11th June

DOUBLES ON TV: THE WAITE IS OVER

Hats off to Gary Waite for his incredible efforts to promote doubles squash and take it to a new level in North America.

The Toronto Globe and Mail recently published one of the longest newspaper articles I have ever seen on the game and featured Waite's courageous $25,000 investment into a scheme to televise doubles and develop a new glass court especially for the four-player version of our sport.

The article covers Waite's televised exhibition match, dubbed Tango in Toronto, in which he partnered Ben Gould against Viktor Berg and Damien Mudge before a packed gallery at the Badminton and Racquet Club of Toronto.

The TV production company hired by Waite placed an overhead camera in the ceiling to track the movement of the players below and further cameras were placed along the front wall in unbreakable Perspex boxes, a wise precaution given the potential for damage when a hardball doubles ball is struck at maximum power.

Waite is a true evangelist for doubles, and, as well as canvassing for more courts, he is encouraging younger players to take up the game in contrast to the general perception of doubles being the equivalent of bowls or golf: something you do when you wit playing singles!

The full-sized American hardball doubles courts are 45 feet long, half as much again as a traditional singles court, so you can imagine the fitness required to cover both front and back areas of the court in matches that frequently last two hours or more.

In this case, Waite and Gould lost to Mudge and Berg in a match lasting two hours and 40 minutes. The skill of Waite's production partners will be in editing the highlights to fill a 50-minute TV slot.

Unlike the form of doubles played in the Commonwealth Games, on a court which is marginally bigger than a singles court, the big hardball doubles court produces a totally different style of squash altogether, with far more opportunities for outrageous shot-making.

During the recent Derek Sword Trophy match at Edinburgh Sports Club, it was a pleasure to engage with our American visitors on the doubles court. Edinburgh has the only full-sized hardball doubles court in Europe, and I am keen to develop some new tournaments up there in partnership with ESC to make full use of this amazing facility.

Pat Canavan, Head Pro at New York Athletic Club, is a big doubles fan and as we shared a beer or two on the Edinburgh gallery he spoke in absolute awe of the transition from singles to doubles (and rock star) undertaken by Paul Price, the Aussie who was runner-up to David Evans in the 2000 British Open.

Pat said: "Price hits shots you simply wouldn't believe. He is one of the guys taking the sport to a new level for spectators." 

I must admit I'm a fully paid-up convert to Gary Waite's ideas. I absolutely adore hardball doubles and would love to get some new events going. It's just a shame that the guy who runs the ISDA pro tour in North America did not have the courtesy to respond to my emails when I wrote to suggest bringing over some of the top American players for an International Challenge in Edinburgh. The idea is still coming together, but I guess I'd stand more chance of a reply if I wrote to Mr Waite.

Source: The Globe and Mail

Website link: http://www.theglobeandmail.com/multimedia/the-sweet-thwock-of-success/article1160377/

GET WELL SOON, LINDA

Best wishes to popular referee Linda Davie, who is in hospital waiting for an operation. She had been planning to join us at The Mote Classic this weekend but an appointment with the surgeon obviously takes priority! I look forward to buying her a haggis lunch as soon as she is up and about again.
 

4th June
FINAL FURLONG FOR WSF 2016 BID TEAM

Good luck to Scott Garrett and his WSF Olympic Bid Team as they prepare for their final presentation to the IOC in Lausanne next week.

Each of the seven sports bidding for a place in the 2016 Olympic Games has just half an hour in front of the IOC panel.

Squash's presentation will include a new film recently commissioned by Garrett, and his team will include women's world champion Nicol David and a number of Squash 2016 ambassadors.

The new IOC election process for new sports means that in August their Executive Board will announce two candidates to go forward to the final vote in Copenhagen in October, when they will face a straight Yes or No verdict.

The success of the recent Squash 2016 Day programme raised the profile of the sport all over the planet and may well have helped to generate extra votes in our favour.

Anyone looking in from outside cannot have failed to notice the global spread of the events, and how most activities were geared towards juniors, who may well be at the peak of their careers in 2016 and, hopefully, bidding for an Olympic medal.

MOTE CLASSIC ATTRACTS AN INTERNATIONAL DRAW

A new tournament emerges this week with the launch of The Mote Classic Pro-Am at my home club, The Mote Squash Club in Maidstone, the county town of Kent.

Sixteen locals play off in a qualifying round on Thursday night with the eight winners gaining the opportunity to tackle eight professionals in Friday's first round.

Kent county coach Ben Ford, the No.4 seed, will be assured of local support as he bids for success in the inaugural tournament. The top two seeds are Chris Ryder (Herts) and Australia's Aaron Frankcomb, ranked 36 and 42 respectively in the latest PSA world rankings.

Third seed is Malaysia's Mohamed Nafizwan Adnan, followed by Ford, Scottish No.1 Alan Clyne, Adnan's brother Nafzahizan, and rising Derbyshire star Joel Hinds and Cambridgeshire's shotmaker extraordinaire Galen Le Cheminant.

Qualifiers who are hoping to impress include Ireland's Rob Staunton, Kent county player Neil Baker (from Sittingbourne) and the immensely promising 13-year-old James Evans, who is now playing for the host club's first team. Evans will be playing fellow Kent youngster Elliot Knight in a Junior Challenge ahead of Sunday's final.

This is the final tournament in a busy season at The Mote, which has hosted the Kent County Closed, the four-tournament Kent Grand Prix Series and a sell-out Prince Roadshow featuring Peter Nicol and Tim Garner.

The tournament is sponsored by Harrow rackets and Britain's oldest brewery, the Faversham-based Shepherd Neame.

The event will feature coaching clinics for women and juniors and we are delighted to have attracted such a quality draw in our first year.

Our ambition is to develop the tournament into an annual ranking event but at the same time we are determined to promote grass-roots squash and give local players the opportunity to rub shoulders with the leading professionals.

Tournament schedule

Thursday: Qualifying competition (6pm)
Friday: First round (6pm)
Saturday: Quarter-finals (11am and 12 noon) and semi-finals (5pm and
6pm) plus Plate competition, doubles and tournament party.
Sunday: Doubles semi-finals and final, Plate Final, Junior Challenge and Main Final.
 

28th May

IRAN AND USA JOIN FORCES TO BACK THE BID 

Iran and the USA joined forces last week. The two nations came to the fore in a red-letter day for squash. Both countries created high-profile events for Squash 2016 Day during a worldwide festival to promote the sport’s efforts to win a place in the 2016 Olympic Games.

And, what an amazing day it turned out to be, with hundreds of events all over the globe helping to raise the profile of the sport.

 From Bollywood to Hollywood, from Soweto to San Francisco, from China to Chile, from Auckland to Amsterdam, Squash 2016 Day recorded a resounding rallying cry for the Olympic Bid.

Several key messages were obvious to any onlooker from the IOC. First, the images that emerged from all over the world proved that squash is a truly global sport. And, equally important, was the message that we as a sporting family are totally united in our passion to see squash become an Olympic sport. 

TEHRAN AND TERAN MAKE HEADLINES

Probably the best-attended event in our global programme was in Tehran, where the Iran Squash Federation invited 600 guests to their Squash Day Conference.

Visitors included Dr Ali Abadi, President of the International Olympic Committee of Iran.

Olympic ambassadors Samantha Teran and Siyoli Lusaseni were busy both on and of court. Samantha led a host of events at different clubs all over Mexico City and then invited everyone back to her family’s nightclub to party away to the small hours.

In Cape Town, South Africa, Villager Squash Club hosted a "Last Man Standing" Tournament. It turned out that the tournament should have been titled "Last Person Standing" since a woman, Siyoli, was crowned the Champion after five hours of squash and 24 games with different opponents. 

BATTLE OF THE BORDER 

The event with biggest number of participants was held at the Apawamis Club in Rye, New York, where squash legends Jonathon Power, David Palmer and John White took part in a 100-a-side Battle Of The Border fixture, joined by US number ones Julian Illingworth and Natalie Grainger.

They were joined by fellow pros from around the world including David Palmer, Bernardo Samper, Rafael Alarcon, Raj Nanda, Chris Walker, John Russell, Ryan Cuskelly, Mike Ferreira, Stuart Crawford, Mark Price, Phil Barker, Peter Briggs, Suzie Pierrepont, Kasey Brown, Lisa Camillieri and Narelle Krizek.

World No.2 Grainger, a Squash 2016 Ambassador, said: "It was fantastic to see so many leading players supporting the event and more than 500 people came through the club's doors on the day. The event raised money for the bid, showcased squash in the most positive way and helped to raise the profile of the sport."

HONG KONG CONFERENCE 

I spotted Aussie legends Geoff Hunt and Sarah Fitzgerald in the front row of the group picture taken at the start of the Ninth World Squash Coaching and Development Conference in Hong Kong.

Guests included the Hon. Timothy Fok, IOC Member and President of the Sports Federation and Olympic Committee of Hong Kong, China, who delivered a very encouraging speech to all the participants of the conference in support of World Squash Day (Squash for 2016).

Mr. Gerald DeCourcy, Vice-President of the World Squash Federation and Mr. David Mui, Chairman of Hong Kong Squash accompanied Mr. Fok in a group photo with all the participants from around the world.

IMAGES WITH IMPACT 

As well as a series of open days to showcase the sport and attract new participants, squash lovers took to the streets the world over to honour our request to create a collection of photographic images at some of the world’s most iconic locations.

Pictures were uploaded showing enthusiasts waving their Squash For 2016 banners outside the Taj Mahal, Sydney Opera House, Table Mountain, the Petronas Towers in Kuala Lumpur, Millennium Park in Chicago, the Angel of Independence in Mexico City, a Japanese castle, plus a variety of London landmarks. 

SUN, SAND AND SQUASH

My favourite set of pictures came from the West Coast of the USA, where a group of youngsters from Surf City Squash, an urban youth programme in San Diego, took to the beach.

The students designed a giant squash racket, Olympic rings, and a ball in the sand on the beach providing the many beachgoers an opportunity to learn about the sport and the effort to make it an Olympic sport.

ROCK AND SAMBA

The day began with Kiwi rock star Phil Buscke of The Datsuns performing a bungee jump live on TV – not once, but twice (!) - off Auckland Harbour Bridge, and then heading for the squash courts for a live TV link alongside Shelley Kitchen and Dame Susan Devoy.

Another mega music star to join the fun was Brazilian Daniela Mercury, who joined the carnival atmosphere at Squash Day in Sao Paulo.

ALL ABOARD THE LONDON BUS

Another pair of musicians, more renowned for their involvement in squash, climbed aboard a red London bus to join a group of squash fans on a tour of the city, stopping off to take pictures at the Tower of London, Tower Bridge, St Paul’s Cathedral, the London Eye, the Houses of Parliament and Buckingham Palace. We knocked and asked if we could pop in for a game on the palace court, but the very understanding footman was having none of it, despite our explanation that Prince Philip was Patron of England Squash and wouldn’t mind us setting up an impromptu round-robin.

Who were our mystery musicians, I hear you ask? None other than Danny Lee, who plays in a band alongside producing his famed St George’s Hill Academy, and World Squash Media Director Howard Harding, who plays trumpet in a jazz band. Another passenger on the bus has written a musical and is about to start rehearsals, but has asked to remain anonymous until the project’s media launch!

