The glass court?s been pulled down, the seating packed away, the plasma screens sent back to sponsors ? and all that?s now left of this year?s Virtual Spectator Bermuda Masters is an empty gymnasium and a stack of happy memories.

Tournament director Ross Triffitt, along with dozens of exhausted volunteers who had been working at the tournament all week, spent the entirety of Sunday painstakingly dismantling the venue at BHS to get it ready for the start of the summer term, finishing at around 1 a.m..

World number one and World Open champion Amr Shabana of Egypt defeated English legend Peter Nicol in five thrilling games to claim the title last Saturday night ? the conclusion of a week-long festival of squash.

Clearly jaded and looking forward to a quieter life for the next few weeks, Triffitt said he could not be happier with the way in which the tournament progressed, pointing to the strong ticket sales and a ?special energy? from the crowds who appeared to be increasingly enthused by squash at the highest level.

?The Masters last year and the Bermuda Open in 2004 went very well ? but this year was special,? said Triffitt, who along with tournament chairman Kim Carter and former Bermuda Squash Racquets Association president Stephen Young, were the men responsible for bringing the second biggest tournament in professional squash to the Island.

?There was such a tremendous buzz around the whole event this year which was there before but not to the same extent. It got better and better as the tournament went on and by the end it was absolutely fantastic.

?The audience participation, in terms of the spectators really identifying with the players and getting behind them, was the best we have ever had and it is the best a lot of the players have ever experienced ? which says a lot when you understand that they play at many tournaments all over the world.

?All of us involved are absolutely knackered. There?s always a period of adjustment when something as big as this comes to an end and you have to get back to normality ? but we?ve all been through it before and have got used to the ups and downs.

?Along with everybody else, I?ve been working so hard to get the event right. I?ve got a young son who I haven?t seen anywhere near enough of recently, so it will be nice to spend some time with him.?

After two years hosting the Masters, Triffitt?s full attention will now turn to the biggest ambition of all: staging the best World Open there has ever been in November or December of next year.

The scale of the task is certainly daunting.

With a 64-player draw, the most prestigious event in the sport is double the size of the Masters and will therefore require two all-glass courts rather than one.

And with organisers determined to erect both of these outdoors, covered by a state-of-the-art tented structure to guard against any inclement weather, Triffitt is under no illusions as to how much extra work will be involved.

?We had already begun working on it before this year?s Masters,? he said.

?We have an extra six months as well given that it will not take place until the end of next year. We?re really looking forward to it. It?s the ultimate prize in squash and to have it here in Bermuda is a real honour.?