KENT OPEN COUNTDOWN

KENT OPEN UPGRADED TO WORLD TOUR STATUS

The forthcoming Kent Open has been upgraded to a One Star world-ranking event on the PSA World Tour.

Increased sponsorship revenue has enabled the organizers to increase the status of the competition with 10,000 dollars in prize money up for grabs.

The tournament, to be staged at The Mote Squash Club in Maidstone from June 1-6, is sure to attract a galaxy of leading world-ranked stars.

And plenty of local players will be given the opportunity to make their mark.

Steven London from Park Langley, who was runner-up to Ben Ford in the Kent Closed in January, has been awarded the wild card into the main draw first round, which is a major
boost for him in his early days as a PSA member.

Rodmersham’s Neil Baker, another new PSA member, has been awarded a local slot in the qualifying competition alongside The Mote’s Jonny Powell and James Evans, who
recently made his England junior debut.

The tournament provides the opportunity to see six days of top-class squash and The Mote have been busy refurbishing their main show courts in advance of the
competition.

Main sponsorship has been forthcoming from the national governing body, England Squash and Racketball, who have also funded a major development programme in
the county leading up to the pro event. Other sponsors include Harrow Rackets, Kent SRA and The Mote Squash Club. We are also indebted to personal contributions pledged by Mark Lee, Jonny Powell and our Kent SRA President, Colin Evans.

We would like to thank Rodmersham member Tom Woods for supplying banners via his Autowrap company and would recommend his services to everyone in Kent squash.

KENT FESTIVAL: BRINGING ON THE NEXT GENERATION

The Kent Squash Festival is already under way with coaching projects involving
more than 20 schools all over the county. This is a massive project designed to
provide a pathway for students to join a local squash club.

An action-packed programme of events is being planned alongside the Kent Open.
Local school pupils will be able to enjoy free coaching sessions with the
tournament’s leading stars, and the successful Kent junior squad will feature
in a Challenge Match against the rest of the South East region.

This is the biggest project ever undertaken by the Kent SRA and further events will involve racketball, doubles and a Challenge match between the two rival
Kent leagues, the North West “Priory” League and the South East League.

KENT OPEN TICKETS
The Kent Open provides the opportunity to watch top-class squash in a world
ranking tournament – and admission all week is free!

TOURNAMENT PARTY

The Tournament Party and barbecue will be held on the Saturday evening (June 5) immediately after the semi-finals. We would love to see the club packed out for
the last major squash event on the world calendar before the World Cup football
takes over!

MINI-SQUASH FESTIVAL
In the build-up to the Kent Open, a Mini-Squash Festival will be held at The
Mote on Wednesday, May 26, from 12.30pm to 3pm. This will involve a large
number of the juniors who are currently receiving introductory lessons at
school sessions all over the county. Several big names from the world of squash
will be there on the day to help with coaching and to captain the various
teams.