The Eastern Province men’s teams made a flying start to the Growthpoint Interprovincial squash tournament when they recorded satisfying wins on the opening day in Cape Town on Monday.
With the EP women’s team having a bye in the Kaplan Cup A section, the men’s A team, competing in the B section, and the B side, in the C section, started on the right note.
The A side proved too strong for Namibia A as they secured a confidence-boosting 20-2 win, only No 2 Jason le Roux being pushed in his match.
The experienced EP man was 2-0 up against Andrew Fourie but then found himself in a battle for survival as his opponent levelled the match.
Eventually, though, Le Roux stood firm when it mattered, taking the final game 11-6 for a hard-earned victory.
EP No 1 Gerard Mitchell ensured they would finish with maximum points, although he did not have it all his own way, despite winning 3-0 against Max Endjala.
There were two close games as he triumphed 12-10 11-6 12-10.
The EP B side could thank Liam Ford and Ethan Richardson for pulling them out of trouble against Joburg Squash C as they took the final two matches for an encouraging 17-8 win.
After Rian Raubenheimer had started on a positive note for EP, Joburg Squash won at Nos 4 and 5 to lead the tie 2-1 with two matches remaining.
However, Ford quickly established his domination with a solid 3-0 win over Keegan Worth and Richardson, despite dropping the third game, got his strategy back on track with a 3-1 result against Divan Potgieter.
In the women’s A section, Northerns A fired the first shots when they inflicted a rare defeat on defending champions SA Country Districts A in the opening round.
SACD have dominated the women’s Kaplan Cup in recent years, with five title wins in a row, but their Pretoria-based rivals came out with all guns blazing in their clash at the Western Province Cricket Club.
Hosts Western Province A also sent out a message that they are on a mission to prove a point in the women’s competition, comfortably negotiating their first match against Joburg Squash A, winning 20-3.
In the men’s Jarvis Cup, titleholders SA Country Districts A laid down an early marker as they blitzed Joburg Squash B 20-1.
The results were:
Women’s Kaplan Cup
WP A bt Joburg Squash A 20-3 (WP A first): Alex Fuller bt Teagan Russell 3-0 (11-4 11-7 11-7) Siyoli Waters bt Shannon Harvey 3-1 (11-5 11-8 6-11 11-5), Karen Schultz bt Tayla Dunn 3-2 (11-1 11-3 9-11 6-11 11-9), Juanette le Roux bt Gillian van Vlaanderen 3-0 (11-6 11-7 13-11), Miranda Lang bt Giorgia Dates 3-0 (11-1 11-4 11-2)
Northerns A bt SA Country Districts A 15-6 (Northerns A first): Kimberley McDonald lost to Alexa Pienaar 3-1 (7-11 11-2 11-8 11-8), Helena Hudson lost to Lizelle Muller 3-0 (11-9 11-9 11-9), Awande Malinga bt Alouise Campher 3-0 (11-4 11-9 11-5), Lara Patrick bt Lisa Venter 3-0 (11-7 11-8 11-2), Jordin Phillips bt Kyla Hartzenberg 3-0 (11-6 11-6 11-7)
Men’s Jarvis Cup
Pool 1:
SA Country Districts A bt Joburg Squash B 20-1 (SACD A first): Dewald van Niekerk bt Diodivine Mkhize 3-0 (11-4 11-2 11-4), JP Brits bt Brian Mncube 3-0 (11-2 11-1 11-3), Jonty Matthys bt Jordan Wilkinson 3-0 (11-6 11-6 11-9), Reuel Videler bt David Sibanda 3-0 (11-4 11-6 11-5), Gareth Craigen bt Amukelani Zitha 3-1 (13-11 11-5 8-11 11-7)
Northerns A bt KZN A 20-4 (Northerns A first): Damian Groenewald bt Luke Bakke 3-0 (11-7 11-6 11-2), Jarrod Cousins bt Daniel Smith 3-1 (11-6 11-9 7-11 11-9), Mark Schickerling bt Justin de Neef 3-1 (7-11 11-2 11-9 11-6), Reece McLachlan bt Adrian Hansen 3-1 (11-6 13-11 7-11 11-7), Brett McLachlan bt Robert Moody 3-1 (11-2 9-11 11-3 11-8)
Pool 2:
WP A bt SA Country Districts B 20-0 (WP A first): Mighael Lombard bt Warren Bower 3-0 (11-8 11-3 12-10), Clinton Leeuw bt Luke van Vuuren 3-0 (11-5 11-8 11-5), Ian Oosthuizen bt Johan Venter 3-0 (11-8 11-8 11-5), Rodney Durbach bt Hayden Worth 3-0 (11-4 11-4 11-8), Justin van der Poel bt Etienne Schutte 3-0 (11-2 11-4 11-2)
Joburg Squash A bt Zambia A 20-1 (Joburg A first): Christo Potgieter bt Sam Siame 3-0 (11-1 11-5 11-9), Luke Jacoby bt Manda Chilambwe 3-0 (11-6 11-2 11-8), Sipho Ncube bt Elvis Ngosa 3-0 (11-5 13-11 11-7), Ethan Robinson bt Samuel Kabwe 3-1 (9-11 11-5 11-7 11-1), Mark Dunn bt Nana Owusu-Sekyere 3-0 (11-3 11-8 11-4)
Men’s B-section
EP A bt Namibia A 20-2 (EP first): G Mitchell bt M Endjala 3-0, J le Roux bt A Fourie 3-2, S Mpini bt B Grane 3-0, T Southway bt J Olivier 3-0, M Donaldson bt T Grane 3-0
Men’s C-section
EP B bt Joburg C 17-8 (EP first): E Richardson bt D Potgieter 3-1, L Ford bt K Worth 3-0, R Raubenheimer bt R Saayman 3-1, L Mtotoyi lost to L Mathekga 3-2, K Morrison lost to J Chiba 3-1.
HeraldLIVE
Would you like to comment on this article?
Sign up (it's quick and free) or sign in now.
Please read our Comment Policy before commenting.