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Courtside with ...
New Zealand |
New Zealand Team Ready At World
Champs
Dave Worsley reports
It’s taken some time to get there, but the New Zealand men’s
squash team are ready for their first match at the World Teams
Championships in Paderborn, Germany. |
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Despite the great facilities at the venue, it hasn’t been all
smooth sailing for the team says Kiwi No1 Martin Knight.
“We are all here now, safe and sound. It was a bit of a shaky
start, my bags never got any further than Sydney on my trip over
here and Evan (Williams) had his own problems not being
able to get out of Wellington to start his trip. But things are
a lot better now, I was able to borrow gear for the first two
and a half days and then my bags arrived yesterday afternoon, so
all good from there onwards.”
The teams new English coach, Paul Hornsby arrived in
Germany and has been working with the side which has good team
spirit and keen to get on the courts for its first match.
“The courts are really nice and bouncy when you hit the ball
hard, but if you take the pace off and play it short, then they
take a drop shot in well. Very true courts which is nice,” says
Martin.
It is the fourth World Teams Championships for both Knight and
Campbell Grayson; 2005 in Pakistan, 2007 in India, 2009
in Denmark and 2011 in Germany. For Williams and Paul Coll
it is their first.
“As for our chances,” says Martin “The World Teams Champs are
hotly contested, the field is very strong all the way through.
We have a good team, so hopefully we can play well, but it is
all what happens on the day. First up we have a really tough
match against Hong Kong. They are 18th seed and the winner of
that tie is most likely to go through into the round of 16, that
is the first goal for the boys, anything after that we will take
as it comes.”
New Zealand take on Hong Kong at 6pm German time, Sunday (4am
Monday morning NZ time). Also in New Zealand’s pool are
defending champs Egypt and Sweden.
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