|
|
19-Dec, Peshawar:
Legendary Hashim
Khan
Honoured
Rahmatullah Khan reports from
PakistanHashim Khan
received rich tributes in a ceremony organised by North West
Frontier Province Olympic Association in Peshawar.
 Corps Commander Peshawar Lt Gen
Mohammed Hamid Khan was the guest of honour along with the
President of the NWFP, the former President of the Pakistan
Squash Federation Abbas Khattak and the former world champion
Qamar Zaman Khan.
Hashim Khan was born to a poor family in Naway Kalli in 1923
and became a champion who changed the sport of squash.
Hashim's
excellence on court gave him a passport to embark on an eight
decade journey crossing economic, geographic and generational
boundaries and transcending social, cultural and religious bias.
 Hashim's rise to dominance in
squash coincided with Pakistan's independence in 1947. When he
won his first British Open title in 1951 it was a first for the
country in any sport.
On the occasion, former World
Champion Qamar Zamar Khan gave a
tribute to Hashim Khan.
"Hasim Khan is such a great squash player who sets precedents
for the newcomer in squash. although I was not born when he was
at his peak I saw him play in veteran events and learnt a lot of
squash techniques from him."
 A team from Colorado led by Josh
Easton are currently working on a documentary on the life of
Hashim Khan.
They interviewed him to get Hashim's views
about his game and his life.
Rahmatullah
Khan |
17-Dec,
Auckland:
Shelley Kitchen Maori Sportswoman of the Year
Shelley
golfer Michael Campbell
and his wife Julie |
At a black tie award ceremony in Auckland, New Zealand's
Shelley Kitchen has beaten off competition from
Leanne Baker
(tennis) and Lisa Hurunui (surfing) to be awarded 2005
Senior Maori Sportswomen of the Year Award.
|
18-Dec,
Malaysia:
Squash queen Nicol David, who has
been showered with rewards and awards since winning the World
Open title this month, now has endowment policy valued at
RM100,000 as well.
That’s an increase of RM50,000 to the usual Olympic Council of
Malaysia’s (OCM) Athletes Retirement Scheme.
|
|
NICOL: Was inducted into
the scheme in 1998
|
Nicol, 22, who is set to
become the world’s number one ranked player from January next
year, also received a Special Award during the OCM-Coca-Cola
Olympian of The Year awards ceremony in Kuala Lumpur on Friday
night.
The RM50,000 endowment policy
plan was created in 1998 to provide a retirement scheme for
athletes who achieve outstanding and extraordinary
performances, including gold medal winners at the Asian Games
or Commonwealth Games; and silver or bronze medallist at the
Olympics.
Said OCM secretary Datuk Sieh
Kok Chi: “We want to give recognition to high level
achievements and we want to reward them with something that
will be helpful in the future.
“After Nicol’s latest
achievement, the OCM Board have decided to add RM50,000 to her
existing policy.”
The retirement scheme is in
the form of a whole life insurance policy for the athlete and
is worth RM50,000 for individual sportsman, RM25,000 for a
doubles pair and RM10,000 each for a team of three and above.
Nicol was inducted into the
scheme after winning the gold medal in the 1998 Asian Games in
Bangkok.
Star Online
|
Dec-13,
Malaysia:
Badminton to go PAR ???
In a move to make badminton more appealing as a spectator
sport it has been decided to trial point a rally scoring in
upcoming events.
At the recent council meetings
of the International Badminton Federation it was decided that
in all IBF sanctioned events point a rally scoring is to be
adopted. This trial will be assessed at the AGM in May and be decided
as to whether to make it permanent.
The new rules would make a
match best of 3 games each to 21 points with a point a rally
being scored. If the score becomes 20/20 then the side which
scores 2 clear points wins that game. Should the score reach
29/29 then the side which scores the 30th point shall win the
game.
The scores shall be recorded as they are, for example
21/5, 23/25, 30/29.
International Badminton Federation |
COMMENT
I don't know about you, but those scores above make perfect sense to me,
once you know it's "best of 3 to 21, two clear at 20-all, first to
30 wins."
I've never quite understood why PSA, with a perfectly simple scoring
system of "best of 5 to 11, two clear at 10-all", decided to record
the score the way we're supposed to do it these days (especially
since the marker even calls out eg "15/14 game ball").
So if anyone can explain the advantages of recording a match
as
11/6, 10/11(0-2), 11/10(5-3), 6/11, 11/10(4-2)
rather than
11/6, 10/12, 15/13, 6/11, 14/12
then I'm all ears ...
Steve Cubbins
|
|
19-Dec,
Malta:
LivingWell Squash Open 2005
The final match of the day between
Wirth and Unsworth was to decide this year's winner.
 The match was evenly balanced. Wirth took the lead before
Unsworth pulled level.
The match continued to go one way than the
other. In the final game, both players had several 'match balls'
before Wirth eventually secured his first tournament win 10-9.
Wirth was also presented with an attractive prize, a three
month membership at the LivingWell health studios and also a well
deserved massage at the in-house Myoka.
Malta Squash secretary Liz Said thanked the LivingWell health
club, Oceana restaurant and Myoka for their generous
support of the event.
|
17-Dec: Shropshire
County treat for squash enthusiasts
 |
|
Jonathan Kemp, right, with Mike Taylor and Patrick
Snodgrass |
|
Shropshire’s Jonathan Kemp may
be delivering on the world squash stage — but he’s happy on home
soil too.
