At the Opening Dinner of the Asian Junior Squash Championships in Colombo, the Sri Lanka star – who has taken 800 Test wickets and over 500 in One Day internationals – was presenting a Friend of Sri Lankan Squash award to Indian World Squash Federation President Mr N Ramachandran.

“I’ve played squash and was particularly impressed with just how hard it is physically – the top athletes must be super-fit,” said Muralitharan.  ”Perhaps I might give it a go when I finally retire from cricket in order to stay fit myself!”

“I’m told my wrist action might make me a very difficult player to read on court!”

“I’m very happy to be linked with the bid by such a fine sport to gain a place as a summer Olympics medal sport,” concluded the revered cricketer.

Thanking him, Mr Ramachandran responded: “Both our sports have World Cups beginning shortly, and while we look forward to looking out for your results and you keep an eye on the Sri Lankan team effort in ours, we are grateful that we can all look towards the biggest possible prize for any squash player, participation in the Olympic Games.“

Malaysia’s Nicol David marks another significant milestone in her illustrious career by celebrating her 58th month as world number one in the new February Women’s World Squash Rankings published today by the Women’s International Squash Players’ Association (WISPA) – equaling Australian Michelle Martin‘s status as the player with the second-longest world number one reign of all-time.

Undefeated throughout 2010, David first topped the rankings in January 2006. After dropping to second place for just four months, the 27-year-old from Penang reclaimed the top spot in August of the same year – and has held it unopposed since then.

Michelle Martin, a six-time British Open and three-time World Open champion, first topped the rankings in March 1993 in a reign which ended in December 1999.

But it is New Zealand’s Susan Devoy who has the ultimate record to beat: 105 months in pole position between April 1984 and February 1993.

England’s Jenny Duncalf continues to shadow David in second place in the February list, ahead of fellow countrywoman Alison Waters at three, Egypt’s Omneya Abdel Kawy in fourth place, and Australia’s Rachael Grinham at No5.

But celebrating a first time at No6 is Australia’s Kasey Brown. The only triple medallist in the sport at the 2010 Commonwealth Games in Delhi, Brown made a great start to the New Year by winning the biggest Tour title of her career at the Harrow Greenwich Open in the USA, where she was seeded four.

And the sport’s latest teen sensation Amanda Sobhy also reaches an all-time high by making the fringe of the top 20 at number 21. The 17-year-old world junior champion from the USA claimed one of the biggest scalps of her life in Greenwich by beating former world No2 Natalie Grinham to reach the semi-finals as a qualifier – then defeated Kasey Brown this week in Cleveland to make the quarter-finals of the Cleveland WISPA Classic.

1 [1] Nicol David MAS                       3340
2 [2] Jenny Duncalf ENG                  1706
3 [3] Alison Waters ENG                   1283
4 [4] Omneya Abdel Kawy EGY     1243
5 [5] Rachael Grinham AUS            1146
6 [7] Kasey Brown AUS                    1044
7 [6] Madeline Perry IRL                1010
8 [8] Camille Serme FRA                    818
9 [10] Laura Massaro ENG               770
10 [9] Vanessa Atkinson NED         742
11 [11] Raneem El Weleily EGY      700
12 [12] Annie Au HKG                        608
13 [13] Low Wee Wern MAS             558
14 [18] Joelle King NZL                      528
15 [14] Jaclyn Hawkes NZL              508
16 [15] Samantha Teran MEX          493
17 [16] Donna Urquhart AUS          465
18 [17] Nour El Tayeb EGY              444
19 [19] Isabelle Stoehr FRA            387
20 [22] Delia Arnold MAS                381

For the complete WISPA ranking list, see www.wispa.net

If anyone had asked me how this year would have been with everything on the line, I wouldn’t have had an answer to that. Up til now when everything is finally over, I can say that I’ve done the best I can achieve for this year.

