POMS SET TO STEAL THE THUNDER

Mid-day 12/11/1991

HELSINKI, November 12 AUSTRALIA WILL begin as worthy favourites to retain their World Team Squash championship title. The colorful tourney begins today at the ESPORT complete.

Despite the absence of world champion, Rodney Martin, who is sidelined with an ankle injury, the men from Down Under appears set to steal the thunder. Chris Dittmar's recent win over Jahangir at Kiel, the welcome return to form of Chris Robeitson, the improvement shown by Brett Martin and Rodney Bytes have all been very significant.

Equally, Jansher Khan is hobbling back to form. the off-court drama remains as only a few days ago he was involved in a blazing row with PIA officials at Heathrow. Fortunately he has sorted this matter out and is in the squad along with Maqsood Ahmed, Omer Zaman and Faihan Samiullah.

As yet the Pakistan Squash Rackets Federation have not come to terms with Jahangir and last ditch efforts are on to have him in the squad. If Jahangir is not playing, there is a realistic chance of an Australia England final. It's difficult to see an upset here because the likes of Dittmar, Robertson and Brett Martin appear to have too much artillery for the Poms.

Two years ago at Singapore, the Aussies scored a sensational 3-0 win over Pakistan despite the presence of Jahangir and Jansher. This season, in the nine Grand Prix events held since July, they have captured five titles.

Right now, that aura of invincibility, that awe and esteem that the Khans were held in, all seems to have vanished.

If Jahangir plays, the Pakistanis have a great chance. If Jahangir plays, then he would have Dittmar to contend with again. And, if Jahangir does go on to lead Pakistan to victory, well then, Kipling won't have a poem to write.

A summer of squash

Indian Express 19/5/1991
By Raju Chainani

"IF you throw one official into the Arabian pollution. But if you throw all of  them, there  would  be a solution". Shades of Bishen Bedi, perhaps, or the common horror story of Indian sport. For the moment, let's confine it to, the so called elitist game of squash which has been dominated by a few characters.

India were one of the founder members of the International Squash Rackets Federations. The inaugural meeting was  held in London on January 5; 1967 at which Australia, Egypt, Great Britain, New Zealand, Pakistan and South Africa joined as the other founder members. The apartheid controversy kept the top players from South Africa in cold storage. The other members, excepting India, came through with world-class players over the next two decades.

Jonah Barrington, Geoff Hunt, Ross Norman, Ahmed Safwat and the Khan family put their seal on the game. India went progressively downward. The inaugural World team event held in 1967 in Australia saw us finish fifth. Six teams participated and the unthinkable happened. Our sole victory was against Pakistan, who took the wooden spoon. For some reason, we missed the next championships held in England but were back on the scene in New Zealand in 1971.

Australia won their third successive title, Pakistan were runners-up and we beat Canada to finish sixth but of seven, Four years later in England, the teams took part and we were placed seventh ahead of Canada, USA and Kuwait, That same position held in Australia in 1979, though this time there were 14 teams. Guess  what happened then? Some wise guy influenced the powers that were to stop paying our international subscriptions and for over 10 yean, we were on the defaulters list.

Things have changed now and hopefully we will be able to enter a team for this year's event in Finland. Some people, admittedly die hards, still feel that the wise guy should be thrown into the Arabian Sea because even today he is making a nuisance of himself. The latest incident was, turning up over an hour late with the team for the official reception with Madam Premadasa at the Asian junior Championships in Colombo in January. Despite this and his antics with Adrian Ezra before the. last Nationals, there is little that the parent body has done to correct the situation. There still exists a parallel body in Delhi, there still are unanswered questions about missing T-shirts and there still are several other stories, not all Arabian Night's tales.

So what else is happening? The local tournament circuit got jeopardized, But at present, there is a positive move in Bombay and Delhi. The  Northen lndian has been rescheduled for September and the sponsorship has come from Swissair.