Kemp, ranked No 25 in the world
after a recent triumph in Pakistan, starred at a special
exhibition at Shrewsbury School’s Squash Club on Thursday,
alongside Alex Stait (world ranked No 60).
Spokesman Neil Jackson declared:
“It was a great evening. We had 49 squash enthusiasts there who
all enjoyed a dazzling display of artistry and skill by these
two great players who just don’t get the credit they deserve.”
Mike Taylor and Patrick
Snodgrass were the club members who secured the highest amount
of points against the world ranked players with ‘American
scoring’, Mike finishing with 10 and Patrick 8.
Shropshire Star |
9-Dec, Lalitpur:
Squash Building Opened
His Royal Highness Crown Prince Paras Bir Bikram Shah Dev
inaugurated the new building of Nepal Squash Rackets Association
at the premises of the Birendra International Sports Complex at
Satdobato today.
Her Royal Highness Crown Princess Himani Rajya Laxmi Devi Shah
was present on the occasion.
On the occasion, HRH the Crown Prince gave away letters of
appreciation to medal winners and trainers of the 9th SAF Games
and to the individuals making significant contribution to the
development of squash sport in Nepal.
HRH the Crown Prince, who is the Patron of National Sports
Council, inspected the building and an exhibition match of
squash on the occasion.
Earlier, upon arrival at the Complex, Their Royal Highnesses
were accorded a warm welcome by Minister of Education and Sports
Radha Krishna Mainali, Assistant Minister for Education and
Sports Bhuvan Pathak, Member Secretary of National Sports
Council Kishore Bahadur Singh and the Association
office-bearers.
The two-storey building constructed at the total cost of Rs. 8.3
Million comprises four squash courts of international standard.
Addressing the inaugural function, Minister Mainali said His
Majesty’s Government is committed to development of sports in
the country.
This game carries special importance in a geographically remote
country like Nepal and additional publicity could make it more
popular, he added.
The
Rising Nepal |
Aussie Stars At Home
Melbourne, 22-Dec
MOST of Australia's top-rated international squash stars will return
home for the Australian Open in Melbourne starting early
January.
The men's tournament will be headed by world No.3 and 2005 British
Open champion Anthony Ricketts and world No.4 and former
world champion David Palmer, both from New South Wales.
Queensland's Rachael Grinham, who held the world No.1 spot for 16
months until November, will be the hot favourite to grab her first
Australian Open women's crown.
Her sister and world No.4 defending champ Natalie is the only major
Australian star not coming to Melbourne for the tournament.
South Australia's defending champion and world No.34 Dan Jenson
will be gunning for a hat-trick of Australian Open titles.
The Australian Open will be held from January 3 to 8 and will be
followed directly by the world doubles championship, also in
Melbourne.
News.com.au
|
Squash
SHORTS
News extracts from around
the world,
extracted by Steve Cubbins ...
contribute |
Issue 13
w/e 28-Aug-05
SHORTS ARCHIVE |
New Zealand, 29-Aug:
Shelley out for NZ
Nats Revenge
 New
Zealand squash star Shelley Kitchen has some unfinished
business to attend to before heading overseas again to ply her wares
on the WISPA World Tour.
Kitchen has been back in the country for the last three weeks,
staking a claim for a place in the New Zealand team for January's
World Doubles Championships in Melbourne, and ultimately the
Commonwealth Games two months later.
The world number 13 is now set to head back offshore for another
three months, but first, there's a little matter of the New Zealand
National Championships at the North Shore Squash Club this weekend.
Kitchen missed out on the title in 2004, after a surprise loss to
Wellington's Tamsyn Leevey in the final. The 25-year-old
Northlander is now gunning for revenge.
"It was really disappointing to miss out last year, and I'm
determined to make amends... hopefully I'll get the chance to turn
the tables on Tamsyn in the decider".
Meanwhile, defending champion Kashif Shuja is again the top
seed for the men's title. The world number 63 is expected to meet
Remuera clubmate Callum O'Brien in the final, in a repeat of last
year's title decider.
O'Brien, the world number 76 has had some time on the sidelines with
a stress fracture of the foot this year, but is now back on deck and
aiming to go one better than in 2004.
The New Zealand National Championships are at North Shore Squash
Club in Takapuna, 2-6 September. |
|
If it's not on
the home page, you can find 'shorts' under 'Archive' |
England, 29-Aug:
Super League gears
up for 2006
The National Super Squash League (NSSL) are accepting
nominations for teams entering the league for the 2006
season. Nominations and team selection for the 2006 season
will be complete by 30th September 2006.
The season starts in January 2006 and will be extended to
late May, possibly June, to allow for a break in activities
for the Commonwealth Games in Melbourne in March.
The league consists of a maximum of 6 teams, and the 2005
season saw 21 of the world's top 30 players being contracted
to play in what has been described as 'The world's toughest
league'.
If you require any further information please contact Dave
Howell by email
nssluk@yahoo.co.uk |
USA, 26-Aug:
And we thought
we had it bad ...
It's a debate that rages on ... "how do we get more squash on
television."
You wouldn't have thought that tennis had much to complain about in
this respect, but with the US Open coming up, John McEnroe isn't
satisfied with how Tennis is covered on TV ...
Full story from USA Today |
CAPOEIRA dance
demonstration in Rouen |
Naked Danish Girls
No, we're not changing the site's focus, but one of the
interesting things that comes out of our site statistics is
the keywords visitors use to find us.
