Northerns A women overcame two stiff challenges as the Growthpoint Interprovincial squash tournament got off to a pulsating start at various venues in East London on Monday.
After limited entries for two years due to the Covid-19 pandemic, SA’s premier team event is back in full swing, with 28 teams contesting four men’s sections and 12 women’s sides competing in the A (seven teams) and B (five teams) sections.
The dust had barely settled from the opening night’s reception when the Northerns team found themselves deadlocked in a Kaplan Cup battle for survival with Western Province.
Down 2-1 in matches, the pressure was ramped up for the Northerns top pairing of Milnay Louw and Helena Coetzee, but they rose to the occasion with a powerful late surge to take their ties and the encounter 14-8.
Coetzee had the tougher match against Karen Blom after losing the first game, but stayed the distance and eventually came through in four games.
Louw, however, proved too much for a game Siyoli Waters in the match decider, winning a close first game but then running away with it to seal the bonus points via a 3-0 result.
In the afternoon, Northerns came up against stiff resistance from Eastern Province, with three of the first four matches all going to five games.
Lara Patrick (Northerns) was 2-0 up against Janet Byrnes before nearly letting it slip, regrouping in time to take the fifth game decider 11-9.
Meanwhile, Megan Shannon trailed EP No 5 Mikayla Boy 2-0 but showed great grit to also win 11-9 in the fifth.
Those results, coupled with Awande Malinga’s victory at No 3, were enough to give them the five bonus points in a titanic contest as they got home 17-11.
There was some consolation for EP as they won the final two matches, Jacqui Ryder continuing the pattern of the tie with a 3-2 result against Coetzee and EP No 1 Hayley Ward showing superb all-round play to defeat the experienced Louw 3-1.
In the men’s Jarvis Cup, defending champions SA Country Districts sent a warning shot across their opponents’ bows as they romped to a 20-2 win over Midlands.
The KwaZulu-Natal side may not be the strongest in the men’s A section but SACD have given notice that it will take a serious team effort to topple them from their current lofty perch.
KZN and Western Province also emerged with opening day victories though they dropped some points on the way.
Northerns No 1 Ruan Olivier salvaged some pride for his team with a win over Matthew Boote, but KZN ruled the proceedings for a sold 17-7 result.
WP, meanwhile, lost two of their matches against Zambia, but still had enough in the tank to secure a 15-5 result.
In the most closely contested match of the men’s A section, Eastern Province put up a courageous showing against Joburg Squash, who ultimately prevailed 17-9.
EP won only one match but the three clashes down the order all went to five games, so it could nearly have been a different outcome.
The matches involving Joburg players Dean Nortier (No 4) and Makho Ntuli (No 5) both went down to the wire before they emerged victorious as they each took the final games 11-9 against Jason le Roux and Sean Bailey, respectively.
The results were:
Women’s Kaplan Cup
EP A bt Midlands A 20-5 (EP first): Hayley Ward bt Nadia Dippenaar 3-0 (11-8 11-0 11-4), Jacqui Ryder bt Nicola Bentley 3-0 (11-5 12-10 11-4), Anlen Murray bt Noel Lee 3-0 (11-7 11-6 11-7), Janet Byrnes bt Ana Chemaly 3-0 (11-6 11-1 11-4), Mikayla Boy bt Melanie de Wet 3-0 (11-3 11-6 11-5)
