“Well after Canberra we went to Melbourne for four days for a doubles competition. It was great to play some of the other teams that are going to be competing at the CWG and was good to get some extra practice in as well.
I am now in Hong Kong for the last tournament of my six week trip. Great to be in HK now and to have some nice weather though it is pretty hot during the day. Just getting in some good training for the next few days before we start playing on Wednesday. Can’t believe I have been away for 5 weeks now. It has gone quickly andI have been lucky that we have been to some great places which has kept things fresh really. The great thing about Hong Kong is the amazing food and also the foot massage which I think I will be having tonight”- Alison
“In Canberra now and it’s a 32 draw at this event. I played Birgit Coufal yesterday and then Isabelle Stoher today and won 3-0 and 3-1 respectively.
Good to be in the quarter finals now and at last we move onto the glass court. The court is set up in a convention centre, just downstairs from our hotel and it is a really good venue and has been getting some good crowds already. I think the weekend is sold out with over 1500 tickets sold per day so this is great news.
I play Jackie Hawkes tomorrow afternoon so got a practice in the morning to get a feel for the court.
Temperatures have dropped tonight and it was freezing walking out to dinner tonight. Missing the English summer!” – Alison
Final: Alison lost to Madeline Perry
5/11, 10/12, 11.6, 11/4, 11/13 (2-3)
“Well a good tournament in Canberra though it would have been nice to get the win in today. Hard to take when you lose 13-11 in the 5th especially with 2 match balls as well. Mads played well though and I think it was a good final. Had a slowish start and I think my semis match yesterday was still in the legs a bit! I managed to up the pace in the 3rd and 4th and then the 5th was just a battle really. We were both getting tired and were hanging in there really. Was pretty exciting and that’s why squash is the best sport because its full of dramas and there are such highs and lows but even when you lose, it hurts but you still love the game!
We are off to Melbourne tomorrow for a doubles event starting Tuesday. This is in preparation for the Commonwealth Games so am looking forward to that” - Alison
I’m in Melbourne at the moment staying at Sarah Fitz’s. Staying here till Sunday before moving to Canberra for the tournament starting next week. Having a good time so far and there are lots of people to hit with and so just been training for the last few days. Pretty cold here as it is winter time now so bit of a shock after the hot weather in KL and Singapore.
Canberra is meant to be a low as minus 3. Nice!
We went into the city tonight and to my delight we had Wagamamas!! So I was so happy with that and it felt like being back at home! Maybe going to an Aussie rules match tomorrow weather depending. Three weeks of the trip done…….three weeks to go…….loving it so far!! – Alison
“Good to get started in Singapore after a few days settling in and practicing after KL. Good match with Rebecca Chiu last night and pleased to win in 3. She is a tricky player and plays some really nice short shots so I couldn’t let up during the match and tried to keep the pressure on.
Playing Camille tomorrow and we haven’t played for a few years so am looking forward to that” - Alison
“Tough match last night with Rach. She played really well and whenever my length wasn’t good enough she would punish it by putting in some great drops from the back that made me work hard. Had two match balls in the 4th so was pleased to come out strongly in the 5th and managed to get a good lead and this was important. Excited to be in the final vs Nicol and there should be a good crowd watching later… all supporting me of course…!! hmmm…..! - Alison
Final: Alison lost to Nicol David 0-3
[16/18, 9/11, 10/12] – 63 Minutes
“Tight Tight match with Nicol and i think the first game was about 27 mins which is the longest game i have ever played. So it would have been a good one to have won and unfortunately Nicol took it 18/16. The next two games were neck and neck and I had a gameball in the 3rd which I again didn’t convert. Tough match and think we were both pretty tired at the end.
Having a few days break now in Hong Kong with Pete so I’m looking forward to that. Then it’s off to Melbourne for some training at Sarah Fitzs then Canberra starts on the 11th August, so after a bit of a rest I will start preparing for that.
Looking forward to going to Australia. Not been there since 4 years ago
for the Commonwealth Games so it will bring back many memories” - Alison
Enjoyed a good game with Tan last night, i lost to her here 2 years ago and i know Tan is a toughcompetitor and has been playing well recently so i knew it could be a tough match. We had some close games and towards the end i managed to push on and secure the match and i was pleased with how i felt physically. Its great to be back into tournaments especially after having 2 months offdue to injury and then a good 2 months summer training so its nice to have the buzz ofplaying in a tournament again. I play Omneya tonight on the glass court where we are staying so i’mlooking forward to that. It always attracts some good crowds and makes it a really good atmosphere to play in’. - Alison
‘I have had some battles with Omneya so i knew it was going to be tough. I had a set game plan going into the match and i felt i stuck to it well. I was hitting a good length and i think this was the key as it kept me in front of her. She is so skilful at the front of the court that i had to try and keep in front of her throughout. I play Nicol now tonight in the semis, so i’m looking forward to that and really enjoying our time here in KL’ – Alison
Alison lost to Nicol David 1-3 [12/14, 10/12, 11/6, 7/11]
‘Great match last night and frustrating as I had game balls in the 1st and 2nd games. I felt I was with Nicol throughout the whole match and there were just a few shots in it really. She plays really well when she is down in a game and just keeps it really steady. It was pleasing as my fitness felt good and hopefully next time i can push on that bit further. We go to Singapore tomorrow so am getting ready for the next tournament now, where we start playing on Wednesday. Today I’m having a light hit to get the body moving and then definitely a massage later and then supporting Jen in the final later’ - Alison
‘Just back from the doubles competition in manchester.. Came 3rd in the Womens doubles and 2nd in the mixed. It was a tough few days with lots of matches, I had four on Tuesday! It was great to gain more experience on the doubles court, playing all the other teams and seeing how everyone plays and really
getting to grips with the tactics. I think it has been a very important part in the build up to the Commonwealth Games and by the end everyone was looking very comfortable on the court which was great’ - Alison
‘I’m back from Malaysia. I had two tough matches winning both 3-2 to reach Nicol in the semis where i went down 3-0. I have been struggling with an achilles injury so i was happy to have reached the semis but Nicol was just another step too far really. Its back to some good training now for 3 weeks and we also have a big
doubles competition in Manchester from the 29th March-31st. Its a big warm up for the CWG and we are playing teams that will be competing at the Commonwealth Games so its very important. Anyone can come and watch for free so please come and support us if you are around’ - Alison