Derek Ryan moved up two places to 12 in the new world ranking list, issued yesterday by the Professional Squash Association, just an agonising eight points short of reclaiming his top 10 position.

Most frustrating of all for the Dubliner, however, is that he will have few opportunities in the coming months to make a significant improvement in his ranking. It is his misfortune that at a time when he has produced the best form of his career the sport is in crisis, following the cancellation of a number of events on the world circuit, including next month's Hungarian Open.

The postponement last month of the British Open, the most prestigious event on the squash calendar, was the biggest single blow to the sport. The tournament is due to be held in Birmingham at the end of March but may have to be cancelled, for the first time since the second world war, if a sponsor cannot be found before the end of the season.

The higher the prize money available in an event the higher the ranking points on offer and the next surviving event of note in the calendar, for which Ryan would qualify, is the Hong Kong Open, scheduled for late August.