Sumner squash success

Press, 2 June 1981, Page 6

Sumner squash success

Bryan Simpson and Kate Carpinter made it a Sumner double in the Lion Linwood open squash tournament yesterday. Simpson beat Neil Rush, 9-5, 96, 9-5, in a 39min men's final while Carpinter overcame the top seeded woman, Lorna Symes, 9-7. 9-10, 9-7,9-6, in a tight 43min match.

For Simpson this was his fifth tournament success of 1981, having had two earlier wins in Christchurch, one in Nelson, and another in Gore.

It was a typically steady Simpson performance and he never really let Rush into the match though tending to lapse into error after establishing comfortable leads. He was not personally satisfied ( and found it “a bit of a struggle — mainly against myself." Rush, who featured in some long exchanges of delicate drops up front on the forehand, has both good and bad news for the Canterbury representative selectors. Unfortunately his experienced Wigram team-mate, Lyn Sparks, has a stress facture and will be out of action for six .weeks; Rush, though, has announced that he is available for the side again after a break. The women’s final deservedly

went to Carpinter who denied Symes a hat-trick of successes in the annual tournament. She ran well and was less error-prone than her opponent.

Both players had their successful patches in the match with Carpinter winning the first game from 5-7 and then holding a game ball in the next after trailing 3-7.

It was Symes’s turn to come back in the third when she was getting increasingly impatient with herself as Carpinter went to an’B-1 lead. She finally started to dominate the rallies and crept up to 7-8, but missed the vital shots/

In the fourth Symes started well and enjoyed a 6-2 lead only for Carpinter to regain the serve and not relinquish it while taking seven straight points for the match. Symes was hitting the tin frequently and Carpinter finished it all off by putting away a forehand volley.

There was an unfortunate end to the women’s special plate final, Mary Hunt injuring her ankle while taking a; nasty tumble in the backhand front corner. At that stage she and Carolyn Oakley (Otago University) had

one game each and the score was 6-6 in the third. Results of finals:— .-/ . MEN

Division one.—B. J. Simpson beat N. D. Rush, 9-5, 9-6,-9-5. Plate: H. Dowell’ beat R. Clements,. 4-9,' 4-9, 9-3, 9-4, 9-0. Special plate: R. Burnett beat J. H. Christensen, 10-8, 9-3, 9-3. Consolation plate: W. Seebeck beat L. Wilson, 9-1, 4-9, 6-9, 10-8, 9-3.

Division two.—M. Keenan (Hokitika) beat R. Turner, 7-9, 9-3,,9-10, 9-6,.9-0. ■ Division three.—N. Fyfe (Westport) beat S. Martin (Hokitika),' 92, 9-7, 9-0. Division four.—R. Purchas heat W. Adams, 9-4, 9-5, 3-9, 6-9, 9-7- . Division' five—J. Forrester, beat J. Rush. 9-3, 9-6, 9-6. WOMEN Division one.—K, Carpinle beat L. Symes. 9-7, 94'.’, 9-7, 9-6. .. Plate: I. Cook (Southern) beat s.Wasley, 6-9, 9-5, 9-10, 9$ 9-4. > Special plate: C. Oakley (Otago University) beat M. Hunt, 5-9,9-6. 6-6 (retired). Consolation plate; H. Shannon beat J. Gemmill, 4-9, K 9-2. 6-9, 9-7, 10-9. Division two—J. Edwards beat G. Rush, 9-4', 9-3, 9-0. :