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List of Countries |
THE POOLS |
About Chennai |
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World Men's Team Championship Action Available Via
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OFFICIAL SITE
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Stage 2 Draws
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Standings in PDF Format
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England Beat
Australia To Retain World Title In India
In a dramatic climax
to the ICL World Men's Team Squash Championship - the 21st
staging of the biennial event since 1967 - defending champions England
fought back from a match down to beat long-time rivals Australia 2/1
in the final at the ICL Squash Academy in Chennai, India.
The triumph marked the
first final between Australia and England since 1991 - and the first ever
England win over Australia in a world final! The victory also takes
England's title tally to four since 1995, and stopped their rivals from
extending their record to nine trophy triumphs.
The opening encounter
was a battle between the teams' number ones, with Australia's former world
champion David Palmer, ranked four in the world, facing Nick
Matthew, the world No5 from Sheffield in Yorkshire. Their previous
head-to-head tally showed Palmer 11-5 ahead, and the 31-year-old from New
South Wales duly took the opening two games.
But the Englishman
struck back to draw level - winning the fourth game for just two points.
However, the experienced Aussie rediscovered his form and eventually ran out
an 11-9, 11-9, 7-11, 2-11, 11-4 winner in 82 minutes.
Almost exactly five
years ago, James Willstrop won the world junior individual
championship on the same courts in Chennai. And, in his first time back in
the former Madras since that success, the 24-year-old Englishman beat
Stewart Boswell to level the tie. But it was a tense and tight tussle,
in which the world No6 from Yorkshire needed 65 minutes to overcome his
lower-ranked opponent before prevailing 11-8, 11-7, 11-10 (2-0).
And the decider was no
less dramatic - and only marginally shorter. But Englishman Peter Barker,
in his maiden appearance in a world team championship, delivered an assured
performance as he defeated Cameron Pilley - also a world championship
newcomer - 11-6, 11-3, 11-8 in 60 minutes to clinch the title for England.
"We were represented
by an exceptional group of players," said England Squash Chief Executive
Nick Rider after the team's success. "Winning a world championship is
difficult enough - and retaining it so convincingly is testament to the
courage and determination of these world-class guys. We are immensely proud
of them."
In the play-off for
third place, third seeds France beat favourites Egypt 2/0, and
Malaysia recorded their best ever finish by beating Canada 2/0
in the fifth place play-off. Hosts India marked their best finish
since 1979, despite losing to Netherlands in the seventh place
play-off.
Event newcomers Sri
Lanka, Venezuela and Chinese Taipei finished in 26th,
27th and 29th places, respectively.
***
Commitments to their 'day jobs' on the PSA Tour mean that England