MAGIC IN MALAYSIA

The Malaysians outdid the Londoners with a 16-vehicle motorcade, supported by four police outriders, making its way to seven iconic buildings in Kuala Lumpur (including the Parliament House, National Museum, Sultan Samad Building, City Hall, Royal Selangor Club, KL Tower and Petronas Twin Towers) where group photographs were taken.

The day rounded off in sensational style with a press conference at which CIMB Investment Bank announced a 4 Million Malaysian Ringgit sponsorship deal with the Squash Racquets Association of Malaysia to extend the current agreement by a further two years.

"Never in the history of squash in Malaysia had we witnessed the entire squash fraternity nationwide coming together to support a worthy cause,"

commented K. Sivanesen, Hon. Secretary of SRA Malaysia. "All through the length and breadth of the country, Squash For 2016 Day was a day of squash festivities, fun and joy."

Malaysia’s world champion Nicol David hosted a special day at her Amsterdam training base, along with fellow pros Annelize Naude and Aisling Blake. She then joined a video link back home to her Squash Stars friends in Penang, where an auction of her favourite rackts and clothing raised a tidy sum towards the Olympic Bid Fund.

TOKYO TAKES TO SQUASH

The Japanese Squash Federation did a great job arranging an extensive programme throughout the country, including a major media conference in Tokyo, which is bidding to be one of the host cities for the 2016 Olympics.

MARATHON MANIA IN CHILE AND IRELAND

By the far most exhausted supporters of Squash 2016 day were those hardy individuals at the Lenadura Club in Punta Arenas, Chile, and like-minded gluttons for punishment at the Thurles Squash Club in Tipperary, Ireland, led by club No.1 Anthony Maher, who played 24-hour squash marathons.

KEEP THE MOMENTUM GOING

I have now run out of time and space to mention every event that took place. Well done to everybody for supporting the events and especially those who organised them.

The day generated enormous publicity, much of it in the all-important Olympic media segment, which was always one of our main targets.

We know that our efforts were noticed by several prominent individuals within the IOC, who cannot fail to have absorbed two key messages, namely that squash is a truly global sport and that our leading players have a burning desire to part of the Olympics.

With that kind of commitment to the cause, squash absolutely deserves a place in the Games.

Now we must hope that the energy and passion so evidently on display last week helps to build the momentum as the bid process draws to a climax.

To see all the Squash 2016 Day action, images and TV clips, please log on to:

www.worldsquashday.com

It will make you proud.

For information on the World Squash Federation Olympic bid, please go to: www.squash2016.info

14th May
JUMP START FOR DATSUNS STAR TO LAUNCH SQUASH FOR 2016 DAY

Awesome news arrives from New Zealand, where The Datsuns guitarist Phil Buscke is doing a bungee jump off Auckland Harbour Bridge (live on TV) to launch Squash For 2016 Day in style on May 23.

Phil Buscke, a guitarist with New Zealand hard rock band The Datsuns, will be dressed in his Squash For 2016 T-shirt as he does a bungee jump from Auckland Harbour Bridge.

Buscke, who used to play A grade squash in New Zealand and was a member of the Kiwis' high performance squad before The Datsuns gained international fame, says he is determined to help raise the profile of the game in its crucial build-up to the Olympic voting process.

Phil said: "I've been asked to do a lot of things by Squash New Zealand in the past, but I never thought they'd ask me to jump off a bridge."

On the Olympic bid, he added: "All I can say is, if I'm throwing myself off a bridge, squash had better bloody well get in!"

On splitting his time between recording and touring with The Datsuns and playing squash, he said: "I don't get much time to play when I'm overseas, but I'm planning to spend a bit more time at home in future and would like to do a bit of coaching."

SQUASHING ALL OVER THE WORLD

Squash 2016 Day on May 23 is a fun-filled worldwide festival of activities to promote the Olympic bid and attract new participants to the sport. Major events are taking place all over the globe with special focus on the four cities bidding to host the 2016 Games, namely Chicago, Madrid, Rio and Tokyo.

NICOL DAVID GETS INVOLVED AND ELAINE TAN PLANS ANOTHER JUMP

In Malaysia, women's world number one Nicol David will be involved in a Squash Open Day at the International Squash Centre in her home town of Penang in a collaboration between Squash Rackets Association of Malaysia and Squash Stars. Nicol will be auctioning off itemsof clothing and equipment she wore and used on her way to to 50 WISPA titles - and event organiser Elaine Tan writes to say she is holding a competition on Facebook to come up with the cleverest idea of how to celebrate if squash wins one of the two coveted places in the 2016 Olympics. Elaine herself has written: "If squash is voted in to the 2016 Olympics, I pledge to jump off the tallest building in my country (the Petronas Towers)." That effort will take some beating!

LEGENDS LEND A HAND

In the USA, squash legends Jonathon Power and John White will be appearing in the 100-a-side Battle Of The Border match at the Apawamis Club in Connecticut. Also there will be women's world No2 Natalie Grainger, fresh from her appearance in the final of the Cayman Islands Open.

Squash will also be getting the Hollywood treatment in Los Angeles, where the local squash community are planning a massive day of activities.

BUSY DAY IN THE USA
Jack Farley writes:

There are also many… MANY more events being planned across the states in Los Angeles, Seattle, St. Louis, Chicago, Dallas, Atlanta, Boston, and New York City… to name just a few geographically scattered across the 3,000-mile span here stateside. All our Urban city youth groups, our colleges and high schools, our public and private clubs and every US Squash member is focused on making a memorable contribution to the worldwide event… Olympic squash in 2016 being the ultimate goal!!

All will have T-shirt adorned mobs with rackets in hand saluting Squash

2016 Day… with pictures galore posted on www.worldsquashday.com

Los Angeles: Banners in front of Hollywood sign and Universal Studios Stefan Casteleyn, former world No.7 PSA player and 14-time Belgian National Champion, now the Head Squash Professional at the prestigious Los Angeles Athletic Club, is planning a FREE full-day of squash activities in support of SQUASH FOR 2016, which includes a one day "wooden racket" tournament, a refereeing seminar and professional squash exhibitions.

NEW YORK:

New York: Squash 2016 Day gala to be held at the brand new facility in Rye, NY (five glass wall singles and two doubles courts).

CitySquash is thrilled to participate in the festivities of World Squash Day. That weekend, CitySquash will have its Bronx students playing at locations all around the NY area, including StreetSquash, Rye Country Day School, Hackley School and Fordham University.

StreetSquash in New York City will be hosting a middle school squash tourney for Urban Programs at their new 8 court facility. We plan to have press cover this event and have a potential US Congress member be the chief guest. Every kid will be given a Squash for 2016 T-Shirt.

Thank You for the shirts we just received them today.

GET A LIFE, PLAY SQUASH!

The Life Time Fitness Group will be supporting World Squash Day, with events at all 23 clubs in the group.

They say: "We will open our doors in 23 centers across the US to members and non-members at 11am and hosting games of skill that players of all ages and skill can enjoy. We will have a World Squash Day register that all will sign in on that will be sent to US Squash for inclusion in the road to the 2016 Olympics."

Go to www.lifetimefitness.com to see all of the participating centers.

SUPPORT FROM ENGLAND SQUASH

England Squash are supporting the Bid in solid style, and Paul Lynch and his marketing team have created a superb Squash 2016 Day Tool Kit and Media Pack to help any club who wishes to stage an event.

As the crucial Olympic voting process draws near, why miss out on this amazing opportunity to do something special to support the bid and show your passion for our brilliant game at a time when your support is needed most?

BIG DAY OUT IN LONDON

Squash fans will be taking to the streets in a number of cities, including London, to wave Squash For 2016 Day banners in front of iconic buildings such as the Tower of London, the Houses of Parliament and Buckingham Palace.

With similar activities taking place at key locations all over the world, we hope to build up a massive bank of images which will clearly illustrate squash's global appeal, which is one of the key messages of the sport's bid for Olympic inclusion."

BACK THE BID, BUY THE SHIRT

Special T-shirts will be on sale featuring the Squash 2016 logo, with proceeds from each sale supporting the Bid Fund. Orders can be placed with Kentbridge Sports via www.kentbridgesports.co.uk - while T-shirt sales in the USA are being co-ordinated by the Harrow brand via their website www.harrowsports.com

WANT SOME IDEAS?

In London, Cecily Lewis says: "I'm running an event at X-cel, Elmbridge Leisure Centre, Riverside Drive, Walton-on-Thames, Surrey. An afternoon of demos, tournaments, goody-bags, and lots of fun for beginners, intermediates and the very advanced!

 From Tynemouth SC: "We'll be having a full day of activities, something on every hour from 9am to 9pm for members and non-members of all ages and standards."

 From Strings in Swansea: "We will be getting involved with Lots of fun activities planned! Let's raise some money! Squash at 2016 - Bring it on!"

WHAT'S HAPPENING AT YOUR CLUB?

Please let us know and log on to www.worldsquashday.com to upload preview material about your event, and post news and pictures on the day as an amazing day for squash unfolds across all the different time zones.

Clubs can register their Squash 2016 Day events on the World Squash Federation website www.worldsquash.org (or go direct to www.worldsquashday.com) and will have the opportunity to make instant donations to the Olympic Bid Fund.

7th May
Alan Thatcher trawls the web to find some fascinating features on squash this week.

KEEP ON MOVING THE WILLSTROP WAY

Fascinating to read an interview with James Willstrop this week on his training methods.

The interview, published in the superb runners' website Spikesmag.com, featured James's thoughts on running and plyometrics

James Willstrop on plyometrics training

England’s James Willstrop is the world No.5 squash player. The 25-year-old star of the high-energy racket sport chatted to spikesmag.com about the importance of plyometrics as part of his overall training.

Squash is a physically demanding sport do you have to carry out a lot of running as part of your training?

JW: I don’t do much running. Perhaps years ago (I would have done a lot of running) but the way training has evolved squash is a very specific sport. I’m not saying running wouldn’t be good, because it can good for general fitness and cardio, but it just lacks specificity. We do a lot of endurance work but more specific to the squash court.

Can you give some examples?

JW: If you want to do a hard endurance session a lot of squash is about running in short bursts and twisting and turning. The most specific thing would be to do ghosting work where you are basically hitting the ball without actually hitting the ball. You can do intervals in a minute or a minute and a half because squash takes in both those areas because it is endurance and explosive. That (session) would be more specific to squash.

Don’t you do any running?

JW: Very rarely. The only time I ever run is when I go trail running in Colorado. I find it much safer in terms of impact. Trail running offers stepping, side-stepping a lot of awareness of your body and stability which is incredibly important for squash because your body is being dragged around the court.

What about plyometric work?

JW: Definitely, it is very, very important. I do plyometrics alongside strength work. I jump onto boxes and jump. This helps me because I do a lot of forward and backward movement trying to go take control of the middle of the court into the T area. I work very hard on plyometrics because it is not very natural to me.

How many times a week?

JW: I do some sort of plyometric training during my warm ups. I often incorporate it into my strength training, so if I do a weight’s session I’ll often do a plyometric exercise. Often it is intermingled into different sessions.

Did you much athletics when you were younger?

JW: It is a sport which really interests me. My physio, Alison Rose (former physio to double Olympic champion Kelly Holmes), is into athletics and I keep informed through her. I really enjoy watching athletics and see a lot of athletes around at the EIS (English Institute of Sport) in Sheffield. I think they are unspoilt and I watch the big meets if I can.