Hong Kong Bank is also lining up an event in Delhi. Suprisingly, this has gone to the controversial Players Association and not to the local State body. Perhaps, the hot winds of summer will change that. So much for the Capital. In Bombay, there have been suggestions that the one tournament per club should become a reality. Juhu Vila Parle have already lined up a sponsor and hopefully, that will be the beginning of squash going suburban. They have also designed complex with two glass-back courts, fully air-conditioned and due for completion in the next six months.

From across the seas came news of Adrian Ezra's triumph at the U.S. Inter-collegiate. Here at home, Fali Madon was getting into gear to select the four juniors who will go to Kuala Lumpur in May. It looks like Vinay and Vineet Asthana, Rishad Billimoria and Paul Fererria will fit the bill. Ananth Nayak is being tipped as the coach to accompany the quartet, a refreshing and welcome change from those, who want to go every time be it as manager, referee or official.

Indian Express 31/3/1991
By Raju Chainani

THE colonial hangover remains. Squash in India is confined   to   the   clubs where the elite are the layers. It's a dollars and cents question today: If you can afford be a member at dubs like the CI or Delhi Gymkhana or the Willingdon where the entry fee one can be anything up to Rs 300,000 (yes, three lakh), then you have a chance to play squash. Whilst Asia and the rest of the world have turned the game into an industry, Indian squash has made very slow progress.

There are nearly §00 courts in Hong Kong and Singapore, too, has around the same number. In apna Bharat, we can count them on our fingers. The world has seen the development of the all glass court. Here we have a few glass-backs only. The Calcutta Rackets Club can boast of the only complex with two such courts. They were lilt specially for the Asian Championships held in January 1990. Twelve months later, when the Nationals were played on those very same courts, they were in bad ape. Bombay's claim to fame lies it's having put up the country's first glass-back five years ago. The walls are undulating and India's first crooked court retains its place the annals.

Ten million people play squash over the world. Squash is a way life to many in the West. Austalia and New Zealand have set up special training schools. The Australian Institute of Squash has had Geoff Hunt guide them. Rodney Martin, arguably the best stoke-player today, has come up rough this. The 'Kiwis have seen Ross Norman and Susan Devoy win world titles. All this, whilst the endless supply of Khans continue emerge from Nawakilla and the humble surroundings in the North-West frontier.

Today, Pakistan concentrates on three sports: cricket, hockey and squash. Their dominance with the racket is a part of history. It's continuance, despite the efforts of the Aussies and others, reflects on the development programme undertaken by their government d by Pakistan International Air-lines (PIA). For instance, national coach Qamar Zaman, has 480 players, mostly in the under-16 and under-14 age group, who train with him at Peshawar. He has only three courts available but makes the most of it. The top players are given adequate exposure in major events. Their travel, board and lodge is all taken care of. The up-coming stars are encouraged to play the minor events (many a time these are $ 5,000 tourneys) and to thereby accumulate ranking points, which would enable them to play in the bigger prize money championships. Only the top 24 get a direct entry into the major Grand Prix tournaments with eight players having to qualify. These eight have to come through three or four matches which goes to show the depth and the quality of the competition today.

Many have asked, why we can not produce a player of the same standard as our worthy neighbors. Indian squash is more or less confined to the four metros which hold the major tournaments. The first task lies in taking the game to the masses, where the man on the street can play. Compare the cost of playing squash with badminton and tennis and you'll see it's a winner by a mile. It can be played all the year round, requires a limited amount of time and for the under-45 group is a recommended form of exercise. To take ft to the millions, requires a professional approach and, of course, an adequate usage of contacts. Today, our powers-that-be are honorary officials, who have their own business commitments. The time available for the game is thereby limited. To actively develop the sport, as Hong Kong has shown, requires paid professionals, people who care for the game and are ready to devote time.

