Hard-fought squash

Press, 16 April 1979, Page 6

Hard-fought squash

Lindsay Walton was far from disgraced when he lost 9-2. 10-9, 10-9, to the higher-rated Morris Billington, of Wellington, in a 40min final to the Marine Tavern Sumner squash open yesterday. The young High School Old Boys player fought hard all the way and actually achieved a game ball at 8-3 in both the second and third games before Billington upped the pace and cut his errors down to virtually nil. Walton played the entire threeday tournament with broken strings in his racket and still managed to reach an open final for the first time. Later he admitted that he had had his chances but the Wellington) an was too good. Walton was pleased just to have made the final with a well-deserved 3-1 upset victory over the former national representative, Don Preston. Billington, aged 28, won the first game in less than lOmin. The next two were rather longer and full of long rallies in which both players hit miraculous retrieves. At times Billington won points; with miscued shots but the clean winners easily outnumbered these, flis reflex volleys near the front wall drew gasps from the gallery more than once, and some of his length drives barely came off the back wall. Towards the end of the second and third games he won several rallies by forcing his opponent out of position and then crunching a crosscourt drive. It was the first time since the 1975 season that the former Canterbury representative has

played an individual tournament in Christchurch. Billington joked that he was likely to come down moi e often if his appearances coincided with the absences of the Canterbury No. 1, Rod Hayes, who was playing in the national colts tournament at Tauranga this time. ’] he women's final must have failed to satisfy either player. Kathy Graham duly recorded her fourth win in the seven-year history of the tournament but it came about-when Mrs Holland pulled a muscle in the second game and had to withdraw. Mrs Holland, the top-ranked woman in the province last season. only started playing squash again a week ago and her crash campaign might have been too much. She won the first game against Mrs Graham in fine fashion, taking it 9-6 with a nick shot after trailing 1-6. The men’s open special plate final produced perhaps the most absorbing and entertaining contest of the tournament. Harry Shepherd just scraped home 10-9 in the fifth over the Burnside junior. Mark Crosbie, for what he conceded may be the last time. Crosbie led 8-4 at one stage in rhe final game and there were numerous match balls held, and an attack of cramp for Crosbie at 9-9. before it finally ended. There was also a very close match in the division one final with Simon Devine only winning 9-6 in the fifth after leading Matthew Clements by two games to nil.

Garv Monk (Linwood) took the open plate in fine fashion with a 10-9, 9-3. 9-7. win over Les Piever and Murray Carson

(Suburbs) beat Craig Matthews, 3-0, in the consolation plate final. Results:— MEN Open Quarter-finals.—M. F. Billington (Mitchell Park) beat M. Crosbie (Burnside), 9-10, 9-3, 9-7, 9-6; G. Tait (Burnside) beat R. Marshall (Sumner). 7-9. 9-2, 9-6, 9-3; L. Walton (H. 5.0.8. beat IL T. Shepherd (Burnside), 9-3, 9-0. 9-1; D. R. Preston (Christchurch) beat P. Monk (Linwood), 9-1, 9-1. 9-1. Semi-finals.—Billington beat Tait, 9-4. 9-7, 7-9, 9-2; Walton beat Preston. 10-9, 6-9, 9-1, 9-6. Final. —Billington beat Walton, 9-2, 10-9, 10-9. Division one Final. —S. Devine (Christchurch) beat M. Clements' (H. 5.0.8. 9-1. 9-6, 2-9. 7-9. 9-6. [ Division two Final.—A. Houliston (Suburbs) beat N. Turner (Linwood), 9-2, 9-7, 9-6. Division three Final.—C. Armishaw beat K.i Whitman (Burnside), 9-6, 9-0, 8-9. 9-4. WOMEN Open Semi-finals.—M. Holland (Sumner) beat J. Terrell (Christchurch), 9-0. 9-4, 9-3; K. F. Graham (Burnside) beat C. Bowani (Temuka), 9-2, 9-4. 9-4. Final.—Mrs Graham beat Mrs> Holland, 6-9. 2-0 (default). Division one Final.—P. Anderson (Oamaru) beat E. Hensley (Christchurch), 9- 9-6. 0-9, 9-6. Division two Final.—lL Hewitt (Malvern) beat K. Monk (Linwood), 9-4. 10-8. 10-