World
Open EN BREF issue #7Everything you never knew you needed to know about Hong Kong
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World
Open EN BREF issue #7 Everything you never knew you needed to know about Hong Kong |
ALEX, PART TIME HAPPINESS… Here
at SquashSite, we encourage the new talents, I’m sure you are aware of
that. And one of our star journalists is called Alex Wan, a Malaysian
photographer/writer who works in his “normal life” in an oil and gas
company, but at night, writes, eats, drinks and adores his squash…Heavily involved in squash as a junior, he belongs to the Azlan and Beng Hee generation (they’ve known each other since they were 14), was part of the Malaysian National Junior Team, a country where he’s lived all his life, apart from four years spent in England, Alex left the world of squash at 17 to concentrate on studies, but finally came back to us, for which we are eternally grateful… “I just love writing and taking photos of squash, I so love the game. It doesn’t pay very much, but I don’t mind that much, would be nice to be able to make a living out of it, though… But it’s not a question of money really, it’s just a pleasure for me to do what I do, getting to know the players, meeting new people at every tournament I go, I hope for some more…” Well Alex, we wanted to thank you more particularly for you help, support and talent. We hope that in the future, we’ll be able to offer you more and more work. So hang in there, buddy, and once again, thank you from the bottom of our heart… |
BABY CHAMPION IN TEARS… Nicol
David is a tough cookie, she’s proved it. Beating everybody there is out
there to be beaten, training hard, improving at an exponential rate,
professional and ultra dedicated, it took two major titles and a horde of
fans, photographers and journalists to finally revert Duracell Bunny to
whom she never ceased to be… a little girl, incredulous about what has
happened to her in the last months, trying very hard to refrain tears of
ecstasy to calmly roll onto her cheek.And that, my friend, she failed to do…
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OFF YOU GO MATE… One of the funniest moments in the tournament happened during the James/David semi final, when World number two James Willstrop (sorry, still makes me smile that one) tried to save a superb deep straight drive from David by hitting the ball off the back wall, and send it directly into the sea… There was a lovely moment between the players, both looking at each other, as if to say, “and now what”. And then David, without a word, pointed out in the direction of the deep water, and his silence and expression had a “off you go and pick it up mate” written all over it. The crowd burst out laughing off course, and the laughs doubled when James started to take his shirt of like he was going to plunge… Yes, it was a hard and vicious match that was…
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DANIEL SZABO: A HAPPY WINNER… You may remember that, in conjunction with HK Squash, Cathay Pacific and Credit Suisse, SquashSite organised a competition offering a free flight to one of our readers… Well, I finally met him, just after the Men’s final, and Daniel had a shiny smile on his face… “Everything was absolutely perfect, the flight, Hong Kong, where I’ve never been, the competition, that I enjoyed thoroughly, the atmosphere, and here, the harbour, the setting… I’ll never forget it…” We like to please, Daniel, we like to please… |
| World Open EN BREF issue #7 |
THEY LOVE US IN
HONG KONG… As
Lee and Shabana were playing, I was sitting near a Chinese couple that
seemed very involved in the match.“Do you play squash?” I asked the Sabrina Yu, the lady next to me. “No, but my husband and my children do. My husband is passionate about the sport, my daughter plays for the HK Junior Regional, and my son plays for Princeton University, USA”, she smiled. “And for who are you working?” she asked. “For SquashSite”, I replied. “Yes, I read SquashSite, said Eric her husband. “And I like your articles”. They do have a lot of connoisseurs in Hong Kong, don’t they... |
 THE TRIFFITS ARE IN TOWN… Julie, Ross and baby boy Lucas are in Hong Kong to enjoy the world events, and it was a real pleasure to see them again… Ross and his wife Julie are the promoters who organised the superb Bermuda tournament, and I hear they had some meetings with the Big Boys of Squash PSA and WSF… Let’s see what comes out of that, shall we?... |
