Strong entry expected at squash open

EASTERN Province's squash players will have a last chance to fine-tune their games in a competitive atmosphere when the Brian Bands NMMU Open is played at the campus next weekend (June 6-8).

Revived in 2012 after an absence of several years, the NMMU event is certain to again attract a strong entry as it cements its spot on the EP calendar.

In the last two years, the tournament has attracted players from outside the province to add to a strong local entry and there should be plenty of competition again next weekend.

The EP provincial squads were named after the Crusaders tournament at the weekend and most of those players will probably use the NMMU event to continue their preparations for the July interprovincial.

While training will be high on their agenda at the moment, there is nothing like tough match-play conditions to test your levels of skill and fitness, and hopefully the NMMU Open will be well supported.

One man who missed out at the Saders tournament is Jason le Roux, who is studying at NMMU but is affiliated to Border squash for provincial purposes. Le Roux has suffered two rare losses this season, to NMMU clubmate Kyle Schwarz in the EP Closed and Sean Bailey in this week's league encounter.

A tough competitor, Le Roux, as part of the organising committee, will have his hands full next weekend but will probably be also looking to brush up his Jarvis Cup preparations on the court.

NMMU sport manager Zanele Mdodana said the tournament had seen tremendous growth over the past two years and she anticipated that the trend would continue.

"In the tournament's inaugural year, we had about 50 participants. Last year there were 67 and we anticipate even more this time," she said. - Neale Emslie