Kuwait EN BREF

• FINALS • SEMIS • QUARTERS • Round ONE • Qualifying 2 • Qualifying 1 • EN BREF • Sheikha Fadia • Adel • Robert • Opening • Kuwait Towers • ROUNDUP •

Kuwait EN BREF Day FIVE
Everything you didn't know you needed to know about the Sheikha Al Saad Squash ...

BACK TO BASICS

“Venue change due to rain delay…”

Oh come on, how many of you in the squash world have experienced that?

Well, I thought I saw it all, wrong wrong, and wrong again…

Are we playing here? Are we playing tomorrow? Maybe the men tonight, and the ladies tomorrow? Yes, no? No, yes?

It was such a heartbreaking decision for the Committee to take. So much preparation, so many people involved, guests, VIP, members of the Royal Family…

How do you transfer the final of a prestigious outdoor big Tour event, to a traditional glassback only court???

Even Jahangir had to dig far back to remember the last time he played the final of a big tournament on a traditional glassback court… 1986 was the date he came up with…

Let me tell you that the four players that contested the finals today didn’t let the change of court affect their performances. They gave it all, the show could not have been more feisty, disputed and remarkable if we had been playing in front of the Pyramids under the stars…

And I tell you what. Yes, of course, it’s nice to see those champions on the glass court, “the true court”, as they call it, but being in that club, with the spirit of the late Sheikha Al Saad floating all around us, as she used to play on the same court the finals were played on, on improvised seating, all people, big and small, fans and VIPs sitting together, rejoicing together in the name of squash, with the particular smell, perfume, atmosphere that exudes from a squash club, it felt just perfect.

It felt like 'back to basics', back to the real picture, back to the bear nude spirit of the game as Peter Nicol said in his aftermatch interview:

“…Getting to the final of a major event, playing in front of a great crowd who love it, that's what squash is all about…”

THE MIGHTY SPOKE…

Yes, not only he has got the sweetest smile on earth, but he talks as well…

Jahangir Khan, the greatest squash champion of all time, said a few words today just before the final.

“I’m very proud to have been nominated President of the WSF,” said Jahangir. “It’s all about giving back to the squash, and I’m glad to have done just that for the past 6 years. At the moment, everybody at WSF is working very hard to try to get us into the Olympics, we’ve never been so close, let’s hope that squash will make its entrance in the 2012 Games…”

And trust Robert Edwards to put him on the spot:

“Who were your three toughest opponents, Jahangir…”

“Well, I played so many champions, I can’t really say…”

“Yes you can, come on…”

“OK, from the top of my head, Geoff Hunt, Jansher, Gamal Awad, Dittmar, Rodney…”

Actually, he had a few kind words in the memory of his old opponent Gamal Awad, who sadly passed away a few months back.

“When we were playing that now famous longest match in history, 2 hours and 46 minutes, I had the feeling that it was a long match, I was a bit tired, as I worked very hard on court, but I didn’t any idea that we broke a record that day…”

Robert added:

“Years later, I asked Gamal about the match, and he said “When I finished, I had lost all senses, all feeling, I just had gone numb…”

And Mr Edwards ended the intervention with these words:

“Ladies and Gentlemen, he has been the greatest champion of them all, he is a fantastic ambassador for the sport, and a true gentleman, Mr Jahangir Khan”…

Hear Hear…

IT TOOK ME NINETEEN YEARS…

If you read my column regularly, you must be aware of my admiration, complete devotion, and utter passion for Jahangir Khan, who I met for the first time in 1986 in Toulouse, and several times after that, through the years, in France of course.

In those days, he was God for me, and a mere mortal doesn’t speak to Gods…

For a few months now, I’ve met him here and there, but never had the courage to actually speak to him. Once a God, always a God.

In New York at the ToC, I glanced at him in the lounge of the Hyatt, then I saw him sitting next to Christian Leighton, I regrouped all my courage, took a picture, and smiled at him stupidly.

As he is a very polite and extremely well educated man, he smiled back.

He was here all week during the tournament, so I kept taking his picture, and kept smiling… And at last, AT LAST, during the mayhem that followed the first rain interruption, as we all found ourselves waiting for the second part of Shabana/Beachill at the Salmiya Club, Gawain Briars, head of PSA, introduced me formally (Thank you Gawain) to my idol.

I was still speechless…

And tonight, ecstasy. I actually sat at his feet. Well, not that I really wanted to, but as press, you always arrive late, you don’t have a seat unless there's a miracle.