THAT’S MY SEAT… During
the quarter finals, the media didn’t have attributed seats, for technical
reasons, as all seating areas being benches, impossible to label. And as I
spend my life in and out, trying to take the pictures, talking with the
players after their matches, I didn’t have anywhere to seat. So coming back from one match interview, I saw a space, and during the interval between games, I just climbed through spectators with my bad knee, and got at the wholly grail of that empty seat just as the match was resuming. “You can’t sit there, there is somebody” told me a quite rightly unhappy spectator. “I’m sorry” I replied, “I’ll move out when he comes”. Which I did a few minutes later…  Cut to today, for the semis, again seating uncertainty, and as a whole row of sponsors seat was empty, as it very often is, Richard Eaton and myself sneaked in, sat at the end of the row, just to be in view, preying that nobody would come… And as it HAD to happen, didn’t it…. The same spectator walked in the row, and laughed when he saw me. “You again????” he said… Yop. I was in HIS seat… But he didn’t mind at all, the lovely man did. He even offered me not only some mints during the match, but as he had to leave early, he gave me his ticket… Aren’t men just ADORABLE??? |
JACK: IT’S ALL ABOUT FAIR PLAY… I
told you in earlier this week that Jack Allen (don’t tell him he is Irish,
he’ll bite your head off, he is British..) was mentioned several time by
the players as one of the top referees in the world.So I investigated for you, and after several open conversations about everything, life in general, refereeing, squash, friendship and food, I concluded that this man is a gem of a guy, honest to a fault, straight to the point, and extremely knowledgeable. “At the end of the day”, he says, “refereeing is all about fair play. The rules are only there to reinforce that simple fact. Our role as referees is to allow the players to get to the ball as fairly as possible. Like I said, it’s all about fair play…” I always meet great people on tournaments. This time, Jack is the man and I hope I’ll get to see him more and more on tournaments. He deserves to be there…
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 IS
IT TOO LATE TO TAKE THE BUS???Might as well come out with it, I am not at my ease on a piece of wood floating on water that you probably come to refer as boats.  So
when Heather mentioned that we could take the Star Ferry to get to the
glass court on semi and finals day, may I say I was not over impressed.
But the bus I was told was taking 25 minutes, whereas the ferry only 10.Alright then I said to Vicky Botwright, and along with Pauline and Phil Newton, ES physios, off we went in the direction of the ferry.  IT
MOVES ALL THE TIME, THAT BLEEPING THING!!!!!!! The
minute I got on it, my only idea was to get the heck out of there, and although
the view for the boat is stunning, and the company was brilliant, I must
say that I was mighty glad to get my big butt back to firm ground.And to return after the semis, I took the bus, thank you very much… |
| World Open EN BREF issue #5 |
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OH SISTER! When
Rachael and Natalie Grinham meet in the semi-final it will be the
first time two sisters have met in the later stages of the world open.Obviously they've played each other lots of times, and in WISPA events they've had nine matches with 'big sister' Rachael leading 7-2 in the series. But this is different. This is 'the big one', so how do they feel about playing each other ...  Natalie:"You do know you are playing your sister. As much as you try to think of it as just another opponent, you are aware of who it is. "I've only ever beaten Rachael twice, but one of the times I was playing her I do remember thinking: 'poor girl she's going to lose.' So there is that emotional side, no matter how much you try to block it out. I don't think people realise what it can be like."  Rachael:
"Maybe the Williams sisters find it difficult to play each other, maybe they are a little bit dramatic because they are Americans, but we don't. "As we were growing up, I was always above her, not only because I am older but because I was much more into squash than her. So maybe there is a little bit of guilt there for her. Perhaps she feels like she's knocking me down. "Occasionally Natalie does trash talk me when we're playing ... and I just say 'you're so desperate if you are talking to me."