Joburg Squash A bt Zambia A 20-0 (Joburg first): Cheyna Wood bt Sharon Chifwembe 3-0 (11-6 11-0 11-6), Teagan Roux bt Namwene Muchaile 3-0 (11-4 11-5 11-2), Jennifer Preece bt Majory Mwamba 3-0 (11-2 11-3 11-7), Shannon Harvey bt Monica Chimese 3-0 (12-10, 11-6 11-4), Mariske Wiese bt Natasha Chimese 3-0 (11-3 11-2 11-9)
Northerns A bt WP A 14-8 (Northerns first): Milnay Louw bt Siyoli Waters 3-0 (11-9 11-0 11-5), Helena Coetzee bt Karen Blom 3-1 (5-11 11-5 12-10 11-9), Awande Malinga bt Sacha West 3-1 (7-11 11-8 11-9 12-10), Lara Patrick lost to Karen Schultz 3-0 (11-4 11-4 11-4), Megan Shannon lost to Juanette le Roux 3-0 (11-6 11-4 11-0)
SACD A bt Zambia A 20-0 (SACD first): Lizelle Muller bt Sharon Chimfwembe 3-0 (11-2 11-2 11-2), Alexa Pienaar bt Namwene Muchaile 3-0 (11-1 11-3 11-2), Shelomi Truter bt Majory Mwamba 3-0 (11-4 11-0 11-4), Keschia Scorgie bt Monica Chimese 3-0 (11-8 11-2 11-4), Elske Garbers bt Natasha Chimese 3-0 (11-8 11-3 11-2)
WP A bt Midlands A 20-3 (WP first): Karen Blom bt Nadia Dippenaar 3-1 (11-6 9-11 11-5 11-4), Sacha West bt Nicola Bentley 3-0 (11-2 11-7 11-8), Karen Schultz bt Noel Lee 3-1 (11-4 7-11 11-2 11-3), Juanette le Roux bt Ana Chemaly 3-1 (11-2 11-8 7-11 11-8), Katie Mayhew bt Melanie de Wet 3-0 (11-1 11-1 11-0)
Northerns A bt EP A 17-11 (Northerns first): Milnay Louw lost to Hayley Ward 3-1 (11-9 11-4 12-14 11-4), Helena Coetzee lost to Jacqui Ryder 3-2 (10-12 11-7 11-7 4-11 11-5), Awande Malinga bt Anlen Jarman 3-1 (7-11 11-4 11-7 11-7), Lara Patrick bt Janet Byrnes 3-2 (12-10 11-9 4-11 7-11 11-9), Megan Shannon bt Mikayla Boy 3-2 (7-11 6-11 11-8 11-3 11-9)
Men’s Jarvis Cup
Joburg Squash A bt EP A 17-9 (Joburg first): Christo Potgieter bt Dean Venter 3-0 (11-3 11-6 11-4), David Sibanda lost to Gerard Mitchell 3-0 (11-3 11-6 11-2), Grant Woodward bt Tyrone Dial 3-2 (11-7 11-8 4-11 6-11 11-2), Dean Nortier bt Jason le Roux 3-2 (11-8 6-11 5-11 11-8 11-9), Makho Ntuli bt Sean Bailey 3-2 (8-11 11-7 11-6 13-15 11-9)
KZN A bt Northerns A 17-7 (KZN first): Matthew Boote lost to Ruan Olivier 3-0 (11-9 11-7 11-4), Daniel Smith bt Sipho Ncube 3-2 (11-3 12-10 7-11 4-11 11-4), Luke Bakke bt Reece McLachlan 3-0 (11-2 11-6 14-12), Justin de Neef bt Mark Schickerling 3-1 (11-7 11-3 5-11 12-10), Adrian Hansen bt Luhann Groenewald 3-1 (11-8 9-11 11-7 11-8)
WP A bt Zambia A 15-7 (WP first): Mighael Lombard lost to Kundanji Kalengo 3-0 (11-8 11-8 11-4), Rodney Durbach bt Kelvin Ndhlovu 3-0 (11-7 11-6 11-8), Gary Wheadon bt Sam Siame 3-1 (11-8 11-6 4-11 13-11), John-Ross Malloch lost to Manda Chilambwe 3-1 (9-11 11-8 11-6 12-10), Justin vd Poel bt Ken Mwape 3-0 (11-7 11-4 11-5)
SACD A bt Midlands A 20-2 (SACD first): Dewald van Niekerk bt Justin Gouweloos 3-0 (11-5 11-8 11-4), JP Brits bt Josh vd Wath 3-0 (11-8 11-3 11-8), Tristen Worth bt Luke McFarland 3-0 (11-3 11-6 11-7), Jimmy Schlebusch bt Daryn Pieters 3-0 (11-5 11-6 11-8), Jonty Matthys bt Mick Gouweloos 3-2 (9-11 11-9 11-7, 9-11 12-10)
Northerns pushed hard in Interprovincial squash opener
SACD men make a strong start in defence of Jarvis title
Image: RANDELL ROSKRUGE
Northerns A women overcame two stiff challenges as the Growthpoint Interprovincial squash tournament got off to a pulsating start at various venues in East London on Monday.
