Australian team announced for Men’s World Team Championships

The four-man Australian team has been selected for the 2023 Men’s World Team Championships.

Ryan Cuskelly (NSW), Rhys Dowling (NT), Dylan Molinaro (VIC) and Joseph White (NT) will compete in Tauranga, New Zealand on 11-17 December 2023.

The tournament will feature nearly 100 of the world’s best squash players amongst 24 national teams, and is the first time it has been played since 2019.

Cuskelly has been selected for the event for the fourth straight time, with his best result coming in 2017 when Australia took a share of third place. At the last Men’s World Team Championships prior to COVID, Australia finished in 10th position.

White was selected for the event in 2021 before it was cancelled due to the pandemic, while Dowling represented Australia at last year’s Commonwealth Games in Birmingham.

For Molinaro, his selection marks the first time he has been named in a senior national team.

“Being selected for my country is a great honour and I’m excited to wear green and gold for the first time at a senior level at the World Team Championships,” said Molinaro. “Getting selected highlights the improvements I have made throughout the year and is recognition of this work and my recent tournament success.

“I am determined to continue that form throughout the World Team Championships.

“These opportunities don’t come up regularly so to represent Australia for the first time as a senior player and be a part of a team with other great players makes it exciting, and I’m really looking forward to competing for the first time in the World Team Championships.”

The 21-year-old Victorian Institute of Sport athlete made a move to the Gold Coast in 2021for tertiary and sporting reasons, and has reaped the rewards of training amongst the best players in the country.

“My move to the Gold Coast was for university studies, and primarily to be a part of the National Squash Centre, which facilitates an environment of players dedicated to training daily all with the aim to perfect skills and be the best squash players they can be,” said Molinaro. “The environment which Stewart [Boswell] sets up provides consistent, regular and structured training allowing for all players to seek constant improvement. 

“I believe this structured team environment has helped me learn and gain a better understanding into the squash player I want to be and has been very beneficial for the progress of my squash.”