 |
© 2005 Q Squash Ltd
|
|
LATEST NEWS
15-03-2008
Hall of Fame Honours for Eyles
Three more greats into Hall of Fame
Story by Andrew Dent
Two players from the golden era of Australian squash and a more recent champion were inducted into the Squash Australia Hall of Fame on Saturday night.
Cam Nancarrow, the late Kevin Shawcross and Rodney Eyles joined an honour role of some of the most famous names in world squash.
Nancarrow, born in Sydney in 1945, won the World Amateur Championship in 1973 to add to the Australian and British amateur titles he won in 1972.
He was a member of the four world championship winning men’s teams from 1967-1973 and was runner-up to fellow Hall of Famer Geoff Hunt in two world championship and two British Open finals.
Lithgow’s Kevin Shawcross, (1948-87), took out the 1976 World Amateur title and won the Australian and British amateur titles in 1975.
He played extensively around the world, winning tournaments in Europe, the US and New Zealand, reaching a career-high world ranking of four.
Rodney Eyles was born in Brisbane in 1967 and reached a career-high ranking of two, playing in the era of the great Pakistani Jansher Khan.
He won the 1997 World Open and was a member of the Australian team that won the 1991 World Men’s Teams Championship.
His other highlights include the 1997 Australian Open and the 1996 US Open.
RODNEY EYLES
Born: 15 September 1967
Place of Birth: Brisbane
Resides: Gold Coast
Highest world ranking: 2
World Title: 1997
Rodney Eyles reached the pinnacle of his career in 1997 when he comprehensively defeated England’s Peter Nicol in straight games in Kuala Lumpur to take out his only World Open title.
It was a sweet victory for Eyles, who went down fighting in the previous year’s World Open final to the great Pakistani, Jansher Khan, in four games.
This was a golden period for the then world No.2 Eyles who reeled in several major titles and was one of the dominant forces on the world tour.
The Queenslander clinched four tournaments in 1996 – the US Open in Minneapolis, which followed his US Open success two years earlier; the French Open in Paris; the Hong Kong Open; and the Hungarian Open in Budapest.
He also reached the finals of the British Open, the Tournament of Champions, the Qatar Open and the Pakistan Open in the same year. And he added the Australian Open title the following year as well as being crowned world champion.
Eyles’ other tournament victories included the Mahindra Open in Bombay, the Italian Open in Florence, the North American Open in Denver, Colorado and the Tournament of Champions in New York.
He was also a member of Australia’s 1991 world title winning squad in Helsinki, Finland, and captained the Aussies from 1994-97.
Squash was introduced to the Commonwealth Games in Kuala Lumpur in 1998 and Eyles teamed up with Byron Davis to claim a silver medal for Australia in the men’s doubles.
His presence on the world tour was also felt off the court when he held the prestigious position of Professional Squash Association (PSA) president from 1996-98.
Eyles eventually retired from the World Tour in November, 2000 after a highly successful career.
Career highlights
1997 World Open Champion
1991 World Men’s Teams Champion
1997 Australian Open
1996 US Open
1997 Australian Open Champion
1985 Australian Junior Champion
1986 Australian Junior Champion
1998 Commonwealth Games men’s doubles silver medal
ENDS
|
|
| |
