|
|
 |
 |
South African InterProvincial
Championships
09-12 July 2007, Port Elizabeth |
Each Winter South Africa's top players
come together for the InterProvincial Championships, with the men's
teams competing for the Jarvis Cup while the women contest the
Kaplan Cup.
 This year's
event sees a few overseas stars brought in to bolster the teams over
the four days of competition in Port Elizabeth.
Newly-crowned National Champion
Steve Coppinger reports ... |
Jarvis Cup
2006 |
Gauteng
Wins thriller and
WP women cruise
The final day of Jarvis and WP girls had pretty much got the trophy
in the bag before the game. They still all put up a great show and
beat a Northerns side that has struggled in a few of their previous
matches. The win for WP made it the 4th consecutive Kaplan Cup which
is a remarkable record, congratulations to all the girls.
In the Men's final there were a number of crunch matches. With the
playing order at 5,4,3,1,2 Gareth and Andrew kicked off proceedings.
Gareth stormed through the first game not giving Sibbi a single
serve. The second and third were also very much dominated by the
Gautenger but he had to be more patient as Andrew calmed his nerves
and played a couple of good rallies, they were to few and far
between to put up a considerable challenge as Gauteng went 1-0 up
rapidly.
Before the fixture it was popularly assumed that the fixture would
hinge on the number 4 string match between Carl Hampson and Paul
Atkinson. Carl started with some great disciplined squash and had
Paul doing all the work in the first 2 games. It was looking good
for Natal at 2-0 to Carl, Paul is never one to lie down however and
fought back well as Carl seemed to be tiring. Soon the match was at
2-2 and the momentum all with Gauteng. Paul had a good start in the
5th as he got a few points clear, then Carl went back to his
disciplined, error free approach as both players were now showing
signs of fatigue. The tactics worked and a few crucial errors
towards the end of the game from Paul saw Carl take the win and
level the fixture at 1-1.
Next up was Natal's foreigner Johny Williams against Mike Tootill. A
slightly shaky start from Johny and a steady one from Toots saw
Gauteng take an early lead in the first game. Johny soon found his
feet and clawed back to level the scores, very steady squash from
both players with neither giving the opponent too much to work with.
Eventually the game went in Natal's favour. In the second Johny hit
his straps as he was dominating the T with great control and hurting
Mike with some deft flicks from the front left. 2-0 Natal. The third
carried on in a similar pattern until 8-2 match ball to Johny when
Mike really dug in and fought to save the match. The score slowly
crept closer and eventually, after numerous hand outs and lets Johny
managed to get the breakthrough to put Natal in a commanding
position.
Natal needed one more win from the remaining 2 matches so it was up
to Renan to keep the fixture alive for Gauteng. The first game was
very tight and long with the back left corner seeing the majority of
play, both players trying to drag the other off the T to look for
the opening up front. Steve managed to come out on top to take the
lead 1-0. In the second there was a lot of slow, high lengths down
the back hand from Renan seemingly trying to frustrate Steve. The
tactic didn't pay off as Steve found his way through and won the
second 9-2 to get all the KZN supporters very excited. Renan was
always slightly ahead in the third as he lifted the pace while
remaining patient. A few unforced errors towards the end of the game
halted Renan and Steve came back to 7-7. A huge rally took place
that ended with Steve working Renan out of position and forcing a
cross-court, only to clip the top of the tin on the volley drop.
This was all the encouragement that Renan required as he closed out
the game 9-7. A few errors at the start of the fourth from Steve saw
Renan get a quick lead and he started to look stronger and stronger
as the game progressed. Steve was tiring too and although the
rallies were intense never quite looked like taking control. The 5th
was very similar as Renan ensured that the number 2 strings would
play a live rubber for the Cup.
All to play for for both players. Adrian beat Jesse 3-0 at Nationals
but Jesse's had a great run of form since then despite losing to
Clinton Leeuw and Jason Barry earlier in the week. Jesse had a
storming first game and Adrian uncharacteristically found the tin on
several occasions to see Jesse win the first 9-0. In the second
Jesse had his tail up and was looking supremely confident playing
drops from all over the court and working Adrian hard. Adrian then
started to find a good depth on his lengths and it looked like the
match could shift momentum with one or two tins from Jesse. Adrian
got back to 5-6 and then Jesse whipped in a 3 wall boast that rolled
out the nick and a cross-court length that did the same, that was
enough to restore his confidence and he didn't look back. Adrian
didn't get another point after that as Jesse raced through the
remainder of that game and took the third 9-0 to the delighted
cheers of the Gauteng side of the stands.
