H.S.O.B. increases lead in squash competition

Press, Volume CXII, Issue 32976, 24 July 1972, Page 10

H.S.O.B. increases lead in squash competition

After a break of one week while the New Zealand championships were the Canter-: bury men’s A grade squash rackets competition resumed on Saturday. High School Old Boys increased their lead with a 10-point win over Burnside, while University previously in second place, could win only one match from Christchurch II and fell back to third. The other team to win, Christchurch I, accounted for Sumner 8-2. The points after five rounds are: High School Old Boys 40. Christchurch II 34, University 30, Christchurch I 20, Burnside 18, Sumner 8. Two members of the bury team, M. Billington (Christchurch II) and M. D. Rush (University), featured in a match of extraordinary changes of fortune, which kept the interest of the spectators through the fluctuations in the score. Take away the closeness of the score and it was a lack-lustre affair, both players looking slightly jaded from their strenu-

ous week at the New Zealand championships Few shots were struck in anger, most points com. ing from errors. COMPLETE REVERSE Billington took the first two games with ease — mainly by keeping to the walls and waiting for mistakes by Rush He went to 4-1 in the third game, but then came a complete reverse. Rush took 17 consecutive points,' a great many of them from crisp shots by Billington, to level at two games all. His run continued to 4-1 in the ■ deciding set before Billington hit out to increase the tempo of the match and have four chances for the match at 8-7. Then Rush volleyed his way to 9-8 but failed to score off three match points, allowing Billington the match when he made an elementary error on Billington’s fifth match point. A surprise winner for the Christchurch team was N. Idour, who volleyed with great effect after dropping the first game to L. Plever. Idour kept Plever moving to the back court with good-length play, and won good points from drops when Plever was w’ell behind him. With H. 5.0.8. three matches up, there was no pressure on in the meeting of J. S. Crosbie (Burnside) and V. J. W. Hargreaves (H. 5.0.8 However Crosbie netted a surprising num-

ber of points with his unorthodox play. BEST MATCH The best match of this series was between L. Skarr Hi-t School Old Boys)—-winner of the national B grade title recently—and L. Fullwood (Bumside Skurr had plenty of variety in his play and after dropping the first game kept the tall Fullwood constantly on the move. At Sumner, the home side got away to a disastrous start when M. D. Grant (Christchurch 1> annihilated Sumner’s top man. L. G. Milne. Grant relished the medium-paced fare handed to him and hit winners at will. C. van Uden «Sumner» could gain just the one game from M Barnes, making too man> elementary errors and J. MacDougall was unable to finish off the rallies against a freely moving B. Trangman. It was left to the last match lof the day to provide the brightest squash. In this. P. Steinmetz (Christchurch I) found the pacy :drives of P. Johnston upsetting ; his timing sufficiently to allow Johnston the front position too often for comfort. There was little between the two in the fifth game, until Johnston dragged up an extra amount of speed to clinch a fine match with a sizzling cross-court fore- ; hand. HIGH SCHOOL OLD BOYS 10, BURNSIDE 0 V. J. W. Hargreaves beat J. S. Crosbie. 9-6. 9-7. 9-5; B Me Neil beat A Gray. 9-0, 9-6. 9-7; 1.. Skurr ceat L. Fullwood, 7-9, 9 3, 10-8. 9-4; J Tolchard beat K. Ottley, 10-8, 9-1. 8-10. 9-7. CHRISTCHURCH II g, UNIVERSITY 2 M Billington beat N. D. Rush. 9-0. 9-7. 4-9, 0-9. 10-9; N. Idour beat L. Plever. 2-9. 9-2. 9-2. 9-2; A. E. Dunlop lost to J. Rosevear. 9-3, 0-9. 2-9, 5-9; W. Thom beat J. McGimpsey, 9-6. 9-7, 9-4. CHRISTCHURCH I 8, SUMNER 2 M. D. Frant beat L. G. Milne, 9-0, 9-3, 9-4; P. Steinmetz lost to P. C. Johnston. 9-6. 3-9. 92. 9-7; B Trangmar beat J. MacDougall, 6-9, 9-3. 9-5. 9-6; M. Barnes beat C. van Uden. 9-3, 9-0, 4-9, 9-6.