In Bombay, there are two major tournaments held every year: the CCI Open Championships of Western India and the Hong Kong Bank Maharashtra State event. These are open events and results here are often a pointer to the select eight, who qualify for the Masters Invitation, which is also held in the metropolis. Squash, as we know is restricted to the clubs where the membership charges today do leave a hole in the pocket, at least for those who don't fall under the category of Ph.D (Pop-has-dough). Bombay has other clubs too, besides the CCI and the Bombay Gymkhana which have squash courts. Otters, Willingdon, United Services, Knar Gym, Juhu Vile Parle Scheme have enough members, who could be tapped to sponsor an event. It's the same story in Delhi. So long as the state associations have the part timers, there will remain this one or two tournament syndrome. Even badminton and tennis have done a lot more. Sadly, we have power mania, we have parallel bodies and a whirlpool of politics.

The parent body, the Squash Rackets Federation of India has a healthy bank balance, courtesy the Asian event it hosted. With 15 lakh in the kitty and with K.C. Mehra at the helm, one feels there's a reasonable chance of some positive action. Four juniors are being sent to train under top Asian coach, Maj. S. Maniam in Kuala Lumpur in May. That is a beginning but there is a crying need to do a lot more. Like utilizing the services of some of our top players Meherwan Daruwala, Bhuvneshwari Kumari, Raj Manchanda, Yogendra Singh and Ananth Nayak to run extensive coaching camps for the juniors. There is no qualified coach in the country, a situation that needs immediate action. The club professionals are a neglected lot and have little idea of imparting tuition. These are key problems for the SRFI to tackle today. They should adopt a tough stand on the glued to the seat officials, get rid of parallel organizations and embark on a carefully designed development programme. Therein lies the future of Indian squash.

For the love of squash

By Raju Chainani
Mid-day 5-11-1991

LIKE THE famous yellow Rolls-Royce, there was this big, black Dodge. It used to be parked right outside the CCI gates for many a year in the sixties. It's owner was Yusuf Khan, the soft-spoken squash professional, who had a habit of training champions. Yusuf originated from Noshera, on the famous North-West frontier. He made his way through teaching tennis and squash in various clubs in India. Prior to the CCI, he was at Deolali, where he coached captain. Hazari and helped him win the national title. That was almost thirty-five years ago. The laboured walk, the cigarette in hand, the racket magic et al made its way to Bombay.

Anil Nayar, Fali Madon, Dinshaw Pandole and others came under the watchful eye of the Pathan. In 1965, Anil Nayar won the juniors and men's Western India titles, that too, with his left hand in plaster. He also became the first Indian to win the Drysdale Cup in London, then regarded as the junior world championship. Anil left shortly thereafter for Harvard and within a couple of years, Yusuf made the trans-Atlantic journey.

Today, he is the professional at the Downtown Seattle Club. Gone are the days of the few hundred rupees salary. He is well settled, has a family of nine, and has taught the Americans the traditional softball game. His sons, Azam and Ayub, are top notch players. So too, are daughters Shabana and Latasha.

But, the attraction for India remains. Etched in memory were the dairy 6 am drives from his home in Bandra. He would meet Anil Nayar and Fali Madon near the racecourse where they would have reached from their starting point of their morning run from Nariman Point. The trio would then return to the CCI where the black Dodge made its presence become a part of heritage. Yusuf would take them on, two against one, with a seven point handicap and serve. No guessing who would win.

In between games, there was time for a quick cigarette whilst the duo recovered from their ordeal. It was one happy family. "We had a great respect for each other. We would discuss the game and even personal matters. Anil and Fali were dedicated, that is why they did so well", suggested the maestro.

The phone at the Seattle Club kept up its incessant ring. Everyone wanted to learn from the maestro. In between all this he talked about the good, old days. Anil Nayar's success carried on in America. But there was one particular story which gave Yusuf great satisfaction and it related to Bombay. "Whilst Anil and Fali were doing well, along came Sanjit 'Bunker' Roy. He had a superb wrist and his boast caused the others plenty of problems. Fali lost to him one year. Then we hit upon a game. plan. Next year, Fan would keep the ball deep and not allow Bunker to play his pet stroke. We worked on this for a year and yes, Fali beat him", said Yusuf.

