Nicol dealt tough draw for Kuala Lumpur Open

NICOL David faces a challenging start to the season after being handed a tough draw for the Kuala Lumpur Open on Mar 4-7.

This year's KL Open, to be held at the Berjaya Times Square from the quarter-finals onwards, has attracted the world's top nine women's players.

World No 1 Nicol will have to be on her guard from the start when she opens against the experienced Madeline Perry, the World No 9 from Ireland.

Although the Malaysian has won all 10 of their meetings on the Wispa Tour, 31-year-old Madeline could pose an early threat after reaching the World Open semi-finals last year before falling to eventual champion Nicol.

A win would pit Nicol against World No 5 Jenny Duncalf of England, who has also yet to win in nine previous meetings against the three-time world champion but can be expected to put up a fight.

Seeded to meet Nicol in the semi-finals is 2007 world champion Rachael Grinham of Australia, who did not have the best of starts to the season when she lost in the semi-finals of the Burning River Classic in Cleveland, Ohio on Tuesday, where the World No 3 was the top seed.

The final could see Nicol in another instalment of her rivalry with World No 2 Natalie Grainger of the Netherlands, who will be looking to prevent Nicol from winning her 13th consecutive Wispa title.

National No 2 Sharon Wee was handed a wildcard and plays Jenny in the first round, which will also see American World No 4 Natalie Grainger, who rarely travels to play in Asia, making only her second appearance in the KL Open and her first since 2006.

Defending champion Ong Beng Hee is seeded second in the men's draw and opens against a qualifier while third seed Azlan Iskandar faces Omar Mosaad of Egypt.

With Beng Hee and Azlan in opposite halves, a repeat of last year's final could be on the cards but Azlan would have to get past top seed Peter Barker in the semi-finals.

Beng Hee could run into trouble even earlier with Stewart Boswell of Australia, who opens against National No 3 Nafiizwan Adnan in the first round, lurking in the quarter-finals and Adrian Grant of England in the semi-finals.

Meanwhile, New Zealand's Shelley Kitchen is the headline attraction at two low-key KL Open tune-up events in Bukit Jalil this month, having entered the NSC Tour 8 No 1 and NSC Tour 12 No 1 tournaments.

Malaysian Squash News Bundle

CIMB reward SRAM success with two-year sponsorship
The huge success of Malaysian squash players — both seniors and juniors — at the international level has prompted CIMB to extend their contract for another two years.

CIMB will continue to contribute RM2mil a year to the Squash Racquets Association of Malaysia (SRAM) for their tournaments, administrative expenses and development programmes.

Thank you: CIMB’s Effendy Shahul Hamid (second right) handing over the sponsorship to SRAM deputy president Datuk Syed Mustaffa Syed Ali (second left) as participants of the junior circuit celebrate.

CIMB Group head of group corporate communications Effendy Shahul Hamid said they were pleased with the development and success of the CIMB-sponsored national junior circuits.

“We are also delighted with the Malaysian players for their exceptional performance in the senior and junior tournaments.

“We hope that through the national junior circuits, young players will be able to hone their skills and lift thier performance on court.

“We look forward to extending the contract with SRAM, which expires in June, for another two years,” Effendy said during a ceremony to announce CIMB’s continuation as title sponsors for this year’s national junior circuits.

SRAM deputy president Datuk Syed Mustaffa Syed Ali attributed the squash players’ success to the availability of good coaches, facilities and high-level competitions.

“We would like to thank CIMB for extending their contract for another two years as we need RM2mil a year to carry out our activities,” said Syed Mutaffa.

“We need RM1.3mil to organise the Kuala Lumpur Open and Malaysian Open, RM500,000 a year for junior development programmes and RM200,00 for administrative expenses.”

Malaysian squash has enjoyed tremendous success of late, thanks largely to the exploits of players like Nicol David, Ong Beng Hee, Mohd Azlan Iskandar and Low Wee Wern.

World No. 1 Nicol created history when she won all the 10 Women’s International Squash Players Association (Wispa) tournaments last year. It was the best ever achievement for the Penangite since turning pro in 2000.

National No. 1 men’s player Beng Hee won the Kuala Lumpur Open and Malaysian Open last year.

Malaysia also made a clean sweep of all the four titles in the Asian Championships in Kuwait last February, with Azlan and Nicol bagging the men’s and women’s individual titles apart from the two team crowns.

Wee Wern also shone last year, retaining her Asian junior girls’ title in Busan in July.

Meanwhile, 384 juniors will compete in both the boys’ and girls’ Under-9, Under-11 and Under-13 age-group in the five-legs of the CIMB junior circuit this year.

Each of the junior received a RM10 ang pow from CIMB yesterday.

The first-leg started at the NSC Courts in Jalan Duta yesterday and second-leg will be held in Pahang from April 3-5.

The other legs are in Kedah (from May 1-3), Terengganu (June 19-21) and the National Squash Centre in Bukit Jalil (July 16-19).


SRAM turn to states for talent
As the well of talent at the national level runs dry, the Squash Racquets Association of Malaysia (SRAM) is turning to the states for help.

After its own effort to unearth talent through the National Junior Circuit bore little fruit, SRAM is increasingly reliant on its state branches for junior players to represent the country at international tournaments.

At the recent Asian Junior Championships in Chennai for example, four of the eight team members were products of the Selangor SRA junior development programme while two others honed their skills under Penang state coach Allan Soyza.

