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The Herald
5 days ago
- Sport
- The Herald
SACD, Northerns in shootout for Growthpoint squash title
The Capital Fruit SA Country Districts and Northerns teams are heading for a straight shootout for squash glory when the 65th edition of the Growthpoint Jarvis-Kaplan interprovincial tournament draws to a conclusion in Gqeberha on Friday. After a week of high-octane action, the men's and women's teams from both provinces remained unbeaten following the penultimate round on Thursday despite a number of tough challenges from their rivals as the week again showcased the best SA squash has to offer. In the women's Kaplan Cup, Northerns A were given some anxious moments against hosts Eastern Province A, who had a real chance of registering a win before young Elzandri Janse van Rensburg produced a display of resilience against the skilful stroke play of Bianca Keeley. The Northerns player, down 2-1, was trailing in the fourth but refused to give up the fight and chased everything she could to snatch back the advantage by taking the game 14-12. It was not over because the deciding fifth game was equally well contested, but finally Janse van Rensburg edged it 11-9 for an important victory. Earlier, EP's Anlen Jarman, with years of experience under her belt, transformed a 2-1 deficit against Jordin Phillips into a 3-2 triumph, keeping her side in the hunt. However, with Northerns 2-1 up in matches, Kim McDonald was solid in a key clash at No 2, holding off EP's Jacqui Ryder for a 3-0 result, which gave Northerns the five points for a win. SACD A women were too strong for Joburg Squash A and will be up for Friday's challenge when they face Northerns as they try to wrest back the title they last won in Pretoria in 2023. The men's Jarvis Cup was marked by an intriguing encounter between two of SA squash's elder statesmen as JP Brits (SACD A) took on his old rival, Christo Potgieter, of Joburg Squash. Both players have seen many interprovincials come and go but this did not stop them from producing a show worthy of the occasion. Supreme exponents of the sport, Brits eventually prevailed in a significant 3-1 win which meant SACD remained unbeaten and on course to defend the title they have won six times when they clash with Northerns on Friday. In another thrilling match for the host province Eastern Province A, they managed to pip Western Province A 14-10. No 1 Gerard Mitchell was the toast of the EP team when, with the tie locked at 2-2 in matches, he hit back after dropping the first game against Devon Osborne to win 3-1 in a titanic tussle. The Herald
The Herald
6 days ago
- Sport
- The Herald
Northerns shade EP in Growthpoint squash thriller
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
The Herald
09-07-2025
- Sport
- The Herald
EP men bounce back in Growthpoint IPT squash
The Eastern Province men's side bounced back from their opening loss to register an important victory over KwaZulu-Natal A on the second day of the Growthpoint Jarvis-Kaplan interprovincial squash tournament at Londt Park on Tuesday. In a match in which the battle for the five winning points was furiously fought, the hosts managed to shrug off a loss by Jason le Roux in the tie's opening match to win 17-4. Justin de Neef was the early hero for KwaZulu-Natal and though they put in a huge effort to avert defeat, EP were able to come through on the back of wins by Sips Mpini, Gershwin Forbes and Dean Venter. With the pressure off, EP No 1 Gerard Mitchell rounded off the day with a solid 3-0 win against Daniel Smith. In other action, defending champions Cape Fruit SA Country Districts and Northerns A remained on a collision course for the top honours as they both collected their second victories. The SACD side, after dropping one match on Monday, moved into top gear with a clean sweep against Western Province A to move to 38 points after two rounds. It was another clinical performance by JP Brits' team and a clear indication that it will take a huge effort to stop them winning the Jarvis Cup trophy for the fifth year in a row. The skilful Northerns side, though, may have something to say about that after they successfully negotiated a tricky hurdle in neighbours Joburg Squash A, winning 17-8. John Anderson gave Joburg Squash the perfect start with a solid 3-0 win over Judah Phillips, but Northerns were soon back in business, though not