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NZ Masters and Teams Event 

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With entries from the very top of the island to the very bottom and everywhere in between it will be a great weekend for all! Squash Otago in conjunction with Otago Squash Club and Taieri Squash Club have worked hard to make this event a success and they will be making everyone at home. 

The Masters contingent proves to show their continued support for events in New Zealand and in particular the New Zealand Masters with this year 156 competitors battling it out for the various age group trophies!

The youngest age group the 35-39’s sees Shelley Kitchen looking to add another national title after her win last year. The ex-world number 6 will be the headline act and will be looking to fight off newcomer to the masters age group Jo Shanks. The men’s 35-39’s sees Shaun Madden claiming the top spot but another newbie to masters Sam Atkins will be looking to stamp his mark on the competition looking for a national title.

Mickayla Kerr will look to make her first appearance in the 40-44 age group but will have to fight off some tough competition from 2015 winner Sue Kim and New Zealand Trans-Tasman Representative Lassie Cull. The men’s draw sees local player Dave Gardiner taking out the top spot and he will be looking to claim the title in his home district.

The Women’s 45-49 age group sees Mandy Kennedy looking to claim her third masters title having claimed the 45-49 trophy twice already. Scott Gardiner looks the hot favorite to take out the Men’s age group and claim his fourth masters title.

The 50-54 age group sees Vicki Beker take the top seeding but should all go to plan she will face Annie Hall in the finals. Beker last claimed a Masters trophy in 2012 and she will be looking for a well overdue title to go back on her mantelpiece. Gary Duberly the 2 times World Masters Champion and 8 time NZ Masters Champion will look to go back to back in his age group having won this title last year and most recently the Americas Masters title for his age group.

The 55-59 age group has Karen Walton set to take the top spot having last won the trophy in 2014 she will be looking to get her name back on this trophy! Mark Waldin is a stalwart in the Masters Events and he has 5 titles to his name. Having lost out on this title last year he will be aiming to make his mark before moving onto another age group.

Freda Walker looks set to claim another title topping the 60-64 age group. Walker has six Masters titles to her name but she will be looking to make the 60-64 trophy hers for the first time, Walker will have to get her way past Judy Smith who has claimed the 60-64 trophy twice already. The men’s event sees a tough battle due between three Christchurch mates Phil Tough, Lawrence Skurr and Wayne Seebeck all of whom could claim the title should things go their way on the day!

The 65-69 age group sees Diana Bennett and Bev Bosenberg set to battle out for the title with both players also playing in the Social Divisions. Hongi Laing from the far north of Kaitaia looks set to take out the Men’s division but Trevor Colyer will make sure to keep him honest competing for a sixth masters title.

The 70+ mens sees Graeme Richardson set to claim the title whilst the 75+ age group will see Barry Gardiner take the title for the second year in a row having claimed the title in 2015.

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 and don’t forget to get your entry in for the World Masters Games in 2017 to be held on the North Shore in Auckland. It is sure to be a great event and this is a good warm up to it!

Individual times and draws can be found here

Teams

The Masters Inter District Teams Event is an event like no other and it brings a unique challenge unlike any other the Squash New Zealand calendar experiences. The 65+ man has stayed in the team for a second year and this has proved to be some regions secret weapon!

After the success of the Tuesday finish in 2015 it has been unanimously decided by all to maintain this format in 2016 and let the masters enjoy the 2 days of squash. With 8 districts competing it is sure to be a great battle for the 2016 title with the straight knockout format retained as well in 2016.

Auckland are out to try and take the title from the Cantabrians hands and should their seeding play true then this will be the case. The Auckland team boasts some good experience in their team but the Cantabrians are led by Wayne Seebeck who will be sure to show why he has helped Canterbury claim the title for the past 2 years. The Bay take third seed whilst Southland take 4th seed. Southland will be looking to show that they are a force to be reckoned with after making the finals last year they will be sure to want to do this again!

The 5th seeds Northland see some strong names headlining their team and they will be looking for their best finish to date having been putting the ground work in to make sure they are prepared for this event. Otago make their debut appearance in 2016 and they will be sure to use their inside knowledge of the courts to make the most of the event being at home. Waikato take the 7th seed position but their stalwarts of Masters players will be showing they are not to be messed with! The 8th seeds and composite team Wellington/Central more affectionately known as Wellral and Centington will be using their combined resources to show they can battle it with the best.

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.


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