EP A collect third consecutive win at squash interprovincial

Eastern Province A’s Sips Mpini maintained his unbeaten record to help his team top their pool after the round-robin phase on the third day of the Growthpoint Interprovincial in Cape Town on Wednesday
WINNING COMBINATION: Eastern Province A’s Sips Mpini maintained his unbeaten record to help his team top their pool after the round-robin phase on the third day of the Growthpoint Interprovincial in Cape Town on Wednesday
Image: Oakmont Photograhy

The Eastern Province men’s A team powered to their third straight win to top their pool at the end of the round-robin phase on the third day of the Growthpoint Interprovincial squash tournament in Cape Town on Wednesday.

It was a good day for the EP men’s teams because the B side also came through strongly when it mattered, outdueling Northerns D to finish second in their pool, just one point behind Midlands B.

Up against Free State, EP A were fast out of the blocks, thanks to Sips Mpini, whose effective play at No 3 has set them up for victory each day this week.

This time, he won 3-0 against Kiran van Eeden, a prelude to the team’s third full haul of points as they outgunned their opponents 20-1.

Thomas Southway, at No 4, dropped a game against Morgan le Breton, but soon regrouped to maintain his unbeaten run and the rest of the team were equally efficient in sealing the victory.

EP A ended a huge 35 points ahead of Namibia A in their pool and they will now play Midlands A on Thursday in the cross-pool playoffs.

Western Province B finished top of pool two and will be strong favourites to qualify for Friday’s final against either EP A or Midlands A.

After suffering a defeat on Tuesday, EP B fought their way back into the mix for the top four playoffs with a solid 17-4 win over Northerns D.

The match was evenly poised after the first two ties were split, but Julian Smith then produced a typically gutsy effort to win 3-0 at No 5 for EP.

As they have done all week, the top pairing of Liam Ford and Ethan Richardson made sure there were no slip-ups as they completed a significant victory.

They will, however, have to pull out all the stops when they face the unbeaten Western Province C side in the playoffs on Thursday.

Competing in the Kaplan Cup A section, the EP women’s team had a tough fixture against WP A, who have emerged as tournament favourites.

While Bianca Keeley put in a fine performance to win in five games at No 5, and Hayley Ward and Kacey-Leigh Dodd each took games off their opponents, WP were in full control to win their third match in a row.

With one fixture remaining (they have a bye on Thursday), they have virtually secured this year’s Kaplan Cup title.

Selected results:

Women’s Kaplan Cup

Western Province A bt Eastern Province A 19-5 (WP first): Alex Fuller bt Hayley Ward 3-1 (11-4 8-11 11-6 11-4), Siyoli Waters bt Kacey-Leigh Dodd 3-1 (12-10 8-11 11-7 11-4), Karen Schultz bt Jacqui Ryder 3-0 (11-3 11-7 11-4), Juanette le Roux bt Anlen Jarman 3-0 (11-5 13-11 11-4), Miranda Lang lost to Bianca Keeley 3-2 (11-9 9-11 11-9 7-11 11-8)

Latest log: WP A 59 (3), Northerns A 32 (2), EP A 22 (2), SACD A 8 (2), Joburg Squash A 10 (3)

Men’s B section

EP A bt Free State A 20-1 (EP first): Gerard Mitchell bt Tremayne McDonald 3-0, Jason le Roux bt Lodewyk Barnard 3-0, Sips Mpini bt Kiran van Eeden 3-0, Thomas Southway bt Morgan le Breton 3-1, Michael Donaldson bt Garrett Amm 3-0

Final log: EP A 60, Namibia A 25, Northerns B 25, Free State A 23

Men’s C section

EP B bt Northerns D 17-4 (EP first): Ethan Richardson 3-1, Liam Ford bt Sean White 3-0, Rian Raubenheimer bt Rico Coetsee 3-0, Lubabalo Mtotoyi lost to Carel Ras 3-0, Julian Smith bt Bradley Hunt 3-0

Final log: Midlands B 43, EP B 42, Northerns D 36, Joburg Squash C 28

 

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