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Pilgrims at the Jamrah of Aqaba during the 2006 Hajj

Stoning of the Devil or stoning of the jamarāt (Arabic: رمي الجمرات‎) is part of the annual Islamic Hajj pilgrimage to the holy city of Mecca in Saudi Arabia. Muslim pilgrims fling pebbles at three walls, called jamarāt, in the city of Mina just east of Mecca. It is one of a series of ritual acts that must be performed in the Hajj. The stoning is performed on the day of Eid al-Adha, and two or three days after. After the stoning is completed on the day of Eid, every pilgrim must cut or shave their hair. Until 2004 the three jamarāt (singular: jamrah) were tall pillars. After the 2004 Hajj, Saudi authorities replaced the pillars with 26 m (85 ft) long walls for safety; many people were accidentally throwing pebbles at people on the other side. The jamarāt are named (starting from the east) the first or smallest jamrah (Arabic: aj-jamrah al-'ūlā or aj-jamrah aṣ-ṣughrā‎), the middle jamrah (aj-jamrah al-wusṭā), and the largest jamrah or Jamrah of Aqaba (aj-jamrah al-kubrā or jamrat al-^caqaba). Before 2004، the distance between the small and middle jamarāt was 150 m (490 ft); between the middle and large jamarāt it was 225 m (738 ft).^[1] To allow easier access to the jamarāt, a single-tiered pedestrian bridge called the Jamaraat Bridge was built around them; pilgrims could then throw stones from either ground level or from the bridge.

On the 10th day of Dhu al-Hijjah (Eid al-Adha), pilgrims must strike the large jamrah only with seven pebbles. On each of the following two days, they must hit each of the three walls with seven pebbles, going in order from east to west. Thus at least 49 pebbles are needed for the ritual, more if some throws miss. Some pilgrims stay at Mina for an additional day, in which case they must again stone each wall seven times.

The pebbles used in the stoning are traditionally gathered at Muzdalifah, a plain southeast of Mina, on the night before the first throwing, but can also be collected at Mina.

Historical and spiritual significance[link]

The ritual re-enacts Abraham's (Ibrāhīm) pilgrimage to Mecca as explained by the Muslim historian al-Azraqi:

When he [Abraham] left Mina and was brought down to (the defile called) al-Aqaba, the Devil appeared to him at Stone-Heap of the Defile. Gabriel said to him: "Pelt him!" so Abraham threw seven stones at him so that he disappeared from him. Then he appeared to him at the Middle Stone-Heap. Gabriel said to him: "Pelt him!" so he pelted him with seven stones so that he disappeared from him. Then he appeared to him at the Little Stone-Heap. Gabriel said to him: "Pelt him!" so he pelted him with seven stones like the little stones for throwing with a sling. So the Devil withdrew from him.^[2]

All three jamarāt represent the devil: the first and largest represents his temptation of Abraham against sacrificing Ishmael (Ismā^cīl); the second represents the temptation of Abraham's wife Hagar to induce her to stop him; the third represents his temptation of Ishmael to avoid being sacrificed. He was rebuked each time, and the throwing of the stones symbolizes those rebukes.

The stoning of the jamarāt also represents the repudiation of man's self (literally the "internal despot," an-nafs al-'amāra) and the act of casting aside one's low desires and wishes. As one Islamic theologian puts it,

If one is able to crush al‑nafs al‑'amāra during the stoning of Jamrat al‑^cAqaba [the Jamrah of Aqaba], then one has taken the next step in attaining closeness to Allah, and since between the servant and Allah there is no more than the distance of one step, if one has been able to take this step and make it past one's own low desires and wishes, then that which follows is the level of closeness to Allah.

During those two or three days after the Eid that one is in Mina, one must stone the three jamarāt, meaning that one must trample upon his internal despot (an-nafs al-'amāra), the external despot of the Shaitan from the Jinn (Iblīs and those like him), and the Shayṭān from among the Humans (the enemies of religion and of humanity).

