SquashTalk>Columns>Team Kneipp > World Teams Vienna - Preview Part II

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Preview – Pools E, F, G & H (part 2 of 2)

Pool E:
[5] Canada, [12] Netherlands, [17/24] Czech Republic,

Canada
Jonathon Power 4
Graham Ryding 19
Shahier Razik 30
Viktor Berg 55

Czech Republic
Jan Koukal 73
Milos Pokorny -
Martin Stepan 154
Pavel Sladecek -

Netherlands
Tommy Berden 42
Lucas Buit -
Michael Fiteni 132
Dylan Bennett 87

This should be an interesting pool.

Canada is the fifth and final team that are genuine contenders for the trophy.
With Razik’s recent rise in form, and the always consistent results of Power and
Ryding, this team on a very good day is capable of beating everyone. Ryding
would be the underdog when playing someone like Ricketts, Beachill or Shabana,
but certainly capable of winning. Canada has played the World Team Championships
15 times, coming second in 1997 in Malaysia and 8th in Melbourne in 2001.

The Netherlands and the Czech Republic could have a great battle for the second
place in this pool. The Dutch should win, but this match-up could be one of the
big question marks of the pool rounds. Tommy Berden hasn’t been able to find the
form and results that got his ranking to the low 20s. The Dutch #2, Lucas Buit
is one of the best players when national pride is on the line. I have no proof,
but I think he has special orange underpants that have pictures of windmills and
cheese on it. He puts them on whenever he’s playing for the Netherlands and
gains super powers, enabling him spectacular victories that earn him tea and
herring with Queen Beatrix.

The team is filled out with rising youngster Dylan Bennett, and Michael Fiteni.
Apparently Fiteni is Dutch, but it has me confused. I thought he was Scottish
because he has a very similar accent to the top Scottish player Johnny McWhitey.
If you ever imagined what the Crocodile Hunter would sound like speaking Dutch,
ask Mick to converse in his new tongue. He was one of the most successful junior
players in Australia, winning numerous age group national titles, but has now
lived and coached in the Netherlands long enough to play for the national team.
He moves his thin, tall, wirey frame around the court beautifully, and can
either be a laugh-riot on court, or an umpire’s nightmare.

The Dutch have played in the tournament 10 times, with the best result 6th. They
came fourteenth in Melbourne.

This is the first time that the Czech Republic have played in this tournament,
but they are contenders for causing an upset. Joe and I spent some time recently
coaching their top players in Prague. If they do even slightly better than
expected we’ll naturally take all credit. Similar to how Holland and France were
ten to fifteen years ago, the Czech Republic is getting stronger and stronger in
squash and some top players are coming through. The #1 Jan Koukal is ranked 71,
but capable of playing like a top 30 player. Milos Pokorny, the #2 used to live
in the Netherlands for years and is a very handy player. The Czechs will need a
great tournament to get past the Dutch, but it’s not impossible.

Pool F:
[6] Scotland, [11] South Africa, [17/24] USA, [25/30] Korea

Scotland
John White 3
Martin Heath 14
Peter O'Hara -
Neil Frankland -

South Africa
Rodney Durbach 30
Adrian Hansen -
Craig Van de Wath -
Greg La Mude -

USA
Preston Quick 118
Damian Walker -
Jamie Crombie 128
Tim Wyant -

Korea
Young-Joon Chung -
Dong-Woo Kim 257
Seung-Jun Lee 252
Jaung-Gue Park 257

Scotland is the tournament’s main Dark Horse. If any team is able to win against
seeding and expectations, it’s Scotland. McWhitey can and has beaten everyone,
but the team doesn’t have the necessary depth at three or four, so it comes down
to the performance of Martin Heath at #2. A former top 5 player who when his
head is in the right place (“Think squash, not girls! Squash, not girls!”) can
be a spectacular player. If he has a good tournament, and McWhitey decides to
put the ball in the nick 27 times, Scotland could wreak havoc.

Scotland has participated in the World Team Champions eleven times, having their
best performance, fourth, in Melbourne 2001 – without Nicol.

South Africa is the next strongest team in the pool, vying for the vital top two
placing. They’ve played the tournament eight times; the best result was as hosts
in 1973 when they won bronze. In Melbourne in 2001 they came sixth. Rodney
Durbach, a PSA stalwart, leads the team. His comrades aren’t on the pro circuit
but the #3 is the 2001 and 2003 over 35 World Champion. The South Africans are
going to have their work cut out for them trying to beat the Scots (I got the
impression in my last trip to the States that there this expression means it’s
easy - everywhere else it means hard). What’s going to be more important is to
see off the challenge of the US and secure the position in the final 16.

