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 Back
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Pall Mall
The second annual World Squash Awards, conceived and
presented by Eventis Sports Marketing, took place at the
RAC Club in London's Pall Mall on Friday 22nd December. |
the 2005 awards |
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Having seen
Malcolm's preview where he recounts their experiences at the
BBC TV
Yorkshire awards dinner, Lee Beachill felt compelled to
set the record straight ...
I would just like to set the record straight by informing you that
it was in fact Malcolm and his menu, with the help of a
candle, which set our table on fire and the only involvement I had
was extinguishing the fire for Malc who had no idea what to do!!
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The Winners: |
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PSA Male player of the year:
WISPA Female player of the year:
PSA Young player of the year:
WISPA Young player of the year:
WISPA Most improved player:
Lifetime Achievement Award: |
Amr Shabana
Nicol David
Ramy Ashour
Tenille Swartz
Nicolette Fernandes
Jonah Barrington |
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Jonah Barrington Hailed In Lifetime Achievement Award
At World Squash Awards
Jonah Barrington, the English-born Irishman credited with
inspiring the squash boom in the UK in the late sixties and early
seventies, was honoured with a special Lifetime Achievement award at
the World Squash Awards at the RAC Club in Pall Mall, London..
Peter Nicol, the former world number one whose company Eventis
Sports Marketing hosted the star-studded Awards dinner for the
second year, presented the award to Jonah.
 "Jonah
changed squash as we know it. He created the professional game, and
changed the way people thought about squash. Jonah became a
household name – he was an exceptional player."
 "Jonah
single-handedly raised the profile of Squash in the country and was
responsible for an England national junior system which produced six
world top ten players."
Barrington, who attended the Awards
dinner with his son Joey, now ranked 25 in the world, was delighted
to receive the award from fellow players. "Squash is a beautiful
sport, and it has been a privilege to have been involved," said the
65-year-old squash legend.
Amr Shabana, the world number one from Egypt who secured his
fifth PSA Tour title of the year at the Saudi International earlier
this week, won the PSA Male Player of the Year award, while Nicol
David, the world number one from Malaysia who clinched her
second successive Women's World Open crown in Belfast last month,
won the WISPA Female Player of the Year award.
Cairo-based Shabana, described by PSA President Mark Chaloner as
"the most relaxed and athletic player on the Tour", was unable to be
at the event as a result of fog-bound Heathrow airport in London.
"I'm devastated not to be able to be able to be there in person to
collect my award," said Shabana in a message read out by fellow
Egyptian international Wael El Hindi.
Nicol David also regretted not being to able to attend the
gala dinner. "It is awesome to be recognised in this way by my
fellow players," said the 23-year-old from Penang in a message
conveyed by WISPA Chief Executive Andrew Shelley.
There was further Egyptian success when Ramy Ashour received
the PSA Young Male Player of the Year award. The 19-year-old from
Cairo, a record two-times winner of the World Junior title, has made
massive strides up the PSA world rankings, reaching seven this month
after starting the year at No38!
South Africa's Tenille Swartz won the WISPA Young Female
Player of the Year award. The 19-year-old from Parys only played her
first WISPA World Tour event in October, then won the second when
she clinched the Meersquash Open title in the Netherlands in
November. At the beginning of this month, Tenille leapt from 134 to
57 in the WISPA world rankings.
The WISPA Most Improved Female Player of the Year award was won by
Nicolette Fernandes, the first and only professional squash
player ever to come out of Guyana. Since basing herself in the UK,
the 23-year-old's squash career has blossomed. Runner-up in her
first Panamerican Championship in September, Nicolette went on to
reach the second round of the World Open last month as a qualifier.
"When I first took up squash back in my home country Guyana, I never
dreamed that one day I would be standing in front of such a
distinguished audience receiving an award like this," said the new
Caribbean star.
Event co-host Peter Nicol was also honoured with a special
England Squash award. Presented jointly by England Squash President
Jackie Robinson and National Coach David Pearson, the award
acknowledged the distinguished career of the 33-year-old
Scottish-born Londoner who has won four Commonwealth Games gold
medals, led England to World Team Championships success, was world
No1 for 60 months, and maintained an unbroken presence in the
world's top ten rankings from May 1994 until he retired in October
this year!
"I don't normally get emotional, but I'm close to tears," admitted
Nicol as he received his surprise award. "I love squash – and I
still do, even though I've retired."
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THE FROG'S
POINT OF VIEW…
 All
the glamour and panache of the sport… In one room at the RAC… Still
not many women in the room though… But the ones that were there were
cute as a button…
…Shame that Shabana was stuck in Cairo Airport for 9 hours
and couldn’t make it, as I know that he was looking forward to the
evening…
 …Ramy
truly deserved his award of the Young Player of the Year, no doubt
about it... Although I still do not get why Greg was in the
same category... I find quite astonishing that the young Frenchman
didn’t get any reward or recognition for his tremendous 2006
journey: Winner of the US Open, Runner up in the two biggest
tournaments of the year (World and Saudi), runner up English Open
and Pakistan, etc... But I guess we couldn’t have two Frenchmen
recognised two years in a row really now, could we…
…“I still love squash… I don’t want to compete anymore”… That
summarises well the Boss’ state of mind at the moment… Maybe
for the first time of his life, he realises there is more to life
than losing and winning. He is living at last the Rest of His Life…
…The last speaker’s jokes and style went straight over my head, as
it was all about cricket… I’m sure he is very famous in England, but
trust me, he is totally unknown in the non cricket playing part of
the world. And I know that we were a few for whom that shooting
delivery string of words had neither meaning nor sense… But hey,
when in Rome…
…At midnight, the players starting a “Happy Birthday, Greg
Gaultier”, as the Kid is now 24… A quite emotional Greg felt that he
was part of the Squash Scene, and at last recognised by his peers.
