Squash Magazine: Women's World Team Championships

Australia Waltz to the Title Women's World Team Championships By Martin Bronstein Photos by Steve Line/Squashpics.com

I couldn't help humming 'Waltzing Mathilda' as I watched the Australian team progress through to win the McWil Courtwall Women's World Team Championship title in Denmark. No other team could come close to them, and Sarah Fitz-Gerald never lost a game before the final. Sadly, even the final against England, which was expected to be close, fizzled like a drenched squib even before the second rubber had started. Two years ago when Carol Owens refused to play for Australia, (thinking that they had taken her for granted for too long) and Rachael Grinham withdrew with a sore wrist, Australia lost the title that they have dominated since the inception of the competition. Nevertheless they still reached the final where England beat them. In the two intervening years Rachael Grinham has improved enormously to be a worthy No. 2 behind Fitz-Gerald. But it was Grinham's younger sister, Natalie, who surprised the squash world with a scintillating, bravura performance in the final, that demolished England's chances almost before they had begun. A couple of months back the prospect for a good fight was much brighter: New Zealand had Carol Owens and Leilani Rorani at one and two, which made the Kiwis favorites. England had their usual huge depth of talent headed by Cassie Jackman, Linda Charman and Tania Bailey. The young Egyptian team, with its clutch of great shotmakers, was capable of pulling off a surprise, and the Dutch team of Vanessa Atkinson and Annelize Naude (a South African who had taken up Dutch residency) were also not to be underrated. And then it all fell apart: Rorani announced her pregnancy and withdrew from squash. Then England suffered a double blow when Cassie Jackman underwent a second back operation that put her out for six months. On top of this Rebecca Macree, playing the best squash of her life, was suspended for three months due to an on-court “incident” and thus ineligible for selection. (To read the complete article please see the December 2002 edition of Squash Magazine)

Australia Waltz to the Title

Women's World Team Championships