Such is the perception that talent is going to waste at national level that some states are reluctant to release their players to train under SRAM coaches at Bukit Jalil.

But it is not all doom and gloom for squash at the grassroots if the turnout at the January trials at Selangor SRA-Petaling Jaya City Council development programme at the Astaka courts is any indication.

While pleased with the response, Selangor SRA honorary secretary Mary Ong said the huge turnout, however, forced them to turn away some enthusiastic youngsters as the programme could only cope with a limited number of players.

"We took in 25 promising players who will undergo an orientation programme to test their skill and aptitude. We are still receiving responses but we had to stop the intake due to a shortage of coaches and courts," Mary said.

"This programme has been running successfully for the last 19 years with most of the players from the national side coming from us. One way or another, most of our players have represented the country and we have a new crop coming up."

Over the years, the Selangor programme uncovered talent such as Ong Beng Hee, Michael Soo and Tricia Chuah but more recently Ivan Yuen, Ng Jo Wen, Zul Azri Abd Aziz and Tan Yan Xin helped Malaysia to a clean sweep of titles in Chennai.

Selangor also have Darren Subramaniam, who was seeded first in the recent British Junior Open boys' Under-15, and Yong Sue Ann, a semi-finalist at the 2008 British Junior girls' Under-13, training at Astaka.

From Penang, besides women's World No 1 Nicol David, emerged the Low sisters, Wee Wern and Wee Nee, with the former winning the British Junior Under-19 and Asian Junior titles this year.


Bug forces Beng Hee out
Illness has forced Ong Beng Hee to withdraw from tomorrow's Swedish Open PSA Tour tournament in Linkoping which could give him less time than he wanted to defend his Kuala Lumpur Open title next month.

Beng Hee has yet to fully recover from a stomach bug which caused him to bow out tamely in the second round to Australian David Palmer at the Tournament of Champions in New York last week.

The defeat meant he dropped one rung to 11th in the latest world rankings but the National No 1 thought it was best to skip the five-star Swedish Open, where he was seeded third and could have expected to meet World No 1 Karim Darwish in the semi-finals.

"I've pulled out of the Swedish Open as I'm not quite fit to play. I fell sick in New York and the virus left me sapped of energy," said Beng Hee, who turned 29 yesterday, in a mobile sms.

While health concerns came first for the Malaysian, he also hopes to recover his strength in time for his home tournament on March 4-7.

"I will be returning to Kuala Lumpur soon. I'm still recovering but I hope to return to training as soon as possible and get ready for the KL Open," added Beng Hee.

Beng Hee may have slipped in the rankings but Azlan Iskandar's run to the quarter-finals in New York saw him move up one spot to 12th, only 22 points adrift of his compatriot, while national No 3 Nafiizwan Adnan improved one rung to 57th.

Malaysia now have five men in the top-100 after Nafzahizam Adnan reached a career high 97th, up from 103rd, behind 82nd-ranked Asyraf Azan, who gained five places.

On the women's side, Nicol David maintained her status as World No 1 for the 31st consecutive month and 34 in total, maintaining a near 2,000-point lead over Natalie Grainger of the Netherlands.

Sharon Wee stemmed a slide in the rankings by moving up two spots to 23rd while Delia Arnold continued her climb by improving two places to 26th.

British Junior Open Under-19 and Asian Junior champion Low Wee Wern broke into the top-40 for the first time when she moved up five rungs to 37th.

Wee Wern misses out on World Junior Champs 09

CHENNAI: Asian Junior Champion Low Wee Wern of Malaysia has accused Squash Rackets Federation of India of favouring Dipika Pallikal in the scheduling of the World Junior Championship to be held from July 31 to August 5.

Wern, who will turn 19 on July 25 and would become ineligible to compete in the world championship was speaking her mind over India's scheduling the championship which is open for only those aged below 19 and that she would not qualify to play in it.

"Now it is all over for me. But it will not stop me from concentrating on my WISPA tournaments to improve my rankings," Wern, ranked 42 in the world said adding "I will leave for Amsterdam after the Kuala Lumpur Open in March to continue training with World No. 1 and compatriot, Nicol David under coach Liz Irving."

Malaysia sweep all four titles at Asian Championships

Malaysia created history when they made a clean sweep of all the four titles at stake for the first time in the Asian Junior squash championships in Chennai yesterday.

No country has won all four titles since the inception of the championships in Singapore in 1983.

Malaysia completed the clean sweep when they won the boys’ and girls’ team titles in the finals yesterday.

Ivan Yuen, who bagged the boys’ individual title on Monday, led Malaysia to a 2-0 win over second seeds India for the team title.

Ivan, who finished runners-up in the British Junior Open Under-19 category recently, chalked up an easy 11-4, 11-2, 11-7 win over Aditya Jagtap in the first tie.

Kamran Khan then avenged his defeat to Ravi Dixit in the quarter-finals of the individual event to deliver the winning point with an 11-7, 8-11, 11-6, 11-8 win.

The Malaysian girls also scored a 2-0 win over fourth seeds South Korea in their final.

Three-time Asian junior champion Low Wee Wern set the ball rolling for Malaysia with an 11-9, 11-8, 11-2 win over Sun Mi-song.

Her younger sister Wee Nee the sealed the title with an easy 11-4, 11-4, 11-7 win over Ji Hyun-lee.