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DP: MATURITY IS COMPULSORY… Just after Vicky’s defeat against Vanessa, I was chatting with English National Coach David Pearson who was a bit taken by what he calls “the lack of maturity of the young generation of the English girls”…  “I feel that our girls, given the opportunity, didn’t grasp it. When I look at the way the other girls are functioning, most of them are on their own, they’ve learnt to live and do things for themselves, as individuals. Whereas our players always have the group support, which is great in a way, but maybe protects them a bit too much. For example, they are going to play between themselves, and get a great win, but as soon as they are confronted to other players, they will stumble at the first hurdle. It’s about time that they realise that with the money, the support, the time that is invested in them, they should learn and acquire some maturity that is cruelly lacking. And it’s a problem that we need to tackle soon, very soon…”  |
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 CAMP
MALAYSIAAlex finds friendly faces in HK When I first arrived, I was all alone here – eagerly waiting for my fellow countrymen – Nicol, Azlan and Bengy to arrive. To my surprise, I saw three familiar faces the next day in the press room. When the main draw drew close, I saw the three players plus another two familiar faces. Hey, there’s more! So now, here’s camp Malaysia! - 3 players - Kamal and Siva from The Star - Lee from New Straits Times - Ronald, the Sports Therapist - Liza, the Sports Analyst - Mr and Mrs Desmond David (Nicol’s parents) - Mr Ong Khai Hock (Bengy’s dad) - Thomas, the squash supporter/fan - myself So, as you can see, the non-players so outnumber the players, and there's 13 of us in total. I’m not complaining, it’s just so amazing to see so many Malaysians here. When the national press sends their men to cover squash, something amazing is going on. Then, we have the Malaysian Sports Council sending a therapist and analyst here as well – squash is huge in Malaysia I guess! |
| World Open EN BREF issue #4 |
HAVING A BALL… Press
rooms can be a bit stressful, but here in Hong Kong, we just had a ball,
as I’ve got the great chance of working with great professionals, whose
talent, humour and intelligence make my stay in what I normally nickname
the “Bitch Room” an every instant delight.Thanks to in particular Englishman Richard Eaton, considered by the players as “The Best in the Business”, Frenchman Pascal Grégoire-Boutreau from the famous l’Equipe, Malaysian Alex Wan, one of our star journalist and photographer, HK Squash delightful, helpful and stress free Press Officer Iris Chung, and the usual suspects Fritz Borchert and Steve Line, I'm having the time of my life. Merci à tous…
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 SURPRISE .... When Steve received a phone call from Tim "Mr Eventis" Garner last night, asking what time Peter's quarter-final with Thierry was, he quickly checked the draw and said "19.45 Hong Kong time, but for us that's ..." Tim, who has enjoyed a long friendship with The Boss, quickly cut him off and said "No, that's fine, I'll be watching it there then." Turns out that one of Tim's many contacts is an airline pilot who could get him on a flight to Hong Kong arriving at around 5pm local time. "That gives us plenty of time to get to the venue and watch the match," said a delighted Tim. "Of course, it will be a bit tight getting back for my Saturday morning coaching sessions at Lambs, but I wouldn't want to miss this one ... " So when Tim gets here we'll be sure to have a special seat reserved for him ... talk about a flying visit !!! |
MEETING OLD FRIENDS One
of the advantages, and there are many, of being involved with world squash
is that from time to time you meet up with old friends, whom otherwise you
might never see.As everyone in the squash world knows there is only one Joe Shaw and having seen him, forewarned, in Hong Kong last year, it was a surprise and pleasure to see him again. Despite the fact that he is living in retired accommodation - something I find hard to imagine - he looks and talks the same as ever. I can't recall when we first met, but it was on his recommendation that David Palmer and John White paid a visit to Pontefract some years ago. He has had a long and lasting association with David and always believed in him and his ability to make it to the top. He was right, and since John also became world number one it was not a bad pair of players to send to any coach. I hardly covered myself in glory, however, since near the end of their stay I advised them both to find another sport !! So much for my judgement, which sadly doesn't improve with the passing years. Joe was quick to advise me of his latest scheme, which he assures me will be of great value to all sportsmen. I'm sure his thinking is far too advanced for me and equally sure that it will be a success. Joe has never been comfortable with officialdom, even though he has been very official in his work himself and perhaps that's why we have a bond. He has a penance to pay for his visit to Hong Kong: he has to take his ever-loving wife into the Bush for a holiday, something I can tell he is dreading. He may be a one-off, a character and strong-minded but the same the world over, we pathetic males are ruled by women!! Malcolm Willstrop |
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| World Open EN BREF issue #3 |
TOMMY’S THUMB… We
were very unhappy to hear that lovely Tommy Berden, who is the lucky man
who stole Natalie Grinham's heart, and who is about to marry her in March
next year, has sustained yet another injury, and this time, on his right
thumb.“I’ve torn a tendon in my right forearm, from the muscle that goes from the elbow to the thumb, and I will have to undergo surgery that will keep me away from the court for five months,” the Dutch player told me very calmly. The operation will be performed in a few days, mid December, and Tommy should be back in April. “I will still be able to train my lower body and my lung capacity, but I won’t be able to work on my upper body or to hit the ball.” And when I asked him if he was nervous about the wedding, he smiled “No, I don’t think so, I have no stress.” I tell you something, if Natalie doesn’t marry him, I will… |
JACK IS ONE OF THE BEST, SAYS NICK… Nick Matthew was
all praise after his match against Mohammed Abbas today.“I think that Jack is one of the best referees there is on the circuit. And the players do respect him and his decisions. “He allows you to question his decision, but the answer that he will give you will make perfect sense, and although you may not agree with it, it makes perfect sense, so you just carry on with the game...” I haven’t seen the man perform enough to be able to judge, but it’s not the first time I've heard that kind of statement from different players, so I guess I’d better have a good look at the man in action, now, hadn’t I… |
| World Open EN BREF issue #2 |
 DURACELL GOUGHIE… It’s no secret that the Welsh number one is 35 minus 7 days and counting, that he’s been in a pretty low physical run for the past two years, and suddenly, all because he made a bet with a friend that he could run a marathon, he started used the treadmill again, and since his match against Thierry Lincou in the British Open, the man is on fire!  He
beats Jethro Binns in 47 minutes and then Alister Walker in 69 minutes for
only four games to get in the Saudi draw, flies the next day to Qatar to
play a brutal match against Hisham Ashour in 5 games and 57 minutes, as
you all know, disposes of Lee in three and 50 minutes, goes on passing
through Davide Bianchetti, cracks slightly against James, under the
pressure of having to play the next day for the qualifiers in Hong Kong,
flies 16 hours, gets an 80 minutes game against my compatriot Jean-Michel
Arcucci in the first round, then goes pass Davide again, to finally give
Tall John a fricking fright…What are you on, mate, that’s what we all want to know… |
HOLIDAYS IN HONG KONG… I feel so relaxed here… Get this. In Qatar, there were 64 players, plus 4 rounds of qualifiers (Men and Women)… and little me to talk about them.  Here,
I have Experienced Malcolm, I’ve got Marvel Alex Wan, they
are all watching matches, writing about them…. So I can concentrate on the quotes, on browsing around, chatting with this one, catching up with that one… In other words, the “pressure” is off…  So thanks Malcolm, and thanks Alex, I can watch a game and actually WATCH, and ENJOY it, instead of being on working and stress mode minute in, minute out… Boy do I love Hong Kong… |
 JOE,
ON HIS WAY UP…Like I already told you in Qatar, it’s nice to see the Australian back in his squash mode, in his focused mode, as he can produce some awesome shots and beat pretty much anybody, which he proved last year by reaching the final of the Super Series Finals in London's Broadgate. He is so focused, so looking forward to the World Teams, he so wants to perform well, that his game has been improving by the tournament, so today, after his match against Lee, we were chatting away, and he smiled “I’m getting better, first a good match with Power, then a even better match with Lee, the World Teams are looking good”. “Yes”, I replied, “at the pace you’re going, you’ll get better for Pakistan, and win the Saudi!” “Can I quote you on that one”, Joe laughed? “Of course” I winked… |
