The time off from squash and travelling was relaxing and refreshing. The body felt much better and the motivation returned. I was taken back 15 years when I started training at my club in Pindi. Now called the Benazir Bhutto Squash Complex after the former prime minister and leader of a political party, the 5 court centre is where I played throughout my teen years before moving overseas. I was also lucky to get help from a former coach. Soon I started to itch to play a tournament again and it was time to travel once again.
After a month's training, I was back on tour again in February. After a couple of league matches in Linz and Petange, I returned to Sandweiler to defend my title at the Top Squash Open - one of my favourite tournaments.
TopSquash Open - Luxembourg
The annual event was on once again and the invitees looked forward to being there. The format, terms and conditions of the event are made for fun, excellent quality squash as players show off their skills without any pressure of ranking points or that of monetary gains. After getting through my first match against a local youngster, I was up against the experience of good friend Bradley Hindle. The match was no exception to our previous matches as we battled it out to the tie break in the 5th game. I got lucky with a high volley cross court nick and took the match 13-11 after saving two matchballs. The match was so hard that we both nearly threw up after the game.
In the semi I came up against another good friend and former training partner Piedro Schweertman. The Dutchman is a very handy player and got to top 80 in the world before deciding to stop playing internationally and play locally instead. Not a bad move I say as he still plays and enjoys his squash without having to travel too far or worry about a world ranking. Piedro proved the name tag of being my nemesis by beating me yet again with his aggressive play to which my tired legs had hardly any resistance.
In the third place playoff I was up against the skilfull Dutchman Dylan Bennett - yet another squash buddy. The match was not only hard but provided excellent entertainment for the crowd as Dylan attacked continuously as I was caught defending most of the time. Another long match in my favour 13/11 in the fifth. I had to settle for third place in the event as opposed to lifting the title in my last two appearances at TopSquash.
It was time to catch up with the guys and there were plenty of stories and updates from the year before. A great time had by all - thanks to the management of the club Dis Bond, Nathan Sneyd and sponsor Christian Maroldt for getting everyone together.
I had wanted to play this event for the last few years but never got a chance. This time I was definitely going and entered well in advance. The squash didnt go well for me as I went down to a new face on the tour, a young swiss squash player, in five games. I thought I played well but couldnt close out the match in the fourth and then again in the fifth. Credit to my opponent for hanging in there. Disappointed as always with a loss I tried to analyse and stay positive for the following event.
An early exit in the tournament provided time to look around the historic coty of Salzburg - and what a treat it was. This small but majestic European city showed signs of its status as capital of the once Astro-Hungarian empire. The Mirabel palace with its gardens and sculptures to the town centre and Mozart square were all excellent. The castle on the hill was another place that provided breathtaking views of the city below as well as the mountains surrounding the city. The friendly locals topped off an excellent experience of Salzburg - definitely one of my favourite cities in Europe.
Karachi International
After Salzburg it was time to head back to Pakistan for a tournament a business venture and some solid squash training. With hopes of making amends to my below average results, I headed out to the land of talented youngster - once again uncertain of my fate on court.
Poor planning on my part led me to arrive a day before my match against local a qualifier. I had a good run around on the 3 sided glass court at the historic DHA Squash Complex. We were put up at the DHA country club chalets which were excellent. The tournament was excellently run and I happily helped them out with their media stuff. After a very long time, an event from Pakistan was well covered in international squash media - all credit to the organisers and sponsors of the event who were keen on getting it all organised.
The Squash didnt go well for me again as I went down to Nosherwan Khan of Peshawer in 5 games in 95 minutes. It was a closely contested match which saw us both take leads at different times. I led 8-5 in the fifth but Nosherwan did well to claw back and win the game and with it the match. Another early exit for me but it was fun being in Karachi again and I look forward to returning one day soon.
Back to Training
After Karachi, I am back in Pindi and back to training, Unsure of what I will play next but certainly wanting to improve before I play a tournament again. The next commitment and test will be the Austrian league finals in Vienna on 19 and 20 April. I hope to be fit for them and get my confidence back.
