“We recognise the difficulty of putting on the 2003 event at this late stage,” Nick Rider, England Squash’s executive director, told Squashtalk, “but our aim is to bring the Open back to its status in the squash calendar, and that is more important than a short term view.”

This means that should Beddington and Nimick fail to find the necessary funding – and dates that are acceptable to both WISPA and the PSA – for this year’s event, they will have to produce the goods for the following two years.

Rider says he enters the agreement (after four months of talks) with Beddington Sports Management Ltd and Event Engine, Inc. with great confidence. “They are two of the best operators in the business. John Beddington has had enormous experience in Britain and John Nimick is Mr Squash in North America.”

Rider told Squashtalk that no money changed hands for the rights,
although England Squash will take a percentage of the tickets sales. “We couldn’t
have our cake and eat it: we could not ask for money up front and also a cut of the profits. We have taken this route because we want to ensure that the
British Open will be staged and it will be in experienced hands. Obviously,
at the end of the first three years, we shall be looking at the situation
again. The point I would make is that England Squash has found other
people to take the risk in staging the event and that we are at no financial
risk.”

Although he made no direct reference to the recent rocky financial history of England Squash when it was the Squash Rackets Association, at one point almost going bankrupt, this must be firmly in the back of his mind now that the organisation is on a firmer footing.

WISPA director Andrew Shelley told Squashtalk that he was very pleased at the news and said he will cooperate to the fullest with the new rights holders and the PSA to come up with a date that is acceptable for everybody.

“Obviously our offer of finding the prize money for the WISPA events no longer stands. We made that offer when it looked as though event would lapse. Now that we have two very experienced promoters, they will have to find the prize money,” Shelley told Squashtalk.

The new rights holder are only responsible for the main draws for both men and women. The Age Groups, a very important and colourful part of the Open, will be the responsibility of England Squash.

“I know how important the Age Groups are and we could well stage it ourselves at the same time as the British Open. We shall be meeting with the Vets and Masters people at the Nationals (which start on Feb 16) to discuss ways and means,” Rider promises.