Australian number 1 William Henzell will hope for some ‘home support’ when he kicks off the Liebherr Men‘s World Cup as the favourite for the Intercontinental Cup on Friday morning.

The Aussie, who had an excellent Olympic Games in London, previously played on the British Grand Prix circuit where he toured the country playing national tournaments. On the way, the popular Australian picked up a lot of local friends.

Will the English fans remember him? Henzell said: “I hope so, I played a lot of the Grand Prixs in 2005, went to Norwich and Blackpool and Wolverhampton and all over the countryside so I had a great time here and have many English friends here. I know the English guys really well – it’s good to be back.”

His previous experience in England might help him to adapt to conditions in the Echo Arena but he faces a new pressure at the 2012 Liebherr Men’s World Cup as he has never previously been highly ranked.

He explained: “It’s the first time I’ve been top seed, But I think all the guys in the group are on a very even standing – anyone in the group could win it.”

His form at the recent London Olympic Games saw him beat both Adam Pattantyus and Joao Monteiro and it’s crucial the Aussie continues this run if he wants to progress.

He said: “I’m really hoping so, I had pretty much a year and a half solely focused on the focused and after that I’ve taken my foot off the accelerator and slowed down a little bit so I’m a bit of unsure of where my form is at the moment.” He added: “I gained a lot of confidence in London and I hope to keep that momentum up.”