He's sixty now but that fire still burns. The cigaratte has gone. "One day I was on a TV show and was smoking. A junior boy saw this and asked me why I was talking about squash and having a cigarette at the same time. That really affected me and I gave up the habit from that very day".

The humble but most respected Khan has become the pride of Seattle. It's twenty-three tears since he left Bombay and as yet, nobody has proved capable of filling that vaccum.

THE COACH'S CREDO

By Raju Chainani                                                                                  
Mid-day 4-05-1991

NEW YORK, May 4 SATINDER PAL Bajwa was at the ringside during the final of the Tournament of Champions. The manager-cum-coach of the world No 1, Jansher Khan, had jetted in from London the previous night. It has been a splendid year for this duo, both on and off court.

"At the British Open, we had a deal with DHL for, Jansher to wear their logo on his shirt and on the headband. It was worth more than the winners cheque," said Bajwa, who has been instrumental in the change of the world champion's image.

Bajwa has a three month assignment at the Meadow Mill Athletic Club in Baltimore. Jansher is playing an exhibition game there on Saturday before flying off to London en route to Peshawar.

Next month, Akshay Joshi, one of India's leading players, is coming down for a training programme. "He is very keen and hopefully will benefit by playing here. Today, there is a lot more to the game than simply hitting the ball around. You need to have a mix of the traditional methods coupled with the current western thinking. Jansher has seen the need for it and has adapted to it," suggested the popular sardar.

Bajwa is involved with the Non-Resident Indian Squash Association programme and had a lengthy meeting with Anil Nayar in New York. "We have to do something for Indian squash and this could be the beginning," he remarked.

Bajwa is slated to visit Bombay three to four times a year and will be working with Ananth Nayak. "You have to look at boys on a long term. Those who want to go abroad to Ivy league colleges are really short term investments. They can afford top-of-the-line coaches and we should be looking elsewhere for the champions of the future," he felt.

His last visit to Bombay had been an eye opener. "I was delighted to learn that the boys did so well at the Asian Championships. Now is the time to set the ball rolling and make them work towards their next target. In England the planning for the next major junior event has already begun and we have to learn from this," said Bajwa.

His efforts with Jansher have reaped rich dividends. He also signed up Zarak Jahan Khan, a semi-finalist at the recent British open. "He has just got back onto the international circuit. Give him some time and he should do well." said Bajwa.

BITTER BATTLES AHEAD

By Raju Chainani
Mid-day 23-12-1991

NEW DELHI, December 23 THE EUPHORIA of the nationals had barely died down when the Inter-State Squash Championships began yesterday morning at the Delhi Gymkhana courts,

Maharashtra, the holders and services, the main challengers, have been given a bye into the semis. The other eight teams have been divided into two pools, Maharashtra B, Delhi B, West Bengal and Haryana are in one pool, with the winner meeting the Maharashtra A team in the semis Gujarat, Delhi A Rajasthan and the services B teams fight it out for the other semi-final berth.

Yesterday, it was Maharashtra B comprising of Rishad Billimoria, Vinay and Vineet Asthana, Ben Ari Elias and Sumeet Rewari who played their hearts out against a far more experienced Delhi team.

Birthday Boy Rishad Billimoria lost a pulsating match to Udai Singh. He had game point in the second game but missed out. Ben Ari Elias put on a tremendous performance as he went down to Gaurav Murgai. Vijay Asthna made short work of Rahul Chadh. His twin brother, Vineet, had a bumpy ride against the incredible hulk, Vikram Malhotra. He too won in five games and all hinged on the final tie.

Sumeet Rewari was 2-1 up against Amritav Virmani and looked good. The Delhi boy hung on and clawed his way back to win 9-7 in the decider. It couldn't have been any closer and it was sad that someone had to lose.

The Maharashtra A team have some thinking to do over the next couple of days. Dev Malani, who is on the repair list, appears to be recovering quickly to play in the semifinals.

