Peter
Nicol and Jonathon Power, the two dominant players on the men's
professional squash tour for a decade starting in the mid 90s,
will headline a new Legends of Squash Tour which will stage its
first event in September 2010. Tour co-founders Peter Nicol and
John Nimick made the announcement today at the J.P. Morgan
Tournament of Champions where Nicol and Power played a Legends
exhibition match on the same court where they were fierce
rivals, winning seven titles between them and mesmerizing the
Tournament of Champions fans for more than a decade.
The
renewal of their famed rivalry comes five year after they last
played each other, with Nicol taking first blood, winning
11-8,13-10. From 1996 through 2003, the Tournament of Champions
was won only by either Nicol or Power, during which time Nicol
was the world # 1 ranked player for nearly five years and was
periodically bumped from the top spot by Power. The players'
dramatically contrasting styles of play and temperament resulted
in sellout crowds for all their matches.
"I am very excited about the creation of this schedule of events
which will provide an opportunity for fans to enjoy the talent
and enthusiasm for squash that has not waned for those of us who
retired from the circuit in the past decade or so," said Nicol.
He went on to say, "I'm looking forward to being on the Legends
Tour which will be a mixture of entertaining and serious
competitive squash, a winning combination."
"The rivalry between Peter and Jonathon is one of the great
rivalries in all of sports," said Tournament of Champions
promoter and Squash Engine President John Nimick. "On the day we
publicly announced that this Legends Challenge would take place
at the Tournament of Champions, our box office experienced a
dramatic surge in tickets sales, which speaks to their enduring
popularity."
The other players committed to participating in the legends Tour
include John White, Simon Parke, Chris Walker & Peter Marshall.
Eligible players also include Jansher Khan, Rodney Eyles, Ahmed
Barada, David Evans & Lee Beachill.
The Legends Tour will feature three tiers of events:
Platinum
Draw size: Eight players featuring six tour eligible legends &
two local wild card entries
Venue: Glass Court
Broadcast: TV/Streaming
Gold
Draw: Six or eight players with one or two local wild card
entries
Peter
Nicol and Jonathon Power, the two dominant players on the men's
professional squash tour for a decade starting in the mid 90s,
will headline a new Legends of Squash Tour which will stage its
first event in September 2010. Tour co-founders Peter Nicol and
John Nimick made the announcement today at the J.P. Morgan
Tournament of Champions where Nicol and Power played a Legends
exhibition match on the same court where they were fierce
rivals, winning seven titles between them and mesmerizing the
Tournament of Champions fans for more than a decade.
The
renewal of their famed rivalry comes five year after they last
played each other, with Nicol taking first blood, winning
11-8,13-10. From 1996 through 2003, the Tournament of Champions
was won only by either Nicol or Power, during which time Nicol
was the world # 1 ranked player for nearly five years and was
periodically bumped from the top spot by Power. The players'
dramatically contrasting styles of play and temperament resulted
in sellout crowds for all their matches.