heroes Nick Matthew, James Willstrop and Peter Barker
will delay their celebrations until next week. The trio return to the UK to
compete in the five-star Mamut English Open in Sheffield, Yorkshire,
beginning on Saturday. Willstrop is top seed and is expected to face local
boy Matthew in the final - unless fourth seed Barker stops him in a
predicted semi-final!
Final
(all ties in playing order
1-2-3):
[2] ENGLAND bt [4]
AUSTRALIA 2-1
Nick Matthew lost to
David Palmer 9-11, 9-11, 11-7, 11-2, 4-11 (82m)
James Willstrop bt
Stewart Boswell 11-8, 11-7, 11-10 (2-0) (65m)
Peter Barker bt
Cameron Pilley 11-6, 11-3, 11-8 (60m)
3rd place
play-off:
[3] FRANCE bt [1]
EGYPT 2-0
Gregory Gaultier bt
Amr Shabana 11-2, 11-7, 9-11, 11-3 (30m)
Thierry Lincou bt Wael
El Hindi 11-4, 6-11, 11-5, 11-3 (53m)
5th place
play-off:
[5] MALAYSIA bt [6]
CANADA 2-0
Mohd Azlan Iskandar bt
Shahier Razik 11-10 (2-0), 11-10 (3-1), 11-5 (49m)
Ong Beng Hee bt
Matthew Giuffre 11-7, 11-6, 11-7 (33m)
7th place
play-off:
[8] NETHERLANDS bt
[10] INDIA 2-0
Laurens Jan Anjema bt
Saurav Ghosal 11-10 (3-1), 11-4, 11-4 (27m)
Dylan Bennett bt
Ritwik Bhattacharya 11-6, 11-4, 11-7 (30m)
9th place
play-off:
[7] PAKISTAN bt [9]
WALES 2-0
Aamir Atlas Khan bt
Alex Gough 11-5, 11-9, 11-10 (2-0) (30m)
Mansoor Zaman bt Rob
Sutherland 11-9, 11-5, 11-9 (26m)
11th place
play-off:
[12] SOUTH AFRICA
bt [11] IRELAND 2-1
Jesse Engelbrecht lost
to Liam Kenny 3-11, 6-11, 9-11 (32m)
Stephen Coppinger bt
Derek Ryan 11-10 (2-0), 11-2, 11-3 (27m)
Adrian Hansen bt
Arthur Gaskin 11-6, 11-6, 11-7 (32m)
13th place
play-off:
[13] NEW ZEALAND bt
[14] USA 2-0
Kashif Shuja bt Julian
Illingworth 11-7, 11-9, 7-11, 11-10 (3-1) (45m)
Campbell Grayson bt
Christopher Gordon 11-3, 11-6, 11-1 (29m)
15th place
play-off:
[15] HONG KONG bt
[16] GERMANY 2-1
Dick Lau lost to Simon
Rosner 2-11, 9-11, 8-11 (30m)
Wai Hang Wong bt Tim
Weber 11-4, 5-11, 11-9, 11-6 (45m)
Max Lee bt Moritz
Dahmen 7-11, 11-8, 11-5, 11-8 (54m)
17th place
play-off:
[17/24] SWEDEN bt
[17/24] SCOTLAND 2-0
Christian Drakenberg
bt Alan Clyne 11-4, 11-2, 11-10 (2-0) (37m)
Badr Abdel Aziz bt
Stuart Crawford 11-6, 11-8, 11-6 (28m)
19th place
play-off:
[17/24] SPAIN bt
[17/24] JAPAN 2-0
David Vidal bt Jun
Matsumoto 11-5, 11-0, 11-7 (30m)
Alejandro Garbi Caro
bt Takanori Shimizu 11-5, 11-10 (3-1), 11-6 (39m)
21st place
play-off:
[17/24] FINLAND bt
[17/24] KUWAIT 2-1
Matias Tuomi bt Bader
Al Hussaini 7-11, 6-11, 11-4, 11-4, 11-9 (56m)
Henrik Mustonen lost
to Abdullah Almezayen 5-11, 3-11, 6-11 (24m)
Mika Monto bt Nasser B
Al-Ramzi 6-11, 6-11, 11-9, 11-9, 11-5 (50m)
23rd place
play-off:
[17/24] KENYA bt
[17/24] AUSTRIA 2-1
Hardeep Reel bt Aqeel
Rehman 11-9, 11-10 (4-2), 11-10 (5-3) (43m)
Hartaj Bains lost to
Jakob Dirnberger 8-11, 9-11, 9-11 (31m)
Otto Kwach bt Stefan
Brauneis 11-10 (2-0), 11-9, 11-8 (32m)
25th place
play-off:
[25/29] SRI LANKA
bt [25/29] BERMUDA 2-0
Saman Thilakaratna bt
Chase Toogood 11-5, 11-9, 11-5 (28m)
Navin Samarasinghe bt
Melrindo Caines 11-3, 11-2, 11-4 (21m)
27th place
play-off:
[25/29] RUSSIA bt
[25/29] VENEZUELA 2-1
Alexei Severinov bt
Francisco Valecillo 11-8, 11-8, 11-7 (27m)
Sergey Kostrykin lost
to Juan Pablo Sanchez 10-11 (2-4), 10-11 (0-2), 6-11 (28m)
Valery Litvinko bt
Luis Hernandes 11-5, 11-5, 11-8 (29m)
29th place
play-off:
[25/29] CHINESE
TAIPEI bye
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Saurav Ghosal beats Alex Gough to clinch win for hosts India against 9th
seeds Wales to get through to the quarter-finals |
Newly Crowned World Champion Amr
Shabana part of the Number 1 Seeded Egypt Team |
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THE POOLS
seedings in brackets |
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Final
[2] ENGLAND bt [4] AUSTRALIA 2-1
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Semi-final
results:
[4] AUSTRALIA bt [1] EGYPT 2-1
Cameron Pilley lost to Mohammed Abbas 11-7, 7-11, 4-11, 8-11 (62m)
David Palmer bt Amr Shabana 11-8, 11-6, 6-11, 11-6 (55m)
Stewart Boswell bt Karim Darwish 11-7, 7-11, 11-9, 11-8 (73m)
[2] ENGLAND bt [3] FRANCE 2-1
Peter Barker bt Renan Lavigne
11-6, 11-6, 11-6 (42m)
Nick Matthew bt Gregory Gaultier 11-3, 11-6, 11-4 (41m)
James Willstrop lost to Thierry Lincou 10-11 (0-2), 8-11 (25m)
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Final
(all ties in playing order 1-2-3):
[2] ENGLAND bt [4]
AUSTRALIA 2-1
Nick Matthew lost to
David Palmer 9-11, 9-11, 11-7, 11-2, 4-11 (82m)
James Willstrop bt
Stewart Boswell 11-8, 11-7, 11-10 (2-0) (65m)
Peter Barker bt
Cameron Pilley 11-6, 11-3, 11-8 (60m)
3rd place
play-off:
[3] FRANCE bt [1]
EGYPT 2-0
Gregory Gaultier bt
Amr Shabana 11-2, 11-7, 9-11, 11-3 (30m)
Thierry Lincou bt Wael
El Hindi 11-4, 6-11, 11-5, 11-3 (53m)
5th place
play-off:
[5] MALAYSIA bt [6]
CANADA 2-0
Mohd Azlan Iskandar bt
Shahier Razik 11-10 (2-0), 11-10 (3-1), 11-5 (49m)
Ong Beng Hee bt
Matthew Giuffre 11-7, 11-6, 11-7 (33m)
7th place
play-off:
[8] NETHERLANDS bt
[10] INDIA 2-0
Laurens Jan Anjema bt
Saurav Ghosal 11-10 (3-1), 11-4, 11-4 (27m)
Dylan Bennett bt
Ritwik Bhattacharya 11-6, 11-4, 11-7 (30m)
9th place
play-off:
[7] PAKISTAN bt [9]
WALES 2-0
Aamir Atlas Khan bt
Alex Gough 11-5, 11-9, 11-10 (2-0) (30m)
Mansoor Zaman bt Rob
Sutherland 11-9, 11-5, 11-9 (26m)
11th place
play-off:
[12] SOUTH AFRICA
bt [11] IRELAND 2-1
Jesse Engelbrecht lost
to Liam Kenny 3-11, 6-11, 9-11 (32m)
Stephen Coppinger bt
Derek Ryan 11-10 (2-0), 11-2, 11-3 (27m)
Adrian Hansen bt
Arthur Gaskin 11-6, 11-6, 11-7 (32m)
13th place
play-off:
[13] NEW ZEALAND bt
[14] USA 2-0
Kashif Shuja bt Julian
Illingworth 11-7, 11-9, 7-11, 11-10 (3-1) (45m)
Campbell Grayson bt
Christopher Gordon 11-3, 11-6, 11-1 (29m)
15th place
play-off:
[15] HONG KONG bt
[16] GERMANY 2-1
Dick Lau lost to Simon
Rosner 2-11, 9-11, 8-11 (30m)
Wai Hang Wong bt Tim
Weber 11-4, 5-11, 11-9, 11-6 (45m)
Max Lee bt Moritz
Dahmen 7-11, 11-8, 11-5, 11-8 (54m)
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17th place
play-off:
[17/24] SWEDEN bt
[17/24] SCOTLAND 2-0
Christian Drakenberg
bt Alan Clyne 11-4, 11-2, 11-10 (2-0) (37m)
Badr Abdel Aziz bt
Stuart Crawford 11-6, 11-8, 11-6 (28m)
19th place play-off:
[17/24] SPAIN bt
[17/24] JAPAN 2-0
David Vidal bt Jun
Matsumoto 11-5, 11-0, 11-7 (30m)
Alejandro Garbi Caro
bt Takanori Shimizu 11-5, 11-10 (3-1), 11-6 (39m)
21st place
play-off:
[17/24] FINLAND bt
[17/24] KUWAIT 2-1
Matias Tuomi bt Bader
Al Hussaini 7-11, 6-11, 11-4, 11-4, 11-9 (56m)