7 March: Winning my first Chennai Open title, giving a good start to the year.
14 March: The launch of my official website www.nicoldavid.com at Flo in Hotel Equatorial with close friends and sponsors.
20 March: Followed up with a win in Kuala Lumpur at the CIMB K.L. Open.
17 April: Cayman Islands hosted a superb Gold event with a glass court at Camana Bay and I won my second title there.
4 May: The Malaysian Team headed back to Chennai for the Asian Championships. A win in the Individuals for me but a tough loss in the semis for the Women’s Team.
17 July: Winning the Malaysian Nationals for the first time.
24 July: A CIMB Malaysian Open win and the beginning of a busy second half of the season.
31 July: A glass court was set up in Singapore for the CIMB Singapore Masters. A win there and another in the Battle of the Sexes II. A nice highlight beating the guys this time!
5 August: The launch of the Nicol David International Squash Centre (NDISC) - the training centre I started playing squash in (formerly known as Penang International Squash Centre). It was a very emotional moment for me.
29 August: Another Hong Kong Open win, keeping this country as my favourite place to compete each time around.
2 September: ASICS created my very own personalized squash shoes.
22 September: The World Open win in Sharm El Sheikh was an incredible achievement for me, having won my 5^th World title.
12 October: The Commonwealth Games Gold medal truly felt good in my hands and the Mixed Doubles Bronze with Beng Hee added an extra bonus for us.
24 October: Mexico’s first Gold event, (Torneo International Bicentenario) and winning at a higher altitude was a new experience plus a spectacular setting in Toluca for the occasion.
12 November: Winning back the Qatar Classic title made it a special moment for me.
25 November: Double Asian Games Gold medals for both the Individuals and Women’s Team showed our growth as a team in just a few months.
4 December: The finale of the year with the Women’s World Teams 3^rd placing after Australia and England certainly topped the billing for us.

It was hard to believe that from the CIMB Malaysian Open up til the Women’s World Teams, all tournaments were played in a span of 5 months. At one point, I thought I would have never made it through but I have a fantastic team behind me every step of the way with my training, travelling and most importantly, mentally and emotionally. My family who gives me the most support and love while my friends who are always around, keeping my spirits high.

The true joy overall for me is meeting such wonderful people through squash and the appreciation I’ve received after my wins and successes that I would never imagine happening to me. Here’s to more memories to cherish in 2011!

Happy New Year!

At home, enjoying my mummy's cooking!

The Punj Lloyd Squash Masters 2010 is hailed to be India’s largest ever corporate initiative to develop and promote the sport of squash at the grassroot level in India. It comprises of a series of squash championships to be held across various age groups throughout India and will culminate in the Punj Lloyd PSA Masters and Punj Lloyd WISPA Silver Tour event.

Besides the US$ 192,500 Punj Lloyd PSA Masters for the top 32 international male players and the US$ 36,500 WISPA Silver Tour event for the top 16 international women players, Punj Lloyd Squash Masters 2010 will include a series of promotional squash tournaments namely Punj Lloyd Defence Services Challenge for all the armed forces and their training establishments, Punj Lloyd All India Inter-School and Punj Lloyd All India Inter-University Championships as well as the Punj Lloyd Corporate-Club Challenge.

Speaking on the occasion, Atul Punj, Chairman, Punj Lloyd Group, said, “The success of Punj Lloyd PSA Masters 2009, convinced me that with the right support, squash could gain mass popularity, which is why Punj Lloyd will ramp up its involvement in squash to now include tournaments at School and University levels besides those for the Defence forces and Corporates. Year 2010 will be truly memorable for squash and for India, which will see a grand finale of the buildup squash tournaments with two international series – the WISPA and Punj Lloyd PSA Masters 2010,” he further added.

India’s own Saurav Ghosal (World no. 22) and Dipika Pallikal (World no. 29), both of whom are sponsored by Punj Lloyd, and Jyoshna Chinnappa (World no. 36), will be the torch bearers for India at the Punj Lloyd Squash Masters.