The stoning of the three jamarāt is, in essence, the trampling upon the despots and waging war against all of them. When one focuses on them and the hatred for them, then one automatically focuses with complete attention upon one's self – and rightfully so – while stoning the jamarāt, one must focus entirely upon one's self.^[3]

Incidents[link]

The Stoning of the Devil ritual was once one of the most dangerous parts of the pilgrimage, as sudden crowd movements on or near the Jamaraat Bridge could cause people to be crushed. On several occasions hundreds of participants had suffocated or been trampled to death in stampedes.

The bridge has been expanded in recent years to accommodate the ever-growing number of pilgrims who perform the Hajj every year. An important step in managing crowds is the recent replacement of the jamarāt pillars by walls to ease and speed up the stoning.

Crowd conditions are especially difficult during the final day of Hajj, which is the day pilgrims leave the valley of Mina and return to Mecca for the farewell Tawaf (the final circumambulation of the Kaaba). According to hadith, Muhammad's last stoning was performed just after the noon prayer. Many scholars feel that the ritual can be done any time between noon and sunset on this day; however, many Muslims are taught that it should be done immediately after the noon prayer. This leads to people camping out until noon and rushing out then to do the stoning.

These two factors are felt to be most responsible for the most recent tragedy during the Hajj of 2006, in which a stampede killed at least 346 pilgrims and injured at least 289 more. This was despite several attempts by the authorities to inform pilgrims about the permissibility of staggering their visits to the jamarāt as well as instructing them to leave their luggage at their tents. Adding to the confusion involved in the tragedy is the lack of co-operation on the part of pilgrims who do not leave the jamarāt area by the proper route, and therefore interfere with the movements of others who are arriving.

Change of Pillars[link]

Previously there were three pillars in the shape of three obelisks for stoning, which has been recently replaced by three walls (to increase the area and avoid similar accidents mentioned above). So many Muslims consider obelisks to be symbol of Satan. You can see a picture of that in following website:

http://www.themeaningofislam.org/five_pillars/hajj/sequence_of_events.html

References[link]

See also[link]

Stoning in Islam

Rami Sabry (Arabic: رامي صبري‎) (born 15 March 1978)^[1] is an Egyptian singer.

References[link]

1. ^ Fanoos

l,l

External links[link]

• Star Gate

This Egyptian biographical article is a stub. You can help Wikipedia by expanding it. v t e

This article on an African singer is a stub. You can help Wikipedia by expanding it. v t e

Ramy Ashour
Full name	Ramy Mohamed Ashour
Nickname(s)	Cairo King, The Artist, The Magician
Country	Egypt
Residence	Cairo, Egypt
Born	(1987-09-30) September 30, 1987 (age 24) Cairo, Egypt
Height	1.80 m (5 ft 11 in)
Weight	78 kilograms (170 lb)
Turned Pro	2004
Retired	Active
Plays	Right handed
Coached by	Ashraf Hanafi Anthony Hill Ahmed Matan
Racquet used	Dunlop Biomimetic Max
Men's singles
Highest ranking	No. 1 (January, 2010)
Current ranking	No. 4 (May, 2012)
World Open	W (2008)
Last updated on: February 5th, 2012.

Ramy Mohamed Ashour (Arabic: رامي عاشور‎) (born September 30, 1987, in Cairo, Egypt) is a professional squash player from Egypt. He reached world No. 1 in January, 2010, after beating Nick Matthew in the final of the 2009 Saudi International Squash Tournament.^[1] At 22 he became the youngest player to achieve world No. 1 since the Khan era,^[2] having previously been the first two-time World Junior Squash champion. In addition, he has also won numerous titles including the World Open.

Career Overview[link]

This section needs additional citations for verification. Please help improve this article by adding citations to reliable sources. Unsourced material may be challenged and removed. (December 2009)

Ashour won his first major international title in 2004, when he became the youngest player ever to win the Men's World Junior Squash Championship at just 16 years old. He also led Egypt to a second-place finish in the team event in 2004, losing to Pakistan in the final. In July 2006, he became the first player in history to win the World Junior Championships twice. He defeated his junior compatriot Egyptian Omar Mosaad. He also led Egypt to 2–1 victory over Pakistan in the final of the team event. By his victories, Egypt captured the first three positions in the individual players event and the team event title which was a feat no team has ever accomplished in the history of the tournament.