| World Open EN BREF issue #1 |
TRAVELLING
COMPANIONS… I
was blessed during my flight between Doha and Hong Kong, as I had David
Palmer as a companion from the Hotel to the checking (thanks to his
help, I didn’t have an excess luggage to pay as he took it on his
allowance, may he be thanked), then I had James to keep me company
in the Business Lounge (no, I do travel economy, SquashSite is still poor
you know, but I’ve got a Priority Pass) then I spent the first leg on the
 journey
(Doha/Dubai) sitting next to Nick Matthew, who had chosen to stay
with us in Doha to enjoy the training with David Campion and the
treatment of ES physio Phil Newton. It actually allowed us to clear
out a little misunderstanding that was in the air. Happy I am… In
Dubai, the adorable Vicky Botwright offered me my drinks, as I d idn’t
realise that I could pay with US dollars, bless me, and we chatted
altogether with David Campion and the boys, while David Palmer was very
cleverly receiving a 1/2 hour massage to relieve the tightness of his
quads. That’s
also where we said goodbye to David C, who headed back to London, carrying
James' precious trophy that will I’m sure be put in a perfect spot in the
Pontefract Mausoleum…But the Palm of the Best Travelling Companion goes to Nick Matthew, no contest. Nick is the typical “Father Hen”. He takes care of everybody, always finds the best and shortest queue to wait in, knows his way everywhere, finds the right exit, not only got us the best exchange rate by changing all our money at the same time, organised the  train
fair (an incredible fast train that takes you from the airport to the
heart of the City, with plenty of trolleys and taxis, paid for the taxi,
and made all the calculation to give us each our money…Thanks to him, I just followed the flow, and arrived safely in the hotel, calm, relaxed, and… OK, slightly knackered, but still… Thanks Nick, you are ADORABLE! |
 SWIMMING AT LAST… I told you I was going to find my way to the swimming pool, well, didn’t have the time in Doha, but the first thing I did this morning, just after breakfast, was to find the blue water, and tried to reduce the after effect of that terrible journey… Already I’m not the slimmest I’ve ever been, and that’s an understatement, but after 16 hours spent in planes and airports, trust me, you do not want to look at my ankles… So, plouf I went in the swimming pool, and you know what, I’ll be there tomorrow as well. I know, that’s what I say every tournament…  |
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28-Nov: WHAT AN ADVENTURE… Guys,
you will never know how “acrobatic” my last hours in Doha were…Like a number of players, James, David and Vicky Botwright, David Campion (who went back from London via Dubai), Nick Matthew, and also Phil and Pauline Newton, ES Physios, I was on the 23.15 to Hong Kong via Dubai. Plenty of time after the final I thought…  Vanessa
and Vicky were a three setter, so that was not too bad, thanks Vicky, but
by the time I finished writing the quotes down, the next match had
started. Then we had the men’s final, we all know the result… While Robert was talking to James, tried to find David, looked everywhere… couldn’t find him. So as he finished his little speech, grabbed the new champion, and along with a local camera crew, we went outside as the ceremony was continuing. Did the interview while the closing ceremony was going on. Came back to the arena. Rushed upstairs. Typed James, Vicky and Vanessa’s quotes. While the National Hymn was on, I sorted out and sent the photos.  Rushed
back down to try and get some light, as I was struggling to read my notes
in the dark, happened to find David that was getting his price money, got
the quote, rushed back up to the Gods, typed the quote, gave Steve some
notes about the matches, with the driver that was turning around my table,
clearly indicating me that I was about to miss my plane, rushed into the
car, texted David asking him at what time the meeting for the airport was,
he replied 9.30, it was then 9.21, and I hadn’t checked out of the hotel,
got there, literally flew to the desk, asked for my key and told them to
prepare the bill (that I had pre arranged, but was stupidly thinking that
I would have had the time to write and therefore wanted the phone line
opened to transmit it), changed from the finals clothes to my travelling
clothes, took my 40 kilos luggage, got back down, paid, and arrived with
the others at 9.31.After 16 hours of transport, via Dubai and Bangok, I’m now in Hong Kong, the view from the room is breathtaking, unpacked, had a bath, caught up with the International and French site… it’s now 6.29 am… Going to bed… Framboise |
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