Henrik Mustonen lost
to Abdullah Almezayen 5-11, 3-11, 6-11 (24m)
Mika Monto bt Nasser B
Al-Ramzi 6-11, 6-11, 11-9, 11-9, 11-5 (50m)
23rd place
play-off:
[17/24] KENYA bt
[17/24] AUSTRIA 2-1
Hardeep Reel bt Aqeel
Rehman 11-9, 11-10 (4-2), 11-10 (5-3) (43m)
Hartaj Bains lost to
Jakob Dirnberger 8-11, 9-11, 9-11 (31m)
Otto Kwach bt Stefan
Brauneis 11-10 (2-0), 11-9, 11-8 (32m)
25th place
play-off:
[25/29] SRI LANKA
bt [25/29] BERMUDA 2-0
Saman Thilakaratna bt
Chase Toogood 11-5, 11-9, 11-5 (28m)
Navin Samarasinghe bt
Melrindo Caines 11-3, 11-2, 11-4 (21m)
27th place
play-off:
[25/29] RUSSIA bt
[25/29] VENEZUELA 2-1
Alexei Severinov bt
Francisco Valecillo 11-8, 11-8, 11-7 (27m)
Sergey Kostrykin lost
to Juan Pablo Sanchez 10-11 (2-4), 10-11 (0-2), 6-11 (28m)
Valery Litvinko bt
Luis Hernandes 11-5, 11-5, 11-8 (29m)
29th place
play-off:
[25/29] CHINESE
TAIPEI bye
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5th - 8th place
play-offs:
[6] CANADA v [10]
INDIA
[5] MALAYSIA v [8]
NETHERLANDS
9th - 12th place
play-offs:
[9] WALES v [12] SOUTH
AFRICA
[7] PAKISTAN v [11]
IRELAND
13th - 16th
place play-offs:
[14] USA v [15] HONG
KONG
[13] NEW ZEALAND v
[16] GERMANY
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17th - 20th place
play-offs:
[17/24] SWEDEN v
[17/24] JAPAN
[17/24] SPAIN v
[17/24] SCOTLAND
21st - 24th
place play-offs:
[17/24] FINLAND v
[17/24] AUSTRIA
[17/24] KENYA v
[17/24] KUWAIT
25th - 28th
place play-offs:
[25/29] BERMUDA v
[25/29] VENEZUELA
[25/29] SRI LANKA v
[25/29] RUSSIA |
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Quarter-final line-up:
[1] EGYPT v [10] INDIA
[4]
AUSTRALIA v [6] CANADA
[3] FRANCE v
[5] MALAYSIA
[2] ENGLAND v [8]
NETHERLANDS
9th - 16th place play-offs:
[9] WALES v [15] HONG
KONG
[14] USA v [12] SOUTH
AFRICA
[11] IRELAND v [13]
NEW ZEALAND
[7] PAKISTAN v [16]
GERMANY
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17th - 24th place
play-offs:
[17/24] FINLAND v
[17/24] SWEDEN
[17/24] JAPAN v
[17/24] AUSTRIA
[17/24] SCOTLAND v
[17/24] KUWAIT
[17/24] SPAIN v
[17/24] KENYA
25th - 29th
place play-offs:
[25/29]
BERMUDA bye
[25/29]
VENEZUELA bye
[25/29]
RUSSIA v [25/29] CHINESE TAIPEI
[25/29] SRI LANKA bye
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Last sixteen draw
Winners in Bold
(for positions 1-16):
[1] EGYPT
3-0
[15] HONG KONG
[9] WALES 0-3 [10] INDIA
[4]
AUSTRALIA 3-0 [14] USA
[6] CANADA v
[12] SOUTH AFRICA
[5] MALAYSIA 2-1 [11] IRELAND
[3] FRANCE
3-0
[13] NEW ZEALAND
[7] PAKISTAN 1-2 [8] NETHERLANDS
[2] ENGLAND
3-0
[16] GERMANY
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Last sixteen draw
Winners in Bold
(for positions 17-29):
[17/24] FINLAND bye
[17/24] SWEDEN
3-0
[25/29] BERMUDA
[17/24] JAPAN bye
[17/24]
AUSTRIA 3-0 [25/29] VENEZUELA
[17/24]
KUWAIT 3-0 [25/29] RUSSIA
[17/24] SCOTLAND 3-0 [25/29]CHINESE TAIPEI
[17/24] KENYA 2-1 [25/29] SRI LANKA
[17/24] SPAIN bye
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Draws
 |
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POOL A:
[1] EGYPT, [16] GERMANY, [17/24] FINLAND, [25/29] RUSSIA
POOL B:
[2] ENGLAND, [15] HONG KONG, [17/24] SPAIN
POOL C:
[3] FRANCE, [14] USA, [17/24] JAPAN, [25/29] VENEZUELA
POOL D:
[4] AUSTRALIA, [13] NEW ZEALAND, [17/24] SCOTLAND
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POOL E:
[5] MALAYSIA, [12] SOUTH AFRICA, [17/24] KUWAIT, [25/29] SRI LANKA
POOL F:
[6] CANADA, [11] IRELAND, [17/24] AUSTRIA
POOL G:
[7] PAKISTAN, [10] INDIA, [17/24] KENYA, [25/29] BERMUDA
POOL H:
[8] NETHERLANDS, [9] WALES, [17/24] SWEDEN, [25/29] CHINESE TAIPEI
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Pool 'A' |
Round-Robin
|
4 Countries
|
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Pool 'B' |
Round-Robin
|
3 Countries
|
|
Pool 'C' |
Round-Robin
|
4 Countries
|
|
Pool 'D' |
Round-Robin
|
3 Countries
|
|
Pool 'E' |
Round-Robin
|
4 Countries
|
|
Pool 'F' |
Round-Robin
|
3 Countries
|
|
Pool 'G' |
Round-Robin
|
4 Countries
|
|
Pool 'H' |
Round-Robin
|
4 Countries
|
Stage 2 - 1 to 16
List Format |
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16 Countries
|
Stage 2 - 17 to 29
List Format |
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13 Countries
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|
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|
| Name |
| 1st in Pool 'A'
|
Egypt |
| 1st in Pool 'B'
|
England |
| 1st in Pool 'C'
|
France |
| 1st in Pool 'D'
|
Australia |
| 1st in Pool 'E'
|
Malaysia |
| 1st in Pool 'F'
|
Canada |
| 1st in Pool 'G'
|
Pakistan |
| 1st in Pool 'H'
|
Wales |
| 2nd in Pool 'A'
|
Germany |
| 2nd in Pool 'B'
|
Hong
Kong |
| 2nd in Pool 'C'
|
USA |
| 2nd in Pool 'D'
|
New
Zealand
|
| 2nd in Pool 'E'
|
South
Africa |
| 2nd in Pool 'F'
|
Ireland |
| 2nd in Pool 'G'
|
India |
| 2nd in Pool 'H'
|
Netherlands |
|
|
|
| Name |
| 3rd in Pool 'A'
|
Finland |
| 3rd in Pool 'B'
|
Spain |
| 3rd in Pool 'C'
|
Japan |
| 3rd in Pool 'D'
|
Scotland |
| 3rd in Pool 'E'
|
Kuwait |
| 3rd in Pool 'F'
|
Austria |
| 3rd in Pool 'G'
|
Kenya |
| 3rd in Pool 'H'
|
Sweden |
| 4th in Pool 'A'
|
Russia |
| 4th in Pool 'C'
|
Venezuela |
| 4th in Pool 'E'
|
Sri
Lanka |
| 4th in Pool 'G'
|
Bermuda |
| 4th in Pool 'H'
|
Chinese
Taipei |
|
|
Previews
Shabana Eyes Further
Squash Title In India
Just days after
claiming his third World Open title in Bermuda, world number one
Amr Shabana will be setting his sights on a fifth international crown in
six weeks when he leads favourites Egypt in the 21st
ICL World Men's Team Squash Championship in India.
The biennial event,
which has attracted a near record 29 nations, gets underway tomorrow (6
December) at the ICL Squash Academy in Chennai, and reaches
its final on Wednesday 12 December.
Despite the
last-minute withdrawal of world No2 Ramy Ashour, Egypt - the only
country to boast four players in the world top ten - are seeded to win the
title for the second time. The favourites head Pool A and face Finland,
seeded in the 17/24 group, on the opening day.
Defending champions
England, the second seeds led by US Open champion Nick Matthew
and bidding to win the crown for a fourth time, have a rest day tomorrow -
and begin their title defence on Friday against 17/24 seeds Spain.
Australia,
eight times winners of the title since the event's inaugural year in 1967,
also wait until Friday before beginning their 21st World Teams
campaign. The fourth seeds will face Scotland in Pool D.