Ashour reached his first major final at the Cathay Pacific Swiss Privilege Hong Kong Squash Open in 2006 where he lost to the eventual world number one fellow Egyptian Amr Shabana. En route to the final, he beat World number 10 John White, world number 3 Thierry Lincou and World No.2 David Palmer.

Ashour won his first major professional title in January 2007, when he defeated David Palmer (11–7, 11–3, 11–4) in 32 minutes for the Canadian Squash Classic. In April 2007, Ashour won both the Sheikha Al Saad Kuwait Open, the richest squash event in the world, by defeating his Egyptian compatriot Amr Shabana, 11–5, 11–3, 12–10, in 34 minutes, after a 10-6 deficit in the third, and then won the Qatar Classic in Doha by again dispatching David Palmer with a score of 8–11, 11–9, 11–9, 11–6, in 66 minutes.

Also in 2007, Ramy won the ATCO Super Series Finals event, held in August, by competing against other top points winners of the season. Only the top 8 players are invited to this prestigious event. The only player to go undefeated in his first 3 matches, Ramy then met French sensation Grégory Gaultier in the final. After a 62 minute battle, Ramy took the title 3–1 (12–10, 11–8, 4–11, 11–4).

To quote squash legend and writer Malcolm Willstrop, "Ramy Ashour is something else - his movement is better than anyone in the game, and allied to his unique racket skills and vision, he lights up the sport. Not only that but his modesty, and engaging smile make him a rare commodity."

The season ending 2009 Saudi International Open saw Ashour beat Nick Matthew in a final where the winner would become the next world No. 1. Ashour won the 110 minute battle (his longest ever on the PSA tour) in a grueling 5 game match.^[1]

Ashour's older brother, Hisham Mohd Ashour, also plays on the PSA tour and has a career high ranking of No. 13 in the world; achieved in April 2011.

After losing his world number one ranking to English rival Nick Matthew in June 2010, Ashour reached the final of the new World Series Australian Open in August, then battled to a 10-12, 11-9, 11-9, 9-11, 11-9 win in 90 minutes over Gregory Gaultier in the Hong Kong Open final two weeks later to ensure his return to the top of the rankings in September 2010. But despite again slipping behind Matthew in the first 2011 rankings, Ashour started his New Year campaign in brilliant style, winning the JP Morgan Tournament of Champions title for the second time since 2008 after overcoming the Englishman in the New York final. It was his comeback tournament after recovering from a 2010 hamstring injury. But a month later he was again back in a World Series final at the North American Open in Virginia – but this time it was Matthew who prevailed in an epic five gamer. Ramy came back however at the 2011 Australian Open, defeating defending champion Nick Matthew in another epic five gamer. Their rivalry continued as they played for their country in the WSF 2011 World Team Squash Championships in Paderborn, Germany. Ramy (and Egypt) went on to win that encounter. Ramy further consolidated his push towards world #1 defeating Nick Matthew again at the 2011 Rowe British Grand Prix 3 games to 1. Ashour finished second at the 2012 North American Open, losing to the current world number one, James Willstrop, in the finals.

Career statistics[link]

Listed below.

