Sparkling squash expected from new club

Press, 19 April 1980, Page 21

Sparkling squash expected from new club

By

TIM DUNBAR

The imminent return from Auckland of Lyn Sparks has a lot to do with the formation of the -W ig r a m-Lincoln team which makes its debut in the men’s division one squash competition on Tuesday evening. Sparks, who helped Auckland win the last national inter-districts’ teams event, is expected to take up . his old job as physical education instructor at the Wigram R.N.Z.A.F. base early next month. The second spot in the •newly combined team will be filled by the 1978 Canterbury representative, Neil Rush, who has come from the Burnside club. Rush is the education officer at the base. Grant Utteridge (Lincoln College), a Canterbury junior representative, and two members of the R.N.Z.A.F. who have moved from Auckland, David Post and John Hodgson, make up the team. A similar arrangement between Wigram and Lincoln will also operate in men’s division two.

This year’s division one competition will finish rather earlier than usual with no bve necessary and the 10 men’s teams (one less than in 1979) splitting into sections of six and

four after the first round. A grand final is scheduled for the first time. With its strong top half, Wigram-Lincoln will not be ■ easy to beat, but several other teams also now have more beef at Nos 1 and 2. As in previous years, a lot will depend on how often a particular side can field its best combination.

'Jne team certain to suffer from the availability problem is last year’s Blank Trophy (first round) winner, Burnside, which has the same youthful combination of Jamie Bushell, Chris Wasley, Robin Clements and Mark Crosbie.

As yet, Burnside has no real reserve and during the. season its challenge will be somewhat muted with Bushell away for. a month and Clements for a couple of weeks. ■ ’ "" This is a familiar problem for a University sports side and the 1980 team will probably be scratching for players during the vacation. University, like Bumside, has cut back two teams to one, and the result is a little more strength in the bottom half with Paul Davenport and Malcolm Forster. Barrie Matthews (unbeaten at No. 1 in 1979) and Hamish

Dowell make up a formidable top half. The top High School Old Boys team, holder of the Wilson Shield, should start as favourite with such players as Lawrence Skurr (the Canterbury No. 3), John Oakley and Viv Hargreaves again turning out. Gains are John Tolchard (from the other Old Boys side) and Matthew Clements (University). High School Old Boys 11, comparatively weak in the top half, will not be a leading contender although Mike Stossel (also playihg A grade badminton), Geof Tait (from Burnside) and Malcolm Thompson, can all be doughty opponents. On paper, Christchurch I.'has the strongest combination at one and two with Rod Hayes (the Canterbury No. 1) and Don Preston (No. 5). Hayes’ absences will be rather fewer while Preston should win even more matches at No. 2 than he did for Christchurch II in the top position last year. The other team members, especially Bruce Trangmar and Roger Monk, are capable also. Christchurch has two new players. and * oner of

them, Bryan Simpson (from Nelson), is likely to have an -interesting, battle with Sparks, Matthews, Skurr and Craig Hibbert for. the No. 2 Canterbury ranking this season. The experienced l Graham Foulds has joined the team from Burnside and the bottom half will consist of Laurie Wilson, Jim Martin, Neville Idour and Mike Barnes. Linwood, well-placed last season, might slip a little this winter, though the work Hibbert has been putting into his game means that no opposing No. 1 can be over-con-fident. Howard Marshall (in Japan) will miss the first few games when the last three spots will be filled by Gary Monk, Grant Egan, and a former division five player, Robbie Burnett. The Sumner team is another which will have to work for its victories. It has the familiar figure of Ron Marshall at No. 1 and Ryan McCutcheon at No. 3 with John MacDougall and Gary Davis fighting out the bottom spot in a best-of-three series. The best; news is that John

Christensen’s omission from the Olympic hockey team will allow him to play more squash — and he will be a capable No. 2. Suburbs, second-bottom last year, has lost both Max Morrison and Alan Dunlop, but there is considerable compensation in the voluble George Balani who has crossed over from the Christchurch club. Les Plever, Murray Carson and Peter Lublow are the basis of the rest of the side. Altogether, more than 230 teams (20 more than in 1979) will be playing inter-club with 14 men’s divisions and six women’s — an increase of one in each case. The women’s first division has eight teams, one less than last year, with the major feature being the increase in players a side from three to four. Because of this, both Christchurch (two) and High School Old Boys (one) have entered one less team, although this is partly offset by the inclusion of Linwood in the competition after a twoyear absence. The title-holder, Christchurch I, will again figure prominently with the prov i n c i a 1 representative.

Lorna Symes, and Erin Hensley coming in the side to support the Canterbury champion, Philippa Idour. Old Boys, weak last year, will be a tougher proposition with Vai Dunstan and Bette King now in the same side and Lorraine Sutherland likely to step into the No. 1 spot when she returns. While Stimner will have to do ■without its top player, Merle Holland (playing in a men’s division), there is a pretty adequate replacement from University in Kate Carpinter, who already has one 1980 tournament win to her credit. Burnside may have a problem matching its second placing of 1979 withits No. 1, Lyn Chamberlain, transferred to Hanmer. University is affected by the unavailability of Rosemary Davies and two defections — Mrs Carpinter and Jenny Oakley — with the arrival of the young Waikato player, Jackie James (a first year Lincoln College student), only partly easing the situation. - T . Christchurch 11, Linwood and Suburbs are the other entries with the latter led by Chris'Winterbourn, again likely to provide spirited opposition.