Day 1 of Finals at World Masters Games 2017 Complete

A number of the winners for the 2017 World Masters Games have been decided with some exciting matches and tense moments with a number of the players taking away some great memorabilia including a Barfoot and Thompson Winners cap.

45+ Finals

First up was the 45+ age groups and in the Women’s Open Australian Sarah Fitz-Gerald the top seed claimed her win in 3 over the North Shore hopeful Lisa Cowlard. Paul Bedford the second seed Kiwi took his win over fellow countryman Robert Clark in 3 and took out the Men’s Open 45+ title. Allison Baille took out the Women’s 45+ Rec division after her pool play matches and Denis Theriault took out the Men’s 45+ Rec division winning his final in 3.

Men’s Open

Final – (2) Paul Bedford (NZ) bt (5) Robert Clark (NZ) vs– 11/7 11/6 11/9
3rd Place –Troy Dunn (NZ)

Women’s Open

Final - (1) Sarah Fitz-Gerald (Australia) bt (2) Lisa Cowlard (NZ) - 11/4 11/8 11/2
3/4 Playoff - (3) Mandy Kennedy (NZ) bt (4) Tanya Laurence (NZ) - 11/5 6/11 11/2 11/9

Women’s Rec (Pool Play)

Final - Allison Baille (NZ) bt (1) Joy Koolan (NZ) - 1/11 11/7 11/7 11/8
3rd Place – Rhonda Evaroa (NZ)

Men’s Rec

Final – (6) Denis Theriault (Canada) bt (8) Rodney Simpkins (Aus) - 11/6 11/7 11/7
3/4 Playoff – (7) Phillippe Rougier (French Polynesia) bt (12) Garry Pirie (Aus) - 14/16 6/11 11/7 11/2 11/1

35+ Finals

The youngest age groups were up next and ex professional players Shelley Kitchen and Kashif Shuja from New Zealand took out the Women’s and Men’s Open divisions respectively to gain their titles. They had to beat Jo Shanks and Sam Atkins of New Zealand respectively to get their titles with Shanks pushing Kitchen to five whilst Shuja took his win in 3. The Men’s 35+ Recreational was combined with the 40+ and the highest finishing 35+ man was Clayton Baillie. It was a similar situation in the Women’s Rec where Colleen Markides finished top in the 35+ players.

Men’s Open

Final - (1) Kashif Shuja (NZ) bt (2) Sam Atkins (NZ) - 11/8 11/4 14/12
3/4 Playoff- (3) Neil Rossin (NZ) bt (5) Adrian Mennell (NZ) - 11/3 11/6 11/5

Women’s Open Pool Play Round 5

(1) Shelley Kitchen (NZ) bt (2) Joanna Shanks (NZ) - 11/8 2/11 11/5 6/11 11/5
Toni Horsman (NZ) vs Tracy Browne (South Africa) - 13/11 11/9 11/9
3rd Place - Diane Antonsen (Australia) bye

Men’s Rec – Combined draw with 40+

1st - (8) Clayton Bailie (NZ)
2nd – Bryce Gosnell (NZ)

Women’s Rec

1 – Colleen Markides (Canada)

40+ Finals

Top seed in the Men’s Open Corey Love wasn’t able to edge past fellow Kiwi Alan Crome today going down in a mammoth five setter. Top seed and local North Shore Squash Club player Suk Hee Kim took the first title of the day for the club taking out fellow Kiwi Trina Moore in 4 in the Women’s Open. In the Men’s Recreational it was French Polynesia’s Herve Roignant that took the first medal home for the island nation with his win over American Balazs Kovary in 4. In the Women’s Rec Rebecca Morelle took the second title for French Polynesia after beating Brazilian Clarissa de Andrada Avila.

Men’s Open

Final - (3) Allan Crome (NZ) bt (1) Corey Love (NZ) - 11/5 11/13 6/11 11/4 11/9
3/4 Playoff - (2) Daniel Woolbank (Australia) bt (4) Richard Green (UK) - 13/11 10/12 11/4 11/8

Women’s Open

Final - (1) Suk Hee Kim (NZ) bt (3) Trina Moore (NZ) - 7/11 11/9 11/8 11/8
3/4 Playoff - (2) Nadine Cull (NZ) bt (5) Michelle Heron (NZ) - 11/4 11/5 13/15 11/7

Men’s Rec

Final - (12) Herve Roignant (French Polynesia) bt (10) Balazs Kovary (USA) - 11/9 11/5 2/11 11/5
3rd – (11) Edward Meredith (NZ)

Women’s Rec (Pool Play)

Rebecca Morelle (French Polynesia) bt Rebecca Morelle (Brazil) - 11/5 8/11 11/5 6/11 11/9

50+ Finals

Top seeded South African Craig van der Wath proved to be too strong in the Men’s Open draw taking out Canada’s Steven Wren in 3. In the Women’s Open top seed Susan Hillier of Australia took her win over the second seed Angelique Clifton Parks of South Africa in 4 with the players having some mammoth battles in their match. In the Men’s Rec France’s Patrick Le Fur proved to be too strong for New Zealand’s Andrew McKay winning in 3. Janet Simpkins of Australia took out the pool play of the Women’s Recreational with win’s over French Polynesia’s Beatrice Villa and Australia’s Maree Froome.

