The Maestro taking on Selbs, Pilley and Barker in UK showpiece
EGYPTIAN maestro Amr Shabana is combining his two great loves – squash and golf – in an amazing bid to land the British Open title in May.
The four times world champion will fly to England ahead of his normal big-tournament schedule for his own two-day event at Bishops Stortford Squash Club in Hertfordshire where he’ll take on three of his biggest rivals, Essex pair Daryl Selby and Peter Barker, and hard-hitting Aussie No.1 Cameron Pilley.
The Shabana Stortford Shootout on May 8th and 9th will be Shabs’ first ever exhibition tournament in England and will be the hottest ticket in squash as fans flock to watch the star-studded line-up.
But the action will not be confined to the squash court. Shabana, like many of his PSA colleagues, is a golf nut and he’ll be heading for the greens at the Romford Golf Club in Essex for a shootout of a different kind.
World number 10 Daryl Selby has helped organise the unique event and explained how the plan was hatched.
“Shabs’ and I were chatting at the Tournament of Champions in New York earlier this year and we were recalling a brilliant exhibition evening we did together in Aberdeen a few years back,” said Daryl. “Amr was sensational that night and the fans absolutely adored him.
“He has never played in that sort of event in England so we decided to prepare for the British Open by putting on our own tournament here. But we couldn’t just stage a regular exhibition event so we have come up with the Shabana Stortford Shootout over two nights to give fans the chance to see four of the world’s best in action on their own doorstep.”
All four players will also take their competitive nature on the golf course where the rivalry will be equally intense,
“Shabs loves his golf, “ added Daryl. “ He only started playing three years ago but he has become addicted to it. He’s down to about 16 handicap but he might be a bit of a bandit and can play lower. Strangely, he plays right handed, unlike his squash. That’s the opposite to me. I play squash right-handed and golf left. It should make for some interesting competition.”
Fans not only get the chance to see the stars, they can get on court – and the golf course – against their heroes.
The promoters are offering some amazing sponsor packages that include squash and golf showdowns with the players, tournament branding, limited edition tournament merchandise and VIP tickets.
For full details of tickets and sponsorship packages your can contact Karen Selby at [email protected] or [email protected]