Crieff’s rising star
Strath player Rory rockets up the world ranking list
Squash player rockets up world ranking list
Crieff squash player Rory Stewart finished inside a list of the world’s top 200 at the end a successful maiden season mixing with the best in the business.
The 20- year- old climbed 240 world ranking places to 191 in the PSA World Tour list since joining the men’s professional ranks on a full-time basis this season.
His remarkable progress comes despite picking up a minor back injury which affected his chances in his last tour event, the Kent Open, earlier this month.
The former Crieff High School pupil has already begun a rigorous pre-season training camp together with the rest of Scotland’s elite performance squad before he competes at the World Games, a multisport event for non-Olympic sports, in Poland from July 25-28.
“I have achieved everything I wanted to achieve,” Rory admitted earlier this week.
“Winning the U23 British Open in January was the best win of my career so far .
“I was pleased to reach the main draw of the British National Senior Championships having come through three qualifying rounds.
“I lost to England’s Joe Lee in the first round proper over four games in a match which lasted an hour.
“He went on to reach the final and is a former top 30 player so that was a big positive and a testament to how much I think I’ve improved.
“I also got to the semi-finals of a PSA World Tour event in France last month which I didn’t expect, losing 3-2 to the eventual runner-up Adam Murrills having pushed him all the way.”
He continued: “The first year on tour is probably the hardest and you can’t guarantee you will get into the tournaments you enter.
“You need to come through qualifying but the chances of getting an easier path through the draw will improve as I climb the rankings.
“I need to find consistency next season, backing up wins match after match and try and get over the finish line in big matches.
“Fatigue is not a factor, it’s just a case of learning to take tight matches by the scruff of the neck.”
The next few weeks will involve bleep tests, runs up Edinburgh landmark Arthur’s Seat and practice sessions at Scottish Squash’s base at the Oriam Performance Centre in the build up to taking on Egypt’s Shehab Essam in a tough first round assignment at the World Games.
Rory added: “It’s good to get stuck into pre-season and, even though it’s hard work I quite enjoy it.
“The World Games will be a great experience, Shehab Essam is 75 in the world so it would be a good one to win.”