WISPA Tour Ends On A High In Sarawak  The Women's International Squash Players' Association (WISPA) promotional tour of Asia ended on a high in the Malaysian state of Sarawak with Australia's world No1 and four-times world champion Sarah Fitz-Gerald praising the talents of a number of junior players who had attended the coaching clinics at The Sarawak Club in Kuching. Led by Fitz-Gerald and Malaysia's Asian champion and twice world junior champion Nicol David, the 12-day WISPA tour began in Thailand, and then visited Brunei before moving on to raise the profile of women's squash in Sarawak on the island of Borneo. "I have been very impressed with the quality of the junior talent here," said WISPA President Fitz-Gerald to journalists at the packed press conference at the Sarawak Club. "It's my first visit here and it's been great to be on court with so many enthusiastic kids." Sarawak's top two junior girls June Tiong and Jo-Ann Jee, both 15, particularly impressed the WISPA stars. "You could see that they had a good eye for the ball and had been properly coached," said Fitz-Gerald. "Indeed, one of the girls won the first rally of a short game we played - and I thought 'lucky' - then she won the next and I realised I had to pick up the pace a little!" Talented youngsters June Tiong and Jo-Ann Jee (right) soaking up tips from the WISPA stars. The press conference provoked widespread coverage, including TV exposure on both RTM and NTV-7, and a number of interviews broadcast on RTM Radio, plus coverage in both the English and Chinese-language newspapers - the latter being a rare achievement. Facing the media at the formal press conference at the Sarawak Club are (L to R): Andrew Shelley, Sarah Fitz-Gerald, Ken Goh, Nicol David and WISPA Media Director Howard Harding. Former Pakistan international Abdul Rehman, a contemporary of Pakistani greats Qamar Zaman and Gogi Alauddin, is the resident state coach. "It's been a great experience for our youngsters to be on court with players like Nicol and Sarah. They can see first hand that today's game is more attacking than it used to be - and that is the way they must play," said the former Qatar, Hong Kong and Singapore national coach who recently moved to the Sarawak Club after 18 months at the Bukit Jalil Sports School in Kuala Lumpur. Moh'd Azlan Iskandar, currently Malaysian No2 behind top-ten ranked Ong Beng Hee, began his squash career in Sarawak before moving to the Bukit Jalil school, then on to London where is now a member of the Neil Harvey stable which also includes England's world No1 Peter Nicol. Sarawak's current leading junior is Wong Kim Lee, son of Belfast-born Sue Teale, who also moves to England this autumn to further his squash career - at Gloucester's Wycliffe College after a period at the KL sports school. In the exhibition matches at the Sarawak Club against local opposition, Fitz-Gerald took on Ronnie Chong, Secretary of the Sarawak Squash Rackets Association, while Nicol faced top Sarawak junior Romero Yap, a cousin of Azlan Iskandar. "I am very tired now," said the 14-year-old after his best-of-three encounter. "But it was a great experience and I learned that I need to play more attacking squash." The WISPA party were welcomed on arrival in Kuching at a dinner hosted by the Sarawak Club. The following evening, they were entertained by the Sports Council of Sarawak, at a dinner hosted by YB Joseph Entulu, the Assistant Minister of Social Development and Urbanisation. Sarawak SRA Chairman Kenneth Goh and Sarawak-based Squash Rackets Association of Malaysia (SRAM) Treasurer Lucy Read both hailed the WISPA visit as a huge success: "It's extremely inspiring for our young players to have the chance to see, meet, and even play, with players of the calibre of Sarah and Nicol - and I am certain we will see the effects of this for many years to come," said Goh, who learned his squash at England's Edgbaston Priory club in Birmingham in the Jonah Barrington era there.   Lucy Read (left), who combines the two roles as Treasurer of both SRAM and the Sarawak Club, with Sarah and Nicol and Sarawak Club Secretary Chan Poh Hui. The exhibition matches and coaching clinics in Kuching prompted interest from all over Sarawak. One family of six arrived at the Sarawak Club after a 12-hour journey by road from Miri in the far east of the state, negotiating numerous potholes and ferries to see the WISPA action! "We have been delighted with the response we have received throughout Asia," said Fitz-Gerald as the Association's fourth annual promotional tour drew to a close. "Our bid to increase the awareness of women's squash in countries which never usually see our level of squash has not only been very worthwhile but extremely enjoyable. Nicol and I have been overwhelmed by the general level of interest and the way in which we have been inundated by requests for autographs and photos."   The WISPA stars and Andrew Shelley celebrate the Asian tour success in front of Kuching landmark Fort Margarita. Nicol David, the 18-year-old Asian champion from Penang who only met the distinguished Australian for the first time 15 months ago, when they played in the same event in Germany, added: "This project has been very significant for me in two ways: firstly that I have been able to travel with Sarah and learn from one of the sport's most successful players of all time, both on and off court - and secondly, that we have been so warmly received wherever we have been, with local organisers clearly working hard to attract great numbers of both players and media for us to meet."   Nicol poses in a traditional Sarawak Kayan costume - a picture which began to appear in the Sarawak press as the WISPA party left Kuching. WISPA Director Andrew Shelley summed up the tour's success: "We believe in building relationships - and that has been an understatement this year. Not only have we been able to raise the profile of women's squash in these countries but their enthusiasm to try to initiate events augurs well for the future. We have really enjoyed meeting a huge number of fans - not only those revolving in the ceilings!"