without some real effort. Joburg No 4 Ethan Robinson fought all the way before going down 3-1 to Connor Earl, 15-13 in the fourth game. Then followed a match which went down to the wire, with Northerns again taking the spoils as Nikhil Pather outlasted Amukelani Zitha by winning the decider 11-3. Up 2-1 in matches, Northerns No 2 Jarrod Cousins was able to manage the trickery of Christo Potgieter, who showed his skill to win the third game but, in the end, was not able to get one across his younger opponent. That sealed the deal and Damian Groenewald wrapped it up with a 3-1 win over Joburg rival Tristen Worth. In the women's Kaplan Cup, the Cape Fruit SA Country Districts A side laid down their challenge when they outplayed hosts Eastern Province, winning four of the five matches. Only EP No 1 Hayley Ward could win for her team as SACD continued their impressive form to make it two wins out of two. They did not drop a game in the matches they won and that's a sign of their depth, and puts them on track for a shot at regaining the title. Northerns A also confirmed their credentials as they moved past a spirited Border team, winning all five matches but receiving some tough competition on the way. Border's Kelly Emslie picked up one game against Lara Patrick and her colleague at No 5, Hayley Wyer, became involved in a humdinger with Northerns opponent Elzandri Janse van Rensburg. Three of the games reached the 10-10 stage, but it was the young Northerns player who held her composure under intense pressure to win 3-2 by taking the decider 11-6. Defending champions Western Province A bounced back after their opening-day loss with a comfortable clean sweep against Joburg Squash A. The Herald
The Herald
08-07-2025
- Sport
- The Herald
EP women off to smooth interprovincial start at Old Grey
The Eastern Province women's team comfortably negotiated their first hurdle on the opening day of the Growthpoint Jarvis-Kaplan squash interprovincial when they defeated Joburg Squash A without dropping a game at Old Grey on Monday. SA's most prestigious domestic team event is being played in Gqeberha for the first time since 2021 and the host province will be looking to improve on their third-place finish of 2024. They were just too good for their Joburg Squash rivals on Monday despite some spirited efforts by their opponents. Eventually, No 1 Hayley Ward wrapped up the victory with a hard-earned 3-0 over Joburg's Teagan Russell to seal the commanding 20-0 win. The Northerns A women's team sent out a strong message to their rivals that they are a team to watch when they comfortably defeated defending champions Western Province. Though WP No 1 Alex Commins prevented a clean sweep in this Kaplan Cup clash, Northerns took most of the accolades as the prestigious team event got off to a spirited start in chilly conditions. Commins defeated Helena Hudson in the tie's final clash, but by then Northerns had wrapped up the match with four solid victories. Northerns No 3 Lara Patrick had a proper arm-wrestle with WP's Katie Mayhew in their opening game, eventually conceding it 17-15. But Patrick, who was crowned the University Sport SA women's champion last week, quickly bounced back and rattled off the next three games relatively easily to take a 3-1 win, en route to an overall 17-4 result. It may have been cold outdoors, but the action soon heated up inside as Northerns No 4 Connor Earl and Murray Commins (WP A) produced a cliffhanger of a match in their men's Jarvis Cup showdown. Both players showed supreme resilience and brilliant shotmaking skills as neither of them gave an inch in the bid for victory. Commins fought with all he had to win the third game 18-16 to get 2-1 up. But the persistent Earl never lost his focus, levelling the match and then finally coming up trumps in an epic fifth game to win it 12-10. That effort levelled the tie at one match each, but Northerns stepped on the accelerator and wins by Nikhil Pather and Jarrod Cousins gave them an unassailable lead. Defending champions Cape Fruit SA Country Districts held the edge over hosts EP A, though Dean Venter, at No 2 for EP, registered a highly commendable 3-1 win over seasoned campaigner JP Brits. It was a rare Jarvis Cup loss for the four-time champions, but they still have plenty of petrol in the tank and everyone knows the fighting spirit of Brits, who is sure to bounce back stronger than ever. The Herald
