Hawkes Sisters Missing from Mitchell Cup

A glaring absence from the annual battle for national squash club supremacy this year.

Auckland power house Remuera will not be contesting the women's Mitchell Cup competition for the first time in several years.  The club was unable to assemble a competitive team, due to the unavailability of the Hawkes sisters, Jaclyn, Rebecca and Sally.  The three siblings are all tied up with Jaclyn's wedding to English world number 40 Jonathan Kemp in Hawaii.

That has left the door wide open for an extremely tight contest for the title at Mitchell Park Squash Club in Wellington this weekend.

Defending champions North Shore are top seeds for the event, but are likely to face a stiff challenge from second seeds Mitchell Park, who include young stars Rebecca Barnett and Paris Dalrymple-Mortleman in their side.  Little separates the two teams on ranking points when their top five players are matched up.  Third seeds Eden Epsom also have a powerful top five and will fancy their chances of taking away the title.

Meanwhile, Auckland clubs dominate the seedings in the men's Cousins Shield competition.  Defending champions Herne Bay get top billing, courtesy of a line-up that includes touring pro Campbell Grayson and former New Zealand reps George Crosby, Chris Lloyd and Jarod Conning.  On paper they will be tough to beat, but second seeds Henderson, featuring emerging stars Paul Coll and Lance Beddoes, as well as third seeds Remuera led by Grayson's younger brother Alex, both have the credentials to stage an upset.

Fourth seeds Squash Gym Palmerston North could also be a fly in the ointment.  The 2009 champions have experience on their side with the likes of Josh Greenfield and Mike McSherry at the helm.

Play gets underway at 2pm on Friday June 1.

Seedings

Mitchell Cup (women)
1. North Shore
2. Mitchell Park
3. Eden Epsom
4. Khandallah
5. Herne Bay
6. Tauranga
7. Composite Team

Cousins Shield (men)
1. Herne Bay
2. Henderson
3. Remuera
4. SquashGym Palmerston North
5. Thorndon
6. North Shore
7. Waikato A
8. Marlborough
9. Manurewa
10. Khandallah
11. Mitchell Park
12. Waikato B