Darius Surti arrived  this  afternoon and has little time to get used to the conditions. Maharashtra will therefore be banking on Adrian Ezra and Meherwan Daruvala to win their matches. Rishad Pandole has been here a week, as has Ananth Nayak and Maharashtra will be looking to them to win that vital third rubber.

The Services team too has injury problems with Raj Manchanda hobbling around. Yesterday, despite the tact that the event had commenced, neither Maharashtra nor the Services had handed in their playing order. Each is waiting for the other, a clear indication of the hide-and-seek attitude that is prevailing here.

Results:

 Bhuvaneshwari to meet Misha

By Raju Chainani
Mid-day 21-10-1991

NEW DELHI. December 21 IT'S DADAR Parsi Colony versus Electric House in the finals of the DCM Shriram National Squash Championships.

Bombay's pride, the top seeded Adrian Ezra and his very worthy challenger, Meherwan Daruwala. both left handers, made the final in workman like fashion.

Ezra surprisingly encountered stiff resistance from Ravinder Malik particularly in the second game before he won 9-0 9-7 9-4 in 35 minutes.

Malik rallied from 4-8 to 7-8 in the second game and was unlucky to see Ezra's forehand being called good when most considered it to he doubtful. That decided the second game and, hard as Malik tried in the third, it wasn't good enough Ezra's performance did not have the stamp of authority one normally associates with him but these things do happen even to the best of men.

Today, he has the five times champion, Meherwan Daruwala to contend with. Daruvala won 10-9, 9-6, 9-6 against Arjan Singh in 58 minutes. Yet again, it was the first game which proved crucial. Daruvala controlled the match for most of the match, changed the pace to suit himself and used the boast to good effect.

The first game could have easily gone Arjan's way. He had a chance at 8-7 but a careless backhand gave Daruvala the chance. Over extra points, the issue hung at 9-9 for almost four minutes as service changed hands five times. Arjan went for a forehand boast but found the tin instead.

After twenty five minutes during which time there were 23 lets and four strokes, Daruvala was one up. Arjan led 4-0 in the second and third games but couldn't drive home this initial advantage.

He was caught out by tenacious Daruvala and towards the end was showing signs of fatigue. So, the Commander-in-Chief Trophy is Bombay-bound again.

Whilst the men's final will hold centrestage, Bhuvaneshwari Kumari attempts to win her sixteenth consecutive ladies crown. She has Misha Grewal to beat and there is considerable interest in this match.

Four Indians in second round

BY RAJU CHAINANI
Mid-Day: 17-08-1992

HONG KONG, August 17 (UNI) FOUR OF the five Indians marched into the second round of the Fuji Film World Junior Squash Championships yesterday with Paul Ferreira carrying out his victory in style.

Ferreira prevailed over Ireland's top seed Barry Hession, 10-9, 9-1, 9-2. He saved a game point and gradually wore down his left-handed rival.

It was a field day for the Indians with the only disappointment coming from Ben Ari Elias who went down against German Markus Koppitz.

Rishad Pandole beat Jerome Goudio of Hong Kong 9-1, 9-0, 9-5 in just 16 minutes he now meets Pakistan junior champion, Mohammed Sadiq. Rishad Billimona scored and equally emphatic win as he trounced local player Wo Wong, 9-5,9-3,9-1.

The other Indian victory came from Vineet Asthana who beat a British player in four games.

Brar put through the Old Fox trot!

By Raju Chainani
Mid-day 19-12-1991

NEW DELHI, December 19 THE SWEET sixteen stage of the DCM Shriram National Squash Championships belonged to the Old Fox, Raj Manchanda.

He was two games down to Rajdeep Brar and had defeat staring in .his face. But that classical drop and lob game worked to perfection thereon and the six times national champion had Brar in a tangle.

He was 8-4 up in the decider and really had it wrapped up with a forehand that looked to be a clean winner.

