Squash: Hard road to top for new squash queen

By Vanessa Bidois

People close to world-class squash star Leilani Joyce describe her as bright and bubbly.

Yet success in the international arena has not been easy for the new British Open champion.

A bout of teenage rebellion threatened to sideline squash, her brother, Quentin, took his own life, and her marriage to Paul Joyce collapsed two years ago.

Today, the 25-year-old Hamiltonian not only has a new man in her life but has notched up a spectacular year on the competition circuit.

She has jumped three places to world No 3 while her elevation to the No 2 spot will be confirmed in January.

Joyce was named Maori sportswoman of the year last month, the first person to win the title twice. Her links with the MDC Maori Sports Awards - and its executive director, Albie Pryor - stretch back to the inaugural ceremony in 1991 when she won the trophy for junior sportswoman.

"It hasn't been plain sailing but it's a credit to her that she's pulled herself together and come through it," Pryor says.

"She hasn't forgotten where she started from and that's the great thing about it."

Joyce has dedicated her British victory to her parents, Maisie and Neal Marsh.

The Maori girl from Melville (as she jokingly refers to herself) first picked up a racquet when she was 10 after tagging along with her mum and dad to club games.

With three sisters and a brother also competing for court time, Joyce admits she had to shape up or ship out.

Her father was a tough coach and copped some flak as a result, she confesses.

"It's so bizarre now when I look back because at that time, my dad said, 'Hon, you're going to get to the British Open,' and I was like, 'All right'."

At 15, Joyce became the youngest member of the Kiwi team which was fourth at the world junior championships.

By the time she was 18, however, she had pulled out of the New Zealand squad selected to play at the world championships in Vancouver.

"People have got to understand that you spend all your teenage years living up to other people's ideals.

"Then you get to a stage where you realise you don't have to do anything that anyone tells you to do and you're like, 'Yeah, I'm going to take control'."

Her brother, Quentin, helped bring her back on track after convincing her to play at an annual tournament in Mt Maunganui.

His death in 1997 hit her hard but also spurred her to make the most of her sport.

The same year, she won a bronze medal at the World Games in Finland and became the first world doubles champion along with partner Philippa Beams. In 1998, she took out the Swiss Open and Interlink Open in Windsor and represented New Zealand at the Commonwealth Games in Malaysia.

She pays tribute to a strong support team including partner Matt Taylor, trainer Jason Wheadon, former English national coach Paul Wright, family and friends and a handful of sponsors.

Wright, who quit as New Zealand national coach in February but continues to work with Joyce, describes her as "very, very bubbly, lively and chirpy."

He claims to have a canny knack of predicting her competition successes.

"I've seen her progress grow as a professional over the years that I've been here and I still think there's more to come."

Squash New Zealand's high performance manager, Wayne Werder, says the British Open win is a major boost to the profile of the sport in this country.

Only a few years ago, squash was biting the bullet to avert an impending financial crisis.

Joyce may even get the chance to compete for her first world title on home soil next year as Squash New Zealand makes a late bid for the women's world championship and teams event.

Joyce wants to keep playing competitively for at least another four years and hopes to make it to the 2002 Commonwealth Games.

However, she refuses to disclose her long-term aspirations and even advises up-and-coming athletes to keep their goals to themselves.

"It's personal, and the last thing I want to be doing is predicting that I'm going to be the next undisputed champion of the world.

"Most people may not realise it but it does open yourself up for criticism and for jealousies as well."

For now, Joyce wants to consolidate her world No 2 ranking. Her next major outing is in Egypt in March, and she is focusing on the World Open in October after defending her British title.

"And obviously to get to No 1," she laughs.