Prince Launches O3 Squash Challenge

Prince Sports is backing the introduction of its revolutionary new O3 Squash racquet range this season by launching the Prince O3 Squash Challenge in the UK.

The O3 Challenge is an inter-club event for teams of three players: one male, one female and one over-35 male. Players who have represented their country or county, at any age group, will not be eligible.

Only launched last month at the British Open, the O3 racquet can already claim four major title triumphs in the hands of two of the world's greatest players! England's double Commonwealth Games gold medallist Peter Nicol followed his title success in the World Games in July by winning the English Open trophy in August - then, immediately after signing to Prince, Malaysia's Nicol David won her maiden British Open trophy in October, and less than two weeks later also claimed the Carol Weymuller Open title in New York.

"The new racquet represents, without doubt, a significant new development by Prince. The sweetspot is huge and the added power off the wall pays huge dividends," explained Peter Nicol at the launch of the brand's breakthrough product.

Prince O3 Challenge participants will be able to exploit the benefits already appreciated by Peter Nicol and Nicol David as each team competing in the event will be provided with four O3 Squash racquets.

The event will be contested by 32 clubs in four regions, with first round ties to be played by 11 December; second round by 25 January 2006; and Regional Finals by 26 February 2006. The four regional champions will compete in a national semi-finals and finals weekend at a venue and date yet to be confirmed.

The first round draw is:

Northumberland LT&SC v Carlisle SC
Bannatynes H&SC, Durham v Tynemouth SC
Pontefract SC v Chapel Allerton SC, Leeds
Northern SC, Manchester v Hallamshire SC, Sheffield

Nottingham SC v Grantham SC
Chase Hotel & Leisure, Leicester v Duffield SC
Leamington Spa SC v Coventry & N Warwicks SC
Wolverhampton SC v Edgbaston Priory SC

Ipswich Sports Club v Martlesham Heath SC
R3 Leisure Stevenage v Cambridge SC
Connaught LT&SC v Lambs Fitness Exchange
Amida Twickenham v Wimbledon S&B

Lee-on-Solent SC v Winchester LT&SC
Chichester LT&SC v David Lloyd Portsmouth
Strings S&F, Tewkesbury v Riverside SC, Gloucester
Weston Super Mare SC v Bristol LT&SC

"This is an excellent new 'grassroots' event on the English squash calendar and there has been tremendous interest in clubs wanting to participate in the Prince O3 Challenge," said Prince International Player Promotions Manager Andy Bunting. "I am confident that we will see some highly-competitive encounters leading up to the national finals weekend next year."

Prince's new O3 technology is the first significant development in racquet technology since the late eighties when racquets changed from wood to graphite. The O3-engineered racquets provide a large sweet spot in a manoeuvrable and aerodynamic frame. Prince re-engineered traditional pin-sized string holes into giant O-Ports, providing total string freedom for a livelier response across the entire string bed. This expands the conventional sweet spot in racquets by up to 54%, turning it into a Sweet Zone!