continent
Challenge is fundraising for two causes: The LV= SOS Kit Aid Scheme
and Natasha's Steps, a trust set up help young squash player
Natasha Drake who is recovering from an idiopathic bleed on her
brain. Click here to donate:
http://www.justgiving.com/7CC
Peter Nicol MBE and Tim Garner’s gruelling round-the-world squash
odyssey touched down on home soil on Friday as the Xodus 7 Continent
Challenge arrived in London for its penultimate stage.
Nicol
and Garner have covered thousands of miles this week and spent more than
60 hours in the air as part of their quest to play seven matches in
seven days on seven continents to promote squash’s bid for inclusion in
the 2020 Olympic Games. After six punishing days of travel and
competition in the Falkland Islands, Santiago, Sydney, Kuala Lumpur and
Cairo, they were made to feel right at home as friends, family and
supporters gathered at the historic Royal Automobile Club in London to
cheer them on.
The
pair can’t afford to rest just yet, though, for they will spend barely
24 hours in London before heading across the Atlantic to New York for
the Challenge finale in Stamford, Connecticut.
“It’s
been great to be here and to see so many friends and family but the work
isn’t done yet,” said Garner, who levelled the match series at 3-3 with
a 3-1 (9-11, 11-8, 11-9, 13-11) win ensuring that there’s all to play
for heading into Saturday’s match at the Chelsea Piers Club. “We’re both
feeling incredibly tired but we know we’re close to the end now. I think
we’re really going to finish on a high.”
As
well as highlighting squash’s 2020 Olympic Bid, the Xodus 7 Continent
Challenge is fundraising for two causes: The LV= SOS Kit Aid Scheme
and Natasha's Steps, a trust set up help young squash player
Natasha Drake who is recovering from an idiopathic bleed on her
brain. Click here to donate:
http://www.justgiving.com/7CC
Nicol Retains Winning Ways
in Cairo to take a 3-2 lead heading into London on the Xodus 7 Continent
Challenge
Peter Nicol MBE
and Tim Garner will find themselves briefly back on home soil on Friday
when the Xodus 7 Continent Challenge comes to London.
The globetrotting pair will play at the historic RAC club in the heart
of the British capital on Friday evening at 6.30pm before crossing the
Atlantic to New York for the final stop of a punishing week of travel.
Nicol and Garner have already played five squash matches this week as
part of a gruelling adventure that has seen them compete in Antartica,
South America, Australia, Asia and Africa.
Thursday's match in Cairo saw former World No.1 Nicol beat Garner 3-1
(11/8 5/11 11/9 12/10) in 51 minutes to edge 3-2 ahead in the series.
Neither man has made a secret of their desire to beat the other but
their bigger goal is to drive support for squash's bid to become part of
the Olympic Games in 2020.
They are also raising money for two sporting charities - Natasha's steps
and LV-Kit Aid.
"It's going to be weird to be home after the week we've had, even if
it's just for a few hours," said Garner. "We're both kind of running on
fumes now but we're keeping each other's spirits up and it will be great
to have our friends and family there in London to cheer us on. The
support we've had around the world has been amazing."
As
well as highlighting squash’s 2020 Olympic Bid, the Xodus 7 Continent
Challenge is fundraising for two causes: The LV= SOS Kit Aid Scheme
and Natasha's Steps, a trust set up help young squash player
Natasha Drake who is recovering from an idiopathic bleed on her
brain. Click here to donate:
http://www.justgiving.com/7CC
Nicol
& Garner Xodus 7 Continent Challenge Now Homeward Bound
With
four locations now behind them, and the pair's on-court challenge
finely-poised at two wins apiece, former world champion Peter Nicol
MBE and fellow former professional Tim Garner are now past the
half-way mark of their remarkable Xodus 7 Continent Challenge -
the bid to contest 7 Squash Matches in 7 Days on 7 Continents
to raise the profile of Squash's campaign to join the programme of the
2020 Olympic Games.
By
Saturday, the Xodus 7 Continent Challenge will have seen the intrepid
English pair travel more than 40,000 miles and spend over 70 hours on
planes over the course of a week that will have been a test of endurance
both mentally and physically.
After
beginning their initiative in Port Stanley on the Falkland Islands near
'Antarctica' on Saturday, the 'squashbuckling' heroes moved onto
the Chile capital Santiago in South America on Sunday, then
crossed the international date line to be in Sydney in Australia
on Tuesday, before arriving in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia, in Asia
today.
