The 2018 NASH Cup – What you need to know…
The 11th Annual NASH Cup begins tomorrow at London Squash and Fitness. here is the important event information, links and history for all who will be following at the club and online. You can also view the official Nash Cup 2018 program brochure online. The format of PSA events has changed for the 2018-19 season. Draws have been cut from 28 to 24 players and the “qualifier” round has been removed. The top 8 ranked competitors on each side of the draw get a bye in the opening round.
The PSA Schedule – (full schedule; PSA Draws )
- The Men’s Challenger 10 draw will begin Tuesday night at 5pm
- The Women’s Challenger 20 draw – the largest women’s purse ever offered in London – will begin Wednesday at 3pm. The delay is due to the World Women’s Teams event which has just wrapped up in China. (Very happy to share that the Canadian team made the top 8 for the first time since 2000 – finished 7th !!)
The professionals began to arrive last Thursday and will continue to come in over the next two days. Thanks to our amazing community all have been provided with billet accommodations. For many players this tournament is the first for the 2018-19 season and they are travelling to London from all corners of the earth.
The reduction in draw size, noted above, has resulted in fewer local spaces. Both David Mill and Paula Jenkins have joined the PSA and enter the tournament as “wildcard” entries. In the men’s draw an “invitee” space (the new term for ‘local’) will be filled following a play-in event Monday evening at London Squash staring at 5pm. Western Athletes Matt Henderson, Akasham Rajagopaul, and Gavin Maxwell (the 2018 LSFC club champion) will be joined by Jayden Shorrt and face off to determine who will compete in the PSA draw on Tuesday.
There are no costs to attend the Monday matches. A BBQ dinner will be run at the club with a portion of each meal going to support the western men’s and women’s varsity teams. All are welcome. The matches will be live streamed at www.nashcup.com.
The 2018 NASH Cup is going to feature players from 16 countries including 2 being represented for the first time – Serbia and India. The top ranked female is Emily Whitlock of England who is currently ranked 22nd in the world and has been ranked as high as 12th. She leads a field which includes 5 other women ranked in the top 50, and another 8 ranked in the world’s top 100. The men side is led by Nathan Lake of England who is currently ranked 50th in the world. This will be Nathan’s 5th NASH Cup (2009-11; 1017). He made it to the Semi-Finals last year and is looking to help England win for the 4th consecutive year.
This year’s field also features 3 rising stars under the age of 19. These include Mostafa Asal of Egypt (71) – The current world #1 junior male; Lucy Turmel (ENG; 60) and Marina Stefanoni (USA; 73).
Canadian’s in the field (with their world ranking) include Samantha Cornett (32); Nikki Todd (52); Nicole Bunyan (61); Paula Jenkins (254); Shawn Delierre (71); Mike McCue (92); Nick Sachvie (96); Andrew Schnell (111); Cameron Seth (173); Thomas King (201); Ahad Raza (323); and David Mill (414)
Some History
- The NASH Cup began as an amateur draw in 2000 and added the PSA component in 2008.
- The event has offered over $180,000 USD in prize money and raised nearly $30,000 for developmental squash.
- There have been 185 participants (128 men and 67 women) from 40 Countries.
- The NASH Cup has featured rising stars who have advanced to the world’s top 10 – Mohamaed Abouelghar of Egypt lost in the 2013 quarter finals but has gone on to rank as high as 9th and is currently 13th. Diego Elias of Peru made the quarter finals in 2015 and the finals in 2016. He’s been ranked as high as 10th and is currently 11th in the world.
- The 15 NASH Cup draws completed to date have been won by players from Canada (2); Czech Republic; Colombia; Egypt; England (5); Germany; Pakistan (2); & the United States.
Watching the matches
- Seating remains available for matches on Tuesday; Wednesday; Thursday and Sunday.
- Standing room is available each evening and matches will be broadcast to club televisions. Court visibility is not guaranteed.
- ALL Matches will be live streamed (Free; No Download) through www.nashcup.com . Viewers can use any device. Smaller phones will default to live scoreboards, and larger devices will provide a full screen court view with scoreboard.
- 2016 was watched by 7,000 unique IPs; 2017 by nearly 13,000 in 68 countries. The goal for 2018 is 25,000 unique IPS. For this to happen we need help spreading the word. Please forward NASH Cup information throughout the week on social media. The NASH Cup has feeds through Facebook; Instagram; Twitter; Youtube and new for 2018 – Twitch.
- Photographer Rael Weinburg was able to capture some great video footage of the 2016 Women’s Final which has since drawn over 380,000 views on Youtube.
Additional Question?
- The NASH Cup is a not-for-profit event run by an incredible volunteer committee. During the tournament don’t hesitate to ask questions. The committee members include Tom Panabaker (Club Manager); Jay Francis (Club Pro); Craig Hall; Rob & Laurie Doherty; Lorie Forwell; Kim Atkinson; Mark McLean; Laura Savage; Sahand Izad; Charlie Stratton; Derek Moore; Bill Fitzpatrick; Grant Beamish; Phill Stables; Trevor Tyson; Jeremiah Rusznyak; and Jay Nash.