Plate Finalists Found in New Plymouth

The plate semi-finals have been completed at Kawaroa Park Squash Club in New Plymouth.

In the men's plate competition Eastern has beaten Southland, and will meet Bay of Plenty in the plate final after BOP were clinical in accounting for a Waikato team that appeared fatigued after a hard tie against Auckland in the first round.  Martin Knight meant business after being upset by young Cantabrian Paul Coll in the morning round, and Eastern's Bryce Redman felt the full force of Knight's redemption.  The standout performer for Bay of Plenty in the other plate semi-final was Matiu Te Kani-McQueen.  Leading the BOP team in the injury-enforced absence of Paul Bedford, Te Kani-McQueen won a marathon five set match against the in form Phil Buscke to seal the tie for BOP.

Waikato and Central have progressed to the plate final of the women's competition, albeit in vastly contrasting fashion.  Waikato were dominant in their crushing of Southern - winning all four matches in straight sets.  However Central were pushed all the way by Northland, with the tie tied at two matches and six sets all, a points countback was required before Central emerged as a 101-91 winner.  With the tie always likely to be very close, the players were on edge from the very beginning (knowing that every point could potentially count).  With the first three matches all decided in three (relatively comfortable) sets, Northland's Sophie McClymont was left with the arduous task of beating Kaye Elliot whilst conceding no more than two points in order to seal victory.  Although she started well (after taking the first set 11-2 victory was still possible), Elliot rallied to make a tussle of the last two sets, and book Central's place in the plate final.

Men's Plate

Bay of Plenty beat Waikato 12-3
Matiu Te Kani-McQueen beat Phil Buscke 11-5, 8-11, 12-14, 11-6, 11-6
Ben Grindrod beat Steve Martin 6-11, 11-6, 14-12, 11-8
Eugene Black beat David Dela Rue 11-4, 11-4, 11-6
James Skiffington beat Ben Calvert 11-6, 11-9, 11-6

Eastern beat Southland 9-5
Bryce Redman lost to Martin Knight 1-11, 5-11, 4-11
Todd Redman beat Adrian Mennell 6-11, 11-7, 11-3, 11-7
Simon O'Shaugnessy beat Nick Askin 11-4, 11-6, 11-5
Jason Baty beat Simon Budd 11-7, 11-7, 5-11, 16-14

Women's Plate

Central beat Northland 6-6 (101-91)
Danielle Fourie beat Trina Moore 11-9, 11-3, 11-2
Liz Cook lost to Sacha Pou-Tito 8-11, 5-11, 9-11
Kaye Elliot lost to Sophie McClymont 2-11, 5-11, 6-11
Kaitlyn Watts beat Miranda Harrison 11-1, 11-5, 11-5

Waikato beat Southern 12-0
Alana Sincock beat Stephanie Chambers 11-3, 11-3, 11-3
Holly Donelley beat Sophie Askin 11-6, 11-4, 11-1
Jorja Tarrant beat Tanya Colyer 11-7, 11-6, 11-8
Nicki Blake beat Sam Cross 11-9, 11-9, 15-13