Do you do much athletics when you were younger?

JW: I was never really quick enough to be a sprinter, but I remember doing the 400m, 800m and 1500m and I enjoyed those. I remember coming second at school, I’m a big bloke I’m not really a runners’ build. I was okay, and I was pretty decent at cross country. I had a go at shot put and javelin. I don’t think I stood out but the middle distances were my best events.

Did you have track and field heroes when you were younger?

JW: During the early 1990s I remember watching Liz McColgan and Linford

(Christie) and Sally Gunnell were winning their Olympic gold medals.

I’ve always watched all sports and I remember Carl Lewis being the best in the world.

WELCOME BACK TO LEILANI

Great to hear that the lovely Leilani Rorani is planning a comeback to the courts.

The former World Open and British Open champion has whetted her appetite after coaching New Zealander Joelle King and has enjoyed the experience so much that she is keen to start playing again.

The following article by Evan Pegden appeared in the Wakato Times last week.

Seven years after retiring from top squash, former world champion Leilani Rorani will return to the court in the Waikato Squash Open tomorrow night.

But if the unthinkable happens and she reaches the final, the Hamilton mother-of-three will forgo it - her religious beliefs prevent her from playing on Sundays.

Rorani, 35, has been seeded third in the women's open division of the ASB Waikato Open but denies this is a serious comeback at national or international level.

"It's just been about getting back into shape again," Rorani, who also won two British Open titles and two Commonwealth Games gold medals, said today.

"Our youngest is 18 months old now so I'm more able to play in tournaments now. With my goal to get back into shape, I found one of the best ways was to just get back into playing squash again.

"I don't play on a Sunday any more so I'm seeded up against girls who hopefully will be able to beat me on a Saturday night."

Her first match tomorrow at the Hamilton Squash and Tennis Club will be against 14th-seeded Danielle Fourie.

"It's amazing how far experience can get you it can get you through a lot. I've still got some fitness there, certainly not as much speed as before, but we're actually working on that."

With the North Island championships, also to be held in Hamilton in June, along with the Mitchell Cup/Cousins Shield tournament later in the year, Rorani intends to play in all of them, as well as a couple of tournaments in Auckland and the New Zealand masters championships in Whakatane.

"I'm just picking and choosing tournaments as it suits around my family commitments."

Rorani, who retired in 2002, said she had been playing socially since the start of the year, but inspiration to play at tournament level had come from her mentoring of Cambridge's New Zealand No 4 Joelle King.

"Hitting against her has pretty much given me the confidence that I can play in some tournaments and not make a complete fool of myself on court, although we played an exhibition earlier this month and she absolutely thrashed me in three (games).

"It was a really fun experience, I was really happy to be there and it made me feel like I'd like to play some tournaments."

King is top seed in the absence of the injured Kiwi No1 Shelley Kitchin for this weekend's tournament, which starts tonight, while New Zealand

No2 Martin Knight is the men's top seed.

Shawn DeLierre and Shahier Razik have been involved in another marathon match.

Earlier this season they met in the semi-finals of the Baltimore Cup and De Lierre won 9-11, 8-11, 11-7, 13-11, 11-5 in two hours and 30 minutes, a record match length since the PSA switched their scoring system to PAR-11.

This time the Toronto-based Razik defeated Brossard, Quebec man DeLierre to win the Canadian Squash Circuit men's overall title in Calgary for a fourth consecutive year. Amazingly, it took almost an hour and a half for three games!

Razik, Canada's No. 1 player and ranked 29th in the world, defeated DeLierre 9-11, 14-12, 11-7 in 87 minutes. I would be interested to learn if that's a record for three games.

"We play so much and know each other's game so well that they tend to be long matches, " said Razik. "They are not fun matches, I can tell you. In the first game I was too anxious and trying to attack too early. I settled at about the halfway point of the second game. " Razik is pleased with his game heading into the Canadian Championships in Calgary.

"I'm really happy with where I'm at after all the training, " said Razik. "I feel good and I'm moving well on the court. "

In the third-place match, Robin Clarke of Ottawa defeated David Phillips of Pointe-Claire, Quebec, 12-10, 10-12, 11-5.

In the women's final Runa Reta beat Miranda Ranieri of Waterloo, Ontario.

Source: Canada.com

Bucks Ladies team unbeaten

A LADIES team from Bucks Squash and Racket Club have challenged the misconception that it's a sport for youngster - with an age range of 55 years, they have just gone unbeaten through their season to win their league.

The team, including grannies (including one over 70) as well as schoolgirls, playing in the Buckinghamshire County League Division Two, won every one of their matches during the 2008/9 season and finished top of their League.

The age range of 55 years between the youngest and oldest team member has not stopped the team having a great deal of fun – as well as playing some exciting squash.

The squad of nine players consists of schoolgirl Sarah Wyatt, university student Elisha Walia, therapist Janet Copp, mothers Debbie Hill, Angie Stockwell, and Maria Power (with eight children between them), captain Marian Holmes, and grannies Brenda Ede (with one daughter and two grandchildren) and Hazel Malpass (with two daughters and five grandchildren).

So, ladies – if you fancy joining in this great way of getting exercise while you have fun, get in touch with your nearest squash club. It's a lot cheaper and much more fun than those boring gym clubs.

Source: Bucks Free Press

23rd April
Whole new ball game for Palmer

Fascinating news from the NZ Herald – Canary Wharf champion David Palmer has been invited to perform a specialist coaching role – in rugby union!

Palmer, one of the fittest players on the PSA Tour (hence his nickname The Marine), has been approached by the Wallabies’ coach Robbie Deans to undertake a conditioning role with his players.

Hungry for any edge over the All Blacks, Deans is hoping Palmer’s phenomenal experience will help to stop the Wallabies’ second-half fade-outs. Deans, a squash fanatic who plays A grade in Sydney, reckons Palmer is the man to solve the problem.

With the annual trans-Tasman series locked at 1-1 last year, the Wallabies established useful leads over the All Blacks in the third and fourth Bledisloe Cup Tests only to be over-run in the closing quarter of an hour in both games.

Palmer is revered on the world squash tour for his remarkable stamina, a quality Deans is hoping to instil in the Wallabies in his second season in charge.

The idea of calling on his expertise arose when former world No.1 Palmer gave Deans the runaround on court at the Sydney Football Stadium complex.

For training, Palmer has been known to complete the beep test - a torturous multi-phase fitness drill often used by footballers - five times back-to-back with just a three-minute break in between each.

"It's bloody hard, one of the hardest things I've ever done physically and mentally," Palmer said.

"But that's what squash is all about; it's about being pushed to your max and how fast you can recover and how many times you can go to that breaking point and keep coming back."

Deans said some Palmer punishment was just what his Wallabies needed.

"Teach them about perseverance; how do you keep going when your legs are gone. That's what our blokes need to learn," Deans told AAP.

"Staying composed when fatigue strikes. It's a big advantage. The strength is minimising that recovery time.

"No doubt squash is actually one of the better forms of conditioning for rugby because of the footwork and the qualities David alluded to; perseverance, spatial awareness, mental resilience - intimidation is a big part of it.

"There's nothing better. It's actually great for defensive technique as well."

Palmer, who has done some work with NRL heavyweights the Melbourne Storm, said he would love to assist the Wallabies when there was a break in his schedule.

"Definitely," he said. "I follow the Wallabies, the sports are similar: they're non-stop, there's no breaks, it's up and down.

"There's so many different aspects to squash. Its endurance, its speed, there's flexibility, there's tactics, there's the mental side - the tactical intimidation.

"It's like playing chess at a million miles an hour. It's not like other sports where you get time to think about your shot. It's so fast it's such a reflex instinct type of game.

"Using the squash type of training in rugby would be beneficial."

Derek Sword Trophy

The annual Derek Sword Trophy match takes place next weekend with the London and New York teams heading for Edinburgh Sports Club.

This year's fixture takes on a new dimension with an International Hardball Doubles Challenge on the doubles court at ESC. I am reliably informed by squash historian James Zug that this is the only full-sized doubles court in Europe.

Needless to say the London team are looking forward to doing their best against their more experienced opponents from the US, where most clubs seem to have at least one doubles court. My research across the pond reveals that the doubles court is usually the busiest of all the courts at most clubs in North America.

Once again there will be a mixture of abilities in this unique fixture, with the number one face-off likely to be John Russell, now coaching in New York, against his old junior rival Toby Mortimer.

The Views And Opinions Expressed In This Column Are Not Necessarily The Views Of
Squashplayer.co.uk or Squash Player Magazine

Contact Alan with your views or opinions

17th April
DO SOMETHING SPECIAL ON SQUASH 2016 DAY

Squash For 2016 Day is rapidly approaching, and a dedictate team of volunteers are busy co-ordinating events in cities all over the world to maximise publicity (and help the Bid Team to raise funds) as we approach the crucial vote in Copenhagen later this year.

If any of you don't know what Squash 2016 Day is, it's a special day on May 23rd when squash lovers all over the world can unite in one global festival of fun and activities to raise the profile of our sport and organise all kinds of events to boost the Olympic bid.

The crucial target is to raise awarenesss of squash's Olympic bid in the four cities bidding to host the 2016 Games, namely Chicago, Madrid, Rio and Tokyo.

Elsewhere, we want to see traffic-stopping events taking place in major cities all over the globe, with squash lovers descending on major buildings and iconic locations to have pictures taken of them waving their Squash For 2016 banners.

A dedicated website has been established for event organisers to upload forthcoming news of their events, to share ideas for activities with the global squash community, and then to upload reports and pictures of their events as they happen on the big day.

That way we are able to gather a massive collection of fantastic images which we will then draw to the attention of the world media.

It's so simple yet sadly the hard part is persuading some clubs, associations and even national governing bodies to get involved and back the bid.

Here in the UK, we are planning a day of action in London, meeting in Greenwich Park and then moving upriver to the city to have pictures taken at locations including the Tower of London, Tower Bridge, St Paul's Cathedral, Covent Garden, the Houses of Parliament and Buckingham Palace.

If you would like to bring along a group to join in, then please contact me at alan@squashuk.com

Please feel free to download the banner and logo featured alongside this article to create your own material.

WORLDWIDE SUPPORT

Some amazing events are being planned all over the world to support Squash For 2016 Day, and my old mate Wolfgang Denk from McWil Courts is busy planning a special day in Austria. Every club in Viennna is holding an open day on May 23rd, supported by the city authorities, and Wolfgang is very keen to attract newcomers to the sport.

In Lithuania, Andrius Voisnis is organising the SEB Arena Open for professional and amateur players.

Over in the States, some massive events are being planned in Chicago, Washington, Los Angeles and New York, and we look forward to posting fuller details in next week's column.

CAN YOU HELP?

If you want to get involved, and can't find out who to talk to, then please drop me a line at the email address listed above. Together we can do something special for our sport.

2nd April
PALMER’S POWER SHOW PROVES HE CAN STILL HANDLE LIFE AT THE TOP

First of all a big thank you to all those squash fans who have called or emailed to say how much they enjoyed this year’s ISS Canary Wharf Squash Classic.

The sixth edition of the tournament was undoubtedly the best, with the quality of squash reaching phenomenal levels for the sell-out crowds who packed the superb East Wintergarden venue each evening.

