Top Stars Head To Merseyside To Qualify For Liverpool Open

Qualifying gets underway tomorrow for the international circuit's richest ranking event in England for five years. The Liverpool 08 Open, boasting a $77,500 prize fund, has attracted a star-studded field to St George's Hall from 3-7 May for the first ever major event on Merseyside to be played on a state-of-the-art all-glass court.

Fresh from leading England to a successful defence of their European Championship title in Austria this weekend, North West star James Willstrop heads domestic interest in the PSA Super Series event. The 22-year-old, who leads the Manchester team in the Premier Squash League, is the No2 seed - and expected to face Australia's top seed and former world No1 David Palmer in the final on Sunday.

Willstrop and Palmer, together with another former world No1, Frenchman Thierry Lincou, face qualifiers in the opening round. But the qualifying field itself has drawn top squash talent from countries as far afield as Australia, Egypt, France, Germany, Ireland, India and Pakistan - each eager to claim one of the eight available places in the 32-man draw.

The two-day qualifying competition takes place on Monday and Tuesday at the Liverpool Cricket Club - where English interest will be led by ex-international Mark Chaloner, the former world No7 from Lincolnshire.

Local qualifying hopes will be led by Liverpool Cricket Club star Andrew Breen and Merseyside brothers Ian and Keith Thomason.

Another breakthrough feature of the 2006 Liverpool 08 Open is that the event will be featured live on Sky Sports TV - the semi-finals on Saturday 6 May (6pm Sky Sports 2) followed by the final on Sunday 7 May (5pm Sky Sports Xtra).

England No1 James Willstrop is looking forward to the event: "After all the travelling we do on the world tour, it's wonderful to have a massive tournament here in the UK. Two days of live coverage on Sky Sports is a massive breakthrough for the sport and something we look to build on in the future. The St George's Hall venue is truly spectacular and there is a real buzz among all the word's top players leading up to the tournament."

Gawain Briars, Chief Executive of the Professional Squash Association (PSA) was also delighted with the TV breakthrough: "The Liverpool 08 Open represents a breakthrough for the professional game in that this new tournament is the first to achieve PSA Super Series status in Europe for some years now and, most excitingly, will boast live satellite coverage on SKYTV for our dedicated squash enthusiasts.

"This marks a special occasion for squash in England - and Alan Thatcher, his team and the Liverpool City Council should be commended on their efforts in raising the bar of promotion for squash in the UK and Europe."