Third seeds France,
led by World Open runner-up Gregory Gaultier, first take take on
outsiders Japan.
Three countries are
making their debut in the 2007 ICL World Team Championship - Chinese
Taipei, Venezuela and Sri Lanka.
Thursday line-up:
Qualifying rounds -
Pool A:
[1] EGYPT v [17/24]
FINLAND; [16] GERMANY v [25/29] RUSSIA
Pool B:
[15] HONG KONG v
[17/24] SPAIN
Pool C:
[3] FRANCE v
[17/24] JAPAN; [14] USA v [25/29] VENEZUELA
Pool D:
[13] NEW ZEALAND v
[17/24] SCOTLAND
Pool E:
[5] MALAYSIA v [17/24]
KUWAIT; [12] SOUTH AFRICA v [25/29] SRI LANKA
Pool F:
[11] IRELAND v [17/24]
AUSTRIA
Pool G:
[10] INDIA v
[25/29] BERMUDA; [7] PAKISTAN v [17/24] KENYA
Pool H:
[9] WALES v [17/24]
SWEDEN; [8] NETHERLANDS v [25/29] CHINESE TAIPEI
Egypt Remain As Top Seeds In Chennai
-
Despite Ramy Loss
The foot
injury which prevented Ramy Ashour from competing in this week's
Endurance World Open Squash Championship in Bermuda has
now caused the world number two from Cairo to withdraw from the Egypt
team in next week's 21st ICL World Men's Team Squash
Championship in Chennai, India.
The
withdrawal was confirmed today by the World Squash Federation.
Egypt's position as No1 seeds was considered by the WSF seeding panel - but
no alteration is required.
The
revised Egypt squad will now be: 1 Amr Shabana, 2 Karim Darwish,
3 Wael El Hindi, 4 Mohammed Abbas.
The
biggest squash event ever to be staged in India - featuring 29
nations - will be held at the ICL Squash Academy in Chennai
from 6-12 December.
With
just days remaining for the World Men's Team Championship, the first major
step towards its conduct has been taken with the announcement of the
seedings and the draw by the World Squash Federation. Not surprisingly
Egypt, which had finished runner up in Pakistan in the last edition in 2005
has been given precedence over the defending Champion England. With the top
two players of the world Amr Shabana and Ramy Ashour in their midst, Egypt
looks the best.
England too is a strong outfit with James Willstrop, the World Number 5
leading the pack. Fans in Chennai will be familiar with this genial player
who had won the World junior title right on the same courts where he is now
returning for another big battle. With Nick Mathew, another top 10 player,
England has strength and depth. As the seedings committee believes these two
countries should be the title-contenders in the normal course and December
12 will provide the answer when the final is played.
However this is not to discount France led by World number three Gregory
Gaultier or Australia with world number four David Palmer (who had won the
world doubles with Anthony Ricketts in Chennai) leading the charge.
Interesting equations are possible but one thing is certain, the
championship promises rich competition.
India is seeded tenth (was seeded 12th in Pakistan). Following is the
complete list of the seedings: 1. Egypt 2. England 3. France 4. Australia 5.
Malaysia 6. Canada 7. Pakistan 8. Netherlands 9. Wales 10. India 11. Ireland
12. South Africa 13. New Zealand 14. USA 15. Hong Kong 16. Germany; seedings
17/24 Austria, Finland, Japan, Kenya, Kuwait, Scotland, Spain, Sweden;
seedings 25/29 Bermuda, Chinese Taipei, Russia, Sri Lanka, Venezuela.
As per the draw, the teams have been placed in eight pools based on seedings/
lots:
Pool A: Egypt, Germany, Finland, Russia;
Pool B: England, Hong Kong, Spain;
Pool C: France, USA, Japan, Venezuela;
Pool D: Australia, New Zealand, Scotland;
Pool E: Malaysia, South Africa, Kuwait, Sri Lanka;
Pool F: Canada, Ireland, Austria,
Pool G: Pakistan, India, Kenya, Bermuda;
Pool H: Netherlands, Wales, Sweden, Chinese Taipei.
India finds itself in the same pool as Pakistan in Pool G. There is good
chance for India to finish in the top two in the Group. “Our boys are
playing well and I am certain that we will give the higher ranked Pakistanis
a run for their money” said Major S. Maniam, Consultant Coach to the Squash
Rackets Federation of India. If India finishes in the top two, it is likely
to play Netherlands or Wales in the next phase. India had ended up 11th
overall last time and is looking forward to a better finish this time
around.
