Men’s squash final a Canty affair

Press, 18 June 1986, Page 33

Men’s squash final a Canty affair

Canterbury squash players figured prominently when the tournament players’ championship series continued with the Southern Districts Open in Dunedin at the week-end. The men’s final was contested by the Canterbury pair, Paul Viggers and Robbie Burnett, while Carolyn Viggers and Justine Marriott played off for the third position in the women’s section.

By reaching the men’s

final with a straightgames win over the Welsh player, Peter Rice, Burnett made a further advance on the men’s points list.

He aims to qualify among the top eight men who will take part, along with the top eight women, in the grand finals of the series in August. Viggers won the final in four games to move into the second position on the points list behind Anthony McMurtrie (Hamilton).

The women’s final was won by Donna Gurran, who beat the American, Alicia McConnell, in four games.

Carol Viggers, who took McConnell the full distance in the semi-finals, had an easy 3-0 victory over Marriott in the playoff for third.

Both Paul Viggers and Burnett will head north this week-end for the Auckland Open, the seventh event in the 12match qualifying series

for the championship grand finals. While Viggers will play one of the four qualifiers, Burnett could be considered unfortunate to draw the No. 3 seed, Stephen Cunningham, in the first round. In spite of his recent good performances Burnett was seeded only thirteenth. Southern Districts championship results:—

Men. — Semi-finals: P. Viggers (Sumner) beat M.

Gribben (Otago), 9-1, 9-0, 9-0; R. Burnett (Lancaster Park) beat P. Rice (Wales and Royal Oak), 10-8, 9-0, 9-0. Final: Viggers beat Burnett, 9-5, 9-3, 6-9, 9-2. Women. — Semi-finals: D. Gurran (Remuera) beat J. Marriott (Sumner), 9-0, 9-1, 9-1; A. McConnell (United States) beat C. Viggers (Mount Pleasant), 9-0, 9-2, 7-9, 2-9, 9-2. Final: Gurran beat McConnell, 9-2, 9-7, 4-9, 9-7.