SACD make it a double in Growthpoint Interprovincial

Men’s team forced to weather Northerns storm for hat-trick of titles Defending champions SA Country Districts A weathered a Northerns storm to make it a hat-trick of Jarvis Cup men’s titles on the final day of the Growthpoint Squash Interprovincial in Pretoria on Friday.

It was another double celebration for the SA Country Districts union because their women’s A team overcame a spirited showing from Eastern Province A in their last fixture to take their fifth Kaplan Cup title in a row.

The men’s final had all the elements of a classic Jarvis Cup encounter, full of competitive matches with the fighting spirit burning bright in both camps.

Northerns drew first blood when Ruan Olivier produced a remarkable comeback against SACD No 2 JP Brits, who appeared hampered by an injury in the latter stages of the match. Nonetheless, he had a golden chance to wrap the match up 3-0 but was not able to seize the advantage of five match points in the third game, which Olivier eventually took 15-13. Then the Northerns man fought back with increasing confidence to transform that 2-1 deficit into a 3-2 win.

SACD No 1 Dewald van Niekerk saw off the challenge of Damian Groenewald before his elder brother, Rudi, became involved in the second humdinger of the tie against Sipho Ncube.

When the Northerns man led 2-1 after losing the first game, he seemed on track for a key win, only to flounder completely in the fourth, which he lost 11-0.

Putting that behind him, he was back at his opponent in the fifth, but Van Niekerk called on all his years of experience and a fighting attitude to hold Ncube at bay by taking the decider 11-9. SACD needed just one more match to seal the deal and although young Dylan Niemack lost the second game to Mark Schickerling, he gathered himself to secure a 3-1 victory and the Jarvis Cup trophy for his team.

The women’s Kaplan Cup drew to a rousing finish as Eastern Province A showed a competitive spirit against SA Country Districts, even though the outcome of the tournament was decided long before the final shot was played.

It’s a vivid indication of the value South Africa’s players place on the Growthpoint Interprovincial that every point is fought for, irrespective of the situation.

EP No 1 Hayley Ward continued to confirm her potential by being the only player in her position to go through the week unbeaten, capping her efforts in Pretoria against the hitherto unbeaten Lizelle Muller.

The SACD player took the first game, but Ward stayed calm under extreme pressure from an experienced and talented opponent to win the big moments and edge home 3-1.

When EP No 5 Dani Shone added to that victory with hard-earned 3-0 result over Keschia Scorgie, the outcome of the match went down to the wire.

EP’s experienced Anlen Jarman grabbed the first game against Dene van Zyl, but her young opponent showed great fighting qualities and maturity to come back strongly for a 3-1 win, giving SACD A the tie 15-8.

Host province Northerns A completed a satisfactory week with a solid 17-6 win over Western Province A, which helped them to finish in third place, one point ahead of EP. Joburg Squash A, who had a bye on Friday, ended in second place.

Friday’s results were:

Women’s Kaplan Cup

SA Country Districts A bt Eastern Province A 15-8 (SACD A first): Lizelle Muller lost to Hayley Ward 3-1 (7-11 11-9 11-8 12-10), Alexa Pienaar bt Jacqui Ryder 3-0 (11-5 14-12 11-7), Shelomi Truter bt Kacey-Leigh Dodd 3-1 (11-7 12-10 4-11 11-2), Dene van Zyl bt Anlen Murray 3-1 (9-11 11-7 11-9 11-6), Keschia Scorgie lost to Dani Shone 3-0 (11-9 11-9 11-8)

Northerns A bt Western Province A 17-6 (Northerns A first): Helena Coetzee bt Karen Schultz 3-2 (7-11 11-9 7-11 11-8 11-9), Kim McDonald lost to Juanette le Roux 3-0 (11-4 11-6 11-9), Mariska Wiese bt Katie Mayhew 3-0 (11-6 11-5 11-7), Lara Patrick bt Cass Erasmus 3-1 (11-3 9-11 11-7 11-8), Kaylee Hunt bt Nicole Gliddon 3-0 (12-10 11-3 12-10) Final log: SACD A 70, Joburg Squash A 57, Northerns A 45, EP A 44, WP A 18

Men’s Jarvis Cup

Final

SA Country Districts A bt Northerns A 16-6 (SACD A first): Dewald van Niekerk bt Damian Groenewald 3-0 (11-4 11-8 11-6), JP Brits lost to Ruan Olivier 3-2 (5-11 6-11 15-13 11-4 11-8), Rudi van Niekerk bt Sipho Ncube 3-2 (11-6 8-11 7-11 11-0 11-8), Dylan Niemack bt Mark Schickerling 3-1 (11-9 7-11 11-2 11-9). Final match not played

3rd place

Joburg Squash A bt SA Country Districts B 18-3 (Joburg Squash A first): Christo Potgieter bt Ian Oosthuizen 3-0 (11-9 11-6 11-6), Devon Hendrikse bt Jonathan Just 3-0 (12-10 11-2 11-4), Mark Dunn bt Luke van Vuuren 3-0 (11-5 11-8 11-7), Dean Nortier lost to Reuel Videler 3-1 (4-11 11-7 11-5 11-8), Michael Wood bt Jimmy Schlebusch 3-0 (11-3 11-4 11-6)

5th place

Western Province A bt Zambia A 15-4 (WP A first): Gary Wheadon bt Kundanji Kalengo 3-0 (11-4 13-11 11-9), Mighael Lombard bt Kelvin Ndhlovu 3-0 (11-7 11-7 11-8), Seth Flisberg lost to Sam Siame 3-1 (5-11 12-10 11-7 11-9), Manda Chilambwe v John-Ross Malloch – no result, Justin van der Poel bt Ray Simbule 3-1 (7-11 11-5 11-6 11-8)

7th place

KwaZulu-Natal A bt Eastern Province A 16-10 (KZN A first): Matt Boote lost to Warren Bower 3-1 (11-6 11-7 9-11 11-9), Daniel Smith bt Dean Venter 3-2 (11-13 11-6 6-11 11-5 11-1), Luke Bakke lost to Sips Mpini 3-1 (7-11 11-7 11-2 11-7), Justin de Neef bt Tyrone Dial 3-2 (8-11 3-11 11-8 13-11 13-11), Adrian Hansen bt Liam Ford 3-0 (11-2 12-10 11-9)