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Squash
SHORTS
News extracts from around
the world,
compiled by Dan Gilbank ...
contribute |
Issue 15
April 2006
Issues
1-9
Issues 10-14 |
09-Apr,
India:
 What a shot!
Ritwik Bhattacharya, India’s top
squash player, was ranked world No 51 last week. He’s endorsing his
first brand —Police.
Ritwik gave up a scholarship to
Harvard, to pursue the game. He stays in London, by himself,
managing his rent out of his earnings from the game, so he can train
better. He is rumoured to be seeing Neha Dhupia and the two are
apparently great friends. Way to go Ritwik!
Interview by: Komal Sharma,
Pictures by: Shadab Khan.How did you like shooting
for Police?
It was a good fun day away from training. As a one-off thing it was
cool.
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11:15 am: Priming for my first shot |
Your favourite accessory?
I’m really a no-accessory guy, but I think watches are an
almost-favourite.
Can you draw any
similarities between shooting for an ad and playing squash?
I think both need complete focus. Though I had a good time
because it was something different I was doing, but I think it takes
hard work too.
 Is there an ad with a
sportsman in it, that you really like?
The Nike ad in which Tiger Woods is dribbling a golf ball, is
awesome. He does the stunt with the club between his legs and behind
his back and in the end, he catches the ball in the club and then
whacks it a country mile. I liked it for the concept.
You’ve gone without your shirt in the Police advertisement. How
was that experience?
 The photographer suggested that I do some shots without my shirt, so
I took it off. It was that simple. No such experience in it.
Any other sportsperson who
you think does a great job in an ad, without his shirt on?
Emm! I think Anna Kournikova would be great!! (laughs) Kidding!
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07-Apr, New
Zealand:
Wilson retires
from
International Squash
Long-serving New Zealand squash
star Glen Wilson announced his retirement from international
competition on Thursday.
The 35-year-old has called
it quits to take up a coaching job in the United States.
Wilson has been at the
forefront of New Zealand men's squash for 20 years, first
representing his country as a 15-year-old at the 1986 World
Junior Championships in Brisbane.
He's gone on to represent
his country more often than any other player in the history
of New Zealand squash, climbing to number 26 in the world
rankings at his peak in the mid 1990s. His final
representative appearance was at this year's Melbourne
Commonwealth Games, where he finished fourth in the mixed
doubles with New Zealand women's number one Shelley Kitchen.
 Wilson finds it tough to
settle on any one highlight in his career, although the gold
medal in the mixed doubles with former world number one
Leilani Rorani at the 2002 Commonwealth Games in Manchester
is a leading candidate. "Winning three national titles is
also up there, along with making the quarterfinals of the
Hong Kong Open, the semis of the Australian Open and the
final of the Bermuda Open".
Wilson says he always
planned to retire after the Games in Melbourne, although
it's not a decision that came easily. "I feel extremely
privileged to have made a career out of playing the game I
love for so long, and that's not easy to give up on, but the
time is right".
Wilson says the New York role has offered a
great opportunity to launch his coaching career, before
returning home in three or four years. "Squash is blossoming
in the States right now, so it's a great chance to establish
myself in the coaching ranks, but New Zealand will always be
home".
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09-Apr,
Malaysia
Match- made
Malaysia’s No 1 squash player proves he’s just as hot off court
as he togs up in designer garb and talks to VERONICA SHUNMUGAM.
 THIS
looked like a winner from the beginning. All I had to do was catch
national squash top seed Mohd Azlan Iskandar on his return
from the Melbourne Commonwealth Games and before he scooted off to
this week’s Bermuda Open and get him to shimmy into luxurious
designer clothes.
The result? Azlan easily served up an ace off-court and sans his
usual sporty get-up, showed a very different (and dare I say
slicker) side that his fans rarely see.
What do you like to wear?
I usually dress down – I’m a jeans and T-shirt kinda guy but, of
course, dressing up once in a while is always fun to do. But there
is no way I could wear a suit all day.
I am fan of AX (Armani Exchange), Giorgio Armani, Hugo Boss ... but
these are usually way off my budget.
Who does your laundry?