In 2001, Malaysia won three of the four titles at stake also in Chennai.

Then Mohd Azlan Iskandar and Nicol David won the boys’ and girls’ individual titles and the girls’ team crown.

Team manager K. Sivanesen was delighted to see his charges dominate the championships.

“We came to Chennai to create history and we did just that,” he said.

“Winning all four titles is exceptionally good for the future of squash in Malaysia.”

There was more joy for Malaysia when Squash Racquet Association of Malaysia (SRAM) president Datuk A. Sani Karim won the election in Chennai to become the new Asian Squash Federation (ASF) president yesterday.

SportCheck: Earning big bucks!

Proof that Malaysian athletes can enjoy a fantastic livelihood from sport

LEE Chong Wei and Nicol David can add another tag to the numerous honours they have already won -- that of millionaires.

Both enjoyed bumper seasons in 2008 and if 2009 is as successful as last year was, Chong Wei and Nicol will be living proof that Malaysian athletes can enjoy a fantastic livelihood from sport.

Their successes last year brought numerous honours for both, including Penang awarding them Datukships, but the true measure of an athlete is through the titles won and shuttler Chong Wei and squash world champion Nicol won plenty of them.

But last year, thanks to the silver he won in the Beijing Olympics, belonged to Chong Wei and, deservingly, he was well rewarded as the medal came along with a RM300,000 government incentive.

That, however, was just part of what Chong Wei earned as his consistency saw him winning about RM355,000 in prize money in Super Series and international grand prix tournaments.

Having spent the whole of 2008 as either the World No 1 or 2 saw the shuttler receiving a total RM180,000 from the BA of Malaysia under its ranking bonus scheme.

It didn't stop there though as BAM also has a presidential bonus where an additional 25 per cent of the prize money won for winning an international title is awarded, which fetched Chong Wei almost RM60,000.

Despite his limited appearances on the local circuit, Chong Wei won a a total RM11,000 for clinching his seventh national title and the Johor Open crown and he was also rewarded an additional RM20,000 for winning several awards last year.

He also received a monthly allowance of RM5,000 for three months last year for qualifying for the Olympics and RM3,000 a month from September to December which is a monthly pension he will receive for the rest of his life from the government.

Chong Wei is also paid a monthly salary by the National Sports Council (NSC) and BAM, which is said to be around RM3,000 and there are also products which he endorses, which would have helped him edge past the RM1 million mark.

Nicol may not have crossed the RM1 million mark but after a dominant 2008 which saw her winning all 10 professional tournaments she competed in, her total prize money was RM442,000.

In addition to the prize money, Nicol also earned RM20,000 from winning the World Open for the third time and another RM20,000 for the biennial Asian Championship individual title.

She also split RM20,000 with four teammates for winning the Asian team title and a share of RM20,000 for helping Malaysia finish third in the Women's World Team Championship.

After performance incentives from her main sponsors CIMB, Prince and other endorsement deals, Nicol may have finished just a few ringgit short of RM1 million in total earnings.

Still, Nicol's earning from previous years were also substantial and she could have crossed the million-ringgit mark much earlier.

Giving Chong Wei and Nicol a close fight were, surprisingly, Malaysia's professional golfers -- thanks to the huge prize money that is at stake in each Asian Tour tournament.

In fact, Iain Steel was Malaysia's most successful athlete -- based on prize money -- as he raked in a cool RM755,000 despite only being ranked 22nd in the 2008 Order of Merit.

Ben Leong amassed about RM690,000 while Danny Chia took close to RM355,000. Airil Rizman, who struck more than RM400,000 in 2007, saw his earnings drop to RM170,000 but it is still a respectable amount.

Other big money earners last year were men's badminton pair Koo Kien Keat-Tan Boon Heong, who, despite an inconsistent season, would have collected about RM300,000 in prize money while women's doubles Wong Pei Tty-Chin Eei Hui enjoyed a lucrative end to 2008 as they made four Super Series finals.

It would be so easy to be envious of the athletes but we have to remember that monetary rewards only come when they are successful and that these special bunch certainly were.

Egypt's squash rise continues as India show promise

By Rod Gilmour
From Telegraph.co.uk

The rise of Egyptian squash was further cemented at this week's British Junior Open after six of the eight titles on offer were picked up by its team.

It culminated with Mohamed El Shorbagy in the men's U19 title as he sauntered to a fourth title in a row in the prestiguous tournament in Sheffield.

Top seed El Shorbagy, who began his unbeaten run in the event in January 2006, managed to stave off Malaysian Ivan Yuen's stren challenge in the final.

The reigning world junior champion needed only 34 minutes to retain his title, beating 18-year-old Yuen 11-8, 11-7, 13-11 to claim the Drysdale Cup.

The women's U19 title returned to Malaysia for the first time since 1999 when Nicol David swept to success after top seed Low Wee Wern beat India's rising star Dipika Pallikal 11-2, 11-8, 8-11, 11-8.

After dominating the opening two games, Pallikal came back strongly in the third as she momentarily cured a string of errors. However, the Malaysian finished the job as she came home convincingly in the third.

The triumph marked the maiden British Junior Open success for the 18-year-old Asian Junior champion from Penang.

Egyptian favourite Amr Khaled Khalifa scored his first success in the Men's U17 event with an 11-5, 11-3, 14-12 victory in the final over Danish Atlas Khan, the second seed from Pakistan.

