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McWil's Players Cup Runneth Over |
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The rankings tighten up as the first McWIL Players Cup approaches. The last few player invitations will not be extended until the completion of this week's Davenport Professional Squash PSA Super Series event in Richmond, VA.
Egypt's Ramy Ashour easily sits atop the rankings with a close-to-5,000-point lead as the final tournament of the Players Cup Circuit gets underway in Virginia. Fellow countryman Karim Darwish's thrilling win against France's Thierry Lincou in the final of the Evergreen Oregon Open presented by West Coast Bank has propelled him into second place; Lincou pulls into third; and Boston¹s newest resident, David Palmer (AUS), has slipped into fourth place with 11,162 points.
Playing like a man on a mission, Egypt's Wael El Hindi has a firm hold on the fifth position with 10,548 points. While these international stars are certain to receive main draw invitations to the McWil Players Cup, the next four players in the Circuit standings, Mohammed Abbas of Egypt, James Willstrop of England, Cameron Pilley of Australia and Hisham Ashour of Egypt, are truly 'on the bubble.'
With two nights of qualifying matches set for the McWIL Players Cup, the remaining two spots for the 8-man competition remain wide open, as well. John Nimick, founder of the Cup and promoter of two of the circuit tournaments leading up to it, quips, 'You could say our Cup runneth over. Given how tight the standings are, the final invitations for Boston will all come down to this week's results from the Davenport Pro. No matter how it turns out, Boston squash fans are certain to see a tremendous field battle for the $25,000 winner's purse in the first-ever Players Cup.'
McWIL Players Cup Rankings as of February 25, 2008
Position LName FName Country Points
1 Ashour Ramy (EGY) 20,316
2 Darwish Karim (EGY) 15,931
3 Lincou Thierry (FRA) 13,460
4 Palmer David (AUS) 11,162
5 El Hindi Wael (EGY) 10,548
6 Abbas Mohammed (EGY) 8,675
7 Willstrop James (ENG) 7,374
8 Pilley Cameron (AUS) 6,952
9 Ashour Hisham (EGY) 6,460
10 Shabana Amr (EGY) 6,175
11 Boswell Stewart (AUS) 5,219
12 Koukal Jan (CZE) 5,210
13 El Halaby Yasser (EGY) 4,773
14 Gaultier Gregory (FRA) 4,488
15 Illingworth Julian (USA) 4,150
2008 McWIL Players Cup Schedule
Quarterfinals Tuesday, March 4, 2008 at 7:00 p.m.
Quarterfinals Wednesday, March 5, 2008 at 7:00 p.m.
Semifinals Thursday, March 6, 2008 at 7:00 p.m.
Finals & Exhibition Friday, March 7, 2008 at 7:00 p.m.
All matches in Boston will be played on the Murr Center¹s McWIL Courtwall show court. The McWIL Players Cup is sponsored by McWIL Courtwall, Dunlop, Shipyard Brewery, WBUR and Dover Rug Company and is supported by Cross Courts, First Republic Bank, Natixis Global Advisors, Kansas City Life, Pinnacle Real Estate, Grand Circle Travel, and Mass Squash Association. Additional support comes from McCall & Almy, Brown Brothers Harriman, Foley Hoag, Chubb, University Club of Boston and many generous individuals.
For the complete standings, further information and tickets:
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