A great final with some awesome squash in every match. What a
thriller.
|
|
12-Jul, Day Three:
Last of the group stages
The last round of the group stages had the top two teams in each
group come up against each other in the men's section. This included
WP against Gauteng in the Red Pool and KZN against Easterns in the
Blue Pool. The matches were fairly crucial as the winners of each
match would then play the theoretically weaker side in the semi
finals with a much better chance of reaching the finals.
Gauteng Dominated the match against WP as they won the first 3 ties
thanks to 'Toots', Paul and Gareth. Then Clinton managed to salvage
some pride for Province as he beat Jesse Engelbrecht in their first
meeting of the season. Rodney then went on against Renan and was
always on the wrong end of the rallies as the Frenchman reinforced
Gauteng's dominance.
In the Blue Pool KZN got a good start as Johnny Williams calmed the
infamous 'Wapo' in a fairly long 4 setter. Carl then followed suit
as he secured a 2-0 lead for KZN as he beat John Argyle 3-1. Gary
Plumstead kept the fixture alive by lobbing and slotting his way
past Andrew Sibbald 3-1 as well. Adrian Hansen then came up against
Craig van der Wath, these players have been doing battle for the
best part of 10 years and thankfully for KZN the recent trend
continued last night as Adrian overpowered Craig 3-0 to ensure KZN's
spot at the top of the pool. Liam Kenny, the Irish import for
Easterns then played Steve Coppinger which was an exciting match.
The first 2 games were very tight with each player claiming a point
for their side, in the third Liam then ran away with the match and
the fixture ended up going KZN's way 3-2.
In the Women's section WP stamped their authority on the event with
a crushing 5-0 victory over Gauteng. Gauteng were dealt a crippling
blow as their number 2 Claire Nitch had to retire injured when she
was 2-0 up against Karen vd Westhuizen. This puts her out for the
rest of the tournament and will leave Gauteng struggling for the
rest of the tournament. Easterns maintained their 100% record too as
they brushed aside the KZN ladies 5-0.
They will play WP today in a crucial fixture that could decide the
tournament. EP managed to notch up their first victory as they
outplayed Northerns which was a great result for the home side.
|
Semi-Finals:
Final:
Gauteng v KZN
Pool Results
Men's A
Men's B
Women
|
|
|
10-Jul, Days 1&2:
Top Teams reach the Semis
The first two days has seen everyone getting reacquainted with old
friends and enjoying the reunions with one or two cold beverages.
The squash started with a bang as, regardless of any off court
antics, once on court it was clear that it was business as usual. In
the men's section the top 4 teams have all secured their places in
the semi finals and today will meet to decide what permutations the
semi finals will turn out. In the Blue group Gauteng and WP will
fight it out for the top of the group while in the Red group KZN and
Easterns will do the same.
Some of the best matches so far have been Tim Vail and Liam Kenny
who put on a great show on the first day, some of the rallies
entirely in the front of the court and leaving the crow in awe. Liam
was ultimately victorious as he made sure Eastern's win was
convincing over Northerns. Rod Durbach took out Tim Garner 3-0 in
their opening fixture which ensured a good start for Province. On
day 2 Garner found some inspiration and went 2-0 up against
Frenchman Renan Lavigne before he staged a typical come back to win
the remaining 3 games relatively comfortably, including a 9-0 in the
fourth which forced Tim to contribute to his team's fines kitty.
Steve Coppinger looked sharp against Tim Vail as he secured maximum
points for KZN leading into their crunch match with Easterns this
afternoon.
In the ladies' section Province have been dominating so far and have
not dropped a game, still looking strong as favourites for the
title. Yesterday saw a crucial fixture between Gauteng and Northerns.
