Bruce Brownlee, the world’s top-ranked squash amateur, is a confirmed entry for the South Island squash championships in Christchurch late this month.
The 22-year-old Rotorua player returned to New Zealand last month after a remarkably successful tour of Europe and should be a great drawcard for the Christchurch tournament. 
Last December Brownlee became the first New Zealander to win the British amateur championships, started in 1922, when he beat the second seed, Jonathon Leslie, of Britain, 9-3, 10-8, 8-10, 9-5, in a 72min final. 
Together with another New Zealander, Murray Lilley (Palmerston North), Brownlee dominated the British squash amateur squash scene last season and won nine of the 14 tournaments he contested.
Brownlee is hoping to win the world amateur title in Canada next September and is expected to turn professional shortly afterwards.
Success in these ranks is likely for Brownlee as he has already beaten the Australian, Kevin Shawcross, who has a world professional ranking of 15 – this win took him through to the quarter-finals of the British open early last month where he lost to the world champion, Geoff Hunt.
The Christchurch club is also hoping to bring Lilley down for the tournament and this would add further interest. Lilley, now the world No. 4 amateur, has made rapid improvement during the last 12 months – in 1975 he was ranked only No. 7 in New Zealand.
At present the club is negotiating for the use of the glass-backed court at Queen Elizabeth II Park to hold a knock-out tournament, with the American scoring system, on the Thursday before the championships begins but this will probably only eventuate if Lilley is competing as well as Brownlee.