Squash throws up unlikely winner: A 38-yr-old mother-of-two

At 38, Mandy 8212; children Ben 7 and Megan tailing her obediently 8212; stirred up some welcome animation at the Bandra club hosting its annual squash tournament last week.

Playing in the women8217;s open, the Briton8217;s hustle extended to the glass back-court where she left competitors 8212; some 20 years younger 8212; frantically searching for replies to her solid lengths and deft drops.

The immensely talented Alish Mashruwala was her Sunday scalp; the youngster wondering for long after the final on what went wrong.

8220;As I see it, I could not really afford to lose to rivals 20 years less experienced,8217;8217; says Mandy in the course of the tournament, consuming the top seed on her way and showing no signs of crackling bones, even in an 85-minute marathon.

Entering the tournament in her first week in India, after her husband8217;s transfer to Mumbai, Mandy has been setting the pace in a game that isn8217;t known to be kind to slow-moving competitors. Certainly not to those pushing 40, with two cherubs banging on the glass door with candy on their minds.

Captain of the England Over-35 squad that competes once a year in the team internationals featuring Scotland and Wales, Mandy has in fact benefitted from not having played on the professional circuit.

8216;8217;My body never underwent the wear-and-tear associated with pro squash, and the bones are still intact,8217;8217; she smiles, adding that having played for 29 years now, her shoulders and wrists have ocassionally strained.

For Mandy, who has lived all her life in Warwickshire, where she plays on a men8217;s team in the county league, the inspiration to plod on hasn8217;t been difficult to find.

England8217;s long-serving professional Fiona Geaves, at 38, is ranked 19 in the world and soared to No 5 when she was 33 during a 20-year career which is winding down only now.

8216;8217;The juggling8217;s tough and I did take a break when the kids were younger, but if one is motivated to play, you can hang around and stay in the hunt,8217;8217; she says.

Mandy has outlasted her opponents at the Otters Club, varying the pace of the game, rather than with strokes demanding agility.

8216;8217;They tend to get nervous, these girls, and I can clamp onto that,8217;8217; she explains.

The key is to play smart squash, but can semi-fitness be taken into stride. 8216;8217;I run sometimes with the children8217;s push-chair and generally behind them 8212; that keeps me fit,8217;8217; she jokingly adds.