Squash stalwart honoured

HALL OF FAME: Bryden Clarke was inducted into the New Zealand Squash Hall of Fame in Auckland last night.PHOTO/JOHN BORREN

One of the great personalities of New Zealand squash was inducted as the 28th member of the New Zealand Squash Hall of Fame at the Remuera Squash Club last night.

Tauranga's Bryden Clarke is a truly colourful, larger-than-life character.

At 82, he is the same age as the national body of the sport and is a life member of five associations including New Zealand, Tauranga and Bay of Plenty.

Clarke was a national representative in 1959 and 1961, a national selector in 1963-66, 1970-71 and 1976-79. He gave more than a decade's service to New Zealand Squash's management committee, managed New Zealand teams to Australia and Pakistan, and was a key figure in establishing both the Central Districts and Bay of Plenty associations.

In 1974, he was the driving force in raising funds so Bruce Brownlee could make his first trip to Britain in what became known as the "Bruce to Britain" campaign.

"We raised a lot of money. People coughed up $10 from here, there and everywhere and we got enough to get Bruce over there. He did well over there and justified our faith in him," Clarke said.

But his greatest contribution to New Zealand squash was securing the services of Egypt's Mohamed Dardir Ali El-Bakary , known by all as Dardir, as the country's first fulltime coach in 1967. Regarded as perhaps the greatest squash coach ever, Dardir stayed for more than 30 years and changed New Zealand squash.

"I was managing a New Zealand team to Australia and I took over the list of 26 questions that we wanted him to answer, and Dardir agreed to that and he came out," Clarke said. "He was like a breath of fresh air because he taught us how to play squash, not tennis on the court. Things like drop shots into the nicks and drives into the back corners. Once we started to play like he suggested, our players all improved dramatically. Ross Norman and Susan Devoy had coaching from him."

Tauranga local Devoy holds a special place in Clarke's heart.

"I knew Susan from the time she was about seven or eight years old. She is a wonderful young woman and one of the two best women's players from New Zealand. The other was Heather McKay (Blundell) who also won many titles."

Clarke regards his Hall of Fame induction as a huge privilege.

"I feel quite humbled about it but I also am highly delighted because I have put my whole life into squash. No one had a more enjoyable life out of squash than me. It has been excellent."