Refereeing Again! ...Hope Springs Eternal ...A New Vantagepoint ... Willstrop on DvD ... Welcome Manshawy ... Global Gallery, Oct 12, 2004 Martin Bronstein, writes this month from his home in London. © 2004 All rights reserved. JAmes Willstrop photo© 2004, Fritz Borchert

OLYMPICS: HOPE SPRINGS ETERNAL
One of the lessons you learn when you’ve been playing squash for a while is never give up. Opponent’s shots that were once thought impossible to get suddenly are gettable. And when you watch squash at an elite level that lesson is banged home even further. I cannot count the times I have used the term ‘impossible retrieval’ in my tournament reports.

And so it is with the Olympic Games. I thought squash was dead in the water but suddenly there was an announcement that it was one of five sports worthy of further consideration. Squash meets all 33 criteria set by the IOC. But wait! Even then delegates can vote on which sport they think should be included…..so why have the criteria? Surely if a sport meets all requirements then it should be in?

GET THIS DVD
Talk Of impossible retrievals brings to mind the recent match at the English Open between John White and James Willstrop. It was an unforgettable five game battle between two of the most inventive shotmakers in the game. Fortunately a man called Alan Murray, who is based in the Netherlands, video’d this match and has produced a DVD which will soon be for sale on Squashtalk.

This is 60 minute of pure squash - no hype, no interviews, no travelogue, no hyperbole. You stick the disc into your player and you are immediately into the first rally. The commentators barely have time to set the scene. I know that because I am one of the commentators. The other one is Liz Irving and she certainly knows her stuff.

There are rallies on this DVD that you will replay time and again, because you won’t believe your eyes after the first viewing.. And after you have watched it you will know why I think James Willstrop will prove to be the finest squash player ever to come out of the UK.

OH DEAR! WHERE SHALL WE PUT THE REFEREE?
The fine Canadian referee Barry Faguy and Squashtalk boss Ron Beck have had a vigorous exchange of emails brought on by Beck’s criticism of the final point of the US Open final between Lee Beachill and Peter Nicol when Faguy, who was in the chair, awarded a stroke to Beachill. I cannot reproduce the entire correspondence here but I can tell you during the course of their difference of opinion they ventured through many aspects of officiating.

They both agreed that the position of the referee in major tournaments - usually a long way behind the back wall, makes exact viewing difficult. Because the use of scaffolding behind the back wall interferes with both video cameras and spectators’ view of the action, it cannot be used.

Faguy suggests a gantry that is 3-4 feet higher than the back wall thus allowing the video camera an unimpeded view of the action. John Nimick has joined in the debate and said he will take a serious look at this solution.

But no-one has suggested moving the referees to a gantry in front of the front wall. I know that I have gone on and on and on about this, but I still firmly believe that once referees have gotten over their traditional prejudices, this will prove to be the perfect answer.

Beck also brought up the idea of appeals referee(s). That is another change that must take place. The marker-plus-referee set up must go. We should have two/three officials sitting in different sight-lines and one should be the centrally placed referee and the other(s) placed to one or both sides where they would have a different view of the action. A player can appeal the referee’s decision at any time. In most cases, the appeals ref will agree with the main referee, but where a very bad decision has been made, the appeals referee can right it.

In the Women’s World Team champs in Amsterdam there was one match where the referee made absolutely appalling decisions. (It turned out she had stage fright, froze and was unable to extricate herself). It drove Linda Elriani into a shouting, screaming rage, and there was not a soul watching who did not sympathise with her plight. Had there been an appeals referee, all this would have been stopped.

I will say this again, for the three thousandth time: the hardballers had it right: one referee, two linemen, one on each wall. The reason why the SRA and then the WSF did not copy them is because the Brits will never admit that the Yanks have got anything right. Sad, very sad.

DUTCH EFFICIENCY –THE BEST
After the great week in Amsterdam covering the Women’s World team champs, I wrote to the Dutch squash federation congratulating them on running one of the best world championships any of us journalists could remember. Everything –facilities, food, transportation, scheduling – was done with style and efficiency.

These championships help to keep up abreast of the players – especially the juniors. Watching the petite Nicol David reminded me again what a super talent she is. She played three matches I won’t forget. The first one she lost to France’s Isabelle Stoehr who was absolutely on fire and simply ran David all over the court. The second match was actually one game long – when she played Omneya Abdel Kawy. This, for quality, was probably the best single game of the tournament with Kawy using her wonderful array of shots and deception and David, running like squirrel on speed, picking everything up. After 1 ½ games Kawy, realizing she wasn’t going to win gave up.

And then the hard working David played a lung-busting five game against Ireland’s Madeline Perry – who played out of her skin the entire week. David saved two match balls to win 10-9 in the fifth. Wonderful stuff.

I still think Omneya Abdel Kawy is pure magic. Remember she is still only 19 years old and the reigning world junior champion. Forget her extreme pigeon-toed gait and watch her racket and her choice of shots as well as her talent in sending her opponents completely the wrong way. In the semi-finals she played Australia’s Rachael Grinham (reigning world champion versus junior champion) and pushed Grinham for 60 minutes over four games. They split the first two games and Grinham just scraped the third 10-8. Had Kawy got that third, who knows?

And from the very young to the very old: Fiona Geaves. Despite being closer to 40 than 30, she still occupies a top ten position and was unbeaten at third string for England. And she plays super, canny squash, the kind that only 20 years on the circuit can produce.

EDMONTON, HERE I COME
I have just heard that the next Women’s World Team championship will be in Edmonton, Alberta in 2006. About bloody time. When was the last time Canada had a world championship? Ottawa 1979? Anyway there was some fierce bidding and I’m glad to report that Canada won which gives me another excuse to visit my ‘other’ country. (The annual excuse is the Canadian Classic in Toronto in November. Even as you read this John Nimick is designing my desk in front of the front wall with its telephone and broadband internet connection and espresso machine. Why are you laughing ?).

WELCOME MANSHAWY. NOW WHEN IS THE NEXT PYRAMIDS TOURNAMENT?
At the WSF agm, I am delighted to learn that Jahangir has been elected president for another two years. He really is a fine ambassador (a much-abused term, that) and whenever and wherever he is introduced, he will normally get a standing, emotional reception. Quite right too.

I was also please to hear that Mohamed El Menshawy was elected vice-president in place of the retiring Neven Barbour of New Zealand. Menshawy was president of the Egyptian squash federation, a position he had to resign in order to take up his new post with the world body. He will be a valuable asset to the board; his background in squash is vast but more importantly, he is a pleasant, obliging man. On my many visits to Egypt it was always a comfort to see this 6ft 4” man looming over us with his friendly smile.

Ok Mensh, when are you going to bring back the Al Ahram tournament in front of the Pyramids. I do miss it. And with Amra Shabana and Karem Darwish in the top ten, Egyptians will have a lot to cheer about.