Knight, Craig take National titles

Martin Knight and Megan Craig have taken the 2014 National Championship titles at North Shore Squash Club.

The titles were won in contrasting style.  Craig was down one set to love and up three one in the second set when Joelle King suffered an achilles tendon tear.  King had moved backwards to the tee, and had started forward again when she collapsed on the court in obvious agony.  After a lengthy delay she was assisted from the court and taken home.  She will see a surgeon next week, and it is as yet unclear how long she will be sidelined for.

Perhaps not the fashion in which Craig would have wanted to win her first national title, but nevertheless a fine cap on what has been a strong year for the young Marlburian.

Martin Knight's victory in the men's Championship was a lengthy and torrid affair with Campbell Grayson lasting 101 minutes.  Knight took the first two sets by relatively comfortable scorelines, before Grayson edged back in the third set, taking it 11-9.  The fourth was fiercely contested and see-sawed throughout.  Knight brought up a pair of match balls at 10-8, but saw his lead crumble beneath him as Grayson clawed back to a 10-10 tiebreaker.  Another winner from Knight gave him a third match ball, which he duly converted to notch up a third career national title.

If you didn't catch the live streamed action, you can view it any time at http://www.squashies.co.nz/#!squashies-tv/cp5h.  Day one of the teams event will be streamed live from 9am on Saturday morning.

Results

Women's Open

Final: Megan Craig (2) bt Joelle King (1) 9-11 3-1 retired.

Third place playoff: Amanda Landers-Murphy (3) bt Kylie Lindsay (4) 11-8 11-7 11-6

Men's Open

Final: Martin Knight (1) bt Campbell Grayson (2) 11-6 11-7 10-12 12-10

Third place playoff: Paul Coll (3) bt Kashif Shuja (4) 11-3 11-8 11-5