Speaking on the occasion Saurav Ghoshal said, “With initiatives like Punj Lloyd Squash Masters, the younger generation from schools and universities will get an opportunity to play Squash at a national level. I am glad that Punj Lloyd has adopted a hands-on approach to develop the sport at grassroot levels. It is always a pleasure to play on home ground and with Punj Lloyd PSA Masters being held in Delhi this year, there is added excitement!”

Promotional tournaments has been played between the months of August and November, in an individual and team format, across New Delhi, Kolkata, Mumbai and Chennai, while the Punj Lloyd PSA Masters and Punj Lloyd WISPA Silver Tour event will be played in New Delhi starting from the 12th to the 19th of December 2010. The winners from each of the promotional tournaments will play in a pre-event of the PSA Masters and the WISPA in Delhi. Winners will also participate in the squash clinics of some of the leading players in the world and will get one- on-one instructions to better their game.

For more information, please go to www.punjlloydsquashmasters.com

Tickets can be purchased here!

Thanks Jarrod and Tasha!

After two days of traveling straight from the Asian Games in China to New Zealand; the whole Malaysian Women’s team were onto to our next task at hand—the Women’s World Teams Squash Championship 2010.

We arrived in Palmerston North Airport and a group of school children greeted the squash teams with a Haka. Each team was looked after by two Liaison Officers; ours were Jarrad and Tarsha, and they brought us back to the official tournament hotel at the Hotel Coachman.

The team settled in comfortably the first two nights before our first match started at the Gym Club.

Pool rounds (Hong Kong, Canada and New Zealand)

We came through well the first day with Hong Kong 3-0 and had a few close matches with Canada to win 3-0. New Zealand was the decider of our crossover match. Wee Wern and Delia were up first playing Joelle King and Shelley Kitchen respectively. After a tough battle, Joelle won 3-1 and Shelley stepped up beating Delia 3-0. As we were still in the pool stage, I had to play my match against Jaclyn Hawkes and won 3-0.

Quarter finals against Egypt

Against Omneya Abdel Kawy

Defending Champion Egypt was our crossover match and it sure was exciting. Raneem El Weleily was up first with Wee Wern. She powered on to beat Wee Wern 3-0 then I had to face Omneya Abdel Kawy to try and level the scores. After an hour of intense squash, I managed to win 3-1. Delia took on Engy Kheirallah and they kept us right on the edge. Delia brought on her ‘A’ game and Engy didn’t seem as comfortable during their match. Delia won the 5th game 11-8 to get us through to the semis. What a result beating the world champions!

Semi Finals against Australia

Australia had a power packed team and our team gave it our best to equal 1-1 having Sharon taking on former 5-time World Champion Sarah Fitz-Gerald and I beat Rachael Grinham. Delia came up against Kasey Brown but just couldn’t bring herself to keep up to the pace Kasey was enforcing. Delia pushed Kasey in the third but the Australian kept her cool to win 3-0 for a place in the finals.

3rd/4th Placing against New Zealand

It was another meeting with the New Zealand team and this time we were fighting for a place on the podium. The New Zealand team was a few points to the finals and just missed out against England. They had to play us the day after and everyone was starting to feel the week taking its toll. Sharon was playing Shelley and Shelley kept steady to win 3-0. I played Jaclyn again and winning my last match of the year, I was well relieved that I could get that point for our team. Wee Wern was back on with Joelle and she got the better of her in this match. Wee Wern came through for the team beating Joelle 3-1 and we finished third place for Malaysia.

Great team effort!

It was all team work from each of the girls and I would like to thank them for this opportunity to be part of a great team. We also had a lot of the Malaysian students and members of the High Commission from Wellington to give the extra support during the week. It made such a difference for the team to push through the whole week with the Malaysian cheering squad behind us.

This is the end of the year for me. A nice finale to 2010.

