Squash Competition Won By Wigram

Press, Volume XCVIII, Issue 29002, 17 September 1959, Page 19

Squash Competition Won By Wigram

rpHE Wigram Squash Rackets A Club this month won the Christchurch inter-club squash rackets competition, which is now in its second year. The Wigram team went through the season without a defeat, and owed its victory to even strength throughout the five or six players who appeared for the team during the season.

Christchurch A, which finished second, lost only to Wigram. University, which finished third, lost only to those two teams and the 1958 champion, Officers’ Club, was surprisingly relegated to fourth. The other teams, Christchurch B, Christ’s College and Junior Chamber, were never outclassed in a very even competition.

Nearly all the '’ompetition matches were played on the Wigram courts, and this may have assisted the Wigram team. These courts have board walls, and the conditions are not easy to master for the first few games. The consistent strength of the

Wigram team is shown by the fact that two of its players, E. C. Arundel and R. M. Hancock, went through the season without a loss in six matches. They won five of their six matches in straight games, Arundel conceding his only game to P. M. Hill (University) and Hancock his to B. J. Shirlaw (University). Four Wins S. M. Hope (Wigram) won the four matches he played, while G C. Hubbard won four of his five matches, also for Wigram. losing only to W. K. L Dougall (Officers’ Club). R. G. Pattinson. of the Christchurch club, who won the Christchurch closed title, played in only two matches, each of which he won.

Apart from Hubbard, P. R. Hadley (Christchurch Az also had four wins and one loss, while Hill, D. R. Preston (University) and M. R. Blank (Officers’ Club) had four wins and two losses. In the other teams the top players. P. M. Wilson (Junior Chamber), N. W. McGillivray (Christchurch B) and J. St. J. Parson (Christ’s College) all showed that they would be capable of beating the lower players in the top teams.

With six clubs active, the local inter-club competition is the only one of its type in the Dominion While the standard of play is not as high as in Palmerston North, Timaru, Oamaru and Dunedin, Christchurch far outstrips the others in its number of regular players. It is only in the last three seasons that the game has caught on in Christchurch, and further advances may be expected for next season. New Courts It is expected that the Christchurch Squash Rackets Club will have its new headquarters, consisting of two courts and amenities, in use by next season. These courts, which will be financed mainly by the sale of debentures, will include facilities for both men and women players, and will also include a kitchen, members’ lounge and a substantial gallery. Of the other clubs, Junior Chamber and Officers’ Club share a good court in the centre of the city. The Christ’s College court is being renovated. The University club, the players of which have shown a marked advance this season, have no home court on which to practice. The two board courts at Wigram provide good facilities for Air Force players to have consistent practice.