Men’s Open

Final - (1) Craig van der Wath (South Africa) bt (2) Steven Wren (Canada) - 11/6 11/7 18/16
3/4 Playoff - (5) Gary Duberly (NZ) bt (3) Grant Craig (NZ) - 11/8 11/4 8/11 11/4

Women’s Open

Final - (1) Susan Hilier (Aus) bt (2) Angelique Clifton Parks (South Africa) - 19/17 8/11 12/10 11/8
3/4 Playoff - (3) Kathryn McKay (NZ) bt (4) Annie Hall (NZ) – 11/7 3/11 11/7 9/11 11/5

Men’s Rec

Final – (12) Patrick Le Fur (France) bt (15) Andrew McKay (NZ) - 11/7 11/8 11/7
3/4 Playoff – (3) Laveta Arthur (NZ) bt (1) Keith Jeftha (NZ) - 11/6 3/11 16/14 11/9

Women’s Rec

Janet Simpkins won pool play

55+ Finals

Top seed Peter Gilbee of Australia took his win from his fellow Australian Dale Robbins in 3 and claimed the title in style in the Men's Open. Second seed Pippa Green of the UK was able to upset her higher seeded opponent Susan Lawrence of America in 3 sets with a long last game to show what the players were made of in the Women's Open. In the Men’s Rec the New Zealanders prevailed in the final of the Trans-Tasman battle with Colin Pannell beating Steve Nelson in 4. After pool play of the Women’s Rec finished up and the crossover of the pools happened it was another Kiwi winner with Sandra Kennedy claiming the top spot with a winner over Keiko Arimoto of Japan.

Men’s Open

Final - (1) Peter Gilbee (Australia) bt (2) Dale Robbins (Australia) - 11/9 11/6 11/9
3/4 Playoff - (4) Antony Brettkelly (USA) bt (6) Mark Taylor (UK) - 11/2 11/5 11/7

Women’s Open

Final - (2) Phillippa Green (UK) bt (1) Susan Lawrence (USA) - 11/4 11/7 16/14
3/4 Playoff - (5) Christine Ewart (NZ) vs (3) Elizabeth Hamilton (NZ) - 6/11 11/8 9/11 11/8 11/9

Men’s Rec

Final – (7) Colin Pannell (NZ) bt (8) Steve Neslon (Aus) - 11/9 9/11 11/4 11/8
3/4 Playoff – (4) Moreno Grison (Aus) bt (11) Denzil Pinto (NZ) - 9/11 11/8 11/8 12/10

Women’s Rec

Final – Sandra Kennedy (NZ) bt Keiko Arimoto (Japan) - 11/9 11/5 11/9
3/4 Playoff – Alison Le Bar (Canada) bt Kay Baldock (NZ) - 11/4 11/6 11/7

60+ Finals

It was another home club winner for the North Shore with Mark Waldin the top seed in the Men’s Open taking the title from Australian Roy Oliver in 3. In the Women’s Open Anne Richards the top seed took her title back to Australia after beating fellow Australian Sarah Wilson in 3. In the Men’s Recreational draw American Vijay Prasad took his win from Peter Lindsja of Sweden in 3 to claim his medal. In the Women’s Recreational draw Wendy McWilliams claimed the top spot after pool play and winning all of her matches.

Men’s Open

Final - (1) Mark Waldin (NZ) vs (2) Roy Oliver (Aus) - 11/8 11/8 11/4
3/4 Playoff - (4) Lawrence Skurr (NZ) bt Wayne Seebeck (NZ) - 11/5 11/6 11/8

Women’s Open

Final - (1) Anne Richards (Australia) bt (3) Sarah Wilson (Australia) - 11/2 11/8 11/3
3/4 Playoff - (2) Freda Walker (NZ) bt (4) Napoli Teremaki (Australia) - 11/8 12/14 11/8 11/8

Men’s Rec

Final – (9) Vijay Prasad (USA) bt (6) Peter Lindsja (Sweden) - 11/9 11/2 11/7
3/4 Playoff – (5) Sven Lilja (Sweden) bt (7) Bryce MacDonald (NZ) – Default due to injury

Women’s Rec Pool Play

1st – Wendy McWilliams
2nd – Colleen Moir
3rd – Hanneke Lucas

The last of the finals will be completed on Thursday with a number of strong match ups still to come.

65+ Finals

Men’s Open

Thurs 10:15am – Final - (1) Hongi Laing (NZ) vs (6) Ross Wells (NZ)
Thurs 9:30am – 3/4 Playoff - (5) Ronald Crosby (NZ) vs (2) Trevor Colyer (NZ)

Women's Open

Thurs 10:15am – Final - (1) Susan Volzke (Aus) vs (2) Laura Ramsay (Canada)
Thurs 9:30am – 3/4 Playoff - (4) Judith Orr (NZ) vs (3) Gwen McGeown (NZ)

Men’s Rec (Pool Play)

Women’s Rec (Pool Play)

70+ Finals

Men’s Open

Thurs 11:45am – Final – Players TBC
Thurs 11am – 3/4 Playoff – Players TBC

Women’s Open (Pool Play)

Round 5

Thurs 11:45am - (1) Kaye Jackson (NZ) vs (2) Patricia Taylor (NZ)
Thurs 11:45am - Wendy Dann (NZ) vs Mariza Ohisson (USA)
Betty MacDonald (NZ) bye

Men’s Rec (Pool Play)

75+ Finals

Men’s Open Pool Play
Men’s Recreational Pool Play
Women’s Recreational Pool Play

80+ Finals

Men’s Open Pool Play
Men’s Recreational Pool Play

Entry is free for spectators all week at the North Shore Squash Club and you can view all the draws (including the Recreation draws for each age group) and follow the action as it happens at www.northshoresquash.co.nz. The individual competition will continue through until Thursday and will be followed by the Teams competition from Thursday to Saturday.