Masters Nationals Set to Go

Again the Masters contingent continues to grow and we see this with a further increase in individual entries with 188 players attending.There are also 9 teams set to compete in the Inter-District Event.

Full draws can be found here on the Squash Eastern website.

Individuals

The youngest age group the 35-39’s sees 2 high profile players taking the top seedings in the Men’s and Women’s ensuring this will be a great competition. Kashif Shuja leads the men’s draw while ex world number 6 Shelley Kitchen is the headline act for the Women’s 35-39. Mickayla Kerr will be looking to give Kitchen a good run for her money whilst Danny Woolbank of Australia will be wanting to take the Men’s title across the ditch. The Men’s 40-44 age group sees another potential Kiwi and Aussie clash in the final with Scott Gardiner due to face New South Wales player Craig Brann. Gardiner claimed the 40-44 title in 2014 so he will be looking to make this 2 in a row. Sue Kim will be looking to try and claim the Women’s title but Lassie Cull will be looking to fight this title off her and reclaim another national title having last won a title in 2010.

In the Women’s 45-49 Australians Sue Davis and Sarah Nelson take out the top spots, but North Shore club mates Lisa Cowlard and Mandy Kennedy will be wanting to knock them out in the semi’s and have a rematch of their NZ Trans-Tasman Test series playoff. Rodney Bannister will lead the Men’s side with Australian Jeff Bond and Wellington district manager Willie (Bickers) Bicknell due to playoff in the semi’s. Bannister will want to get his name back on this trophy having last won it in 2013.

In the Women’s 50-54 sees another Australian is set to take out the title with Sue Hillier seeded at the top, however experience of winning national title may prove invaluable here with Kathryn McKay due to step up to the plate and try to make this her 11^th masters title. The Men’s draw is expected to see another Australian vs Kiwi final with Warren Miller set to come up against 2 times World Masters Champion Gary Duberly, Duberly has been seen putting some training in throughout the season in preparation to claim what could be his 8^th masters title.

The Men’s 55-59 draw has almost as many Australians present as kiwis in this draw with Mark Waldin surely wanting to put his name on the title making it 4 in a row for the 55-59 cup. Marty McKelvie will want to knock Waldin out in the final if he can manage to navigate his way through his Australian and Kiwi counterparts. In the Women’s draw Karen Walton will be looking to make this 3 in a row and is also expected to come across Queenslander Tracey Partridge in the final.

The Men’s 60-64 draw is sure to see some excitement in the top 4 players. With Tasmanian Michael Brown seeded second there is sure to be stiff competition from Graeme Randolph (top seed) and Cantabrian Lawrence Skurr and Wayne Seebeck. Skurr and Seebeck will be well warmed up for the event coming off the back of the Trans-Tasman test series. In the Women’s side Gaye Mitchell of Australia will have to get past Freda Walker who is well versed in winning Masters Titles.

In the Women’s 65+ Kaye Jackson is the top seed and with her name appearing on almost all of the Masters trophy she will be looking to see how many times her name can appear on the most prestigious of masters trophies. The Men’s 65+ will see Brian Cook trying to take another title for Australia but Hongi Lainge will be sure to try and secure his first Masters title and what a better one to take!

In the Men’s 70+ Barry Gardiner will be looking to claim the title from Trevor Coulter who has a World title to his name!

With several graded divisions in place to accommodate the ‘overspill’ of some age groups, there is a great deal of squash to be played, and it promises to be a fantastic weekend.  Good luck to everyone involved, both on and off the court!

Teams

The Masters Inter District Teams Event is without doubt the most unique team’s event competition on the Squash NZ calendar. This year the additional person may be the turning point for some teams with many of them riding their hopes on their 65+ man to win them the title.

With this year the teams event finishing on the Tuesday night to allow for the teams to show how parties are truly held this is sure to be a great 2 days of squash. With 9 districts competing there is sure to be some curve balls along the way in deciding the 2015 title.

The team’s event is sure to show where players commitment lies for their team, whilst there may not be as much diving on the court there is sure to be some great tricks to help in catching that much needed extra moment of air. With a straight knockout to determine the winner this year it is sure to be a tense affair.

The Cantabrians have put forward a very experienced team and with none of them being below a B grader they are sure to have worked out a number of different tactics to take the title. Auckland are a close second seed and will be surely looking to try and wrestle the title off Canterbury and reclaim the title they last won at home in 2013. The Bay and Central take out 3^rd and 4^th seeds respectively. With district president Ash Brownrigg managing the Bay of plenty team he is sure to know what needs to be done to keep these jokers in line and claim a national team’s event title. However Centrals manager Mike Jack will be making sure to give his team some great refereeing advice prior to stepping on court to make sure all calls are fair.

The 5^th seeds Wellington again sees a number of top players competing with many versed in the teams event format, no one quite knows what this team will pull out! The Southland team sees a number of players combining from all over the country to make what is a respectable team in this event. With players taking the call up for the far south there are sure to be some tense matches when some of them face their current district. The teams will have to make sure they do not underestimate the might mooloos when the Waikato team turns up. With these players having planned their season to peak for this event they could be the underdogs no one expects in this event! Finally the local team of Eastern and the Northland team will be making sure every other team in this competition stays honest. With players from almost every club in their regions they are sure to be looking to show off their smaller clubs skill!

The team’s event gets underway on Monday, after the conclusion of the individuals on Sunday.  The very best of luck, both on the court and in the all-important skit competition, to all teams.