After limited entries for two years due to the Covid-19 pandemic, SA’s premier team event is back in full swing, with 28 teams contesting four men’s sections and 12 women’s sides competing in the A (seven teams) and B (five teams) sections.
The dust had barely settled from the opening night’s reception when the Northerns team found themselves deadlocked in a Kaplan Cup battle for survival with Western Province.
Down 2-1 in matches, the pressure was ramped up for the Northerns top pairing of Milnay Louw and Helena Coetzee, but they rose to the occasion with a powerful late surge to take their ties and the encounter 14-8.
Coetzee had the tougher match against Karen Blom after losing the first game, but stayed the distance and eventually came through in four games.
Louw, however, proved too much for a game Siyoli Waters in the match decider, winning a close first game but then running away with it to seal the bonus points via a 3-0 result.
In the afternoon, Northerns came up against stiff resistance from Eastern Province, with three of the first four matches all going to five games.
Lara Patrick (Northerns) was 2-0 up against Janet Byrnes before nearly letting it slip, regrouping in time to take the fifth game decider 11-9.
Meanwhile, Megan Shannon trailed EP No 5 Mikayla Boy 2-0 but showed great grit to also win 11-9 in the fifth.
Those results, coupled with Awande Malinga’s victory at No 3, were enough to give them the five bonus points in a titanic contest as they got home 17-11.
There was some consolation for EP as they won the final two matches, Jacqui Ryder continuing the pattern of the tie with a 3-2 result against Coetzee and EP No 1 Hayley Ward showing superb all-round play to defeat the experienced Louw 3-1.
In the men’s Jarvis Cup, defending champions SA Country Districts sent a warning shot across their opponents’ bows as they romped to a 20-2 win over Midlands.
The KwaZulu-Natal side may not be the strongest in the men’s A section but SACD have given notice that it will take a serious team effort to topple them from their current lofty perch.
KZN and Western Province also emerged with opening day victories though they dropped some points on the way.
Northerns No 1 Ruan Olivier salvaged some pride for his team with a win over Matthew Boote, but KZN ruled the proceedings for a sold 17-7 result.
WP, meanwhile, lost two of their matches against Zambia, but still had enough in the tank to secure a 15-5 result.
In the most closely contested match of the men’s A section, Eastern Province put up a courageous showing against Joburg Squash, who ultimately prevailed 17-9.
EP won only one match but the three clashes down the order all went to five games, so it could nearly have been a different outcome.
The matches involving Joburg players Dean Nortier (No 4) and Makho Ntuli (No 5) both went down to the wire before they emerged victorious as they each took the final games 11-9 against Jason le Roux and Sean Bailey, respectively.
The results were:
Women’s Kaplan Cup
EP A bt Midlands A 20-5 (EP first): Hayley Ward bt Nadia Dippenaar 3-0 (11-8 11-0 11-4), Jacqui Ryder bt Nicola Bentley 3-0 (11-5 12-10 11-4), Anlen Murray bt Noel Lee 3-0 (11-7 11-6 11-7), Janet Byrnes bt Ana Chemaly 3-0 (11-6 11-1 11-4), Mikayla Boy bt Melanie de Wet 3-0 (11-3 11-6 11-5)
