iSQUASHmarketing News

World Champion Thierry Lincou Confirmed For 2005 Gerrard Grand Prix

Following the unprecedented success of last year's inaugural event, iSQUASHmarketing has announced that the Gerrard Grand Prix will be held at the National Squash Centre in Manchester, England, from 23-26 September 2005.  The Championships will again boast a star-studded eight-man line-up, headed by World Champion, World No1 and reigning Gerrard Grand Prix Champion Thierry Lincou.

The Gerrard Grand Prix will feature two pools of four players, leading to finals which will produce a 1-8 finish. Title sponsor Gerrard Limited, one of the UK's leading investment companies, will be joined by Associate Sponsors Manchester City Council through Manchester Leisure, alongside Europe's leading squash brand Oliver.

"Thierry Lincou of France currently stands at the pinnacle of the men's game," said Tournament Director Paul Walters of iSQUASHmarketing.  "It is testament to the spectacular success of last year's event that Thierry has agreed so readily to defend his title in 2005.  iSQUASHmarketing, with the support of our key partners Gerrard, Manchester City Council - Manchester Leisure, Oliver and sportdiscount.com, are committed to building on the success of last year's event and we look forward to confirm the final eight-man line-up in the coming weeks."

Phillip Monks, Managing Director of Gerrard, said: "We are delighted to be involved with this high calibre tournament.  Gerrard has supported British squash for a number of years and this tournament should produce exciting squash for everyone - players and spectators alike."

Jim Byrne, Head of Manchester Leisure, added: "Manchester has developed an unrivalled reputation for hosting world class events and the Gerrard Grand Prix, alongside the National Championships which have found a home in Manchester for the past eight years, play a pivotal role in showcasing the city's unrivalled squash development programme."

Bob Mitchell, Managing Director of Oliver UK, commented: "We are delighted to be involved in this unique event as Official Racket and Official Footwear sponsor.  Oliver have been producing squash rackets since 1938 when Jack Oliver worked closely with the Australian national team and our involvement and support of the Gerrard Grand Prix demonstrates our increasing commitment to the sport."

Gerrard Limited is one of the leading private client wealth managers in the UK, with over £12.5 billion funds under management, as at 31 December 2004. It employs over 1,100 staff in its network of offices across the UK, and conducts over 700,000 transactions annually.

Gerrard provides a full range of wealth management services, including investment management, stockbroking, charities, pensions and ethical investment, SIPPs and ISAs. Further information can be found at: www.gerrard.com. Financial planning is provided by Gerrard Financial Services Limited.

Gerrard Limited is authorised and regulated by the Financial Services Authority and is a member of the London Stock Exchange. Gerrard Limited is a subsidiary of Barclays Bank plc.

Barclays is a UK-based financial services group engaged primarily in banking, investment banking and investment management. In terms of assets employed, Barclays is one of the largest financial services groups in the UK. It is also a leading provider of co-ordinated global services to multinational corporations and financial institutions worldwide.

Thierry Lincou is from Paris and is France's most success squash player of all-time, winning eight French National titles and rising to World No1 for the first time in January 2004.

Thierry has won thirteen PSA World Tour titles; the Tirolean Championships in Austria, Pakistan Circuit No2, Bogotá and Ecuador Opens in South America, Clermont-Ferrand and Exterieur Opens in France, South African Open, Pittsburgh Open and Windy City Opens in the USA, the PSA Super Series Finals, Hong Kong Open, Canadian Classic, and was crowned 2004 World Open Champion in December in Qatar.

Aged 29, Thierry has represented France at junior and senior levels, and captained the French team that reached the final of the 2003 World Team Championships.

Coached jointly by Paul Sciberras and Frank Carlino, Thierry is sponsored by Adidas and Tecnifibre.