As per the championship format the two top teams from each Group qualify for
the round of 16 and the bottom teams play for positions 17 to 29.
Thanking you,
Yours faithfully,
For THE SQUASH RACKETS FEDERATION OF INDIA
N. RAMACHANDRAN
SECRETARY GENERAL
Jonathon
Power In World Team Championship Comeback
Former world number one
Jonathon Power
will play for Canada at the 21st
ICL World Men's Team Squash Championship
in Chennai,
India, from 6-12 December.
"I feel I can still add a lot to
the team and win some games at the team worlds,’’ said the 33-year-old from
Toronto who retired from the pro circuit last year but still competes at
national championships and international events for Canada. ‘’I’ve been
training hard for these championships and I feel my playing is of high calibre."
Power is keeping busy these days
promoting the sport across North America by holding camps and playing
exhibitions. He and his wife Sita are proud parents of a nine-month old
daughter. Power is also currently working on a project to build a squash
academy in Toronto for potential high performance players.
"Squash Canada was thrilled that
Jonathon wanted to remain an integral member of the Canadian men's squad
following his retirement from pro circuit,’’ said Linda MacPhail,
executive director of the Canadian national federation. "Jonathon is a very
patriotic athlete, and his desire to remain with the team was obviously warmly
received by Squash Canada. He plays a strong role as both an athlete and leader
on the team, and is of course enthusiastically welcomed by the international
squash community."
Joining Power on the Canadian team
for the Chennai championship are Shahier Razik of Toronto, who is coming
off two PSA tournament wins in Canada and is ranked 25th in the world;
Matthew Giuffre of Edmonton; and Shawn Delierre of Brossard, Quebec.
"I played Jonathan in an exhibition
recently and he is looking very strong," said Giuffre. "It’s just great that
he’s coming back. With him in the line-up we’ve increased the strength of our
team."
This year’s world team championship
has attracted 29 countries, including the top eight ranked players in the world,
headed by Amr Shabana of Egypt.
Canada, seeded sixth for the
tournament, is in a pool with 11th seeds Ireland and
Austria, seeded in the 17/24 bracket. Egypt, England and
France are seeded one, two and three, respectively.
Canada was fourth at the last world
championship in 2005 held in Islamabad, Pakistan - with Power, Razik, Giuffre
and Graham Ryding of Toronto. They lost the bronze medal match to France
in the playoff for third place. England beat Egypt in the final.
National men’s team coach Gene
Turk, of Winnipeg, believes Canada can aim for another top four finish.
"It’s going to be a challenge to
repeat that result," said Turk. "We’ll need to get some big wins. Jonathon
brings a lot of experience and gives us a great chance to win at the number one
position."
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Egypt Seeded To Win World Team Squash Title In Chennai
In the draw for the 21st ICL World Men's Team Squash
Championship 2007, announced today (Thursday) by the World Squash
Federation, Egypt are seeded to win the title for the second time
since 1999.
The biggest squash event ever to be staged in India - featuring 29
nations - will be held at the ICL Squash Academy in Chennai
from 6-12 December.
Egypt,
led by the world's two highest-ranked players Amr Shabana and Ramy
Ashour, are expected to face second seeds England, the defending
champions, in the final on Wednesday 12 December - a repeat of the 2005
final in the last championship in Pakistan. England's squad features four
players ranked inside the world's top 15 - led by world No5 James
Willstrop.
Eight times champions Australia are named as third seeds, while
France, runners-up in 2003, are seeded four.
Hosts India are seeded 11th and expected to achieve their
highest finish in the event since 1979. New Zealand, the 13th
seeds, join Australia as the only country to have competed in all events
since the inaugural championship in 1967. England, however, can also boast
a 100% appearance record in the event - though competed as 'Great Britain'
until 1981.
Three nations - Chinese Taipei, Venezuela and Sri Lanka
- will be making their debuts in the 2007 championship.
The 2007 Championship will be the qualifying event for the 2009 World
Games in Chinese Taipei - with the top 12 nations receiving two spots
each in the main draw.
The Championship will be played in two stages: In the first stage, the teams
will be placed in eight pools, the teams playing each other in a
'round-robin league'. The top two teams from each pool will then progress to
the knockout phase, while the remaining teams will play for positions 17 to
29.
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