The National Champs are certainly the biggest event in New Zealand. As expected, I was busy from the word go!
The Individual Championships
The individual title hasn't been on my goals list for a while but it is still hard to stay away from trying to win. I lacked a focus on the individual event but certainly wanted to do well. After seeing through Aaron Kopittke in the first round, I was up against good old Willie Bicknell. Bickers is always keen for a banter and posted on Facebook that he was up for it - causing some interest in our match. He walked on court with a cricket helmet on and fortunately took it off before we started. He played well however I was able to get through in 3 and got an excellent game to get ready for the quarter final against Lance.
Lance had beaten me in Havelock North and m y goal was to put the record straight. It is always hard against Lance as his skilful pay means his opponents end up scrambling a lot - and I was no exception. A close first two games and I led 2-0. He clawed back to win the third and looked dangerous in the fourth. I took a lead and hung on to it to win the fourth and with it the match. I was through to the semi.
This was the third year in a row that I had to play Martin in the semi. It was going to be a long and hard match if I was going to beat Marty and I wasn't up for it. I tried and played well but lacked the determination to hang in there with his intensity. Martin beat me convincingly in three.
The 3rd place match against Paul was no different as I went down in 3 again. Paul played very well and didn't give me much to work with. He volleyed a lot and got everything back - as usual. A well deserved win got him his first 3rd place finish. The seedings amongst the top 5 at least - were justified when Martin beat Campbell in the final.
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| With Mike Pittams - dressed in a Tigger onsie at prizegiving |
The Teams Championships
Helping Central has been my main goal for the last two years. Whether I play for them or coach the players, I have been focused on helping the district get the results they have been aiming for a while. We lost to Canterbury but beat Eastern and then Waikato on the final day to claim 5th spot. The win on the last day was on count back points and the difference was only that of four!
However the highlight of the event was our Central girls winning the National Teams Champs - the first time in the history of Squash in New Zealand. The girls played amazing and got home against Auckland in the final. A brilliant effort and reward for their efforts and commitment to Squash.
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| The Central Team - celebrating the girls' win |
Gareth did wonderfully to launch Squashies TV at Nationals. There was plenty of support from fellow players - all stepping up to help with production. It generated a lot of interested and we had some very good feedback. Looks like we will be doing it regularly next year. Great news for Squash!
www.squashies.co.nz
