Still no upsets at Senior Nationals

The top seeds will contest both finals at the 2014 Senior National Championships in Auckland tomorrow.

The women got semi-final action underway at 5.15 this evening, with two Commonwealth Games doubles pairings doing battle.  First up were Megan Craig and Kylie Lindsay.  Craig got out to a strong start, using her athleticism to chase down many balls and force Lindsay to shoot lower and lower in search of winners.  As Lindsay's error count rose, Craig's hold on the match strengthened.  It wasn't until the third set that Lindsay truly settled into the match, with Craig needing a tie-breaker to book her place in the first National Championship final of her career.

In the second semi-finals Joelle King played against her Glasgow doubles partner Amanda Landers-Murphy in a repeat of last year's final.  King's class was evident throughout.  Landers-Murphy fought creditably, particularly in the second game, but eventually went down in straght sets.

Campbell Grayson and Paul Coll fought out an enormous four set battle in their semi-final.  Grayson showed his class and experience in the first two sets, remaining relatively error-free and playing extremely solid squash to go up 2-0.  Coll then fought back by straighening up his game to take the third set.  He then took a 9-7 lead in the fourth before cramp hit, debilitating his movement.  Grayson was able to close out the set and book his place in the final.

Veteran Kashif Shuja then played top seed Martin Knight, with Knight winning in straight sets. While Shuja was able to compete strongly in the first half of each set, Knight's fitness and physicality ultimately shone through towards the end of each set.  A highly entertaining match to end the night's programme.

The semi-finals were streamed live at http://www.squashies.co.nz/#!squashies-tv/cp5h.  Live streaming will again take place tomorrow, beginning at 5.30pm for the women's final.  At 6.30pm the men's third/fourth playoff will be played, and the men's final will conclude affairs at 7.30pm.

Results

Men's semi-finals

Martin Knight (1) bt Kashif Shuja (4) 11-8 11-6 11-5
Campbel Grayson (2) bt Paul Coll (3) 11-5 11-6 4-11 11-9

Women's semi-finals

Joelle King (1) bt Amanda Landers-Murphy (4) 11-4 11-7 11-3
Megan Craig (2) bt Kylie Lindsay (3) 11-4 11-4 12-10