Thank you everybody for making this the best year of my squash career. Here’s to more great years to come!

Nicol

My photo album!

Some say that the Asian Games Athletes’ Village was a replica of the one at the Beijing Olympics and we had the luxury of experiencing this in Guangzhou. The Competition venue was within the surroundings of the Games Village and that made travelling a lot easier for us squash players. I have never seen these art-form buildings being built specially for an event and we got to enjoy the facilities as well.

The Malaysian contingent got started on other events before our squash team began. The individual event was represented by the top 2 players of each country and this year was the first time the Asian Games introduced the team event too.

Individuals

Round 1 with Park Eun Ok of Korea
Park Eun Ok has been to many Asian tournaments and we’ve met a number of times. This time she really brought her best game out on court. We exchanged some long rallies throughout the match and at the end of the 3^rd game, she started making some mistakes and I won 3-0.

Quarter finals with Dipika Pallikal of India

Pix with thanks to Glenn Guan of The Star.

Playing Dipika Pallikal is never easy especially with some of her deceptive shot plays and boasts that she brings into her game. It can be difficult to anticipate thus I was working hard to take those away from her. There were moments when I just got a roll with my own game and she began to hit the tin a little bit more at the end. It was a 3-1 win but it definitely felt longer.

Semi finals with Low Wee Wern of Malaysia
After having an amazing comeback being down 2-0 with Joshna Chinappa, Low Wee Wern came into the semis, probably not completely hundred percent on court. As she’s moved up the rankings, I still expected her to keep those rallies in play and I had to force the pressure on her when I could. The first game was close but in the second and third games, she stepped back slightly and I took the opportunities at the right time to win 3-0.

Finals with Annie Au of Hong Kong

Annie Au is a feisty young player pushing a lot of the top players in the circuit currently. This was her first Asian Games finals and she wanted it badly. Throughout the match, there was no particular time she ever let up. She was firing shots everywhere at any time she could put her racket onto the ball early enough. The intensity was high and we both played well, creating the hype with the exuberant atmosphere at the glass court. When we equalled at 1-1 in games, I needed to step up my play and take it on. I won 3-1 but was very pleased to win the Gold.

On to the Team Event

The team event was straight after the individuals and we got going right away. We beat Japan and Korea in our pool matches to make our crossover semi finals match against India.

Semis against India
In the match against India, we had our full team with me at number 1, Low Wee Wern at number 2 and Delia Arnold at number 3. Unfortunately, Dipika hurt her leg in the pool matches and they had to rest her when we played them. We won 2-0 with Wee Wern beating Anaka Alankamony 3-0 and I beat Joshna 3-0. Once there’s a clear 2-0 win, the third player doesn’t have to play.

Finals against Hong Kong

Pix with thanks to Glenn Guan of The Star.

It was Hong Kong in the finals and Wee Wern was up first against Rebecca Chiu. It was nerve wrecking because I hardly play team tournaments and watching teammates play is the hardest part. The match was really close and it could have gone either way but Wee Wern stood her ground to win that first point for Malaysia. I had to face Annie again and I was fired up after Wee Wern’s win that I went full speed ahead til I won 3-0. We were all overjoyed with this victory and it was even more special as we clinched the 9th Gold for the Malaysian Contingent.

The other results from the guys’ matches—Mohd Azlan Iskandar got the Individual Gold and Ong Beng Hee got the Bronze while the Men’s team got the Silver after losing to Pakistan in the finals.

The Asian Games was a success overall and the team gave it their best to do well in the Games. Thanks team for a fantastic result.

The Women’s World Teams was straight after and reports will follow. Another team experience!

Nicol

Extras!

Some video interviews with Nicol by SwitchUp.tv (thestaronline)

Part 1:

Part 2:

A massive leap of 16 places sees Egyptian teenager Nour El Tayeb soar into the top 20 of the Women’s World Squash Rankings, according to the new December list published by the Women’s International Squash Players’ Association (WISPA).

