Aggressive squash paying off

Press, 17 July 1987, Page 20

Aggressive squash paying off

Hokitika’s Philippa Beams was especially chuffed about one particular congratulatory phone call she received after winning the national under 17 girls’ squash title in Wellington last week. It came from Susan Devoy. Beams was pleasantly surprised that the world champion would take the trouble to ring her. Devoy and Beams had actually met on the squash court in the first round of the Canterbury championships a month earlier and despite the hopelessness of her task the young West Coast player impressed with her willingness to get stuck in. 1 That aggressive attitude helped Beams to a 9-6, 93, 4-9, 9-7 win over the top seed, Nita Pearson, of New Plymouth, in the age-group titles at Khandallah, reversing fourgame losses to the same player in both the North and South Island junior championships this year. For Beams, who turned 17 last Friday, getting ahead in squash has involved considerable effort. Since the age of 15 she has faced a tiring drive across the Alps — a round trip of about &40km — every second week-

end. While she belongs to the Hokitika Squash Rackets Club, Beams is able to get stiffer opposition in Christchurch, where she is affiliated to the Lancaster Park club. Philippa is the daughter of the former West Coast rugby first five-eighths and coach, Ken Beams, himself a useful squash exponent, and she has been playing since the age of about 11. Mr Beams said that Philippa has benefited considerably recently through having the former New Zealand representative and present national junior selector, Rod Hayes, as her coach. “She’s certainly come ahead since she’s been under Rod’s wing. He can pinpoint the problems and fix them,” he said. Hayes said that Beams had a lot of potential to do well. "She is very aggressive and very determined and is keen to do new things and improve her game.” He expects that in a year or two she will be “steamrolling most of the juniors.” According to the Canterbury man, Beams had the ability to fight her

way out of trouble and was a stronger competitor than many girls. “Some lack a bit of get-up and go," he said. Aspects Beams still has to concentrate on are her fitness — essential for maintaining the hard, fast pace she likes — and improving her backhand. Her coach hopes to have a few week-ends on the Coast during the summer to work with his pupil. Next year Beams, a seventh former at Westland High School, should have to do a lot less travelling for hard matchplay. She hopes to be a student at Canterbury University. Beams was not the only Canterbury junior to prosper at the national age-group championships. Sarah Cook, a 12-year-old with tremendous potential, won the girls’ under 13 title with a convincing 9-3, 9-7, 9-7 win over Adrienne Herewini (Te Roopu). Earlier in the season Cook was runnerup for the South Island under 15 title. Hayes said that the Linwood player was technically and tactically very good. “All she lacks is strength.” TIM DUNBAR