Strong squash favourite

Press, 23 August 1979, Page 32

Strong squash favourite

Hawke’s Bay-Gisborne is a strong favourite to win the boys’ section of the national junior inter-district squash event in Christchurch next week. It boasts three of the topi four seeds for the New Zealand junior boys’ open, which will begin at the University courts on Saturday. The district has the top seed, Paul Viggers, the second seed, Stuart Davenport, and the fourth seed, Wayne Rowlands. Viggers i« the present under-19 champion, recently reversing last; year’s win by his team-mate, Davenport, Canterbury is not quite as strong as it was in 1977 when it had Davenport at No. 2 and became the first South Island team to win the event. However, it should still finish in one of the top places with prominent local A grade players such as Jamie Busheli, Robin Clements, and Mark Crosbie in the line-up. Two other useful players, Paul Davenport and Grant Utteridge, complete the side. All the individual matches contested over the week-end will take place at the University courts with the boys’ and girls’ finals transferring to the Christchurch club on Monday afternoon. The full list of seeds is:— Boys: Viggers 1, Davenport 2, Lovett (Waikato) 3, Rowlands 4, John Mills (Wellington) 5, David Oakley (Wellington) 6. Girls: Karen Lever (Bay of Plenty) 1, Susan Devoy (8.0. P. 2, Robin Sperry (Wellington) 3, Debbie Kejsall (Auckland) 4, Karen McDonald (Wellington) 5, Alison Stagg (Wellington) 6. The Christchurch club is the venue for the entire interdistrict teams’ event which will run from Tuesday to Friday. Canterbury’s girls team of Donna O’Grady, Lesley Egnot, Kay Monk, Susan Wasley and Julie Quinn is unlikely to test the top North Island sides, such as Wellington, but should gain valuable experience.