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Squashed!

Pakistan proved they are still number one when it comes to squash after they dominated the finals at the British Junior Squash Open in Sheffield winning three golds and one silver.
The under 19s boys match for the Drysdale Cup was won by Pakistan's Bashit Ashfaq (pictured with trophy) who towered above his diminutive opponent, Tarek Momen from Egypt, a previous winner of the under 15s and under 13s titles.
Ashfaq's power was the telling factor in a gruelling first game he won 10-8 in 21 minutes; despite losing the second 9-5 he rushed through the last two with the loss of only 3 points.
Pakistan also won the under 13s and under 15s titles with Farhan Zaman winning the former in just 18 minutes and fancied Shohaib Hassan winning the latter in 40 minutes.
For once a class went the other way. In the boys under 17s contest second seed Omar Abo Zid from Egypt took just half-an-hour to beat a tired-looking Bilal Zaman from Pakistan without dropping a game.
After his victory under 19's champ Ashfaq, aged 18, said: "Many people think my 6ft 1in hight is a barrier and therefore think my reflexes won't be as good, but by now people must have seen that my height is actually a strength and I can manoeuvre just as fast and skilfully as everyone else.
"I have been under strict training by my coach and my family and this has helped me in the games. I was very determined to win, even when I lost the second round in the final; I picked up my pace in the third and won.
"I will be turning 19 soon and my aim is to play professionally at senior level."
Ashfaq said he always loved playing cricket but his father encouraged him to take up a separate sport and so he entered squash.
Said Ashfaq: "At the age of 13 I started entering competitions and that's when I got a real love for the game.
"It's not an easy sport, you need a lot of strength and stamina and you need to develop your skills to play a good game.
"But to play any sport in Pakistan you need a strong family background. Squash is a very expensive game as you need money for equipment, training and travelling. But now the Pakistan Squash Federation is playing their role and are beginning to provide for this support."
Pakistan's national squash coach, Rehmat Khan, who trained Pakistan's most famous and youngest world champion squash player, Jahangir Khan, said he had faith that his team would go home champions.
He said: "I'm proud of all the players, they have trained very hard and I see a future Jahangir in all the winners.
"Like Jahangir, the players need to keep a focused mind on the sport and they should never be satisfied with their current success and aim for even better."
Other south Asian winners at the open included India's Joshna Chinappa who took the under 19's girls title - an improvement on her runners-up spot of last year.
She beat Tenille Swartz from South Africa 3-1 in 44 minutes and added to India's success of last year when Sourav Ghosal took the boys under 19 title.
Fresh from their triumph the Pakistan squad enjoyed a reception organised by Deputy Lord Mayor of Manchester, Councillor Afzal Khan at Tabak Restaurant in Rusholme where chief guests included boxing wonder Amir Khan and Pakistan Consul General Salahuddin Choudhury.

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