PSA Titles (22)[link]

All Results for Ramy Ashour in PSA World's Tour tournament

No.	Date	Tournament	Opponent in Final	Score in Final	Minutes Played
1.	November 21, 2004	Athens Open	Andrew Whipp	13–11, 12–10, 7–11, 7–11, 11–9	1 h 15 min[3]
2.	January 12, 2007	Canadian Classic	David Palmer	11–7, 11–3, 11–4	32 min[4]
3.	January 29, 2007	Dayton Open	John White	8–11, 7–11, 11–16, 12–10, 11–2	1 h 12 min[5]
4.	April 11, 2007	Sheikha Al Saad Kuwait Open	Amr Shabana	11–5, 11–3, 12–10	34 min[6]
5.	April 17, 2007	Qatar Classic Open	David Palmer	8–11, 11–9, 11–9, 11–6	1 h 9 min[7]
6.	August 12, 2007	Super Series Finals	Grégory Gaultier	12–10, 11–8, 4–11, 11–4	1 h 2 min[8]
7.	January 16, 2008	Tournament of Champions	James Willstrop	11–7, 13–11, 11–9	40 min[9]
8.	February 16, 2008	Canadian Classic	Amr Shabana	11–2, 11–9, 8–11, 11–8	38 min[10]
9.	April 20, 2008	Hurghada International Open	Amr Shabana	12–10, 9–11, 11–7, 9–11, 12–10	47 min[11]
10.	October 19, 2008	World Open	Karim Darwish	5–11, 11–8, 11–4, 11–5	1 h[12]
11.	February 28, 2009	North American Open	Nick Matthew	11–8, 13–11, 10–12, 5–11, 11–8	1 h 31 min[13]
12.	April 04, 2009	Hurghada International Open	Gregory Gaultier	7-11, 11-5, 11-3, 11-8	47 min[14]
13.	December 10, 2009	PSA Masters	Nick Matthew	11–6, 9–11, 11–9, 11–9	1 h 19 min[15]
14.	December 18, 2009	Saudi International Open	Nick Matthew	11–7, 7–11, 11–9, 9–11, 11–8	1 h 50 min[1]
15.	March 20, 2010	CIMB KL Open	Karim Darwish	11-8, 11-8, 11-9	51 min[16]
16.	August 29, 2010	Cathay Pacific Hong Kong Open	Gregory Gaultier	10-12, 11-9, 11-9, 9-11, 11-9	1 h 30 min[17]
17.	September 20, 2010	Rowe British Grand Prix	James Willstrop	11-7, 3-11, 11-3, 11-5	40 min[18]
18.	November 02, 2010	Kuwait Open	Amr Shabana	9-11, 11-4, 13-11, 11-1	45 min[19]
19.	January 27, 2011	Tournament of Champions	Nick Matthew	11–3, 7–11, 11–9, 11-7	52 min[20]
20.	May 19, 2011	Hurghada International Open	Karim Darwish	11-9, 9-11, 12-14, 11-9, 11-3	1 h 20 min[21]
21.	August 14, 2011	Australian Open	Nick Matthew	12-14, 11-6, 10-12, 11-8, 11-4	77 min[22]
22.	September 25, 2011	Rowe British Grand Prix	Nick Matthew	1-11, 11-3, 11-7, 11-4	66 min[23]

Note: (ret) = retired, min = minutes, h = hours

PSA Tour Finals (Runner-Up) (13)[link]

No.	Date	Tournament	Opponent in Final	Score in Final	Minutes Played
1.	October 22, 2005	Athens Open	Hisham Mohd Ashour	11–7, 2–11, 10–12, 7–11	37 min[24]
2.	January 29, 2006	Dayton Open	John White	5–11, 3–11, 6–11	Unknown
3.	March 11, 2006	COAS International	Mohammed Abbas	4–11, 11–9, 5–11, 7–11	Unknown
4.	October 22, 2006	Hong Kong Open	Amr Shabana	11–13, 11–3, 5–11, 11–13	48 min[25]
5.	October 28, 2007	Saudi International Open	Amr Shabana	5–11, 5–11, 11–1, 9–11	50 min[26]
6.	April 27, 2008	Kuwait Open	Amr Shabana	9-11, 7-11, 11-13	52 min[27]
7.	September 06, 2009	U.S. Open	Amr Shabana	7-11, 2-11, 11-7, 14-12, 8-11	57 min[28]
8.	November 07, 2009	Kuwait Open	Amr Shabana	8-11, 8-11, 5-11	50 min[29]
9.	January 28, 2010	Tournament of Champions	James Willstrop	10-12, 5-11, 11-9, 2-11	49 min[30]
10.	February 27, 2010	North American Open	Nick Matthew	9-11, 14-16, 4-5 (ret)	48 min[31]
11.	August 15, 2010	Australian Open	Nick Matthew	14-16, 7-11, 10-12	Unknown[32]
12.	October 24, 2010	El-Gouna International Open	Karim Darwish	14-16, 3-11, 1-5 (ret)	52 min[33]
13.	February 26, 2011	North American Open	Nick Matthew	9-11, 5-11, 11-8, 11-8, 6-11	1h 23 min[34]

