I went to school with Tristan at Harbord Primary School, Northern Beaches ,Sydney NSW and right through to Manly Boys High School . We became good friends when i started getting competent (A grade mens and Junior )in year 8 till about year 12 and to say he was enigmatic was an understatement. He was not only just good at squash he used to blow our minds at school on a trampoline and have us spellbound whatever sport he did. i once saw him get into a fight at harbord park when we were maybe 10 and he threw a rock at this kid way across the field with a perfect shot on the head and knocked him out hahahahlol. He used to keep spectacular bird life in an avery at home and we had a lot of fun going to dances at school. he beat me in a schoolboys competition 9-1,9-0,9-0 so convincingly, and this is when im an A grade player both mens and junior ,he used the handle of his racquet in the last 4 points!! Bastard. Then he lost in the next round spectactularly to Mark Arthurson Son of Ken Arthurson Of NRL almost like he couldnt care less. I will always not speak ill  of him even though he was sometimes very outspoken and lose with a bad temper which any of us wanted to smack him upside the head a few times but he was always respectful and loyal as a friend and i will always remember those years playing squash and havin fun with him very fondly. Tristan if you're readin this mate give us a call sometime it would be good to catch up and have a laugh.

Mike Arthur

 

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Hi all

Tristian Nancarrow was the step son of Australian Squash great Cam Nancarrow (a former world amateur champion during the seventies??)

tristian was perhaps the quickest squash player that i ever saw.  in 1984 when he was about 20 years of age he won an Australian Open title against the likes of Ross Thorne (WR3) and Chris Dittmar(WR2) and others i can't recall immediately.  It was an incredible achievement at the time, as he was just another player making up the numbers. Talented, yes, but not the prospective winner.  it was like a qualifier no one had ever heard of winning the british open.

Although i was not at the event, i have spoken to Ross T about it and he said that his retrieving was absolutely incredible. Ross was defeated in 3 games which took well over an hour. The whole week he was totally focussed. But this is where the enigma comes in.

during the following week, the Australian teams titles were played (rippa rita was a coach with the team) during that week and he could not beat time with a stick - he was apparently hopeless. i actually played him in the local competition the following week and defeated him 10/8 in the fifth - it was a woeful match. World beater one week, can't beat a hacker two weeks later!

there were  times he included both extremes of that form into one single game. i remember refereeing a final between he and bruce alexander a former top ranked victorian.he had lost the first game and was struggling in the second. suddenly someone must have found the ON switch - bruce did not look like getting close after that

In those early years he was quite tempestuous may be even troubled, although he did mature into a very nice bloke. Tristian did achieve a world ranking of about 6 over the next 3 or 4 years but retired early because of a back or hip injury.
i am sure there are others out there who have tristian stories

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Viper - Tristan is now a Queenslander who came here during the boom days of the 1980s.

•  He lives at the Gold Coast and, in fact, now builds and refurbishes tennis courts.
• He played out of his mind to win an Australian Singles Title in Melbourne about 1987 I think it was.  A  brilliant shot maker.
• Tristan was a volitile player, talented, spontaneous character, who was brought up into the game as a kid whose mother Mavis and step-father Cam were top World players.
• He was not a fitness fanatic, he was a squash player, who knew every inch of the court.
•  He was also probably described as a Ref's night-mare.  He probably tested every area of Rule 17.

Tristan did bring some publicity to the game as did McEnroe to tennis.

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