Scotland Squad confirmed for 2023 WSF Men’s World Team Championships
Scottish Squash has announced the four-man squad that will compete in the 2023 WSF Men’s World Team Championship in Tauranga, New Zealand from 11-17 December.
There will be a familiar look to the team, with three of the four players having competed in the event when it was last held in Washington D.C., USA in 2019.
World number 20 Greg Lobban and world number 41 Rory Stewart will join Alan Clyne, who will play in his eighth consecutive World Teams Championship, on the plane to Tauranga.
The fourth and final position will be taken by Alasdair Prott, making his debut in the event as he finds himself on the verge of breaking into the world’s top 100 for the first time.
Scotland will look for another strong performance in the event, after topping their group and securing a 7th place finish when it was last held in 2021.
Scottish Squash Elite Performance Coach Paul Bell said: “We are thrilled to be competing on the world stage once again. The women’s team performed brilliantly last year in Egypt, and we have a very strong men’s team heading out to New Zealand looking to improve on the 7th place finish they achieved in 2019.
“There is a great blend of experience and youth, with Alan Clyne returning to represent his country after a fantastic display at the Europeans in April. Alasdair Prott gets his first call-up for a world level event, which will be a great experience for him. Greg Lobban and Rory Stewart are both competing very well on the PSA World Tour this season.
“All of the teams at events like these are very strong, so this is a fantastic opportunity for development, to show that we can compete with the best in the world and to try to come home with a medal.”
Scotland’s top ranked player, and current national champion Greg Lobban said: “I’m excited to be heading out to New Zealand for the World Team Championships – I was there last year for an event, and it’s clear they love their squash out there.
“The thing that excites me most is the fact that we’re going to be competing as a team with guys that I’ve played with for a long time now – we’re all players that love playing for Scotland and this is another great opportunity to do so.”
After hearing of his selection, 22 year-old Alasdair Prott said: “I’m really happy to have been selected for the Men’s World Team Championships in New Zealand, and I am looking forward to testing myself against some of the world’s best players on such a big stage.
“With this being the first time I have been selected, I’m eager to help the team perform to the high standard we know we are capable of, and hopefully we can go far in the event.”
The event will feature over 100 squash players from 24 countries, and will mark a welcome return as the first edition since 2019 due to Covid.
Scottish Squash would like to acknowledge the organisations who have provided support to underpin the 2023 Scotland Men’s World Team:
