Photo Caption: Bruce Brownlee, of New Zealand, playing in the British amateur squash championship final against J. Leslie, of England, at Wembley, London. Brownlee beat Leslie, 9-3, 10-8, 8-10, 9-5.

NZPA- Reuter London

Bruce Brownlee, the New Zealand open squash champion, beat Jonathon Leslie, of Britain, to win the British amateur title at Wembley yesterday. Brownlee, who was seeded fourth for the championship, defeated the second-seeded Leslie, 9-3, 10-8, 8-10, 9-5, in the final. he is the first New Zealander to win the championship since its inauguration in 1922.
Competition in the event was not as strong as usual because top Pakistani and Egyptian players who have dominated it in the past boycotted the tournament this year in protest against the participation of South Africans.
Brownlee, aged 21, looked the better player from the start and went close to winning in straight games. His reverse angles frequently outmanoeuvred Leslie.
In the early stages his precision on the forehand was remarkable.
Leslie, a 25-year-old London barrister, fought back from 8-4 down in the third game after losing the first two, and won the game 10-8. But the effort obviously exhausted him and the younger and fitter Brownlee took command again to clinch the title in 72 minutes.
Brownlee, from Rotorua, said afterwards: “I had lost to him in our last two completed matches, so I was still underdog. Johnny was not playing as well as he can.”
Leslie said that exhaustion led to his making too many mistakes in the fourth game. “But you only play as well as you are allowed to, and I wasn’t allowed to play well.”