Best squash at coast

WHILE the world’s best battled it out in Manchester, Namibia’s best battled it out at Swakopmund.

The SFC Squash Club Championships held over the weekend saw the triumphant return of a popular and enjoyable local tournament. After a weekend brimming with bonhomie and spirited competition, the final match between brothers David and Ian Rowett sealed the feel-good factor with a fitting display of squash and good-natured rivalry.David, two years Ian’s senior and a permanent resident of the Damaraland wilderness, showed his raw talent by taking the first game 9-2 in record time.Ian levelled the score in the second, finding his length and taking the ball early to force the unseasoned legs of his elder brother to unwilling extremes.The next two games had enough long rallies and incredible pick-ups to keep the crowd from the edge of their seats.And fitness proved the deciding factor in favour of junior Rowett: “I could hardly stand,” said David, who gets to play only once every two weeks if he’s lucky.The legendary Frik Orban had to withdraw before the tournament but his shoes were well filled by the SFC Squash Club’s newest member, Dries Tredoux, who made the trip from Windhoek especially.Tredoux had some typecast humdingers going down 3-1 to Luke Allen and pipping returning star Clinton Dewing 10-9 in the fifth.Jacques Steenkamp gave a hyperbolic lesson in the meaning of dedication.The third-seeded player suffered serious side effects from an eye operation on Friday but decided to play one-eyed all the way through the competition, earning himself the dubiously unoriginal title of Stevie Wonder.Isabell Schnoor coasted through to the semis where David Rowett ended her unbeaten run with disdainfully accurate volleys and ill-mannered tight drives.She found a more equitable opponent in Luke Allen for the third/fourth play-off the latter taking the match in a commendable three straight games.Despite the high-level action at the top, the weekend belonged to the middle and upcoming orders.New members AJ Venter, Kobus Brayshaw, Gareth Smith, the Pahl youngsters and Corné Kotze were all thrown into the deep end competing, and holding their own, against seasoned squashers like Warren Deysel, Bernd Gruettemeyer, Karl Zehrt and Mario Oprandi.The juniors and social players were cast into a round-robin pool that yielded some delightful ding-dong duels with newcomer Sebastian Pahl coming first ahead of Ruth Hornickel by one point.Pascal Seebach competed well in the B Section beating mother of the brothers, Flicky Rowett, in the third/fourth play-off.Sumari Usher met Bianca Grove in the B section final, Bianca’s shotmaking prowess proving too much for Sumari to handle.After a weekend brimming with bonhomie and spirited competition, the final match between brothers David and Ian Rowett sealed the feel-good factor with a fitting display of squash and good-natured rivalry.David, two years Ian’s senior and a permanent resident of the Damaraland wilderness, showed his raw talent by taking the first game 9-2 in record time.Ian levelled the score in the second, finding his length and taking the ball early to force the unseasoned legs of his elder brother to unwilling extremes.The next two games had enough long rallies and incredible pick-ups to keep the crowd from the edge of their seats.And fitness proved the deciding factor in favour of junior Rowett: “I could hardly stand,” said David, who gets to play only once every two weeks if he’s lucky.The legendary Frik Orban had to withdraw before the tournament but his shoes were well filled by the SFC Squash Club’s newest member, Dries Tredoux, who made the trip from Windhoek especially.Tredoux had some typecast humdingers going down 3-1 to Luke Allen and pipping returning star Clinton Dewing 10-9 in the fifth.Jacques Steenkamp gave a hyperbolic lesson in the meaning of dedication.The third-seeded player suffered serious side effects from an eye operation on Friday but decided to play one-eyed all the way through the competition, earning himself the dubiously unoriginal title of Stevie Wonder.Isabell Schnoor coasted through to the semis where David Rowett ended her unbeaten run with disdainfully accurate volleys and ill-mannered tight drives.She found a more equitable opponent in Luke Allen for the third/fourth play-off the latter taking the match in a commendable three straight games.Despite the high-level action at the top, the weekend belonged to the middle and upcoming orders.New members AJ Venter, Kobus Brayshaw, Gareth Smith, the Pahl youngsters and Corné Kotze were all thrown into the deep end competing, and holding their own, against seasoned squashers like Warren Deysel, Bernd Gruettemeyer, Karl Zehrt and Mario Oprandi.The juniors and social players were cast into a round-robin pool that yielded some delightful ding-dong duels with newcomer Sebastian Pahl coming first ahead of Ruth Hornickel by one point.Pascal Seebach competed well in the B Section beating mother of the brothers, Flicky Rowett, in the third/fourth play-off.Sumari Usher met Bianca Grove in the B section final, Bianca’s shotmaking prowess proving too much for Sumari to handle.