Well ... my sister Zaireen, who is also my manager, is my trust
worthy laundrette service in KL. When I’m in London (he spends up to
eight months of the year training there) I do my own laundry. It’s
pretty easy to determine what you can or cannot wash at a certain
temperature, or put in the dryer. I am a domesticated male!
Which sports personality would you most like to meet?
Mohammad Ali and Mike Tyson. These are men who have made a
difference in their sport.
Full interview from the Star |
07-Apr, Algarve:
Algarve Open
Barringtons Golf and Health Spa in Vale
do Lobo was the venue chosen to receive the Squash Open of the
Algarve, the first tournament of this sport to take place in the
Algarve in ten years.
This tournament will run between 29th April and 1st May, for which a
total of 60 players are expected, from countries like Portugal,
Spain and the United Kingdom.
The prize for the winner is 1000 euros. |
31-March, England:
West Ham veteran Teddy Sheringham says no-one should be surprised he's still playing.
 He revealed: "I
feel as enthusiastic and fresh as the day I made my debut at 17 for
Millwall.
"But I don't
understand what all the fuss is about as my dad Paul, at 66, plays
tennis five mornings a week and squash five evenings a week.
"Mum Shirley -
she'll never forgive me if I tell you how old she is - is out on the
golf course five mornings a week no matter what the weather. So me
playing once, maybe twice a week is not really that big a deal. |
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Texas Pooch:
Manuela Manetta receives some refereeing advice in Houston ... |
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07-Apr, Guwahati:
Indian National
Games to include Squash
 The local organising committee for
the 33rd National Games is now preparing to include two more
disciplines, rugby 7's and squash, as desired by the Indian
Olympic Association (IOA).
Confirming the development, the committee’s secretary general
Pradip Hazarika said rugby 7's and lawn bowls had almost been
finalised.
Squash would be hosted, provided the IOA and the
national federation concerned approved a facility in the Assam
Administrative Staff College here as the venue, he said.
“We
are short of funds to develop new infrastructure for squash. We
have invited technical officials to inspect the existing
infrastructure here. As far as lawn bowls and rugby are
concerned, they could be held in any of the existing grounds,”
Hazarika said.
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12-Apr, Mumbai:
Mumbai Open
Squash:
Manish wins a thriller
DNA
Correspondent
MUMBAI: Manish Chotrani
quelled the charge of Vikas Jangra in a four-game thriller to lift
the men’s singles title in the KG-NECC Mumbai Open Squash
Championship, which concluded at the Khar Gymkhana courts here on
Wednesday.
Chotrani matched
the fitter and younger Jangra from Indian Navy stroke for stroke,
racing to a two-game lead before taking a breather of sorts in the
third, and coming back in the fourth strongly to demolish the
second-seeded player. Chotrani won 11-8 11-7 5-11 11-4 to pocket
the winner’s purse of Rs 8,000. It was Chotrani’s second major
title in four days, having won the ISP-Maharashtra Top 8 event.
 Meanwhile, young Sachika Balwani
has been taking giant steps towards the senior ranks of women’s
squash in the country. Sachika routed Kiran Mirpuri 11-1 11-7 11-1
to lift the women’s title.
Sachika, no more the frail lass
she was when she began her career, was never in trouble against
the taller and physically stronger Mirpuri, aged 26 but a relative
newcomer to the sport. Sachika, who is now off to play in the
German Open, took home Rs 4,000.
In the boys’ under-19 final, a
sudden bout of boredom
and complacency seemed to have overcome Vikra Malhotra (pictured
right) as he just shut off while leading 8-4 in the second game,
after having won the first game 11-9 to end up eventual loser
against top seed Sandeep Jangra (pictured above left).
Sandeep Jangra prevailed 9-11 11-9 11-5 11-4.
Also making heavy weather of his
match was Abhishek Pradhan. Against Ajan Jayant, who was
playing his first squash final, Pradhan managed to pull off a 11-3
11-8 13-11 victory. Having come into this match after playing a
doubles encounter, Pradhan appeared a bit stiff on court, not
having warmed up enough before the match. With his movements on
court hampered, Jayant was successful in taking points off Pradhan
and it was only when he drew level at 11-11 did Pradhan woke up
from his slumber, taking the next two points to seal the title.
DNA Sport
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"Fifteen Seconds ..." |
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