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About This Book
Teenager Jolyon Jacks comes of age in the man’s world of professional squash, on the worldwide ‘PSA’ tour. A chance game against a girl at school leads fifteen year old Jacks to Manchester, and the iron-hard, iron-willed coach, ‘Sailor’ McCann. Sailor wants Jolyon to abandon his rich private school education for full time squash. Jolyon opts for squash, goodbye school, in the process defying his domineering mother. She is implacably set on forcing Jolyon to the top of the tennis tree, and in a vindictive move cuts him out of a vast trust fund. His grandfather says wait, we’ll change our mind, but only if you make it to world squash number one... by the age of twenty one!
Jolyon faces enormous hurdles in his quest, on court and off, many of his own making. There is his wild attitude to the typical temptations faced by the testoteroned teen. What does every professional athlete need before a crucial match? A good night’s sleep. And what best interferes with a good night’s sleep? We all know the answer to that, Jolyon’s favourite pastime. What do you NOT find promoted in the World Anti-doping Agency, manual? The dense, smoky atmosphere of the illegal rave. What is Jolyon’s next favourite pastime? Mixing music through megawatt sound systems... at illegal raves.
Sailor uncovers a freakish physical ability in his protégé. On court Jolyon is an all-conquering whirlwind. But physical ability is not enough. How does he deal with the sublime talent of the American, Julio ‘Razza’ Mattaz, who is taking squash to another level? How does he resist the machinations of another domineering parent, Frenchman Marcel Darnaud, father of Jolyon’s giant rival Armand? Finally, how does Jolyon cope with his longings for his training partner Zoë? World champion Zoë, whose interest in boys is far from certain.
The story storms through to the verge of Jolyon’s twenty first birthday, at the iconic Tournament of Champions in Grand Central Terminal, New York. Here his last chance is played out, off the court against dark forces, on the court against an overwhelming opponent.
Jolyon faces enormous hurdles in his quest, on court and off, many of his own making. There is his wild attitude to the typical temptations faced by the testoteroned teen. What does every professional athlete need before a crucial match? A good night’s sleep. And what best interferes with a good night’s sleep? We all know the answer to that, Jolyon’s favourite pastime. What do you NOT find promoted in the World Anti-doping Agency, manual? The dense, smoky atmosphere of the illegal rave. What is Jolyon’s next favourite pastime? Mixing music through megawatt sound systems... at illegal raves.
Sailor uncovers a freakish physical ability in his protégé. On court Jolyon is an all-conquering whirlwind. But physical ability is not enough. How does he deal with the sublime talent of the American, Julio ‘Razza’ Mattaz, who is taking squash to another level? How does he resist the machinations of another domineering parent, Frenchman Marcel Darnaud, father of Jolyon’s giant rival Armand? Finally, how does Jolyon cope with his longings for his training partner Zoë? World champion Zoë, whose interest in boys is far from certain.
The story storms through to the verge of Jolyon’s twenty first birthday, at the iconic Tournament of Champions in Grand Central Terminal, New York. Here his last chance is played out, off the court against dark forces, on the court against an overwhelming opponent.