England Lead Qualifying Bid In Belfast World Open

Players from 12 nations will fight it out for the eight qualifying places in the main draw of the Women's World Open in Belfast - with England leading the race with four contenders after today's first qualifying round at the Belfast Boat Club.

The world's most prestigious squash event - and the biggest ever to be staged in Northern Ireland - is being held in Belfast this week, with action from the last sixteen onwards staged on a state-of-the-art four glass-walled court in the auditorium of the city's world-renowned Ulster Hall.

Kerri Shields, Northern Ireland's sole representative in the qualifying event, crashed out to England's Sarah Kippax in the afternoon session. Shields, runner-up in the Miss Northern Ireland competition in 2001, hails from Banbridge - home of the event's biggest local star, Madeline Perry, the world No7.

"It's the first time I've ever played at this level - Sarah made only two errors throughout the game, and I made loads," said 24-year-old Shields after her 9-0, 9-1, 9-1 defeat.

A civil engineering graduate, Shields is now based in London - where she has rediscovered her love for the game. "Now that I have settled into my new job, and discovered that there are so many people to play in London, I have decided to take my squash a bit more seriously.

"It was disappointing to lose today, but I now know what I need to do to improve, and I'm planning to play a few more events in the future," said Shields, who fondly remembers her junior squash days in Banbridge where she played with Madeline Perry's younger sisters Melissa and Sarah.

"It's excellent that the biggest squash event in the world is being staged here in Belfast," added Shields.

Sarah Kippax, 23, from Chester, will meet compatriot Rebecca Botwright in Tuesday's qualifying finals - for a place in the main draw of the $112,500 event, the richest-ever event on the women's tour.

Botwright, the Manchester-based 24-year-old whose older sister Vicky Botwright is the event's fifth seed, needed 51 minutes to overcome Yorkshire's Lauren Siddall 9-7, 4-9, 9-1, 9-2.

Essex's Lauren Briggs defeated Hong Kong's Elise Ng 9-2, 10-8, 9-2 in 40 minutes to earn a place in the qualifying finals. The 27-year-old from Chingford in east London, who coaches at the RAC Club in London's Pall Mall, will now face Runa Reta, the Canadian who ended the qualifying hopes of England's Jenna Gates in a 9-7, 9-5, 9-6 defeat.

England's Suzie Pierrepont, the eighth highest-ranked player in the qualifying draw, hobbled out of the event after sustaining a recurrence of a heel injury against Margriet Huisman. The Dutch player claimed a 9-6, 4-9, 9-10, 4-5 victory and will now face Guyana's sole competitor Nicolette Fernandes for a place in the main draw.

South African teenager Tenille Swartz, who won her maiden WISPA World Tour event earlier in the month in Hoofddorp in Holland, made an impressive debut in the World Open by beating Italy's Manuela Manetta 9-7, 5-9, 9-5, 9-6. The Netherlands-based 19-year-old from Parys will now face the experienced Latasha Khan, the seven-times US national champion from Seattle, in the qualifying finals.

1st qualifying round:
Lauren Briggs (ENG) bt Elise Ng (HKG) 9-2, 10-8, 9-2 (40m)
Runa Reta (CAN) bt Jenna Gates (ENG) 9-7, 9-5, 9-6 (42m)
Rebecca Botwright (ENG) bt Lauren Siddall (ENG) 9-7, 4-9, 9-1, 9-2 (51m)
Sarah Kippax (ENG) bt Kerri Shields (IRL) 9-0, 9-1, 9-1 (10m)
Jaclyn Hawkes (NZL) bt Daniela Schumann (GER) 9-4, 9-0, 9-1 (22m)
Carolyn Russell (CAN) bt Louise Crome (NZL) 9-6, 8-10, 9-5, 9-4 (57m)
Amelia Pittock (AUS) bt Camille Serme (FRA) 9-4, 9-1, 9-1 (31m)
Christina Mak (HKG) bt Soraya Renai (FRA) 10-8, 6-9, 9-5, 9-7 (58m)
Samantha Teran (MEX) bt Charlie de Rycke (BEL) 9-4, 9-7, 9-2 (36m)
Tricia Chuah (MAS) bt Birgit Coufal (AUT) 9-2, 9-0, 9-1 (18m)
Georgina Stoker (ENG) bt Orla Noom (NED) 9-6, 9-0, 9-6 (34m)
Tegwen Malik (WAL) bt Line Hansen (DEN) 10-8, 9-0, 9-6 (30m)
Nicolette Fernandes (GUY) bt Lucie Fialova (CZE) 9-7, 9-0, 9-3 (24m)
Margriet Huisman (NED) bt Suzie Pierrepont (ENG) 9-6, 4-9, 9-10, 4-5 ret. (46m)
Tenille Swartz (RSA) bt Manuela Manetta (ITA) 9-7, 5-9, 9-5, 9-6 (52m)
Latasha Khan (USA) bt Kirsty McPhee (ENG) 9-3, 9-1, 9-2 (28m)