So, I sat behind the glass, on the marble floor (and it’s so collllld), between the chairs of Chris from Proactive, and Jahangir (who actually immediately proposed me his chair, bless), with the air conditioning freezing my upper body, the marble my… lower body, and yet, I was in heaven…

As we finished very late again, the buffet was closing at the hotel, and we all rushed to try to get some food before they took it away. And who was there??? Yop.

“Are you following me” I smiled? “Noooo”, he replied with the most beautiful smile you can imagine. “Oh blast” I said, “I was hoping you were”…

And the Mighty laughed.

Forgot the tiredness of the week. Forget the sleepless nights. Forget the stress and the exhaustion.

Forgot all my problems here, there and everywhere…

Jahangir Khan knows I exist…

I MISSED THE DESERT

No, not the dessert, the desert.

The wonderful Sheikh Khaled Al Yousef Al Sabah had the wonderful idea to organise a lunch in the desert for the players and whoever wanted to join them. He was kind enough to invite the members of the Press.

But as because of the rain delay yesterday, I finished transmitting the players’ quotes and photos at 3am, I knew that, if I was taking four hours off tomorrow to have fun and relax, I wouldn’t have the time to write the six reports of the quarters I saw.

So I let Robert Edwards know that I was awfully sorry, but that I had to work and couldn’t join the party.

I thought his Highness would not be pleased at me, but I was truly mistaken once again. Not only did he understand the situation perfectly, but he personally gave some beautifuls gift to one of the twins for me, two gorgeous silk dresses.

Absolutely stunning.

So, once again, Sir, I want to thank you for your generosity…

SMOKE ALARM

Here I was, working away at 2.44 am, and a loud squeaky noise made me jump a mile!

It was the fire alarm…

As I don’t smoke anymore, it couldn’t have been me. So I opened the curtain of my room, and just in front, there is a suite, and who did I see??
Rachael Grinham, who like me was not sleeping – and if she was, that noise would have woken her anyway – looking around like me…

So we just smiled at each other, through the window… Weird…

ANOTHER GENTLEMAN

I am a lucky woman.

On this trip, I've been surrounded by adorable, helpful, professional people, of all colour, nationalities and gender.

How did you think I got all the names of the personalities present at the opening ceremony, for example? Am I a mind reader? Nope. Mahmoud Aljazzaf wrote all the names one by one in my book, their relation to the Crown Prince, their role, who spoke, who was in the audience...

Every time I turned round, Mahmoud and his partner, my special photographer Khaled, are there. They are about to produce a common project about squash. "You'll be surprised", smiled Mahmoud...

Well, the surprise was to meet people as nice as you are, as far as I'm concerned...

Cheers mate!

Kuwait EN BREF Day FOUR
Everything you didn't know you needed to know about the Sheikha Al Saad Squash ...

THE PRINCE OF EGYPT GETTING MARRIED

The wonderful, delightful, cheeky Amr Shabana is about to become an honest man at last… He will be marrying a beautiful French speaking Egyptian lady, Najla, on the 17th June 2005.

“We've known each other since we were 13, we met at a party, and we had some friends in common”, explained Amr. “Then, we just saw each other socially, as we were at the same school, but nothing more than that. Five years later, one of my best friends asked me “What is your relationship with Najla?”. “I like her, but I don’t know her that well really”, I replied. So the next day, I phoned her, and we went out together. I was 18 years old, and we have been together ever since.”

“She is not from the squash world, and that was very important for me. I didn’t want anybody involved on the circuit. And she is so hard to please, you know, she always expects me to train harder, and she pushes me to train, and to win, even in an exhibition match, I’m not allowed to lose: “You will get used to losing”, she says to me!

“She is so good for me, she is a free spirit, and she is as French as you are, Framboise, you know. She is so French…”

Well, I’ve got only two things to say to you Amr… One, congratulations, and two, if she is anything like me, you are going to suffer, but to suffer... But you’ll have a great time doing it…

IT MAGIC

What can I say... Khaly, formally Engineer Khaled Al Shammeri, from QualityNet, has done wonders to bring high tech to everybody involved in this tournament.

We have internet connection, wireless, at the Club and also at the venue. And IT WORKS! Yes, we had very tiny winy interruptions, but most of the time, it has worked much better than the BT OpenZone back home, that's for sure...

So, thank you dear Khaly, and thanks for your cheeky smile...

HELPED AT THE CLUB....

We have been spoiled really. We have two Mohammed, Salik and Aziz, who have been very busy all week, serving tea, coffee, cold drinks, to everybody around here, but who are also in charge of keeping the courts clean (and even the walls, for that matter!).

