Sparkling finish to open squash title

Press, Volume CXVI, Issue 34131, 19 April 1976, Page 14

Sparkling finish to open squash title

’ In a sparkling four-game . final Lin Sparks (Burnside) defeated Timaru's Barry Garl diner to take the Sumner Lion , Brown open squash rackets title yesterday. > Ros Stanton maintained her . top ranking for the province when she overcame a strong 1 challenge from Merle Holland j (Sumner) to take the women’s premier event. On his way to the final Gardiner, seeded second, made no ’ race of it, upsetting the fourth 5 seed, Viv Hargreaves with his I constant changes of pace. Sparks had a comparatively , easy semi-final win over the 1 former New Zealand representa- , tive Don Preston (Greymouth) who had earlier in the day eliminated the top seed, Barry McNeil, in a long five-setter. Sparks’s hardest match before the final was against 19-year-old Barry Matthews, who played one of his best matches for some time to fully extend Sparks. The men’s final saw Gardiner take the first game with a superb display of controlled squash before Sparks began to “read” his play and make some brilliant recoveries. Sparks went on to 6-0 in the second game only to see Gardiner recover to lead 8-7 with some delightfully varied play. However. Sparks’s tenacity paid off and he took the game 10-8. Gardiner then led in the third 6-4 and 8-7, losing the game because of his inability to hit a winner when he had Sparks hopelessly out of position. A determined Gardiner went to 7-3 in the fourth and Sparks looked very tired. He kept running, though, and crept up to 5-7. At this stage the service changed hands five times before a point was scored. Unfortunately for Gardiner it was Sparks who scored it. The women's final was an entertaining affair, Miss Stanton making exceptionally fine use of the side walls to keep Mrs Holland just ‘sufficiently unsettled to prevent her exploit-

ing to the full her touch on the volley and drop.

Both showed great speed at times and commendable fitness for such an early stage of the season. John Oakley (High School Old Boys) took the men’s B grade event in a long match with the seasoned Harry Shepherd (Burnside). The youngest competitor, Stuart Davenport (Burnside), made no race of it in the C grade, winning all his matches without dropping a game. B GRADE Semi-finals: H. Shepherd beat J. French, 3-9, 9-7, 10-8, 1-9, 9-6; J. Oakley beat J. Martin, 9-6, Final: Oakley beat Shepherd, 9-3, 2-9, 10-9, 9-2. C GRADE Semi-finals: S. Davenport beat P. Davenport, 9-1, 9-1, 9-7; K. Newton beat C. Matthews, 9-3, 9-2. 9-2. Final: S. Davenport beat Newton, 9-5, 9-1, 9-4. MEN’S CHAMPIONSHIP Quarter-finals: D. R. Preston beat I. B. McNeil, 0-9, 8-10, 9-4, 9-1. 9-6; L. C. Sparks beat B. Matthews, 6-9, 9-4, 10-8, 7-9, 9-4; V. J. W. Hargreaves beat P. McFadzien, 9-2. 9-5, 9-2; B. Gardiner beat L. Skurr, 4-9, 10-8, 9-2, 9-5. Semi-finals: Sparks beat Preston, 9-1, 9-6, 10-9; Gardiner beat Hargreaves, 9-4. 9-6, 9-1. Final: Sparks beat Gardiner, 3-9, 10-8, 10-8, 9-7. WOMEN’S CHAMPIONSHIP Quarter-finals: R. Stanton beat M. Steele, 10-8, 9-4, 9-2; J. Milne beat V. Dunstan, 9-1, 9-3, 9-2; M. Holland beat A. Alleway, 9-5, 9-2, 9-7; K. Graham beat D. Houghton. 9-2, 9-0, 9-2. Semi-finals: Stanton beat Milne, 9-4. 9-7. 9-1; Holland beat Graham, 9-4, 6-9, 9-6, 9-5. Final: Stanton beat Holland, 9-10, 9-3. 9-5, 9-5. WOMEN'S B GRADE Semi-finals: V. Blake beat P. Anderson. 10-9. 9-4. 3-9, 9-7; A. Huriwai beat M. Slemmer, 9-4, 9-5, 10-8. Final: Huriwai beat Blake, 7-9. 9-2, 9-0, 9-0.