Indomitable Malaysian Nicol David heads the list for the 53rd consecutive month, ahead of English pair Jenny Duncalf and Alison Waters, at two and three, respectively, and Egypt’s Omneya Abdel Kawy in fourth place.

But it is 17-year-old El Tayeb who steals the headlines in the final women’s rankings of the year by jumping from 35 last month to 16. Ranked outside the top 100 in early 2008 and outside the top 40 at the beginning of this year, the Cairo youngster grabbed a succession of notable scalps on the Tour over the last two months – including higher-ranked compatriot Engy Kheirallah in October’s Carol Weymuller Open in New York, and Egyptian number one Omneya Abdel Kawy and top twenty-ranked New Zealander Joelle King last month en-route to the semi-finals of the WISPA Gold Qatar Classic.

Runner-up in the World Junior Championship in Germany in June, unseeded El Tayeb scored her maiden WISPA World Tour title at the Creteil International Open in France in February, beating the top seed Camille Serme in the final.

El Tayeb’s ranking breakthrough puts four Egyptians in the world top 20 for the first time.

New Zealanders also have much to celebrate in the new list – with Auckland’s Jaclyn Hawkes rising to a best-ever No12 and Commonwealth Games heroine Joelle King up three places to a career-high 17th place.

And 20-year-old Malaysian Low Wee Wern also rises to a career-best 15th place.

December top 20 (inc. points average):

1 [1] Nicol David MAS 3340
2 [2] Jenny Duncalf ENG 1621
3 [3] Alison Waters ENG 1480
4 [4] Omneya Abdel Kawy EGY 1292
5 [5] Rachael Grinham AUS 1166
6 [6] Madeline Perry IRL 1005
7 [7] Kasey Brown AUS 882
8 [8] Vanessa Atkinson NED 790
9 [9] Laura Massaro ENG 770
10 [10] Camille Serme FRA 769
11 [11] Raneem El Weleily EGY 702
12 [13] Jaclyn Hawkes NZL 530
13 [12] Samantha Teran MEX 512
14 [14] Annie Au HKG 506
15 [16] Low Wee Wern MAS 490
16 [17] Donna Urquhart AUS 467
17 [20] Joelle King NZL 433
18 [18] Isabelle Stoehr FRA 405
19 [35] Nour El Tayeb EGY 400
20 [15] Engy Kheirallah EGY 382
For the complete WISPA ranking list, see www.wispa.net

Sport for life!

It’s almost 8 years that I’ve been playing in Doha for the Qatar Classic Challenge but every year, it seems like I’m coming back to a brand new city. The change and development of the city’s infrastructure are among the most rapid I’ve ever seen first hand. However, the familiar faces and friendly volunteers always make this event something to remember.

The players settled in at the Grand Regency Hotel where some of the staff knew the squash players by name. Somehow, it feels like they’ve been part of the squash family too. The tournament venue at the Khalifa International Tennis and Squash Complex have kept on improving their facilities for both, tennis and squash, specifically to boost the media interest showing that Doha is creating a name in the sporting world.

Round 1 with Emma

Emma Beddoes and I rarely play but I’ve seen her push some of the top players in the circuit. I brought my best game forward and she was keeping with it in the first. She did make a few errors in the second to give me a 2-0 lead. In the third, she stepped up and played more consistently with the rallies and had a 9-4 lead. I had to regain my ground and fight for each rally to level the score and eventually win the match 12-10.

Round 2 with Donna

Donna Urquhart is a player I haven’t met in the circuit before and I had to be ready for a lefty style of play too. I was flowing well and she got a little frustrated with a couple of long rallies. She didn’t get into her groove and she made a couple of mistakes that kept me at the top of my form. In the third game, there were some tough rallies but in the end I got to win it in 3 games.

