If the outstanding performances by Canterbury juniors at last week-end’s national under-age squash rackets tournament at Napier are any indication then the future strength of the sport in the province is assured.
Four players – two of whom were unseeded – in the small Canterbury contingent reached the finals and one other, Pip Monk (Christchurch) won the girls under 19 plate final in straight games.
Perhaps the most surprising, and meritorious performance was by unseeded Paul McFadzien (Christchurch) who showed something of his true worth in reaching the final of the under 19 section.
McFadzien playing probably the best squash of his career, beat two of New Zealand’s top juniors – Julian Devoy (Rotorua) and Robert Lust (Collegians, Wellington) on the one day before bowing to the No. 1 seed, Brian Barnett (Tauranga) in a four game final.
Another player who lifted his game greatly at the tournament was Robin Clements (Christchurch), also unseeded. He made the boys under 15 final, eliminating the fourth seed, Reece Fern (Taupo) on the way.
The Sumner junior Joanne Milne, lost the girls under 17 final in four games to the top seed, Kathryn Leabourne – the same player the 15 year old went down to in the under 15 final last year.
Twelve- year old Stuart Davenport (Burnside) was one more Canterbury junior who fitted very nicely into his age slot. He won the under 13 section for the second successive year and conceded only three points in the final to the No. 2 seed David Van Gend (Stratford).
All these players, together with Canterbury’s top junior Rod Hayes (Christchurch), who lost to Lust in the quarter-finals of the under 19 section, must have good chances of making the New Zealand junior team to tour Australia in early August.
Most of the other Canterbury juniors – Alan Corkin (Christchurch), Barrie Matthews (Christchurch), Paul Davenport (Burnside), and Mark Cornor (Burnside) – did well and were put out by seeded players.
A national junior selector, Mr D.M. Lawrie was very impressed with the performances of Canterbury’s youngsters and felt they all showed considerable talent.
He maintained that the North Island had held a stranglehold over the various titles since major junior tournaments began about six years ago, but Canterbury players had now made “unprecedented inroads into a class of squash which is noted for its strength and depth of talent.”
