Several sides were considerably affected by absences of top players in the latest round the men’s division one squash competition for the Blank Trophy on Tuesday evening.

One team so depleted was Wigram-Lincoln, which numbered its top player, Neil Rush, among the two missing and was very comfortably beaten by the competition leader, Christchurch I.

Christchurch I would probably have recorded a clean sweep anyway, but it would hardly have been quite so overwhelming as the one that did occur. All the Christchurch players won in straight games with Wayne Seebeck conceding just one point.

The lead of Christchurch. was extended to four points as the second-placed team, High School Old Boys, unexpectedly dropped a rubber to Suburbs. Murray Carson had one of those days when his drives were going crisply and his pet shots coming off as he upset the New Zealand Colts’ representative John Oakley, in three games. Another Old Boys player Matthew Clements, also met firm resistance before overcoming the youthful Mark Corner.

Burnside was seriously weakened with its usual No. 2, Jamie Bushell (in Fiji), and No. 3 Robin Clements (Australia) overseas at the same time and it plunged from third place to fifth-equal after being well beaten by Linwood.

Easily the closest match was that between Craig Hibbert (Linwood) and Chris Wasley. which lasted a good 90min, with the marathon last game occupying half an hour before Hibbert clinched it at 10-9. Both players were very steady and showed commendable fitness and mobility in some very long rallies. However, a little more adventure would not have gone amiss at times. Wasley, who led 5-0 in the fifth, was a little unlucky to lose.

The other game of particular interest brought the first defeat of the club season for the talented junior, Mark Crosbie, who struck Gary Monk in good touch.

University had to be congratulated for its narrow 119-117 points victory over High School Old Boys II as the students went on to the court without either of their top two players, Barrie Matthews and Hamish Dowell. Paul Topschij went particularly well at No. 3 to head off Geoff Tait, after trailing 6-8 in the fifth.

Probably the biggest surprise of the night was the loss of Christchurch II’s No. 1, Bryan Simpson, to Ron Marshall (Sumner). Marshall, a slightly unorthodox opponent, had success with his usual driving game, while Simpson was much more error-prone than usual. Still, Simpson should have taken the contest after leading 6-2, and then 7-4, in the fifth.

Marshall had only needed one game to give Sumner oyerall victory, and his win was an unexpected bonus. The team’s other star was John Christensen, who pushed aside Laurie Wilson after a four-game battle.

In the women’s competition High School Old Boys is sitting pretty, having already established a lead of 16 points. Burnside, which had been second, | found Old Boys too strong and lost all four matches, though Saskia O’Brien, who fought back creditably from two games down and 0-5 down, and Lis Stringer made good showings.

Sumner did well to scrape home on a points countback (86-78) in spite of encountering Christchurch I at full strength, with Phillipa Idour in the top spot. In another close match, Linwood, helped by an opposition player’s late arrival, beat Suburbs on a games countback.

Points:
Men. Christchurch I 34, High School Old Boys I 30, Linwood 26, University 22, Burnside and Sumner 20, Suburbs and Wigram Lincoln 14. High School Old Boys II 12, Christchurch II 8.
Women. High School Old Boys 36. Sumner 24, Burnside and Christchurch I. 20, Linwood 18, University and Christchurch II 16, Suburbs 10.

Results:

MEN

High School Old Boys I 8, Suburbs 2
L. P. Skurr beat L. Plever, 9.6, 9-3, 2-9, 9-7; J. Oakley lost to M. Carson, 8-9, 7-9, 0-9; W. J. Tolchard beat R. Campbell, 9-2, 9-3, 9-2; M. Clements beat M. Corner, 10-8, 10-8, 9-0.

Christchurch I 10, Wigram-Lincoln 0
R. W. Hayes beat G. Utteridge, 9-0, 9-1, 10-9; D. R. Preston beat J. Hodgson, 9-4, 90, 9-0; B. B. Trangmar beat D. C. Leary, 3-1, 10-8, 9:1; W. Seebeck beat , Askew, 9-1, 9-0, 9-0.

Linwood 10, Burnside 0
C. Hibbert beat C. Wasley, 5-3, 29.7, 9-3, 5-9, 10-9; G. Monk beat M. Crosbie, 4-9, 5-9, 9-4, 9-7, 9-1; R. Burnett beat V. S. W. Hargreaves, 10-8, 9-2, 9-3; G. Egan beat A. Smith, 9-6, 9-5, 7-9, 9-5. High School Old Boys 11.4,

University 6 M, Thompson lost to P. Davenport, 4-9, 6-9, 4-9; M. Stossel beat P. Carpinter, 9-3, 9-8, 9-3; G. Tait lost to P. Topschij, 9-5, 3-9, 7-9, 9-5, 8-10; A. Lowe beat P. Herd, 5-9, 9-7, 10-8, 7-9, 9-7.

Sumner 8, Christchurch II 2
R, Marshall beat B. Simpson, 19-0, 10-9,’ 8-10, 1-9, 9-7; J. H. Christensen beat L. Wilson, 9-5, 9-10, 10-8, 9-4; R. M. McCutcheon lost to N. A. Idour, 2-9, 4.9. 9-1, 3-9; J. A. McDougall beat J. P. Martin, 9-4, 9-1, 9-1.

WOMEN

High School Old Boys 10, Burnside 0
B. King beat S. O’Brien, 9-1, 9-0, 5-9, 3-9, 9-1; L. Sutherland beat L. Stringer, 10-8 10-8, 9-5; V. Dunstan beat K. Aplin, 9-2, 9-5, 9-0; L. Cowan beat A. Hooper, 9-7, 9-7, 9-1.

Christchurch I 4, Sumner 6
P. Idour beat K, Carpinter, 9-1, 10-8, 9-6; L. Symes beat S. Lane, 10-8, 9-3, 9-6; J. Douglas lost to P. Schafer, 7-9, 0-9, 7-9; R. Corbett lost to s. Davies, 2-9, 3-9, 3-9.

Linwood 6, Suburbs 4
J. Terrell beat K. Gilray. 9-1, 9-3, 9-3; E. Wilding lost to V. Gunn, 9-6, 9-7, 2-9, 4-9, 3-9; K. Pepper lost to K. Johnston, 9-0. 7-9, 1-9, 2-9; N. Mackie beat R. Thorpe by default.

Christchurch II 8, University 2
A. Huriwai beat R. Davies, 6-9, 9.2, 8-6, 9-4; W. Dann lost to D. Goosman, 3-9, 6-9, 5-9; J. Calvert beat A, Thomas, 9-2, 10-8, 9-6; L. Watts beat M. Sillars, 9-0, 9-2, 7-9, 0-9, 9-7