Quarter Finals with Kasey

After seeing the progress Kasey Brown has had since we played in the Commonwealth Games, I was sure that she was raring to step on court again to play this quarter final match. The many intense rallies and tight drives down the wall made this match very clinical overall. No one was giving anything easy and every point was hard work out there. A close second game that could have gone either way but a stroke went my way to win the tie breaker. The third game was still close but the 3-0 win doesn’t justify the high paced match we played.

Semi Finals with Nour

My first time playing the 17 year old Egyptian talent, Nour El Tayeb and she had beaten Omneya Abdel Kawy in the first round and other top ranked players to get to this semis. Full of adrenaline, she got onto the court using the corners well and kept her drives tight when she had the chance. Of course I was working hard to keep her off her comfort zone but in the third game, she just fired some amazing shots to take a big lead. She kept that going to win that game but in the fourth, I regrouped and took a step up on everything and kept consistent. It still didn’t stop her from wanting it badly but I got hold of the fourth game to win the match.

Finals with Rachael

It was Rachael Grinham in our second WISPA finals in a row and I played her on this court one too many times. The court conditions and her style of play were things to look out for here. She took her chances every time it was there. The Malaysian crowd was ready to cheer me on at every possible chance, sometimes even during the rallies. I had to stay firm with my shots and keep the intensity up right through. In the third game, I was down 9-5 but I didn’t want to stop just yet. I pushed my way through and she made some unusual errors, giving me 6 straight points to win the match.

It’s a fantastic feeling to win my last WISPA title of the year in front of such an enthusiastic Malaysian crowd in Doha. Thanks for the continuous support from everyone!

Pix with thanks to Nazmi Md Sheriff!

Samantha and I, in our ponchos.

Mexico is one of my favourite countries—so you can imagine my excitement when I was told a big WISPA tournament was to be held there this year. I was thrilled to be able to compete in this tournament. Samantha Teran, Mexico’s most successful squash player and our Squash Stars Ambassador, played a major role in increasing the interest of squash in Mexico.

The brand new glass court in Plaza Civica de Toluca.

The Torneo Bicentenario Mexico Open was held in Toluca, Mexico. The glass court was beautifully placed in the middle of a square at the Plaza Civica de Toluca. All of us stayed at the Del Rey Inn Hotel where everything was catered to the squash players. A very nice bonus for us!

There were many events lined up for the squash tournament including a lovely welcome cocktail at a landmark in Toluca at the Cosmovitral building on the day of the first round and a private concert by a Mexican artist—Reyli, after the quarter finals. The Mexicans certainly made an impression for their first major tournament in Mexico.

Round 1 with Ivonne

This picture was submitted for a Squash Stars photo contest. Click to view more.

Played a Mexican player, Ivonne Diaz and I was expecting the crowd to go wild—they sure did! Everyone did mention that the altitude could be a factor during the matches. I had to be ready for a seasoned Mexican player on home turf so it helped being in Mexico a few days earlier to get used to the altitude. There were some nice shot plays from Ivonne but my game came together better being on the glass court. I won it 3-0 but the crowd still gave a good cheer at the end.

Quarter finals with Jaclyn

This picture was submitted for a Squash Stars photo contest. Click to view more.

After Jaclyn Hawkes won the Gold Medal in the Women’s Doubles at the Commonwealth Games, I was expecting her to come out strong. I made sure I stepped up my game and kept her from gaining confidence in her game. I had a good feeling with the ball and was moving it well around the court. She made a few mistakes at times and I got a few points lead each game to get the win 3-0.

Semi finals with Raneem

At the courtside with Raneem.

Raneem El Weleily is always someone to watch out for on court. I definitely had to fight hard to gain some control in the first game. She was on the ball each time and I knew this game would take a while. I managed to come back to win that game and I went into the next one, looking out for more shots that she was going to pull out from her bag. My lengths got a bit tighter and a couple of errors from her gave me a slight head start in the second and the third games. Even with those errors, there were some high-paced rallies because both of us were taking everything as early as possible. I was glad to close the match in 3 games.

