Sponsors with a passion for squash
By ALAN THATCHER
The Canary Wharf Squash Classic is delighted to welcome two new Associate Sponsors, Veblen Wine and financial planning and wealth management company Ashmax Associates, ahead of the 2018 tournament in March.
This new partnership with the Canary Wharf Classic is inspired by leading figures in each company enjoying a massive passion for squash.
Founder Lazare Morel has developed Veblen Wine into one of the most successful wine investment companies in the world.
Veblen is one of only 450 companies licensed to trade on the London International Vintners Exchange (Liv-Ex). They are specialists in buying, selling and valuing the fine wines of Bordeaux.
Veblen assists private individuals in managing, servicing and trading their interest in fine wine.
Lazare played golf and snooker to a high level but is now firmly committed to squash, both as a player and a sponsor.
He said: “Squash has helped my health and fitness and I have met some great people through playing the game.
“Our policy at Veblen is always to put the customer first and our business model looks after the customer from start to finish.
“More and more people are looking at wine as an investment, and with an average annual return of 12% over the past 25 years it is a very attractive alternative to the more traditional forms of investment.”
Lazare now plays in the same Kent League squash team (Cobdown) as former professional footballer Ryan Briggs from Ashmax Associates.
Ryan was a member of the all-conquering West Ham United youth team who won the 1999 FA Youth Cup and FA Premier League Youth League.
After enjoying a short professional career, he went on to play for 15 years at semi-professional level years with Kent teams Ebbsfleet, Dover, Dartford and Ashford.
He shares a passion for squash as well as business and said: “At Ashmax, we are very keen to talk to anyone connected to squash, including players and companies who might benefit from our simple financial planning presentation and workshops. As an ex-professional, I am passionate about helping athletes to concentrate on their sport knowing they have the financial plans in place to ensure the lifestyle they desire.
“We currently work with people in sport at various levels including football and rugby and I would love to extend this to squash.
“Since retiring from playing professional football I have started playing competitive squash and am passionate about the game.
“Both Lazare and I are excited about being involved with the Canary Wharf Classic, one of the greatest tournaments in the game, and watching many of the world’s leading players in action at the East Wintergarden.”
Ashmax offers individual financial planning and wealth management advice, working primarily in the fields of business, sport, music and entertainment.
Key areas include mortgages, future wealth and income planning, as well as wills, tax and trust advice.
Both companies will have a presence at the East Wintergarden throughout the tournament, offering spectators the chance to win a high-quality bottle of wine every day in a simple draw.
Contact details and social media:
www.veblenwine.com
Twitter: @Veblen_Wine
www.ashmax.co.uk/sport
Twitter: @ryandbriggs
World champion Mohamed ElShorbagy heads up star-studded draw
The 2018 Canary Wharf Classic is headed up by world champion Mohamed ElShorbagy, while the likes of World No.3 Ali Farag, three-time World Champion Nick Matthew (a six-time winner at Canary Wharf) and four-time winner James Willstrop will also be in action. ElShorbagy competes in the tournament having returned to the number one position in the world rankings. His brother, Marwan, who he beat in Manchester to win the world title, is seeded three.
This year’s instalment becomes the first ranking PSA World Tour event to be played using a best-of-three games scoring format up until the semi-finals and final, where it will revert to the traditional best-of-five scoring.
Live coverage from the tournament will be shown on SQUASHTV (Rest of World) and Eurosport Player (Europe only), while the semi-finals and final will be shown live on BT Sport, beIN Sports, Fox Sports Australia and Astro and more.
Pictures by ALAN THATCHER and PSA