Country | Australia | |||||||||||||||||
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Born | ||||||||||||||||||
Residence | Brisbane | |||||||||||||||||
Retired | 1985 | |||||||||||||||||
Plays | Right-Handed | |||||||||||||||||
Women's Singles | ||||||||||||||||||
Highest ranking | 1 | |||||||||||||||||
World Open | W (1981) | |||||||||||||||||
Medal record
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Updated on 20 December 2011. |
Rhonda Thorne (born 6 February 1958, in Toowoomba, Queensland) (also known as Rhonda Clayton AM 1and Rhonda Shapland) is an Australian former World No. 1 squash player. She was one of the leading players on the international squash circuit in the late 1970s and early 1980s[ citation needed ], and won the 1981 Women's World Open Squash Championship.
Born Rhonda Shapland, she married Ross Thorne, a notable squash player in 1978 and changed her name to Rhonda Thorne.
In the 1981 World Open final in Toronto, Canada, Thorne beat fellow Australian player Vicki Cardwell 8-10, 9-4, 9-5, 7-9, 9-7 to become world champion. Thorne and Cardwell reached the World Open final again in 1983 when it was held in Perth, with Cardwell winning this time 9-1, 9-3, 9-4. [1]
Thorne was at the pinnacle of her game in the early 1980s, and held the World No.1 ranking in both 1981 and 1982. She remained in the world’s top-10 from 1979-84.
Thorne represented Australia in international team squash for seven years from 1977-84. She captained the Australian team from 1981–83, during which time the team won two World Team Squash Championship titles.
As a junior player, Thorne won four Australian Junior Opens in 1972, 1974, 1975, and 1976.
Thorne retired from the international squash circuit in 1985. That year she won the Queensland Sportswoman of the Year award. Since retiring, she has been inducted into the Squash Australia Hall of Fame [2] and was an inaugural member of the Queensland Squash Hall of Fame. [3] She was also awarded the Australian Sports Medal in 2000 recognition for her achievements.
She was awarded as a Member of the Order of Australia AM in 2023.[ citation needed ]
Sarah Elizabeth Fitz-GeraldAM is an Australian former professional squash player who won five World Open titles – 1996, 1997, 1998, 2001 and 2002. She ranks alongside Janet Morgan, Nicol David, Susan Devoy, Michelle Martin and Heather McKay as the sport's greatest female players of all time.
Michelle Susan Martin is an Australian former professional squash player who was one of the game's leading players in the 1990s. She was ranked number one in the world from 1993 to 1996 and again in 1998 and 1999, and won three World Open titles and six British Open titles.
Lisa Jane Opie MBE is a retired British squash player, who was one of the game's leading woman players in the 1980s and early 1990s. Her biggest successes were winning the British Open in 1991 and four consecutive World Team Championships from 1985 to 1990. Until the rise of Cassie Campion, Lisa was England's number 1 player.
Heather Pamela McKay is an Australian retired squash player, who is considered by many to be the greatest female player in the history of the game. She dominated the women's squash game in the 1960s and 1970s, winning 16 consecutive British Open titles from 1962 to 1977, and capturing the inaugural women's World Open title in 1976, while remaining undefeated during that period. She was also a top-level player of other sports, including field hockey and racquetball.
Jan Lynn Stephenson is an Australian professional golfer. She became a member of the LPGA Tour in 1974 and won three major championships and 16 LPGA Tour events. She has 41 worldwide victories including (10) LPGA Legends Tour wins and 8 worldwide major championships. She has 15 holes-in-one with nine in competition. She was elected to the World Golf Hall of Fame, class of 2019.
Rodney James Eyles is a former professional squash player from Australia. He is best remembered for winning the World Open title in 1997.
Danielle Harte is an Australian former professional squash player, who was ranked the World No. 2 woman player in March 1990.
Geoffrey Brian Hunt,, is a retired Australian squash player who is widely considered to be one of the greatest squash players in history.
Vicki Cardwell BEM is an Australian former World No. 1 squash player. She was one of the leading players on the international squash circuit from the late 1970s through to the mid-1990s. During her career, she won the World Open in 1983, and the British Open title four consecutive times in 1980-83.
Sue Cogswell is a retired squash player from England. She was runner-up at the 1979 Women's World Open Squash Championship, where she lost in the final to the Australian Heather McKay 6–9, 9–3, 9–1, 9–4. Cogswell was also a three-time runner-up at the British Open, losing in the final to McKay in 1974, to Barbara Wall in 1979, and to Vicki Cardwell in 1980. Cogswell won the British National Squash Championship title five times in 1975 and 1977–79.
Margaret Zachariah is an Australian former professional squash player. In 1981, she was runner-up to her compatriot Vicki Cardwell at the British Open and bronze medalist at the 1976 Brisbane Women's World Open Squash Championships. She won the Australian Amateur Championship in 1977, and captured four Victoria state amateur squash championship titles in 1974, 1975, 1976 and 1979. Since retiring as a player, Zachariah has worked as a squash coach, training some of Australia's top players. She has also served as Secretary of both the Professional Squash Coaches Association of Australia and the Professional Squash Coaches Association of Victoria.
Sharif Khan is a Pakistani-Canadian retired professional squash player. He is widely considered to be one of the all-time great players of hardball squash. He was the dominant player on the hardball squash circuit throughout the 1970s. Sharif was born in Pakistan, and is the son of the legendary squash player Hashim Khan, who dominated the international squash scene in the 1950s.
Mark Talbott is an American squash coach and former professional squash player. He is known as one of the all-time great players of hardball squash.
Angela Smith is a retired professional English squash player: she was one of the world's top-ranked squash players from 1979 to 1990. She was also the first female squash player to turn professional and was widely recognized for changing the face of women's squash by doing so.
The 1979 Women's World Open Squash Championship was the women's edition of the 1979 World Open, which serves as the individual world championship for squash players. The event took place in Sheffield in England during 6–12 March 1979. Heather McKay won the World Open title, defeating Sue Cogswell in the final.
The 1981 Women's World Open Squash Championship was the women's edition of the 1981 World Open, which serves as the individual world championship for squash players. The event took place in Toronto in Canada during October 1981. Rhonda Thorne won the World Open title, defeating Vicki Cardwell in the final.
The 1983 Town and Country Building Society Women's World Open Squash Championship was the women's edition of the 1983 World Open, which serves as the individual world championship for squash players. The event took place in Perth in Australia during October 1983. Vicki Cardwell won the World Open title, defeating Rhonda Thorne in the final.
The 1981 Women's Pretty Polly British Open Squash Championships was held at the Coral Squash Club in Hove from 20–26 February 1981. The event was won by Vicki Hoffman who defeated Margaret Zachariah in the final.
Ross Thorne is a former Australian professional squash player.
Squash is a popular sport in Australia. There is a long tradition of the sport in the country, which boasts 7 former world number one players. As of 2018 there are many highly ranked Australian players, both in men's and women's squash.