It was the 16-year-old from Cairo's second Sheffield success after winning the U15 crown in 2007.

Meanwhile, with the finals being filled up by a mix of Egyptian, Malaysian and Indian players, former Pakistani world champion Jahangir Khan threw his weight behind Pakistan's performance in Sheffield.

He said: “The Egyptians have emerged as the leaders in squash and the only reason for this is that they have effectively planned to build a junior squash string.”

Seven Pakistani players failed to make a mark in the tournament. However, Danish Atlas lost in the final against Egypt's Amr Khalid Khalifa.

He added: “It is the responsibility of PSF officials to insure good results but the current performance was shameful.

“There was simply no planning for the event and we were embarrassed before the whole world."

British Junior Open 2009

Wee Wern Clinches Maiden Title At British Jr Open

KUALA LUMPUR, Jan 7 (Bernama) -- Malaysia's top junior squash player Low Wee Wern clinched her maiden title at the British Junior Open after her third appearence in the championship.

The world No 42 defeated last year's Under-17 champion Dipika Pallikal of India 3-1 in the finals of the Girl's Under-19 category held at Abbeydale, Sheffield earlier Wednesday morning.

The five-day championship began on Jan 2.

"She wasn't really there in the first set...that one was pretty easy. But she came back strongly in the second set. Then, I made a few errors at the start of the third set, so she took advantage of that.

"I am feeling a bit of excitement at winning and bit of relief that I have won one, at last," said the 18-year-old Penangite as quoted in the tournament's official website.

In the finals, Wee Wern was in control in the first two sets with 11-2 and 11-8 but Dipika bounced back in third set (11-8) forcing the Malaysian to fight harder in the fourth set to clinch her maiden British Junior Open title with 11-8 in a 42-minute match play.

On Monday, Wee Wern beat Canada's Laura Gemmell 9-11, 12-10, 13-15, 11-8, 11 -7 in her semi-final match.

However, luck was not on the side of another top national junior player, Ivan Yuen, in the Boy's Under-19 finals.

Yuen, 18, was defeated by world junior champion and world no 36, Mohamed El Shorbagy of Egypt in straight sets of 8-11, 7-11 and 11-13 in 33 minutes.

Yuen's best achievement in the British Junior Open was a third placing in the Under-17 category in 2006.

In the semi-finals, Yuen defeated Alfredo Avila of Mexico 11-8, 11-3, 11-8, while Shorbagy had to fight compatriot Karim Abdel Gawad 11-2, 11-8, 7-11, 11-13 and 11-8 in a 69-minute match to clinch the finals berth.

Yuen turned professional in 2007, and is currently ranked world no 135.

-- BERNAMA


Can Wee Wern Take Over Nicol's Place?

KUALA LUMPUR, Jan 8(Bernama) -- The search for the athlete to replace world number one player and Malaysia's squash queen, Datuk Nicol Ann David, may have ended in Low Wee Wern, the winner of the British Open Junior Squash championship.

Yesterday, Low, the country's key junior player, won the championship, which was won by Nicol four years ago.

Low, 18, beat Indian Dipika Pallikal, who is the defending champion 11-2, 11-8 and 11-8 after a 33-minute game.

National Sports Council director-general Datuk Zolkples Embong said it was still too early for Low to replace Nicol and regarded Low's win as "unexpected".

"However, winning the championship was a good step for Low to improve her performance at international level," he said when contacted by Bernama here today.

Zolkples said he would ask the Squash Racket Association of Malaysia (SRAM) to prepare a plan to raise the performance, not only of Low, but also of the other players.

Meanwhile, a sports science lecturer at a local university who requested to be known as K C Ling said said Low's win in the championship should be used by SRAM to undertake the necessary measures to improve his performance.

"It is not easy to replace Nicol, but there is a possibility of Low stepping into her shoes in another 10 years. We have to do something so that Low can continue to excel in the sport after Nicol retires," he said.

With yesterday's victory, Low is ranked 42nd in the world.

-- BERNAMA

Dec 17th News Bundle

All eyes on Wee Wern to deliver

Nicol David does not expect anyone, in the immediate future, to emulate her achievements as to do so would only serve to foster unrealistic expectations.

Much has been made of the ability of Malaysia's next generation of players and the high benchmark set by Nicol can only be described as unattainable for the foreseeable future.

With talent thin on the ground, only national junior Low Wee Wern has been touted by the Squash Racquets Association of Malaysia to go on one day to replace Nicol as the country's No 1.

Wee Wern was recently installed as the top seed at next month's British Junior Open girls' Under-19 category, increasing expectations she might emulate Nicol's success in winning the title in December 1999.

But while Nicol agrees that Wee Wern has the ability to become a top player, the World No 1 cautioned against placing too high expectations on the player or any of the other national juniors so soon.


"Being the top seed is one thing but she has to go in there and do her best. There is a lot expected of her but you cannot expect players to do what I did.

"I was fortunate in the sense that everything fell in place at the right time for me. She just has got to do her best in her position," said Nicol after undergoing a 'sweat test' by the Gatorade Sports Science Institute at the National Squash Centre in Bukit Jalil yesterday.

Nicol believes Wee Wern, 18, has come a long way in the last 12 months and has the potential to make her own mark on the world stage.

"She has improved a lot and when she was training in Amsterdam with me (in the middle of the year), I saw her play and she has got better.