Instead, Brar was given a let and worse still, an encore followed. Brar then clawed his way back to 7-8 but justice was not to be denied to the 47-year-old veteran as he came through 5-9,1-9, 9-6,9-7.

Top seed Adrian Ezra won the first twenty-four points games against Delhi's Sandeep Singh who only troubled the scorers once.

Ezra meets the touch artist Narjit singh who won in four games against Delhi's Dushwant Jamwal. There was plenty for the locals to shout about as Yogendra Singh and Arvinder Pal Singh made the last eight.

Yogendra had a few problems with Vikram Verma as he won 9-6 10-8, 9-0. He now meets Ravinder Malik, a straight games winner over Nadim Haider.

Arjan Singh's powerplay got the better of Rishad Pandole but it must be said that the 18-year-old Bombayite played well in the second and third games and the 9-0, 9-5, 9-4 scoreline is not a true reflection. 

FINAL COUNTDOWN BEGINS

By Raju Chainani
Mid-day 20-12-1991

NEW DELHI, December 20 THERE WERE  no tales of the unexpected on quarter finals day of the DCM Shriram National Squash championships.

Adrian Ezra Meherwan Daruvala, Arjan Singh and Ravinder Malik, who are seeded in that order, won their respective matches with considerable ease and authority. Adrian took twenty-two minutes to dispose off Narjit Singh, dropping just three points. Daruvala took slightly longer as Raj Manchanda kept him on court for twenty-eight minutes. Yet the 9-3, 9-1. 9-2 scoreline clearly speaks for itself. Daruvala was quicker, fitter and controlled the proceedings well

Ten years ago, in the 1981 national final, Manchanda had given a similar kind of beating to Dinyar Ali Khan. Now it was his turn to be on the receiving end and Daruvala was clinical in his execution.   His  win should have boosted his confident for  today's  semi-final  with Arjan Singh.

They shared the honours in the two Bombay events and clash No 3 should he very close. Arjan encountered some resistance from Arvinder Pal Singh in the first game but thereafter his powerplan coupled with unforced errors from the junior national champion led to a 9-4, 9-1, 9-1 scoreline.

The big let down today was Yogendra Singh. On home ground, he just couldn't get going against Ravinder Malik. In the early part of the first game, Yogendra held a slight advantage.

But things started to go wrong as Malik took full advantage of some loose play to win 9-6, 9-0, 9-4. In fact, Yogendra lost eighteen points on a trot from 5-8 in the opener and a late flourish made the score line somewhat respectable. Malik now has the daunting task of taking on Ezra today.

RESULTS:

Adrian Ezra beat Narjit Singh 9-1, 9-2,9-0 Ravinder   Malik   beat   Yogendra Singh 9-6; 9-0, 9-4 Arjan   Singh   beat   Arvinder   Pal Singh 9-4, 9-1, 9-1 Meherwan Daruvala beat Raj Manchanda 9-3, 9-1, 9-2.

Meherwan, Bhuvaneshwari justify seeding

By Raju Chainani
Mid-day 14-9-1991

THE TOP seeds, Meherwan Daruwala and Bhuvaneshwari Kumari. duly won their respective titles at the 47th Western Indian Open Squash Championships which concluded at the CCI courts this evening.

Meherwan has been in all the Open finals since 1983. and has won the title on four previous occasions. Title number five took 41) minutes, spanned four games and was on the whole, a disappointment. Arjan Singh, is like Meherwan. six foot plus. He kept on fishing for penalty strokes, hut hardly ever found the referee's favour. He made far too many unforced errors and let a valuable 7-2 lead slip away in the fourth game when it all pointed to the decider. Arjan led 3-1 in the first and second games but couldn't keep up the pressure. Meherwan was too consistent and kept the ball in play whilst Arjan found the tin a happy companion.

After 26 minutes, Meherwan was two games up. The squash was ordinary though at times we saw the splendid anticipation and recovery strokes of the four times champion.

