Cairo Win Gives Nicol The Xodus 7 Continent Challenge Lead Going Into London

Peter Nicol MBE and Tim Garner will find themselves briefly back on home soil on Friday when the Xodus 7 Continent Challenge comes to London.

The intrepid globetrotting pair will play at the historic RAC Club in the heart of the British capital tonight at 6.30pm before crossing the Atlantic to New York for the final stop of a punishing week of travel.

Nicol and Garner have already played five squash matches this week as part of a gruelling adventure that has seen them compete in Antartica, South America, Australia, Asia and Africa.

Thursday's match in Cairo saw former world No1 Nicol beat Garner 11-8, 5-11, 11-9, 12-10 in 51 minutes to edge 3/2 ahead in the series. Neither man has made a secret of their desire to beat the other but their bigger goal is to drive support for squash's bid to become part of the Olympic Games in 2020.

"It's going to be weird to be home after the week we've had, even if it's just for a few hours," said Garner. "We're both kind of running on fumes now but we're keeping each other's spirits up and it will be great to have our friends and family there in London to cheer us on. The support we've had around the world has been amazing."

As well as highlighting squash's 2020 Olympic Bid, the Xodus 7 Continent Challenge is fundraising for two causes: The LV= SOS Kit Aid Scheme and Natasha's Steps, a trust set up help young squash player Natasha Drake who is recovering from an idiopathic bleed on her brain. Donations can be made via www.justgiving.com/7CC