"It will be interesting to she how she does (at the British Juniors)," added Nicol, who was propelled to stardom after winning five titles in various age-groups categories at the prestigious tournament.

Wee Wern herself was cautious in predicting she would become only the fourth Malaysian after Ong Beng Hee, Nicol and Tan Yan Xin to lift a British Junior Open title.

"This will be my last British Junior tournament and I haven't won a title there. It is my last chance and I will be going there to do my best," said the World No 42.

Wee Wern must get past Canada's Laura Gemmell in the semi-finals to set up a potential date with second seed Heba El Torky of Egypt in the final.

Asked about Nicol's comments, Wee Wern said: "I've been working with her own my game, even when she's back in Penang. It's been good training with her as I've learnt a lot."



Nicol lends a hand to Wee Wern

KUALA LUMPUR: World number one Nicol David will lend a helping hand to Low Wee Wern’s bid to win the prestigious British Junior Open title.

Wee Wern, the Asian junior champion, is the top seed of the girls’ Under-19 competition of the Open, which will be held in Sheffield from Jan 2-6.

The 18-year-old has not won any of the Open’s age-group titles. Her best achievement was a runner-up finish to Camille Serme of France in the Under-19 competition last year.

In contrast, Nicol is the only Malaysian to have won five age-group titles and her last was claiming the girls’ Under-19 crown in 1999.

The 25-year-old Nicol said that expectations were high on fellow Penangite Wee Wern to win the title this time, now that she is the top seed.

“Wee Wern has improved a lot and I am sure she will challenge strongly to end her title drought in the British Junior Open. I will be more than happy to help her with practice matches in Penang to fine tune her shots and boost her confidence,’’ she said.

Meanwhile, Nicol welcomed the “Gatorade Sweat Test”, which was conducted on her at the National Squash Centre in Bukit Jalil yesterday.

Nicol said that she appreciated the benefits of the test and how it could help her improve on her performance.

“As a professional athlete, I always want to find the extra advantage that can help me perform better,’’ she said.


“With the experience, I believe that the sweat test will help me understand the effects of hydration on my performance. Proper intake of fluids plays a large part in maintaining optimum physical fitness.

“Reaching the world number one spot was never easy. However, maintaining that position sometimes can be a lot harder but with this new hydration plan, I believe it will give me an added edge for my competitions next year.”

Nicol is expected to play between 10 and 12 tournaments on the professional circuit next year.



Emerging Players, Veterans Pose A Threat To Nicol Staying World No. 1

Emerging players from England and Egypt and veterans like the Grinham sisters of Australia and Natalie Grainger (USA) will most likely pose the biggest threat in national squash queen Datuk Nicol David's quest to remain as the world's Number One for the third consecutive year next year.

"I'm sure the English girls and Egyptians are hungry to dislodge me from the top," she told reporters when met at the National Squash Centre in Bukit Jalil here Wednesday.


She noted that Allison Waters, Jenny Duncalf and Laura Lenghthorn-Massaro of England and Egyptians Engy Kheirallah and Omneya Abdel Kawy were rising fast judging by their recent performances.

Engy Kheirallah, ranked 23 in the Women's International Squash Players Association (WISPA) rankings, helped Egypt to win the Women's World Team Championship in Cairo last November by beating Waters (ranked 5) in the last game while Omneya, just entering the age of 23 next year, will be reaching her peak very soon.

"It's never comfortable when you are on the top, but that's the challenge I have to face. So, I'm looking forward to next year and intend to do what it takes to remain on top," added the 25-year-old Nicol.

-- BERNAMA

SRAM's 2010 'powerhouse' vision

By Devinder Singh
From The New Straits Times

AFTER countless queries on who will succeed Nicol David on the world stage, Squash Racquets Association of Malaysia (SRAM) president Datuk A. Sani Karim is confident the answer will emerge within two years.

While there may never be another player quite like Nicol, Sani believes having three men and three women players from Malaysia ranked among the world's top 20 by the end of 2010 is within reach.

That is in line with SRAM's vision of becoming a powerhouse in world squash by 2010 alongside the established powers of England, Australia, France and Egypt.

"I have often been asked and everyone in the country is wondering who will replace Nicol. We have a vision to become a powerhouse by 2010 which many have told me is extremely ambitious," said Sani after being returned unopposed as SRAM president at the association's annual general meeting (AGM) and elections in Bukit Jalil yesterday.

"But by the end of 2010, I am confident we can have three men and women players in the top 20. The challenge is to convince everyone that this is achievable. We can do it, we must do it."

While acknowledging time is a constraint, Sani said: "We hope by 2010 we can have a big enough pool of players to begin to challenge the established powers. If we had not imposed a time frame, everyone would take his or her own time (in progressing)."

SRAM plans to send more players for overseas attachment with Nafiizwan Adnan, Asyraf Azan, Delia Arnold and Low Wee Wern -- four players are being looked upon by SRAM to fulfil their vision statement -- set for longer stints in London and Amsterdam next year.

To help them progress, SRAM is considering an alternative destination for attachment with Egypt mentioned as a possibility.

"Their's is a model we would like to look at and where we could send our players for attachment as London and Amsterdam is becoming saturated. Egypt is a possibility but plans are not firm yet," said Sani, who added that a proposal was submitted to the National Sports Council last month.

