After a five-year absence the 1970 New Zealand squash representative, Don Preston, is now available to play for Canterbury in the national inter-district teams’ event at Whakatane in August.

He is among eight players named in a training squad yesterday by the Canterbury representative selectors (Mr Les Milne, convener, Mrs Philippa Idour and Mr Doug Lawrie).

The near-veteran filled the No. 2 spot when he last played for Canterbury in the national teams’ event in 1975. For some seasons he was rather out of the swing of things in Greymouth, but returned to Christchurch last year and is still playing some excellent squash.

Only five players will make the final team to be announced some time after the South Island championships at Christchurch from June 6 to 7 – and Preston will put pressure on some of the younger squad members. He was ranked No. 5 in the province last year and reached the semi-finals on the first Canterbury selection tournament 10 days ago.

The full squad (in alphabetical order) is:- Rodney Hayes, Craig Hibbert, Barrie Matthews, John Oakley, Preston, Bryan Simpson, Lawrence Skurr, and Chris Wasley. Neil Rush was unavailable.

Competition for team places is likely to be further intensified in a couple of weeks when the former Canterbury No. 1, Lyn Sparks, starts playing club matches for Wigram-Lincoln. Sparks, who is recovering from a cartilage operation, has been in Auckland for the last three years and represented that province last season.

15 May 1980