Finals with Rachael

This picture was submitted for a Squash Stars photo contest. Click to view more.

An enthusiastic crowd filled the stands, all ready to cheer as loudly as they could. The five-setter that Rachael Grinham had with Kasey Brown the night before didn’t stop her from what she had to do in the finals. The first game was close and Rachael was placing the ball to the front really well. However, I played consistently and found myself leading at game ball in the first. She gained some winners and it was deuce all of a sudden. I didn’t want to let it slip and fought back to win that game 12-10. Much better games in the second and third as many shots went my way. The rallies were long; some ending with Rachael’s mistakes. I kept going for it and finally won 3-0.

It was a great tournament. Kudos to the organizers!

This tournament has been a true Mexican experience with warm welcomes from the moment we got to Mexico. I could go on raving about their friendliness, hospitality, happy nature and not forgetting the amazing food! A beautiful country to explore and wonderful people to meet. I completely enjoyed my stay in Mexico and I can’t wait to be back for the next one!

On to Doha next week for the Qatar Classic!

Nicol

The staging of the Commonwealth Games Squash Championships in Delhi has been hailed as an overwhelming success by the World Squash Federation at its AGM.

Led by 19 players from the men’s and women’s world top 20 rankings, with representation from 27 countries, the championships field was truly world-class – with England emerging triumphant in the medals table, followed by Australia, New Zealand and Malaysia.

“It’s definitely the biggest moment of my career,” admitted England’s world number two Nick Matthew after winning his second gold medal in Delhi – his first leading an English clean sweep of all three men’s singles medals. Australia’s Kasey Brown went home with three medals (one gold and two bronze), while New Zealander Joelle King became her country’s most successful athlete, and clinched the chance to carry the Kiwi flag at the Closing Ceremony, after unexpected gold in the Women’s Doubles and silver in the Mixed.

The event was staged in the purpose-built 11-court Siri Fort Complex – which featured a spectacular all-glass showcourt surrounded by seating for more than 3,000 spectators.

“The crowds overall were sensational – most players agreeing that they had never experienced anything like it anywhere else in the world,” said WSF CEO Andrew Shelley. “The exuberance of the spectators as Nicol David paraded the Malaysian flag around the showcourt after her singles gold medal triumph will remain with me forever.”

“The Siri Fort facilities are a great legacy of the Games – and will surely kick-start the development programmes in Delhi as well as being another focus for events.

“We attracted visits from some extremely distinguished guests of the Delhi hosts, including IOC President Jacques Rogge; Prince Albert of Monaco; and HRH Prince Edward, the Earl of Wessex,” added Shelley. “All expressed their enthusiasm for what they saw.

One of the proudest squads competing in the game hailed from Norfolk Islands: “I know it is not as great as winning a medal, but it is a big deal to us that Duncan Gray and Gye Duncan got in to the last 16 in the men’s doubles competition in Delhi – and the two teams they got beaten by were the two Australian teams which got the silver and bronze medal,” said team captain Mal Rundell.

“They got a good number of points against them considering we had never even got close to getting a game before in the Commonwealth Games and even better that that we have only got 30 adult members in our club and we don’t have a doubles court to train on.”

One of the venue’s most impressed visitors was Sir Matthew Pinsent, the four-time Olympic rowing gold medallist who was reporting for the BBC.

“Squash would be a good addition to the Olympics – it is relatively easy to set up, especially in a modern urban environment, and is fast and exciting to watch both on television and live,” said Pinsent in a BBC blog.

“Crucially, the Olympics would be the absolute pinnacle of what the sport offers – unlike so many of the current sports in the programme (such as tennis, football and arguably now rugby sevens).”

“The fact that squash can compete with many of the sports already in the Olympics on many of these makes me think that they must be head of the list should the 28 sports ever be increased even by one.”