In
addition to battling with tight airline schedules, the intense and
demanding schedule has involved a spread of media interviews and
photocalls at all stopovers; clinics and exhibition matches with local
enthusiasts; plus the all-important challenge matches.
Nicol,
the former world number one and winner of four Commonwealth Games
gold medals, took an early lead in Port Stanley, winning the first match
11-9, 11-9, 8-11, 9-11, 12-10 in 65 minutes.
Garner, a former world No26, grabbed revenge in Santiago, winning 12-10,
6-11, 11-9, 8-11, 12-10 in 60 minutes. Despite the arduous ordeal, the
pair continued to fight tooth and nail in Sydney - where underdog Garner
edged ahead, winning 13-15, 11-5, 11-8, 11-9 in 45 minutes.
And it
was back to a marathon clash which went the full distance today on the
new all-glass showcourt at the Bukit Jalil National Squash Centre in KL
where Nicol drew the series level at two-all with an 11-9, 9-11, 11-5,
10-12, 11-8 victory in 49 minutes.
"We
have been delighted by the response to the Xodus 7 Continent Challenge,
not only at the various stage venues but also globally from the social
media messages of support," said Garner, en-route to KL airport. "There
has also been a great deal of interest in what we are trying to achieve,
including SKY News in Australia coming to the airport to meet us off the
plane from Chile!
"Most
of all it has reconfirmed our belief in the sport and the fact that it
will really add something to the Olympics should we be added to the
programme in 2020.
"In
terms of the squash, considering the travel demands I think we have
played to a pretty reasonable standard and the crowds all seem to have
enjoyed it," added the 42-year-old from London. "Two-all is a fair
reflection to-date with each of us having moments of strength and
tiredness, so it's difficult to predict an eventual winner - but if I
have to, I am going to back myself!
"PS -
Peter is backing himself!" concluded Garner.
World Squash Federation
CEO Andrew Shelley is delighted with the campaign: "This has been
a wonderful initiative which has really grabbed general interest and
given our 2020 Olympic Games 'Vote4Squash' campaign a significant lift.
We are indebted to our tireless ambassadors Peter and Tim and to their
sponsors Xodus who made it possible.
"The
Challenge emphasises the truly global status of our sport and hope it
will given even more realisation to the dream of those squash players
who hope to be competing in the Olympic Games for the first time in
2020."
As
well as profiling the Olympic Bid, the Xodus 7 Continent Challenge will
be raising monies for two squash causes: The first is to support
Squash's inclusion in the LV= SOS Kit Aid Scheme, and the second
Natasha's Steps, a trust set up help young squash player
Natasha Drake who is recovering from an idiopathic bleed on her
brain.
Nicol
and Garner are now flying to the Egyptian capital Cairo for the next leg
in Africa, from where they head home to Europe on Friday
for the penultimate stopover in London - before bringing the
extravaganza to a climax in New York in North America on
Saturday.
As
well as highlighting squash’s 2020 Olympic Bid, the Xodus 7 Continent
Challenge is fundraising for two causes: The LV= SOS Kit Aid Scheme
and Natasha's Steps, a trust set up help young squash player
Natasha Drake who is recovering from an idiopathic bleed on her
brain. Click here to donate:
http://www.justgiving.com/7CC
A
Speedy Stay In Sydney And It’s Onto Malaysia For The Xodus 7 Continent
Challenge
Peter Nicol MBE and Tim Garner’s bid to complete seven squash matches
on seven continents in seven days as part of the Xodus 7 Continent
Challenge hit breakneck pace on Tuesday. The pair spent just 13 hours on
Australian soil, fitting in a match at Sydney’s Willoughby Club on the
Australian leg of their journey before heading to Kuala Lumpur to
continue their quest.
A
technical problem with their connecting flight from Santiago, Chile
stranded the pair in Auckland and cut down the time in Sydney, which
created yet more pressure on their already impossibly tight schedule. “I
think the lady at immigration was amused to be dealing with a couple of
mad squash players that were only going to be in the country for the
day!,” said Garner.
Somehow the pair fitted in a series of media interviews to promote
squash’s bid to become part of the 2020 Olympic Games as well as playing
in front of an enthusiastic crowd of well-wishers at the Willoughby
Club. Garner won match three of the series 3-1 (13/15 11/5 11/8 11/9) 45
Minutes and now leads the squash competition 2-1, with four matches to
come in Kuala Lumpur, Cairo, London and New York.
“Kuala
Lumpur is a fantastic city and Malaysia is a such a proud squash nation,
having produced incredible players like (current women’s No.1) Nicol
David, so we’re delighted to be able to play there,” Nicol.