"squash" and "squashsite" are the main ones,
obviously, but I guess whoever typed in "naked danish
girls" didn't get what he was looking for on our
European Team Championships coverage ... |
Hong Kong
Junior Open |
India, 28-Aug:
Gaurav,
Joshna clinch singles titles
Delhi's Gaurav Nandrajog clinched the men's title in
the Harish Chandra Golecha Memorial squash tournament in
Jaipur on Sunday after top seed Ritwik Bhattacharya conceded
the final match because of a knee injury.
Defending champion Joshna Chinappa beat Dipika
Pallikal in the women's final of the event.
Ritwik won the first two sets 9-10, 7-9 but second seed
Gaurav came back strongly to win the third set 9-1. Gaurav
was leading 3-2 in the fourth set when Ritwik was forced to
retire.
Later Ritwik said that he had a knee operation few months
back and it was hurting.
"I did not feel like continuing with the game. I did not
want to aggravate my injury. But all credit to Gaurav for
pushing me hard in the match," he said.
Top seed Joshna, who is ranked second in the world among
juniors, sailed past 9-4, 9-5, 9-4 against Deepika Pallikal
to clinch the women's title.
Rediff.com |
California Open Opens Further
The weekend of January 13-15, 2006 will feature “Squash in the heart
of downtown L.A.” The Los Angeles Athletic Club will again
play host to the squash world’s “cream of the crop” at the Third
Annual CBRE California Professional Squash Open.
Robert Zerbst, President of CB Richard Ellis Investors
announced that this year’s event will not only feature a draw for
the “top-eight” professional male squash players, but will add a
“top- eight” professional women’s draw as well.
Full story |
Malaysia, 10th Aug:
More honours for
Nicol
National squash queen Nicol Ann David, Wednesday was honoured with the
state's two highest sporting awards in recognition of her achievements
at the international level.
The Penang-born lass is the first person in the state to receive the
awards; the Athlete of Distinction award accompanied with prize money
of RM10,000 and the Yang Dipertua Negeri's Trophy which comes with a
prize money of RM5,000.
The awards were presented to Nicol by Chief Minister Tan Sri Dr Koh
Tsu Koon at his office here.
Koh thanked Nicol for her efforts in bringing glory to the nation and
proving that local athletes too could compete among the world's best
besides being a role model for the young.
Nicol in thanking the government for the recognition said she was by
encouraged by the support it gave to athletes to perform well.
"I try to promote Malaysia wherever I go and always invite my
counterparts in foreign lands to come and visit our country," said
Nicol, who recently won the World Women's Squash Championship in
Germany and the Malaysian Women's Open Squash Championship and is
currently ranked third in the world.
Bernama.com |
|
 |
Malaysia, 6th Aug:
Azlan takes over as
Malaysian number one
BY AFTAR SINGH
 KUALA LUMPUR: Mohd Azlan Iskandar is now the national number one men
squash player.
The London-based player moved up one rung to 16th in the latest world
rankings for August. It is the best ever ranking for the Sarawak lad
who turned professional in February 2000.
It is also the first time Azlan took over the national number one spot
from Ong Beng Hee who has been Malaysia's top player since 1999.
Beng Hee, the only Malaysian to have won the Junior World Cup title,
dropped two rungs to 18th. His highest ranking was seventh in 2001.
Azlan, who trains in London under Neil Harvey, said that he was
delighted to become Malaysia's top player.
“My main goal was to improve my rankings and also to replace Beng Hee
as the national number one. And I finally succeeded.
“By becoming the country's top player, it definitely is a good boost
for me. I will strive to work much harder to further improve my
rankings,'' said Azlan, who has been back in Malaysia for the last two
months.
He added that despite becoming number one player in Malaysia he still
has to work hard on improving his game.
“Now that I am the player the Malaysian fans will be banking on to do
well in all tournaments, the pressure will definitely be on me to
deliver my best,'' said Azlan, who defended his Papua New
Guinea title last week.
“I had not won a single PSA title this year so I went all out to
retain the title. I
will also compete in the Kolkata Open next month and I am also the top
seed for the tournament. I hope by becoming the national number one
player I will live up to my billing and win both tournaments,'' said
Azlan, who won the Malaysian Open title last December.
Malaysian Star |
|
 |
|
Australia, 28-Aug:
Pittock & White
clean up in Victoria
 Commonwealth
Games squad members Amelia Pittock and Cameron White
cleaned up at yesterday's Victorian open squash championships in
Wangaratta.
Pittock broke through for her first title, beating Dianne Desira 9-4
9-0 9-1. White won his fourth in five years, downing Steven Robinson
15-4 15-11 15-9.
Top seed Pittock has been training with idol, five-time world
champion Sarah Fitz-Gerald, in Melbourne to prepare for five
international tournaments, including the US Open.
"Hopefully I'll be able to boost my world rankings and be in the
early 20s by the end of the year," Pittock, 22, said.
"It would be magic if I made that Australian team for the
Commonwealth Games."
White, 28, said Wangaratta was a happy hunting ground for him.
A team of five men and five women will be selected for the Games
after the world doubles championships in January.
Herald Sun |
Dubai, 28-Aug:
Bradbury heads for Dubai
Darren Bradbury, The Nautilus Academy’s newly recruited
Squash Professional, is a winner of over 50 UK National and
International squash tournaments.
