Ross got off to a great start but was unfortunately unable to maintain it.

Rd1: D Kumlin [Swe][q] bt R Connolly [GB] 2-6, 6-3, 6-2

Nick_Squashplayer wrote:

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Hi

Is Ross Connolly another one of these chaps who is really wealthy? He seems to play regualry and all over thw world.

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I don't think that Ross is really wealthy, he's like lots of the lower ranked British players in that he coaches a lot in his spare time to fund his costs. He's a performance coach at Ikley tennis club in Yorkshire.

I've posted a new pic I've found of him from the Ikley futures event in July. Go to my British player photos minisite:
http://britishtennisphotos.myfreeforum.org/index.php

and click on 2006 tournaments.

Yeah, I am surprised at how far and wide he's been able to travel as he can't make that much from the coaching. He must have a good amount of financial support from his family and also possibly from the local club.

Dan Cottier is 22, he's a Derbyshire county player ranked 2.1, reached the quarters of the Derbyshire county championships this year and may have won but he got injured and had to withdraw. Don't know anything else on him.

Re the pictures: Thanks, I'm hoping to add some more from earlier this year and also some pics of the British women on there.

If anyone would like to help with that I'd be grateful

Nick_Squashplayer wrote:

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Hi There

I read somewhere that Ross Connelly used to live in the US and train there, maybe he has still got some of his scholarship money left, haha.

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I didn't know that, I wonder if he came through the collegiate system over there. It does amaze me how lots of the lower ranked players like Amadeus Fulford-Jones, Ross, Alex Miotto etc, manage to keep going financially, considering how little prize money they must earn.

-- Edited by UltimateFlemingFan at 00:17, 2006-09-14

Nick_Squashplayer wrote:

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Yeh, it is very suprising.

Fulford-Jones, apparently is one of the really wealthy ones, from what i have heard on other forums. Wheather that is true or not im not sure, but he does travel a lot, so he must be getting money from somewhere, lol.

When i used to get coaching, the guy who coached me was on the future tour for awhile and managed to get a doubles ranking. He said he sometimes if he was low on money, got like a job at a local club or bar, if he was staying in the same country for more than 2 weeks.

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I think people on other forums have assumed that Fulford-Jones is really wealthy because of his name but I'm not sure whether that's true or not. All I know about him is that he's based in America and he knows Boggo's coach Mike Raphael pretty well. However, as you say he must be getting money from somewhere. I wonder if he's got a rich dad like adam lownsbrough.

Andy Banks was forced to retire due to lack of funds a couple of years ago which was a real shame as he'd broken top 350 and had a real chance of going a lot further. Now he works in a bar and coaches, you would have thought the LTA could have helped him out.

-- Edited by UltimateFlemingFan at 12:31, 2006-09-14

Nick_Squashplayer wrote:

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True, his name does kind of make you wonder, lol. Adam Lownsbrough is apparently sponsored, belive it or not, which has taken me by suprise. I dunno wheather he is planning on carrying on, on the tour. He has yet to get a WC in any of the low challengers, maybe he has decided to venture elsewhere for a career. I didn't know that fulford-jones knew boggo's coach, have they worked together at all?

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Yeah Adam is sponsored......but it's by his Dad's company !
Actually, I've just seen that he's also sponsored by Puma and Head on his ITF profile !!! Well, that means 1 of two possibilities: either Adam's been telling porkies to the ITF or Mr Lownsbrough has been able to pull some strings for him behind the scenes given that he runs a major sports firm.

I have the feeling he may have given up, he hasn't been in action since April and his world ranking point has now dropped off and he'd have to buy another wc to get one.
If he has, I wish him best of luck in his career.

Fulford-Jones may have worked with Raphael, I'm not sure, I'll try and find out. Amadeus plays with two hands on both sides incidentally

In all honesty from reports which I've read, Adam's standard is just really that of an upper level club player, maybe ranked about 7.1. His actual LTA rating is inflated because of all the international tournaments he's played.

I was told that fulford-jones plays double-handed on both sides by one of the players I know.