Despite 'Tough Pool', Hosts Hopeful Of World Teams Success by Howard Harding 23 November 2014
- Canada will be fielding one of its youngest-ever teams as the hosts
bid for success in next month's SHOP.CA WSF Women's World Team Squash
Championship in Ontario.
The 11th seeds will be one of 20 nations represented - with all the
world's top ten players in action - in the 19th staging of the biennial
World Squash Federation championship at White Oaks Conference Resort
& Spa in Niagara-on-the-Lake from 1-6 December.
"Our pool is TOUGH!" exclaimed team coach Melanie Jans, the former world No25 and one of Canada's greatest female players.
Pool C includes third seeds Malaysia, bronze medallists in the four
previous championships and led by world number one Nicol David,
together with North American rivals USA, the No6 seeds, and Mexico and
event newcomers Guatemala.
"Malaysia may be out of our depth but we should be OK against
Guatemala," said Jans. "We also have the US and Mexico to contend with.
I think we have a chance against these teams!"
The Canadian squad was selected after Team Trials. Captain Samantha
Cornett, the 23-year-old world No30 and the country's two-time champion
making her third appearance in the championship, will be supported by
Danielle Letourneau, 21; Nikki Todd, 24; and 20-year-old Hollie
Naughton.
"The team trials were close because we have good depth," added Jans,
the Squash Director at Club Meadowvale in Mississauga. "The fifth and
sixth player could have made the team on any given day.
"We've had a training camp and the players have been training hard and
playing in WSA tournaments. I hosted a WSA at my home club to give them
an opportunity to play in a competitive environment on home soil to
prepare."
Canada last finished in the top eight in 2000. The team took 13th place
the last time the event was held in Canada - in 2006 in Edmonton, where
Jans made her sixth and final appearance for her country - and last
time, in France, finished in 12th place.
"I think we have a chance of finishing second in our pool, which would
put us in the top eight," said the team coach. "We'd have our work cut
out for us though. In the end, we'd like to finish better than two
years ago.
"We have a young team: Players range from 20 to 24 and are committed to
squash for a long time so we could really be a force four years from
now!"
Squash Canada's Executive Director Danny Da Costa added: "Although we
are sending a very young team to the Women's World Team Squash
Championship, our girls have tremendous potential for success.
"I think the world will soon take notice of the excellent work being
done in Canada by our Performance Director Jamie Hickox, our National
Coaches and the Centre of Excellence staff including former world
number one Jonathon Power, who are working hard to restore Canada to
the forefront of world squash."
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