Wee Wern thrilled to break into world’s top 50

Top national junior squash player Low Wee Wern (pic) is ecstatic after breaking into the top-50 of the world rankings.

The 18-year-old Penangite, who only started full-time training after completing her O-Levels this year, is ranked No. 46 in the latest list released by the Women’s International Squash Players Association (Wispa) on Nov 1.

“I have accomplished my target for this year. However, I will continue to train harder to improve my rankings next year,” said Wee Wern.

The two-time Asian junior champion has made tremendous progress since winning her first professional title — the NSC Satellite No. 3 — in April.

She achieved the feat by disposing of the top two seeds — Lisa Camilleri of Australia and Siti Munirah Jusoh — in the semi-final and final respectively.

Wee Wern, the fourth ranked national player, then captured the Terengganu Sukma (Malaysia Games) crown in June, overcoming national No. 3 Delia Arnold in five sets.

Her good form did not go unnoticed and she was packed off for a 10-week training stint in Amsterdam under world No. 1 Nicol David’s coach, Liz Irving.

It was her first overseas training stint.

The training did wonders for her confidence and she made an excellent debut in the World Open in Manchester last month, winning both her qualifying round matches to reach the main draw, where she lost to Kasey Brown of Australia 5-11, 13-11, 4-11, 11-13 in the first round. And all her hard work on court finally paid off with her rise in the world rankings list.

“I am also happy to have undergone my first overseas training stint and earning a place into the main draw of the World Open.

“My good performances in the professional circuits have earned me a place in the national squad for the women’s World Team Championship in Egypt (on Nov 30-Dec 6),” said Wee Wern, who will be gunning for her third Asian junior title in India next year.

World No. 1 Nicol, who bagged the World Open title for the third time last month, will lead Malaysia’s challenge in the team event.

The other members of the national team are world No. 24 Sharon Wee and No. 34 Delia Arnold.

Rising star Delia ready to take over from Sharon

Delia Arnold has slowly but surely moved up the squash world rankings. And she’s not done yet.

The national No. 3 began the year at 48th spot in the world rankings. Now, more than 10 months later, she is up at the 34th spot.

That has whetted her appetite and the 22-year-old is bent on breaking into the top-30by the end of the year.

Delia’s best achievement to date came in August when she stunned world No. 14 Rebecca Chiu in the final to bag the NSC Satellite No. 2 title.

The Malaysian was then packed off to London for a 10-week training stint under coach Peter Genever.

The training paid off when she won both her qualifying matches to make the main draw of the World Open in Manchester last month.

She, however, lost to New Zealand’s Shelley Kitchen in the first round.

Delia, who returned from London recently, said she had im­proved her game and confidence under Genever.

“I will return to London in January for another two months of training. I hope to further improve my world rankings,” she said.

Delia is also determined to take over the national No. 2 spot from veteran Sharon Wee, who is the world No. 24.

“This has been an excellent year for me and I am confident of becoming the second ranked national woman player by the end of next year,” said Delia, whose next assignment is the Hong Kong Open, which starts tomorrow.

“I will be competing in Hong Kong for the first time and I will have to get past the qualifying rounds.

“I will go all out to win a place in the main draw to further improve my rankings,” added Delia, who will also feature in World Team Championships in Egypt next month.

Zolkples worries about life after Nicol

It is status quo at the Squash Racquets Association of Malaysia (SRAM) after Datuk A. Sani Karim retained his president's post unopposed when nominations for SRAM's Nov 23 elections closed on Sunday.

But what remains uncertain is the future direction of squash in the country as National Sports Council director-general Datuk Zolkples Embong weighed in on the matter.

Zolkples is keen on ensuring Malaysia achieves its best-ever performance at the Asian Games and Commonwealth Games in 2010.

And he pointedly referred to squash as being a major provider of gold medals at both events but only for as long as women's World No 1 Nicol David and National men's No 1 and No 2 Ong Beng Hee and Azlan Iskandar remain healthy and active.

"The year 2010 is very important for Malaysian sports as there are two major events where we must do better than before -- the Commonwealth Games and Asian Games," he said.

"Squash is good for three gold medals at the Asian Games, where team events will also be held, and one at the Commonwealth Games.

"If you look at Nicol, she is disciplined and committed, and together with Beng Hee and Azlan we are in a good position in our plans for 2010.

"But after Nicol there is no one. By right we should have someone else at No 10 or 20 (in the world rankings) but we have to go down to 35 or something to find another one. Now that is just bad planning."

After Nicol, Sharon Wee -- in the twilight of her career -- is ranked 24th while Delia Arnold is at a career-best 34th.

Zolkples made the comments during a flag-handing over ceremony to the World Championships-bound karate squad in Bukit Jalil yesterday.

Zolkples declined to comment on Sani's third two-year term as SRAM president, choosing instead to higlight the positives.

"We have a good working relationship with SRAM but you cannot produce someone like Nicol everytime. They have their programmes in place and we hope they bear fruit quickly.

"But should anything happen to the big three, then we are in trouble. For the team events we don't have strong second and third liners. That is the problem."

All the Best to.. Team Malaysia!

In the Main Draw:
1. Nicol David
Datuk Nicol is the World Number One and two time World Champion. Nicol won her first British Open crown in September and her maiden World title in Hong Kong in December 2005. Further World Open success came in Belfast in 2006 and two more British Open titles in 2006 and 2008. Nicol is expected to meet fellow Malaysian Sharon Wee in the 1st Round.