David Palmer proved in his semi-final against Gregory Gaultier and in the final against James Willstrop that he can still produce squash of the highest calibre at the age of 32. His family move to Boston has clearly given him a new lease of life and a continuing hunger to stay in shape to compete with all the young bucks around him.

At one stage last year, probably during his transitional phase from Europe to the USA, he showed signs of slowing down, but that is clearly no longer the case.

He announced after his Canary Wharf success that he was looking forward to a long summer holiday to rest his body but admitted that he will be keeping his eye in by exploring the delights of hardball doubles at the Boston University club, where he has clearly found a secure, welcoming and comfortable new base.

Another senior citizen of the PSA Tour, Thierry Lincou, demonstrated the same kind of quality and professionalism as Palmer the previous week to reach the final of the ATCO Super Series Finals at Queen’s Club, where he lost to his compatriot Gaultier.

Lincou was 33 on April 2 and he and Palmer share the same demands of juggling family and fatherhood responsibilities with their commitment to the major tournaments.

Lincou lost from 2-0 up at Canary Wharf to the rapidly improving Spaniard Borja Golan and admitted that he was still feeling the effects of a tough week at Queen’s. Golan, amazingly, won the final 10 points in the fifth game from 4-1 down and it was no surprise to see him up to a career-best 12th place in the latest rankings.

Willstrop, meanwhile, left Canary Wharf facing the prospect of an operation to remove a bone spur on an ankle and still wondering how and why he served out at 6-6 in the fourth game, having produced a massive recovery after looking doomed to defeat after narrowly losing the opening two games and trailing 6-1 in the third.

It was the first time that a Canary Wharf final had not gone to five games but the crowd were fully appreciative of the efforts of both players, and their ability to deliver such high quality entertainment at the end of a tough week.

Both men had staged phenomenal recoveries to win their semi-finals, Willstrop playing brilliantly to beat top seed Amr Shabana from 2-1 down and Palmer fighting back from 2-0 down against Gaultier. With the Frenchman winning the second game 11-1, you would have bet your house on Gaultier winning the match.

Good job I’m no gambler, as I recently proved by wagering that Aston Villa would finish above Arsenal in the Premier League table this season, with the wager foolishly struck when Villa enjoyed an eight-point advantage over the Gunners!

SQUASH FOR 2016: THE ENERGY GROWS

I am delighted to report some amazing efforts being made to stage massive events all over the planet on May 23rd as squash enthusiasts unite to support Squash For 2016 Day.

I can sense a genuine belief that some squash sceptics now believe our sport has a real chance of being voted into the 2016 Olympic Games, and events are taking place all over the world to support the bid and raise funds for the process.

News reaches me of massive events being planned for Chicago, Washington, London, Madrid and Manchester, with many more cities still to finalise their plans.

It is imperative that squash puts on a good show in the four cities battling to stage the 2016 Games, namely Chicago, Madrid, Rio and Tokyo, and I look forward to helping the latter two cities formulate their plans to capture some valuable headlines.

Two Facebook groups have attracted more than 3,000 members, so please log on to the World Squash Movement, where you can make an online donation, and the Squash For 2016 Day group, where you can share ideas for staging a spectacular day of action.

You can choose whether to host an exhibition day at your local club, or take to the streets to organise traffic-stopping events and have the Squash For 2016 banners photographed in front of iconic locations all over the world.

Here in London, we are planning to meet near the Royal Greenwich Observatory, and then head for the Dome and Canary Wharf, before moving up-river to the Tower of London, Tower Bridge, City Hall, the Globe Theatre, Tate Modern, St Paul’s Cathedral, then carry on up my old stamping ground in Fleet Street and on up the Strand to Covent Garden, the Houses of Parliament and Buckingham Palace.

We would love to have a collection of images unfolding throughout the day, from the mountains of New Zealand, on to Sydney Harbour Bridge, the Petronas Towers in Kuala Lumpur, the Taj Mahal, The Burj El Arab Hotel in Dubai, Sugar Loaf Mountain, the Great Pyramids, the Kremlin, St Peter’s Square in Rome, the Eiffel Tower, Buckingham Palace, the White House, and Niagara Falls – and every other major location in between.

12th March 2009
ALL EYES ON LONDON

What a feast we have in store for squash fans in London during the next fortnight, with the PSA Super Series Finals breaking new ground at Queen’s Club, followed by the ISS Canary Wharf Classic with eight of the world’s top ten players in action at the East Wintergarden.

I am looking forward to seeing the developments being planned for the Super Series by Ziad Al Turki in terms of staging the event and showcasing squash.

He is having a very positive effect on the game right now with his involvement in the PSA and the Squash 2016 Bid.

The campaign to make squash an Olympic sport continues to attract support, much of it via the internet. Almost 1,000 fans have signed up to support the Squash 2016 Day page on Facebook and the World Squash Movement has just launched its own page, with the opportunity for squash fans all over the world to pledge financial support to the Bid Fund.

These are exciting times for squash as we seek to raise the profile of the sport and take it into new and ambitious territories.

Natalie Grainger and Josh Schwartz are spearheading the fund-raising campaign in the States and Josh told me last week that the celebrated Sports Illustrated magazine had run a feature which rated squash as second favourite to gain the vote for the Olympics.

Meanwhile, it was good to see Natalie able to take her mind off the number-crunching and concentrate on her own squash last week in Malaysia, as she registered a major upset to beat Nicol David in the final of the KL Open.

Peter Barker also warmed up nicely for Canary Wharf by winning the men’s final, beating fellow Londoner and fellow left-hander Adrian Grant.

The straight-games scoreline might suggest a one-sided affair, but the time of the match, 52 minutes, proves otherwise.  Adrian is certainly playing well and recorded a magnificent victory over David Palmer in the National League on Tuesday night.

Canary Wharf is a much closer venue for Mr Barker, as he lives just down the road in Limehouse. Let’s hope he brings plenty of friends along to cheer him on, but he’d better hurry as tickets are going fast.

VIRTUAL SQUASH

Still on the subject of Facebook, the Virtual Squash game is becoming something of an online phenomenon, with almost 6,000 registered players. I have noticed plenty of PSA and WISPA members among the regular gamers, too, so if you fancy challenging some of the world’s best players to a game in the comfort of your own home, then go online and check it out. 

SINGS LIKE A NIGHTINGALE

Good luck to Surrey star Phil Nightingale, who is appearing on stage in Wimbledon next week, taking the role of Judas in the Christian rock musical Godspell.
 

5th Mar 2009
GET ON BOARD FOR SQUASH 2016 DAY

With a high-profile team of Squash 2016 Ambassadors, we look forward to a busy programme of Olympic-related events both at Canary Wharf and leading up to World Squash Day, which is being rebranded as Squash 2016 Day and will be held on May 23.
Squash 2016 Day gives every national federation on the planet the opportunity to join together in a worldwide festival of squash, and to encourage their clubs to stage special events on one special day for the sport. The aim is for every squash club on the planet to open its doors to a wider public, show off our sport, involve the media to create headlines all over the world, and encourage newcomers to participate and join the fun.
An added bonus would be for events to raise revenue for the Squash 2016 Bid Fund as the process gathers momentum.
So why are some national federations slow to react and get involved?

AMBASSADOR NICOL
In Kuala Lumpur this week, Nicol David announced that she is to become an ambassador for Squash 2016. Nicol, who has been ranked No1 for three years, highlighted how important the Olympic Games are to her, saying: “For an athlete there is no higher pinnacle of sporting achievement than an Olympic medal. No Malaysian has ever won a gold medal, and I would like to be the first. Squash is really strong in Asia, and making it an Olympic sport would give all Asian women something incredible to aim for.”

The other new ambassadors for Squash 2016 are: Rebecca Chiu, Hong Kong’s top female player; Siyoli Lusaseni, the South African star; Saurav Ghosal, Indian No1; and Englishman Alister Walker, the African-born winner of three PSA World Tour titles.

They are joining the initial three ambassadors: former world champion Thierry Lincou (FRA); world number three and current World Open Champion Ramy Ashour (EGY); and Samantha Teran, the first Mexican woman to earn a world top 20 ranking.

Natalie Grainger, Squash 2016 Bid Team member and World No4, also spoke at the press conference, saying: “Squash is a sport with worldwide appeal, and the fact that the two top players in the world come from Malaysia and Egypt mean that as a sport we can help take the Olympic Games into countries that don’t typically produce Olympians."


WE'LL ALL MISS WHITEY

Tickets are selling out fast for the ISS Canary Wharf Classic. With eight of the world's top ten on board it's sure to provide a feast of fantastic squash. The one disappointment is that the brilliantly entertaining but now-retired John White will be missing. However, we can all console ourselves by looking at some amazing highlights clips on YouTube from the final two years ago, when he played four five-setters in consecutive days and was still hurling himself around like a maniac as he went down to James Willstrop in an amazing final.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=71osIBPiRkU&feature=related

SQUASH IS BEST FOR
BURNING CALORIES

I was intrigued to read in the latest WISPA Bulletin some fascinating facts about squash's calorie-burning potential.

If we need any more evidence about how healthy squash is as a sport (take note IOC and sponsors!) according to WISPA we head the calorie-burning league table for indoor sports (per hour) by a distance:

1 Squash (816)
2 Kick Boxing (680)
3 Basketball (544)
4 Volleyball (544)
5 Indoor Rowing (476)
6 Fencing (408)
7 Badminton (306)
8 Table Tennis (272)

RICHMOND PICTURE SHOW SET TO MUSIC

Patricia Lyons has emerged as another gifted professional in the niche market of squash photography. Her pictures from last week's North American Open in Richmond, Virginia, were superb examples of the genre. Now you can see her favourite images from the tournament, set to music, by clicking on the following link:
http://www.patricialyonsphotography.com/NAOSquash2009/


5th February 2009
BELL TOLLS FOR RINGERS

Few things in squash cause more controversy, consternation and grief than the big debate over whether to pay your players to represent the club in your local county league.

Bringing in professional guests, otherwise known as ringers, is a common occurrence throughout the world of squash.

At county league level, clubs often scramble around to find the necessary cash to strengthen their first teams in the hunt for success.

In the old days it was called boot money, a phrase borrowed from football when the better so-called amateur players found their boots stuffed with fivers after a match. In squash, players were often paid on the quiet by a club owner who wanted to attract more spectators to watch the team matches and spend more money over the bar during the process. Let's call them Club A. If the bar revenue was higher than the player's "expenses" then everyone at Club A was happy.

Often the arrival of a professional player at number one produces a "banker" result and, with everyone in the side moving down a notch as a result of his arrival, Club A will often be stronger at every string..

However, things can get complicated once other clubs try the same thing. If Club B suddenly brings in two guest players the following season, then Club A will have to respond in kind to try to hang on to their title.

A year later, Club C and D might scratch around to find the cash for a ringer or two of their own, so it's game-on at the top of the league. However, not every club wishes to engage in the process and friction often develops between the payers and non-payers.

In extreme circumstances, some clubs have been so desperate for success that they have brought in a whole team of ringers. They might well "buy" their local league title, but many of the results will have been hollow victories with professionals easily brushing aside genuine club players in the process.

Most squash enthusiasts enjoy the prospect of watching the best quality squash available to them, and the prospect of watching two well-matches pros will usually attract a bigger audience than normal.

