N.Z. second in world squash

Press, 6 December 1985, Page 36

N.Z. second in world squash

NZPA staff correspondent

HUGH BARLOW Cairo

While Pakistan consolidated its position at the top of international squash at the world championships in Cairo, New Zealand emerged as a clear second. Ross Norman finished as runner-up in the individual championships to the seemingly unstoppable Jahangir Khan last week, and the New Zealand team of Norman, Stuart Davenport and Paul Viggers finished second to Pakistan in the teams event yesterday. The teams event was a disappointment for the New Zealanders, although there were few sad faces after last night’s 2-1 loss in the final.

New Zealand’s big hope was that Australia or England would knock Pakistan out of the championship and clear the way for a New Zealand victory. When that did not happen, second place was, realistically, the best the New Zealanders could hope for. The team’s weakness was its lack of a third international player to support Norman and Davenport. Although Viggers and Anthony McMurtrie, who shared the No. 3 spot, played soundly, they could not compete against their counterparts in the leading teams.

Although that did not matter against England and Australia, it spelt disaster against Pakistan. Norman and Davenport are ranked second and fourth in the world, although with No. 3 Chris Dittmar, of Australia injured, Davenport effectively moved up one place. England’s top J two

players, Gawain Briars and Phil Kenyon, are ranked seventh and ninth, and Australia’s leading pair, Greg Pollard and Ross Thorne, are ranked fifth and tenth.

It was always reasonable to expect New Zealand to beat the two countries, regardless of whether Viggers or McMurtrie lost.

Pakistan’s advantage over New Zealand was that with Jahangir at number one, they went in to the match assured of at least one win.

All they needed was for either Umar Hyat Khan or Sohail Qaiser to win and the title was theirs.

Davenport beat Umar, 90, 9-4, 7-9, 9-2, but after Norman lost to Jahangir, 19, 3-9, 2-9, it all came down to Viggers. Although the Christchurch player never stopped trying, he could not prevent Qaiser winning, 9-4, 9-2, 9-6. Against Norman, Jahangir played with more purpose and left fewer openings for the New Zealander, who repeatedly found that shots Sood enough to make him 10. 2 were not good enough to score points off the world champion. At the start of the second game, Jahangir drove two balls into the tin and then failed to reach a Norman drop shot, to give the New Zealander a 3-0 lead. But Norman’s hopes vanished as the Pakistani took the next nine points in a row. Jahangir picked up where he left off in the third game, winning the first six points. Norman won the serve with a well placed drop shot and pulled back the score to 2-6. The two points were the last he scored as Jahangir wrapped up the set in 11 minutes.

Davenport made a flying

start in his match against Umar, dropping serve only three times as he took the first game in 11 minutes without conceding a point. The second set was also one-sided, but Umar lifted the pace in the third and attacked the ball more. Davenport made many errors, often hitting the ball into the tin, and lost the game, 7-9 in 23 miriutes.

He resumed control in the fourth game and dropped! only two points as he won in nine minutes to maintain his unbeaten record during the teams event.

Viggers tried to establish a pattern of playing the ball off the front wall to well back down the court in the hope of reducing Qaiser’s chances to score from quick angled shots.

Viggers moved closer to the front in the third game and played more sharply angled shots which Qaiser found more difficult to deal with.

He took a 5-3 lead and it looked as though he would stay with Qaiser, but the Pakistani lifted his game and allowed Viggers only one more point in the match.

The play-off for third and fourth places was won by Australia, who with wins from Dean Williams and Ross Thorne beat England 2-1.