2. Sharon Wee

Malacca-born Sharon is currently ranked 22 in the world. The 31-year old's reached her highest world ranking in December 2006, ranked at 18. Sharon last played at the Enschede Open in September where she was ousted by England's Sarah Kippax in the semi-finals. The Malaysian No.2 female player is expected to meet compatriot Nicol David in the 1st Round.

3. Ong Beng Hee
Ong Beng Hee is one of Malaysia's most successful squash players of all-time. In August 1998, the then 18-year-old young Penangite was world junior champion in the USA – an achievement which made him the first non-Pakistani Asian to claim the world junior title. Beng Hee reached the world No.7 ranking in 2001 and is currently ranked at No.10. He won a silver medal in the mixed doubles at the 2002 Commonwealth Games partnering Nicol David. The Malaysian will play englishman Tom Richards in Round One.

4. Mohd. Azlan Iskandar
London based Azlan Iskandar joined the Professional Squash Association(PSA) in the year 2000 and is currently No.12 in the World Rankings. The 26 year-old Eurasian in coached by Neil Harvey and Peter Genever, and is eagerly working to break into the World top-10. Azlan is seeded to face New Zealand's Kashif Shuja in the 1st Round, set to be held on the 13th of October at the Manchester National Squash Center.

Malaysians in the Qualifiers:

Low Wee Wern

Delia Arnold

Nafiizwan Adnan

Nafzahizam Adnan

Consistency. The mark of a true champion.

Congratulations Datuk Nicol David on winning the CIMB Malaysian Open Squash Championships and CIMB Singapore Women's Squash Masters 2008. Six titles this year. Oh, how every Malaysian wishes you could compete in the Beijing Olympics!

Sponsored by: CIMB Group

Malaysian Open matches to be played in new glass court

Matches from the quarter-final stage of the CIMB Malaysian Open squash championships will be played in a brand new glass-sided court at the Curve in Mutiara Damansara here next week.

This is made possible by Pizza Hut Malaysia, who sponsored the purchase of the RM700,000 mobile court from Germany for the Squash Racquets Association of Malaysia (SRAM) to further promote the sport in the country.

The sponsorship was a relief to the SRAM because the court that they acquired more than 10 years ago was close to the end of its life span.

The qualifying rounds of the championships (July 21-22) and the first round (July 23) will be played at the National Squash Centre in Bukit Jalil.

The quarter-finals at the Curve will be played on July 24 and the finals are scheduled for July 26.

Jamaludin Mohd Ali, the managing director of QSR Brands, who are the operators of Pizza Hut, said that squash was enjoying popularity among Malaysians and they were pleased to sponsor the purchase of the new court.

“The new highly mobile court will help the SRAM to easily stage high level squash championships at major malls all round the country, bringing the game to the general public,'' said Jamaludin at the handing over ceremony of the new court to SRAM president Datuk A. Sani Karim yesterday.

The National Sports Council (NSC) director general, Datuk Zolkples Embong, was also present at the function.

Jamaludin added that they were happy to note that Malaysia had top world class players in Nicol David as the women's number one and Ong Beng Hee and Mohd Azlan Iskandar as the 11th and 13th ranked players in the men's category.

“We hope to see more Malaysians becoming world class players,'' said Jamaludin.

Sani said that the support from Pizza Hut would further help them in their efforts to make Malaysia a powerhouse in world squash.

Nicol will be gunning to win her home Open for the fourth consecutive time.

Azlan is the men's defending champion while Beng Hee will be out to emerge as the champion for the third time.

A relay to savour (The Star - 22/4/2008)

http://thestar.com.my/sports/story.asp?file=/2008/4/22/sports/21024518&sec=sports
By LIM TEIK HUAT

KUALA LUMPUR: The past greats and current top Malaysian athletes all shared in the joy of being part of the Malaysian leg of the Beijing Olympic Torch Relay here yesterday.

Flame on in Malaysia: Olympic Council of Malaysia (OCM) president Tuanku Tan Sri Imran Tuanku Jaafar, the first torchbearer in the Malaysian leg of the Olympic torch relay, running with the torch surrounded by security personnel at Dataran Merdeka Monday. There were few incidents in the relay that ended at KLCC.

For some of the Beijing-bound athletes who took part as torchbearers, it was the perfect tonic before they compete in the biggest sporting event on earth in August.

Shuttler Lee Chong Wei, who carried the torch for the section near Istana Hotel, said: “I’m now motivated to train harder and prepare for a good outing in Beijing.”

Chong Wei is Malaysia’s best bet for a medal in the men’s singles.

“It reminds me of my goal in the Olympics. There is only slightly more than three months remaining before the Olympics and that was what flashed through my mind while I was holding the torch. I am inspired to train harder after this,” said Chong Wei.

And 18-year-old diver Bryan Nickson Lomas, who was the youngest of the Malaysian torchbearers, said he felt honoured to be taking part in an Olympic Torch Relay.

“Hopefully, it will boost me to put up a good performance for the country in the Olympics,” said Bryan, who became the first Malaysian athlete to qualify for the Olympics after reaching the men’s 10m platform final in the World Championships in Melbourne last year.

The Sultan of Perak, Sultan Azlan Shah lighting up cauldron at the KLCC to mark the end of the Olympic torch relay Monday. Olympic Council of Malaysia (OCM) president Tunku Tan Sri Imran Tuanku Ja’afar started off the torch relay at the Dataran Merdeka. The flame from the cauldron is transferred to a canister and taken to Jakarta for the next leg.

World number one woman squash player Nicol David, who also carried the torch along the section near Jalan Sultan Ismail, said it was as close as one could get to the Olympic Games.
“It’s really a good feeling to be an Olympic torchbearer, especially when I don’t get the chance to compete in the Olympics. I will not miss it for the world. I really hope squash will get into the Olympics one day,” said Nicol, who flew back from her training base in Amsterdam just for the occasion.

Like Nicol, top woman bowler Shalin Zulkifli was also excited to be among the 80 torchbearers.
“It is another way to be involved in the Olympics. Bowling is not in the Olympics and this is as close as I can get to feel what it’s like to be involved,” said Shalin.

Olympic Council of Malaysia (OCM) president Tunku Tan Sri Imran Tuanku Ja’afar was the first person to carry the torch in the relay which kicked off at Dataran Merdeka at 2pm.
It ended with Sultan Azlan Shah, the Sultan of Perak, as the final torchbearer and he lighted up the cauldron at the Esplanade area in the Kuala Lumpur City Centre (KLCC).

Proud moment: Datuk Soh Chin Aun, the former national footballer, carrying the Olympic torch at the Merdeka Stadium Monday.

Malaysia last hosted a leg of the Olympic Torch Relay when Japan became the first Asian country to host the biggest sporting event in the world in 1964.

All five Malaysian Olympic medal winners – shuttlers Cheah Soon Kit-Yap Kim Hock and the Sidek brothers – Razif, Jalani and Rashid – also took part in the relay.

Soon Kit-Kim Hock claimed the men’s doubles silver in the Atlanta Games in 1996. Razif-Jalani bagged a bronze when badminton made its debut in Barcelona in 1992 while Rashid was the singles bronze medallist in 1996.

OCM deputy president Datuk Dr M. Jegathesan hailed the event as a big success for Malaysia.
“Considering all the apprehensions following protests in most of the previous cities where the torch visited, I am glad to say that we managed to pull it off without any hitches. There were no major incidents. It’s just a pity that the rain fell in the later stages and drenched everyone. Otherwise it would have been a perfect show.”

The list of torchbearers
1. Tunku Tan Sri Imran Tuanku Jaafar, 2. Tan Sri Hamzah Abu Samah, 3. Mohd Kadri Mohamed Taib, 4. Wang Ji, 5. Datuk Tony Fernandes, 6. Datuk Abdul Hakim Borhan, 7. Datuk Mohd Yasin Salleh, 8. Karu Selvaratnam, 9. Datuk Ramlan Aziz, 10. Shaharuddin Jaafar, 11. Teng Mui Ngee, 12. Lim Keng Liat, 13. Soon Lay In, 14. Shi Fangfan, 15. Cheah Soon Kit, 16. Yuan Yufang, 17. Christopher Charles Moses, 18. Rashid Sidek, 19. Ng Ping Loong, 20. Abdul Ghafar Mahmud, 21. Datuk Zolkples Embong, 22. Francis Toh, 23. Shalin Zulkifli, 24. Datuk Dr Jemilah Mahmood, 25. Liew Kian Meng, 26. Bryan Nickson Lomas, 27. Yap Kim Hock, 28. Datuk Ho Koh Chye, 29. Datuk Soh Chin Aun, 30. Wilfred Vias, 31. Mohd Raduan Emeari, 32. Neo Chwee Yeen, 33. Tan Sri Ahmad Sarji, 34. Datuk Punch Gunalan, 35. Razif Sidek, 36. Muhd Salam Sidik, 37. Fu Chee Cheng, 38. Jalani Sidek, 39. Lim Yee Chung, 40. Seow Swee Pin, 41. Mohan Gurusamy, 42. Faridah Abdul Rahman, 43. Johnson Tan Soo Lim, 44. Ang Shiao Chin, 45. Nik Lazaridis, 46. Datuk Paduka Marina Mahathir, 47. Ras Adiba Radzi, 48. Min Yong Ho, 49. Nicol David, 50. Suh Dug Kun, 51. Datin Paduka Sharifah Mazlina, 52. Lee Chong Wei, 53. Fu Choong Sin, 54. Teh Muhd Amir, 55. Tan Sri Azman Hashim, 56. Balakrishnan Vishalache, 57. Jamali Johari, 58. Tan Ming Sen, 59. Thomas Kok, 60. Khairussaleh Ramli, 61. Dr Sheikh Muszaphar Shukhor, 62. Datuk Kamal Harun, 63. Datuk James Selvaraj, 64. Gerry Jaya Simhan, 65. Maya Heng, 66. Rohana Rozhan, 67. Teo Hong Beng, 68. Datuk Dr Hashim Abdul Wahab, 69. Dr Reza Azmi, 70. Khadijah Abdul Rahman, 71. Aznir Malek, 72. Karam Singh Walia, 73. Datuk Dr Mikaail Kavanah, 74. Marina Chin, 75. Nurul Huda Abdullah, 76. Datuk Abdul Majid Ahmad Khan, 77. Tan Sri Musa Hassan, 78. Hashim Wahir, 79. Cheng Yonghua. 80. Sultan Azlan Shah (Sultan of Perak).