Helpful, always smiling, there are working extremely hard.

Happy to have had you around, guys...

EMOTIONAL, MOI???

Recently, a few people have commented about my “emotional state” when watching a match where one of my friends is playing.

So I thought I was a bit too much maybe (surely not…)

But then I saw Shelley Kitchen while Anthony Ricketts was playing (if you were on the moon recently,

they have been partners for quite a while), Natalie Grainger watching her pal Jenny Tranfield, and the cherry on the cake, Isabelle Stoehr suffering for Thierry Lincou.

Well, let me tell you ...
I AM PERFECTLY NORMAL!!!!!!!!!!!!

VOLUNTEER...

Asma'a Ashour has played squash for only a year, but she just adores the game. So she wanted to help the organisers of the Sheikha Al Saad Open... And she has been very busy, at the club of course, but also at the venue....

One of the many many volunteers of the game all over the world....

Kuwait EN BREF Day THREE
Everything you didn't know you needed to know about the Sheikha Al Saad Squash ...

THE WONDER TWINS

When it comes to organising a tournament, you need a strong tournament office.

Well, let me tell you guys, we have one.

We have the immense luck and privilege to have Khaled and Majed Juma, the Wonder Twins, as I call them.

OK, you’ve got to be aware that you may have asked something of one of them, and that you are now talking to the other one, but apart from that, they are so professional, quick and helpful that it’s a pleasure to ask them things.

Nothing is a problem, everything gets done, in the given time, and with a smile. Along with so many others in Kuwait, they have made my job so easy it’s a disgrace…

Like I was saying to his Highness Sheikh Khaled Al Yousef Al Sabah, “this tournament is a disgrace… I can’t complain about ANYTHING !!!!!!!!!!!”

So, thanks guys, thank you very much…

ROYAL CANE

As I was talking with Robert before the start of the game today, Sheikh Khaled Yousef Al Sabah, Chairman of the Salmiya Sporting Club stepped into the office.

For a while, the two men discussed the future of squash in Kuwait, also the possibility of having a new sports centre build not far away with a glass court, etc, the general organisation of the tournament, and so on …

Sheikh Khaled Yousef Al Sabah arranged for some of the players a "day in the desert" on Friday, where they will have the possibility to enjoy the beauties of the Kuwait Desert. And I was invited as well...

Try and stop me now...

And before Sheikh Khaled Yousef Al Sabah left, he offered Karen, Robert's assistant and myself a beautiful cane.

Sir, Karen and I are honoured, thank you ever so much…

SATELLITES DISHES

I’ve never seen so many dishes in my life! On every roof, you have two to three big satellite dishes, and about the same of small ones… And that’s only on the small houses… The large building are actually covered with them…

THE POOR GIRL HAS FINALLY LOST IT…

On every tournament, I always seem to meet a “new pal”… And this event is no exception.

I told you about Karen, Robert’s assistant, who saved my life on the first day when she allowed me to stay in her room while mine was being prepared.

Well, Karen Mackeen is from Canada, she worked with Robert on a tournament in Edmonton in 2003. At that time, she got on so well with him that she couldn’t wait to work with him again.

So she was extremely happy to be invited to help him on this event.

“Robert is a kind, gracious and intelligent man, he is such a wonderful person… The only thing I can say is I’ve got a new friend in Wales,” Karen was telling me this morning at breakfast.

But why the title of this “en bref”, you may wonder…

Well, here we were, chatting away, bla bla bla, as women know how, and suddenly I realised that the tea I had been drinking all breakfast had a funny taste.

“Why does this tea taste like coffee”, I asked Karen.

“Because it IS coffee”, she replied…

Like I said, the poor French woman has finally lost it…

Kuwait EN BREF Day TWO
Everything you didn't know you needed to know about the Sheikha Al Saad Squash ...

            Kuwaiti wild-card hope
   Abdullah Amezayen is interviewed

INTERVIEWED…

I’ve never been so much in front of a camera…

Only joking (for the ones who don’t know me yet, I’m actually an actress…)

I just arrived yesterday, and already, Kuwait Channel 3 TV was kind enough to interview me! And the charming presenter, Ben Salem A. Reda was translating simultaneously in Arabic… The only thing I really understood was squashsite.co.uk.

And he said it a few times, encouraging people to consult it.

I do love Kuwait…

HAPPY BIRTHDAY DAVIDE…

Yes, the fiery Italian was 28 today, his father Amadeo informed me.

