22-Dec-07:
It's Shabana & David again

Malaysia's Nicol David and Egyptian Amr Shabana were named as Players of the Year at the 2007 World Squash Awards last night  in London.

A star-studded gathering, featuring top players past and present as well as leading Squash figures from around the world, gathered at the RAC Club in Pall Mall to honour the sport's most distinguished contributors.

Shabana and David - both of whom head their respective world rankings - were claiming the top awards for the second successive year.

Shabana, 28, from Giza, near Cairo, maintained his grip on the PSA world number one ranking throughout the year - winning the Windy City Open and Tournament of Champions titles at the beginning of 2007. He rounded off the year in sensational style by reeling off four PSA Super Series titles in a row - the Saudi International, Qatar Classic, Hong Kong Open and then the World Open in Bermuda, to bring his career PSA trophy haul to 20.

During a year in which she established a 50-match unbeaten run, Nicol David surprisingly faltered in the World Open in Madrid. But the plucky 24-year-old from Penang came back stronger than ever to win both the Qatar Classic and Hong Kong Open - and bring her 2007 WISPA World Tour title tally to eight, marking her best ever year. However, despite being taken close by World Open winner Rachael Grinham, David clinched the WISPA members' votes as Player of the Year for the third year in a row!

Shelley Kitchen, the New Zealander who sensationally stopped Nicol David in the second round of the World Open in Madrid, is recognised as WISPA's Most Improved Player of the Year. The 28-year-old from Auckland followed her surprise Commonwealth Games bronze medal success in 2006 by claiming four quarter-final berths in WISPA Gold events early in 2007 as a non-seed - and, four Tour titles later, Shelley went on to celebrate a career-high world No9 ranking in November.

Egyptian Ramy Ashour is the PSA Young Player of the Year for the second time. By the time he had celebrated his 20th birthday in September, the record two-time world junior champion had already picked up five PSA Tour titles in the year - all against seeding. In the Kuwait Open final in April, Ramy beat Amr Shabana for the first time - and in the November PSA world rankings, only failed by a margin of one point in more than a thousand to replace his compatriot at the top of the list!

Later in the year, in his first appearance in the event, Ramy won the flagship PSA Tour championship, the Super Series Finals.

The award for WISPA Young Player of the Year went to Camille Serme, the 18-year-old from France who followed her second successive European Junior Championship win by reaching the final of the World Junior Championship in Hong Kong in August. In November, Serme celebrated her maiden Tour title win at the Santiago Open in Spain.

The 2007 World Squash Awards' Lifetime Achievement award was made to Heather McKay, AM, MBE, the distinguished Australian who won 16 consecutive British Open titles between 1962 and 1977. Considered by many to be the greatest female player in the history of the game, and possibly also Australia's greatest-ever sportswoman, Heather dominated the women's squash game in the 1960s and 1970s. She lost only two matches in her entire career (in 1960 and 1962), and was unbeaten in competitive squash matches from 1962 through to 1981, when she retired from active open squash.

Mrs McKay was disappointed not to have been able to attend the Awards: "I know the award has been awarded only twice before, to two of the legends of squash, Jahangir Khan and Jonah Barrington, so I am honoured to be the first female to receive this award," said McKay in a message read out at the ceremony.

"As you may have already guessed, squash has been a major part of my life having first started playing in 1959, winning my first major championship The Australian in 1960 and eventually retiring from open squash in 1981. I had no idea that when I had my first hit of squash I would be lucky enough to travel the world and make friends world wide, some of whom I still keep in touch with."

A special Services to Squash award was made to veteran squash correspondent Dicky Rutnagur.

Widely believed to have seen more top class competition squash than any other man alive, D.J. Rutnagur began covering the sport for the Daily Telegraph at the time that Hashim Khan made his international breakthrough - and has reported on all the sport's greats since then.

PSA Player of the Year:
Amr Shabana
WISPA Player of the Year:
Nicol David



PSA Young Player of the Year:
Ramy Ashour



WISPA Young player of the Year:
Camille Serme



WISPA most improved player:
Shelley Kitchen

Lifetime Achievement:
Heather McKay



Services to Squash:
Dicky Rutnagur

"I’m sure you can imagine how delighted I am to receive this prize!

"It’s an immense reward that comes after a lot of efforts. I hope that I’ll be able to go on on the same track, and not to disappoint you.

"I would like to thank all the people that have been supporting me, my coach, my family, my friend, my boyfriend, and all the others… Without them, I wouldn’t be who I am, and I couldn’t do it without them.

Thank you.

The World Squash Awards 08 will be incorporated in to the Official Dinner
of the World open in Manchester on Saturday October 18th 2008.

Ramy Ashour (EGY), Gregory Gaultier (FRA), Amr Shabana (EGY)
Winner: Amr Shabana

PSA Young Male Player of the Year:

Ramy Ashour (EGY), Mohamed El Shorbagy (EGY), Omar Mosaad (EGY)
Winner: Ramy Ashour

WISPA Female Player of the Year:

Nicol David (MAS), Natalie Grinham (AUS), Rachael Grinham (AUS), Shelley Kitchen (NZL)
Winner: Nicol David

WISPA Young Female Player of the Year:

Annie Au (HKG), Heba El Torky (EGY), Low Wee Wern (MAS), Maria Toor Pakay (PAK), Camille Serme (FRA)
Winner: Camille Serme

WISPA Most Improved Female Player of the Year:

Emma Beddoes (ENG), Line Hansen (DEN), Shelley Kitchen (NZL), Tenille Swartz (RSA), Samantha Teran (MEX)
Winner: Shelley Kitchen

Lifetime Achievement award:  Heather McKay
Services to Squash award: Dicky Rutnagur
  

WSF Olympic Fundraiser Auction

1. Shabana & David signed print £80

2. Shabana World Open Final match ball £110

3. Two tickets to World Open Final 2008 £140

4. Hit on the Glass Court with Peter Nicol and Two tickets to Canary Wharf Classic final 2008 £550

5. Shabana & Jahangir Bermuda shirt £120

Total Raised: £1,000

"Squash has become an integral part of the Olympic Movement in the past two decades," said WSF President Jahangir Khan. "After achieving IOC recognition in 1986, we started the long road towards inclusion in the Olympic Games.

"It is remarkable to realise that back in 1991, Squash was included in the programme of just two Major Games. Fast-forward to 2007 and we are now featured in over 20 such events, including the critically important World Games, Commonwealth Games, Asian Games, Pan American Games and World University Championships. Being featured in these 20 Major Games has allowed us to showcase our sport and establish key relations with the Olympic Movement," Khan continued.

"Looking ahead, our sport meets all the criteria to be in the Olympic Programme and after finishing first in the race to join London 2012, we have been working very hard to put forward the best possible proposal for 2016. The decision will be made at the IOC Session in Copenhagen in October 2009. We must first be short-listed by the IOC in April 2008.

"Your support will enable us to increase our activity. I hope you will enjoy the Fund Raising auction. Thank you for your support."


WSF President

Bidding Rules:

Internet bids closed at 21.00 on Thu 20th, but bids will also be asked for at the awards on the evening of the 21st. If the bids on the night do not exceed the internet bid the internet bidder will take the item.

The highest internet bidder will be contacted to ask if they have a higher price which can be bid on their behalf should the bids in the room exceed the internet bid (unfortunately phones are not allowed at the RAC Club). Any higher bid will be used incrementally, and will not be revealed to bidders in the room.