By ALAN THATCHER
Local hero Charles Sharpes meets Italian Davide Bianchetti in the Canary Wharf Classic qualifying competition at Wimbledon Squash and Fitness Club.
Sharpes, the 20-year-old world No.80 from Kingston, will be aiming to reach the first round for a second year running, having beaten Hong Kong’s Max Lee in last year’s qualifying final to bag a treasured first round clash with three-time Canary Wharf champion James Willstrop.
Sharpes can count on plenty of vocal support from family, friends and fans at his home club, where Phil Rushworth and the Wimbledon staff always look after the qualifiers and spectators so well.
The match is scheduled to start at 6pm tomorrow (Saturday).
Quality runs all the way through the draw and every match is bound to be keenly contested as all 16 players battle for a coveted place in the first round of one of the game’s major tournaments.
Top qualifying seed Omar Abdel Aziz faces Surrey’s Phil Nightingale, and No.2 seed Henrik Mustonen, from Finland, faces a tough task against Hungary’s Mark Krajcsak.
No.3 seed Chris Simpson meets Julien Balbo and there are several all-English clashes, with Adrian Waller drawn against Ben Coleman, Robbie Temple meeting Phillip Bull and Ilivier Pett facing Nathan Lake.
The action starts at 3pm and tickets cost just £10 for adults and £5 for juniors.
Match Schedule:
3pm: Omar Abdel Aziz (Egypt) v Phil Nightingale (Eng)
(5) Robbie Temple (Eng) v Phillip John Bull (Eng)
4pm: (6) Olivier Pett (Eng) v Nathan Lake (Eng)
(4) Adrian Waller (Eng) v Ben Coleman (Eng)
5pm: (3) Chris Simpson (Eng) v Julien Balbo (Fra)
(7) Yann Perrin (Fra) v Joey Barrington (Eng)
6pm: (8) Davide Bianchetti (Ita) v Charles Sharpes (Eng)
(2) Henrik Mustonen (Fin) v Mark Krajcsak (Hun)
Sunday’s qualifying finals also start at 3pm.
Tournament website: www.cwsquash.com