Bay of Plenty Golden Girl Amanda Landers-Murphy returned home last night to a raucous reception of adoring fans. Geyser City Club hosted a welcome home function for the Gold medalist which was attended by fellow squashies, friends, family and aspiring youngsters. It was an emotional occasion for Amanda, and an opportunity for her to thank some of the people close to her who have contributed to her success. She was very grateful for the opportunity to share this with her closest supporters. "It was an amazing night, I honestly didn’t expect that many people there! I didn’t realise how much it would mean to the everyone else but I’m so happy I got to share that with everyone. It made me feel very proud. It was a very humbling experience"
Her long-time coach Danny McQueen spoke about her journey from a "pretty average" young player to a full-time professional player. He pointed out her incredible work ethic and desire to succeed has led her to this point and she has deserved the success she has enjoyed over the past 3-4 years.
Amanda has added a Commonwealth Games Gold medal to her two World Doubles titles and she has cemented herself as one of the world's best doubles players. Danny recounted her performances at the Games and highlighted the outstanding combination she has built up with Joelle King.
There is no time to rest however as she heads off this week to the UK to continue her career on the PSA Tour. Her next event is the Irish Open on 23 April, as she builds towards the British Open in May.