However, having been on the receiving end of some monstrous thumpings when up against sides fielding pros in clearly mismatched fixtures, and also played in teams boosted by the often surprise inclusion of occasional guests, I wish to offer one or two observations on the matter.

First of all, most leagues are run by county associations whose constitutions will often state that teams are made up of genuine, bona fide, fee-paying club members.

We can get round that one by finding a generous benefactor to pay their membership fees, but not all clubs bother to observe such niceties.

Legacy is a word often associated with the London Olympics and the long-term benefits of pouring billions of pounds into a large hole in the ground in East London.

On a slightly smaller scale, you often wonder what the benefits are, or legacy, of bringing in a group of pros to play in what is essentially a club competition. If they attract spectators, increase bar revenues, get on court with the club juniors, and prove an inspiring presence in the fabric of the club, then clearly they are justifying their fees

If, however, there is no interaction with the juniors and no long-term "legacy" then you might question the wisdom of a club's investment.

I have seen it happen countless times all over the country when clubs find they can no longer afford to pay the pros to turn out. The players usually walk out en masse, leaving an enormous vacuum behind.

There is one final point I wish to make. There is already a competition in existence for clubs fielding teams of five professionals playing against other teams of five professionals. It's called the National League. England Squash will happily supply you with further details.

SQUASH ADMINISTRATOR EXTRAORDINAIRE
By ALAN THATCHER

The world of squash bade farewell yesterday to Ian Wright, one of the most respected administrators in the history of the sport.

More than 300 mourners packed into the Hither Green Crematorium in South London for a service of thanksgiving, and then reconvened just a few miles away afterwards at Ian's beloved Bexley Tennis, Squash and Racketball Club.

Friends from far and wide gathered to pay their tributes and last respects to a man who served as Kent county secretary for more than 40 years, and who invented the British version of racketball.

Tears and laughter were in equal measure during the service of thanksgiving, presided over with grace and humour by the Rev Steve Browning. Club president Neil Badger delivered a word-perfect reading before welcoming everyone back to the Bexley club.

Ian's daughter Dee courageously spoke with love, warmth and humour about the man who was a beloved Dad to her and sister Sally. Dee regaled the gathering with tales of Ian's little idiosyncrasies, and especially a dress sense that had little in common with the family's tailoring business.

Neil Badger spoke again, as a lifelong friend and club colleague who worked with Ian on transforming the Bexley club with a superb new pavilion that

included two extra squash courts. Sadly, it was on one of those courts that Ian passed away, suffering a heart attack on January 4 as he played the game he loved and surrounded by friends.

Yesterday that same court was filled with photographs and memorabilia from Ian's life, including his travels (he was in the Guinness Book of Records for being one of a handful of people to have visited 192 countries in the world), his RAF career and his achievements in sports.

Ian's life story was contained within the four walls of that court (walls that he insisted the builders remove at first when he discovered that they had used the wrong breeze blocks) and fittingly a book of condolence was placed in the centre of the court for visitors to add their personal messages.

Club manager Nick Eagles was almost overcome with emotion as he thanked the group of members who had worked so hard to prepare the club for such a moving but joyous occasion.

I was delighted to speak on behalf of the Kent SRA and to announce that England Squash will be naming the National Racketball Championship trophies for men and women in his honour. The Kent SRA plans to do inaugurate a similar honour for the county championships in both squash and racketball.

Out of such gatherings great things can emerge as friends swap stories and hatch plans to remember someone who gave so much to the sports he loved.

One such conversation resulted in the launch of an annual fixture in Ian's honour between the Veterans' Club of Great Britain and the Kent Vets, the fixture including, of course, both squash and racketball.

As daughters Sally and Dee both remarked, Ian would have thoroughly enjoyed himself yesterday, laughing and smiling with so many friends.

It's such a shame he couldn't be there. He would have loved it.

IAN WRIGHT:
A TRIBUTE FROM ALAN THATCHER
CHAIRMAN, KENT SRA

Ian Wright was secretary of the Kent Squash and Racketball Association for more than 40 years.

I first met Ian almost 30 years ago during an inter-county weekend tournament at Winchester.

Ian was managing the Kent team and they were a man short against Yorkshire, I believe, and so Ian donned his kit (probably wearing the same pair of shorts that Dee referred to) and duly suffered a 9-0, 9-0, 9-0 defeat.

But the result was not the important thing. The important thing was Ian’s sense of duty, respect and fair play.

He would have hated the idea of a senior Kent team under his management being a man short and knew it would have seemed disrespectful to the opposition.

Respect is a quality that Ian attracted in abundance.

For the past two weeks the Kent SRA has been inundated with tributes to Ian from throughout the world of squash.

Messages have poured in from so many of Ian’s friends and colleagues at the national governing body, England Squash, from neighbouring counties, far-flung counties, and from many other national and international federations. All of them have been published on the Kent website, where we are planning to host a special section dedicated to Ian.

Each message has spoken movingly of Ian’s loyalty and dedication to squash and racketball, his encyclopaedic knowledge of the sports he loved, and his willingness to help other officials, from other counties and federations, whenever he could.

England Squash have decided upon a fitting tribute to Ian by naming the national men’s and women’s racketball trophies in Ian’s honour. Here in Kent, we are doing the same with both the county squash and racketball championships to honour Ian’s enormous contribution as county secretary.

However, he wasn’t just secretary. Ian also took on the treasurer’s role two years ago. He was also treasurer for the Kent Junior League. He organised tournaments, he compiled the county handbook, and produced similar publications for various other federations. He organised coaching courses. He held refereeing courses. He invented the British version of racketball and would be delighted to see the moves currently being made by England Squash to encourage clubs and counties to promote racketball on a massive scale. But most of all he was always at the end of a telephone if you needed help or advice.

One of the least glamorous roles in sports administration is the collection of subscriptions, and especially the annual subs from the clubs.

Each year the same handful of clubs were always the last to pay, and sadly Maidstone was always one of them.

Since becoming Kent chairman, this became something of a personal issue because Ian would always try to enlist my support, as a Maidstone member, to elicit an earlier payment.

Each year I would be copied in on letters and emails as Ian doggedly pursued the Maidstone club for payment.

However, in Mike Sofianos, the Maidstone treasurer, Ian met someone as equally determined to run a tight ship and manage his affairs in his own unique style. The cheque always arrived, but it was nearly always the last to come in.

Today, I know that Ian would be greatly amused to hear the news that our new Kent county treasurer is none other than Mike Sofianos, from Maidstone.

I am sure that Ian, of all people, would hope that Mike continues in the same stubborn, frugal style of financial management as he handles the county’s coffers.

Since Ian’s passing, on these courts, playing the game he loved, we at Kent Squash and Racketball have had to begin the process of recruiting a whole new team of volunteers to do the many tasks Ian carried out so diligently, so enthusiastically and so professionally – and sometimes rather grumpily - for so many years.

To Judy and Pat, Sally and Dee, and all other family members, go our profound sympathies.

May God bless you and take care of you.

Ian, we salute you and thank you.
 

8th January 2009
WORLD OF SQUASH MOURNS IAN WRIGHT,
MR INDESTRUCTIBLE

The phone has not stopped ringing all week as squash friends from all over the world have made contact to express their sadness at the passing of squash administrator Ian Wright.

Ian was Kent county secretary for more than 40 years and his contribution to squash in general was nothing short of phenomenal.

In a recent email, after he and his wife Judy had returned from a holiday in Australia, Ian remarked that the dates of their trip meant that he had been forced to miss the AGM of England Squash for the first time since 1962!

During the squash boom in the 1970s and 1980s Ian was extremely busy helping to promote squash as a genuine sport and not just another trendy fitness fad. He held courses all over Europe in coaching, refereeing and marking, and also advised clubs and associations on court design, how to organise competitions and what equipment to buy.

He was a walking squash encyclopedia and so many people have described him as "indestructible".

He was hugely influential in the development of racketball and it was a bitter-sweet irony that he suffered a heart attack on Sunday while competing in the Bexley club's racketball championships at the age of 74. He was national over 70s racketball champion two years ago and it is heartening to learn that England Squash have pledged to provide a lasting memorial to Ian in the sport.

Ian's funeral will be held at Hither Green on Thursday, January 22 at 11.30 a.m. and a host of friends from Kent Squash, England Squash, neighbouring counties and overseas nations are expected to attend.

A minute's silence will be held during the Kent County Closed Championships at The Mote Squash Club next weekend (January 16-18) and I know that my colleagues on the Kent committee, who are all devastated by Ian's sudden and dramatic departure from our lives, are intent on providing fitting memorials in both squash and racketball.

As Kent SRA chairman, I am in the process of finding a team of volunteers to take over the many roles Ian undertook on behalf of Kent squash and racketball, and I wonder if we will ever see his like again.

Tribute to Ian D Wright (1933-2009)

The European Squash Federation was shocked and deeply saddened to hear of the sudden death of Ian Wright on Sunday, 4 January.

Ian had a long association with the European Squash Federation, acting as Custodian of Records from 1977 (shortly after the European Squash Rackets Federation, as it was at that time, was founded in 1973), combining this with the role of Secretary from 1979 to 1997 and the role of Treasurer from 1993 to 1996.  In 1997, in recognition of his valued contributions and commitment to the organisation and also in recognition of his contribution to squash generally, Ian was awarded the status of Honorary Member of the European Squash Federation.

No-one could fail to be impressed by his dedication to squash and he will be missed by us all.

Our thoughts are with his family.
 

Hugo Hannes
President
European Squash Federation

 

I would like to thank all the people who are writing so beautifully about Ian Wright. I was married to Ian for twenty years and am the mother of Sally and Dee.  We are so sad and so proud.  We hope to meet some of you at the funeral. With grateful thanks Pat Wright

The side effects might be interesting, though.
 

18th December 2008
CHRISTMAS SPECIAL

RADAR LOVE

Apologies for last week's column being a few days late. Like most of the country, it seems, I was laid low with the flu bug. However, I am looking forward to getting on court on Christmas morning to try out the new SquashUK radar gun with my son James.

Before computers took over his life, James was a very talented tennis and squash player and can still belt the ball as hard as most people I know, so it will be an interesting challenge before we go home to enjoy a family Christmas dinner.

The radar gun enjoyed several outings during 2008, starting off with the big-hitting John White dazzling passers-by in a Canary Wharf shopping mall, challenging them to beat his speed of 140mph with a soft beginners' ball used in Mini Squash.

John was the reason we invested in the first radar gun nearly three years ago. When big-serving American Andy Roddick reached 150mph in tennis,we knew it was time to test the top squash guys, and Whitey in particular. The speed of squash ball, when struck by one of the top pros, has always been faster than the top speed in tennis, it was just that nobody in squash had bothered to do anything about it for several years. So we set up a Pro Challenge at Canary Wharf with Whitey clocking 149mph with his very first warm-up shot. The radar gun went crazy as his speeds went up and up, finally peaking at 171mph on his backhand and 172mph on his forehand.

Since then the radar gun has enjoyed regular outings and this year it visited Vienna, New York and Niagara as well as Canary Wharf and numerous squash club clinics.

My colleague Simon Scott took it over to Vienna for the Austrian Open and had lots of fun in a nearby retail mall as shoppers tried their hand at the game.