Joburg Squash A bt Zambia A 20-0 (Joburg first): Cheyna Wood bt Sharon Chifwembe 3-0 (11-6 11-0 11-6), Teagan Roux bt Namwene Muchaile 3-0 (11-4 11-5 11-2), Jennifer Preece bt Majory Mwamba 3-0 (11-2 11-3 11-7), Shannon Harvey bt Monica Chimese 3-0 (12-10, 11-6 11-4), Mariske Wiese bt Natasha Chimese 3-0 (11-3 11-2 11-9)
Northerns A bt WP A 14-8 (Northerns first): Milnay Louw bt Siyoli Waters 3-0 (11-9 11-0 11-5), Helena Coetzee bt Karen Blom 3-1 (5-11 11-5 12-10 11-9), Awande Malinga bt Sacha West 3-1 (7-11 11-8 11-9 12-10), Lara Patrick lost to Karen Schultz 3-0 (11-4 11-4 11-4), Megan Shannon lost to Juanette le Roux 3-0 (11-6 11-4 11-0)
SACD A bt Zambia A 20-0 (SACD first): Lizelle Muller bt Sharon Chimfwembe 3-0 (11-2 11-2 11-2), Alexa Pienaar bt Namwene Muchaile 3-0 (11-1 11-3 11-2), Shelomi Truter bt Majory Mwamba 3-0 (11-4 11-0 11-4), Keschia Scorgie bt Monica Chimese 3-0 (11-8 11-2 11-4), Elske Garbers bt Natasha Chimese 3-0 (11-8 11-3 11-2)
WP A bt Midlands A 20-3 (WP first): Karen Blom bt Nadia Dippenaar 3-1 (11-6 9-11 11-5 11-4), Sacha West bt Nicola Bentley 3-0 (11-2 11-7 11-8), Karen Schultz bt Noel Lee 3-1 (11-4 7-11 11-2 11-3), Juanette le Roux bt Ana Chemaly 3-1 (11-2 11-8 7-11 11-8), Katie Mayhew bt Melanie de Wet 3-0 (11-1 11-1 11-0)
Northerns A bt EP A 17-11 (Northerns first): Milnay Louw lost to Hayley Ward 3-1 (11-9 11-4 12-14 11-4), Helena Coetzee lost to Jacqui Ryder 3-2 (10-12 11-7 11-7 4-11 11-5), Awande Malinga bt Anlen Jarman 3-1 (7-11 11-4 11-7 11-7), Lara Patrick bt Janet Byrnes 3-2 (12-10 11-9 4-11 7-11 11-9), Megan Shannon bt Mikayla Boy 3-2 (7-11 6-11 11-8 11-3 11-9)
Men’s Jarvis Cup
Joburg Squash A bt EP A 17-9 (Joburg first): Christo Potgieter bt Dean Venter 3-0 (11-3 11-6 11-4), David Sibanda lost to Gerard Mitchell 3-0 (11-3 11-6 11-2), Grant Woodward bt Tyrone Dial 3-2 (11-7 11-8 4-11 6-11 11-2), Dean Nortier bt Jason le Roux 3-2 (11-8 6-11 5-11 11-8 11-9), Makho Ntuli bt Sean Bailey 3-2 (8-11 11-7 11-6 13-15 11-9)
KZN A bt Northerns A 17-7 (KZN first): Matthew Boote lost to Ruan Olivier 3-0 (11-9 11-7 11-4), Daniel Smith bt Sipho Ncube 3-2 (11-3 12-10 7-11 4-11 11-4), Luke Bakke bt Reece McLachlan 3-0 (11-2 11-6 14-12), Justin de Neef bt Mark Schickerling 3-1 (11-7 11-3 5-11 12-10), Adrian Hansen bt Luhann Groenewald 3-1 (11-8 9-11 11-7 11-8)
WP A bt Zambia A 15-7 (WP first): Mighael Lombard lost to Kundanji Kalengo 3-0 (11-8 11-8 11-4), Rodney Durbach bt Kelvin Ndhlovu 3-0 (11-7 11-6 11-8), Gary Wheadon bt Sam Siame 3-1 (11-8 11-6 4-11 13-11), John-Ross Malloch lost to Manda Chilambwe 3-1 (9-11 11-8 11-6 12-10), Justin vd Poel bt Ken Mwape 3-0 (11-7 11-4 11-5)
SACD A bt Midlands A 20-2 (SACD first): Dewald van Niekerk bt Justin Gouweloos 3-0 (11-5 11-8 11-4), JP Brits bt Josh vd Wath 3-0 (11-8 11-3 11-8), Tristen Worth bt Luke McFarland 3-0 (11-3 11-6 11-7), Jimmy Schlebusch bt Daryn Pieters 3-0 (11-5 11-6 11-8), Jonty Matthys bt Mick Gouweloos 3-2 (9-11 11-9 11-7, 9-11 12-10)
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