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BERMUDA WRAPUP
Back to Reality
by Sam Stevens, the Royal Gazette
The glass court’s been pulled down, the seating packed away, the plasma
screens sent back to sponsors – and all that’s now left of this year’s
Virtual Spectator Bermuda Masters is an empty gymnasium and a stack of
happy memories.
Tournament director Ross Triffitt, along with dozens of exhausted
volunteers who had been working at the tournament all week, spent the
entirety of Sunday painstakingly dismantling the venue at BHS to get it
ready for the start of the summer term, finishing at around 1 a.m..
World number one and World Open champion Amr Shabana of Egypt defeated
English legend Peter Nicol in five thrilling games to claim the title last
Saturday night – the conclusion of a week-long festival of squash.
A
Quiet Life ...
Clearly jaded and looking forward to a quieter life for the next few
weeks, Triffitt said he could not be happier with the way in which the
tournament progressed, pointing to the strong ticket sales and a “special
energy” from the crowds who appeared to be increasingly enthused by squash
at the highest level.
“The Masters last year and the Bermuda Open in 2004 went very well – but
this year was special,” said Triffitt, who along with tournament chairman
Kim Carter and former Bermuda Squash Racquets Association president
Stephen Young, were the men responsible for bringing the second
biggest tournament in professional squash to the Island.
“There was such a tremendous buzz around the whole event this year which
was there before but not to the same extent. It got better and better as
the tournament went on and by the end it was absolutely fantastic.
“The audience participation, in terms of the spectators really identifying
with the players and getting behind them, was the best we have ever had
and it is the best a lot of the players have ever experienced – which says
a lot when you understand that they play at many tournaments all over the
world.
“All of us involved are absolutely knackered. There’s always a period of
adjustment when something as big as this comes to an end and you have to
get back to normality – but we’ve all been through it before and have got
used to the ups and downs.
“Along with everybody else, I’ve been working so hard to get the event
right. I’ve got a young son who I haven’t seen anywhere near enough of
recently, so it will be nice to spend some time with him.”
Looking to 2007 ...
After two years hosting the Masters, Triffitt’s full attention will now
turn to the biggest ambition of all: staging the best World Open there has
ever been in November or December of next year.
The scale of the task is certainly daunting.
With a 64-player draw, the most prestigious event in the sport is double
the size of the Masters and will therefore require two all-glass courts
rather than one.
And with organisers determined to erect both of these outdoors, covered by
a state-of-the-art tented structure to guard against any inclement
weather, Triffitt is under no illusions as to how much extra work will be
involved.
 “We had already begun working on it before this year’s Masters,” he said.
“We have an extra six months as well given that it will not take place
until the end of next year. We’re really looking forward to it.
“It’s the
ultimate prize in squash and to have it here in Bermuda is a real honour.”
Sam Stevens
Royal Gazette
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18 Months' Bragging Rights
Royal Gazette
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