PSA50 – Rivalries: Cardwell versus Thorne: From The Outside

By RJ Mitchell

In a decorated squash career that peaked with a World No.2 ranking and also saw her play a key role in the organisation of WISPA (Women International Squash Player Association) Angela Smith was one of the most respected figures in the female game.

Five times British Open semi-finalist and twice in the last four of the World Open, Smith took on the very best in two different decades which spanned the pivotal development of the nascent professional game.

Thus when it came to her thoughts on the all-consuming intensity of the Vicki Cardwell versus Rhonda Thorne rivalry there are few better to canvas for their thoughts on what made it the preeminent power struggle in the post-Heather McKay era.

Turning her attention to four-time British Open champion Cardwell, Smith said: “With Vicki it didn’t matter how talented anybody else was, she would literally die on the squash court before she lost. So her mental attitude was so tough.

“Really it was her mental attitude, although she had more skill than she was given credit for, that drove her on to becoming as good as she was.”

Moving on to 1981 World Champion Thorne, Smith recalled: “Rhonda was a class act who was deceptively quick and tactically very astute. Both of them had a tremendous variety of shots but Rhonda had the ability to change a game with her quick in-game thinking.

“She was just really astute and she had a very destructive boast that could really take the wind out of your sails.”

For Smith, who admits that when it came to Cardwell, there were many similarities in their games as her Australian opponent was also to prove a nemesis who provided her with her greatest battles.

Recalling this she said: “Yes, Vicki and I butted heads a few times over the years. We were both ultra-competitive but for me Vicki was also just a brilliant squash player, the likes of which you won’t see in terms of guts and determination, of which there are very few who have matched her.

“The first World Team Championships were played at Edgbaston in 1979 and we played as Great Britain and I played Vicki in the final of that and beat her 3-1 and we won the championship.

“But that was when I first realised that she was a special player. I also played her in a lot of semis (1980, 1982) in the British Open as well and many other tournaments and it was her mental attitude that made her so tough.

“When we went on a squash court to play each other you shut the door and you knew that you wouldn’t come off anything less than exhausted and having fought to the end.

“A lot of people queued up to watch us play as we had a similar mentality – it was fight to the death stuff! But I never ever enjoyed playing anyone more than I enjoyed playing Vicki Cardwell.

“I played Heather (McKay) a couple of times and lost, although one of my best achievements was to get the first game off her in the semis of the Worlds in ’79 and then she blew me away.

“But for me the toughest battles and the ones I enjoyed the most were against Vicki. That was because we’d kill each other on the court and then we’d go straight to the bar for a drink.

“What happened on the court was left behind and I had so much admiration for her and she is one of the all-time greats. Vicki was just exceptional.”

When it came to Thorne, Smith shared: “Rhonda would use every area of the court to wear Vicki down.

“Of course they had the longest ever women’s match when they played the final of the 1981 World Open (Smith lost to Cardwell in the semi-final: 0-9, 7-9, 1-9) and that was an unbelievable match which just really underlined how well their styles matched-up.

“So watching them play was fascinating. Vicki would try to impose her physicality on Rhonda and Rhonda would use all her tactical guile and accuracy to break her down.”

When it came to a fitting testimonial Angela summed up the Cardwell versus Thorne rivalry perfectly: “It was just a privilege to watch them compete against each other and to play in the same era as two of the greats of women’s squash.”