Squash: Kiwis have Owens' heart

SUZANNE McFADDEN talks to a woman emigrating 'the wrong way' across the Tasman.

The Aussie friends of world squash champion Carol Owens just cannot understand her.

No one leaves Australia to be a New Zealander, they tell her. It's the other way round.

"They think I'm a bit weird," she laughed down the phone from London. But Owens cannot imagine anything more sane.

The woman born in Noble Park, south Melbourne, who grew up among the stars of Australian squash, wants to be a Kiwi.

She owns a house in the Auckland suburb of Hillsborough with two fair dinkum New Zealanders - one of them former national No 1 Philippa Beams.

She helps to coach New Zealand's aspiring junior women players and youngsters at her club, Eden-Epsom.

The club sent her more messages of congratulations than anyone in Australia when she stole the world title from the grasp of New Zealand's world No 1, Leilani Joyce, last weekend.

"That told me that this is where I really want to be," she said.

"Playing for New Zealand is pretty high on my priorities now. I've had e-mails from Squash Australia this week saying they would do anything to keep me playing for them.

"But they never wanted to help me in the first place, before I won the world champs, so I don't think they have much chance now."

So who is this world champion who lives on our doorstep?

Twenty-nine years ago, Owens was born into a squash-crazy family.

Her brother David, who represented Victoria, was best friends with Sarah Fitz-Gerald, who grew up to become three-time world champion.

"I was 10, and hacking the ball around, and I wanted to get coaching from Sarah's mum, Judith," Owens recalled. "My mum told her 'she's not very good,' but Judith said that was just how she liked it, no bad habits."

Owens then grew up with the young Fitz-Gerald, but always stood in her shadow.

"She always seemed way out of reach for me. When I started on the world circuit, it was really hard for me mentally to try to beat this woman that I so looked up to.

"I had Sarah and Michelle Martin always ahead of me. And then there was Susan Devoy. People might argue with me, but I still believe they are the three greatest players there ever were.

"People say, 'how can you say that, you've improved so much?' But I know the pressure they could put on you. There just isn't that gap any more."

Owens has played on the world circuit for 10 years, and this has easily been her best year. She won the World Grand Prix title in Egypt, but then had a run of six tournament losses to Joyce.

In Edinburgh last weekend, she was getting a fair old hammering from Joyce again in the World Open final.

"I was so embarrassed in that third game - her racket was a magic wand and mine was a pogo stick," she said.

"But when she had match-point, I could hear her hyperventilating. My focus went from being really negative to, hey, she doesn't look too good."

Owens remarkably turned the final on its head, playing "the most amazing game of squash I've ever played" to win in five sets.

Now Owens wants Joyce's British Open title. But she also wants to play alongside her, in the doubles at the 2002 Commonwealth Games in Manchester.

"I don't know if she wants to play with me," Owens said, suggesting there is no love lost between the world's No 1 and 2. "Let's say we wouldn't go out to dinner together. I know it was like that when Michelle and Sarah were one and two in the world.

"It's unfortunate that it has to be like that. But there is a little prize purse at the end of every game, and everyone is so focused on winning."

Owens first started crossing the Tasman six years ago, keen to pick up prizemoney at the local weekend tournaments, something not on offer in Australia.

She came under the tutelage of former English coach Paul Wright, who was living in Auckland, started training with New Zealand No 2, Shelley Kitchen, and 18 months ago decided to buy her house.