England squad is Matthew, Willstrop, Selby and Waller
By DONNA HELMER
National Coach David Campion has revealed the squad that will defend England’s title at the WSF Men’s World Team Championships in France from 27 November to 3 December.
The England quartet comprises Nick Matthew (captain), James Willstrop, Daryl Selby and Adrian Waller, who will be making his World Team debut.
Led by three-time individual World Champion Nick Matthew, Team England will be striving to retain the title they won in 2013 when the event last took place in Mulhouse, France.
Historically, England’s men boast a strong track record in team events, having been crowned World Champions five times in the ten previous biennial competitions. Matthew, Willstrop and Selby were part of the squad who claimed the World Team title in 2013 and more recently in April, they clinched silver behind France in the Men’s European Team Championships 2017.
The England squad has been hard at work training together over the summer at the National Squash Centre. And by way of further preparation for Marseille, the players will also be taking part in an England versus Rest of the World team match for men and women – including England’s leading lady Laura Massaro – at St George’s Hill, Weybridge on 24 November.
Commenting on the selection, David Campion, National Coach at England Squash said:
“The World Team Championships is a very special event, which brings out the best in our players. We have fond memories from the battles with France and Egypt in 2013 where we were successful and I’m confident our players will be able to draw from those experiences once again.
“I’m delighted for Adrian Waller, who makes his World Team Championships debut. With his recent form he will be a great addition to the team.”
Current World No. 5 Nick Matthew, who will be competing in the Team Championships for the final time before retiring from professional squash at the end of this season, said:
“I’m excited to be leading the team in defence of our World title. It’s fitting that the Championships are returning to France, where we won in 2013, but we are under no illusions about the difficulty of our task facing us.
“The landscape of World Squash has changed in the last four years, but we have a great record when pulling on the England shirt and look forward to living up to our proud history.”
The Championships will involve 28 countries with England facing strong challenges from hosts France, and also from Egypt who are tipped favourites.
The Championships will be staged at Marseille’s Modern Squash and Salle Vallier, where the final stages are to be presented on two all-glass show courts.
Further details of the event are available here
Pictures bfrom Squash Mad archive