For the past few days he has been suffering from the after effects of food poisoning. He somehow couldn't keep up his normal game and Arjan walked away with the third game in just four minutes. When Arjan led 7-2 in the fourth, things were beginning to look bleak for Meherwan. He gathered himself, hit four winners and was at matchpoint. He had to win the last point twice over since Arjan appealed for a let on grounds of someone in the crowd applauding before the tally was over. Meherwan's stroke was a clear winner so there was surprise at the referee's decision. There was no doubt about his winner that followed and the final scoreline read 9-4, 9-6, 1-9, 9-7.

Bhuvaneshwari Kumari was too good for Honey Sherman, winning 9-0, 9-4, 9-3. This was her twelfth success in this event, a remarkable record by the queen of Indian Squash. Jahangir Pandole outclassed his cousin Rishad in straight games 9-3, 9-2, 9-0 to win the under-19 title. He played extremely well, kept the hall hack and moved Rishad around the court. He's been a very underrated player so far hut on tonight's showing, is going to be one to watch in the future.

Ezra to conduct coaching camp

By A Staff Reporter
Times of India
14-6-1991

BOMBAY, June 13. National champion Adrian Ezra who is on vacation from Harvard University it conducting a three-week coaching camp open to all at the Bombay Gymkhana squash courts from Monday.

Those interested can contact Raju Chainani on 2042087 or Harry Melwani at the Bombay Gymkhana.

At a function yesterday at the Yacht Club, the Asian edition of "Simply Squash" was released by Raju Chainani. The first issue was released by Hongkong Bank's chief executive Ravish Chopra. "Simply Squash" which began 11 month ago was earlier an Indian squash news­letter

Former India player Ananth Nayak took four players for a three week coaching trip to Malaysia. The players were Otter's Paul Ferreira and; Gaurav Murgai, both under-16, and Calcutta's twin brothers' Vincent and Vinay Asthana, both under-14.

Ezra making waves in U.S.

By NAOSHIRVAN VAKIL
Times of India 14-6-1991
BOMBAY, June 13.

A DRIAN Ezra, India's squash Anumero uno is making waves in the U.S., currently studying at the prestigious Harvard University in Cambridge, Massachusetts, he has had a string of good performances.

Ezra scored a meritorious collegiate double when he won both the soft ball and hard ball squash championships, the only Indian to do so after Anil Nayar. 

Ezra defeated Harvard's Jeremy Freiburg, 3-0, for the hard ball title (which is the American game) in Army College, New York State. He drubbed Richard Lin, of Cornell, for the soft ball title which was played at Williams College Connecticut. 

Ezra took pan in a couple of professional championships, notably the North American Open, in which he was one of the few amateurs to get a direct entry. He progressed to the quarter-finals where he lost to U.S.'s Ned Edwards, ranked number three. In the first round he beat number six David Boyun, of the U.S. and then in the pre-quarters he scalped Mexican Juan Mendez, 3-1.

Ezra played in the Boston invitation which was limited to eight players. He made it to the semi-finals before going down to Swede Anders Walsted. He gained the semi-finals in the U.S. amateur nationals. In the pre-quarters despite suffering a broken nose in the second game he went on to beat Bombay's Cyrus Mehta in five games.

In   the  Quarters  against  Israel's Johnny Kaye he dislocated his shoulder in the first game but despite the pain he played on and eventually won that match 3-1. Ezra dropped the first game 17-18 against Hector Barragon of Mexico in the semis and was forced to pull out in the second with the score at 4-aIl when he injured his shoulder again after running into the wall.

Ezra had a chance to catch up with the legendary Anil Nayar while in New York. Nayar advised him to shorten his swing. Nayar also gave him a few tips which has improved his volleying.

Ezra plans to return for the Nationals but is not sure whether he will be available for the other major tournaments. Ezra returns to the States in September where he hopes to take part in the qualifying rounds of the U.S. Open.

Ezra also hopes that our government would send a team for the world team championships in Finland in November. Due to the dislocated shoulder he has been out of the game for some time.