We also took it across The Pond as we headed with the London team to New York for the Derek Sword Trophy match and made a detour up to the Canadian National Championships at White Oaks, Niagara On The Lake.

It was one of the highlights of the year to see Jonathon Power come out of retirement to win the Nationals. Looking slim and sleek, he beat Shahier Razik in the final but declined to enter the Radar Gun Challenge. Shawn and Jason Delierre had a go and there was plenty of sibling rivalry on display as younger brother Jason notched up 155mph, just managing to top Shawn's best of 154mph.

Then up stepped Simon and showed everyone how to do it, clocking his favourite time of 160mph, which is pretty amazing for a Cambridgeshire League club player!

Sadly we lost one of our team players in Canada as Nick Staunton had decided to enter the Canadian Over-35s and rather inconsiderately managed to reach the final, which was played on the same day as we were in action at the New York Athletic Club.

Despite our best efforts to get him to Buffalo Airport in time to fly down to the Big Apple, it was not to be and he was last seen sinking in a pool of Peppermint Vodkas at the White Oaks bar.

None of the New York pros could beat Simon's speed, which was some consolation for losing the Derek Sword Trophy match, but it might be different when the fixture returns to Edinburgh Sports Club in the first week of May 2009.

We are planning to add an international hardball doubles challenge to the schedule and the radar gun will be kept busy as we check the speeds of the small but lethal American hardball.

Simon and I have nursed an unbeaten doubles record for some four years now, but it will be coming under severe strain when we return to Edinburgh to play on their full-sized court.

HAPPY CHRISTMAS

I have enjoyed writing this column for Squash Player and I look forward to seeing you all again after the holiday. I hope you all enjoy a wonderful Christmas and a happy and healthy New Year.

11th December 2008  
HERE'S THE PROOF: STRETCHING CAN BE BAD FOR YOU!

At last, a professional study has come up with the news that many of us salad dodgers have feared for a long time: that pre-match stretching is actually BAD for you!

The proof comes in a study carried out by the University of Nevada in Las vegas, and featured in a recent article in the New York Times 'Play' magazine.

So the guys dishing out the locker-room banter, poking fun at anyone who takes his physical condition even remotely seriously, might have a point after all.

The article states: "If you’re like most of us, you were taught the importance of warm-up exercises back in grade school, and you’ve likely continued with pretty much the same routine ever since.

"Science, however, has moved on. Researchers now believe that some of the more entrenched elements of many athletes’ warm-up regimens are not only a waste of time but actually bad for you. The old presumption that holding a stretch for 20 to 30 seconds — known as static stretching — primes muscles for a workout is dead wrong. It actually weakens them.

"In a recent study conducted at the University of Nevada, Las Vegas, athletes generated less force from their leg muscles after static stretching than they did after not stretching at all. Other studies have found that this stretching decreases muscle strength by as much as 30 percent. Also, stretching one leg’s muscles can reduce strength in the other leg as well, probably because the central nervous system rebels against the movements".

Apparently the key to a successful pre-match or training routine is in doing the right warm-up exercises. The article continues: "The right warm-up should do two things: loosen muscles and tendons to increase the range of motion of various joints, and literally warm up the body. When you’re at rest, there’s less blood flow to muscles and tendons, and they stiffen. You need to make tissues and tendons compliant before beginning exercise.

"A well-designed warm-up starts by increasing body heat and blood flow.

Warm muscles and dilated blood vessels pull oxygen from the bloodstream more efficiently and use stored muscle fuel more effectively. They also withstand loads better. One significant if gruesome study found that the leg-muscle tissue of laboratory rabbits could be stretched farther before ripping if it had been electronically stimulated — that is, warmed up.

"To raise the body’s temperature, a warm-up must begin with aerobic activity, usually light jogging. Most coaches and athletes have known this for years. That’s why tennis players run around the court four or five times before a match and marathoners stride in front of the starting line. But many athletes do this portion of their warm-up too intensely or too early."

So now you know. It's a fascinating read, and here's the link to the full New York Times article: http://www.nytimes.com/2008/11/02/sports/playmagazine/112pewarm.html?_r=3&em&oref=slogin

Former world champion Peter Nicol is still one of our sport’s greatest ambassadors. It was an honour and a privilege to get on court with him recently in some comedy doubles as he and Tim Garner provided a day to remember for a packed-out gallery at The Mote Squash Club in Maidstone, Kent.

Peter held a superb coaching clinic for the club’s juniors and then passed on some valuable tips to the club’s senior team players.

Nicol also played a variety of club members, including BBC Radio Kent presenter Roger “Twiggy” Day.

The former pirate radio DJ looked a little seasick as Peter kept him moving from corner to corner.

When he got his breath back, Roger said: “Peter is a real gentleman and allowed me to win a few points. He did admit, however, that he had never seen a shot before like my ‘frying pan’ backhand.”

Peter and Tim delighted the audience with a stunning array of shots as they staged a hugely entertaining exhibition match, which Peter won 3-1.

Earlier, the two pros had sportingly allowed The Mote club champion Paul Adam and myself to win a few points in our doubles challenge.

After the action on court, Nicol and Garner held a fascinating question and answer forum in the club lounge.

After Nicol had described the dominance of a group of talented Egyptian players at the top of the world rankings, he was asked if he fancied coming out of retirement to take them on.

He replied instantly: “Absolutely no chance! The game of squash has evolved rapidly and, like many other sports, the guys at the top are all bigger and faster than they were in previous eras. I put my body through

14 years of torture on the world tour and it needs a rest!”

Mote chairman Dave Verga said: “It was a real honour to have two such brilliant professionals at the club. Everyone was amazed at how much time Peter and Tim spent on court giving free advice to club members and it was a wonderful experience for the juniors. Squash is thriving at The Mote and we look forward to holding similar events in the near future.”

On December 13, The Mote is staging the first of four one-day tournaments which make up the new Kent Grand Prix Series sponsored by Harrow.

Peter and Tim have joined forces to promote Prince rackets, shoes and accessories and are clearly enjoying themselves and providing brilliant entertainment as they take their Roadshow round the country. Any club who would like to host a Prince clinic with Peter and Tim is invited to contact Tim at: Tgarner@eventis-sports.com
 

27th November 2008
MARATHON MAN SHAWN 

Canadians Shawn Delierre and Shahier Razik rewrote the record books with that marathon match in the Baltimore Cup when the fourth-seeded Delierre overcame the top seed in an incredible semi-final encounter lasting two hours and 30 minutes. That's the longest-recorded squash match since the PSA world tour switched their scoring system to PAR (point-a-rally).

Considering that matches went to 15 until switching to 11 for the last two years, that's an incredible statistic.

Delierre fought back from two games down to win 9-11, 8-11, 11-7, 13-11,

11-5 and, not surprisingly, was unable to continue the giant-killing in the final and went down to Egyptian Yasser El Halaby.

Shawn is the son of squash film-maker Jean Delierre, who has launched his own mini squash dynasty to try to rival the Egyptians!

Shawn trains out of Montreal's MAA club (Jonathon Power's former club).

He works under the guidance of the Canadian national coach, Yvon Provencal, and his two brothers David (who is the MAA residing pro) and Jason, who recently joined the PSA tour fresh out of Harvard.

I caught up with the globetrotting De Lierre a few days ago and fired off some questions about that historic encounter at the Baltimore Country Club

1: Were you and Shahier aware at any stage that the match might be heading towards the record books?

A: We had no idea. We battled hard for a long time and were just pushing on through the match. For me, making a comeback, I had no attention on time. Shahier might have been thinking like 'Oh God, I've got to close this out.'

2: Coming back from two games down to beat someone ranked higher than yourself is always a great feeling. How did you pull it off?

A: With time and much belief that it was never over. I never doubted my fitness nor patience.

3: With such a long match, how were you coping physically as it extended beyoned two hours?

A: I really just waited patiently for my openings, called lets when there was no entry into corners, and played happily through the match, smiling and retrieving as well as I could.

4: Please give me a bit of detail about that fourth game and the tiebreak.

A: At 7-4 down just believe it's never over. Then the same when I was

10-7 match-ball down. I was hoping he might break, knowing it's so close to the end, and what do you know he did. I played well Of course and had a bit of luck when I needed it. But it was fun good loving positiveness kept me up.

5: What happened in the fifth?

A: Well, more and more of that. I was telling myself I was not really tired and waited for my good shots

6: How did you feel in the final the next day?

A: I would not say tired, but a little slow. I thought of Peter Nicol and gave a harder push but Yasser's style was played at an even quicker pace therefore making it tough for me to withstand.

7: How did you feel on the Monday morning?

A: Monday was nice. I got a hotel room to myself and relaxed hard. I though back on the ice bath process that could have helped for the finals day. I guess next time I'll try that.

8: When did you get back on court?

A: Tuesday. I felt the need to keep the rhythm of goodness alive in my racket.

9: You obviously have fantastic resources of stamina. Please give us some detail about your training.

A: I train really hard twice a day, usually lot of cardio and a lot of hitting the ball. It's all paying off.

10: It must be great to have your brothers David and Jason around you at your home club. How are David and Jason shaping up?

A: I love everyone at the club, such a great compository of minds.

P.S: I can't wait to see Jason rise up the rankings. It'll be nice to have him around at tournaments.
 

Thursday 20th November 2008
Pressure on Olympic bid as IOC
members seek early elimination

News emerged yesterday that the IOC is considering an early cull of many of the sports applying for Olympic status in 2016.

This is a worrying development because it could mean that five of the seven applicant sports will have their status decided for them ahead of next year's planned vote in October 2009.

The International Olympic Committee's executive board is thought to be considering putting forward a maximum of just two of the seven sports hoping to join the Olympic programme in 2016 for voting at the IOC session in Copenhagen next October.

This move will certainly accelerate the selection process and deliver an early disappointment for five of the seven applicant sports, baseball, golf, karate, roller sports, rugby, softball and squash.

Delegates from each of the seven sports last week made presentations in Lausanne to the 16-member IOC programme commission, which will produce an influential report on each of the sports'credentials and their potential benefits to the Olympics.

Each sport was allowed a one-hour slot to deliver their arguments during the conference.

Following the huge disappointment of the voting process in Singapore in 2005, when squash thought it had been accepted but was then cruelly blocked by a further round of voting, a new formula was approved last year, meaning it will take a simple majority for a sport to be voted on to the programme. Previously, a two-thirds majority was needed.

The sports programme is fixed seven years in advance of each Olympics. The IOC has decided on a maximum of 28 sports and the same 26 sports on the London 2012 programme will also be put forward for the 2016 Games at the meeting in Copenhagen, plus the seven applicant sports. However, it is believed that all current sports will be assessed in a continual monitoring process.

The World Squash Federation bid centres on the fact that our sport is a truly global activity, with a diverse range of nationalities featured in the ranking lists for men and women.

At the professional level, the emergence of all-glass courts and improved television techniques can help to counter the game's reputation as one that is difficult to televise and with rules such as lets and strokes that are baffling to non-squash viewers.

The WSF delegation included IOC member Prince Tunku Imran of Malaysia and former world champions Jahangir Khan of Pakistan and Sarah Fitzgerald of Australia.

They delivered a petition signed by many of the world's leading players and were able to tell IOC chief Jacques Rogge that an Olympic gold medal would be the ultimate accolade for any professional squash player.

