Philippa Beams is a New Zealand former professional squash player who was also a former national champion and world doubles champion in the women's category. She represented New Zealand national women's squash team in several international competitions including the British Open Squash Championships, World Open Squash Championships and in World Team Squash Championships in a career spanning from 1992 to 1998. She achieved her highest career PSA ranking of 14 in January 1998 as a part of the 1998 PSA World Tour.

Career

She joined the

Professional Squash Association The Professional Squash Association (PSA) is the governing body for the men's and women's professional squash circuit. The body operates in a similar fashion to the ATP and the WTA for tennis. The PSA's highest professional level, the PSA Wor ...

in 1992 and competed at the

PSA World Tour Sports competitions that are a recurring series of events or races, but do not constitute a sports league. Series Sports Sport pertains to any form of competitive physical activity or game that aims to use, maintain, or improve physical ...

until 1998. She made her debut with New Zealand team at the 1990 Women's World Open Squash Championship and since then she became a prominent member of the national side. Beams also took part in World Open Squash Championships in

1992 File:1992 Events Collage V1.png, From left, clockwise: 1992 Los Angeles riots, Riots break out across Los Angeles, California after the Police brutality, police beating of Rodney King; El Al Flight 1862 crashes into a residential apartment buildi ...

1994 File:1994 Events Collage.png, From left, clockwise: The 1994 Winter Olympics are held in Lillehammer, Norway; The Kaiser Permanente building after the 1994 Northridge earthquake; A model of the MS Estonia, which Sinking of the MS Estonia, sank in ...

1995 File:1995 Events Collage V2.png, From left, clockwise: O.J. Simpson is O. J. Simpson murder case, acquitted of the murders of Nicole Brown Simpson and Ronald Goldman from the 1994, year prior in "The Trial of the Century" in the United States; The ...

1996 File:1996 Events Collage.png, From left, clockwise: A Centennial Olympic Park bombing, bomb explodes at Centennial Olympic Park in Atlanta, set off by a radical Anti-abortion violence, anti-abortionist; The center fuel tank explodes on TWA Flight 8 ...

1997 File:1997 Events Collage.png, From left, clockwise: The movie set of ''Titanic'', the highest-grossing movie in history at the time; ''Harry Potter and the Philosopher's Stone'', is published; Comet Hale-Bopp passes by Earth and becomes one of t ...

and in

1998 1998 was designated as the ''International Year of the Ocean''. Events January * January 6 – The '' Lunar Prospector'' spacecraft is launched into orbit around the Moon, and later finds evidence for frozen water, in soil in permanently ...

. She won the women's singles titles at the 1993 and 1994 National Championships beating fellow counterpart and former world number one player

Leilani Joyce Leilani Rorani (formerly Joyce, née Marsh; born 15 April 1974) is a New Zealand former squash (sport), squash player. During her professional career, she reached the world number 1 ranking, won the British Open Squash Championships, British O ...

in both occasions. She also became the number one ranked player in national level after her victories. She was also part of the memorable and historic moment where New Zealand stunned

England England is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It shares land borders with Wales to its west and Scotland to its north. The Irish Sea lies northwest and the Celtic Sea to the southwest. It is separated from continental Europe b ...

by 2–1 in the semi-finals of the

1992 Women's World Team Squash Championships The 1992 Women's Silver Unicorn World Team Squash Championships were held in Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada and took place from October 12 until October 17, 1992. Results First round Pool A Pool B Pool C Pool C Qu ...

. However New Zealand lost to rivals

Australia Australia, officially the Commonwealth of Australia, is a Sovereign state, sovereign country comprising the mainland of the Australia (continent), Australian continent, the island of Tasmania, and numerous List of islands of Australia, sma ...

in the finals. Beams won the inaugural edition of the

World Squash Doubles Championships The World Squash Doubles Championship has been held in North America since 1981 when it was sanctioned by the International Squash Racquets Federation. It has been held bi-annually since 1994 where it has alternated with the World Softball Doubles ...

in the women's doubles category along with Leilani Rorani in 1997. She also represented

New Zealand at the 1998 Commonwealth Games New Zealand (abbreviated NZL) sent a team of 217 competitors and 80 officials to the 1998 Commonwealth Games, which were held in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia. The flagbearer at the opening ceremony was Graeme Miller, and at the closing ceremony Darre ...

, her maiden and only appearance at the

Commonwealth Games The Commonwealth Games, often referred to as the Friendly Games or simply the Comm Games, are a quadrennial international multi-sport event among athletes from the Commonwealth of Nations. The event was first held in 1930, and, with the exce ...

. She retired from the sport in 1998.

References

Living people New Zealand female squash players Squash players at the 1998 Commonwealth Games Commonwealth Games competitors for New Zealand Year of birth missing (living people) {{NewZealand-squash-bio-stub