WORLD SQUASH NEWS Prince English Open Upgraded The Prince English Open, the first new major international squash tournament to be staged in England for more than fifteen years, has been upgraded to a 4-star PSA world ranking event, boasting a prize-fund of $45,000. The event will be staged at the prestigious Crucible Theatre in Sheffield, Yorkshire - renowned home of the World Snooker Championships - from 13-17 August. "Although we always anticipated raising the level, we did not want to set expectations too high, so initially registered the event as a 3-star," said world No1 Peter Nicol, whose new company Eventis Sports Marketing is staging the new championship. "However, we always felt that a national title in a country such as England, with such a strong squash tradition, should really be at 4-star level or above." The English Open expects to attract a world-class field to Sheffield: "The players have all been very supportive of our efforts and many have informed us that they will be playing," explained fellow Eventis director Tim Garner. "However, as past and present players ourselves, we felt that it was important that they should be playing in an event that truly demands their presence. Obviously Peter Nicol, as co-promoter, was always going to play, but now even as World No1 he can solidify his top ranking by winning our event. "Although in reality a producing theatre, The Crucible is a world-renowned sporting venue and we felt that it deserved to have the world's best players on show - and we are now confident that that will be the case," added Garner. "Despite only just starting our publicity and promotion campaign, ticket sales have gone well and we anticipate selling out the later rounds, hence enabling us to put more money back into the event." It has also been revealed that the inaugural English Open will be staged on a brand new all-glass court. The spectacular court, from Yorkshire-based glass wall inventor Prospec, will enable spectators all around the Crucible auditorium to have an unimpeded view into the court, while the coloured surface treatment on the glass will ensure the very best playing conditions. "This combination of coloured walls with a coloured floor will make watching top-level squash a thrilling experience," said a spokesman from Prospec, which developed and installed the world's first squash court glass wall at Sheffield's Abbeydale Club.