National team positions on line in big squash challenge

Story by: Jay Buchan 24th Jan 2014 6:00 AM

BEST RIVALS: Lisa Camilleri (left) and Tamika Saxby practise together ahead of the Australia Day Challenge.
Sarah Harvey

FRIENDSHIPS will be put aside with world ranking points and national team selections on the line at the Australia Day Challenge squash tournament at the Ipswich PCYC.

The tournament begins today and ends Sunday.

Yesterday friends and rivals Tamika Saxby and Lisa Camilleri were practising together at the Ipswich PCYC courts.

Camilleri is the Australian number four ranked female and top seed for the event, which attracted a top field of players keen to get an early jump on rankings points.

Camilleri hopes a win can boost her prospects of being part of the four-woman Australian Commonwealth Games team for the World Team Championships.

"It's a big year for me," the Brisbane-based 30-year-old said.

"They select the team in May so any good form from now until May is important."

The world number 41, who competed for Australia at the 2010 Delhi Commonwealth Games, hopes to continue in the form she showed towards the end of 2013, which included taking out the Queensland Open.

Camilleri won't have it easy though, with three players in the field having beaten her in the past 12 months and the top eight women all close together on the world rankings.

Aussie number seven Saxby, who grew up in Coffs Harbour but is now based in Edinburgh, hopes to spring a surprise of her own.

"We're mates off the court," Camilleri said of her relationship with 20-year-old Saxby.

"But we leave it behind when we walk on the court," Saxby said.

That even extends to psychological games on court.

"That's always there," Camilleri said. "You say little things to play on the minds of your opponents.

"Tactically it's part of the game."