After taking in Cassie Campion's match, this group of Scottish school children tried out the exhibition white squash balls on the tournament Perspex court. (Photo Ron Beck © 1999)
They came with a lot of enthusiasm for Peter Nicol and squash. (photo Ron Beck © 1999)-- Ron Beck reporting © 1999 SquashTalk.com
The coincidence of Peter Nicol's rise to the top ranks of world squash and the hosting of the British Open 1999 in the oil city of Aberdeen Scotland was an opportunity for the local sports community. In a brilliant stroke of public relations for squash, Scottish schoolkids were brought to the Open by the busload.
The British Open organizers, Alan Thatcher and Neil Harvey, took advantage of the interest in Peter Nicol by inviting busloads of Scottish school kids to visit the early rounds of the British Open. It's rare for a major sporting event to come to the northeast of Scotland, so the schools enthusiastically took up the offer.
For Peter's first round match, the tournament organizers filled the stands with kids. Their youthful fun and exuberance were livened up the arena on Tuesday afternoon.
Later in the week, the kids came with their rackets and were given the opportunity to get onto the exhibition court and try out the game.
Time will tell what the outcome of all this will be. The Squash Club that Peter Nicol and his father have recently purchased in Aberdeen is booming with junior squash activity and the kids on-court at the open were brimming with enthusiasm.
Whether the British Squash community will agree to venture up North to Aberdeen again in the near future or not, it seems that holding the British Open here this year has had a very positive impact for squash locally.
The impact that Nicol has had on the visibility of the Open is undeniable. At the airport, the security guard asked me, "... and have you had time to see any of the squash at the Open?" I told him yes. " It's great to have the open here, he said .....," then he added, "I used to play a lot of badminton with Peter's dad."
Somehow they managed to get forty kids on the court with rackets and balls, and noone got hurt. (photo © 1999 SquashTalk)
Peter Nicol and Martin Heath caused much larger than usual spreads of press coverage for the Open in the local papers. (photo © 1999 SquashTalk)
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