Hayes’ bid for N.I. squash title

Press, 3 June 1982, Page 34

Hayes’ bid for N.I. squash title

At the Khandallah Squash Rackets Club this week-end Canterbury’s Rod Hayes will be striving to become only the second player from the “mainland" to win the North Island men’s championship. The only South Islander to have won the event so far in its 34-year history was Viv Hargreaves (Christchurch High School Old Boys) in 1972.

And Hargreaves, now a veteran, will readily admit that his triumph came in the absence of the top group of New Zealand players. That year, in fact, he did not even figure on the national ranking list. "But that win is still in the record books,” he laughs.

Hayes will be up against it at Khandallah, though a title win is still a definite possibility in this, the fourth (and highest points-scoring) event of the $20,000 Adidas national circuit.

In the absence of the defending champion, Stuart Davenport, Hayes has been seeded third, behind two Aucklanders, Neven Barbour (Henderson) and Craig Black-

wood (Panmure). Hayes has never beaten Barbour, although the pair had a close four-setter in the final of the Waikato championships last month. The Christchurch man’s record against Blackwood is 2 to 1 this season and it seems he will have to beat him again to make Monday’s final.

The national under-23 champion, . Joanne Milne (Sumner), is also, seeded No. 3 for the .women’s championship. However, the probably finalists are the world No. 8, Robyn Blackwood. (North Shore), unbeaten in New Zealand this year, and the junior, Susan Devoy (Hamilton), apparently recovered from a hamstring injury.

The full list of seedings for the $2OOO championships is:— Men: Barbour 1, Blackwood 2, Hayes 3. Dean Lovett (Hamilton) 4. David Oakley (Mitchell Park) 5. John Mills (Collegians,'Wellington) 6. Paul Viggers (Hawke’s Bay) 7, Mark Smith (Tawa) 8. Women: Blackwood 1, Devoy 2, Milne 3. Donna Gurran (Remuera) 4. Jean Peed (Taihape) 5, Linda McClure (Maidstone) 6, Susie Simcqck (Remuera) 7, Jillian Oakley (Mitchell Park) 8.