Squash contingent fly flag at national champs

Marlborough was well represented at last weekend's NZ senior squash championships and the large contingent did not disappoint with a string of top performances.

The event, staged in Tauranga, only allows the country’s top 32 players entered to play, so just making the draw was a real achievement - especially given the presence of world-class athletes, Paul Coll and Joelle King. All athletes had five matches to play in three days, testing their endurance to the max.

Top of the pops yet again for the Marlborough crew was the evergreen Megan Graham, who finished runner-up to Joelle in the women’s grade, going down 11-4, 11-5, 11-5 to the world number four player.

Megan, national champion in 2014 and 2016, downed the country’s top junior, Ella Lash, in four sets to reach the decider.

“I was pretty stoked with how I went,” said Megan. “I wish I could have kept Joelle out there longer but she knew I could run all day so she didn’t want to be out there too long.

“My aim was to make the final so you have to be happy with that … you don’t really know what is happening with the juniors now, they can come out with anything.”

Thirty-year-old Megan, a mother of two who is recently recovered from an Achilles tendon rupture, says she “just happy to be back out there after being injured … I haven’t looked too far ahead.

“It’s a starting point. I don’t want to go back on the world tour or anything like that, but I would like to make another New Zealand team one day,” she added.

Marlborough players were involved in other notable matches from the weekend. Leonie Marshall and Mikayla Kerr produced a tight encounter before Leonie prevailed three sets to one, jumping a highly-creditable six places above her seeding (24th to 18th).

Her brother, US-based Tom Marshall, also had a top tournament, also jumping six seeds (from 23rd to 17th). In Tom’s play off for 17th and 18th place, he took down world junior representative Freddie Jamieson in four sets.

Christopher Hebberd (20) and Paul Moran (14) unfortunately defaulted prior to finishing their five matches.

Chris sustained an ankle injury in the fifth set of his key second match. He is working hard on recovery and heading to Melbourne to represent New Zealand in the men’s individual at the World Junior Champs alongside five other top NZ junior men.

Tom did not play the selection tournaments due to his academic commitments in the USA, but is now on a 5.8 rating and qualified for the top tier Junior Championship Tournaments over the past season as number one for the McCallie School team under the coaching of former Kiwi pro Dan Sharplin.

Final NZ champs placings: Megan Graham (2) placed 2nd; Mikayla Kerr (21) placed 19th; Leonie Marshall (24) placed 18th; Tom Marshall (23) placed 17th.

SI title for Jack

Meanwhile in Invercargill, Marlborough’s Jack Frisken took out the U17 South Island title this weekend, winning a five-setter for the trophy. Jack recently travelled to the Canadian and US Junior Open and is also a member of the Squash New Zealand development squad, alongside with Chris and Tom.

Heaphy Shield

The annual Heaphy Shield tournament is hosted in Motueka this weekend. Teams are: Men - Tom Marshall, Henry Moran, Jack Frisken, Grant Craig. Women - Mickayla Kerr, Leonie Marshall, Julie Brown, Victoria Moran.