Veteran Grinham 'Key' To Australia World Teams Success by Howard Harding 28 November 2014
- Former world number one Rachael Grinham will be 'key' to success for
Australia in next week's SHOP.CA WSF Women's World Team Squash
Championship in Canada, according to team coach Michelle Martin.
The former champions are 7th seeds in the 19th staging of the biennial
World Squash Federation championship at White Oaks Conference Resort
& Spa in Niagara-on-the-Lake, Ontario, from 1-6 December. 20
nations will be represented, with all the world's top ten players in
action.
Led by 37-year-old Grinham, currently ranked 13 in the world, the
Australian squad will also include world No.50 Lisa Camilleri; Sarah
Cardwell, ranked nine places lower; and event debutante Christine Nunn,
ranked 62 in the world.
Australia are bidding for a record tenth title - and former world
individual champion Grinham played a leading role in the country's last
three title triumphs, in 2002, 2004 and 2010.
"Rachael, being our number one, will be key to setting up a good result
for the team," said squash legend Martin, winner of six British Open
and three World Open titles. "Rachael has been having a great year to
date.
"Lisa playing at two will have a very tough tournament but Lisa has
been finding some great form and will be playing confidently. Sarah and
Christine, although relative newcomers to the Australian team, will
create great energy within the team environment which can lift their
games to another level.
"It has been an interesting year for our squad of players. Kasey Brown
announced her retirement at the US Open and we will miss her this time
around. Donna Urquhart is also out of our team this year due to injury.
Although these players would have strengthened our side we just have to
get on with the task at hand now and I believe the girls in our team
will be able to create some significant breakthroughs.
"I am looking forward to working with this team - these girls are all
very excited and really looking for a great result. Christine, our
number four player, hasn't played in this event before so I am enthused
for what can be created from new talent coming through.
"Each pool match for us will be tough and we will be looking to better
our seeded position. There are so many more threats now as many
countries are getting stronger and it can come down to order of play on
the day that create a major difference in result."
Australia will begin their 2014 campaign in Pool B, alongside second seeds England, 10th seeds Wales, and Germany and Spain.
The full Pool line-ups (with seeding in brackets) are as follows:
Pool A: [1] EGYPT, [8] IRELAND, [9] NEW ZEALAND, [13/16] COLOMBIA, [17/20] CHINA
Pool B: [2] ENGLAND, [7] AUSTRALIA, [10] WALES, [13/16] GERMANY, [17/20] SPAIN
Pool C: [3] MALAYSIA, [6] USA, [11] CANADA, [13/16] MEXICO, [17/20] GUATEMALA
Pool D: [4] HONG KONG CHINA, [5] FRANCE, [12] SOUTH AFRICA, [13/16] INDIA, [17/20] AUSTRIA