The new WSF president N Ramachandran of India and his predecessor, presented a poster that was signed by competitioors during the recent World Open in Manchester.

Squash players have often felt let down by the fact that we are not an Olympic sport, and it hurts to see so-called novelty "sports" such as synchronised swimming, synchronised diving, BMX bikes and skateboarding in the programme while we are on the outside looking in.

Egyptians 1-2-3

I wrote recently about the Egyptians filling three of the four semi-final places in the World Open in Manchester, where 21-year-old Ramy Ashour removed reigning champion Amr Shabana before beating fellow countryman Karim Darwish in the final.

Now those three players have achieved an historic milestone for the sport by occupying the first three places in the latest Dunlop Super Series rankings. The surprise element is that Darwish's consistency (he won the Qatar Classic that followed the World Open) have elevated him to the number one place in the Super Series rankings, followed by Ashour and Shabana

In the November PSA list, Shabana is at one, followed by Darwish and Gregory Gaultier of France in the top three, with Ashour at four and England's James Willstrop at five. Senior pros David Palmer (Australia) and Thierry Licou (France) are still at six and seven followed by another Egyptian, Wael El Hindi, at eight.

Marathon match in Baltimore

Well, I think last week's semi-final in Baltimore finally ended some of the arguments that PAR scoring to 11 will always produce shorter matches in the men's pro game. Canadians Shawn De Lierre and Shahier Razik battled it out for two hours and 30 minutes before the lower ranked De Lierre clinched victory in the fifth, fighting back from two games down to win 9-11, 8-11, 11-7, 13-11, 11-5.

It is the longest-recorded match in squash since the PSA switched to PAR to 11. Sadly, De Lierre was unable to repeat his heroics in the final and went down in straight games to Yasser El Halaby of (you guessed it) Egypt.

Interestingly, I saw Razik and De Lierre competing in the semi-finals of the Canadian Closed at Niagara-on-the-Lake in May, when Razik emerged triumphant but fell in the final to our old friend Jonathon Power, who, looking incredibly slim, relaxed and healthy, had come out of retirement to regain the National title.

World's best squash club?

Interestingly, if you are looking for somewhere amazing to go on your summer holidays next year, and fancy including a squash theme, then Niagara-on-the-Lake is the place to go.

The White Oaks Resort is, in my opinion, the best squash set-up I have seen anywhere in the world. Two miles from Niagara Falls, the club itself has a Starbucks in reception before you get down to the ten courts, and it's all part of a superb, five-star hotel complex. No wonder the place was bursting at the seams for the Canadian Nationals, and they recently held their first WISPA Tour event.

The rackets club is managed by Mark Sachvie and his wife Cindy, whose offspring are making rapid strides in the game, with son Chris a leading light and joint-captain of the Cornell University squad. Sister Lauren also attends Cornell and represents the women's team. Younger brother Nick represented Canada in the World Junior Championships in Switzerland along with another 16-year-old from White Oaks, Arjun Gupta.

The main show court at White Oaks is one of the most unusual I have seen, with a yellow glass front wall as well a clear glass rear wall. This means that an extra bank of spectators can view the action through the front wall at close quarters.

And here's something for collectors of squash trivia. The court has a unique clear glass circle in the middle of the front wall so that photographers have to shoot their pictures standing up instead of squatting down in the front corners, trying their hardest to be unobtrusive.

Here's the website: www.whiteoaksresort.com

Go check it out. You will not be disappointed.
 

The Views And Opinions Expressed In This Column Are Not Necessarily The Views Of
Squashplayer.co.uk or Squash Player Magazine

Thursday 13th November 2008
No quarters spared
as we evaluate PAR

More interesting statistics for you this week in the great debate over PAR scoring to 11.

Historically, the quarter-finals day in most major professional tournament is the one where tickets sell out the fastest because true squash fans know they are likely to see four great matches.

It was always the case at the British Open more than a decade ago when sell-out crowds of 3,000 flocked to Wembley Conference Centre, and it's still true today where the first session to completely sell out at Canary Wharf is always the quarter-final night.

The reason those tickets sell out the quickest is because the shrewd squash afficianado knows that the quarter-final day schedule represents great value for money, with four top matches on offer.

Therefore it was interesting to see the length of the quarter-final match times in a variety of tournaments taking place last week.

Heights Casino in New York is one of my favourite clubs on the planet and last week's Carol Weymuller Open attracted most of the world's leading WISPA players. The four quarter-finals were as follows:

[1] Rachael Grinham (AUS) bt [8] Annelize Naude (NED) 11-6, 11-5, 11-3 (18 mins)
[4] Shelley Kitchen (NZL) bt Dominique Lloyd-Walter (ENG) 11-4, 11-9, 11-4 (28 mins)
[3] Vanessa Atkinson (NED) bt Latasha Khan (USA) 8-11, 4-11, 11-5, 11-6, 11-5 (36 mins)
[2] Natalie Grainger (USA) bt [7] Jaclyn Hawkes (NZL) 13-11, 11-7, 11-3 (24 mins)

That makes a combined total of 106 minutes, an average of less than 27 minutes per match.

In the PSA Saskatoon event, the matches were slightly longer but there were no marathons by any stretch of the imagination.

[1] Aaron Frankcomb (AUS) bt [8] Andrew McDougall (CAN) 11-6, 11-1, 11-3 (30 mins)
[3] Shawn Delierre (CAN) bt [5] Jesse Engelbrecht (RSA) 11-7, 11-9, 11-9 (47 mins)
[7] Nafzahizam Adnan (MAS) bt [4] Dylan Bennett (NED) 11-7, 12-10, 7-11, 11-9 (50 mins)
[2] Mark Krajcsak (HUN) bt [6] Robin Clarke (CAN) 11-4, 11-6, 11-7 (40 mins)

That's a total of 167 minutes, an average of around 42 minutes per match.

The Santiago Open quarter-finals produced a higher quality entry and the matches were on average almost 50 per cent longer, as follows:

[1] Laurens Jan Anjema (NED) bt [8] Jan Koukal (CZE) 11-6, 11-13, 11-8, 11-5 (46 mins)
[4] Borja Golan (ESP) bt Simon Rosner (GER) 11-4, 11-6, 11-8 (37 mins)
[5] Miguel Angel Rodriguez (COL) bt [3] Cameron Pilley (AUS) 11-7, 10-12, 12-10, 8-11, 11-9 (95 mins)
[2] Stewart Boswell (AUS) bt [7] Daryl Selby (ENG) 13-11, 11-4, 11-8 (67 mins)

With one contest lasting 95 minutes, that's a total court time of 245 minutes, an average match time of just over 61 minutes.

As a tournament organiser, if you could schedule four matches averaging an hour each you would be one happy bunny. Over-long matches ruin your schedule and even the most diehard squash fans will usually leave the venue before the final match is over if they have a late train to catch.

However, serving up four matches that are over quickly might result in one or two protests about value for money. And that's where we came in last week, with club players resisting the switch to PAR to 11 in many local county leagues because of the fear of being short-changed with regard to court time.

Please don't think I am being anti-PAR. In future weeks I might bore you with the details of my twice weekly training sessions with my pal Keith, after which we usually finish up with a match playing PAR to 11.

At our age, some games are over mercifully quickly. The system means that if you build a quick lead you can keep attacking and just about have the energy to hold on before tiredness overtakes you. However, if a tight game goes to the tiebreak then you might well be moving beyond your physical comfort zone.

I finish with one disturbing statistic: I heard of a county girls' match last week that was over in just four minutes flat, playing PAR to 11. That can't have been much fun for the poor child on the receiving end of such a humiliating, one-sided contest, or for the embarrassed parents who would have driven many miles to deliver their daughter to the tournament.

Perhaps the problem lies not so much with the scoring system but with the fact that there are so few girls playing squash nowadays that in many parts of the UK any girl who can pick up a squash racket is automatically thrust straight into a county junior team.

I will continue to monitor the response to this situation and look forward to receiving the views of our readers.

Please email me at alan@squashuk.com

 

The Views And Opinions Expressed In This Column Are Not Necessarily The Views Of
Squashplayer.co.uk or Squash Player Magazine

Thursday 5th November 2008
DAZZLING EGYPTIANS SHOW
A NEW WAY TO PLAY THE GAME
Commentating on the World Open Championships, Chris Robertson and I were agog at the way Ramy Ashour and Amr Shabana began their semi-final match.

Each one came out attacking straight from the off and the ball hardly got to the back of the court as a succession of drops and boasts ensued.

We were witnessing a very different way of playing the game. The usual rules of engagement were simply ignored. Instead of spending the opening phase of the match hitting the ball to the back corners, which is the norm in most PSA matches as players get a feel for both the ball and the court, these two amazing Egyptians simply went on the offensive, firing in dazzling winners at will.

It was a phenomenal encounter and rated by many seasoned observers as one of the best squash matches in the history of our sport. Shabana knows that he blew it in the fourth game, putting four forehands in the tin. Ultimately, the 21-year-old Ramy went on to win the match and then the title by beating another Egyptian, Karim Darwish, in the final. He followed in the footsteps of the mighty Jansher Khan by adding the senior World Open to the World Junior Championship.

The tournament in Manchester was a perfect illustration of why Egypt now has such a stranglehold on the men's game. Not only did Egypt provide three semi-finalists, there were eight Egyptians in the top half of the draw alone with three in the bottom section.

The current junior world champion, Mohammed El Shorbagy, also achieved a remarkable triumph, removing former world champion Thierry Lincou in the second round. The result, 13-11 in the fifth game, and the length of the match (more than 80 minutes) show the incredible maturity of this amazing 17-year-old who is honing his professional career under the watchful eye of Jonah Barrington at Millfield.

The best British performance was undoubtedly Adrian Grant's victory over No.2 seed Gregory Gaultier but the biggest disappointment was by James Willstrop as he failed to take advantage of Gaultier's exit. Darwish beat Grant in the quarter-finals but Willstrop succumbed again to David Palmer
before the powerful Australian fell to Darwish in the semis.

No doubt Willstrop will have been kicking himself for a missed opportunity, especially after Peter Barker's two immense victories over Palmer on American soil at the start of the season, in Chicago and Baltimore. Willstrop will now be licking his wounds and trying to work out strategies, with his father Malcolm and English national coach David Pearson, of how to deal with Egypt's dominance of the game. Palmer won't be around for much longer, but this group of Egyptians certainly will be.

Darwish followed up his appearance in the World Open final by winning the Qatar Classic, which hoisted him to a career-best position of No.2 in the PSA rankings. New world champion Ashour found it impossible to repeat his Manchester success and he suffered an ankle injury as he lost in the quarter-finals to Lincou, who then went out to Shabana in the semis.

Nick Matthew produced an excellent result to beat Palmer in a marathon match lasting 111 minutes, but then fell to Darwish, who had already removed Gaultier 3-2. Darwish beat Matthew in the semis and destroyed Shabana in straight games in a one-sided final lasting just 27 minutes.

This was three minute shorter than the women's final, in which Nicol David followed her Manchester triumph against Vicky Botwright by beating Dutch Australian Natalie Grinham.

While David clearly dominates the women's world tour, the men's game is a melting pot with mainly Egyptian ingredients.


CLUB PLAYERS REJECT PAR

My article last week about point-a-rally (PAR) scoring produced several responses from club players who are clearly unhappy about plans to impose it at all levels of the game.

