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World champ Matthew returning to Bermuda

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Nick Matthew (right) blasts the ball during his victory over Omar Mosaad in the 2007 World Open at the Fairmont Southampton. England's Matthew returns to Bermuda next month for an exhibition game against compatriot Peter Barker at the Court House.

Two-time world champion Nicholas Matthew returns to Bermuda to face fellow Englishman Peter Barker in a mouth-watering exhibition match at Court House Health Club next month.Matthew proved to be one of the star attractions during his last visit to the Island for the 2007 Endurance World Open when he reached the semi-finals of the competition.The world number four will again be looking to produce some ‘bums off seats’ squash when he goes head-to-head with Barker, who has also carved out a reputation as one of the game’s top talents.At 33, Yorkshireman Matthew is four years older than Londoner Barker who climbed to seventh in the world after winning the 2013 Malaysian Open.And event organiser Daren Ramsey admits he’ll be looking to tap into that ‘North-South divide’ to further stoke the competitive fires within both players.“We have two big names coming in: Nicholas Matthew, the world number four and two-time world champion, and Peter Barker who is a bit younger and has just started to peak a little bit,” said the Court House squash professional.“I think it will be a good match and they will both be looking to entertain more than anything else.“Neither player will want to lose, that’s for sure, and I’ll try to wind them up a bit by playing on the whole North-South divide thing.”Ramsey, a former Hungarian national team coach, regularly rubbed shoulders with Matthew and Barker while competing on the junior circuit in the UK.It was through his connections that the Court House was able to attract two players of such high calibre.“It’s very exciting to have two players of such qualify coming over and the whole club is excited, energised and really looking forward to it,” added Ramsey, who has lived on the Island for almost 18 months.“The tickets sold out very quickly, which is really good for us, and shows how popular squash is in Bermuda.“It was a big surprise for me when I first came to the Island to see just how popular squash is.“I think it’s a growing sport in Bermuda and we have definitely increased our squash members since I’ve been here.”Sponsored by Colonial Insurance, the event will be held on Saturday, October 5 and feature a ‘meet the players’ cocktail party for ticket holders.Should the evening prove successful, East Anglian Ramsey hopes similar events can be staged at the Court House in the future.“Obviously we’ll see how this one goes but I’d like to see more exhibition games held here,” he said.“If it goes well then, yeah, the sky is the limit for us.”All net proceeds from the event will be donated to PALS Cancer Care.

Photo by Mark TatemCourt House squash pro Daren Ramsey is confident Nick Matthew’s exhibition game against Peter Barker will be packed with entertainment. Both players are ranked in the world’s top ten.