Jahangir Khan and Jansher Khan, the Pakistani pair, enjoyed arguably the greatest rivalry in the history of squash.
Between 1981 and 1986, Jahangir monopolised the world game, compiling an unbeaten streak in competitive play that lasted five years. His remarkable 555-match run was halted by his namesake Jansher. Their families came from the same village in the Peshawar region of northern Pakistan.
Jansher went on to beat Jahangir in their next eight encounters and capture the 1987 World Open title.
It was therefore something of a coup that the organisers of the Abu Dhabi Open managed to lure both players for exhibition matches and guest appearances at their annual event in the 1980s.
"Those were the good days," says Mabrouk al Nahdy, the chairman of the Abu Dhabi Squash Rackets Association. "The league alone had more than 300 players."
If those heady days represented the high watermark of squash in the Emirates, then last year represented the nadir. Participation levels were dwindling - the league shrinking to about 150 players - and the annual tournament was cancelled after the Sheraton Corniche hotel, which hosted the event for three years, pulled out.
Management at the hotel were unhappy with the protocol surrounding a press statement released by the squash association. "It is a serious matter when a press release gets published in the newspapers without the prior approval of the management," says Mouna Ouni, the hotel's public relations director. It was the first time in more than 25 years the event had been postponed.
While the efforts of the squash association, and the presence of the Khans, failed to spark the next generation of players, the performances and talent of Adil Maqbool, 22, Aamir Khan, 18, and Mubarak Mohsin, 16, in this year's tournament suggest there could soon be a revival.
Maqbool is leading the charge. Born in Abu Dhabi to Pakistani parents, he retained his Abu Dhabi Open crown on Saturday night. He was ranked 66 in the world before slipping to 100 as a result of the time he has spent studying for his exams.
Maqbool's father and coach, Khawaja, introduced him to the game and developed him to become the top player in the country.
"I had the good fortune of being coached and nurtured by my father, and we both are ready to help conduct free coaching clinics," Maqbool says. "We also organised seven tournaments from 2007 to 2008, but there are lot of obstacles like seeking permission from various authorities that hindered our work.
"The biggest problem is that we don't have an active national federation to oversee the activities like staging regular competitions, implement coaching and take the game to the schools.
"I have lived all my life in the UAE and I want to give back something to a country that I owe for what I am today, given the opportunity."
Aamir is Maqbool's closest challenger, but the gap between the country's No 1 and No 2 was highlighted by the fact it was considered an achievement for Aamir to take a game off Maqbool during the final. Aamir is the defending champion of the Scottish Junior Open and ranked No 10 in the world at Under 19 level. He feels his chances to close the gap on Maqbool is being hampered by the lack of domestic competition.
"It is an individual sport and anyone who would be interested in making the grade can do so with some hard work," says Aamir. "But as young players, we need to have regular competition and stronger opponents to play with to improve."
In fact Mohsin, the youngest of the trio, is forced to fly to Hong Kong, America and Britain to hasten his development. Like Maqbool, he has had to rely ostensibly on his father, Musa, for technical guidance.
An indication of the lack of depth in the game was that the father and son contested the third and fourth place play-off match in the Super division category. Mohsin claimed the bragging rights, winning in straight games.
"We are all fortunate to have the coach-father blend, but we still have to work hard to fulfil our ambitions," says Mohsin. "A bit more support and encouragement by way of providing us more playing opportunities is all what we ask from those who promote the sport."
Al Nahdy acknowledged the flaws in the game but said they do not have the funds or the resources in an organisation run by expatriates.
"The game is still very popular and the fact that the courts are fully booked throughout the year is ample evidence," he counters. "However, there haven't been many new faces at the competitive level, and that's a bit of a set-back in terms the quality of the tournaments."
Indeed this year's tournament required the sponsorship of a company of one of the players to go ahead. Mike Dravitzki, the fourth seed in the Division One section, sponsored this year's competition through his firm, Fugra. He says the decline in popularity of the sport in the country is symptomatic of a global trend.
"Squash was big in the 1980s but it lost out to the other glamour sports and had this chain reaction," opines the New Zealander.
"Now would-be players are attracted towards the modern and sophisticated exercise machines rather than a good work out on the squash courts. And the kids are attracted to other glamour sports."
Dravitzki agrees with Maqbool's view of the need for a national federation.
"Of course, we would all like to welcome such a move and sport will definitely be better under the corporate governance of a national federation," he adds. "At the same time, we must admire all those former players and enthusiasts, mostly expatriates, that have kept the sport alive, even at hard times, for more than three decades."
@Email:apassela@thenational.ae
Results
2pm: Serve U – Maiden (TB) Dh60,000 (Dirt) 1,400m; Winner: Violent Justice, Pat Dobbs (jockey), Doug Watson (trainer)
2.30pm: Al Shafar Investment – Conditions (TB) Dh100,000 (D) 1,400m; Winner: Desert Wisdom, Bernardo Pinheiro, Ahmed Al Shemaili
3pm: Commercial Bank of Dubai – Handicap (TB) Dh68,000 (D) 1,200m; Winner: Fawaareq, Sam Hitchcott, Doug Watson
3.30pm: Shadwell – Rated Conditions (TB) Dh100,000 (D) 1,600m; Winner: Down On Da Bayou, Xavier Ziani, Salem bin Ghadayer
4pm: Dubai Real Estate Centre – Maiden (TB) Dh60,000 (D) 1,600m; Winner: Rakeez, Patrick Cosgrave, Bhupat Seemar
4.30pm: Al Redha Insurance Brokers – Handicap (TB) Dh78,000 (D) 1,800m; Winner: Capla Crusader, Bernardo Pinheiro, Rashed Bouresly
How green is the expo nursery?
