Peter Nicol
| Peter Nicol | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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| Nickname(s) | The Boss | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Country |
 England Scotland (until March, 2001) | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Residence | London, England | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Born |
5 April 1973 Inverurie, Scotland | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Height | 1.80 m (5 ft 11 in) | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Turned Pro | 1994 | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Retired | 2006 | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Plays | Left handed | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Coached by | Neil Harvey | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Racquet used | Prince | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Men's singles | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Highest ranking | No. 1 (February, 1998) | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Title(s) | 52 | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Tour final(s) | 69 | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| World Open | W (1999) | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Medal record
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| Last updated on: September 19, 2010. | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Peter Nicol, MBE (born 5 April 1973), is a former professional squash player from Scotland, who represented first Scotland and then England in international squash. In 1998, while still competing for Scotland, he became the first player from the UK to hold the World No. 1 ranking. During his career, he won one World Open title, two British Open titles, and four Commonwealth Games Gold Medals. He is widely considered to be one of the most outstanding international squash players of his time.[1] He was born in Inverurie, Aberdeenshire.
Career overview
During his career, Nicol was well known for his excellent retrieving game, as well as being an extremely tough competitor to break down. His rivalry with the Canadian player Jonathon Power was amongst the most famous and extended in the history of squash.
Nicol was ranked World No. 1 for a total of 60 months during his career, including a continuous 24 month stint in 2002-2003.
After finishing runner-up at the World Open in 1997 and 1998, Nicol won the title in 1999, beating Ahmed Barada of Egypt in the final 15–9, 15–13, 15–11. He continued to hold the title of "world champion" through to 2002 as the men's World Open was not held in 2000 or 2001 due to difficulties in securing sponsorship for the event.
After initially representing Scotland in international squash, Nicol switched his representation to England in 2001, claiming that he felt he was not receiving sufficient support from Scottish Squash, the national governing body. Some resented this switch, even going so far as calling it traitorous, suggesting it was rooted in financial gain.[2]
Nicol enjoyed considerable success at the Commonwealth Games, where squash became a medal sport in 1998. In 1998, representing Scotland, he won a men's singles Gold Medal (beating Jonathon Power in the final), and a men's doubles Bronze Medal. At the 2002 Commonwealth Games, representing England, Nicol won a men's singles Silver Medal (losing in the final to Power), and a men's doubles Gold Medal (partnering Lee Beachill). In 2006, again representing England, Nicol won another men's singles Gold Medal (beating Australia's David Palmer in the final), and another men's doubles Gold Medal (partnering Beachill again).
Other career highlights included winning three consecutive Super Series Finals titles (1999–2001), two PSA Masters titles (2000 & 2004), three Tournament of Champions titles (2001 & 2003-4), and two British National Championship titles (1996 & 2003).
Retirement
In July 2006, Nicol announced that he would be retiring after the 2006 World Open in September.[3] Nicol's final match was a loss to Thierry Lincou in the quarter-finals.[4]
Nicol now has turned his focus to promoting the game, providing sponsorship, support and coaching through his company Peter Nicol Squash, and promoting events worldwide through Eventis Sports Marketing Ltd. As the recently named squash ambassador for Prince, Nicol's long-time sponsor, Nicol coincided a launch of Peternicolsquash.com, an online retailer of Prince equipment.
World Open final appearances
| Wins (1) | ||
| Year | Opponent in final | Score in final |
| 1999 | Ahmed Barada | 15–9, 15–13, 15–11 |
| Runner-ups (2) | ||
| Year | Opponent in final | Score in final |
| 1997 | Rodney Eyles | 15–11, 15–12, 15–12 |
| 1998 | Jonathon Power | 15–17, 15–7, 15–9, 15–10 |
British Open final appearances
| Wins (2) | ||
| Year | Opponent in final | Score in final |
| 1998 | Jansher Khan | 17–16, 15–4, 15–5 |
| 2002 | John White | 15–9, 15–8, 15–8 |
| Runner-ups (3) | ||
| Year | Opponent in final | Score in final |
| 1997 | Jansher Khan | 17–15, 9–15, 15–12, 8–15, 15–8 |
| 1999 | Jonathon Power | 15–17, 15–12 (retired) |
| 2003 | David Palmer | 15–13, 15–13, 15–8 |
Commonwealth Games final appearances
| Wins (2) | ||
| Year | Opponent in final | Score in final |
| 1998 | Jonathon Power | 3–9, 9–2, 9–1, 2–9, 9–2 |
| 2006 | David Palmer | 9–5, 10–8, 4–9, 9–2 |
| Runner-ups (1) | ||
| Year | Opponent in final | Score in final |
| 2002 | Jonathon Power | 9–4, 4–9, 9–3, 9–0 |
Nicol also won men's doubles Gold Medals at the Commonwealth Games in 2002 and 2006 (partnering Lee Beachill on both occasions).
References
- ↑ Fordyce, Tom (July 19, 2006). "Unknown legend". BBC.co.uk. Retrieved 26 February 2010.
- ↑ Mitchell, Paul. "Peter Nicol defects to England 2001". BBC.co.uk. Retrieved 26 February 2010.
- ↑ Squash star Nicol set to retire
- ↑ Nicol bows out after Egypt defeat
External links
- Peter Nicol profile on the PSA official website
- Peter Nicol profile on SquashInfo
- Page at Squashpics.com
- Article regarding Nicol's switch from Scotland to England
- Article on the announcement of Nicol's retirement
- Article on Nicol's retirement
- BBC article on the announcement of Nicol's retirement
| Sporting positions | ||
|---|---|---|
| Preceded by Jansher Khan Jonathon Power Jonathon Power David Palmer John White |
World No. 1 February 1998 - April 1999 October 1999 February 2000 - March 2001 January 2002 - December 2003 May 2004 - September 2004 |
Succeeded by Jonathon Power Jonathon Power Jonathon Power Thierry Lincou Lee Beachill |
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