See also[link]

• Official Men's Squash World Ranking

References[link]

External links[link]

• Ramy Ashour profile on the PSA official website
• Ramy Ashour profile on SquashInfo
• Ramy Ashour bio on the new PSA website
• The emergence of Ramy Ashour at Squashsite.co.uk
• 'Ashoured of Success' at Squashplayer.co.uk
• 'Amr Shabana and Ramy Ashour Highlights' at mensvogue.com
• 'Pair Of Aces' at Mensvogue.com

v t e Professional Squash Association: Top ten Egyptian male squash players as of March 2012 Karim Darwish (4 ) Ramy Ashour (5 ) Amr Shabana (6 ) Mohamed El Shorbagy (8 ) Omar Mosaad (13 1) Hisham Mohd Ashour (14 3) Tarek Momen (19 1) Mohammed Ali Anwar Reda (27 1) Karim Abdel Gawad (32 10) Marwan El Shorbagy (35 2)

This biographical article needs additional citations for verification. Please help by adding reliable sources. Contentious material about living persons that is unsourced or poorly sourced must be removed immediately, especially if potentially libelous or harmful. (March 2010)

Nick Matthew
Nick Matthew holding his 2006 British Grand Prix Squash Championships trophy
Full name	Nicholas Matthew
Country	England
Residence	Sheffield, England
Born	(1980-07-25) July 25, 1980 (age 31) Sheffield, England
Height	6 ft 0 in (1.83 m)
Weight	77 kilograms (170 lb)
Turned Pro	1998
Retired	Active
Plays	Right Handed
Coached by	David Pearson
Racquet used	Dunlop
Website	www.nickmatthew.co.uk
Men's singles
Highest ranking	No. 1 (June 2010)
Current ranking	No. 1 (February 2012)
Medal record Competitor for  England Squash Commonwealth Games Gold 2010 Delhi Singles Gold 2010 Delhi Doubles Competitor for  United Kingdom Squash World Games Gold 2009 Kaohsiung Individual
Last updated on: January 1, 2012.

Nicholas Matthew (born 25 July 1980 in Sheffield) is a professional squash player from England who won the British Open in 2006 and 2009 and is the reigning World Champion. He reached a career-high world ranking of World No. 1 in June 2010.^[1] His home squash club is Hallamshire Tennis and Squash club in Sheffield which has named a squash court 'The Nick Matthew Showcourt'.

Career overview[link]

Matthew, who attended High Storrs School,^[2] first came to the squash world's attention as an outstanding junior player. He was the 1999 British Junior Open under-19 champion, a semi-finalist at the 1998 World Junior Championships, and a member of the England team which won the 1998 world junior team title. He made his first appearance on the professional tour in 1998.

In 2006, Matthew became the first home-grown English player to win the British Open men's title since 1939. In the final, against Thierry Lincou of France, he came back from 0–4 down in the fifth game to win 11–8, 5–11, 11–4, 9–11, 11–6. In 2007, Matthew won the US Open title, beating James Willstrop in the final 11–7, 11–4, 11–7.

Matthew won the British National Championship title in 2006 and 2009. In 2006, Matthew played Lee Beachill in a tight final, which he won 11–9, 6–11, 11–9, 10–12, 12–10. In 2009, he defeated Adrian Grant in the final 11–4, 11–3, 11–9. Matthew was a member of the England team which won the World Team Squash Championships in 2005 and 2007.