The US has played this tournament an impressive 15 times. The best performance
was 5th in Johannesburg in 1973. Unfortunately they were the fifth best at the
tournament, but also the worst – only five teams participated that year, the
smallest ever. Coming 19th in Melbourne is probably a more accurate indication
of the country’s strength relative to the rest of the world. The only change in
the team since then is Jamie Crombie replacing Richard Chin. The US will have to
concentrate on beating South Africa if they want a chance of cracking the
crucial top 16. That match is tomorrow afternoon and there will be a lot at
stake – top 16 or not. It doesn’t make it any easier for the US knowing that all
South Africans when playing sport seem to keep running until they are bleeding
from either an ear or nostril, and then they only stop due to the blood rule.
The best chance of a US upset will probably be at the #3 spot, with Tim Wyant
being in an important position.

Korea is playing the tournament for the first time.

Pool G:
[7] Wales, [10] Ireland, [17/24] Mexico, [25/30] Kuwait

Wales
Alex Gough 17
David Evans 35
Gavin Jones 62
Greg Tippings -

Ireland
Liam Kenny 69
Derek Ryan 74
John Rooney 81
Graeme Stewart -

Mexico
Eric Galvez 140
Jorge Baltazar -
Armando Zarazua 200
Mauricio Sanchez -

Kuwait
Bader A Alhosaini 257
Ali B Alramezi -
Zeyad T Alowayish 257
Nasser B Alramezi -

Wales are the other Dark Horse in the equation. Gough and Evans have both beaten
virtually everyone at some stage of their career. If the two of them have a good
tournament the team can go further than their seeding of 7. The Welsh have
participated seven times, having their best tournament in 1999 in Cairo, coming
2nd. They were expected to repeat that performance in Melbourne but came 9th.
The team is unchanged since Melbourne. They shouldn’t have too much trouble
coming first in the pool, but how Evans performs will probably be the deciding
factor.

Ireland has played the World Teams twelve time, coming between 10th and 15th
every time. Melbourne it was 10th. Led by Liam Kenny and Derek Ryan they should
have no problem ensuring a top two pool finish. An upset against Wales isn’t
impossible.

Mexico played in 1997 and 2001, coming 26th (out of 32) and 21st (out of 24).

Kuwait isn’t a country that you think of when you think squash. Yet they have
participated in this tournament twelve times. They’ve come last, or close to
last most times, but they’re at the tournament, which is more than can be said
for Team Belgium, Spain, Denmark etc. Like Mexico they are expected to be vying
for placings 17-30.

Pool H:
[8] Malaysia, [9] Pakistan, [17/24] Italy

Malaysia
Ong Beng Hee 8
Mohd Azlan Iskandar 36
Kelvin Ho 168
Timothy Arnold 170

Pakistan
Mansoor Zaman 15
Farrukh Zaman 41
Majid Khan 82
Khayal M Khan 94

Italy
Andrea Capella 158
Francesco Busi -
Andrea Torricini -
Giacomo Marotta -

Malaysia should pose a similar threat to the top teams that Scotland and Wales
does. But Iskandar hasn’t yet had the track record that Heath or Evans has, and
would need a great tournament to get them the crucial second win. As with
Scotland and Wales, the strength of Malaysia weakens considerably from the
second to third positions. Malaysia has played the Championship ten times,
having their best tournament last year – 7th. Making the top 2 positions in this
pool will be a formality.

Pakistan can also pose a volatile threat to an unsuspecting squash nation
underestimating them. I’m not sure why they haven’t submitted their strongest
team, leaving out Shahid Zaman, ranked 40 and replaced him instead with Majid
Khan at 82. Like Malaysia, Pakistan’s progression through to the top 16
tournament should be a formality. Pakistan, undoubtedly the greatest squash
nation ever has only missed one World Team Champs – Johannesburg in 1973. They
have won the trophy 6 times, the last time being on home soil in 1993 at
Karachi.

Italy will need to find some superhuman performance to avoid simply making up
the numbers in this pool. If they had their strongest team they would stand a
great chance of upsetting either Malaysia or Pakistan. The inclusion of the
Bianchetti brothers Davide and Andrea would have created a strong team. Davide
is ranked 36 and a great player, while his brother is a respectable 130. Without
them the team will be fighting an uphill battle to avoid the second tier
tournament. Italy has only played this tournament four times, but not in
Melbourne in 2001. Their best result to date is sixteenth at Helsinki in ’91.

If you’ve made it this far through this ridiculously long and arduous preview
(number bloody three!) you’re probably Ron Beck, Rob Dinerman, Allan Murray,
Martin Bronstein, mum, or some other squash nut I’m yet to meet. We should form
a club.

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