Fine squash recovery

Press, 29 July 1976, Page 21

Fine squash recovery

The young Christchurch C player, Barrie Matthews, made a fine recovery to beat another 19- \ tar-old. Paul MeFadzien (Christchurch A) in A grade squash this week.

Matthews has been in the squash doldrums lately and the way he started against his fellow University student did not suggest that he was about to come out of them.

MeFadzien. hitting some loose i stuff from Matthews for clear (Winners, easily took the first two games and led 6-1 in the , third—only three points away ‘from the match. — before j Matthews finally started to play I constructive squash. Matthews, hitting some particularly good cross - courts, levelled at two games all after winning all but two out of the next 19 rallies and then just took the fifth after having a match ball called against him. This was the C team’s sole win during the evening, but there were two other absorbing contests. In one the junior, Craig i Hibbert, upset the higher-ranked 'disc jockey, George Balani, and lin the other Jim Martin just igot home against a luckless Peter Lublow. Martin recovered from 0-6 to level at 8-8 in the fifth and then incredibly presented his opponent with a match ball by bravely calling a short game. Martin won the next rally with a lucky shot in the nick and Lublow failed to return the ball when Martin served.

Hibbert deservedly won the New World “player of the week” award for his efforts, but Balani very nearly won the last after taking an unscheduled rest on the floor at 3-8 before winning the next five points. High School Old Boys A retained its convincing lead in the competition with a clean sweep over its B side. Lawrence Skurr, the only player in the second team to take his match the full distance, had a chance of a good win at 4-2 in the fifth against Barry McNeil, but faded badly. The match between the No. 4s, John Oakley and John French • Old Boys Bi. was not notable for any brilliant squash and Oakley had five match balls before taking the contest in threestraight games.

Burnside A was without its No. 1. Lyn Sparks, who has a knee injury, but still managed a 10-0 win. thanks to a surprise win by Harry Shepherd over John MacDougall, and still has a chance of heading off Old Boys.

The women’s section has not Deen short on surprises this season and the latest round was no exception with the leaders. High Schoo’ Old Bovs, defaulting to Sumner because two players we«’e sick and the second-placed side. Burnside. losing to lowly High School Old Boys-Suburbs. The best performance from the combined side came from its young No. 1. Margaret Steele, who upset Kathy Graham, the second ranked player in the province, for the second time this season. Burnside B's game with Christchurch was notable for two good wins by Saskia O'Brien (Burnside) and Wendy Dann (Christchurch), a division two player, over Agnes Huriwai and Joan Leary respectively Old Boys now lead Christchurch by only five points with Burn-l side A back another three. Points: —

Men: High School Old Bovs A 42. High School Old Boys B. Christchurch A. Burnside 26, Christchurch C 16, Sumner 8., Christchurch B 6. Women: High School Old Boys 87, Christchurch 82, Burnside A 79, Sumner 60. High School Old Boys-Suburbs 30. Burnside B 22. Results:— MEN High School Old Boys A 10, High School Old Boys B 0 I. B. McNeil beat L. P. Skurr, 5-9. 9-2, 9-5. 7-9, 9-4; V. J. W. Hargreaves beat J. Redpath, 8-10, 9-6, 9-5. 9-5: W. J. Tolchard beat R. McCutcheon. 9-4, 10-8. 8-10, 9-3; J. Oakley beat J. French. 9-4, 9-7. 9-7. Burnside 10, Sumner 0 N. D. Rush beat C. Van Uden, 9-0, 9-4. 9-3; J. G. Foulds beat L. G. Milne, 9-2. 7-9, 9-4, 9-5; H. T. Shepherd beat J. A. MacDougall, 9-7. 4-9 ° n ’ T. George beat R. Marshall, 9-2, 9-6, 9-6 Christchurch a < Christchurch C 2

P. G. McFadzien lost tp B. D Matthews, 9-5. 9-5. 6-9. 0-9, 8-10;I W. A. Id our beat B. B. TrangmarJ

9-1, 10-8. 9-7; C. Hibbert beat G. Balani. 7-9. 4-9. 9-5. 9-6. 10-8: J. P Martin beat P. Lublow. 9-1. 9-3, 2-9. 5-9, 9-8. WOMEN Christchurch 8, Burnside B 2 P. Lush beat C. Winterbourn. 4-9. 7-9, 9-2. 9-2. 9-1; A. Huriwai lost to S. O'Brien, 9-1. 8-iu. ;»-5, 6-9, 9-10; B. Dewar beat S. Saussey, 9-0, 4-9. 9-4, 9-2: W. Dann beat J. Leary. 9-5. 9-1. 9-6. High School Old Bovs-Suburbs 6, Burnside A 4 M. Steele beat K Graham. 5-9, 9-4, 9-0. 10-8: S. Young lost to M. Davenport, 5-9. 9-5, 0-9. 0-9; P. Barwick lost to X. Waslev. 8- 9-5, 10-9. 5-9. 4-9; H. Rippon beat J. Abrahamson. 9-4, 9-6, 7-9, 9-