2009 saw Matthew soar up in rankings to world No. 4 in December. His best achievement of the year is by winning the Qatar Classic Open title in November. In the Saudi International Open, Matthew's fine run was halted by Ramy Ashour who beat him in the final that decided the next world No. 1. Matthew lost in 110 minutes in a gruelling 5 set match.^[3]

In the singles final of the 2010 Commonwealth Games in Delhi, Matthew defeated compatriot James Willstrop 11–6, 11–7, 11–7 in 66 minutes to win the gold medal.^[4]

Nick Matthew became the first Englishman ever to win the World Open Squash Men's Title in December 2010.^[5]

Matthew won the PSA 2010 World Open, defeating James Willstrop of England in the final by 3 games to 1 in 74 minutes at The Sunset Beach Resort in Saudi Arabia on Friday 10 December 2010.^[6]

Matthew won the PSA 2011 World Open, defeating Gregory Gaultier of France in the final by 3 games to 1 in 92 minutes at the Luxor Theatre in Rotterdam, The Netherlands on Sunday 6 November 2011.^[7] After struggling with an injury in late 2011, Matthew entered the J.P. Morgan Tournament of Champions, beating then world number 1 James Willstrop. He has since regained his position as world number 1.

British Open[link]

Finals: 3 (3 titles, 0 runner-up)[link]

Outcome	Year	Location	Opponent in the final	Score in the final
Winner	2006	Nottingham, England	Thierry Lincou	11–8, 5–11, 11–4, 9–11, 11–6
Winner	2009	Manchester, England	James Willstrop	8–11, 11–8, 7–11, 11–3, 12–10
Winner	2012	London, England	Ramy Ashour	11-9, 11–4, 11-8

World Open[link]

Finals: 2 (2 titles, 0 runner-up)[link]

Outcome	Year	Location	Opponent in the final	Score in the final
Winner	2010	Saudi Arabia	James Willstrop	7–11, 11–6, 11–2, 11–3
Winner	2011	Rotterdam, Netherlands	Grégory Gaultier	6-11, 11-9, 11-6, 11-5

See also[link]

• Official Men's Squash World Ranking

References[link]

Nick Matthew (Official)

External links[link]

Wikimedia Commons has media related to: Nick Matthew

• Nick Matthew profile on the PSA official website
• Nick Matthew profile on SquashInfo
• Page at Squashpics.com

v t e Professional Squash Association: Top ten English male squash players as of March 2012 James Willstrop (1 1) Nick Matthew (3 2) Peter Barker (7 ) Daryl Selby (11 1) Adrian Grant (16 1) Tom Richards (20 1) Jonathan Kemp (38 7) Chris Ryder (39 ) Chris Simpson (47 1) Adrian Waller (53 2)

James Willstrop
James Willstrop reacts during the 2009 Kuwait Open semi-finals.
Country	England
Residence	Leeds, England
Born	(1983-08-15) 15 August 1983 (age 28) North Walsham, Yorkshire
Height	1.94 m (6 ft 4 in)
Weight	90 kilograms (200 lb)
Turned Pro	July 2007
Retired	Active
Plays	Right Handed
Coached by	Malcolm Willstrop
Racquet used	Prince
Website	www.willstrop.co.uk/
Men's singles
Highest ranking	No. 1 (January, 2012)
Current ranking	No. 2 (February, 2012)
Tour final(s)	12
World Open	F (2010) SF (2005, 2009)
Medal record Competitor for  England Squash Commonwealth Games Silver 2006 Melbourne Mixed Doubles Silver 2010 Delhi Singles Commonwealth Youth Games Gold 2000 Edinburgh Team Competitor for  United Kingdom World Games Silver 2009 Kaohsiung Individual
Last updated on: October 8, 2010.

James Willstrop (born 15 August 1983, in North Walsham, Yorkshire, United Kingdom) is a professional squash player from England.

