Seeded squash players through

Press, 30 August 1989, Page 72

Seeded squash players through

PA Hamilton Reputations were at stake as the top seeds at the world junior women’s squash championships in Hamilton went into action last night. Three byes let Donna Vardy (England), Sabine Schone (West Germany) and Robyn Cooper (Australia) through Monday’s first round, and last night they faced their first opposition. Vardy, the English professional and top seed, had a comfortable win over a brave Gerry Brooking (Cambridge) in three sets. But despite the final scoreline, Vardy was made to work hard, making several errors.

Schone and Cooper had similar fortunes, Schone beating the surprise first-round winner, Kay Kendall (Cambridge), in three sets, and Cooper disposing of the New Zealand No. 4, Judith Hill (Manurewa), 9-2, 9-1, 9-3. The third seed, West German Daniela Grzenia, was given a fright before beating the New Zealand No. 3, Leilani Marsh (Hamilton), in four sets. Grzenia won the first two. sets comfortably, but the Hamilton 15-year-old, a top prospect, battled back to win the third, 9-5. And she had her opponent, an 18-year-old squash professional, on the ropes at 8-6 in the fourth before the West German performed an escape act to emerge shaken but with her reputation intact.

The New Zealand No. 2, Nita Pearson (Cambridge), playing with a painful broken nose which had 10 stitches inserted on Monday night, was one of two New Zealanders to progress to the third round, along with the No. 1, Lynora Hat! (Rotorua). Hati, the eighth seed, conceded her first points of the tournament in beating Australian Melanie Moore but has yet to drop a set. Australia still has three players In contention for the title, while two West Germans, seeded two and three, are also through to the final 16.