Chris Simpson Awarded British Open Wild Card

Tournament promoters iSPORTmarketing have announced that British Junior Champion Chris Simpson has been awarded a wild card for this year's Dunlop British Open, to be staged at the University of Nottingham from 15-18 September.

The 19-year-old former European Junior Champion, who in a highly successful junior career achieved a No1 British ranking in all age groups, signed-off an illustrious junior career in February with a polished performance at the British Junior Championships, in which he retained the Men's U19 title to claim his fourth national title.

"This is a great opportunity for me and I am very grateful for the confidence that England Squash and iSPORTmarketing have shown in me," said Simpson.

"Playing the qualifying competition of last year's British Open gave me a lot of experience, and I am really looking forward to challenging myself against the very best players in the world's most prestigious championships," added the British Junior Champion.

Simpson, who recently represented Guernsey in the 2006 Commonwealth Games in Melbourne after making his Commonwealth debut four years previously in Manchester, captained England's U19 junior team at the 2004 World Junior Team Championships - and is part of the England Squash World Class Performance Programme under the guidance of National Coach David Pearson.

"Chris Simpson has made a lot of progress on the international circuit since turning professional earlier in the year and has the potential to be one of the game's future stars," said Pearson.

Tournament Promoter Paul Walters added: "Chris is a very exciting talent and fully deserves this opportunity. He has shown an exemplary level of commitment and dedication as a junior and is recognised as one of England's most promising young professionals. Hopefully Chris will make the most of this chance as he looks to build on his successful junior career and fulfil his potential on the professional World Tour."

The 2006 Dunlop British Open, the most prestigious and longest-established event in world squash, will be staged at the University of Nottingham for the first time, and will feature the world's leading male and female players, as well as a full programme of masters and junior events.