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 2005: Fri 25th Jan

Willstrop To Make Super Series Finals Debut
Squash Media Release

Pontefract’s James Willstrop will make his Brit Insurance Super Series Finals debut at the Broadgate Arena in May after enjoying the best year of his professional career to date in 2004 - finishing an impressive fifth place in the final PSA Super Series Tour standings.
 
The former world junior champion, now a career-high no.5 in the Dunlop PSA world rankings, will join seven of the world’s current top ten players to contest one of the sport’s most coveted titles in the city of London from 9th – 13th May.
 
Coached by his father, Malcolm, Willstrop made a major impact on the PSA tour in 2004, rounding off the year in some style with his first Super Series title.  Just a week after reaching the quarter-finals of the World Open in December, the 21-year-old went on to defeat Australia’s Anthony Ricketts in the final of the Pakistan Open in Islamabad, a result that saw him take a dramatic leap up the final PSA Super Series Tour standings. Of the 12 PSA events he played in 2004, Willstrop never once failed to at least match his seeding. Indeed he fared better than his tournament seeding on no less than six of those occasions.
 
Willstrop is one three Yorkshiremen and a record equalling four Englishmen to have qualified for this year’s Brit Insurance Super Series Finals.  Joining him will be Pontefract’s Lee Beachill – who occupied the world no.1 spot for the first time from October to December last year, Sheffield’s 24-year-old Nick Matthew who made an impressive debut at last year’s Finals, and the three-time Champion and current world no.3, Peter Nicol.  Not since 1996 have as many as four English players qualified for the event.
 
Heading the 2005 line-up will be defending champion Thierry Lincou, the reigning world champion and world no.1, who comfortably qualified in top place despite playing in only three of the four qualifying tournaments in ‘04.  Lincou will be one of a record four former champions to contest the 2005 title. Also looking to add to their previous triumphs will be Australia’s David Palmer, the 2002 winner, Canada’s world no.4 Jonathon Power, who lifted the trophy in 2003, and Nicol, who will be bidding for a record 4th title at the event.  Egypt’s Amr Shabana, the 2003 World Champion, completes the eight-strong field.
 
The $80,000 Brit Insurance Super Series Finals is contested by the top eight performing players from the PSA Super Series Tour.  The qualifying events for this year’s Finals were: The 2004 PSA Masters, The 2004 Cathay Pacific Hong Kong Open, The 2004 Qatar World Open and the 2004 Pakistan Open.
 
Promoted once again by Satinder Bajwa of CSS and London-based Sports Marketing Consultancy, WSM, the 2005 tournament will be staged for the seventh consecutive year in a specially constructed all-glass court at the Broadgate Arena in the heart of London’s financial district.

Willstrop to make his first Super Series Finals in 2005!