Waters heads for the Wharf
The new British National women’s squash champion from Southgate,
London, answers questions from Alan Thatcher.
 Alison
Waters is playing an International Challenge Match against world
number one Nicol David on finals night.
She will be flying in after a successful week in Malaysia, where she
beat World Champion Rachael Grinham of Australia in the quarter-finals
before losing to Nicol David in the semis.
It’s all set for a fascinating Challenge …
How did you first start playing squash?
Who introduced you to the game?
I started playing when I was five. My whole family played, Mum, Dad
and brother Steve, so I used to go and watch them play until I joined
in the fun!
 Which
club are you based at?
I’m based at Southgate Squash Club and have been a member since I was
young. They have six courts and good cricket facilities. Although I do
play a lot as well at the Sawyers Club in Haywards Heath, Sussex.
Who is your coach?
Paul Carter, based at Potters Bar
And regular training partners?
Mixture of people really, at Potters Bar sometimes Tania Bailey and
Dominique Lloyd Walter. I also train at Guildford and have a hit with
some of the guys there. I also play some of the guys at local clubs
near me. And my boyfriend Pete... (who is paying me to say this!!...)
What are your favourite (and least favourite) routines?
Favourite routine ... hmmm, not really a routine but I love playing
the crosscourt game! My least favourite is sometimes Boast and Drive.
It seems to be the first routine we always do in practice at
tournaments and after 3-4 days of it, it get a bit boring, so I tend
to change to Drop and Drive for a bit of variety!!!!
 Career
highlights so far:
Winning the recent National Championships in Manchester. Plus when I
was selected for the Commonwealth Games and playing for England at the
Europeans and World Teams, which we won in 2006.
Which racket do you use?
Dunlop Aerogel
What do you like about it?
It’s light and great for volleying.
Which tournaments do you enjoy the most?
A: New York when we played at the Tournament of Champions at Grand
Central Station, Monte Carlo, Hong Kong, and Hurghada, the Red Sea
resort with the court on an island off the beach. We are very lucky to
have some great locations and venues.
What's the best bit of advice given to you about the game?
Enjoy it and smile. If you don’t enjoy it then do something else.
 What
are the strong points of your game?
Hmm... I would say that I read the ball quickly and I look to volley
and attack a lot.
If you weren’t playing squash, what would you be doing for a
living?
Not sure. I always wanted to play squash. If I didn’t play squash then
something involved with sport for sure.
What are your immediate and long-term targets?
A: Doing as well as I can here in Malaysia, my next real target is to
get to the top eight in the world and then work my way up to the top
from there.
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Super Six For Nicol David In Asia ...
by HOWARD HARDING
Malaysian star Nicol David, the undisputed Queen of Squash in
Asia, claimed her sixth successive Asian Championship title recently
when she beat long-time Hong Kong rival - and fellow Prince player -
Rebecca Chiu 9-5, 9-2, 9-2 in the women's final in Kuwait.
David has now won the prestigious title for a remarkable six times in
a row - after first claiming the crown in 1998 as a 14-year-old!
The triumph also marks the fourth Asian Championship final in which
David has beaten Chiu - and brings the total of her regional singles
titles (including the Asian Games and Asian Junior Championships) to
ten!
The tournament success follows perhaps her most notable achievement in
December when, in the inaugural awards launched by the Asian Sports
Press Union, Nicol David was voted Asian Sportswoman of the Year!
The award followed the prestigious World Squash Awards at the RAC Club
in London, in which the 24-year-old from Penang was honoured as WISPA
Player of the Year for the third year in a row!
"Nicol has been a fantastic role model for all aspiring female
athletes in Asia," said Mike Ricketts, Vice President, Asia, of Prince
Sports. "Her dedication and professionalism has been the bedrock of
her success and Prince is extremely proud to be associated with her."
The much-feted Asian enjoyed the best year of her career in 2007,
winning eight WISPA World Tour titles from ten final appearances.
Her 2008 Tour campaign has already taken off in sparkling style in New
York, where Nicol David won the first WISPA Gold event of the year,
beating Australian rival Natalie Grinham in the final of the Marsh
Apawamis Open.
The success brought her total of her career WISPA World Tour titles to
25, asnd she added to that tally last week when she collected her
fifth KL Open title in front of her home fans.
David re-signed to Prince Sports last month, thereby extending to the
end of 2010 the agreement first made with the brand in October 2005.
Hailed in Malaysia as the country's most successful international
sports star, David has already enjoyed a remarkable career. As a
youngster, Nicol became the first player to win the world junior
squash title twice - and, after first signing to Prince just over two
years ago, began an unprecedented run in which she competed in 24
WISPA World Tour events, and reached the finals on all but two
occasions!
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