Biography[link]

This section needs additional citations for verification. Please help improve this article by adding citations to reliable sources. Unsourced material may be challenged and removed. (December 2009)

Willstrop is recognised as a young squash talent with a big future ahead of him. He has a large build for a squash player, being 6 feet 4 inches and 91 kg.

Willstrop trains at Pontefract Squash Club in West Yorkshire, where he is trained by his Dad, Malcolm Willstrop.

Willstrop crowned a sensational junior squash career in 2002 when he claimed his third consecutive British Junior Under-19 National Championship title, to establish himself as England's most successful junior player of all time – having won National titles at all age groups (under-12, under-14, under-17 and under-19), and British Junior Open trophies at under-14, under-17 and under-19. In the same year, he established himself as the world's top junior player, claiming both the European and the World junior titles.

Willstrop has gone on to be one of the youngest players ever to play for the senior England team, representing his country for the first time at both the European and World Team Squash Championships in 2003.

The tall Yorkshireman has made rapid progress on the senior stage. In 2004, he won the Pakistan Open title in Islamabad (upsetting Amr Shabana in the quarter-finals) in his first appearance in a PSA Super Series final. In 2005, he finished runner-up at the British Open as the seventh seed, then followed this by outplaying a top-quality international field in Doha to lift the Qatar Classic trophy in only his second Super Series final appearance. This first-time success led to Willstrop leaping six places to a career-high World No. 2 in the PSA world rankings published that December. The new ranking catapulted Willstrop to the position of top-ranked Englishman – which led to his promotion to squad number one in the England team for the 2005 World Team Championships in Pakistan later in the month, when he led the team to victory for the first time in eight years.

In the 2006 Commonwealth Games in Melbourne, Australia, Willstrop partnered Vicky Botwright to a Silver Medal in the Mixed Doubles. Willstrop also won the 2007 British National Squash Championships title, beating John White in the final. In December 2007, Willstrop helped England retain the World Team Championship title in Chennai, India, and won the English Open, beating fellow Yorkshireman Nick Matthew in the final.

Willstrop retained his British National title in February 2008, beating fellow Pontefract player Lee Beachill in the final. He also finished runner-up at the British Open for the second time in May 2008, losing in a five-set final to David Palmer. Willstrop held match balls at 10–9 and 11–10 in the fifth game, but Palmer ultimately won 11–9, 11–9, 8–11, 6–11, 11–10 (3–1).

In January 2010, Willstrop won his first Tournament of Champions title in New York, defeating World Number 1 Ramy Ashour in the final and dropping only one game during the whole tournament.

In the singles final of the 2010 Commonwealth Games in Delhi, Willstrop was defeated by compatriot Nick Matthew 11–6, 11–7, 11–7. The match ended after 66 minutes.^[1]

Willstrop ended his 2011 season in historic fashion, winning 15 matches in a row en route to winning the Hong Kong Open, the Kuwait Open, and The Punj Lloyd PSA Masters. With those 3 PSA World Series titles under his belt, Willstrop put himself into First Place in the PSA World Series rankings as well as ensuring his place at the top of the world rankings list. Willstrop succeeded fellow Englishman Nick Matthew as the World #1 in January 2012. Matthew regained his World #1 spot by defeating Willstrop in the Tournament of Champions on the 26 January 2012.

See also[link]

• Official Men's Squash World Ranking

References[link]

External links[link]

Wikimedia Commons has media related to: James Willstrop

• James Willstrop profile on the PSA official website
• James Willstrop profile on SquashInfo
• James Willstrop Official Website
• Page at Squashpics.com
• Birthday tribute on Squashsite

v t e Professional Squash Association: Top ten English male squash players as of March 2012 James Willstrop (1 1) Nick Matthew (3 2) Peter Barker (7 ) Daryl Selby (11 1) Adrian Grant (16 1) Tom Richards (20 1) Jonathan Kemp (38 7) Chris Ryder (39 ) Chris Simpson (47 1) Adrian Waller (53 2)