Some 400,000 shrubs and 13,000 trees in the on-site nursery
An additional 450,000 shrubs and 4,000 trees to be delivered in the months leading up to the expo
Ghaf, date palm, acacia arabica, acacia tortilis, vitex or sage, techoma and the salvadora are just some heat tolerant native plants in the nursery
Approximately 340 species of shrubs and trees selected for diverse landscape
The nursery team works exclusively with organic fertilisers and pesticides
All shrubs and trees supplied by Dubai Municipality
Most sourced from farms, nurseries across the country
Plants and trees are re-potted when they arrive at nursery to give them room to grow
Some mature trees are in open areas or planted within the expo site
Green waste is recycled as compost
Treated sewage effluent supplied by Dubai Municipality is used to meet the majority of the nursery’s irrigation needs
Construction workforce peaked at 40,000 workers
About 65,000 people have signed up to volunteer
Main themes of expo is ‘Connecting Minds, Creating the Future’ and three subthemes of opportunity, mobility and sustainability.
Expo 2020 Dubai to open in October 2020 and run for six months
Essentials
The flights
Emirates flies direct from Dubai to Seattle from Dh6,755 return in economy and Dh24,775 in business class.
The cruise
UnCruise Adventures offers a variety of small-ship cruises in Alaska and around the world. A 14-day Alaska’s Inside Passage and San Juans Cruise from Seattle to Juneau or reverse costs from $4,695 (Dh17,246), including accommodation, food and most activities. Trips in 2019 start in April and run until September.
F1 line ups in 2018
Mercedes-GP Lewis Hamilton and Valtteri Bottas; Ferrari Sebastian Vettel and Kimi Raikkonen; Red Bull Daniel Ricciardo and Max Verstappen; Force India Esteban Ocon and Sergio Perez; Renault Nico Hülkenberg and Carlos Sainz Jr; Williams Lance Stroll and Felipe Massa / Robert Kubica / Paul di Resta; McLaren Fernando Alonso and Stoffel Vandoorne; Toro Rosso TBA; Haas F1 Romain Grosjean and Kevin Magnussen; Sauber TBA
Singham Again
Director: Rohit Shetty
Stars: Ajay Devgn, Kareena Kapoor Khan, Ranveer Singh, Akshay Kumar, Tiger Shroff, Deepika Padukone
Rating: 3/5
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- Power: 640hp
- Torque: 760nm
- On sale: 2026
- Price: Not announced yet
Name: Peter Dicce
Title: Assistant dean of students and director of athletics
Favourite sport: soccer
Favourite team: Bayern Munich
Favourite player: Franz Beckenbauer
Favourite activity in Abu Dhabi: scuba diving in the Northern Emirates
The specs
Engine: 3.8-litre twin-turbo flat-six
Power: 650hp at 6,750rpm
Torque: 800Nm from 2,500-4,000rpm
Transmission: 8-speed dual-clutch auto
Fuel consumption: 11.12L/100km
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THE SCORES
Ireland 125 all out
(20 overs; Stirling 72, Mustafa 4-18)
UAE 125 for 5
(17 overs, Mustafa 39, D’Silva 29, Usman 29)
UAE won by five wickets
Our family matters legal consultant
Name: Hassan Mohsen Elhais
Position: legal consultant with Al Rowaad Advocates and Legal Consultants.
Most wanted allegations
- Benjamin Macann, 32: involvement in cocaine smuggling gang.
- Jack Mayle, 30: sold drugs from a phone line called the Flavour Quest.
- Callum Halpin, 27: over the 2018 murder of a rival drug dealer.
- Asim Naveed, 29: accused of being the leader of a gang that imported cocaine.
- Calvin Parris, 32: accused of buying cocaine from Naveed and selling it on.
- John James Jones, 31: allegedly stabbed two people causing serious injuries.
- Callum Michael Allan, 23: alleged drug dealing and assaulting an emergency worker.
- Dean Garforth, 29: part of a crime gang that sold drugs and guns.
- Joshua Dillon Hendry, 30: accused of trafficking heroin and crack cocain.
- Mark Francis Roberts, 28: grievous bodily harm after a bungled attempt to steal a £60,000 watch.
- James ‘Jamie’ Stevenson, 56: for arson and over the seizure of a tonne of cocaine.
- Nana Oppong, 41: shot a man eight times in a suspected gangland reprisal attack.
'Operation Mincemeat'
Director: John Madden
Cast: Colin Firth, Matthew Macfayden, Kelly Macdonald and Penelope Wilton
Rating: 4/5
Avatar: Fire and Ash
Director: James Cameron
Starring: Sam Worthington, Sigourney Weaver, Zoe Saldana
Rating: 4.5/5