Bon Anniversaire mon petit…
... A few well deserved and expected standing ovations, for Peter,
for Jonah, but also, and I was personally really happy about
it, one for the newly retired Simon Parke... See you in
Chicago Parkie, as he will be the MC for the event...
… Talking about Jonah....Sir Jonah Barrington in another
class really… What a man… What a brain, sense of humour, what a
passionate, un-conventional, amazing, dedicated, generous man… He
made us laugh, made us smile too, spoke about a few people,
Andrew Shelley, “the best executive in the business”, Sarah
Fitz, “she is something else”, and of course his son Joey…
“There were times I didn’t like him”, he stated. And as Joey was
just dropped from the Performance Program (meaning that he will not
be receiving any help from the Lottery or the Medical/Physio
infrastructure), he handled his feelings rather well it seemed. He
only had a “Who can say or decide who is or is not a late
developer?” And finished with a “Joey, I like you now”… British
Understatement…
 Welsh
Adrian Davis as brilliant as ever…His stories about squash
could fill a book, and actually, will at some point… I’ve begged him
to write for us, and he promised, in front of his wife… So, now, he
cannot escape…
More players than last year, the Who is Who of squash all together
in one room, recognising the excellence of our famous trio… It had
to be done, it had to be organised…
It had to be Eventis…
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Amr Shabana:
Male player of the year |
Nicol David:
Female player of the year |
Tenille Swartz:
Young player of the year |
22-Dec-06:
Shabana Heads Guest List At Second World Squash Awards
 Fresh
from his triumph in the Saudi International, Egypt's world number
one Amr Shabana heads a star-studded guest list at the World Squash
Awards at the RAC Club in Pall Mall, London, tonight.
The 27-year-old from Cairo, who clinched his fifth PSA Tour title of
the year in the end-of-year Super Series Platinum event in Al Khobar
on Wednesday, is nominated for the PSA Male Player of the Year
award.
Fellow nominees include England's Nick Matthew, the
26-year-old from Sheffield who became the first home-grown
Englishman to win the British Open title for more than 60 years in
September; and Australia's World Open champion David Palmer.
The World Squash Awards are
being hosted for the second year by Eventis Sports Marketing,
the company formed by four-times Commonwealth Games gold medallist
Peter Nicol and fellow directors Tim Garner and Angus Kirkland.
 Joining
Shabana at the World Squash Awards dinner will be members of
England's historic double World Team Championship-winning squads,
including Peter Nicol, Nick Matthew, Lee Beachill, James Willstrop,
Tania Bailey, Jenny Duncalf and Tania Bailey; Egypt's record
two-times World Junior Champion Ramy Ashour; Frenchman Gregory
Gaultier, runner-up this week in Saudi; former women's World Open
champion Vanessa Atkinson (Netherlands); Guyana's Nicolette
Fernandes; England's Adrian Grant, Joey Barrington and Lauren
Briggs; and former England internationals Chris Walker and Paul
Johnson. |
22-Dec-06:
Sporting
Awards Dinners
Malcolm Willstrop's view
 The
last awards dinner I attended was the BBC TV Yorkshire version in
Sheffield recently. In truth for Nick Matthew, Lee Beachill and
James Willstrop it was demeaning.
Nick's first English win in the British Open since 1939 and his
joint success with the British Closed in the same year didn't
warrant a mention. Nor, unsurprisingly, did Lee's Commonwealth Gold
or James's Commonwealth Silver. Perhaps the all-Yorkshire team which
won the World Team Championship would be good enough to gain some
attention. Sadly not.
Football, in the shape of Barnsley and Rotherham, were given awards
that were hard to understand and the more deserving Neil Warnock won
the major award for guiding Sheffield United to the Premiership.
The team award went to Houghton Main CC, who won the Village
Championship and the recipient - a well-built, jovial fellow -
admitted he was not a prime athlete, but could sink a few pints.
Quite amusing, but hardly to the point.
Lee, obviously not best pleased, set fire to a menu on our table to
draw attention to England's squash achievements, but to no avail!
I would just like to set the record
straight by informing you that it was in fact Malcolm and his
menu, with the help of a candle, which set our table on fire and the
only involvement I had was extinguishing the fire for Malc who had
no idea what to do!!
Then it was the BBC Sports Personality of the Year, which I gave up
watching years ago. No mention of Peter Nicol's two gold medals in
Melbourne and his World Team Championship - no mention of his other
qualities, which include having a personality.
Zara Phillips seems a good sort and her choice of boyfriends, eg
Richard Johnson, leading National Hunt rider, and Mike Tindall,
rugby heavyweight, do her much credit. But two winners from the same
family - albeit Royal - is hard to take.
And so tonight to the World Squash Awards at the RAC Club in London,
organised by Eventis, where I am sure justice will be done and
genuine, achieving athletes will receive their due …
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