Late sport Seeded players take a tumble in squash

Press, 14 April 1979, Page 6

Late sport Seeded players take a tumble in squash

Only the first three of the eight men's seeds managed to survive the first round of the Marine Tavern Sumner squash open yesterday. Among those to fall by the wayside was the fourth seed. Les Plover, whose lack of recent match play showed in his defeat in straight games by Geoff Tait. Plever could have taken the second game with a little more luck but faded completely in the third, managing to win only two rallies with Tait ip fine form. There was a disappointing performance from the fifth-seeded Robin Clements who rarely looked in touch against the hardhitting local player, Ron Marshall. Marshall’s backhand served him well while Clements, particularly in the second game, was rather more error-prone.

Among the other seeds beaten Was Sumner’s John MacDougall, who bowed, to the talented junior, Mark Crosbie, in three games. Crosbie is playing excellent squash at present. Crosbie is highly unlikely to progress any . further in this tournament, however, as he meets the top seed, Morris Billington, of Wellington, in -the second round today. Billington had a fairlv comfortable 3-0 win over lan Collins in his match yesterday. After a fine start by the sturdy John Oakley, it looked as though another seed, Lindsay Walton (third), might be in difficulties but Oakley’s fitness fell away badlv during the second game; Walton constantly dragging him forward with tight boasts and Oakley had no opportunity for breathers. ft was not surprising that Oaklev ran out of puff as he has only been back in Christchurch a week after 1« months away overseas in Israel and Britain. He expects that it will be six weeks before he is fully fit again. Don Preston, a former national representative, had been expected to win his match without trouble but the second seed was really made to work by Gary Monk, who stroked the bail crisply while retrieving quite a number of near-nicks with comfort.

Preston dropped the first game in which he twice served out of court — an unusual lapse for him — and then regained touch to win 3-1. Although Monk kept Preston on the run during part of the third and fourth games he made some vital errors while his opponent started to hit some dead nicks. Another Monk, Gary’s brother, Paul, will. meet Preston in the second round after his good. 3-1 win over the seventh seed, Murray Carson. Three of the four womens seeds — Merle Holland, Czesia Bowan and Kathy Graham — won their first round matches in straight games. However, the fourth seed, Lorna Symes, was upset 3-0 by Joan Terrell after a close first game. Results: — MEN

First round.-—M. F. Billington (Mitchell Park) beat 1. Collins (Collegians), 9-6, 9-6, 9-3; M.

Crosbie (Burnside) beat J. A. MacDougall (Sumner), 9-1, 9-6, 9-7; R. Marshall (Sumner) beat R. Clements (Burnside), 9-7, 9-1, 5-9, 9-4; G. Tait (Burnside) beat L. Plever (Suburbs), 9-4, 10-8, 9-0; L. Walton (High School Ola Boys) beat J. Oakley (H. 5.0.8. 5-9. 9-3. 9-0, 9-2;. H. T. S. Shepherd (Burnside) beat E. Smail (Celtic), 9-4, 10-9, 9-7; P. Monk (Linwood) beat M. Carson (Suburbs), 9-5, 9-5, 4-9, 9-7; DR. Preston (Christ-

church) beat G. Monk (Linwood), 2-9, 9-2. 9-5, 9-5. WOMEN First round.—M. Holland ,$OOl ner) beat G. Maaka (Christ, church), 9-3. 9-1, 9-4; J. Terrell (Christchurch) beat L. Symes (Christchurch), 10-9, 9-5, 9-2; C. Bowan (Temuka) beat S. O’Brien (Burnside), 9-3. 9-0. 9-6; K. F. Graham (Burnside) beat tV. Dodgshun (Christchurch), 9-0, 8-0. 9-1.