With his many years of International experience as a Squash
Professional, together with his passion for the sport and colourful
personality, Darren eagerly plans to establish The Nautilus Academy
as a premiere Squash venue with an offering of a wide variety of
squash packages and clinics for both adults and juniors, in beginner
to advanced stages.
Darren began playing Squash at the tender age of 11. Only 6 months
later, he won his first tournament- "The Coventry under 14's".
He started playing professionally at the age of 19, and by 20 had
received his first UK ranking. In fact, he remained in the UK
ranking for over 15 years, with his highest position being 24.
Throughout this time, Darren competitively played on the World
Circuit with his highest World ranking reaching an impressive 51.
Amongst Darren’s many victories, his most notable achievement was
winning the Warwickshire Championship 5 times! Darren also won the
Dunlop "Champion of Champions" tournament. His most recently won
title was “The British Open Over 35's”. To add to his remarkable
accomplishments, Darren captained the England Over 35's team for 3
consecutive years.
In addition to his Professional playing career, Darren worked as a
Squash Professional in some of the most prestigious squash clubs and
sporting facilities in the UK.
His attraction to Dubai, and hence his recent move to The Nautilus
Academy came about as a result of growing fond of the city whilst
visiting to play in the Dubai International 3's tournament on more
than one occasion.
Strategiy.com |
India, 26-Aug
Ritwik seeks
federation’s help
 India's
top squash player Ritwik Bhattacharya is preparing hard to
excel in many forthcoming tournaments.
"I am working hard and putting in all my efforts. I have a coach in
Neil Harvey. I am also taking the services of a psychologist and a
massage expert," said Ritwik.
Ritwik feels a little more support from the game's governing body in
the country can help him improve on his current world ranking of 57.
"A little support from all quarters particularly the federation in
planning and preparation can help me out," he said. He also added by
saying: "There should be more tournaments. Now we have at least 10
players on the circuit but more of quality is required. If more PSA
tournaments are held it would be of great help."
Ritwik said he was in good shape and his preparations for big
tournaments like the PSA in Kolkata, British Open and the
Commonwealth Games were progressing well.
Ritwik, who is here to participate at a national level tournament,
said he had fully recovered from his knee injury.
"I am here to get my rhythm and be in top gear for the PSA in
Kolkata. I have to play in some tournaments to get points for direct
entry into major events," said Ritwik.
Reacting to the controversy over squash coach Cyrus Poncha being
conferred the Dronacharya Award, he said there was nothing wrong in
his selection.
"At least one of the guys from squash got the award. "I think the
presence of some top players or renowned coaches could be great
inspiration for youngsters.”
Hindustan Times |
India,
19th Aug:
"I want to be in the top 20 or 30"
 From Rediff.com
Joshna Chinnappa,
India's number one squash player, was seeded to win the just-concluded
World Junior women's championship at Belgium. Surprisingly, she lost
in the final to Raneem El Weleily.
Back in Chennai, 18-year-old national
junior and senior champion, who retained her Asian junior title in
January, spent time with Sports Correspondent Shobha Warrier
to analyse her loss and her career.
You
were the top seed and expected to win at the World junior women's
championship in Belgium...
I wasn't looking forward to being the
top seed as it puts a lot of pressure on you. But after a day or two,
I forgot that I was the top seed.
 How did the others look at
you, the top seed?
I think the pressure was on them also.
For example, if I am going to play a tournament, and if I have to face
the top seed, I will be under tremendous pressure. You feel a kind of
fear when you enter the court with the top seed.
What were your expectations
from the tour?
My expectation was to play well and
win. Definitely, everybody wants to win. And, when you are the top
seed, they naturally expect you to be better than the rest, and win
the title.
You played very well till the
semis. What exactly happened at the final?
 I was pretty cool till the final. I
was calm and playing well, and enjoying myself but the pressure caught
up with me at the final stage. The previous evening I had done a lot
of press interviews and after that I started having negative thoughts.
Though the press was very supportive, my mind started working
differently.
I didn't really sleep the whole night.
I might have slept only for an hour! My mind overworked. And when I
reached the court I was so tense that I couldn't play my game.
Full interview from Rediff.com
|
USA, 14th Aug:
Heath Heads for Rochester
 Martin Heath, a highly-ranked player on the world circuit, has been
named the head squash coach at the University of Rochester. His
appointment was announced today by George VanderZwaag, the Director of
Athletics.
"As a world-class player, Martin brings an exceptional squash
background to the position of head squash coach at Rochester," said
VanderZwaag. "We are very excited about the future of our squash
program under Martin's leadership."
Heath has touched the sport on many levels - player, coach, writer,
and commentator. He joined the PSA world
circuit in 1993. He spent six consecutive years in the World's top 10
ranking, reaching a high of #4. He was a six-time Scottish champion.
In 2000, Heath became a professional commentator and presenter for
various televised squash media outlets, including ESPN, TSN, CBC, BBC,
SKY, and The Tennis Channel. He is a monthly columnist for Squash
magazine, the largest publication of its type in North America.
He has coached privately for numerous years and helped many
individuals achieve their college placements.
Heath graduated from the University of Glasgow with a BSc in
Physiology and Sports Science.
In 2003, he earned a private pilot's
license from the Virginia Flight School in Durban, South Africa.
 |
Squash
SHORTS
News extracts from around
the world,
extracted by Steve Cubbins ...
contribute |
Issue 12
w/e 23-Jul-05
SHORTS ARCHIVE |
23-Jul, Pakistan:
Jahangir: Squash can
still make 2012
 Pakistani
squash great Jahangir Khan on Friday said he still believed
his sport could get a place in the Olympics with his hopes pinned on
organisers of the London 2012 event including it in the Games.