It was an exciting match with the fixture level at 2-2 when Diana
Argyle took to the court with Farrah Fenner. Some fabulous squash
from Di meant that she was dominating most of the rallies which in
turn led to a solid victory to keep Gauteng's hopes alive in the
tournament. Easterns are looking strong too with 2 good wins in 2
matches so far and will enjoy watching Gauteng take on WP this
afternoon.
All to play for as the tournament gets towards the business end.
Some fabulous squash is sure to be on display today. Men's A section
will play at Westview while the ladies are at Londt Park again. |
Men's Squads
Pool Results
Women's Squads
Pool Results |
| |
08-Jul, Preview:
Strongest lineup for years
This year's Jarvis Cup is going to be tremendously exciting with the
strongest line up in recent years. The top 4 teams are all in with a
realistic shout at the title.
This year's Jarvis Cup is going to be tremendously exciting with the
strongest line up in recent years. The top 4 teams are all in with a
realistic shout at the title.
Western Province are the defending champions and were looking
like having a good chance of retaining the title until a few days
ago with simultaneous withdrawals of Zuko Kubekeli and Rowan Smith.
This was a savage blow for Province as their strength was in their
depth, not to belittle the 2 titans at the top in Rod Durbach and
Clinton Leeuw.
As a result of these withdrawals Gauteng were moved up to top
seeds as they have a strong team all the way down the order with
Frenchman and World Number 32 Renan Levigne spearheading the side.
Jesse Engelbrecth who secured 3rd place in the SA Nationals will be
a solid number 2. Gauteng then boast Mike Tootill and Paul Atkinson
at 3 and 4 who are going to be a powerful force to behold. At 5 they
have a previous National Junior Champion in the form of Gareth
Schnehage.
KZN are poised at 2nd seeds and are led by National Champion
Steve Coppinger, at 2 they have the SA number 1 Adrian Hansen who
will be phenomenally strong at 2. Natal's foreigner comes in the
form of Aussie Jonny Williams who has held all sorts of endurance
records at the AIS before being hit by chronic fatigue.
He's bouncing back and having been a significant presence in the
world top 20 will be frightening at 3. At 4 they boast the National
Under 23 Champion in Carl Hampson followed by the little man who
will be out to prove himself as a quality A section player, Andrew
Sibbald.
Easterns are also going to be formidable team. They have
Irishman and World Ranked 35, Liam Kenny, heading up the team order.
At number 2 is the ever present and World Over 40 Champion Craig van
der Wath. At 3 Craig Wapnick is always unpredictable and has the
ability to produce some outrageous squash to get crucial points for
the team. At 4 and 5 they have John Argyle and recently crowned SA
Schools Number 1, Richard Dodd.
For other teams Border have brought out Tim Garner at 1 and
ex KZN player Jason Barry at 2 who will be looking to prove himself
against some tough opposition. Northerns have brought out Tim
Vail who is sure to enjoy the tournament at his first appearance and
leave spectators in awe as only he can.
The remaining sides in the A section are the Gauteng and KZN B
sides who will have a great experience playing against some
great opposition. A thrilling tournament coming up and all to play
for for the teams gunning for the title.
|
The Cups
The Jarvis/Kaplan Cup is unique in the world of squash. The fierce
rivalry between the provinces of South Africa is more than evident
with thrilling matches an absolute guarantee.
Team spirit plays a huge part in Jarvis as everyone is well aware
that each player must perform in order for the team to succeed.
The tournament is renowned world wide and a favourite of any
international player who has taken part.
The off-court festivities are one of a kind and ensure that the
whole tournament is played in good spirit.
Port Elizabeth
 Has
40km of unspoiled coastline — mostly golden sandy beaches renowned
across the world. Within less than an hour’s drive of Port Elizabeth
you can see the Big Five (elephant, rhino, buffalo, lion and
leopard) and many other species.
Then, inland further into the Eastern Cape, six of South Africa's 7
biomes (major habitats) converge and explode in richness of wildlife
and vegetation! There’s refreshingly sincere hospitality wherever
you go — antique shop browsing, coffee shop schmoozing or sunset
sauntering on the sand. What a place to be hosting South Africa's
flag ship squash event - The Jarvis/Kaplan Cup.
 |
| |
|
