Title-holders Alex Commins and Dewald van Niekerk continued to rule in the Growthpoint SA Nationals squash championships when they retained their titles in the finals at the V&A Waterfront in Cape Town on Saturday.
The tournament, which saw Sascoc CEO Barry Hendricks among the spectators on Saturday, came to a rousing conclusion at its new venue at Makers Landing, showcasing the best of the country’s seniors, plus a new generation of rising stars in the U15 division.
For the champions, it was a special moment as they overcame challenging opponents in the deciding matches, digging deep to ensure they remain the players to beat in South African squash.
The 28-year-old Gqeberha-born Van Niekerk, who plays for SA Country Districts, made it a particularly memorable occasion with his 3-1 win over young Northerns rival Damian Groenewald as he set a new record with his fifth title in a row.
This beat the mark of four straight titles which KwaZulu-Natal’s Steve Coppinger set from 2010 to 2013.
Cape Town’s Commins, 31, also continued to shine at the peak of SA squash despite retiring from the professional tour two years ago, taking her sixth Growthpoint national title overall.
She retains a remarkable competitive edge and was again able to see off the examination of her chief rival Hayley Ward (Eastern Province), beating her 3-1 in a repeat of last year’s final.
Afterwards, Van Niekerk said he had not given setting a new mark much thought, but added, “It is an incredible feeling to win five in a row”.
In ominous news for his rivals, he said he hoped to build on his record but acknowledged that he had been pushed hard by the 21-year-old Groenewald.
The Northerns player is the only South African player to take a game off Van Niekerk in the last 12 months, much less a match, and can be proud of his efforts in Saturday’s final.
“Damian played really well and changed his game somewhat, so I had to adapt to that and I’m obviously very happy to pick up another win,” Van Niekerk said.
Commins was also a relieved player at the finish, having to produce some of her best squash to subdue the challenge of Ward after losing the second game.
“I couldn’t believe when it was actually over because it’s always a tough game against Hayley, so I just tried to stay in the present and focus on the next point,” she said.
“It’s not always easy in the intensity of a fast-paced match, but my objective was to try to remain calm and to stick with the game plan I had in mind.”
Ashton Burger of Graeme College in Makhanda emerged as the Growthpoint SA Nationals U15 boys’ champion after he finished his campaign off with a decisive 3-0 win over Boland’s Zander Smit in an early match on Saturday.
At that stage, the outcome was not finalised because his Eastern Province colleague Liam Fehrsen was in line to take the title had he won his final match against Eden’s Codey Abrahams.
As it turned out, it was the tightest of finishes, with Abrahams overturning a 2-1 deficit to defeat Fehrsen in five games.
This meant Burger and Abrahams ended level at the top of the standings, but Burger took the title because of his head-to-head win over the Eden player on Thursday.
In the girls’ U15 battle, KwaZulu-Natal’s Rylee Howells of Epworth College proved herself to be a class above the rest, sealing the title when she beat Alyssa Arcangeli of Northerns 3-0. She also defeated WP’s Genevieve Lang 3-1 and Free Stater Jasmaine Rust 3-0 in earlier matches in the pool A round-robin. — BLD Communications