“I have not lost hope of squash getting an Olympic place,” Jahangir,
the president of the WSF, told AFP. “I feel that organisers of the
London 2012 Olympics can take a late decision because squash is
hugely popular in England,” he said. “England have quality players
and have some top class venues, like the Trafalgar Square, where a
detachable squash court can be placed to hold Olympic squash.”
The IOC earlier this month decided through a ballot that no new
sport would be included in the London 2012 Olympics after squash and
karate were tipped to take two places. The two vacancies emerged
after softball and baseball were voted out among the existing 28
sports after failing to get a majority.
“For half an hour we thought that it would be a dream come true for
squash, but not getting the two-thirds votes was a major shock for
me,” said Jahangir, who won a world record of 10 British opens and
six world titles in his career. Under the IOC rules, two thirds of
votes were required for a new sport to be added to the Summer Games
held every four years.
The 2008 Olympics are scheduled to be held in the Chinese capital
Beijing. “The WSF has conveyed to the IOC that the rule for a new
sport to get two thirds of votes to get an Olympic entry was a tough
one and it should be changed to majority votes,” said Jahangir, 42.
Squash started its campaign to get an Olympic place in the late
1990s, and Jahangir feels the push will soon reap results.
“As a sportsman I will never give up,” he said. “We came so close,
and being the top favourite to get an Olympic entry is ample proof
that our sport is getting popular. A lot will depend on the
organisers of the 2012 Olympics, because sports like baseball and
softball were included because of the United States favouring them.”
Pakistan Daily Times |
|
If it's not on
the home page, you can find 'shorts' under 'Archive' |
23-Jul, Trinidad & Tobago
Caribbean Juniors under way
THE CLICO Caribbean Junior Squash Championships serve
off at nine o'clock this morning with individual events at
Cascadia Squash Club, St Ann's and the Queen's Park Oval
Squash Club, Tragarete Road.
Players from eight countries-Bahamas, Barbados, Bermuda,
Cayman Islands, Guyana, Jamaica, the Organisation of Eastern
Caribbean States (OECS) and Trinidad and Tobago- will be
competing over the next four days in the under-13, -15, -17
and -19 age-groups.
And then after a day off on Tuesday, the countries will be
drawn in two round-robin groups to begin four consecutive
days of play for the prestigious team titles.
T&T will be banking very heavily on national champion
Joanna Scoon and Josh Pinard during the
tournament.
Scoon, who was crowned Caribbean under-17 champion last year
in the Cayman Islands, Nakita Poon Kong, Bruce Martin and
Stephen Rodriguez are this country's leading under-19
players.
National under-19 champ Pinard is only 16 years old and he
may ignore the under-19 category and play the under-17
division, along with Tessa Martin and Justin Gomez. The top
T&T players in the under-15 category are Justin Sanguinette,
Kevin Ross, Amy Gellizeau and Alex Knaggs, while Emily
Bones, Kale Wilson and Ryan Bayne will lead the hosts'
challenge in the under-13 age-group.
T&T is being coach by Karen Cheung, a Briton who is
certified Level III (Level IV is the highest) by the world
squash body.
T&T Express |
|
KL Squashathon |
20-Jul, Malaysia:
 Nicol's dad delighted
Nicol David’s commanding victory over Australian world number one
Rachael Grinham to claim the gold medal at the World Games came as a
big surprise to her father.
Desmond David, who has been a big influence in his daughter’s
squash career, was particularly delighted with the way in which
Nicol overcame Grinham to become the first Malaysian to emerge as
the squash champion at the World Games.
“At the same time last year, Nicol was no match for the world number
one. In just one year, my daughter has improved so much,” said
Desmond in a telephone interview from Penang.
“Of course, I am glad that she has improved ... but it’s a surprise
... it’s happening so fast.”
Malaysia Star |
|
Crocodile
Champions |
French ready for Herentals |
21-Jul, Pakistan:
Abid looks to bring back squash
glory
PESHAWAR: Aspiring squash player Abid Khan, who
recently won a gold medal in the Higher Education Commission
Games, is hopeful to regain the country’s lost glory in
squash.
Abid said he was well prepared for the world title. “I will
do whatever great players Jahangir Khan and Jansher Khan did
for the country,” he added. He said he was training under
the guidance and coaching of Mohibullah who is the elder
brother of Jansher Khan. “Becoming a world champion is
difficult but not impossible,” he added.
Abid started playing in 1995. He joined the Bank of Khyber
team. He represented the province in the National Games held
in Quetta, Inter-departmental Junior Squash Championship,
Punjab Open, Quaid-i-Azam Junior Squash Open, CAS Junior
Squash Championship, Sindh Open and Balochistan Open.
Daily Times |
|
A French squash birthday |
|
21-Jul: Malaysia
Azlan
looks to Malaysia's future
 While
not representing his country himself at the
World Games in Duisburg,
Azlan Iskandar was nevertheless proud of Nicol David's win.
"Malaysians should be proud of her achievement," he told the Malay
Mail.
"Athletes, in particular, should look up to her as a role model and
strive harder in our quest to win more gold medals," said Azlan, who
turned 23 on June 1.
Malaysia’s other representative Ong Beng Hee, the National No 1,
however lost 8-10, 9-2, 1-9, 4-9 in the quarter-finals to Briton’s
World No 6 James Willstrop. But Azlan strongly believes Beng Hee is
serious about rediscovering his previous form.