One reader, Steve Snellgrove from Kent, wrote in to offer the following valid observations:

This debate will continue to rage on until someone is courageous enough to impose one or the other type of scoring. Once this is done then the problems of game length and game quality can be addressed such as PAR to 11 or 15 or whatever is decided.

Having played club team squash at the lower levels my preference is with the Hand-in/hand-out system of traditional scoring as the ability to make a comeback is always possible with a few mistakes along the way. This you can’t do with PAR as you are punished for every mistake. That’s fine if you are so good you can make a living at it, but for those of us who go to the club for a bit of physical exercise and to forget the days' stresses two, three or four times a week, a close fought 3-2 match has become nothing of the sort with PAR. You can find yourself playing anything from eight or more games within a 40-minute session.

If it were possible to organise an official referendum for all UK members I feel a large majority would prefer to stick with Hand-in/hand-out. After all, squash has always been regarded as the most all-round demanding of the racket sports, requiring physical stamina, mental stamina and the racket skills to out smart your opponent in a confined space.

PAR only really produces this at the higher levels from what I have seen. As an example I watched my club's first team win 5 – 0 last night in the Outer Kent League Division 1 using the Hand-in/hand-out scoring. All the matches were finished fairly quickly, by 9:45pm from a 7:30 start, and having watched most of the matches if it had been PAR I’m sure it would have been over even earlier, which would make some of the evenings very short with a lot of travelling in between. To encourage people into squash, and to want to play team squash, these evenings should be about a good night out with a few laughs and a couple drinks and something to eat afterwards with your opponents, not a really short match where every error made contributed immediately towards your downfall.

I have no doubt there are plenty opinions for exactly the opposite, hence the huge debate. But at the end of the day is anyone going to be brave enough to make a final decision and say squash will use this scoring system and this one only?




SQUASH ON TV IN THE UK
Forthcoming PSA events on the SKy Sports channel:

World Open 1 18/11/08 19:00 Sky Sports Xtra
World Open 2 18/11/08 20:00 Sky Sports Xtra
World Open 1 19/11/08 02:00 Sky Sports 3
World Open 2 19/11/08 03:00 Sky Sports 3
World Open 1 20/11/08 09:00 Sky Sports Xtra
World Open 2 20/11/08 10:00 Sky Sports Xtra


Qatar Classic 1 07/12/08 07:00 Sky Sports 3
Qatar Classic 2 07/12/08 08:00 Sky Sports 3
Qatar Classic 1 07/12/08 14:00 Sky Sports Xtra
Qatar Classic 2 07/12/08 15:00 Sky Sports Xtra
Qatar Classic 1 08/12/08 04:00 Sky Sports 3
Qatar Classic 2 08/12/08 05:00 Sky Sports 3
Qatar Classic 1 08/12/08 08:00 Sky Sports Xtra
Qatar Classic 2 08/12/08 09:00 Sky Sports Xtra
Qatar Classic 1 08/12/08 17:00 Sky Sports Xtra
Qatar Classic 2 08/12/08 18:00 Sky Sports Xtra


Cathay Pacific Open 1 28/12/08 06:00 Sky Sports 3
Cathay Pacific Open 2 28/12/08 07:00 Sky Sports 3
Cathay Pacific Open 1 28/12/08 14:30 Sky Sports Xtra
Cathay Pacific Open 2 28/12/08 15:30 Sky Sports Xtra
Cathay Pacific Open 1 28/12/08 19:00 Sky Sports Xtra
Cathay Pacific Open 2 28/12/08 20:00 Sky Sports Xtra
Cathay Pacific Open 1 29/12/08 01:30 Sky Sports Xtra
Cathay Pacific Open 2 29/12/08 02:30 Sky Sports Xtra
Cathay Pacific Open 1 29/12/08 09:00 Sky Sports 3
Cathay Pacific Open 2 29/12/08 10:00 Sky Sports 3
Cathay Pacific Open 1 29/12/08 13:00 Sky Sports Xtra
Cathay Pacific Open 2 29/12/08 14:00 Sky Sports Xtra


Saudi International 1 20/01/09 20:00 Sky Sports 2
Saudi International 2 20/01/09 21:00 Sky Sports 2
Saudi International 1 20/01/09 24:00 Sky Sports 3
Saudi International 2 20/01/09 25:00 Sky Sports 3
Saudi International 1 21/01/09 09:00 Sky Sports 3
Saudi International 2 21/01/09 10:00 Sky Sports 3
Saudi International 1 21/01/09 15:00 Sky Sports 2
Saudi International 2 21/01/09 16:00 Sky Sports 2
Saudi International 1 25/01/09 08:00 Sky Sports Xtra
Saudi International 2 25/01/09 09:00 Sky Sports Xtra
Saudi International 1 25/01/09 13:00 Sky Sports Xtra
Saudi International 2 25/01/09 14:00 Sky Sports Xtra

 

The Views And Opinions Expressed In This Column Are Not Necessarily The Views Of
Squashplayer.co.uk or Squash Player Magazine

Thursday 30th October 2008
THE GREAT SCORING DEBATE RAGES ON

The debate on scoring continues to dominate debate at the club bar. This has to be a good thing, because from my experience of inhabiting club bars for more years than I care to remember, I can tell you that most squash players spend more time talking about their favourite football teams than their favourite squash players. This is not a good thing, because it means that the sport is failing to promote itself to its own target audience, the club player.

The heartbeat of most squash clubs in the UK is to be found in the team players, and they probably spend more time at the club bar than anyone else, especially after inter-club matches.

So, in the interest of research, I have spent a little time at the bar recently listening to these discussions unfold.

Several players at the top level were keen to see PAR scoring introduced to avoid over-long matches and late finishes which denied them any time in the bar at all!

Lower down the scale is where the resistance is being felt. Some players are simply averse to change and love the scoring system the way it is.
They simply see no good reason to change.

However, the biggest factor to emerge from my discussions is that most squash players have a fear that they will be LOSING something if they switch to PAR to 11.

Whether this is true or not requires careful and prolonged research.
Stated simply, squash players always want value for money, and that desire extends from getting the best possible deals on rackets, shoes and clothing to their playing time on court. The biggest fear is that by adopting PAR to 11 they will have shorter matches, and that somehow they risk being cheated out of a major part of their competitive framework.

Squash players are often conservative and cautious and so they are simply not willing to take the risk, as they see it, of devaluing their match experience.

It's a bit like their time at the bar. They don't want to be served a short measure as they enjoy their post-match pint.


CHINESE WISPAS

WISPA, the organisers of the women's world tour, recently decided to
switch their scoring system to PAR to 11 (and called it Pro Scoring) and
the official line is one of success.

The World Open showed at the highest level that the new system can
produce matches of longevity containing extended periods of high drama.

However, in the new tournament in China the following week we saw some
rather short matches.

In Manchester, the match between Omneya Abdel Kawy and Laura Lengthorn
Massaro lasted 85 minutes largely because of two pehenomenal tiebreaks
in the opening two games, the first falling 23-21 to Laura and the
second 19-17 to Omneya.

The tiebreak is a feature of the new PAR system that is frequently
overlooked in debates and quite clearly when it does occur it produces,
as here, an extended phase of enhanced excitement with a succession of
crisis points.

This one match lasted longer than all four women's quarter-finals in the
recent China Open in Shanghai. The four contests were timed at 22, 11,
23 and 15 minutes respectively, although there is some confusion about
whether the referees had logged the actual playing time and not included
the breaks between games.

Using the analogy of value for money, I am not sure that that particular
programme of matches would deliver.

When WISPA made their move, president Natalie Grainger said:
"Pro-Scoring has been very enthusiastically received at our trial events
so I am excited that we have made the change. It will take our players a
short while to adapt to the different structure of games but I have no
doubt whatsoever that this is another forward step for women’s
international squash."

However, since the scoring system was adopted world number one Nicol
David and her coach Liz Irving have both made solid protests about it.

Andrew Shelley, chief executive of WISPA, emailed from Doha with the
following comments: "As for Pro-Scoring, here is what I wrote in the
WISPA Members Bulletin a few weeks ago:

'It is now six weeks since the CIMB Malaysian Open became the inaugural
WISPA Tour event to use Pro-Scoring (i.e. PAR to 11). The fact that it
is not a major topic for discussion any more is indicative of how smooth
the transition to it has been. Of course some members are still only now
playing it for the first time as they enter events and having to adjust
their approach but with them having watched so many men’s matches with
it being used, and with referees also familiar with marking it, smooth
is the word.

"Little has changed since then, with players becoming more and more used
to it. Of course it changes the dynamics and players cannot afford to
switch off for a few points, but you reach a point quite rapidly when
the system becomes so ingrained that you struggle to remember any other
way.

"You may well recall when the sport moved from two serves to just one.
Losing the second serve was thought by some to signal the end of squash
as a viable sport. After six weeks it was not mentioned again; after six
months the second serve was not remembered at all.

"While this is different as our change to Pro-Scoring was effected for
the international women's game as opposed to the sport as a whole, there
is not doubt that that it provides an effective formula for those who
watch the pros on site or on TV."



RESISTANCE AT LOCAL LEVEL

As chairman of the Kent SRA, I can tell you that our county AGM agreed
to put forward the motion by England Squash that all competitions should
switch to PAR to 11.

Because Kent is such a wide county, we have two leagues, the Priory for
the South-East London region and the Outer Kent League for the rest of
the county. Each one has an independent management committee.

The Outer Kent and the Priory men decided to stay with traditional
scoring, as did the Kent Junior League, while the Priory women decided
to try PAR to 15. Nobody wanted PAR to 11.

The Junior League committee made their decision after a number of
ten-minute matches in the County Closed competition, in which PAR to 11
was adopted. This was followed by a recent junior county girls weekend
at Guildford in which one match was over in seven minutes flat.

Other county leagues report a similar response, with most of those I
contacted this week confirming that they had decided to stick with
traditional scoring.


SEEKING SOLUTIONS

With this movement to persuade all levels of the game to adopt an
identical scoring system to the PSA men's world tour, my biggest fear is
that we will see a number of committees being formed to impose methods
of artificially extending the playing time for those below the elite level.

I am certainly looking forward to the debate at the England Squash AGM.


FEEDBACK FROM PLAYERS AND OFFICIALS

Tania Loughran, who plays in the Middlesex Women's League for Fitness
First Monument, says:

The Middlesex Leagues are using English scoring to 9. English scoring to
9 is my personal preference. Maybe Par scoring to 15 is a good
alternative, but I feel par scoring to 11 can make for a quick match,
with less leeway in general for a player to come back in a game.

I understand the need for time-boxing matches for recording, and have
seen some good competitive Par 11 matches. However, when the players are
slightly less matched in level I think the match can be a little short,
which can be disappointing for ticket holders, and possibly players too.

This is my impression, though I'd like to see some stastics on this, for
match duration etc. It would also be interesting to hear other
viewpoints from players of all levels.

In particular, there is only one ladies division in the Middlesex
leagues, which encompasses a wide range of levels. If this were to be
played as par 11 matches I think some matches may be too short.


YOUR VIEWS:

Please email your views to alan@squashuk.com

The Views And Opinions Expressed In This Column Are Not Necessarily The Views Of
Squashplayer.co.uk or Squash Player Magazine