I had wins against Eugene Black in the first and Jonnie Barnett in the second round. In the quarters, I found myself down two games against Paul Coll but managed to claw back and win another hard match against the youngster. No matter what I did to recover, the legs didn't feel good for the semi in five hours. I went down to a fist pumping Martin Knight in four games. Getting past the fast improving Evan Williams in four games on the final day gave me third place at the nationals for the second consecutive year.
I made my debut for Central in the teams event. We saw off Bay of Plenty and then Auckland for a place in the final where we narrowly lost out to Wellington. Central made the final for the first time and with a young team, have great prospects for the future. It was good to be a part of the team and fun as always.
It was great to get the matches and certainly pick up a thing or two. Playing eight matches in 5 days and coming out without an injury is a success in itself but I will have to learn to recover even better if I want to win another tournament with two matches in a day. I believe it's possible and will surely be giving it a go.
The Squash
Watching other matches reminded me of New Zealand's high level of Squash at the national level. It was great to see so many youngsters at the event - playing well and giving their best. The standard and depth of the teams event was so good that even the bottom seeds could have taken out the top seeds in the first round. Squash players here are certainly doing well and have bright futures ahead of them. All the best guys and girls.
The Event
As for the championship itself, the organisers worked long and hard and did an excellent job. We heard stories of the man hours that went in and the funds that were raised. Well done Mike Jack and his team at Kawarao Park.
However ... the lack of support and proper guidelines from the national governing body were evidently missing. An event they call their own was far below the standards seen in sporting events these days. There was so much more that could have been done and there was so much missing. I feel the Squash players and the rich history of sport in the country deserve much better. The worst was that the event was claimed as a success over the microphone - a scary thought for future events.
Squash players can cry or try as much as they want but at this rate, the sport's administrators are well on their way to keep us behind in the competitive world of sports. I fear the worst for our sport, let alone inclusion in the world's biggest sporting event. Sorry people, but you need to do better - a lot better.
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