Full
Story |
 19-Jul, Dubai:
PSA plans regional office in Dubai
The PSA has short-listed Dubai as one of the possible venues for
shifting their regional headquarters in future.
 A high-level PSA delegation, led by chief executive Gawain Briars,
discussed the possibilities with Major General Abdul Aziz Al
Bannai, president of the UAE Squash Racket Association, during a
meeting lasting over an hour in Dubai on Sunday.
“Yes. We did explore the possibilities of setting up a regional
office in Dubai and response from the UAE association was pretty
enthusiastic and encouraging,” Briars said. “We also looked at the
possibility of organising some PSA events here, something which will
give a boost to the game and will also help the UAE tourism
industry.
 “The PSA events aren’t just club tournaments. In fact, they are sort
of ‘rock and roll’ shows reaching millions of homes through the TV
coverage,” said Robert Edwards, PSA World Tour Technical
Director. “Imagine hosting the event in a glass court against the
backdrop of Burj Al Arab. The visuals will not only be stunning, but
will also be a great tourist attraction,” he said.
“We have had such ‘real’ shows at New York’s
Grand Central Station,
in Bermuda and at the Green island in
Kuwait. They all were
well received by the fans. The aggressive marketing strategy has
gone a long way to providing a touch of glamour to squash, which
many may think of as a dull and drab game. It’s not,” said Edwards.
 “What really impressed us here is the enthusiastic and energetic
attitude of the squash officials. Whether things fall into a place
is another question, our talks were pretty positive,” said Briars.
“The last time the PSA visited Dubai in official capacity was in
1991, so I am delighted to have travelled to emirate which has grown
dramatically.
“The PSA represents the best in men’s professional squash globally,
and Dubai clearly represents the modern day and future destination
of sporting excellence. The potential of a future partnership
between the UAE Squash Rackets Association and the PSA will have
clear benefits for both,” said Briars, who expressed his gratitude
to Royal Brunei Airlines for their generous assistance in bringing
them to Dubai.
Abdul Aziz was pleased with the outcome of the meeting. “These are
early days, but we would do our best to help the PSA in setting up
their office here. We also discussed a number of other
squash-related issues. The simple idea is to try and promote the
game here,” he said.
UAE squash coach Abbas Khan welcomed the idea of organising
PSA events here in the UAE. “For that to happen, it’s important that
the PSA should work out ways in raising funds. They need to be a bit
more aggressive in marketing the events,” he said. -“We have no
dearth of facilities here and events could be organised any time of
the year,” he said.
“The visit of PSA officials and their discussions with senior UAE
squash officials augur well for the game,” he added.
Khaleej Times |
|
New Sites
Down Under
Squash Australia and Squash New Zealand have both recently
revamped their websites, taking rather different approaches
... have a look ...
|
Squash
SHORTS
News extracts from around
the world,
extracted by Steve Cubbins ...
contribute |
Issue 11
w/e 03-Jul-05
SHORTS ARCHIVE |
30-Jun, Pakistan:
Karachi looks forward
to Open return
The Pakistan Open squash championship,
which will be held at DHA’s Asif Nawaz Complex on July 24-29,
returns to the city after five years, a spokesman for the Pakistan
Squash Federation said this week.
 The
metropolis staged its last Pakistan Open at the same venue in 1999
which was won by Peter Marshall of England. England’s James
Willstrop will defend his title.
The city was once considered one of the main squash venues in the
world. It has the honour of staging two World Opens and two team
squash championships before security fears caused to shift the venue
to Islamabad.
In all, 32 players will feature in the main draw out of whom eight
will qualify for qualifying rounds to be held on July 22-23.
Pre-qualifying rounds for local players will be organized on July
20-21.
World No17 Shahid Zaman and his cousin world No27 Mansoor Zaman will
be placed in main draw because of their Professional Squash
Association rankings.
World No1 Thierry Lincou of France has confirmed his entry in this
US$85,000 event. The amount also includes US$20,000 hotel bonus.
Dawn
Amir Atlas gets wild card entry
 Sixteen-year-old
and upcoming Pakistani squash player Aamir Atlas Khan has been
awarded a wild card entry for the main round of Bank Alfalah
Pakistan Open Squash Championship, starting in Karachi from July 20
to 29.
Daily Times |
02-Jul, England:
Cassie to become a Mum ...
 Norfolk's
squash champion is going to have to get used to handling
another sort of racket - she has announced she is going to
have a baby.
Cassie Jackman, who was ranked the world's number one
squash player and a former squash world champion,
had to
retire due to a back injury about seven months ago.
The 32-year-old had played the game she loves since the age
of nine - but is now awaiting the patter of tiny feet.
She said today: “It's true; I'm expecting a baby at the end
of November. I don't know if it's a boy or a girl yet. I
have the next scan in a couple of weeks' time.”
She said since her retirement she had been taking it easy,
spending more time with her husband Matthew Thomas.
“I have not been doing much at all. I had a couple of months
off to let my back settle down. I do miss squash, though it
was seven months ago now that I finished. I'm getting used
to being a housewife.
“After the baby's born I'll play it by ear. I don't really
know what I'll do but I still think I'll be involved in
squash in some way. I still do some coaching at the UEA
sports park.”
