Cometh the hour, cometh the ... well, at just 14 he's hardly knocking on the door of manhood yet, although Alex Revington showed adult-sized ticker last night to lift Tauranga Boys' College to the top of the tree as New Zealand's best secondary schools squash team.
Boys' College, playing at the new Dame Susan Devoy Squash and Fitness centre across the road from their school, squeezed past three-times defending champions Christchurch Boys' High in a dramatic championship final 3-2, with Year 9 student Alex Revington the toast of his team after winning the deciding match in a one-sided romp over his Christchurch opponent Sam McCarroll.
It was standing room only courtside, with B2-graded Revington mobbed by his team after winning the decider 15-12 15-7 15-4 in a blink-and-you'll-miss-it match.
Tauranga Boys' should have wrapped up the final far earlier in the day after grabbing a two-zip buffer through No 5 Michael Dunston, who downed Joe Williams 15-10 15-11 12-15 15-13, and No 3 Joe Lyons, who thrashed Matt Tapp 15-13 15-6 15-9.
But Tauranga Boys' two top players, international Ben Grindrod and Devoy's son Alex Oakley, blew the lead, with Grindrod romping through his first two games against Chris van der Salm before going Awol to drop the match 10-15 3-15 15-9 15-10 15-12.
Oakley was similarly becalmed in his clash with Jackson Beresford, taking the first game 15-17 before he was outsmarted to drop the next four 16-14 15-2 15-12.
Revington, who had been enjoying Grindrod's clash with van der Salm - the first two games anyway - was suddenly thrust into action and admitted the men's toilets became a pseudo warm-up room as nerves took control.
"I sat and watched Ben and honestly thought the way he played those first two games that it'd be over and done with in three matches," Revington said.
"But I saw it to the end and suddenly things were looking tight so I went and warmed up, hoping Alex (Oakley) would pull one out and I wouldn't have to play."
But Oakley's swift demise thrust Revington onto centre stage and the young gun didn't disappoint.
By the end he was hitting audacious winners from all angles to the tune of encouraging whoops from his schoolmates.
"I wasn't doing all that well in the warm-up because I was too nervous, but by the end of the first game I was pretty sure I had him figured out. I was keeping it tight on the backhand wall, cutting off anything loose and speeding the game up when I could," ice cool Revington said.
"Probably quickness around the court is my strength."
Revington said having a purpose built court across the road - although the old Tauranga club was hardly a million miles away either - was a huge plus.
While Tauranga Boys' were celebrating, No 1 seeds in the girls' tournament, Te Puke High School, lost their shot at glory when they were outclassed in the championship decider by Epsom Girls' Grammar.
Te Puke had cruised all weekend, not dropping a match, and got off to the perfect start in the final when C2 player Lucy Carter predictably trounced E-grader Shenee Geaney-Jones 15-6 15-0 15-3 in the No 5 clash. But that was Te Puke's lot as Rachel Thomas, Samantha Brown, Courtney Bragg and Abby Wotten didn't win another game in the 4-1 loss.