Macree's progress rewarded

From: The Times, UK - May 8, 2003

By Colin McQuillan

REBECCA MACREE, the profoundly deaf Essex player who was banned from the last World Championships after on-court behavioural problems, has risen to No 7 on the new world ranking list issued by the Women's International Squash Players Association (WISPA), becoming the third highest-ranked English player for the first time in her career.

Macree, a World Tour player since 1987, has reached three WISPA finals since last August and has recorded eight semi-final finishes over the past year. She now stands two places ahead of Cassie Jackman, the national champion and former world champion from Norfolk, and behind Linda Charman, of Sussex, at No 3, and Tania Bailey, of Lincolnshire, at No 5.

While Carol Owens, of New Zealand, maintains her grip on the world No 1 position, Rachael Grinham, Australia's Cairo-based former world junior champion, jumps to a career-high No 4 on the new list. Grinham has collected three WISPA World Tour trophies over the past 12 months, winning both last year's Singapore Open and Credit Suisse Privilege Open in Hong Kong against the seeding and triumphing in the Vassar College Open in the United States in February.

WORLD TOP 20: 1, C Owens (NZ); 2, N Pohrer (US); 3, L Charman (Eng); 4, R Grinham (Aus); 5, T Bailey (Eng); 6, V Atkinson (Neth); 7, R Macree (Eng); 8, N Grinham (Aus); 9, C Jackman (Eng); 10, J Tranfield (Eng); 11, F Geaves (Eng); 12, S Brind (Eng); 13, O Abdel Kawy (Egypt); 14, V Botwright (Eng); 15, P Nimmo (Scot); 16, S Horner (Eng); 17, S Kitchen (NZ); 18, I Stoehr (Fr); 19, M Perry (Ire); 20, R Chiu (HK).

Copyright 2003 Times Newspapers Ltd.