Norfolk Evening News |
29-Jun, Pakistan:
National title for Maria
 Maria
Toor grabbed the national women’s squash title when she
downed Misbah Rani in the final played in the PC Bhurban
courts in Murree. She received a winner’s purse of Rs20,000
while Misbas pocketed Rs14,000.
Maria after winning the first game 9-3 lost concentration
and lost the second 8-10. However, she recovered her poise
to win the next two games 9-6, 9-1 and the final. |
30-Jun, England:
College reconsider gym conversion
plans
SQUASH players angry over a decision by Cambridge Regional
College to close their courts have been given a reprieve.
An email from the college sent to members earlier this month
said the courts would close last Saturday and be turned into
a gym.
A closing party was even organised as CRC pressed ahead with
proposals despite irate letters from annoyed players.
But the college has relented and delayed closing the courts
for two weeks to review their decision.
Regular player Dave Hitchman welcomed the rethink but
urged the college to keep the courts.
He said: "Taking an expensive set of courts and turning them
into what will be a pretty small gym seems very stupid. If
they close the courts it leaves the folks who use them
several poor choices."
Cambridge Evening News |
30-Jun, New Zealand
Father and Son ...
We've all heard stories about old rugby players hanging around long
enough to play a premier match alongside one of their sons.
Well for the first time in the three-year history of the Squash
Eastern Open a father-and-son will be playing in the men's open
section of the Action Bins-sponsored open which begins at the
Hawke's Bay club in Onekawa tonight and ends with finals on Sunday.
Former long-serving Hawke's Bay-Gisborne rep Keith Redman,
43, is the second seed and his 13-year-old son and fellow host club
player Bryce is the eighth seed. They will be joined by the
other two members of their family, mum Sue and 11-year-old
Todd in the tournament.
Hawkes Bay Today |
|
27-Jun, Cayman Is.
Cayman Airways helps squash team with training
Cayman Airways has taken members of the Royal Cayman
Islands Police Services Squash Team under its wings for
training and travel to Quebec, Canada. The Canadian city is
the host of this year’s World Police and Fire Games (WPFG).
The Games are now the second largest international sporting
event, after the Summer Olympics, and attracts more and more
athletes each year.
When Hurricane Ivan hit the Cayman Islands last September, the
local squash courts were destroyed beyond use and have not yet
been repaired. Nevertheless, the RCIP squash team was
determined to keep up personal fitness by training locally.
When the team received invites from squash associations in the
US and Jamaica to use their facilities for practice, the
members approached Cayman Airways for support.
Cayman Net News |
29-Jun, England
Americans invade Pontefract
PONTEFRACT'S reputation in the world of squash has never been
higher and this is underlined by an invasion of Americans this
summer.
The first visitors arrive at Pontefract on Monday and Tuesday,
an 18-strong party coached by former England international
Jamie Hickox.
They will be coached by Malcolm Willstrop, Pontefract's
head coach, and will play a match on Monday night against the
club's outstanding crop of juniors.
Included in the American team is Trevor McGuinness, the US
under-19 number two, and Todd Harrity, who is the country's
number one at under-15 level.
Five other US players will be at Pontefract in July and
August, including Amanda Siebert, a member of the American U
19 line-up for the World Championships in Belgium in July.
Pontefract & Castleford Today |
|
01-Jul, India:
Joshna the Ambassador
By Pradeep Vijayakar
 Dad
Anjan has been dreaming that squash queen Joshna Chinappa
will be talked in the same terms as tennis queen Sania Mirza.
While that it still to happen as Joshna prepares for to win the
World Juniors girls title in Belgium in July where she is the top
seed, Joshna has been honoured the way Sania was last year. By the
ministry of health.
She succeeds Sania at the brand ambassador for the ministry.
Joshna will have to lend her name and support to the campaigns for
women empowerment, save the child, gender bias and immunisation.
She will be officially given the letter on July 11 which is World
Population Day. The ministry gives Rs 5 lakh for the campaign.
Joshna was not there to receive the honour as she had proceeded to
Amsterdam to train at Liz Irving's academy. She said on phone from
Amsterdam:
"I am thrilled by the news and will lend all support to the cause."
The threats to Joshna at the
World Juniors will come from No 2
seed from Egypt Raneem El Weleily and Tenile Swartz
the South African fourth seed who gave her a fright in the final of
the British Open Juniors.
Joshna has not met the Egyptian before. Another Egyptian, Omneya
Abdel Kawy, has been the bugbear for Joshna at previous World and
British Open events.
|
01-Jul, India
Jansher turns reporter
 ‘‘What
does it feel like, to be a star’s spouse?’’
It was an innocuous, almost-regulation query to Pakistani squash
star Jansher Khan’s wife Naseem sitting in the lobby of Taj Lands
End, Bandra.
But it triggered an impromptu interview with Khan (35) playing
reporter, firing questions at Naseem—apparently inspired by his
mobbing by Mumbai news crews on Thursday evening.
‘‘Ma’am, did you ever get jealous when enthusiastic fans (read
girls) followed me for autographs?’’ started Khan, who is in Mumbai
as a dignitary for the Maritime Herald squash tournament.
A startled look and a demure smile later, Naseem braced herself,
squaring her shoulders and brushing the question aside. ‘‘Why would
I be jealous? Besides, I had managed to get your autograph a long
time back.’’
Ruffled at not hearing what he wanted to hear, Khan frowned: ‘‘Did
you marry Jansher the star or Jansher the person?’’
Naseem shot back: ‘‘I married him because he was a fine gentleman.
Yeh star ban gaye, woh to bas kismat ki baat hai (That he became a
star is matter of fate).’’
‘‘Wasn’t it difficult with me touring for almost 10 months?’’ Yes,
admitted the mother of five. ‘‘He was playing around the year and
even at home, he was so immersed in his training schedule—and these
players are addicted to squash—that he never had enough time for his
family. But I used to speak to him almost daily on phone.’’
Naseem then put hubby on hold to talk about her first trip to India.
‘‘I have accompanied him to all these exotic places, travelling
around the world, but never had a chance to come down here,’’ she
said.
‘‘She always wanted to come to India because she had heard so
much...about the movies and all the activity of Mumbai,’’ said Khan.
Resuming the ‘interview’, the trickiest of posers came last. ‘‘Do
you think your son will be able to match my standards and reach the
same heights if he picks up squash?’’ asked Jansher, whose youngest
son, still six, looks likely to carry on the legacy.
A smart attempt to parry the question and not take sides—‘‘it’s in
the blood, obviously he will be good.....’’—was cut short by Khan.
‘‘There were many greats whose sons couldn’t match the same
achievements,’’ said Naseem.
‘‘Of course, he will do well,’’ boomed Jansher’s volte-face. ‘‘If he
believes in himself like I did.’’
Mumbai Newsline |
29-Jun, Barbados
Four up for Badrinath
Guyana's Shawn Badrinath knocked the wind out of Jamaica's
Steve Smith in the Men's A final, of the Caribbee/Playfair
Barbados Squash Open.
The four-time defending champion dismissed the number four ranked
Jamaican player, in just 28 minutes, in what appeared to be a
one-man squash game. Badrinath used the first game as a warm up, and
boosted Smith's confidence when he won 5/9. However, the champ came
back in the second round, winning 9-1, as he took full control of
the ball and the court, leaving Smith scrambling to respond.
By the third set Smith was visibly tired, and Badrinath eased to
victory.
"I didn't get into the game in the first round," said Badrinath,
"but by the second set I was ready, and I just took control from
there.
"I had no doubt that I was going to win. You have to be confident.
Plus, I beat Smith already at CAC, so I knew this would just be a
repeat."
The ladies match was just as exciting when six-time squash champion
Karen Meakins met her match after losing to Jamaica's
Karen Anderson, in the ladies final. The match lasted for a long
and exciting 66 minutes, as the two top seeds battled to win the
tournament. Anderson came out on tops, winning in five games, 9/7,
5/9, 2/9, 9/6, 9/7.
Barbados Advocate |
26-Jun, Northern Ireland
Leading players to star in Belfast
By John Flack,
Belfast Sunday Life
 Big
time squash returns to the Boat Club next Saturday night when two of
the top players in the world cross swords at the Stranmillis venue.
Irish number one Madeline Perry, ranked 12th, will face
number five Natalie Grainger in a five game exhibition match
(6.00pm).
Banbridge woman Perry is taking time out from her pro tour
commitments to take a buswoman's holiday while Grainger will have
other things on her mind earlier in the day.
 The
American is accompanying a group of schoolkids from the USA who will
pit their wits against the best of the locals in South Belfast and
receive expert coaching in a series of clinics along the way.
It's a massive coup for the organisers, who are hoping for a bumper
crowd to add to the atmosphere around tea time next Saturday.
Perry, whose achievement in reaching such an elevated place in the
world rankings has gone virtually unnoticed, is eagerly looking
forward to the event.
She declared last night: "It's not often I'm back in Northern
Ireland and I can't wait for it. I've played Natalie twice before
and lost on both occasions so, hopefully, it will be third time
lucky."
Perry has her sights firmly fixed on bigger and better things though
she's doing quite nicely, thank you.
 She
added: "Unlike tennis you really need to be in the top five to earn
a bit of money in squash. I couldn't have played for so long as a
professional without the support of the Sports Council's Lottery
Fund under the Athletes' Support Scheme so I'm very grateful to
them.
"But I've been happy with my progress and at the moment I'm looking
good for a place in the top 10 pretty soon. My short term target is
to make the Commonwealth Games team for the third time in a row
although it's doubles based.
"It's an entirely different discipline as it's a team sport as
opposed to an individual thing and we play on a bigger court.
"I was fortunate enough to compete both in Kuala Lumpur (1998) and
Manchester (2002) and those competitions were fantastic events. We
didn't have the best of draws but we performed pretty well so I hope
I can do even better in Melbourne, if I make the team."
This weekend Madeline was back in her home town warming up for the
Down Under showpiece with her partner of the last two Commonwealths,
Ballymena man Stevie Richardson.
Belfast Sunday Life |
Squash
SHORTS
News extracts from around
the world,
extracted by Steve Cubbins ...
contribute |
Issue 10
w/e 12-Jun-05
SHORTS ARCHIVE |
The quiet season ...
It's very much the quiet season for squash, with many players picking
up their tennis rackets or golf clubs, but there's still a good few events
coming up in June ...
Hmmm ... maybe not THAT quiet ...
and in France June is a veritable hive of squash activity with
five events taking place this weekend alone!
www.sitesquash.com
|
12-Jun, Malta:
Malta beat Poland
6-1 in friendly
In preparation for the European Small Nations Games 2005 in
Cyprus, the Malta National Squash Team encountered the
Polish National Squash Team at the Marsa Sports and Country
Club.
| | |
Thanks
to Reeme Mansi for Egyptian news