ANDY Fourie was over the moon after beating Cecil Humphries 3-0 for The Namibian Newspaper Squash League premier division title at the Wanderers Squash Club in Windhoek on Tuesday.
Victory was especially gratifying, given that the all-action left-hander went into the contest as the underdog, based on Humphries’ undefeated streak before the title decider.
En route to the final, Humphries beat Christoff Knoetze in the semis, while Fourie edged the powerful Abdul Gester.
The match was played on the Sanlam Court, and the atmosphere was tense during the warm-up as the players sized each other up. It was the first time that these two have met in a competition. The appreciative crowd, which included the Wanderers closed champion Max Endjala, played their part in this titanic match-up.
“Going into the final against Cecil was daunting, as I had never played against him, and he had been dominating his premier division group against strong players, so I had no game plan. Fortunately for me, hours of fitness training paid off in the end,” said a beaming Fourie.
The first set, which Fourie took 12-10, was a tight and tactical affair, with the players feeling each other out. But the tempo upped in the second game, which was marked by fast footwork from both players who displayed great athletic ability by retrieving ‘lost’ balls and playing shots which the average player can only marvel at.
Fourie settled into his game faster, and started dictating the pace of play to win the set 11-6. Although Humphries played valiantly, the buzzing Fourie was in the driving seat, dominating the match from the centre of the court, and seeing out the final set 3-0.
Louis Minders secured the second division title following his victory over the experienced Gregory Moore. Both players topped their respective groups and were undefeated coming into the final match, which was filled with thrilling rallies, leaving the spectators on the edges of their seats and gasping at the commitment of the players who chased shot after shot.
Although Gregory was the crowd’s favourite, Minders managed to claw his way to victory.
Third place went to Vito Abrantes, who fended off Paul Verburg 3-1 through the use of well-placed loopy shots backed up by short pot shots.
The first division honours went to Sven Hopkins, who scored a 3-1 win over Gerhard Bruwer in an enthralling encounter.
Hopkins is well-known in the squash community for being a great fetcher of the ball, while Bruwer’s signature is being clinical, and they did not disappoint. Bruwer took the first game 11-9, but Hopkins restored parity in the next with an identical scoreline.
In the third set, Bruwer came from behind to win 11-7, but Hopkins again matched his rival, duplicating the scores to take the gripping final to a fifth and deciding game. Both players gave it their all during the 45-minute match, but Hopkins got the upperhand and won the match 3-2.
Ricardo Abrantes, brother of Vito Abrantes, took third.
Match officials Nelson Herunga and Steven Berry set the tempo for the finals, having faced each other earlier in the evening.
An exhausted Berry won 3-1 (5-11, 15-13, 11-8, 16-14) after 47 minutes. In third place was Abdul Gester.
The league had been played over a seven-week period, during which players faced each other in three divisions. The competition grew in intensity each week as players battled for the top spot in their respective groups for a place in the semi- finals, and ultimately the finals.
“The Namibian Newspaper Squash League was well-organised for players of all levels to get some great game time. I personally enjoyed playing again after being out for a few months. It was awesome seeing how the players improved each week, with no one knowing who would come out on top,” Fourie noted.
The next big tournament on the horizon is the Coach Sean Invitational, where eight of the top players in Namibia will be invited to battle.
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