Northerns shade EP in Growthpoint squash thriller

The Herald

2 days ago

In a match which showcased the passion and competitiveness of the Growthpoint Jarvis-Kaplan interprovincial squash tournament, Northerns A came through a searching examination to squeeze past Eastern Province A in their men's fixture in Gqeberha on Wednesday.
This classic Jarvis clash went down to the wire and it took all the energy and skill of Northerns No 1 Damian Groenewald to hold off a terrific effort by Gerard Mitchell after he had dropped the first game.
One of the country's best players, Groenewald was relentless as he held his nerve to win 3-1 against a lively opponent, who left everything out on court as he tried to pull off what would have been a memorable victory.
Instead, the Northerns man sealed the deal to secure a thrilling 16-9 victory, keeping them in the hunt for the Jarvis Cup title.
With two days remaining, they have moved to 50 points, eight behind logleaders and four-time champions Cape Fruit SA Country Districts A, who continued to power their way through the draw, this time disposing of KwaZulu-Natal A without losing a game.
Though Thursday's matches could alter things, it does seem to be boiling down to a showdown between SACD A and Northerns A in the final round on Friday.
EP may feel disappointed at the final outcome, but they must receive accolades in abundance for pushing Northerns all the way.
Excellent wins by Sips Mpini and Dean Venter meant there was not going to be an easy route to victory for Northerns as the No 1s took the court for the decider.
But finally, in front of a packed crowd, Groenewald underlined his class to secure the win.
In the women's Kaplan Cup, Northerns A and Cape Fruit SA Country Districts A remain locked in a battle for supremacy after decisive wins on Wednesday.
As the country's prestigious team tournament moves into the business end, Northerns cruised past Joburg Squash 20-1 and the SACD outfit defeated defending champions Western Province A 17-3.
With two days remaining, just four points separate the two sides, while hosts Eastern Province A, who lost to SACD on Tuesday, put themselves back in the picture with a hard-earned win over Border A.
EP's 19 points from that encounter lifted them to 52 points overall, just one point behind SACD, while Northerns lead with 57 points.
The key matches will take place in the last two rounds, with EP facing Northerns on Thursday and then Northerns and SACD clashing in the final showdown on Friday.
The host province will round off their programme with a tricky encounter against WP.
EP did not have it all their own way against their neighbours Border and could easily have gone down 2-0 after the first two matches.
From staring defeat in the face against EP No 3 Janet Byrnes, young Kelly Emslie saved several match points to level the tie by winning the fourth game 12-10 and then swept through the fifth 11-5 for an impressive win.
In the next match, Border No 4 Kate van Biljon led Anlen Jarman 2-1 before her experienced opponent showed tremendous resolve to hold on for a 3-2 result.
That lifted EP spirits and the victory was completed by the skills of Bianca Keeley and Jacqui Ryder as they secured wins in straight games to give their team the major portion of the points on offer.
The Herald