Matthew 'rocks' the Guardian

Readers of the Guardian's weekly 'What's rocking sport' section will know that the average sportsman's choice of listening is as varied and interesting as a 1970s-style 100 stroke rally up the sidewall to good length.

But this week's focus on Nick Matthew's iPod selection proves that the way a squash player performs on court is no guide to musical taste ...

It is the incongruity that baffles.

Here is a player who bounds on to court, gleefully lashing any loose ball into the nick like a wicked, cutlass-wielding enemy in a Sinbad film.

Previously featured sportsmen commonly reveal a preference for two types of music - coffee table chart fodder favoured by middle-class thirtysomethings (see David Gray), or rap/hip-hop - usually just on the 'edgy' side of popular - without being downright offensive (i.e. not N.W.A.): the bass-heavy rhythms providing the catalyst for getting 'pumped' prior to performance.

Given the way Matthew plays, I half suspected he would warm up to a hard rock bombast, shadow-boxing to Welcome to the Jungle or squat-thrusting to the solo from Enter Sandman.

Maybe someone raised in the city would harbour a guilty collection of Sheffield's finest - the 'Leppard ...

What is actually revealed is a penchant for James Blunt and Dire Straits (maybe I'm being a bit hard - Justin Timberlake and Kanye West feature in his matchday tracklisting. You won't find your dad listening to them.)

Joe Elliott would not approve.

"I suppose a rock's out of the question?"