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Squash - Challenge stars fly in
THE big squash event Queens Sports Club coach Paul Hornsby promised the fans this year following the collapse of Super League will take place on Thursday, September 18 (7.0).
And Hornsby will be flying in two players for the Expect Distribution International Team Challenge - France's world number two Gregory Gaultier and the Netherlands' world number 15 Laurens Jan Anjema.
That pair will link up with England's top woman player in the current rankings, world number five Jenny Duncalf, in an invitation team to take on a Queens side comprising world number three James Willstrop, 32-ranked Alistair Walker and Ireland's Madeline Perry, who is ranked 15.
Willstrop has played Super League squash for Halifax for several years while Walker played in the final campaign and Perry has been based at Queens for several years.
Hornsby believes the event will attract a sell out crowd to the Halifax club with the concluding contest between Gaultier and Willstrop the biggest draw.
"It is a pretty amazing line-up," said Hornsby
"Amr Shabana, the best player in the world, lives in Egypt so we couldn't get him but we have the next two in Greg and James."
The advent of budget airlines means Hornsby, who lives fairly close to Leeds/Bradford Airport, can fly in Galtier from Paris and Anjema from Amsterdam for a modest cost and with little trouble.
"The flights are booked and I'll be picking them up," he said.
"We're dedicated to getting top level squash at Queens and we have probably never had a line-up like this at the club."
Tickets are available from the club from September 1 on (01422) 360487 for 15 (seated) and 10 (standing) but Hornsby said: "We could probably fill the place with Queens people to be honest."
Hornsby, meanwhile, has detected no move to reintroduce Super League in the spring of 2009.
"I've not heard anything, I guess there is a lack of interest," he said.
"It could be that the competition will lay low for a couple of years before someone gives it a kick up the backside again.
"We'll see how our event goes this time and get some feedback but everyone seems pretty excited by it."
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Saturday 04 February 2012
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