Squash: Players focus on world champs

By TERRY MADDAFORD

Travel rather than safety concerns convinced Carol Owens and Shelley Kitchen to bypass this week's Qatar Open.

New Zealand Squash high-performance manager Wayne Werder yesterday confirmed that former world No 1 Leilani Joyce would be the only New Zealander playing in the Middle East tournament.

"Shelley and Carol have stuck by their earlier decision not to follow Leilani to Qatar," said Werder. "They will go straight to Melbourne for the world championships which start on October 14.

"They are worried that any travel delays, especially if they got through to the latter rounds, could mean a late arrival in Melbourne. Safety was not the question, more the flights.

"The world championships carry the most points so it is important they play them."

Werder said Qatar would give Joyce the minimum eight tournaments she needed to count towards world rankings. Kitchen, who had played 11 tournaments, and Owens, with eight, did not have that worry.

Joyce had planned to play the French and New Zealand opens, but the events had been cancelled.