I actually told him that he should come more often, as Davide behaves much better with his father around.

“I try to see my son as often as my schedule allows,” he said to me. “I hope that he wins today, that will be a great birthday gift..”

I asked him what was his profession.

“I used to work as a squash manager, but not anymore. At the moment, with my partners, we are organising sport events, cycling, athletics, and squash of course. I hope one dayI have the chance to organise a major squash tournament, the Olympic Games for example…” said Amadeo with a big smile…

If you dream, dream big!

DREAMLAND

It’s a fairly well known fact that I drink gallons of tea per day. All the people who know me will confirm it.

Well, I’m in dreamland over here, as we have got two men distributing free tea and coffee all day long…

I so love Kuwait…

PETER BARKER'S KUWAIT DIARY #2

Hi Framboise,

Hope you enjoyed all the squash today. I lost today to mansoor, I dont think I have felt that bad on a squash court.

I tried practicing with jenny this morning but could only manage 15 mins before I was sick. it wasnt a good start to the day and unfortunately I got worse leading up to my match. I was sick again after my match so I'm back at the hotel resting.

I wish mansoor luck in the main draw. My Kuwait experience did not go as I hoped but I'll be back when I dispose of the scrambled egg that is causing havoc inside me!

Enjoy the rest of your time in kuwait ...

Kuwait EN BREF Day ONE
Everything you didn't know you needed to know about the Sheikha Al Saad Squash ...

PAPER SCISSORS STONE …

Jenny Duncalf and Vicky Botwright had a good surprise when they arrived at the Marriot. They couldn’t get a double room so… they got a suite!

Lovely spacious room, huge bathroom, huge bed. Yes, you read correctly… Huge bed. Not beds…

There is a queen size bed in the room, and a tiny tiny one…

So, the girls had to play Paper Scissors Stone to decide who was going to get the large one…

And the first night, it’s Vicky that got it….

A SQUASHSITE FAN…

A young man approached me at the club to let me know how he enjoyed the squashsite and in particular my articles.

A man of good taste, obviously…

But he also had his camera around his neck. So I asked him if he could send his photos to Steve… You know me, I always want more photos, I think they are the key to a good layout.

And he kept his word, sent the photos as soon as he arrived home, and I’m glad to see them on the reports…

Thank you Khalid…


NO ROOM AT THE INN Today started very well actually. Thanks to the perfect Robert Edwards' organisation, my guide Ahmed was waiting for me before the customs on my arrival in Kuwait City. I changed some money to pay for the visa, it’s amazing, you put banknotes in a machine, that gives you what looks like a phone card, and that is your “money” to pay for your visa. Thanks to Ahmed, I breezed through the passport check and customs, got my luggage, and found myself in the minibus going to the Marriot Hotel in no time at all. And then, it all went wrong… The Marriot Hotel was so full, that although it was 10am (7am GB time), my room was not going to be ready until 3pm. Having had to change flight, and having slept like two hours on the plane, I NEEDED to sleep very badly before starting a day of work. “I’ll let you know when a room becomes available”, the receptionist told me with a non-hopeful voice… What was I going to do in between? “Have a breakfast”, she said. I'd already had two by then, one on the London to Doha flight, and one on the Doha to Kuwait City leg. So I started chatting with the two people at the tournament desk. Ayman was really sorry for me. “Do you want me to call Robert?”, he said. “No, let’s not disturb him for such a little thing,” I said to the helpful man. Here I was, just arrived, never met the man, and I was going to disturb him for a question of hotel room not ready??? Nope, no way… “She just arrived, and she is already causing chaos!”, he could have thought. So I saw my Ayman going to the Reception desk. I strolled round the restaurant, briefly said hello to James Willstrop who was having his breakfast, said hello to a nest of referees, Tony Parker, Roy Gingell (tournament ref), Wendy Danzey and Peter Lawrence. And went back to the tournament desk… “She is right in front of me,” I heard Ayman saying “there she is,” and he passes me the phone saying “it’s Robert”. “That’s it,” I thought, “I’m on the first plane back to London.” I couldn’t have been more wrong. “Listen, Fram,” he said, “Karen my assistant and I are on our way to the club, so Karen would be only too happy to offer you her room to rest in while your room is being prepared…” So at last, I was able to take a bath, and slept for an hour before a phone advised me that my room was now ready. I was able to unpack calmly, had another hour of sleep, and finally was down at 2pm sharp to be driven to the venue to view the draws… Bless you Karen, and bless you Robert. And you too Ayman. Framboise