Hurghada 2002 WISPA


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	Natalie Grinham in Big Win by Martin Bronstein © 2002
	March 29, 2002 © 2002 [Hurghada draw] GRINHAMS THE WILLIAMS OF SQUASH? While tennis has got the Williams sisters act, squash has got the Grinham sisters from Australia, who are both slowly but surely working their way up the WISPA rankings. While Serena and Venus are black and statuesque, Rachael and Natalie Grinham are white and small. Regardless of size both of them are terrier-like players as the unseeded Natalie proved when she brought off a big upset in the first round by knocking out England’s Fiona Geaves, who at 34 years old is ten years her senior. GEAVES FALLS SHORT Geaves, the fourth seed can still play at the top level as she has demonstrated in the past few months. But on the new Egyptian glass court – which Egypt Squash manufactured themselves – sited on a small island off Hurghada (one of the most beautiful venues in the world) she failed to find good length allowing the fine short game of Natalie to flourish. Once she had finished the job of getting through to the quarters, Natalie sat in the corner of big sister Rachael seeded 6, to advise and encourage her on her meeting with the tenacious Rebecca Macree from England. Rachael got the result but it took a long 46 minutes to achieve her 3/0 while younger sister Natalie had needed only 29 minutes to get the same scoreline. CAMPION SHAKES IT OFF While the Williams sisters have contested a number of finals, it will be some time before the Grinhams face off in a major WISPA final. But the possibility is there. Cassie Campion shook off her defeat by Natalie Pohrer in the semis of Holiopolis last week and disposed of Vicky Botwright, who is still better known for her ‘thong’ photos than for her squash. Campion took just 31 minutes to get to 3/0 and will find out just how tough Rachel is in the quarter finals. Pamela Nimmo, the Scottish hope, was happy to qualify by beating the precocious Nicol David of Malaysia but could not mount a challenge to Vanessa Atkinson, despite winning the first game 9-5. ATKINSON KICKS xxx At this point, it was reported by a very reliable source, Atkinson’s fellow Lowlander, Tommy Berden went to her corner and gave her the following very technical advice: “Move your arse!” It worked and Atkinson, the eighth seed, took the next three to win the 52 minute match. The bottom half of the draw is being played today and all eyes will be on Natalie Pohrer, who, three years from now will be playing under the Stars and Stripes. Pohrer, who used to be Grainger before marrying American Ed Pohrer, scythed through the Heliopolis field last week, ousting Cassie Campion on her way tot he final where she lost to Carol Owens, the Aussie who is now a New Zealander. Pohrer who is unseeded and who is getting back into the groove after a difficult year of travelling between South Africa, England and the US and the death of her brother, should be in the world top four. She is a sublime shotplayer and when her game is on, nobody is safe (as Campion found last week). She was to have faced the fourth seed Stephanie Brind who has been playing exceptionally well, in recent months, but Brind withdrew today, ill. Pohrer will then probably face Linda Charman- Smith in the quarters, while Suzanne Horner of England will have be very careful she does not fall to the rapidly burgeoning talent of the Omneya Abdel Kawy, a player who has the talent to be the first ever Egyptian women’s world champion. Top seed Carol Owens will also have to take care not to take former world junior champion Tania Bailey too lightly. Bailey is still coming back from injury and anxious to get back to world number six, her position before injury pulled her down.

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