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Squad named for World Women's Champs

The Squash New Zealand senior selectors have named a five woman squad for the World Women's Team Championships in Canada in December.

The squad is notable not only for the injury-enforced absence of Joelle King - a regular fixture in the senior women's team since first being selected last time the Women's World Team Champs were held in Canada, in 2006 - but also for the call-ups given to young Palmerston North-based players Danielle Fourie and Rebecca Barnett.

Fourie and Barnett are clearly the next cabs off the rank, having finished fifth and sixth respecBecky Barnetttively at the Senior Nationals in late August.  The duo are close friends, having represented SquashGym Palmerston North and the Central senior representative team together over the past two years.  They are also ex-New Zealand Junior team-mates, having travelled to the World Junior Championships in Boston together in 2011 (Barnett also travelled to the 2013 World Junior Championships in Wroclaw, Poland).  The two have performed strongly this season, and High Performance Coach and convenor of selectors Paul Hornsby said:

"It makes sense to offer the opportunity to Rebecca and Danielle.  They are clearly the next best players on the domestic circuit at the moment, and as selectors we hope that they grab this chance with both hands.  Attending a World Championship event can be incredibly inspiring, and has kickstarted many a young professional career".

Also in the squad, as expected, are Megan Craig (Marlborough Squash Club), Amanda Landers-Murphy (Waikite Valley Squash Club) and Kylie Lindsay (United Matamata Squash Club).  Craig is in line to make her first appearance at a Senior World Teams Championships, while Landers-Murphy and Lindsay debuted in France two years ago.

On the absence of Joelle King, Hornsby was unequivocal: "She's a massive loss, there are no two ways about that.  There aren't many countries who could lose the world number four and feel relaxed about it heading into a World Teams Event".  "But what it does allow is a valuable development opportunity for a couple of young players in Megan Craig and Amanda Landers-Murphy.  Playing seven straight days of high pressure matches against world-class opposition at numbers one and two in the order will benefit them enormously, and should reap dividends for New Zealand in the future".

The final team of four will be announced in October.

Further information on the event can be found here: http://www.wsfwomensteams.com/.  


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