Squash team on national podium

Getting back to Marlborough from the New Zealand Secondary School squash championships in Tauranga at the weekend proved “quite a mission” for the team management, but the players’ efforts made it all worthwhile.

With wild weather hitting both Islands on Sunday the Marlborough College contingent had to contend with ferry cancellations and road closures as they made their way home.

However, the group’s results made it a trip to remember. Two Marlborough Boys’ College teams and one Marlborough Girls’ College combination travelled north to the nation’s biggest squash competition, staged from August 6-8. Thirty-two teams contested the boys’ competition, 20 taking part in the girls draw.

Showing the way for the Marlborough crew was the MBC A team, comprising (in playing order): Tom Marshall, Chris Hebberd, Jack Frisken, Bryn Woolley, Matthew Judd and Dylan Guillemot.

They headed north as third seeds and justified their lofty ranking with some top performances over the five rounds. It is thought to be the best-ever result by an MBC team at the squash nationals.

First up they met St Paul’s Collegiate 2, followed by St Paul’s Collegiate 1, then sixth seed Mount Albert Grammar stood in their way, Jack winning a crucial deciding match to see MBC through. MBC’s final two matches were against second seed Whangarei BHS and fourth seed Auckland Grammar 1.

The icing on the cake was the inclusion, at tournament’s end, of Tom in the NZ senior boys’ team and Jack in the NZ junior boys’ line-up.

But it was very much a team effort. Chris came close to NZ selection, ranked a high B1, Bryn rocketed up the grades to give strength to the No 4 spot while Dylan and Matt at No 5 played consistently well.

MBC coach Nic Dann, who has been taking teams to nationals for the past 15 years, was elated with her charges’ efforts, which have not come about by chance.

“This year has been a six-month plan with scheduled tournaments designed to strengthen the lower-graded players in the team,” she said.

“It started in February and finished with the results of the weekend.”

The MBC 2 team which attended the nationals finished 24^th while gaining valuable experience for future events. The team comprised (in playing order): Jonty Rush, Manu Andrew, Max Benge, Ben Rush, Reuben Henry and Blake Benge.

Nic has also developed notable depth among the next echelon of players. Their progress has been aided by numerous trips to tournaments throughout the season, often in Blenheim Toyota’s community van, for which the team management is particularly grateful.

The Marlborough Girls’ College side finished 18^th in the girls’ competition. The MGC team (in playing order) was: Alyssa Le Sueur, Jasmin Wirepa, Frances Edmonds, Mackenzie Woolley, Addison Florence, Estella Tyrell.

Home side Tauranga Boys’ College took out the boys’ title, Otumoetai College winning the girls’ section.

MGC team manager/coach Tracey Marshall said that while the return trip tested everyone’s resolve, the players remained in good spirits throughout.

During the tournament prize giving they were notified their ferry crossings were cancelled until Friday for the two full vans, so the group travelled through to Taupo. From there they arranged to fly everyone out from Wellington on Monday night, driving to Wellington via two alternate routes. However, in the morning both those routes were closed, so they set out on a nine-hour drive though Whanganui via The Forgotten Highway, meeting sheep roadblocks and long gravel sections.

With time becoming a factor as they neared the capital, they called Air NZ to see if they could hold the flight and were given a 10-minute reprieve. With the help of a Google Maps shortcut through Wellington they arrived at the gate, no bags, with three minutes to spare.

The vans and luggage got back to Blenheim on Tuesday afternoon.