After
a relatively short 8-hour flight to KL, Nicol and Garner will play at
the National Sports Complex in Kuala Lumpur at 7pm local time on
Wednesday. From there they will head to Cairo before briefly touching
down at home in London en route to the final stop at Chelsea Piers in
Connecticut, USA. Since Saturday they have completed matches in the
Falkands, Chile and Australia.
As
well as highlighting squash’s 2020 Olympic Bid, the Xodus 7 Continent
Challenge is fundraising for two causes: The LV= SOS Kit Aid Scheme
and Natasha's Steps, a trust set up help young squash player
Natasha Drake who is recovering from an idiopathic bleed on her
brain. Click here to donate:
http://www.justgiving.com/7CC
Santiago to Sydney - Xodus 7 Continent Challenge Enters Toughest Stage
The
Xodus 7 Continent Challenge enters its most gruelling stretch today as
squash players Peter Nicol MBE and Tim Garner begin an 19-hour trip from
Santiago, Chile to Sydney, Australia as part of their quest to complete
seven matches in seven days on seven continents.
The Challenge is a show of support for squash’s bid to be included in
the 2020 Olympic Games and began with the first match in the Falkland
Islands on Saturday before the pair continued onto Santiago. Garner
levelled the seven-match series 1-1 with a 3-2
(12/10 6/11 11/9 8/11 12/10) victory in 60 Minutes in Chile on Sunday
evening after Nicol won the opener in the Falklands.
The
pair is due to play their third match at the Willoughby Squash Club in
Sydney at 4pm local time on Tuesday (16th) before they head to Kuala
Lumpur for the Asian leg. From there it will be on to Cairo and then
London before they complete the Challenge in New York on Saturday.
“We
had a lot of people turn out to watch us in Santiago and to see that
enthusiasm for squash was fantastic. It definitely staved off the
tiredness for a bit,” said Garner after the match. “I always knew that
the South American stage was going to great and I wasn’t disappointed.
We’re very excited about Sydney now. The city hosted one of the greatest
Olympic Games ever and Australians love sport so much. It’s the perfect
place for us to play.”
As
well as highlighting squash’s 2020 Olympic Bid, the Xodus 7 Continent
Challenge is fundraising for two causes: The LV= SOS Kit Aid Scheme
and Natasha's Steps, a trust set up help young squash player
Natasha Drake who is recovering from an idiopathic bleed on her brain. http://www.justgiving.com/7CC
Falklands
Stage Hands 1-0 Lead To Peter Nicol MBE In The Xodus 7 Continent
Challenge
Former World.No.1 Peter Nicol MBE got off to a flying start in the Xodus
7 Continent Challenge thanks to a3-2
(11/9, 11/9
8/11 9/11 12/10) 65 Minutes win
over travelling partner Tim Garner. Whilst the competition may have got
of to a flying start the journey around seven continents had a more
faltering opening with the 19 hour journey to the Falkland Islands
becoming a 40 hour marathon due to a delay in the Ascension Islands.
Bad weather caused the flight to be delayed by nine hours, not an ideal
situation when trying to cover seven continents in seven days.
Tim,
however was pleasantly surprised by the conditions en route:
“Having started off with visions of flying down to the Falklands on a
Hercules waving to Peter across a space occupied by an armoured vehicle
or tank, the Airbus 330 was a pleasant surprise one with the icing on
the cake in the delivery of personal iPads for in-flight entertainment.”
The
Falkland Islanders have embraced the Challenge with Peter and Tim
invited to tea at Governors House with the Governor, Nigel Haywood a
keen marathon runner himself and all-round sports enthusiast. The
Governor expressed an interest in using the visit to help rejuvenate
squash on the Islands.
The
match, the first stage in the series of seven, played in Port Stanley at
11am (GMT-4) was a close fought affair with Nicol edging the first two
sets 11/9 11/9. However the former World No.1 was unable to maintain the
momentum to wrap up 3-0 and allowed Garner to level at 2-2. The fifth
set couldn't have been closer but Nicol prevailed 12-10 to take a 1-0
lead in the challenge before heading off to Santiago, Chile for stage 2.
As
well as highlighting squash’s 2020 Olympic Bid, the Xodus 7 Continent
Challenge is fundraising for two causes: TheLV=
SOS Kit Aid SchemeandNatasha's
Steps, a trust set up help young squash player Natasha Drake who is
recovering from an idiopathic bleed on her brain. http://www.justgiving.com/7CC