WORLD SQUASH NEWS

World No1 Carol Owens To Retire

New Zealand's world number one squash player Carol Owens has announced her retirement from the sport, ending a 15-year career on the WISPA World Tour.

The 32-year-old from Auckland has been contemplating her future since winning the Women's World Open title in Hong Kong last month, and has now decided it is time to hang up her racket.  The Hong Kong climax marked Owens' 50th appearance in a WISPA final, and her second world title.

Owens says she no longer has the desire to compete on the world circuit.  She says she wants to leave the game while at the top, not after a slide down the rankings.

Speculation has been rife that Owens would return for another season to try to capture the British Open crown which has thus far eluded her.

"Being number one in the world is as good as it gets, and I have no regrets about calling it a day," said the former Australian.

Owens says a number of factors have gone into the decision, including a back injury which sidelined her briefly in the middle of last year.  She says she has yet to figure out where her future lies, but coaching is a possibility, so she needs to look after her body.

Carol Owens hasn't been lost to the courts completely though - she says she will continue to play on the local scene, and hasn't ruled out representing New Zealand in the doubles at the 2006 Commonwealth Games in Melbourne.

"Retirement is inevitable at some stage for every player and Carol has chosen to go while still at the top," said WISPA Director Andrew Shelley.  "She is a great athlete and has been a superb asset to the WISPA Tour and has certainly left her mark.  The good news is that she has indicated that she will be remaining involved so she is simply entering another squash phase - and you can bet that she will want to be as successful in this as she has been on the competitive side."